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Drowsily, Raphael awoke from his slumber by a loud rumble coming from his stomach. He grunted as he got up, his muscles stinging from the act. His body was aching from lifting weights yesterday. Scratching the back of his shell, he dragged his feet to his bedroom door.
With a loud yawn, Raph opened his door and headed to the kitchen. He couldn't wait to see what Mikey prepared for them today. His little brother always managed to cook up something delicious for the family.
Raph wondered what would be made for breakfast today. Pictures of fluffy pancakes, soft scrambled eggs and sausages invaded his thoughts, making himself salivate in his eagerness. If it were just Raph, Leo, and Don, they would most likely eat pizza and noodles for every meal. Good thing their little bro knew how to cook.
“Mornin’ guys!”
Donnie and Leo were sitting at the dinner table. Leo still had his pajama hat on, while Donnie could barely keep his eyes open all the way.
“How’s breakfast?” Raph questioned, moving in closer to the table.
“It’s fine. A bit blander than I’m used to, though.” Donnie replied, almost falling asleep on his plate.
“Yeah, it doesn’t taste like usual,” Leo added, covering his mouth to fight back a yawn. He circled his fork in the air.
“Bland?” Raph raised an eyebrow, taking a look at their plates. His eyes widened. “Maybe because you guys are eating air? ’Cause there's nothing on that plate.” He pointed out, gesturing to the empty plates.
“Oh, Raphael. Need I remind you that I’m a genius? If there was nothing on my plate, I definitely would’ve noticed.” Donnie tried to lift his index finger, but it seemed like he couldn't even muster enough energy to manage that.
“Then you better wake up, D. There’s nothin’ on that plate.”
Donnie scoffed and rubbed his eyes. He started to sweat once his gaze landed on the plate, hands darting out to grip it tightly.
“O-Of course! I knew it was empty! I was… I'm just on a diet!” He said with a forced grin. Don chucked the clean plate onto the kitchen counter.
“Pfft, diet! That must be your best joke yet!” Leo laughed, his hat falling over his face as he turned to face Donnie.
“Well, you didn’t notice it either!” He poked Leo on his shell.
“Or did I?” He placed his hat back on his head, sipping his empty glass.
“Let me answer that: no, you didn’t.” Donnie moved in close, slapping the glass out of his hand, which shattered upon hitting the ground. Leo gasped.
“Guys, calm down!” Raph stood in between them, his arms spread out.
They both turned their backs on each other with a harrumph, avoiding eye contact.
Mornings are usually the most peaceful time of the day, but if Donnie and Leo haven't had their breakfast… they got cranky, fast. This could quickly escalate into a fight.
It was odd though. Making meals for them was practically Mikey’s thing. He wouldn't skip it often and took great pride in his cooking prowess.
"Uhm guys? Where is Mikey?" Raph asked with slight concern, fidgeting with his hands.
"No clue. I haven’t seen him. Not since yesterday." Leo stood up to grab some orange juice from the fridge, ignoring the broken glass on the floor.
"But…" Raph looked over his shoulder to their rooms. "He’s always the first one up."
"I’m sure he just lost track of time while doodling last night and is sleeping in." Donnie waved his hand nonchalantly, his elbow supported by the table. He yawned audibly, exhaustion winning as he placed his face flat onto the table.
"Something isn’t right."
With that inkling, he turned away. Raph marched back to the rooms, walking up to Mikey’s paint-covered door. A hand-made “Do not disturb” sign hung from the little nail on the door. The snapper didn’t let that stop him. He lifted his hand and knocked twice.
"Mikey? Are you awake?" Raph put his ear against the door.
He heard faint sounds, like papers flying around and rapid stomping coming from inside. A low murmur could also be heard. It sounded like Mikey was mumbling to himself in a frantic manner.
"Mikey?"
Raph cracked open the door, concerned for his brother. He jolted as the door was pulled open all the way by a panicked Mikey. Mikey was panting, wearing an orange hoodie. The hood was pulled up, his face hidden in shadows.
"Woah! Are you okay?" Worried, Raph attempted to take off Mikey’s hood to get a better look at him. He was shoved aside with a soft push.
"I’m fine! I just... was up all night drawing. It's nothing, really. I should go get started on breakfast!"
