Monday again and you know what that means... Another chapter! I want to thank everyone who reviewed the latest chapter and I really hope you will continue doing it. It always cheers me up to read one of your kind comments. But since the number of reviews are kind of decreasing, I'm worried I'm not living up to your expectations of the drabbles I'm writing. If this is true, please tell me!

Heh, maybe I need to write more stories about them getting hurt, because that response was overwhelming!

Anyway, time for a new chapter. This one is for Turtlefanforlife1982, who wanted a story about Raph's fear of roaches. I hope you're pleased :)

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Bugs

"C'mon, ya lameface! Any slower an' yer runnin' backwards," Raph called as he ran through the sewer tunnels in a high pace. With expert precision he avoided the puddles which were made through the heavy rain that had fallen in over a couple of days.

"Yer one ta talk, screwball! I'm beat!" Casey shot back, trying to catch up with his turtle friend. Raph barked out a laugh. "D'aww… Is poor little Casey tired? Does he wanna blanky an' a warm cuppa milk?" he teased and decided to slow down a little.

"Shaddap, Raph!"

"And a kiss from mommy?" Raph continued with a smirk.

"Hey! Leave ma mom outta this!" Casey warned as he finally ran next to a grinning Raph, who gave a shrug. "Yer lucky I like yer mom. Otherwise ya wouldn't have lived it down."

"Yer lucky I need ya ta get outta this sewer, otherwise I would have punched ya," the long-haired man said glaring. Raph snorted. "Heh, look who thinks he's tough. Dude, tha only thing that's tough about ya, is yer smell."

"Says tha one livin' in tha stinkin' sewers. Even if I fart I make ya smell betta," Casey taunted back. Immediately Raph created some distance between them. "Try an' die, fleabrain," he threatened. "But seriously… Why are ya tired?"

"I had to go shopping with April…" Casey answered with some aversion. "Fer freakin' shoes!"

Raph started to laugh. "Shoes? That hatta be a blast," he said sarcastically. Casey huffed. "And it's freakin' sale… Have ya any idea how many women can shop fer shoes at the same time?"

Raph shook his head. "Nope, and I don't wanna know," he said as he ran into an adjacent tunnel. Following the turtle, Casey continued to complain. "Well, it's horrible! And I don't understand what's so important 'bout havin' twelve pairs of shoes. Most of them she doesn't even wear!"

"Women..." Raph said understandingly, while he pushed himself off the ground to jump over a large hole in the floor. "Bet ya paid fer it too."

Casey gave him a glare. "Course I have - Holy crap!" Realising too late there was an obstacle on the way, or rather there was no way, he tried to stop himself to prevent himself from falling into the dark pit just a few feet in front of him. Hearing his friend curse, Raph turned around, just in time to see Casey slide into the hole with a scream. "Oh, shell," he muttered and he shot to the edge, looking into the darkness. "Case?" he called. A few moments there was nothing, until there was a grunt. "Casey?" Raph tried again.

"Ya could've warned me, dude!"

"Ya freakin' bonehead! Ya just hafta look where yer goin'!" Raph yelled angrily, masking his relief pretty well. "Yer hurt?"

"Just a few bruises, no biggies," the muscular man called. There was some rummaging, which Raph couldn't place. "Yo, Case. Yer comin' up, or what?"

There was a pause. "Heh… I can't," was the soft answer. Raph raised an eye ridge. "Ya can't? Can't ya climb or somethin'?"

"Dude, I can't see a damn thing. The only light comes from tha top and that's 25 feet up," Casey called. Raph stood up straight and looked around for something to use. "Jeez, Case. I can't take ya anywhere," he said jokingly as he walked through the area.

"Very funny, shellhead," Casey retorted. Raph smirked and walked back to the hole, not having found anything he could use. "And here I thought Mike was clumsy, but ya totally tops 'im."

He heard an annoyed grunt. "Yer gonna help me or not?"

"If ya let me ride yer new cycle tomorrow," Raph answered, as he looked down the hole with a grin. In the dark he could see the silhouette of his human friend, who was looking up with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Really? Yer blackmailing me?"

"Hey, I've gotta take every opportunity ta ride that thing. And it's a compliment fer yer cycle!" Raph shot back. Again it was quiet and Raph knew Casey was thinking about that statement.

"It's brand new! Knowing ya, yer gonna scratch it in a minute."

"So, that's a no?"

"Yes."

"Alright, see ya." With that Raph walked out of sight line, waiting with a smirk for Casey to respond. Within seconds Casey's voice rose from the hole. "Raph?" A pause. "Goddamnit, Raph!"

Trying to muffle his sniggering, Raph waited.

"Not funny, Raph!" Straining his ears, Casey tried to listen to any movement. Knowing his friend, he was just messing with him, but this dark place really creeped him out. He didn't get scared often, but he didn't like spaces he didn't knew the perimeter of. Or spaces that had weird scratchy noises he couldn't place. He looked around in the dark, trying to figure out the source of the sound. Suddenly it hit him… Animals. There had to be animals here. Probably rats, or bugs, or whatever. Swallowing hard, he looked up again, hoping Raph would return with some rope or something. "Raph!" he called again, getting really nervous now. Not wanting to let his turtle pal know, he tried to deflect it with anger and annoyance. "Argh, screw ya! If ya don't wanna help, fine! I'll find ma own way out, ya prick."

