Hello all! Here's a quick TMNT one shot, mostly to get this writer's block unclogged for my other stories. Plus I've been finding all sorts of cute turtle tot/teenage/adult fanart on Pintrest and they are such a motivator that I had to write this! So please enjoy!

I own nothing; all rights go to their owners.

Computer Sick

ACHOO! A-A-A...CHOOO! Raphael sighed heavily as he heard his brother sneezing for what seemed like the millionth time tonight. He paused his work on his Shell Cycle and glanced at the clock. It was pushing 1:30am and there was that stubborn brother of his...

"Dammit, Donnie... didn't listen to Masta Splinta, did ya?" the hot head grumbled as he vowed to put an end to the nonsense right then and there. He tossed down his oil-covered towel down and stood up, cracking his neck. Then he glanced up at the sound of-

ACHOO!

Raph's teeth ground together in annoyance. He knew Donnie had been working on various things around the house, nonstop, for weeks straight, running on nothing but coffee and stubbornness. Mikey's game system broke for what appared to be the hundredth time, Leo successfully burnt the toaster (Raph shook his head- how his 'Fearless Leader' burnt a simple gadget on a regular basis will be a mystery to all), and the security system needed to be updated to Donnie's liking... which led to a stressed out immune system which led to-

A-A-AAACHOOOO! Well, that.

Raph felt like smacking his younger brother upside the head. He stomped out of the garage, up he stairs, and headed towards the brightly lit lab room. The illumination showed a very sick and hunched over turtle who was currently downing a cup of what smelled to be coffee- probably his twentieth one, Raph mused as he reached out to touch his brother's shoulder.

Raph had had it. He warned him that he would either rest voluntarily in his room until he got better, or he was going to be forcibly tied down until his cold passed. Cracking his knuckles, he grinned upon his very ill, very weak, very dazed brother. Tying him up would be a lot of fun...

"Oi. Donnie." The Bo wielder froze up, cup midway to mouth. He slowly turned, light brown meeting amber, and tried to say something in defense of why he wasn't sleeping as he knew he should. But nothing came out past a tight, pained wheeze. Raph stood towering over him, arms crossed, eyes staring at him with a mix of amusement and irritance.

"R-Ra... Ra...I-I..." Donnie wheezed. He dropped his mug as he tried to talk, his shaking hands unable to hold it any longer. With lighting fast agility, Raph caught his mug- which, no surprise to the red masked turtle, was almost completely empty. Setting the mug down, Raph focused his attention back on his sick brother, who was tottering on his chair and was close to falling forward and hitting his head on his desk.

"Sigh... up we go, D-Man." Raph scooped his brother up, carrying him bridal style. Donnie tiredly rested his head on his big brother's strong shoulder, completely unaware of how exhausted he must've been. It suddenly felt cold and he shivered, wondering when the hell it got like that. Raph was honesty a relief from the aches and pain that coursed through the inventor's body... although something told him Raph would give him grief later on.

Raph felt the heat radiating off his brother's body, and headed for the living room. He remembered Leo left a throw blanket there a few weeks ago.

"Why the hell wouldn't you sleep, Don?" Raph asked, still trying to figure out if he should slap him upside the head or not. Donnie let out a heavy sigh, clinging close to his brother, his eyes half lidded and glazed with exhaustion from working and being sick for almost four days.

"S-Sec...uri...ity... h-had to..." Raph stopped, reaching for the blanket to toss over his brother. Donnie shivered again, and let out a small whimper before-

A...A...ACHOO!

Raph gagged mentally- Donnie sneezed ALL over his shoulder! Gross!

"I'm... gonna pretend that didn't happen." Raph muttered. He felt Donnie shift in his hold, and then a very soft voice whisper in his ear, "I... I g-gotta..." Then Donnie coughed. Harsh, hacking coughs that shook his weak frame and vibrated through Raph's chest. "H-Hurssss... oh god..."

'Oh god, indeed... gross, man...' Raph thought with a grimace, feeling the dampness of his brother's snot and drool on his shoulder. He weighed his options as Donnie was more or less a weak kitten in his arms.

Out of their rooms, Raph's was the closest. But his room only has his beloved hammock- and Raph knew that was the LAST thing Donnie needed to sleep in. He could deposit him in Leo or Splinter's room, but that was just... well, Leo wouldn't mind taking care of him, but Donnie was weak and tired and needed some tough love to help him sleep. Then there was his own room... but his room was at the very end of the hall, and his bed... wasn't exactly the best choice for any turtle...

Another harsh cough had Raph making up his mind very quick. "Come on, Donnie. Time to rest." Raph declared, hoisting him a little higher and holding him a little tighter. Donnie whimpered- his body was killing him and his head felt very heavy, and the sudden movements weren't helping him any.

