TMNT - Pinprick

Leonardo lurched awake when a hand slapped his shoulder. “Good afternoon, great leader. Better get up fast or Sensei’s gonna have a shell to pick with you.”

It always made Leo uncomfortable for his waking emotion to be confusion. He stared up at his smirking brother, Raphael, asking, “What? Afternoon?” Disoriented, Leo glanced at the clock by his bedside and gasped, “I overslept!”

“Yeh, like I said, you better get up,” Raph repeated, laughing as Leo scrambled out of his bed and reached for the blue mask he had hung on the wall the night before. Raph’s sneer faltered just slightly when he saw the bandage on Leo’s right shoulder, near his collarbone. “That was some fight last night, wasn’t it?”

Nodding, Leo sighed, “Isn’t any fight with the Foot?”

“Yeh, but at least you’re well-rested for the next one,” Raph teased, making Leo lightly punch his plastron and knock him back a step.

“Shut up, Raph. You think getting a gauntlet blade in your shoulder is fun, I’ll be glad to let you try it next time.”

Raph shrugged and elbowed past him, leaving the room. “Fine by me, Fearless, I can take it!”

Once he was alone, Leo’s irritated expression faded immediately, followed by one of understated pain. Because he’d been buried under a mountain of Foot soldiers, none of the others had heard his scream of agony. That blade had really, really hurt and the wound it had left would hurt for much longer. He had thought with a good night’s sleep, however, the sting would have lessened a bit. Instead it only seemed stronger.

It always gets worse before it gets better, Leo reminded himself, plodding wearily toward the kitchen. “Good morn—afternoon,” he greeted Donatello, who was leaning against the counter, waiting for his turn in raiding the refrigerator.

“Hey, Leo,” Donnie returned. “How’s your arm?”

“Fine,” Leo lied easily. “You should worry about yourself.”

“What, this?” Donnie laughed, gesturing to the small bandage on his neck. “It’s—”

“—pizza time!” an excited voice interrupted. Michelangelo’s head emerged from the fridge, bright with joy. The youngest turtle held out one of the precious white and red boxes to Donnie. “What d’you think, dudes?”

As Raph ambushed Donnie and Mikey on the way to the dining table, Leo couldn’t help but smile warmly. Every day he found himself marveling at how fantastic this family was.

Perhaps this once he would surprise his brothers and join in the fun. To prepare for the lunge, Leo bent into a crouch and immediately regretted it as his shoulder wound strained. Wincing, he returned to the upright position and shook his head slightly, walking stiffly to his chair and sinking into it. Closing his eyes, Leo took some deep breaths. He couldn’t let weakness spoil his appetite.

Too late, he learned soon enough, picking at his pizza with a downcast expression. Once he declared that he wasn’t hungry, Raph was kind enough to eat it for him.

888

In and out...in and—

Groaning quietly, Leo opened his eyes and let his shoulders slump. Meditation seemed to be out of his reach today. Maybe it had to do with waking up after noon, but Leo wasn’t sure. He tried to use some of the easier techniques:

“Imagine a lotus flower sitting in your stomach, unfurling its petals with every intake of air,” Master Splinter used to say. Leo was doing his best, but all he could think about was the ache unfurling in his shoulder.

“I have to be calm about this,” Leo announced to the empty room. Master Splinter also said that the physical body could only heal if the mind healed with it.

Leo tried for a moment or two more and then hissed in restless exasperation. As he got to his feet, he gasped a little and leaned against the wall, lightheadedness washing over him.

“Stood up too fast there, did you?” he murmured, startling when the door burst open.

“Hey,” Raph greeted. “Wanna spar?”

“Not right now,” Leo admitted. “I’m kind of tired.”

“Tired?” Raph laughed. “You got the most sleep out of all of us!”

“I know that; you don’t have to rub it in!” Leo retorted, suddenly overcome with resentment. “By the way, Raph, why didn’t you knock? Don’t you know how?”

