Chapter Text
Raphael and Casey hopped down into the sewers, making their way to the Lair.
“So, how are we gonna do this? That eye infection sounds gnarly.” Casey asked, hockey stick resting on his shoulders, his arms resting on the hockey stick.
Raphael grunted slightly, “Well first, my brothers can’t know.” As Casey opens his mouth to question, Raph continues, more serious, “It’s just gonna cause a fight and nothing will get done. We’re on a time limit with winter coming, a shorter one with that infection.”
“Alright,” Casey agreed, “What are we gonna do then?”
Raphael paused, then winced, “Try to raid the medical closet…”
“Or a pharmacy.” Casey suggested, trying to be helpful.
Raphael reluctantly sighed, “No, that’s stealing.” He sounded disappointed that they couldn’t do it.
“Your idea is a lot easier said than done.” Casey pointed the hockey stick at Raphael, who grabbed it and pushed the rubber a few times into Casey’s forehead, before he snatched it back, “Ow- Hey!” Raphael just chuckled.
“Yes, which is why we’re gonna need a few distractions.” Raphael crossed his arms, grinning at Casey. Who caught on surprisingly fast.
“Oh, Hell no-”
-
“Hey Dooooooonnie!!” Casey sang, practically skipping inside Donatello’s lab. The turtle in question gave a long, long-suffering sigh, not looking up from the t-phone he was tinkering, “What is it Casey?” He asked flatly.
“Yoink.” Casey reached past Donatello, plucked the device from the turtle’s hands.
“Hey!” the purple turtle shouts, lunging for the phone, only for Casey to hop out of the way. The black-haired teen made a kissy face at him, then he bounced out of the lab, Donatello scrambles after him.
Running into the living room, Leonardo and Mikey were hanging out, watching TV and playing with action figures, respectfully. The peace was broken as Casey Jones barrels into the room, a fuming Donnie swift behind him. Casey hopped over the couch, grabbed the remote, and turned the TV off. Soon racing over to a laughing Mikey, grabbing the figure in a flip, laughter turning into a loud, “HEY!”, as Casey evades the grabbing hands.
Casey stands tauntingly on the kitchen table, as the three turtles surround him. They all attempt to dog pile the boy, but he jumps over them and runs off into the sewers, going topside the second he’s out of sight.
Raph pops his head out of the shadows of the rafters, laughing. It was so hard to stay quiet during Casey's stunts.
Casey can always make a good distraction, and can stand the beatings he’ll get when he’s finally caught. Probably.
Raph moves quietly into Donnie’s lab, opening the cabinet and shoves whatever has the slightest mention of ‘infection’ and a lot of rubbing alcohol into a bag he picked up along the way.
“And what is this, my son?”
Raphael almost jumped out of his shell. He whips around to the looming form of his father, he bows, “Ugh, M-master Splinter!” he looks down at the bag, then back to his father, and slowly moves the bag behind his back. Splinter raised an amused brow, “Are you feeling ill, my son?”
“Uh-no, I mean- Yes, I’ve been feeling a little under the weather and I thought I should look through the medicine to get myself back in fighting shape because you always say ‘I must be ready for anythin-’” His rambling lie was cut short from Splinter’s cane hitting the ground once, “Raphael.” Splinter said, firm but warm.
Raph sighs, “I… There’s someone I want to help, but I'm worried the others might make it worse…” Raph said, honestly. Splinter tilted his head, curious, “Who did you find, and how will your brothers make it ‘worse’?” the master asked, not accusingly but to push for an explanation.
Raph sighed again, “...I found two more turtles. Not sure if they're from here or aliens or mutated somehow, but one is sick, infection sick.” Urgency leaked into his voice, as he gave his Master a worried, yet determined look.
“I understand your need to help, but why not involve your brothers? Is it your fight with Leonardo?” Splinter asked gently.
Raph sighed for the third time, “Because I think they're running out of time, and it would take too long to explain to them, let alone organize… Master, please, I’ll tell them when the big guy is better.”
Splinter sighed this time, stroking his thin beard, “...Alright, my son.” he agreed, which caused Raphael’s neck to almost snap at how fast he looked at his father, eyes wide.
“R-really?! Th-thank you, Master!” Raphael bowed, before continuing to look through the medicine. Splinter stopped his hand, “Describe to me what this sickness is, and I will help you find the right one.”
After describing the eye infection, Splinter helped pick out a few bottles of medication, antibiotic eye drops, as well as suggesting some home remedies once the worst of it was gone.
“Now, my son. Once you come back, we will be talking about this.” he places a hand on his boy’s shoulder, “All of us. Afterwards, we will go help your new friend.”
With the bag of medicine and food, Raph sprinted to the door, only stopping to turn and bow, “Thank you… Dad.” he gives his father a rare smile, going into the shadows once again. Splinter gave a small smile of his own, proud of his son.
-
“Now, let’s be civil about this.” Casey pleaded from his upside down position on the fire escape, as three angry turtles loomed over him. Each one now regained their respective items. The vague plan he had was to circle them on rooftops, jump back into the sewers, place everything on the couch and pretend it never happened.
