It's what we do

                 

"We need to do it."

"I'm not even sure we can do it, Raph!" Leo retorted, running his fingers through his bandana tails with an exasperated sigh. "We'd be taking a huge risk!"

"They're the Purple Dragons, Leo! We kick their butts all the time!"

"Yeah, but the Dragons are linked to the Foot and eventually the Foot are going to use the Dragons as bait to get the drop on us." The ninja leader pointed out calmly, doing his best to keep calm in the face of Raphael's impatience. Mikey and Donnie watched them warily from off to the side. They exchanged glances. This could turn into a fight, but right now it didn't look so bad, so they both stayed put. They would only step in if needs must.

Raph actually took the time to consider Leo's words, which did not go unnoticed by his brothers. The hothead calmed a little and threw up his right hand. "Okay, I get that. But we can't just stand by and let the Dragons go out on a crime spree!"

"We won't. If they go too far, then we'll step in."

Emerald green lips pulled back into a grimace and they all knew that Leo's words had unintentionally made Raph even angrier. "Go too far?! They've already gone too far, Leo and they deserve to be punished."

The eldest turtle deflated a little, trying to let Raphael see that he was being genuine. "Raph, believe me, I understand. And I agree to an extent, but we just can't take the risk. We need to lie low."

"Yeah? Well I want action!" Raph shouted.

"And you aren't going to get it." Leonardo answered coolly. "Sorry Raph, but now isn't the time. You can go topside and bust some heads if you have to, but stay away from the Purple Dragons."

Raphael growled. His fingers were clenched into tight fists. He turned on his older brother with a snarl. "I can handle them."

"I never said you couldn't." Leo's hand shot out and grabbed Raphael's shoulder, the two of them locked in an intense staring match. "Follow my orders, Raphael. For once, just listen to me!" Leo was losing his patience and he was yelling again.

The red-masked rebel hissed and yanked free of Leo's grip. "No promises." He grunted, turned about, and headed out the lair door.

Leonardo sighed and shook his head as he watched his immediate younger sibling's form disappear out the door into the sewers. Donnie and Mikey looked at him carefully. To Donnie, Leo looked tired, overworked, stressed, anxious and just done for the day. To Mikey, he looked worried, conflicted, angry, and exasperated. Leo himself was feeling exhausted, put-out, frustrated, worried and a little bit disappointed. Not just in Raphael, but in himself. If he was truly the leader this family needed, he'd be able to keep Raph in more often. He'd be able to get his hotheaded brother to open up and just be more...cooperative. Leo collapsed on the sofa with a sigh. There was no point in being worried. Raphael would be back regardless of what happened up there. The hothead always was. But that didn't mean that Leo would ever be able to stop worrying. Fretting over his brothers' safety had been rather a staple since he was named Leader. Raph was the worst of them because Raph often went up there alone. He knew that he had to let his brother go. He had learned over the years that the hothead just needed time to cool off. But Leo had never been able to get over the thought that one day, Raph's pig-headedness would get him hurt.

"Don't worry about Raph, Leo. He'll be fine." Mikey said, joining his big brother on the couch.

Leo looked up and glanced over at his youngest brother. "Yeah, I know Mikey. Can't help but worry, that's all. He's such a hothead."

Mikey shrugged. "Eh, Raph can take care of himself. He's kinda a free spirit."

"That's what worries me." Leo replied, cracking a little smile. "You know, I've tried to think back and figure out when he got like that and I just keep coming up blank. He was always training and laughing and playing with us as kids. I can't figure out just when he pulled away."

Michelangelo raised an eye-ridge then he smiled, indulgently and threw an arm over Leo's shoulders. "Big bro, that's cause you're seeing it the wrong way. Raph never pulled away from us."

"He is rather distant, Mikey." Donnie said, settling down on Leo's other side.