Mikey made his way to the kitchen in a dash, not giving Raph an opportunity to question him. Raph followed him closely behind, his worry only growing by the second. He couldn't help feeling that something was up, that Mikey was acting strangely. And as a big brother, he needed to find out if Mikey was really okay.
Raph walked into the kitchen, watching his little brother's movements. Mikey opened the fridge, paying no mind to his audience. He took out some eggs and bacon. Cracking the eggs on the side of a pan, he then placed the bacon next to it.
Leo couldn't help but peek at the breakfast he had been craving all morning. He did a double-take, eyes baring onto the pan. Leo turned fully to face Mikey, placing a firm hand on the box turtle's shoulder.
"Bro? You know the gas isn’t on, right?"
Everyone's attention turned to Mikey. He’s the cooking master, after all. He never made errors like that! Not unless it was a new recipe, and even then, he didn't mess up like this. Practically everyone knew you had to have the gas on to actually cook the food.
"Pfft, I knew that! I was just resting the eggs! Yeah, that’s it!" Mikey said with a twitching grin peeking through the hoodie's shadow. He turned on the gas, causing the bacon and eggs to slowly start to sizzle.
Leo decided to shrug it off. Maybe Mikey was playing a joke on them? With that in mind, he went to take his place at the dinner table next to the half-asleep Donnie and a nervous foot tapping Raph.
"Guys, I’m not the only one who finds this weird.. right?" Raph whispered, sharing a glance with both his brothers before eyeing Mikey.
Leo and Donnie both looked at Mikey in response but weren't awake enough to make any good judgments. All they wanted to do was bask in the smells of breakfast cooking and eat.
Raph watched their orange-wearing brother closely. Mikey was swaying from side to side, shuffling the pan over the fire. It looked like he could barely stand upright.
"You sure you’re doing alright, bud?" Raph called out to him, clenching his hand on the table.
"I already told you, Raph. I’m fine!" Mikey shouted out of breath. A hand was pressed onto the countertop to steady himself.
"You're clearly not." Raph raised from his chair, reaching out to take hold of Mikey’s shoulder. Raph quickly twisted the knob on the stove to turn the gas off.
"Look at you! You can’t even stand without support!" He turned Mikey towards himself.
Mikey, however, didn’t want to face him. He looked away, biting his lip and tugging his hood farther over his face.
"Why are you even wearing your hoodie right now?!" Raph felt his frustration boiling up. He tried once more to remove the hood. He managed to grasp the fabric this time.
Raphael’s eyes widened, shocked to the core as his hand was slapped away. His little bro never resorted to violence! He would only do so when fighting for a cause he believed in or busting up baddies.
Raph stared at his bruised hand, looking back at Mikey with wary eyes.
Mikey soon realized what he did. He looked back up, his eyes wide and scared as he wobbled in place.
"I-I’m sorry. I...I didn’t mean to-" Mikey tripped over his own feet in an attempt to scramble away from Raph.
"Mikey!" Raph hurried to his aid. He grabbed his hand before he hit the floor. Mikey's hand felt wet making his grip slip slightly.
The hood fell off in the process.
It grew silent. The only noise heard was the cooling sizzle emanating from the pan on the stovetop.
Mikey’s face was revealed to his brothers, a pale shade of green skin and lifeless eyes greeted them. His cheeks were as red as Raph’s bandana.
This pulled Leo and Donnie out from their dazed state. Both instantly got up to rush over next to Mikey, all three hovering close.
Raph carefully supported his head as he crouched down to the floor. Mikey's shoulders shook with his quickening breaths, eyes coming to a close. Raph looked to Donnie, fearing the worst.
Donnie booted up his wrist tech, tapping at the health app as quickly as he could. With a shaking palm, he held it up and scanned Mikey.
Leo sat down close to Mikey, squeezing his own knee. His patience grew thin with worry the more time passed.
As the long-awaited results appeared on Donnie’s screen, the color drained from Donnie’s face.
"What is it, Don? What’s wrong with him?" Raph asked, his voice shaking as he looked over his fragile lil’ bro.
"He has a really high fever.." Donnie gulped. He was afraid to check his pulse but pressed two fingers against Mikey’s palm. "We have to do something! Fast!"
Donnie scrambled to his feet, rushing to his room while shouting directions out behind him. "Raph, carry Mikey to his room and get that hoodie off of him! Leo, grab some towels and dry him off! I'll mix up an antidote for his bacterial infection."