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t know that the meditation room belonged to you,” Raph countered.

“It might as well! You never meditate anyway! What’s the problem, Raph? Do you need help meditating or what? I’m sure I can arrange a beginners’ lesson for you if you need it!” Leo shouted.

“Apparently I’m not the one who needs help!” Raph barked, doubling his fists. “I thought you were supposed to come out of it calmer!”

“Then it’s no wonder that you can’t do it!”

“Who says I can’t?”

“I do!”

“Oh, and I’m supposed to listen to you?!”

“I’m your leader!”

“I don’t need to be led, Splinter Junior!”

“If that nickname is supposed to be insulting, I guess I overestimated you!”

Raph’s fist was the next reply, but Leo dodged it. “Yep, totally overestimated you,” he affirmed his own words with a laugh, knowing and loving the fact that it would egg the hothead on.

With a growl, Raph lunged, his arms and legs blurring in punches and kicks that Leo swiftly evaded—at least until Raph realized that the white bandage on his shoulder would be a satisfying target. He didn’t hesitate, landing the lucky shot.

Leo’s shrill cry cut through Raph’s anger, making him lurch to a stop as the eldest turtle dropped to the floor and curled into himself, clutching his shoulder and gasping. Kneeling next to him, Raph tried to speak over Leo’s harsh, labored groans.

“Hey, uh, are you okay? I didn’t mean to! Here, let me see...” Reaching out, he carefully pried Leo’s hand away from the bandage and his stomach clenched. A deep bruise already forming, discoloring Leo’s green skin into a sickening reddish purple. The color of the bandage was changing also, from stark white to stark red.

“Oh, man,” Raph whispered, releasing Leo and leaping to his feet. “Donnie!”

The part-time doctor appeared, recognizing the urgency in Raph’s voice. As soon as he saw Leo on the floor, Donnie bolted toward him, demanding, “What did you do, Raph?!”

“We—We got in a fight,” Raph stammered.

“Well, I can see that!” Donnie snapped. Peeling back Leo’s bandage, he muttered, “It’s bleeding again. Raph, go get the gauze, medical tape, arnica gel, and one of those cloth-made ice packs.” As Raph scurried off to do so, Donnie leaned his face toward the floor, across from Leo’s. “Are you alright, Leo? Open your eyes.”

Leo obeyed, announcing breathlessly, “I’m going to kill him.”

“As soon as your shoulder is healed, I’ll let you,” Donnie promised, straightening and sitting back on his heels.

“I’m going to kill him,” Leo repeated through gritted teeth, followed by a badly contained coughing fit. Donnie leaned over Leo and rubbed his shell comfortingly with a troubled expression.

That night Leo tossed and turned in his bed. It was so hot...He moaned softly, kicking at his blankets, but when the cool air did touch him, he felt as though he were in a cage of ice and began shivering violently. The throbbing in his shoulder had spread to the rest of his arm, which only made his sleep even more erratic and miserable.

Eventually Leo gave up on rest, slipping out into the kitchen to get some water for his tight throat. After refilling his glass at least four times, Leo hoisted himself up to sit on the counter, willing to allow himself some indiscipline since everyone else was asleep. Wincing, he carefully rotated his wrists, trying to shake the stiffness out of his joints.

“I’m sorry, y’know,” a familiar voice admitted, making Leo jump. When a fuzzy silhouette appeared in his line of sight, Leo blinked hard until the vision sharpened. His eyes narrowed.

“Oh, you.”

“Yeh.” Raph swallowed hard, his eyes flickering between Leo’s hard expression and his bruised, freshly wrapped shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he repeated.

“Sure,” Leo muttered bitterly, slipping off the counter and locking his knees to hide how they shook.

“No, really,” Raph insisted as Leo picked up his glass of water and headed back toward his room. “I didn’t mean to—”

“To what, Raph?” Leo challenged, glancing back only to glare at him. “To dig yourself in a deeper hole with me? To make sure I won’t be able to fight properly for an even longer time? Well, congratulations, you did both.”

