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The moment he woke up, he realized his nose was completely plugged. It only made things worse when he couldn't open his eyes. Why? A migraine! Hooray!! He loved getting migraines and being in pain for what felt like forever! Yay to Raph!
He rolled over and checked the time on his phone. 8:30 AM. Juuuuust perfect. He was up early and sick!
Raphael turned back over and groaned, using one of his pillows as a stand-in for a person to hug while kicking the covers off of him. It was too damn hot and too damn cold. Fuck. Why did he have to get the flu today?! He was supposed to be productive and shit!
He felt small, scaley feet against his carapace and turned slightly to pick up his baby turtle pet, Chompy. "Hey buddy," he greeted, voice croaking pathetically. "Y'shouldn't get too close. I don't want y't'spit fire at me when y'sick, mhm...?"
Chompy merely snuggled against Raph's cheek, his usually loud chirping somehow quiet and rumbly. Raph smiled a bit and closed his eyes fully, tucking the small turtle against his neck. Slowly, kindly, the universe decided to spare him and grant him more sleep. He fell deeply into the trenches of unconsciousness, where the pains of a clogged nose and migraines faded into the nothingness of darkness and dreams with happier endings.
That is, until someone loudly knocked on the door. "RAAAAAPH! Get your lazy shell up!" Mikey hollered. He swung open the door and let the outside light pool in while Raph struggled back into the living world. He unwittingly sat up, swaying as he worked to find his footing. "M'up, Mikey," he croaked out. The younger turtle paused, eyes scanning his brother's form. "Woah, you look gross. Are you drooling??"
"What? No." He was. He wiped it away without batting an eyes, as well as the snot that was surely escaping his nostrils. "Okay...well anyways, breakfast is ready. Leo wants us all in the dojo in twenty minutes, so hurry up!"
Once his brother skipped away, Raph carefully placed Chompy on his bed and sighed. He grimaced as he pushed himself out of bed. The floor felt like it was swaying back and forth while he got on his gear, his hands struggling with the wrappings that would normally be second-nature. It took at least four different attempts to tie on his mask.
He lazily stumbled to the kitchen a couple of minutes later, squinting it in pain from the light above. It ached into his corneas, burning into his brain and making it even more difficult to see. His brothers paid him little mind: they just continued eating and slid him a plate. Unlucky for them, the last thing he felt was hungry, so he pushed the plate away while going for some water.
"Sleeping in all of the sudden is unlike you," Leo noted aloud. Raph grumbled and slammed the fridge door shut. "Do I look like I give a shit, Leo? Piss off."
"Woah, easy there," Mikey said, waving his hands placatingly. "Don't have to be so grumpy! It makes your face look even grosser."
"Whatever."
Donnie looked up from his coffee and frowned. Before he could ask to check on his brother, however, Raph brushed past him and exited the kitchen to start some early warmups. "...Weird."
"What? That he has a bad attitude?" Leo retorted. "He's probably just cranky."
Mikey hummed thoughtfully and stood up to toss his plate in the sink. "Maybe he just needs a good ass-whooping to start the morning! I volunteer!"
Donnie and Leo merely glanced at each other, holding back smirks.
Once breakfast finished, the three found Raph huddled in the middle of the dojo. He was doing katas, sure, but he was shivering like crazy. The sun poured in from above; it was normally pretty warm in there. So why was he shivering?
Raph saw his brothers enter and immediately glared in their direction. "Finally," he spoke through a nasally voice he knew Mikey was getting a kick out of. "Are we doing this or y'gonna be a buncha' chickenshits?"
"Language," Leo muttered. Raph grinned tauntingly at his older brother. "Oh yeah, chickenshit? How 'bout you come'ere and try t'kick my ass?"
Donnie and Mikey looked between the two, unsure if Leo would take the bait, but their brother just cracked his neck and smiled. "Gladly."
Being in a bit of a sluggish mood, flu and all, Raph was happy to fight however he pleased against his poised brother. Leo studied him, circling the sicker turtle, and a few worries cropped up in his mind. Raphael looked paler, swayed more. Even his attitude was floundry; a lot of bark and little bite. Whatever. If Raph wasn't gonna admit it, he wouldn't press. But they all knew what'd happen from there.
Donnie even set up a timer.
The two clashed, punching and kicking each other without a lick of mercy. Raph's swings were more chaotic than usual. With every breath, his vision blurred, forcing him into what was essentially blind combat. Luckily, he knew his opponent played right into the books. He could land a hit or two easy if Leo was gonna be a chickenshit.
Leo was also particularly familiar with his opponent. He blocked Raph's attacks with practiced ease, melding into the familiar defensive rhythm before striking at the perfect time. He knocked Raph off of his feet and pulled an arm behind his carapace. "Wow, down already? Maybe you're the chickenshit."
"Oooh, get 'em Leo!" Mikey cheered from the sidelines. Donnie merely chuckled and rolled his eyes.
Raph, growling, managed to find a footing that allowed for him to kick Leo against the side of the head, sending the blue-clad turtle down. He stumbled up to his feet, accidently stepping backwards from the vertigo of getting up. Gravity didn't like him today, it seemed.
He managed to steady himself once Leo got up, who looked eager to continue despite the glint of concern hidden in his dark eyes. "Whats'a matter, Leo? Got a foot too far up your ass today?? I'm winning!"
"Sure," Leo amused. "Let me ask you something, Raph: how many fingers am I holding up?"
