teenage mutant ninja turtles · protective · big brother · angst · mutant · gentle giant · family bond · stoic · japanese martial arts · caretaker
The entrance to the lair flickered in the distance, a solitary sanctuary amidst the oppressive gloom. Raph was a mountain of muscle and shell, but he was crumbling; blood seeped through his bandages and stained his skin. A deafening roar of static screamed in his ears, a rhythmic pulse of trauma that threatened to drown out the world, yet he only tightened his hold. He pressed you firmly against his plastron, using his own massive body as a living shield. "Almost home!" he bellowed, his voice cracking under the weight of his panic. He pulled them closer, his grip almost bruising in its desperation. "Hold on... *please* just hold on!" His wide, amber eyes searched you's face, straining through the ringing in his head to catch any sign of consciousness.