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Raphael was always big.
By the age of ten, he was well over five foot three and towered over his brothers and father with ease. It was as if he didn't stop growing. And with his growth came his more natural traits from his turtle frame. Raphael's tail would swipe the ground with a solid three to four feet length, sometimes causing an accident by tripping someone or breaking an object. But everyone that knew him knew that he was just a large sweetheart who loved his teddy bears with a fierce passion. One year when he had turned seven, Splinter had given him a stuffed bear. Ever since, the red clad has adored teddy bears and started his own collection
Raphael, despite his large figure, was always so careful and gentle with his family. The way he curled his tail so that no one would fall over it or how he carried his brothers in his arms like they were the most precious thing in the world. He would let them climb onto his arms, shell and legs because they thought it was fun. He was a jungle-jim to his little brothers and he has grown to enjoy these little moments of hearing his previous family's laughter and squeals. Knowing that they were happy made him joyful too, so he wouldn't change a thing.
But there were times where Raphael forgot about his strength.
The first time it happened was when the snapper was chasing Mikey around in a hyper game of tag. Mikey was the smallest of them all and the youngest, so naturally, Raph was more careful with the orange clad. Today had been no different until he caught up to his little brother.
"You can't catch me!' exclaimed Mikey, running as fast as his tiny legs would go, his arms flailing around helplessly as he noticed Raph picking up speed.
"I'm gonna get you, Mike! You better run unless you wanna get caught!" The terrapin laughed when he heard how the other squealed in panic, nearly tripping in the process. Raph had decided to end the game so that he could go see Leo and Donnie to check up on them. Taking a large step, Raph lunged forward, arms outstretched and a war cry leaving his lips.
The genuine cry that met his non-visible ears made him freeze. Underneath him lay Michelangelo, big tears welling up in his eyes and choked wailing sounds escaping his throat. Raph panicked, quickly backing up and trying to reach out for the little one, his heart shattering when Mikey tried to slither away from his grasp. His sobs echoed throughout the lair, altering Splinter and the other two turtles. Multiple footsteps came running, and soon, the rat father appeared.
Raph was shaking as he watched Splinter oh so gently pick Mikey up, shushing his sorrowful noises with a few strokes to his shell. The man glanced at his eldest son who refused to meet his eyes, staring at his hands with his own tears streaming down his cheeks. Splinter made a mental note to speak with Raph after he calmed down Mikey, stalking away into another room. Leo and Donnie stared at their big brother who had started to shrink into a bundle, tail wrapped around him like a shield. The red-eared slider bit his lip as he tippy toed to the other, placing a hand on his shoulder, earning a small flinch in return.
"What happened, Raph?" Donnie asked quietly, afraid of further spooking his brother. This hasn't happened before. Raph was always so careful with everyone around him. He didn't ever try to hurt anyone nor did he even think about causing harm to his loved ones.
Mikey's cries had been silenced, the lair sitting in stiff quietness that made everyone's skin crawl.
"It was- it was an accident.. I didn't mean to scare him.. O-or hurt him.." The crack in the terrapin voice was pitiful. The twins glanced at each other, not sure how to help their big brother who was shaking more furiously now, undoubtedly trying to hold back tears so as to not worry them further. Leo hummed, embracing the bigger boy's arm with a small chur to try and offer comfort. Donnie followed suit, knowing that the shivers wouldn't stop for a while.
Splinter peeked through the red curtains to see his son sprawled out on his bed that had been outgrown. Raph had stopped shaking but the fear of harming his beloved brother still raged on in his head. He knew it was an accident. He wouldn't ever hurt anyone- especially his family. It was all too much for his mind to keep up with so he tried to close his eyes, trying to forget how scared Mikey was and the cries for help that came from his small frame. It was scary. Raph felt scary.
The little knock on the wall made him jump, his claws digging into the messy blankets underneath him and his eyes widening at the intruder. "It's just me, red," he spoke, his tone oddly soft. Raph didn't know if he liked it or not. He turned away from his father, stuffing his head underneath his pillow as his tail wrapped around his front further. The short man frowned, skipping closer and soon came to Raph's side, placing a clawed hand on his upper arm, touch gentle and reassuring.
Neither spoke for a few moments, the silence running on until the red clad broke it.
"How's Mikey..?" he whispered, voice barely audible as his face was shoved into the mattress but Splinter was able to pick out his words. He hummed, now rubbing little circles on the scaly skin that sat underneath his palm.
"Orange is fine. He had no injuries- just a little spooked. That's all. He's resting in my bed for now." He saw the pillow move a bit up and down, indicating that Raph was nodding to his words. Silence enveloped them once again.
Splinter soon left after saying goodnight and a small peck to his eldest son's shoulder. He knew there wasn't anything he could do for him right now. Raph needed to rest and hopefully this would all flow away within the next day or two.
The snapper wasn't sure how long he stared at the wall behind his bed, his movie smoothed over his head as his tail lay limp beside him. All was quiet. No loud chirps were heard from Leo or Mikey. Splinter's show had been either silenced or put to a very low volume. Raph felt tired but had no real desire to sleep. He didn't like to rest when he knew he did something bad or wrong which was rare. The red clad sighed gruffly, hands gripping his pillow tighter, nearly ripping out the stuffing due to his claws.
The hesitant shuffle of his curtains nearly made him jump again.
Raph waited for the newcomer to speak- however, when they didn't after ten seconds, the terrapin peeked over his shoulder to his youngest brother standing by his entrance, gripping a stuffed animal turtle. His eyes widened, sitting up a bit more now as Mikey shuffled his feet from side to side.
"Can I sleep with you tonight..?" the orange clad whispered, peeking at Raph with hesitancy. He blinked, inhaling a shaky breath before nodding, smiling slightly now.
"Of course buddy.. C'mere."
Chirping happily, Mikey bounced onto the bed and immediately rested against his brother, eyes closing in content. Raph didn't move for a few moments, his fear creeping at his shell again. He didn't want to hurt Mikey..
Yet he still wrapped an arm around the smaller terrapin, pulling him close and curling his large tail around them both, his eyelids falling and making his vision dark.
No matter what happened, Raph would always be there for his family. He'd make sure they were protected and safe.
No matter what happened, they were his family and he'd do anything for them.