"Nah, you guys just don't get it." The youngest stated, rolling his eyes at them. Leo and Donnie exchanged glances, then looked quizzically at their youngest brother. "Raph's always been this way, bros. We just didn't realize it when we were little. But think about it. Whenever something was wrong with Raphie, what would he do?"

The two older siblings blinked. Donnie slowly answered the question. "He would go out into the sewers. He had those secret places that he used to go to where we couldn't find him."

"Exactly." Mikey stated confidently, as though everything somehow made sense. Donnie and Leo were still lost and staring blankly at him. He sighed. "Raph has always dealt with his problems alone. That's just how he is. He doesn't like relying on other people to help him. He thinks it makes him seem weak. That's why Sensei has always been more lenient on Raph than the rest of us when it comes to things like that. Because Raph needs that little bit of extra freedom. Raph was born to run. Being tied down and caged makes him nervous, get me?"

Leo and Donnie looked at each other, then at their baby brother in complete astonishment. Leo choked out, "You're right, Mikey. I-I never thought of it like that before. I always thought that Raph's behavior was his resentment for me being the leader. And I just assumed that he'd pulled away from us even more as time went on because we'd grown apart. But...if what you're saying is true—"

"Which it is." Mikey interjected.

"—then the only reason Raph has been spending more time out on his own is because he's had a lot more things on his mind."

"After everything we've been through with Shredder, the Kraang and all the rest of it, that isn't so surprising." Donnie added softly. "You've known this a long time, haven't you, Mikey?" There was a short silence. They both stared at the youngest. "You've always known."

Mikey shrugged and smiled. "I'm the Raph whisperer. What can I say?"

Leo rolled his eyes and chuckled at his young brother's silliness. "You've given me a lot to think about, Mikey. I think you've given Raph and me a lot to talk about, too."

"Then maybe you could give me something to think about, Leo."

The eldest turtle blinked at his little brother. That might possibly have been the most mature face Mikey had ever made. Before he could ask what Mikey meant, the orange-masked turtle asked:

"Why do you always try to stop him?"

With a sigh Leo's dark blue eyes dimmed. "Because I worry about him, Mikey. I guess I'm just afraid that one night he won't make it back."

Mikey's wan smile and one-armed hug, oddly enough, comforted him immensely. After glancing over at Donnie, Mikey said, "We all do, Leo. We all do. But he's Raph. Even if we try to stop him the only thing it'll do is make it worse. Fighting with him means it'll be even longer before he comes back."

"I'm not trying to get him angry Mikey! It's just that he always wants to go off and jump right into a situation that could get himself killed! Doesn't he know how much he means to us?! Doesn't he know that we can't lose him?! Why is he so blind of the risks he's taking?"

The youngest sighed and shook his head. "That, big bro, is a question that only Raph knows the answer to."

"I know." Leo whispered softly.

"I try to warn him." They both turned to look at Don. "I try to tell him what could happen the next time he does something stupid. I try to convey to him, every time he ends up in the lab for stitches that he might have lost an arm or a leg, or that two inches to the right might have ruptured an artery or a vein and cost him his life, but he just waves it off. He just shakes his head and pats my shoulder and says that he's alright and that everything turned out okay! Why is he always so stubborn? Why can't he see that I just want him to be more careful? I just don't want to lose him! Is that too much to ask?!" Donnie had tears of frustration and worry in the corners of his eyes. Mikey stood and went over to the brainiac's other side. He and Leo wrapped Donnie in a tight hug. This time it was Leo's turn to be offering comfort.

"I'm sure he'll be fine, Donnie. Don't worry. And we won't lose him. Not now, not ever. Not if I can help it."

Mikey smiled and nodded, even though they were still in a group hug. "Yeah, bro. We're brothers, we stick together and watch each others' backs. It's what we do."

"But what about times like right now? When Raph doesn't have anyone watching his back?"

"He's Raph, Donnie. He'll be okay." Leo offered, trying to sound confident.