“Leo—” Raph tried to protest, but Leo was already slamming his bedroom door. Inhaling deeply, Raph mentally sent a prayer to the heavens that his brother would forgive him in the morning. However, before he could complete it, Raph felt his stomach lurch. For a split second he thought he heard harsh coughing, but then it was gone and he wasn’t sure if he’d imagined it.

In his room Leo pressed a hand to his mouth, trying to suppress his abrupt breathing spasm. Sipping his water to quell his roiling stomach, Leo cursed his earlier coughing fit, which had likely set off a chain of them.

Warning bells were ringing in the back of his mind. Go back out there and wake Donnie, one side of him cautioned. But if he did that, Raph would assume he was giving in and forgiving him. It couldn’t be that easy for him. He had to suffer a bit.

These thoughts settled the matter. Leo returned to his bed, lying flat on his back and hugging his arm snugly against his plastron. Being tense this way only made him feel inevitably worse, but he was eventually able to force himself into a sense of oblivion. It wasn’t true sleep, but at least he didn’t have to think about his problems with his brother.

888

Raph felt all the guilt from the previous night return when he glanced away from the TV and saw Leo stumbling wearily toward the fridge. He opened his mouth to try apologizing—again—but then thought better of it, trying to refocus on the show he was watching.

Mikey suddenly flopped down on the couch beside him, settling in close. Raph forced away his irritation as the cushion bowed under their combined weight. He would admit (only to himself) that he didn’t spend nearly enough time with his youngest brother, so he let him stay.

Still staring at the screen, Mikey asked quietly, “Leo’s still mad at you?”

Donnie must have told Mikey what happened, despite Raph’s explicit order against it. Raph felt the irritation abruptly returning, but behind it was something he wouldn’t dare name as sadness. “Yeh. Don’t really blame him.”

“Well, he’s probably gonna keep seeing red for a while,” Mikey replied solemnly. When Raph looked confused, Mikey grinned and prompted, “Seeing red? Y’know, cos of your mask?”

“Ha-ha,” Raph droned flatly. “Just let it be, Mike. Don’t get involved or Leo might give you—”

“The cold shoulder?” Mikey put in, giggling. “C’mon, that was punny, right?”

Rolling his eyes, Raph elbowed Mikey off the couch. “I was gonna say ‘the silent treatment’, which is exactly what you get from me now too.”

Mikey groaned but accepted his punishment, standing and loping off to sulk. Raph felt someone else’s eyes on him and refused to turn his head and meet them. Leo would probably just scowl at him again.

Leo swallowed uneasily when his eyes refused to focus. Deciding to simply close them instead, Leo lifted his hands to his temples, massaging them gingerly against the severe pound of his pulse. Strange...his skin felt warm beneath his fingers, too warm.

“Good morning, Leo!” Donnie greeted cheerfully, making Leo exhale sharply.

“If you think so.”

Donnie paused at the cross response. “What?”

Knowing he’d been rude, Leo apologized, “Sorry, Don. I’ve just got a headache.”

“Really? You do look a little pale,” Donnie mused, looking mildly concerned. “What kind?”

“Are there different kinds?” Leo asked edgily, apologizing again as soon as the words were out of his mouth. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Donnie assured him. “You should drink plenty of water.”

“Eight glasses in the past eight minutes.”

“Really?” Donnie repeated, his eyes narrowing in thought. “So you aren’t dehydrated. Are you stressed?”

“Yes,” Leo ground out, displeased with the direction of the conversation. “I think I’ll go back to my room.”

“Good idea,” Donnie approved cautiously. “Rest well.”

“I hope so,” Leo agreed, slinking off down the hall. He felt his stomach turn suddenly, taking him with it into the bathroom. Closing the door, he sagged against it and waited for the lightheadedness to pass. It took much longer than before, he reflected fleetingly. Once it did pass, he stepped toward the dirty mirror above the sink and watched himself peel the gauze off his shoulder wound. Throwing the material away, Leo leaned in and examined the cut closely.

