Thank you all for being patient! I edited the end of last chapter a little bit so that the hug didn't happen in that moment. There's a reason I did that, so no worries. : ] I appreciate the reviews!

Chapter 15: Take Flight

True to their word, Mikey and Noelle hurried back to the lair and arrived no later than two minutes past midnight. Leo, Donnie and April were spread out across the den on the couch and beanbag chairs with Master Splinter, their eyes glued to the TV as their attention was captivated by a black and white show involving monsters. Leo was the only one still in his costume, seemingly unwilling to even want to take it off, while April had already ditched hers and donned pajamas instead. She smiled and waved when she saw her two friends enter the den.

"Hey guys! Have fun?"

"Aw man it was rad! The decorations were awesome and people thought my costume was cool! I totally can't wait until next year!" His smile suddenly morphed into a disappointed pout. "Too bad we didn't get any candy though."

"Ha! Never fear! Casey Jones and Raph have come to save the night!"

All heads turned as Jason and Dracula descended down the steps while each of them hauled around two bulging plastic bags. Mikey watched in childish glee as a hefty pile of assorted candies were poured out onto the floor with a satisfying echo of crinkling wrappers. Even Leo, who usually tried to remain the mature one as an example for his brothers, turned into a sweet-toothed teen with a craving for sugar. When the last chocolate bar had fallen onto the top of the impressive collection, the brothers wasted no time in grabbing handfuls of sweets.

"Are you guys sure you're turtles instead of pigs?" April teased as she observed the reptiles' greedy behavior. They were shoveling candy into their mouths like they'd never had one before in their life, which was completely untrue since she'd brought them some many times.

Splinter sighed and shook his head. "Boys, I will not reschedule training tomorrow if any of you get sick. You will have to deal with the consequences."

"Don't worry Sensei; we won't," Leo promised as he licked his chocolate-stained lips.

Mikey crammed a handful of candy corn into his mouth and loudly chomped. "Where'd you guys find all this anyway?"

Casey grinned as he swiped a few chocolate bars out of the pile. "Pharmacies are having huge sales on candy right now. We just took advantage of it." He tore open one of the wrappers and used his side teeth to chew on the sweet snack. Donnie chortled into his hand and ignored the vigilante's glare.

"Six bucks well spent," Raph agreed with his mouth full.

"Dude, you didn't even do anything. It was my money."

April helped herself to a bag of chocolate peanut butter pieces. "I'm impressed guys. You didn't even need to use any coupons."

"Ha ha, Red."

Noelle stood apart from the small group with a content smile on her face. She was glad that Halloween went over well this year, and that she was actually able to celebrate it with friends. Her feet were killing her though, and she was really exhausted from the long day, not to mention that school would go by slowly tomorrow on only six hours of sleep. Luckily, Master Splinter was kind enough to allow her and April to stay over, and even Casey was just going to crash on Raph's floor. Her eyelids grew heavy at the welcoming thought of crawling into bed.

"My child, you must be tired. You should go to sleep," Splinter suggested with a fatherly smile when he noticed the young blonde yawning. "We will commence with your training tomorrow evening."

Noelle sleepily nodded and stopped herself from rubbing her eyes so the makeup didn't smear. She knew she'd be taking it off in a few minutes anyways, but she wanted to enjoy feeling like somebody else for as long as she could.

"Wait, you've gotta have some candy first!" Mikey called out as he grabbed a handful of colored packages and skipped over to her. "Here! Halloween isn't complete without candy, right?"

She smiled as she held out her hands so he could drop the sugary sweets into her open palms. "Thanks Mikey," Noelle replied as she picked up the side of her dress and began walking away. "Good night."

"Good night Noelle!" Mikey called out, his words reiterated by his brothers and Casey in a garbled fashion.

"Hang on, I'll help you out," April offered as she stood up and ran over to the blonde's side. "I know it'll probably be a pain to get out of." She waved back at the others and followed her friend towards their room.

"Boys, you should do the same," Splinter suggested before he proceeded to head to the dojo for his night meditation. "Good night, and..."he shot a warning glance "...please do not puke."

"Hai Sensei."

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"Sheesh, when did makeup become so hard to take off?" April incredulously watched Noelle repeatedly attempt to rub off the lipstick with a washcloth as she carefully lifted the circlet out of the blonde's thick curls and set it off to the side so she could remove the false ear tips, her head shaking all the while as her friend continued to struggle. The eye shadow had been easy enough, but for some reason the lips were proving to be quite a challenge.

"I think it's almost off," Noelle optimistically stated as she spread more soap onto the drenched material and firmly rubbed it against her lips once more before she stopped and gazed into the mirror. The unpleasant taste of soap had somehow managed its way onto the tip of her tongue, but at least all the makeup was finally off. The area around her mouth was red from all the harsh friction.

April laughed and unzipped the back of Noelle's dress half-way down so the blonde could have an easier time getting out of it. "Guess it'll be a long time before you let my aunt give you another makeover, huh?"

"I wouldn't really mind if she did it again. I kind of enjoyed looking different," Noelle responded with a smile. She gathered her pajamas and headed into the last stall to change while April waited patiently with her back pressed against the counter. The redhead tapped her fingers on the cold counter top to a song she'd had stuck in her head since she'd heard it earlier at the dance while the sound of ruffled clothing served as background noise.

Noelle reluctantly lifted the dress over her head and slipped into her pajamas, already missing the regal feeling the costume had provided her. The only thing she wouldn't miss about the outfit were the shoes, which had made her toes feel confined and suffocated. She embraced the cool tiles against her bare feet and let out a content sigh before she exited the stall, her eyes screwing shut as a yawn escaped from her.