Donatello shook his head. "Somehow, Leo...That's just not enough anymore."

They fell into an uncomfortable silence. Suddenly, a phone rang, breaking the silence. Leo's hands shot out to grab it and brought it up to his ear. "Casey? What's wrong?" He hadn't meant the question to come out quite as frantic-sounding as it did, but given the atmosphere, he just couldn't help it. There was a bit of silence on the other end of the line and Leo got even more worried. "Casey?! What is it?"

Casey must have heard the frantic edge in Leo's voice because he sounded apologetic. "Whoa, chill Leo. Nothing's wrong. Everything's cool on our end. Well..." The sound of glass breaking on the other end made Leo frown worriedly. "...mostly cool. I was just calling because Raph..." There was another pause and the sound of more shattering glass. Leo could hear the human man cursing under his breath. With every passing second Leo was wishing more and more that he could travel through the telephone like a cartoon and pop out on the other side where he could proceed to drag the words from Casey Jones' mouth. "Because Raph had a little bit too much."

Leo blinked blankly for a moment. "Too much what?" He asked, rather cluelessly.  He could practically visualize the nervous expression on Jones' face as he was answered by a hum.

Finally, Jones blurted out. "Um...beer."

The eldest turtle's face went dark with fury and he growled. "Excuse me. Would you mind telling me that again?"

"Raph had too much?" Casey said nervously.

"The whole thing, Casey."

"Raph had a little too much beer?"

"Yes, that." He said calmly, a little bit too calmly. In fact, it was actually just a cool mask to conceal his inner rage. "Just what do you mean by a 'little too much' and how long has this been going on?!" He shouted finally losing his cool.

Donnie and Mikey had started paying more attention the second Leo had gotten angry. They exchanged shock glances and tried to get as close as they could to hear the conversation, but Leo shoved them away and got up off the couch where he proceeded to pace back and forth. They followed him with their eyes.

"Uh—"

"The truth, Casey!" He shouted demandingly.

"Um—not long man, I swear. And usually we only have one. But tonight—"

"How many?" Leo asked, putting his hand over his face. Goddammit, Raphael! That hothead was truly going to be the end of him. Casey still hadn't answered. He growled. "How many, Casey?"

"Just three."

Leo rubbed his temples and closed his eyes.

"It's not serious or anything. He's okay and all. He's just a little...clumsy. And, uh, he's acting a little loopy. I could let him sleep it off here if you want."

"No. We'll come get him." Leo snapped abruptly, hanging up right after.

Donnie and Mikey were staring at him, waiting for an explanation. Leo took a deep breath and turned to them. "That was Casey." He wanted to say more, but he just couldn't get the words off his tongue.

"So we gathered." Don answered slowly.

Leo nodded, gathering strength. "Apparently Casey and Raph were drinking."

Donnie's eye-ridges shot up. Leo took another deep breath. He knew that his brainy brother's reaction wasn't going to be pretty. Donnie was still. "Drinking what exactly?"

"Beer."

Anger flickered through the soft brown eyes, but Donnie quickly forced it down, though his face was still dark. "Leo. Did you just say that they were drinking beer?"

Leo crossed his arms over his plastron mirroring Donnie's obvious disapproval. "Yes. Apparently they have done it a few times in the past as well. Casey says that they usually only have one, but tonight Raph had three."

"Is he feeling sick?! Is he turning blue? Is his pulse and breathing rate rapid?! Shit, why don't those two ever realize that the things they do are dangerous?!"

Mikey rubbed Donnie's shell, trying to calm the brainiac down. Leo put his hands on Donnie's shoulders. "Chill Don, it's okay. They're both fine. According to Casey Raph's just acting a little strange. Casey didn't want the hothead trying to come home alone, that's all."

"But that could just be for now. We need to hurry and get there fast just in case Raph starts to experience other adverse affects!"