"...uhm... k-kay, Raph'e..." the inventor mumbled in his brother's shoulder. Raph said something, didn't he? Oh, he didn't know- he couldn't hear much. His head felt stuffed and was throbbing like the rest of his body. He sighed contently as he rested his cheek against Raph's shoulder. Besides the strange dampness on it, Raph felt so cold against his skin... it felt good... he wanted to stay like this for a long while. "...R...Ra..phie..." he breathed.

Said turtle smiled down at the slumbering turtle. "Still following Mikey with that dumbass name, huh..." he said, scoffing lightly before heading for his room. "Damn twit... I owe him a beatdown later..."

Donnie slept fitfully. Raph kept walking. It was quiet for awhile... until Raph reached Donnie's room and tried to set him down in his bed.

Raph tried to lay him down. Donnie whimpered softly, and stayed close, refusing to let go of his older brother's neck. Raph blinked; why wasn't he letting go?

"H-Hey... c'mon Don, let go! Donnie, let-" And then Raphael paused, his heart tightening in his chest.

Donnie was a bit alert; hazy, light brown eyes looking at Raph with such a pitiful expression that it brought Raph back to the childhood days, back when Donnie was sick and injured and scared and he just wanted his big brothers to hold him and tell him all would be alright...

"...d-do't go..." he breathed quietly, almost sadly. He leaned against Raph's chest and the tension visibly relaxed out of him. "Please..."

Raph's eye twitched; he hated when his brother's voice sounded like that, especially when they said, 'Please...' He groaned inwardly but realized he would have no choice- for whatever reason, that illness had Donnie's arms like a vice- tight and unmoving. "Daaaaaaamnit... dammit, dammit..." he complained as he realized this was his new room for the next few hours.

Raph sat down on the bed, placed one leg up, then the other. Donnie let out a strangled cry as Raph moved and jostled him in order to get himself comfortable.

"Sorry, lil bro... but your bed is hard as hell, man!" Raph apologized. "Ya need a better bed... this is freakin' ridiculous!"

Finally, Raph was comfortable, and pulled the thick blanket over Donnie to keep him warm enough to sweat the fever out, but cool enough to allow him proper rest. Checking his forehead confirmed Raph's worries- his fever was pretty high and that cough sounded worse than yesterday. "Donnie... gotta get you somethin' for this. Think there's some meds in the bathroom... I think."

He fell silent after that, and looked around his little brother's room. Raph couldn't remember the last time he was in his little brother's room- probably the first day they were given their own rooms at best. Don's room looked like a scientist was at work- or a nerd who hated cleaning his room, which ever. Parts and bits of random metal were strewn everywhere. Papers with writings and notes just as messily thrown about. Donnie's newest invention tucked away in the corner, and the burnt toaster sitting on a exam table of sorts.

"Don, man. Ya always workin' on somethin', ain't ya." Raph muttered to himself, amused. He glanced down at him and felt pity for his suffering- Donnie wasn't usually one to be this sick, making sure to keep himself one hundred percent at all times... and being a bit paranoid about his and the family's health, too.

"Don... I don't get you, man. I mean..." Raph didn't know how to articulate his love for his brothers- they knew he loved them, yeah, but saying it, showing it... it was hard for him. So whenever they got sick, got too weak to realize he was talking sappy talk... he hashed it out. It was wrong, but Raph didn't know how else to tell them he loved them. Except when they were sick.

"You've been sick for days. And every single time we tell you, go rest, go to sleep, you still find a got-damn way to fight us and stay up until you can't function anymore!" In this case, Raph grew frustrated- Donnie knew he needed to care for himself. There hadn't been much activity and he really had no reason to be up lately, so while training increased, Donnie needed some down time away from inventions and fixing things to just... relax.

"I know you take on fixin' things for us, tryin' to do everything. Fixin' us when... when we come to you busted. Explainin' things, all over complicated... with all ya geeky talk." The sick purple masked turtle lightly coughed before he sighed and snuggled closer to Raph. "Why the hell do I feel you can hear me, damn bastard..." Raph questioned to himself.

Donnie was practically wheezing by this point, and Raph knew he'd have to get something for him to take soon. But try as he might, nothing was making his sick little brother loosen his grip on his cooling pillow. Amused, Raph reached behind his left side and moved one of his sai so that he wouldn't stab himself or Donnie by accident.

"Still bein' stubborn, huh. You need somethin' for this, Don." Raph tried to explain. Donnie winced in pain before his face smoothed out and he resumed his uneven breathing pattern.

Raph felt like it was eight year old Donnie all over again- quiet but clingy and sleepy whenever he got ill. Listening to stories and random conversation between the family as he fought rest, as he was very prone to doing.

Completely different than his brothers- Mikey, who was just... dramatic, Leo, who was dead to the world for days on end, and himself... who lets his guard fall easily.

"You gotta start caring for yaself more, Donny. I know we're not an easy bunch to live with- believe me, I know- but... family is family. And ya part of it. So start carin' for yourself like you care for us, got it?" he said rather harshly, which startled Donnie out of his twilight slumber. Sheepishly, Raph looked away as Donnie tried to orient his mind.