Fortunately Raph’s stupidity yesterday hadn’t made it bleed nonstop. It still seemed red and enflamed, although that might just be because of the ring of bruised flesh around it.

After an amount of time that Leo didn’t keep track of, he tore his gaze from his shoulder, realizing that the ability to see it made the waves of pain lengthen, prickling outward through his neck and chest.

Meeting his own glassy eyes in the dirty mirror, Leo attempted a wan smile, tipping forward only a moment afterward to vomit into the sink. He was quite surprised by this, as he hadn’t known there was anything in his stomach to purge.

An impatient knock on the door made him tense. “Leo!” Raph called in a tone that held heavy subtext: I know you and I aren’t on speaking terms but frankly I don’t care. “What’re you doin’ in there?”

Spitting disgustedly to clear his mouth, Leo forced out what he prayed was a normal voice. “I—I’m brushing my teeth!”

“Well, hurry up, will ya? You’re not the only one who uses the bathroom.”

It was that type of wording that had fractured their relationship yesterday. Leo would have replied with something irate, but another bout of nausea doubled him over, his fingers wrapping vice-like around the edges of the counter as his knees shook.

Raph paused, his thoughts about waiting in the living room fading when he heard what almost sounded like gagging from within the bathroom. Cautiously he leaned his ear against the wood and caught the noise again, making suspicion poke at his gut.

“Leo?” he said again, rattling the door handle gently. “Hey, Leo, let me in.”

The eldest turtle lifted his head from the sink, struggling to breathe. At long last, setting his pride aside, Leo turned with a muffled groan and reached for the door. He was momentarily confused when he saw two—no, three door handles instead of one, then his legs buckled and he plummeted.

Startled when he heard the dull clatter, Raph shook the handle more insistently. “Bro, you better open this now or I’m openin’ it for you!” No response came and Raph backed up a few steps. “Alright, then, you’re takin’ the latter option.”

Probably with more strength than was needed, Raph slammed his foot into the door, breaking it open easily. Sighing in satisfaction, Raph moved forward, trying to crack a joke so his unease would leave. “It’s your fault now, Leo, if I caught you with your pants—”

Raph froze in the doorway, his eyes fixed on his older brother’s crumpled form. Leo lay on his side with his shell facing Raph, but his arms and legs were splayed at angles grotesquely opposite the position. Distantly Mikey was demanding if he had broken a door again, but it was drowned out by a wave of panic rushing through Raph’s head and chest.

“—down. Leo’s down!” Raph shouted in alarm, bolting forward to do something, anything to right the horrible scene. Turning Leo over and partially cradling him against his chest, Raph knew this would be like every other time one of his brothers was hurt; it would be seared into his memory forever.

888

It was taking a long, long time, Raph realized as he glanced at the clock for the thousandth time. Too long. What was Donnie doing in there?

As if reading his mind, Mikey called timidly from the couch, “He’s been in there for hours, Raph. Is that bad?”

A familiar sense of useless rage stabbed at Raph’s heart. Hissing wordlessly, he stalked over to the well-beaten punching bag and pounded the stuffing in it until it hung lopsided on its chain.

At last Leo’s door squeaked, followed by the soft pattering of feet. Raph and Mikey both leapt at Donnie in something almost like attack formation.

“How is he?” Raph asked anxiously. When their part-time doctor remained silent, Raph narrowed his eyes and growled, “Tell us straight, Donatello.”

Almost like one of those dolls that reacts when one moves it, Donnie opened his mouth but closed his eyes.

“What’s—?”

A tiny shocked gasp escaped him when he was dragged into Don’s arms and enveloped in a warm, strong embrace. Wide-eyed, Raph just barely suppressed the urge to struggle when he felt the tremors vibrating through the scientist’s body. For a moment he remained frozen, feeling the arms trapping him, listening to their two sets of uneven breathing.

