It wasn't long until Raphael was back on his feet. He knew that he couldn't just walk away from his previous life. It wasn't as easy as Donnie and Leo made it seem. Once you were in, you were in for life. Raph normally never slept well when he had the chance—with Donnie and Mikey, it was nearly impossible to get any shut-eye. Lately though, his dreams had been worse than reality. In his dreams, he was bound to Tiger Claw, serving under Shredder. In his waking moments, he had a sinking feeling that his dream was about to become a very frightening nightmare that he couldn't escape.
His brothers didn't notice a change in Raph; he had tried not to tell Leo or Donnie what he had dreamt about. He knew they would only worry. Besides, they would try to make him stay home. He had to do his part for his family…for his brothers.
Snake, on the other hand, noticed. Raphael was not himself. He seemed…distracted, almost as if he was trying to keep his mind off of what he was doing.
"What's eatin' ya?" Snake asked one night when they were sitting on a rooftop, scanning the streets below.
"I'm fine," Raph growled, leaping up as he saw shop lights twinkle out far below. "The shops are closing. Are we gonna make a move?" he asked, eyeing the other man.
"Raphie, Raphie. This ain't my first rodeo," Snake replied, a sickly grin spreading across his face.
"Then let's move," Raph replied dryly, turning away from Snake.
Back at the tiny apartment, Donnie scanned the classifieds, rocking Mikey.
"What are you doing?" Leo asked, walking into the living room, an apron tied around his waist.
"Looking for houses to rent," Donnie replied, his weary eyes meeting Leo's.
"A house? Do you know how expensive those are?!" Leo exclaimed, his eyes widening.
"I'm aware, yes. But we'll need one soon. I think Mikey's almost two months old by now," Donnie explained tiredly, barely stifling a yawn.
"What's wrong with a bigger apartment?" Leo asked, almost dejectedly. He knew that when Donnie set his mind on something, he was like a bulldog, never letting go.
"He'll need a backyard, Leo. Somewhere to play. Maybe a puppy," Donnie replied, his eyes lighting up at the possibilities.
"What if we found an apartment near a park and got him a kitten instead?" Leo tried bargaining.
"Do you want a kitty?" Donnie cooed at the baby in his arms, getting a giggle and spit bubble in return.
"See? He wants a kitten," Leo said proudly.
Sighing, Donnie stood up. "I'll think about it. We'll go see some places this weekend," he promised before retreating to his bed, leaving Leo to his baking.