Leo's grip on Donnie tightened. "Donnie, slow down. I'm sure that Raph is fine. Three beers is hardly enough for him to be in danger of alcohol poisoning." He frowned at the look of uncertainty in his smartest sibling's eyes.

"I really don't know, Leo. We are mutant turtles. I have no idea how severely we are affected by alcohol. If Raph were human you'd be right, but I can't be sure."

"Why the shell would Raph drink anyway?" Mikey piped up and they looked at him. Leo was practically glaring.

"That's exactly what I would like to know." He said, lowly.

Don nodded in dark agreement.

They left the lair less than ten minutes later in Shell Raiser. If Raph was really out it, they didn't want to take any chances of having to return to the lair on foot. When they landed on the fire escape outside Jones' window, the man opened it almost immediately. "Man, am glad to see you guys. Drunk and ninja does not bode well." The cold, ice glare that Leo dealt him made his squeak and back up.

"Casey," Leo growled, one of his hands clenching into a fist.

"Yeah," Casey gulped, "Leo?"

"Why the hell have you been letting Raphael drink?"

Casey looked affronted. He put his hands on his hips. "It was his choice, man."

"You're older than him, Casey! You're old enough to drink! He's eighteen!"

"He's almost nineteen!" Jones retorted.

"If he was already nineteen, we wouldn't be having this discussion!" Leo countered, stomping into Casey's space. "Besides that, Casey, we're turtles, not humans! Donnie isn't even sure the types of effects alcohol has on us! We're ninjas, Casey! Athletes! Alcohol is not healthy! You shouldn't have even offered it to our brother much less let him have one."

"It was Raph's choice, Leo. And I'm gonna stick to that." Casey responded, not nearly as nervous as he had been a few minutes prior.

Leo glared and looked around the room. "Where's my brother?" He asked, Donnie and Mikey frowning at Casey over their older brother's shoulders.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, Raphael popped up at Casey's side and leaned heavily on the human wearing a goofy, drunken grin on his face. "Raphael, I am extremely disappointed in you! I thought you were more responsible than this! I can't believe that you drink! Do you have any idea what that does to your body?" Leo glared at the obviously inebriated turtle and Raph's smile only widened.

"Uh-oh," The hothead slurred. "Weonardo's weawing his fwowny face." He drawled childishly. Leo's glare intensified. Donnie, Mikey and Casey Jones were sputtering with laughter. Raph tottered his way over to Leo, wearing a childish pout. As Raph stumbled, Leo reached out and caught him, though the leader was still glaring. Raph beamed affectionately at him and Leo couldn't help but blink. It had been a long time since he's seen Raph smile like that. But he wouldn't let that break his composure. Raph looked at his big brother's unyieldingly angry face and he sighed. "I think he needs a hug." He exclaimed, throwing his arms around his older sibling's shoulders and clinging tightly. Leo stiffened in shock. All laughter completely ceased and everyone stared. Raphael had a contented smile on his face. He was just hugging his big brother without a care in the world. Mad, frustrated, worried, and exhausted as Leo was, he couldn't push Raph away. He relaxed into the hug and rubbed Raph's shell affectionately. "Tomorrow morning I'm going to wake you up bright and early and you are going to get the longest lecture of your life, little brother."

The drunken Raphael sighed and pouted, but acquiesced. "Yes, Leo."

"And what do you have to say for making us come all the way over here to get you?"

"I'm sorry I made you worry."

Leonardo blinked a little and straightened. That hadn't been what he was expecting. He smiled a little. "It's alright Raph. It's just what we do."

Needless to say, each of them made sure to plenty of hugs from their giddy, inebriated sibling that night before he went to bed. While they were definitely not pleased by what he had done, they had to admit, Raph being such an affectionate drunk was oddly endearing. The next morning when he asked them whether he'd done anything weird or stupid, Mikey had just smiled and said. "Nah, not at all, bro. Not at all."

Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: AzTruyen.Top