Leo and Raph nodded, each moving out to do their ordered tasks. Raph was normally the one to order the team, but when someone got sick, Donnie led. His expertise in the matter couldn't be rivaled by the others.
As gently as he could, Raph picked up his ill brother and rushed into Mikey’s room. Shoving the papers off his bed, he laid Mikey down. Watchful of his brothers’ health as he removed the damp hoodie.
Mikey shivered, teeth clattering.
"R-Raph?" Mikey’s soft, dry voice reached Raph’s ears. His head turned, eyes clenched shut.
"Yeah?" He replied in a high-pitched tone.
"I’m cold…" Mikey’s eyes opened slightly to look at Raph, the act itself draining for the smaller turtle. The effects of the fever visibly taking over him now that he couldn't pretend he wasn't sick.
Raph took hold of his light green hand. He squeezed gently in reassurance. "I know, bud. Don’t worry, we’re gonna take care of you."
"TOWELS!" With a big yell, Leo kicked down the door. His arms shaking from the mountain of towels he was carrying. Some dropped on the floor as he tried to navigate to the bed.
"Keep it down, Leo!" Raph growled under his breath, before checking back on Mikey.
The smaller turtle looked so fragile. It hurt to see him like this. His perky personality being replaced by an empty shell. Their youngest brother had always been vulnerable to illnesses. It took a long time for him to fight off infections, even longer to feel better since sitting still wasn't his strong suit.
Raph sighed, collapsing onto a chair that normally stood in front of Mikey's painting canvas. It creaked as his large body settled onto it.
Leo finally made it to the bed, dumping the mountainous pile of towels on the floor.
He made a face. "Uuh, you’re welcome?" Offended, he shoved a towel into Raph’s hands. They both worked to dry off Mikey in a tense silence.
It’s then that Leo noticed something on his towel. With quivering hands, he held up his towel. This caught Raph's attention.
"I-I don’t think this was on it before I used it." He chuckled, though the rest of his face made it clear that it wasn’t a joking matter.
Raph’s mouth fell open, his pupils narrowing.
"Is that... blood?"
Without giving it a second to sink in, they hastily moved to check every inch of their brother to find the source. Their movements grew frantic. Until they found a frowning smiley-faced sticker on his leg. Red coming from underneath it.
"Antidote is ready!" Donnie burst into the room, a flask in one hand and an IV stand in the other. "We need to get this in him as soon as possible-" He paused, noticing the looks on his brother’s faces. "What’s wrong?"
Raph opened his mouth to tell him but found he couldn't get the words out. Leo took it upon himself to redirect Donnie’s attention, pointing at the sticker.
Donnie rushed forwards, setting down the flask and the IV stand at the side of the bed. His hand hovered over Mikey while he observed the sticker thoroughly, then slowly took it off. It wasn’t hard to do, the sticker barely stuck to his skin anymore. He found the reason for that soon after. It was covering up a deep cut. The skin around the wound looked irritated. It became clear that it was infected.
"I see. Now it makes sense." He mumbled as he handed Raph the flask without taking his gaze off the wound. "Here, get him to drink this. Just take it slowly so he doesn’t choke."
With trembling hands, he took the flask and did as Don had instructed. Raph bent over Mikey, the chair creaking from the shift in position as he gently tilted the flask above Mikey's mouth. He watched carefully to make sure the antidote would go down.
Meanwhile, Donnie got ready to connect Mikey to the IV, crucial for hydration.
"What do you mean ‘it makes sense’?" Leo asked. His hands twitched before he started rubbing the side of his arm.
"It makes sense because he was hiding a wound from us, thus an infection had the chance to settle in. If he came to us when he got hurt, he wouldn’t be suffering from a bacterial infection." Donnie’s eyes strayed from Mikey's leg to his head, still ablaze from the fever.
"Leo, get the first aid kit. We need to disinfect the wound first."
Leo nodded as he left to retrieve it.
The room fell silent while Raph gave Mikey one sip at a time. Donnie connected Mikey to the IV. Raph winced. It instantly felt like a homemade hospital room.
"So...He hid it from us." Raph broke the silence, placing the now empty flask on the ground next to him.
Donnie gave an affirmative hum.
"Why would he do that?!" Raph hit his upper leg with his fist.
"I-I can’t protect him if he doesn’t tell me when something is wrong!" Tears of frustration welled up, dribbling down his face to land on his leg. Raph let his head sink into his hands.
