Chapter 14

The sense of victory didn't last long.

Despite the success of getting everybody out and the fact that nobody was too horribly hurt, it had been a painfully long night. Everybody was exhausted; Michelangelo could easily see that in the way Leo's shoulders were slumped lower than usual, and how Donnie kept rubbing his eyes. Poor guy. He probably hadn't slept in the last few nights with the projects he had been obsessing over lately… maybe tonight he'd get some sleep. And if not, Mikey could always make sure he did. Even with everything that had gone on throughout the night, Casey was still as excited as if the fight had just started, rambling to April about all of the cool moves he'd done.

"—and did you see the way I smashed that bot's face in? It was awesome!"

"We get it, Jones." Mikey flicked his eyes over to Raph as his injured brother spoke, surprised by the snarl in his voice. "You fought the robots. We get it. Now shut up and walk so we can go home."

So Raph was still hurting. He wasn't usually that angry after a fight, instead he'd be joking around with Casey and making jabs back at him. The fact that he wasn't doing any of that was more worrying than the snap. Mikey watched Raph as he walked, brow creased as his eyes flicked over his brother. Now that the fight was over and he could get a proper look at him… Raph looked like a mess. Besides all of his wounds and then burn mark on his side, he just looked tired and in pain, and there was something in his eyes that Mikey couldn't quite pinpoint.

A little rest would do them all some good. Then everybody would be back to normal and feeling better and it would all be fine, right? It had to be. They couldn't go on forever with grumpy Raph and tired Donnie (though Donnie was exhausted like. 99% of the time.) so it had to even out somehow.

Though… one thing still bugged him.

Sidling up to Leo, Mikey nudged his arm to gain his attention, slowing his pace to let the others draw ahead. Leo gave him a curious look but did the same, following his brother's cue. If anybody needed to know what he saw, it was Leo, cause the guy could plan anything out for them. And he liked knowing everything about whoever they were fighting. Mikey rubbed his arm, waiting until the others were out of earshot before he spoke.

"Leo, did you see anything… weird when we were in there?"

Leo didn't reply for a moment, frowning as he thought it over. Mikey could practically see the gears turning in his head as he searched back, but his shoulders sank as Leo shook his head. He prepared to be blown off and left to his own devices, choosing to pull ahead to avoid it. But before he could take a step away, Leo's hand met his shoulder, and he found himself looking at concerned blue eyes darker than his own.

"You did, didn't you? That's why you froze up?"

Mikey nodded silently, turning his eyes back to the direction they had come from. He wasn't sure what he had seen, but he knew in his gut that it was bad. Even now, he could feel the chill of warning running down his spine. That familiar ninja sense that told him something was coming. Something bad.

"What did you see?" Leo pressed, holding Mikey's shoulder to keep him back so the others could draw ahead out of earshot. For a moment, Mikey considered playing it off and shying away. He didn't even know what he had seen, and Raph would tease him for overreacting if he spoke of it without any proof. Squirming under Leo's gaze, Mikey shrugged, scuffing his toe against the concrete as he bit his cheek.

"I… I don't know."

To his surprise, Leonardo just nodded. His expression turned to one of frustration, but it only lasted a moment, fading just as quickly as it had appeared. Mikey paused, his eyes flicking over Leo's face, trying to read his expression. The leader hated not knowing something, especially if it was about their enemies or involved their brothers. If Shredder had a new pawn, Leo wanted to know, and he would want to figure out everything about it before they ended up fighting it. Cause… it was kind of guaranteed they'd end up fighting it. Be real.

"Can you remember anything about it?"

"It was… creepy." Well that much was kind of a given. "I never really saw it at all. Just these eyes and I got all cold and panicky. Like one of those Dementors from Azkaban or something, except I didn't get my soul sucked out through my mouth." A shudder went through his body at that thought. He didn't really want to get his soul sucked out at all, if he could avoid it.

His big brother gave him a look, almost like he didn't believe him, but it vanished again and his expression went back to one Mikey couldn't make out. Why did Leo always have to hide his emotions? Couldn't he just let them see what he was thinking for once? Mikey scowled as he felt a flash of resentment shoot through his chest, giving a huff. The only reason he used monsters to relate it to was cause it was easier to explain it that way. There was already an example ready to use, so he might as well just use it. It was easier to get the point across that way.

Leo didn't speak as they began to move after the others again, crossing over a rooftop or two in silence, before he finally turned his eyes back to Mikey with a frown.

"We'll figure it out. Next time you notice it, tell me immediately. If Shredder's got a new friend, it probably won't mean anything good for us. But Mikey, promise me you won't try and go after this thing until we know what it is and we have a good plan, okay? I'll let the others know tomorrow-"

"Why not tonight?" Mikey blurted, his eyes widening as he leaped over the next rooftop. Didn't they need to know now in case something happened? They could plan stuff out tonight and then they could figure it out, instead of waiting for tomorrow.

"Mikey… I think everybody needs a good rest before they get our next big crisis sprung on them."

Following his eldest brother's gaze towards the others ahead of them, Michelangelo realized that Leo spoke the truth. Raphael had started to lean into Donatello's help, his shoulders slumping, while Donnie himself was slowing to accommodate him. April and Casey seemed to be doing alright, though.

Oh, wait… maybe not.

Looking closer, it was easy to see that exhaustion plagued them as well. April's feet were beginning to drag, and Casey was yawning as he rubbed a fresh black eye. It had been a long and stressful night for all of them, and that wasn't the only problem. Mikey was pretty sure nobody was walking home without wounds of their own.

Leo was right… everybody needed a good rest.

We can worry about finding this thing after we can stand up without falling on each other. At least it wasn't just going to be tossed to the side like most of his theories. Mikey sped up his pace as Leo did, catching up to the others within a few strides. They'd make it home before dawn, and then they could sleep, and everything would be okay.

Everything would turn out okay.