“Donnie...?” he eventually rasped.

There was a sound like a broken sob.

“Little brother?!” Raph let that one out on accident, starting to panic.

Mikey took a few steps back, unwilling to ask for the diagnosis. As the fallback leader, Raph knew he had to ask for the both of them.

“Wh-what is it?” he murmured, hoping they hadn’t heard his voice shake.

“He’s infected,” Donnie said faintly.

Going rigid as understanding struck, Raph clarified, “The shoulder wound?” Donnie flinched and tried to withdraw, but Raph stopped him at arms’ length.

After a long moment Donnie nodded confirmation, stating in a clearer, shaking tone, “Whatever blade caught him must have been poisoned. It’s bad, Raph. Much worse than I thought.”

“Well, can you fix him?” Mikey asked fearfully. The expression on his face was so helpless and horrified that Raph felt sick himself.

“He’s not a machine, Mikey!” Donnie cried. “I can’t just oil kinks out of him!”

“But we’ve all been poisoned before,” Raph reminded him, dismayed. “Can’t you just analyze the poison and make a cure like you always have?”

“I can’t find it,” Donnie answered miserably. “Either the Foot made this poison practically untraceable or they doctored it specifically for Leo. Either way, I can’t find it! In order to make a cure, I have to find the source of the poison—namely the blade that stabbed him!”

Stunned silence struck Raph and Mikey. Donnie hung his head in anguish. “If Leo...dies...it’ll be my fault,” he whimpered.

“Don’t say that,” Raph burst out desperately. “He won’t—He can’t!”

“What is going on here?” an aged voice asked from behind them. The three brothers whirled in sync to find their sensei standing behind them, whiskers twitching in concern.

Donnie and Mikey lunged forward to throw their arms around Splinter in their grief, but Raph was paralyzed as soon as he laid eyes on him. What if Leo did die? Raph could barely process the thought; all he knew was what would come next—the burden he saw on Leo every single day would pass to him.

He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t be ready for this. He couldn’t be the oldest. Unable to face these possibilities, Raph turned tail and ran for Leo’s room, praying it wasn’t true, that Leo was up and well and willing to forgive him for yesterday’s happenings. He would beg if he had to—

Icy tendrils of knowing dread chilled Raph’s blood as he entered Leo’s room and approached the bed’s occupant.

“Leo?” Raph’s voice was a croak. “Wake up. Please...”

Raph hadn’t expected Leo to respond and he didn’t. He simply remained sullen and shivering, his chest almost seeming to creak as it rose and fell. Raph felt his own chest tighten. On impulse he gripped the edge of Leo’s blue mask, alarmed by its sweaty dampness as he tugged it off his brother’s face. Leo’s skin was scalding to the touch and much, much paler than it ought to be.

Sinking down into the chair on the right side of the bed, Raph clung tightly to the blue mask, his fingertips leaving indentations in the fabric. He didn’t know how much time passed before the rest of his family appeared beside him and frankly he didn’t care. In fact Raph didn’t even look at them until Donnie said his name.

“Raph. We’re going to find the cure.”

Raph lifted his head and glared venomously at the scientist. “I’m not a kid,” he hissed. “I don’t believe rhetoric.”

In other circumstances Donnie might have looked stung, but instead he maintained a carefully emotionless expression. “No, I mean we’re going. Now. We’re going to find that Foot soldier and his weapon and we’re going to save Leo.”

Raph’s glare eased into disbelief. “But he could be anyone,” he protested numbly. “How are we gonna—?”

“No,” Donnie said again, patient as the earth. He gestured to himself, Splinter, and Mikey. “We’re going to find him. You’re staying here.”

Rocketing to his feet, Raph shouted furiously, “You can’t make me—”

“Raphael,” Splinter cut off the impending rant. “You must care for your brother.”

“Why can’t one of them stay?! Donnie’s the doctor!”

“Yes, but he must be present to log the information about the poison from the Foot soldier, as he is the only one of us who understands such things,” Splinter refuted his protest easily.