He felt a hand land on his shoulder.
"Because he’s Mikey."
Raph sniffled, turning his head to Donnie. A pained expression marred his face, but it looked as if he was still able to keep himself together.
"Think about it. Michael is always cheery, trying to lighten everyone’s mood." Don nodded to Mikey’s leg. "I get that he wouldn’t want to share something like this."
"Yeah, but… we’re his brothers." Raph’s voice wavered.
Leo jogged back into the room at that moment, bending down beside the bed. In his hands, the rubbing alcohol. He wordlessly uncapped the bottle and softly applied the alcohol over the wound. Mikey winced with every wipe despite Leo's light treatment, his muscles tensing up. He knew it must have been stinging, but Leo kept going, knowing it had to be done.
"I’m sorry, bud," Leo whispered, his expression pained.
Raph wiped away his tears, trying to focus on the matter at hand.
Once the wound was clean, Donnie reached for the bandages from the first-aid kit. He began to wrap up Mikey’s leg, protecting the wound.
Donnie slowed, taking this time to note Mikey's condition. He was shivering noticeably. Though taking a quick glance around himself, Raph raised another level of concern.
"Leo, can you come with me to grab some ice?"
Donnie stood up and tugged Leo’s bandana.
"Hey! Watch it! Stop pulling, D!"
But Don didn’t heed his grumpy attitude and forced him out of the room.
“Can’t you get it by yourself?!” Leo’s upset voice could be heard traveling from the hall as the two disappeared from sight.
Raph exhaled deeply. He took hold of his little brother’s shivering clammy hand.
“Why? Why didn't you tell us?” Raph’s lower lip quivered, his grip tightening.
“B-Because, I didn’t want you to worry…”
A weak, but angel-like voice echoed through the room. Mikey’s eyes opened as he pressed his right hand against Raph’s cheek.
Mikey managed to form a small smile, face still beet red from the fever.
“I-I’m already the youngest and smallest. I didn’t want to add this to the list.” Mikey’s watery gaze landed on his leg.
“But we want to help you, little bro. We can’t do that if we don’t know when you’re hurting.” Raph took hold of the hand at his cheek and brought it down.
“Don’t call me little.” Mikey pouted, slipping his hand away from Raph’s grip.
“Sorry, big man.” Raph teased with a grin before placing his hand on Mikey’s forehead to check his temperature. He was still burning up. "But.. allow us to help you get better, okay? No more secrets." Raph held out his pinky. "Can you promise me that?"
Mikey hoisted himself up bit by bit, a small groan escaping his mouth as he did so. He took hold of Raph’s finger using his entire hand.
"I promise." Mikey smiled. It felt as if a weight was lifted off both of their shoulders.
Thud! "Ah shoot!"
A loud whisper came from the door where Donnie now stood. A bag of ice laid on the floor in front of him. Leo was standing next to him, cringing at the scene.
"We most undoubtedly just got here!" Donnie collected the bag with haste, pushing his little brother back down on the bed before wrapping him like a cocoon with the remaining blankets.
"But, just saying if we were standing there the whole time, we wouldn’t have eavesdropped." Leo handed the bag of ice to Raph and winked. "Because that would be rude!"
Donnie facepalmed himself, groaning.
Raph snickered "It’s okay guys. It’s not like it was a secret conversation or anything."
"Right!" Mikey snorted from within his cocoon, all cozy and warm. "No more-" A small yawn interrupted him. "- secrets."
Leo chuckled. "You should get some rest, Magic Mike.’’ He finger gunned at Mikey, moving back to the entrance. His expression mellowed seeing the turtle burrito from a distance.
"I concur. You need lots of rest to fight this infection." Donnie added. "Doctors orders, mister." He looked at Mikey knowingly before observing the wound and fluids once more. Seeing everything was in order, he backed away to make his exit.
"Right." Raph rose from the chair. The chair snapped back into its previous shape once freed.
"Sleep tight, lil’- I mean, big man." He waved.
Mikey chuckled in response.
"Night, Raphie."
Raph moved into the hallway, only to hear a distant whisper.
"Thank you."
Raph peeked back into Mikey’s room, but he was already turned onto his side.
Those two words. So simple, yet... It made him feel all warm inside, like a hug from the heart. Raphael will never forget this moment. The moment his lil’ bro grew up a little bit. Or, perhaps, a lot.
THE END