"S-Sorry, bro... d-did I wake you?" Raph's gentle voice returned. Donnie blinked, confused, before he registered he'd been asked a question.

"...n-no... I d...dunno... y-yes..." he mumbled sleepily. What exactly had he asked him, anyways? Why couldn't anything make sense?

Raph laughed- Donnie was funny when he was confused- and pressed his hand to his brother's forehead. "Don, you really need some meds, man."

This time, Raph was finally able to get Don to lay down on his side, on the bed, and Raph pulled the blanket over him while he went to find some medication and clean his shoulder off.

Donnie tried to sleep, but without the comfort of his brother's voice wrapping around him, he felt scared and vulnerable. He needed his brothers... and right now, he needed Raph.

'I know you care, Raph. I know you love us and you'd do anything to protect us. I, too, wish you'd care for yourself like you do us...'

Donnie scrunched up his nose, trying to stifle his sneeze, and opened his eyes. He was still feverish and a bit disoriented, his throat was killing him, and his head was pounding so bad, everything was spinning. A lone tear slipped down his cheek.

His room was empty. No one but him lay in the bed, and he was unreasonably scared. He began hyperventilating, all the while trying to get his logic half to assure him that his brother would be back soon- he was just going to get something for his cold... he would be back.

'I wish I could be strong like you... because I can't stand to be alone sometimes...'

"Hey, Donnie! Oh jeez, man." Raph had entered the room, just in time to see Donnie tossing and crying out softly in his twilight sleep. Setting down the liquid medicine he had fetched, as well as some water for him to stay hydrated, he quickly sat down next to him and placed a firm hand on his feverish brother's shoulder. "What's the matter?!"

Still hyperventilating, it took some coaxing, soft reassurances, and a warm, enveloping hug from Raph before Donnie could finally attempt to form a word. By then, the inventor was still a bit disoriented, and was softly sobbing, a combination of pain, exhaustion, and whatever else was going on in his head wearing his body down.

The sai- wielder could see his younger brother really wanted nothing more than to sleep, but something was preventing him from doing that. Before he was getting medicine, Raph was determined to find out what was going on.

"Don... shit, man. What happened in here?" Donnie's eyes looked completely red and dazed, and he was definitely worn out, blearily staring at his brother while clutching his hand tight.

"Ah, Donnie... damn. Must've had a bad dream." Raph tried to rack his brain for other methods he and Leo used to help their little brothers while they were ill.

"I got ya somethin' to take... think you can manage?"

Donnie blinked once, slowly loosening his grip on his brother's hand. He'd just asked him a question, right? "R...Ra...phie..." he croaked weakly, wanting so badly to sleep. His head was to the point of bursting in pain and he didn't want to think or process what his brother had said. His voice was all he really wanted to hear... at least he knew he was with him. Another tear wrenched free from his eye and traced down his face. Raph's expression softened and he wiped his brother's cheek.

"Hurts, huh..." he muttered, keeping his voice low and soft so as not to scare or irritate Donnie. Donnie's head lolled to the side, his eyes closing. "...yeah..." was all he could manage to answer. He was so... damn tired. If Raph could just stay here...

"Hang on." Raph managed to get his hand free long enough to measure out some of the cold medicine needed to help Donnie feel better. Sitting him up, he carefully fed him the stuff- Raph wished he had a camera for the face Donnie made when he took it- and sat with him as Donnie curled close to his thigh.

"You know, you're real clingy when ya sick." Raph mentioned again. Donnie looked relived and peaceful as the medicine worked its magic. Raph rubbed his brother's shoulder to help him relax, smiling when he realized he had the same effect Leo did on a sick Donnie.

"I'm right here for ya, Don. Always gonna be." He said affectionately, rubbing his shoulder, then his shell. Donnie was finally, peacefully sleeping, although he would be very groggy when he woke back up. "Ya not gettin' out this bed until ya truly 100, ya hear me? No more computer work for you, Don."

Donnie's reply was a sleepy mumble. Raph didn't bother to figure out what he had said.

A soft hum soon left Raph's mouth. It continued for awhile before he remembered it was a lullaby their father often sung to them when things had been rough and scary and dark as tots. And Raph was now humming it for Donnie. 'Jeez... I'm gettin' soft around y'all...'

Raph's gentle humming, Donnie's congestive snoring and wheezing, and the occasional beep of whatever doodad lay strewn around said turtle's bedroom comforted the two turtles as Raph found himself dozing off. It was a long time since he'd shown this side of himself, and he was curious about Donnie's nightmare as well.

But that was all for later. Right now, he was his little brother's protector. That was all Donnie wanted and needed.

'...love ya... softie...' Donnie thought with a tiny smile.

END

And done! Nothing fancy, just a sick fic since I'm sick too... and I felt like giving my Threshold story a break so I could finish the chapter. I miss writing about these foursome bros.

Please let me know what you think! Feedback, advice, thoughts, concerns, the usual. No flames.

Until next time!