“What about Mikey?!” Raph spat.

Splinter’s eyes said everything Raph needed to know. The second-eldest suddenly recalled what was obvious in everyday situations—if Mikey didn’t have something to focus his mind on, he would break. Sitting by Leo’s bedside, agonizing as each breath grew shallower, would drive Mikey insane. By the expression on the face of their youngest, he was teetering there already.

“Alright,” Raph consented finally, his voice barely above a whisper. “I’ll stay.”

888

I should’ve known better, Raph thought to himself many times thereafter. His vigil passed in a frightening blur of minutes, hours, days of utter silence. Leo’s condition only worsened, exhausting them both. There were moments when Raph felt panic creep upon him and he would press his fingertips against Leo’s neck to make sure that his pulse was still beating.

Even beneath the streets, there was night and day. The lights in the lair would turn off on a timer and the two would be left in darkness. Raph would light a candle and wonder how many days had passed watching over his ailing brother. Endlessly Raph yearned for sleep, but he couldn’t risk it. He didn’t dare close his eyes or rest his head for even a moment. What if he woke to find that Leo had succumbed to his illness in the night?

When the wick on the candle had burned almost halfway down, Raph knew he had to sleep, at least for an hour! But he didn’t want to leave...

Oh, fine, fine! Raph gave in to the idea nudging the back of his mind. With the way Leo’s shiverin’, it’s not like he’s gonna complain about extra warmth. Pulling back the blankets that were tucked around Leo’s body, Raph crawled into the bed, snuggling up close to Leo despite the feverish heat. Slumping an arm over Leo’s chest so he would feel any shifts in his breathing, Raph fell asleep in seconds. He would stir with a sleepy word of comfort if Leo made any noise, but it was the first sleep he’d had in days and it felt fantastic.

Raph only stayed awake when Leo’s whole form was being racked with a shattering cough, one that only seemed to strengthen every time he took a breath.

Bringing himself to his feet, Raph awkwardly propped his brother into a straighter position. “Easy,” he soothed softly, not even sure if he was being heard. “Just breathe slow, okay?”

“Father...”

Raph stilled, disbelief bringing him into stark awareness. “What?”

“Fa—Father,” Leo whined, fidgeting weakly, trying to recoil from Raph’s hands. “Want Father...”

Raph gulped and descended onto his chair, wondering how on earth he could explain that Splinter and the others weren’t here. “Be brave,” he choked out at last. “’Kay, Leo? I’m here.”

“Want Father! Where’s...?”

“He’s gonna come back soon, I promise. He’s out lookin’ for somethin’ to help you, Leo, and once he finds it—”

“No! Nooo—” Leo sobbed weakly. “No...Want...”

His heart crumbling, Raph reached over and gripped Leo’s hand. It was cold and pale, but Raph pretended not to notice.

Taking a shuddering breath, Raph whispered, “Leo...” For a long time he couldn’t get anything else out. Ultimately he swallowed and said again, “Leo...when it really comes down to it, I guess I can say that you...you’re the most stubborn idiot I’ve ever known and I can’t believe I’ve been able to live with you all this time. But...” Raph felt his eyes welling. “...when it really, really comes down to it, I don’t—I don’t think I’d be able to live without you.

“I—I’m gonna ask you to do somethin’, just this once. I’ve always let you boss me around whenever you wanted, haven’t I? So just listen to what I’m sayin’. You’ve got...you’ve gotta pull through this.” With his free hand Raph pressed a hand to his mouth, trying to stifle a whimper. “I know I’ve b-been horrible to you for a long t-time and I know you’ll never st-stop bein’ mad at me, so do it for Donnie and Mikey. If you can’t do it for me, do it for them! I know you love them more than me, no matter how you try to deny it.”

Raph wanted Leo to deny it, wanted him to argue like the bull he was, wanted him to say anything more! But his brother had fallen silent again, aside from the shallow breaths passing through his throat.

