Thirty-Third and a half Theory [Action/Illusion]

[i_speak_softly]

[Today Donatello is lying on the couch in House 55, staring into space. He's sick and he knows for a fact that he's hallucinating, so he will not be at all disturbed by anything that might present itself to his vision. It's only a product of his feverish brain, after all...]

((Go on and barge into his house, fourth-wallers. Replies may not be entirely coherent, but they will at least be agreeable.))

Comments

[i_speak_softly]

Mm-hmm. [In a couple hours, maybe.]

[meanandgreen.livejournal.com]

[And surprisingly, Raph does take it easy for a change. He spends about an hour just working on katas, then hits the showers. Afterward, he decides he wants to do something special for lunch to celebrate him feeling better and sort of apologize for getting Don sick. So he fries up some chicken and onions, pours over the eggs, and makes his own mediocre version of oyakudon.

Around 11 o'clock he'll come into Don's room with a couple trays of food laden with rice, miso soup, and the oyakudon to share. If Don's not awake yet, he'll just sit on the bed and eat his own lunch.]

[i_speak_softly]

[Don comes around after a while, and the sight of Raph eating home-food makes him suddenly hungrier than he's been in days. Eggs and onions are not too appealing right now, but rice and miso sound like just what his stomach needs.]

[He points to the tray Raph isn't eating from.] Is that one mine?

[meanandgreen.livejournal.com]

[Raph nods, his mouth full of rice and eggs.]

Yeah, eat what you want.

[i_speak_softly]

Thanks. [He sits up slowly, waits for his head to clear, and pulls the tray onto his lap.]

[meanandgreen.livejournal.com]

[He chases a piece of chicken across the bowl with his chopsticks. He made enough for two, but he's so hungry he feels like he can eat twice that much. And it is so good to eat something other than pasta.]

Don't think I ate a thing the whole time I was sick. Should weigh myself.

[i_speak_softly]

Not what I meant when I said you should eat less. [It's obvious that he doesn't seriously think you believed otherwise.]

[He moves his bowl of oyakudon to Raph's tray.] Here.

[meanandgreen.livejournal.com]

[He doesn't! He just didn't feel like eating when he didn't feel well.]

Yeah, yeah. [He tucks into the second bowl with a grunt of thanks.] I'm just sayin'.

[i_speak_softly]

[He's quiet for a while, slowly drinking his soup.]

Do you know about Derek? I can't remember if I told you.

[meanandgreen.livejournal.com]

What, that he got drafted? I remember you sayin' that.

[i_speak_softly]

That he got killed.

[meanandgreen.livejournal.com]

He got...[He stops eating, a strange, blank look passing over his expression.] No. I didn't know.

[i_speak_softly]

[He nods.] April told me.

[meanandgreen.livejournal.com]

But they come back if they get killed out there, right? Ain't no different than inside the bubble.

[He looks at Don with something of a pleading expression.]

[i_speak_softly]

There was someone in our draft who had died in the previous one. And if today is Monday, then... I think he should be back soon.

[meanandgreen.livejournal.com]

[He picks at his food again, trying to decide if he has any appetite left.]

Yanno, this's gonna sound bad, but hearin' that I ain't the only one who screwed up out there is makin' me feel a whole lot less inadequate.

[i_speak_softly]

You're not inadequate, Raph. [He reaches to smoothe the perpetually-wrinkled feathers of Raphael's injured wing.]

[meanandgreen.livejournal.com]

[He grunts.] It was a stupid mistake.

[i_speak_softly]

[Well, he's not getting into that conversation again. He returns to picking at his rice.]

[meanandgreen.livejournal.com]

[Raph just sighs and decides to drop it, then goes back to eating. When the bowl is finished, he speaks again.]

Think I'll go bask after this. Wanna come with? It'll do ya good.

[i_speak_softly]

Probably. Otherwise I'll just fall asleep here again.

[meanandgreen.livejournal.com]

All right. [He'll sit there and wait for Don to have his fill so he can bring the dishes back to the kitchen.]

[i_speak_softly]

[When most of the rice is gone, he puts the bowl down and pushes the tray away a little.]

I think I'd better stop there.

[meanandgreen.livejournal.com]

[Raph gathers up the trays and goes to take it to the kitchen.]

Be right back.

[i_speak_softly]

[You're not the only one who can sneak out of bed, Raph. By the time you get back, Don will be halfway down the hall, guiding himself with his hand on the wall and looking not at all like a strong and capable ninja.]