It would have been perfect if his pant leg hadn't snagged in the metal staircase. He would have done that. Now, he was staring up at his potential demise.
“What the heck, Man?!” Shouted Mikey, “You can’t just seal a turtle’s action figures!”
“I’ll have you know that I was working on something delicate on the phone!”
“Hey, guys.” Raph pops out of nowhere, “I’ll be taking this.” Grabbed Casey by the leg, pulled him up and out of there. Leaving the three turtles behind to gap at the now empty space.
They jumped as the phone in Donatello's hands started blaring, almost launching out of the turtle's hands in fright.
Once he got a grip on the device, he answered, “Uh, Hello?”
“Hello, my students.” came the steady voice of their father. Donatello covered the speaker, whisper-shouts to his brothers ‘it’s Dad!’, he pulls himself enough to answer, “H-hello, Master! What… what?” the smart one said dumbly.
A low, amused chuckle answered him, “Oh, I was just wondering where three of my four wayward sons are. I could have sworn they were here a moment ago.”
Leonardo grabbed the phone from Don, “Master, it was just Casey. We’ll come back once we find him and Raph-”
“Unlike you three, Raphael told me where he was going. Come home boys, now.” The dial tone tells them the conversation was final.
“Well, that was weird.” Michelangelo states, picking invisible dirt off his action figure, “What was that about.”
Leo started at the phone, then tossed it to Donnie, “I don’t know.” He said blandly, eyeing the direction where Raph pulled Casey away, “But we’re gonna find out.” He jumped the building, scanning the streets as he ran off.
“Ooooooh, we’re gonna be in trouble!” Mikey shouts, too gleefully in Donnie’s (typically ignored) opinion.
“But, we, you can't just-” Donatello sputteres, before sighing deeply, “We are so dead.” He jumped down to follow.
-
Raphael and a grumbling Casey walked through the abandoned buildings, Raph pulled the bag of supplies from its hiding place, looking over its contents.
Casey kicked a can, “Okay, so we’re just gonna leave it by the door?”
“No.” Raph said, dryly. “I doubt they know how to use a lot of this stuff. The skinny one will probably spit a fit, but the big one… Hmm.”
Another kick, out of the alley and towards the harbour, “Spit Fire will probably claw your eyes out when he sees you.”
Raph bit his lip with a ‘hm’, “Okay, Plan. We’ll wait until Tiny is out, then I’ll sneak in and… well, try.”
A third kick sent the can flying towards some rotting ships, “And what if ten pounds of terror comes back?”
Raph simply turned his head to Casey, grinning.
“Oh no, not again!”
-
Back on the roof from the first night, Raph and Casey had been staked out for a handful of hours. Much to Casey’s verbal annoyance, which soon became Raph’s annoyance. Just when they started pulling hair and mask tails, a metal thump was heard.
They quieted and spied as the Little One crawled out of its hiding spot, with a quick surveillance they sped towards the abandoned building.
They stayed a few more insuring seconds, before hopping down.
“Okay Case, hide yourself. If you see it, throw a rock at the door or something.”
Raph hopped down before Casey could make a noise, lifting the metal sheets. He kicked the bag down, then himself.
Fairy Lights were strung around the corners and lining the ceiling, giving light to what would have been pitch black without. Blankets and pillows covered the metal floor and corners, the only heat in the crate. Much like last time, a giant heap of blankets was gathered on the far wall, covering the giant turtle underneath.
It started moving, raising with a growl to scare him. He saw its face, and soon, its eye.
It looks worse. Yellow trailed down in thin streams, a constant well of tears gathered in the duct and it was so, so red. It was still growling.
“Hey, hey.” Raph attempted, “It’s- it’s me. From yesterday.”
The Big One was still growling, maybe it couldn’t see him well because of the eyes, was a thought that crossed his mind. He slowly reached into the bag, ripped the plastic off and brought out a whole tube of pepperoni. (He made peace with the fact that Mikey would be mad later, but he honestly saved the meat from a worse fate.)
The growling was cut off by sniffing, then some longer ones. Raph dared to come closer, the meat stick extended in front of him, his shield. He only flinched then a large hand slowly reached out from the blankets, three fingers with long, sharp claws. They gently took the food out of his hand, biting off half.
The other eye started to tear up as it chewed, enjoying it. Raph stared on, curious by this.
The other half of the stick was placed by water bottles and bowls, the Big One’s attention now back to him. Raph stilled as it leaned in close, sniffing him. Once satisfied, its strength seemed to fade as it crashed back into its bed, huffing with exhaustion.
Raph kneeled beside the creature, “I have medicine. I can help you.”
-
Casey was rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, bored. The little menace was nowhere to be seen, Raph had been down there for a while and he’s just standing there.
He sighed with his whole, teenaged, self, “I should… scout or something… I am so bored.”
A calm voice came from the alley, “Really? You were having fun earlier.”
Casey, who did not screech, jumped up and whirled around to the voice. Three turtles with orange, purple and blue masks stood, arms crossed. Leonardo spoke, “Where’s Raph?”