Bubble-wrapped

Chapter 3

The whole trip back Mikey stayed tightly in his shell. He'd had plenty of time to think, and couldn't get Raph's distressed noises from his head. Man... what if I really upset him? I mean, Raph upsets easily, but like, what if I really, REALLY upset him?

Mikey felt a pang of guilt and squeezed his eyes shut from within the darkness of his shell. He didn't like it when Raph went all 'protective mode', as a matter of fact, he hated it! Mikey loved to explore and have a life of his own, he's a teenager and everything! Staying at home and doing stuff like making pictures with crayons and skateboarding in circles was getting super boring. But at the same time, he knew his brother meant well. That's what was messing him up.

Mikey soon heard the door to the lair creaking open and Raph tumble on inside. He was going to have to talk to his brother soon, but frankly, he didn't know what he was going to say. He didn't even know what to expect.

He tensed in anticipation, awaiting some kind of call to come out of his shell. But as he felt the heavy footsteps of his big brother carry on, the call didn't seem to arrive.

What's he doing?

He heard another door creak open, then felt some more movement- followed by a pause.

Something rubbed over part of his carapace, and he was carefully placed down on a soft cushiony surface. A warm blanket was pulled over his shell. Finally, he heard footsteps fade- and the creak of a door.

Mikey slowly emerged from his shell, feeling the blanket around him begin to slip off. He was... in his room? Mikey looked around, confused. He lifted his legs up to his plasteron, and pulled the blanket over himself, frowning at the door in front of him.

Raph had just... put him back? Without a word. But why?

Mikey couldn't think why. Was Raph really that angry? He couldn't even talk to Mikey? The door had been left open, only ajar, but still open. Mikey took in a breath, trying to figure out what he should do. He pulled his legs in tighter and wrapped his arms around them, staring into space.

***

Raph lumbered into mikey's room with a downcast face, still lovingly cradling the silent shell. He stopped at mikey's bed.

He still wasn't sure precisely what he did wrong, but man, he messed up. He gazed at mikeys carapace, wondering how hurt he left him in there.

Raph affectionately ran his hand over the side of his youngest brothers carapace, before carefully laying him down on the soft bed, and pulling the covers over his plasteron.

He quietly crept to the door, glancing back once more before pulling the door ajar and creeping back down the hall to his own bedroom. He crashed onto his bed and hung his head in his hands. "I'm sorry Mikey,"

***

Leo swallowed in concern as he spied his two brothers around the lair. Raph appeared extremely unsettled and sad, and mikey was nothing but an unmoving shell. Something is definitely wrong.

Leo, without making a noise, dropped from the ceiling onto the floor in front of mikeys bedroom door. He watched Raph close his own rooms door, then Leo turned and slowly pushed open the door to mikeys room. He poked his head through with raised eyebrows.

"Mikey.? Is everything ok?"

Mikey glanced up at his brother, unsure how to respond. His first instinct would be to say 'yeah!' but that wasn't really true.

"I..." Mikey swallowed and frowned, "I don't know."

"Are you hurt or anything?" He asked, stepping in and closing the door behind him. He didnt show excessive worry or concern, but asked in a more casual yet serious tone.