Chapter Text
Raph sat at the kitchen table, pouring over some papers for school. His teacher had mentioned using natural light when working because it was supposed to help, or something. Currently however, the open blinds were doing fuck all for his ability to complete the papers.
Then Mikey ran up, delighted, Raph gladly took the opportunity to ignore the rest of his work and focus on his brother instead.
“What’re you-” Raph started, and then paused after he recognized the glint in Mikey’s eyes.
Mikey just grinned and pulled a familiar bag up into Raph’s line of sight, dangling it a few inches above the table.
It took mere seconds before Raph lunged for the bag, but Mikey had anticipated this, and danced further back, keeping the table between them. The little gremlin reached into the off color sack, and pulled out a stack of money.
“Jeez, how much do you even have in this?” Mikey asked, and yelped when Raph managed to get around the table. Once again, Mikey managed to avoid the hotheads fury.
“Get back here!” Raph shouted after him as Mikey raced into another room.
Leo sat in a chair in the living room, messing with a book and probably doing homework. Raph had to move to avoid him as he gave chase after Mikey. Then he dodged a rather tired looking Donnie, and sped up. They circled the house twice before Mikey slowed down some, and Raph was able to pin him down at the edge of the living room.
“Give it here!” He ordered, only half listening to Mikey’s rambles.
“-And you have car magazines and at *least* a few hundred in-”
Raph scowled, his patience coming to an end. He decided he had listened to the rambling long enough, and tried to grab the bag himself, but Mikey hugged it to his stomach and fended him off with his free arm.
“No you don’t.” Raph said, managing to grab Mikey’s wrist. “Now give it here-”
“Raph, just let him go already.” Leo sighed from the side, and Raph startled, losing his grip on Mikey. His young brother pushed away, and jumped up. Raph cursed briefly, not used to Leo being home that part of the day.
Rather than replying, Raph focused his attention back on Mikey, who has already cleared half the room. Raph turned and caught him as Mikey came back around the corner a moment later, and grabbed the arm that was holding the bag.
He grabbed at the bag, but Mikey had turned without Raph noticing, and when he jerked the his brother back, a loud crack echoed throughout the room.
Raph froze as he felt the arm twist in his grip. It wasn’t the kind of twist that meant his captive was just trying to escape. It was under the skin. And coupled with the crack-
He cringed away as Mikey screamed, but he was close enough to feel the sudden quivering in his baby brothers limbs, and to hear the hitching in his breathing as he panicked. Blood pounded in his ears and the sound of the crack echoed in his mind.
He complied with whichever one of his brothers yanked him away from Mikey, and stared at his hand which had just been wrapped around his little brothers arm.
Then all of his brothers were together. Donnie was pulling Mikey’s arm over, and Raph winced at the bawling. Leo settled by Mikey, between him and Raph. He dimly recognized the position as being defensive, and felt something awful gnaw at his chest. He closed his hand into a fist and pulled it back close to his body. When he peered up at Leo’s face, his expression was unreadable. Raph was bad at reading expressions at the best of times, and this situation didn’t help.
He began to stand, but stopped, watching as Mikey scrambled backwards. Donnie shot him a glare, and was quick to help Mikey out of the house.
Leo lingered, looking at Raph as he remained on the floor, staring out the door after his brothers.
“We’ll be back later, Raph. Just…” He said, and then went after the other two without finishing.
So Raph sat there, and stared at the bag that had been dropped. Anything inside was probably crumpled, if not ripped by now, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care.