[Room 412, Monday Night]

[turtle_techie]

Donatello had spent a little time down at the picnic, then retreated back to his room when a thought had hit him. He'd now spent a couple hours reading police reports in New York, wondering if Raph would do something so dumb as get himself spotted or captured or something like that -- maybe that's why he'd been away so long. He had said he'd come

Comments

[turtle_toughguy]

Bust down Donnie's door... Again, no check. He was actually a little disappointed that he hadn't needed to pound the door, kick it in, and possibly violently mangle its hinges beyond recognition...

Some part of his brain knew that was for the better, but it didn't make his mood any better.

Instead, he settled for leaning against the door frame in such a way that his shell connected with a hard 'crack' sound. He gritted his teeth and glared at Donnie... Meaningfully.

[turtle_techie]

Donnie turned immediately at the noise, recognizing quite easily what a turtle shell sounded like when it hit something. Eyes widened and Mikey scooted off the desk into Donnie's lap, the middle turtle-brother's face splitting in a wide, relieved grin. "You're back!"

Getting up, the grin faded into a more upset look. "Where have you been? Just up and leaving like that! For days!"

[turtle_toughguy]

Raph's eyes widened in disbelief, then narrowed again in utter annoyance. Donnie was upset with him? What kind of bullshit was that, exactly?
"You have got to be shittin' me. You-- You're jokin'! Right? You better be jokin'." He glared fiercely at Donnie, pushing off from the door frame to step into his brother's personal space, shoulders tense.

"Cos you better not be tellin' me you're ticked off with me for goin' home for a few days. After your little field trip?" He puffed out his chest, pupils dilating slightly, anger flaring. "I left a voice mail for you. You knew where I was gonna be. Y'know how I found out about your trip, Donnie? A girl I barely know just happened to get alphabetically assigned to a tent with me... and happened to mention it in passing." His voice had gone low, growling, accusing.

The tiny turtle held in one of Donnie's hands simply hadn't registered yet. He was too angry, and his eyes were on his brother's.

[turtle_techie]

Don, who had, up to that moment, felt pretty good about his indignation over Raph's sudden trip to New York, suddenly felt a chill of guilt and shame.

The urge to let it go, accept the guilt, was strong - but lessened a bit when Raph bore down on him, growling like that. "I was helping. To save. A world, Raph! I left a note in case anything happened, but nothing did. You wouldn't have ever known about it, and someone's world still exists because we went to help," he said firmly. "So be mad at me, fine, but I won't say I regret it, not at all."

[turtle_toughguy]

Raph's pupils pinned, making his eyes seem impossibly wide, and his fist clenched, shoulder raising for an instant as if he'd follow through for a punch... He managed not to hit his brother in the face, though it took a lot of effort, chest heaving a little as he breathed.

"You. Didn't. Tell. Me. After the fact, even, I found out from a stranger. First Leo, now you. There really isn't a team anymore." He'd said it before, when he was hurt, when he was worried, or angry. He never thought he'd mean it, and it stung realizing that this time, he really did. He glared at Donnie for a long moment, but finally just threw his hands up in the air and shrugged. "Anyway... Whatever..."

Raph grunted and moved away from Donnie as if he'd been shoved, turning for the door. "Have fun with your computers, Donnie. I'm gonna go see if I have at least one brother left..."

[turtle_techie]

Donnie had that feeling where your stomach drops down to your knees, that realization that something may never be right no matter how long you try to fix it. Still, no matter what problems there were in their family, they were not all of his making, and he wasn't quite ready to wallow in that guilt all by himself.

"Fine, you go ahead and talk about how that doesn't make us a team, Raph, when all you do is sleep all day," he said sharply. "It'd be nice to see you a little more often now that we're not constrained to working hours. In fact, here--" He lifted the little turtle, scowling. "Spend some quality time with your little brother. You won't find him in his room, if that's where you're going."

[turtle_toughguy]

Raph wheeled on him. Donnie was still talking, starting to sound just like Leo, and pissing him off all over again. "What the fu--!!..." Raph's shell hit the door frame, and his mouth dropped open at the sight of the little turtle.

"What the..? Don't be sick!" But Donnie wasn't the kind to play a joke like that. Even when he was angry at Donnie, he knew better. So, Raph's only conclusion, "Wh- What the hell happened to him!? Mikey?"

Raph's stomach had already dropped down to his knees, and it was his heart's turn to join it. Shock, fear, those were immediate. Panic, then more anger, that'd be next... and Last, anguish...

For now though, just the shock, the fear. "What the fuck is goin' on!" He just stared for a long moment. Slowly, tentatively, he reached out to take his brother from Donnie.

[turtle_techie]

Donnie was a little surprised that Raph still took him at his word, believing him when he said that the little turtle was none other than their brother.

"He's okay," Donnie said, voice low and rather calm, almost sympathetic. He'd had days to get used to it, after all. "He's just... little for a while. Everyone says it should wear off on its own and he'll be back to normal soon."

Mikey the turtle was waving his legs in the air and looking at Raph mildly as the other reahed out for him.

[turtle_toughguy]

Raph did his best to collect his brother carefully, finding little legs to be surprisingly strong, and little claws surprisingly sharp as they finaly met his leathery skin.

"How..? I don't.. I.." His brow furrowed as he stared at the little turtle in his grasp. He seemed unable to say whatever he'd been trying to.

Finaly he managed, "Where's his headband?" He was speaking softly, as if Mikey had become china somehow, and would break if he even breathed heavily.

Needless to say, Raph wasn't coping very well, at that moment...

[turtle_techie]

Donnie pulled open his desk drawer and took out the length of Mikey's bandanna, offering it to Raph. "As far as I can tell, it's not related to the mutagen, it's just this... this place," Donnie said, tone somewhat hushed. "It apparently happens to people, they just turn into animals for a while, and then they change back, none the worse for wear."

[turtle_toughguy]

Raph slipped the orange bandana around his own neck, scowling slightly, cupping Mikey against his plastron protectively. "Just another reason to hate this place." he muttered, shaking his head.

Mikey, in his usual way, tried to keep scooting. Up Raph's plastron, in fact(after all, it was the direction in which he was pointed). The futile little scoot-kicks of turtle feet resulted in a ridiculous amount of tiny-turtle bouncing. Anyone would have been hardpressed to keep a straight face.

Raph cocked an eyebrow, a smirk cracking every so slightly at the corner of his mouth. He tried not to look down, just petting his brother's shell lightly. "...At least he still has his usual personality."

More seriously, Raph added, "Mikey better be ok, or I'm gonna find whatever it is that just randomly turns people inta things, and.. break it, or.. maim it or.. whatever ya can do t'whatever it is." Obviously, the previous conversation was forgotten... For now.

[turtle_techie]

"He should be fine," Donatello repeated, smiling faintly as he watched Mikey try to climb Raph's front. "Just let me know if you notice any changes, okay?" He already had figured Raphael wasn't going to leave Mikey with him any longer.

[turtle_toughguy]

Raph nodded, gave Donnie a long, unreadable look, then turned away. "You know where I'll be... Y'know, if.. you think of something, or... whatever. Tell me if ya plan on leavin again, huh?" He shrugged, then left the room for real. He didn't have anything else to say, and the fatigue from his trip (just had a long day is all) was catching up to him.

He held his tiny companion safe and secure, and went back to his own room...

[turtle_techie]

"Night Raph," he said quietly, watching his brother leave. It was a better way for them to part ways than he could have hoped for, really.

He turned off his monitors and sighed, leaving his desk for the comfort of his bed. Maybe sleep would help. He could hope, anyway.