"What's that gotta do with-"
In an instant, Raph's squinting turned into a grimace of pain, yelping at his brother kicked him square in the jaw. Mikey and Donnie winced back, gritting their teeth sympathetically as their brother thumped on the training mat. "Whose winning now??" Leo asked teasingly, doing a short flex of his biceps. However, his rare bragging moment ended when his brother didn't get up. "...Oh, shit."
"Raph??" Mikey called, standing up and going to help his severely sick brother off of the floor. Donnie clicked the timer. "Wow, four minutes and eighty-two seconds. That's almost close to the record."
"Shut...the fuck up Don..." Raph slurred back. He slowly got pulled to his feet by Mikey, using his brother as a crutch and a source of heat. Leaning a bit too much for his own liking, Raph's footing slipped once Mikey got him upright. "Easy, buddy! I thought you were just gross, not actually sick!"
"Why else would I still be in bed, shitlips??"
"Okay, relax on that," Leo sighed, although he appeared guilty. "You're on bedrest for the rest of the day."
"But-"
"Ah ah, no arguing. Bedrest."
Raph didn't even have the energy to be mad. This was his normal sick routine; asking to get into more trouble and then suffering the consequences, which was being forced to get better. Woe is Raphael. Poor turtle can't catch a break.
Mikey and Donnie got him back to his bed, where Chompy was excitedly waiting like he knew this'd happen. "You're definitely warm," Donnie began to explain while Raph lied back down. The red-clad turtle pulled off his mask and buried his aching head into his pillow while Mikey helped with the covers. "Honestly, Raph, why do you always try to push through it when you know you can't?"
"You're blamin' me??" Raph bit back, glaring from under the covers. "We got shit to do, Donnie, s'not my fault I can't take a damn sick day when Lamonardo needs us puNcTuAl aNd pRePaReD! Fuckin' piece of-"
He coughed loud enough to shake his entire frame, startling the two. Mikey frowned and turned to their smart brother, who was mumbling to himself. "Water and an ice pack," he ordered. Mikey saluted and took off. Leo passed by him, almost tripping from getting his little brother's way. That made him increase his pace towards his brother's room.
"Until you cool off, you should stay in bed," Donnie reminded his angered brother. "Don," Leo addressed as he walked in, "is he okay?"
"I'm fine, thanks for askin' Leo," Raph grumbled. Chompy chirped at him as if to tell him 'stop talking!! You'll lose your voice!!' which was much appreciated. He turned over and pat the tiny turtle's shell. Leo sighed and crossed his arms. "I didn't mean to push you, Raph. We just know how you are about getting sick."
"Shut up. Just 'cause I don't say nothin' doesn't mean I don't know, you got that?? I know you want us to get stuff together, so I do. Don't come in here with your 'sorry' shit. I don't care."
Donnie frowned. He had his own thoughts on that, but, was it his place? Probably. Didn't mean he was gonna say them. Luckily, the tension was saved by Mikey running back in with the items requested. "Ice and water, at your service gentlemen! And Raphael."
Raph didn't even get the chance to quip back before Donnie pushed the ice back against the back of his neck. The cold tingle made him shiver, burrowing deeper under the covers. "When you're able to, drink this," the brainiac instructed as he set the water on his brother's bedside. Raph merely nodded. He hugged his pet close and bundled up under the covers without another word besides, "Get out."
"Sir yes sir," Mikey said. Before he left, though, he knelt down and gave Raph and earnest pat on the shoulder. "You rest up, okay? I can bring in a video game when you're not so ugly and sleepy."
Raph smiled just a tad, blinking slowly at his brother. "Bring one I'm good at so I can kick your butt, little man. Y'can't let the sick guy lose."
"Psch, do you think I have no heart?" Mikey fist-bumped with Chompy, who chirped happily, before ruffling Raph's head and getting up. He whistled as he left, leaving his older brothers alone. Donnie went next, mimicking his little brother and kneeling down. "I shouldn't have assumed you didn't want help. Sorry about that."
"Ugh, stop," the hothead huffed out. He coughed again, alerting the two brothers left over to his side, but he waved them away. "I know what I do, 'kay? I'm not tryin' to be a dick."
"I know," Donnie muttered. He grinned, tilting his head to evenly see the brother that was lying down. "It can't be helped that you are anyways."
"Get the hell out, Donnie," Raph laughed hoarsely, gently pushing his brother away. Donnie giggled and stood up to take his leave himself.
Leo watched him go and rubbed his hands together awkwardly before turning to his immediate younger brother. "You sure you're okay?"
"You mean after you hit me in the face? Dandy, Leo."
"I'm sorry, I really am. It was training."
"Hey, chin up, loser," Raph addressed, making his older brother smile. "I'm not dyin'. It's the flu. Y'can't kill me with a little tap. Stop mopin' and start letting me go back to bed."
"If you say so." Leo pat Raph's head, his thumb brushing the other turtle's temple. Oddly, it was a relaxing enough feeling for Raph to finally allow his eyes to close, his tense body relaxing into the mattress. "I'll check back in later, okay? Just relax." All Leo got in response was a sleepy hum. The leader's smile grew a bit warmer as he left the room and finally shut the door.
The last sound Raph heard before he drifted into the darkness of sleep was the soft trilling of his pet, who licked his face and snuggled close, using his pet-powers to make him feel just a bit better.