Practically feeling the anxiousness radiating from his friend, Raph walked back. "Ya don't know how ta take a joke, Case-man."

"Yeah, yeah. Just get me outta here." Although he knew Raph didn't leave, he couldn't help to feel relieved. Raph looked around the area. "I can't reach ya and there's nothing here I can use, dude. Can't help ya from up 'ere."

"Yer as useless as a screen door on a submarine, ya know."

"Say that again and I'm really leavin' ya ta rot 'ere."

"Ya wouldn't."

"Try me."

It went quiet and Raph knew he had won. With a satisfied smirk he placed his feet on the edge. "Move aside, I'm comin' down."

"Down? But -" Before Casey could finish his sentence, Raph landed next to him in a way more gracious way than he did before. Standing up straight, the turtle looked around. "Why issit so dark in 'ere?"

Casey shrugged. "Cuz there's too little light," he deadpanned.

"No shit, Sherlock," Raph said, and he started to walk through the dark underground. "But there should be emergency lights, like everywhere in tha tunnels." Reaching a wall he almost bumped into, he stopped and he crouched down. "They hafta be somewhere -" The moment his hand made contact with some bulge in the wall, a loud hissing noise rose and hundreds of flying bugs emerged from the lights, flying into Raph's direction.

"Holy freakin' crap!" Raph yelled, scrambling back on his feet. Terrified he swatted his hands over his head. "Gettem off! Gettem off!"

Startled by the unexpectedness from it, Casey hold his arms over his head to protect his face. Within seconds he was over his distress and he whipped up his head to see his friend, who ran in his direction, still screaming.

"Raph!" he tried to warn the turtle. "Raph!"

At that moment Raph crashed into him, sending them both to the ground in a heap.

"Ahh! Gettem off!"

"Raph! Calm down!" Casey yelled, trying to get over the loud screams. "They're jus' cockroaches!"

"Gettem offa me!"

Hoping to get through his friend, Casey grabbed both of Raph's shoulders, shaking him hard. "Dude! Snap outta it! They're jus' bugs!"

Raph continued to panic, waving his arms around frantically.

"They're almost gone! Just look!" Casey yelled, noticing the majority of the cockroaches had escaped through the big hole above them. He shook him again, but with no avail. He sighed, knowing there was only one option left. Balling his right hand, he slammed his fist onto Raph's cheek. Immediately it went quiet. Then Raph turned his head back slowly and faced Casey with narrowed eyes. "Did ya jus' hit me?"

"Hey, don't get mad at me. I just punched back your manliness, ya big sissy," Casey defended himself. He got a big smirk on his face. "Yer a wuss."

"Shaddap!" Roughly Raph shoved Casey away from him, but immediately ducked when a lonely cockroach flew in his direction. "I hate this friggin' place!" He cursed from his crouched position. Casey chuckled seeing his normal tough friend like this. "Why are ya so scared of tiny bugs anyway? It's not like they do much."

Carefully Raph got up, looking around with big observant eyes. "They have this unnatural amount of legs, and they can fly an' crawl into yer shell and -" Suddenly he was realising what he said. Quickly he turned his head at his friend and gave him a betrayed and slightly angry glare. "Hey! I wasn't scared! Jus'… surprised, that's all…"

"Surprised? Uh-uh.." Casey said sarcastically. "And your little dance when ya freaked outta yer mind was a way ta surprise them back?"

Raph growled at the mocking comment. "Whatever, bonehead. Let's just get outta here." He turned around, facing the other wall. He noticed a small passage now the emergency lights were uncovered. Not waiting for his friend, he walked forward.

"After you, bozo." With a smirk Casey followed Raph towards the dark tunnel. "Who knows what kinda bugs we encounter in that dark place," he said teasingly. Promptly Raph stopped in his tracks, shoulders tense. "Yer a jerk," he said slowly. Casey started to laugh. "Hehe, and you're a scared little pansy." Before Raph could respond, Casey walked past him and took lead. "C'mon, sissy pants. I'll protect ya from tha scary roaches."

Raph huffed angrily. "Ya know what… Fine!" he gave in, although not agreeing. "But when we get outta here, you'll shut yer mouth ta everyone. Otherwise I shut it fer ya."

Casey shook his head and looked at Raph over his shoulder. "Oh no! Everyone's gonna know this! Yer bros, April, Splinta… Heck, I even tell Shred-head yer afraid of bugs. Bet he'll laugh his armour off," he said with a grin. Raph gave him a very intimidating glare and reached for his sai. "I swear, Case. If ya -"

Casey cut him off with a semi-hurt look. "Dude, wadda ya take me for? 'Course I'll shut ma face." He received a less threatening scowl from Raph. "But that doesn't mean I can't tease ya now."

"Yeah, yeah… Jus' keep on walkin', numbskull. Tha sooner we get on tha right path, tha betta," Raph said, marching forward. Casey snorted. "Friggin' wuss."

"Dimwit."

"Chowderhead."

"Assface."

"Dope."

"Lunkbrain."

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I really hope you liked it! Please leave a comment :)