Despite himself Raph glanced toward the open door just to make absolutely sure the others weren’t here. Only then did he feel a sense of selfish relief and let the forbidden tears stream down his face. Blindly he stumbled from the room, crossing the lair in mere seconds to open and close the door to the meditation room.

888

Hands shaking his shoulders brought Raph reeling out of his meditative state.

“Raph. Raph, we found him,” Mikey hissed. Raph was disoriented for a moment, wondering what his brother was talking about, but he remembered soon enough.

“How? When?” he gasped, scrambling up with Mikey’s help.

“Just four hours ago,” Mikey replied, scampering after Raph as he strode hastily forward. “Donnie’s in his lab.”

“Why didn’t you get me sooner?” Raph demanded.

“We tried,” Mikey admitted. “But you were so deep in your own head, well, we couldn’t get to you.”

“You could’ve hit me,” Raph retorted.

Mikey’s face brightened. “Really? I’ll keep that in mind for next time!”

“How did you get the information outta the Foot?” Raph asked as he reached for the door to Donnie’s lab.

Just as quickly as it had arrived, Mikey’s smile fled. “Ah...Donnie and Master Splinter were...surprisingly persuasive.”

Raph swallowed hard as he realized what Mikey had been forced to see. “Are—are you okay?” he asked cautiously.

Face dark, Mikey jerked his head once. “I’m fine. It...was Leo’s life.”

Understanding that the conversation was over, Raph opened the door to the lab. Donnie was cleaning a rather large syringe, along with a tray of other tools that Raph had always found it best to avoid.

“Don?” Raph ventured.

“Raph,” Don returned calmly. “I just finished administering the antidote to Leo. Hopefully it’ll work as quickly as the poison did.”

“Am I allowed to see him?” Raph asked quickly.

“You were the one who watched over him these past three days. I don’t think any of us will begrudge you a look.”

Almost before the words were out of Donnie’s mouth, Raph had pivoted and sped toward Leo’s bedroom. He stopped in the doorway, his heart sinking, hardly believing what he saw. Besides the flush of a broken fever and a new bandage on his shoulder, Leo didn’t look any different.

Splinter, who was sitting in the chair Raph had previous occupied, said his name, but Raph was too disappointed to pay much attention.

“I thought...I thought he’d be awake,” he forced out at last, walking stiffly forward and sitting on the left edge of the bed.

“Give it time,” was his sensei’s weary response. Without even a request he lowered himself to the floor and gestured to the chair. “Sit, Raphael. He’ll likely want to speak with you when he awakes.”

Raph nodded mutely and obediently lowered himself down. Resting his elbows on his knees, Raph bowed his head and tried to even his breathing. He couldn’t cry, he couldn’t panic, he had to stay calm...Raph mentally repeated this mantra over and over.

“You...smell bad,” came a hushed whisper.

Raph’s head jerked up and his mouth fell open in disbelief when he saw Leo’s dark eyes halfway open. “Leo! You—” He then realized exactly what Leo had said. “You—are tellin’ me that I smell bad? That’s the first thing you say?!”

“When was the last time you took a bath?” Leo laughed weakly, his mouth curving in a soft smile.

“I—I was takin’ care of you!” Raph sputtered indignantly. “I was—”

“I know.”

It only took these two words to shut Raph up. Leo’s smile grew wider at his brother’s suddenly embarrassed expression.

“Hey, if you’re thinkin’ about blackmailin’ me with the whole cuddlin’ thing—!”

“No, Raph, I won’t. I promise.” Leo’s eyes shifted to the door. “But they might.”

Raph startled when he saw Donnie and Mikey each peering around one side of the doorframe, both grinning like loons. With a growl Raph leapt to his feet, his previous concern about Leo’s recovery momentarily forgotten.

Leo laughed again as he watched a very familiar scene unfold. Every day he found himself marveling at how fantastic this family was, and he didn’t think that was going to change any time soon.