April simpered and pushed herself off the counter, her mouth opening to speak before she also yawned. "I guess we're both ready for bed, huh?" she tiredly teased as they went to leave the bathroom. Noelle hummed in agreement as she allowed herself to finally rub her eyes without fear of ruining her make up.

"I know this isn't a good idea, but I'm really tempted to just sleep in tomorrow."

"You and me both," April chuckled. They entered their room, and Noelle went about laying her clothes out on the dresser while April set the alarm and turned on the bedside table lamp. "So did you have fun tonight?"

Noelle smiled fondly. "I did. I always wondered what it would be like to go to a school dance with a bunch of friends, and it was so much more fun than I thought it would be."

"I could tell. You and Mikey seemed to be having a great time."

The blonde crawled under the covers and rested her head against a propped pillow, her lips curling up into a smile. "Yeah, we did." She giggled. "He definitely doesn't know the meaning of slow dancing though."

"I can tell, but it looked fun. Where did you guys go after you left?"

Noelle's eyes lit up. "We mostly just walked around the city so he could see more costumes and decorations. It was really neat to see him enjoy himself like that, and a lot of the little kids thought his costume was really neat. We ended up sitting on one of the piers and talking while looking at the Statue of Liberty." She paused as she felt her face growing warm.

April grinned and sat down next to her friend. "And...?"

Suddenly bashful, Noelle turned away to hide her reddened face. "He-he said I was part of his family, and that I was pretty."

"That's awesome!" the red head jovially exclaimed. "He's right though, you know? You really are pretty, and I knew right away that the guys and Splinter adopted you right into the family. They did the same for me when I lost my dad, and I think even Casey is seen as a brother figure." She placed an encouraging hand on Noelle's shoulder. "I'm really happy for you. I think it's great that you and Mikey have formed such a close friendship."

The other teen smiled in agreement, her shyness fading away. "Thanks. I feel really lucky to have been found by such good people."

[][][]

Getting up early proved to be just as difficult as the girls predicted. The temptation to stay in bed was strong, but eventually they managed to wriggle out from beneath the warm covers and prepare for the day, both too tired to even make conversation. When it came time to wake Casey up, their ninja skills were tested. They managed to quietly open Raph's door and tiptoe over to Casey, who was sprawled out on the carpet and snoring obnoxiously loud. April reached out and firmly poked his shoulder a few times until the hockey player nonchalantly opened his eyes.

"Red?" he mumbled before he turned over to resume sleeping. The girls exchanged a helpless look before April roughly shook his shoulders, disturbing him from his sleep once more. He groaned in protest.

"We don't have time for this Casey! Wake up!" the red head hissed before she slapped him upside his head, prompting him to sit up and yell in surprise.

"Hey, what gives?!"

"Shh! We need to go to class. Be quiet."

Noelle edged closer to the doorway with bated breath, wanting nothing more than to leave the dim room before the hot-tempered turtle woke up. She wondered if he was actually awake and just hadn't said anything, or if he really was just still sleeping. She hoped for their sake that he was.

Eventually all three of them were dressed and ready for school. Splinter was the only one up by the time they were leaving, so he wished them a good day and watched them practically drag their feet as they exited the lair. He shook his head with a chuckle, and went about making his morning tea.

"Ah, to be young again."

[][][]

Mikey spent most of the morning laying on his bed and staring up at the ceiling in deep thought. His limbs felt heavy from training earlier, and his stomach wasn't exactly feeling the greatest after indulging in so much candy the night before. The only regret he had was that he hadn't saved any to use later on pizza.

He grinned as he remembered just how much fun Halloween had been. It had been really neat to actually be able to experience the holiday instead of having to watch people on TV enjoy it when he couldn't. The costumes, decorations and snacks had all been great, but the real highlight of the night was the time he spent with Noelle. He enjoyed being able to make her smile, and felt pleased that she seemed happy to be considered part of his family. He hoped that she really did get to see the world one day, and maybe he and his brothers, Sensei, April and Casey would be able to join her.

For some odd reason, he kept replaying the scene of him and Noelle on the pier in his head. The moment made him feel cheerful because he felt like he was succeeding more in bringing her "out of her shell". In a way, he'd felt proud of her at the dance because she'd actually joined other students and had fun. He knew there were a couple times that she had wanted to hide away from everybody, but all she'd needed was a little push to get her included in all the dancing. Oddly enough, it wasn't the dancing that he thought of more, but the time alone that they shared from everybody else. Noelle was his best friend, but there was still so much he didn't know about her.

He remembered her saying that she wanted to watched the sun set from on top the Statue of Liberty, and that had set him in one of his rare thoughtful moods. He wanted to see her smile again, so maybe there was something he could do to make at least one of her wishes happen.

His eyes lit up as an idea suddenly entered his mind. "Eureka!" he shouted as he bolted up in bed with a giant grin on his face. "I've gotta go find Donnie!"

[][][]

"No."

"Why not D?!"

"Because I know you, and I know you'll just break it. There are so many chances of something going wrong that I'm not willing to compete with those odds."

"It's not for me, it's for Noelle!"

Donnie sighed and lifted his safety goggles over his head. "I get it, but I'm trying to take your safety into account here. There are a lot of risks, and if something happened-"

"Nothing will happen! I promise! Look, you can even follow us if you want. She's just been through a lot and I thought this might make her feel better." Mikey said the last few words in such a dismal voice that Donnie winced. He knew Mikey was right, but he was still uncomfortable with the suggested idea. He turned away from his brother's puppy dog eyes to not fall victim to them as he attempted to rationally think. The younger freckled teen could be a pain when he wanted to be, but even he would take safety seriously if somebody else's life was on the line. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time Mikey had operated the device, so he at least had some idea of what he was doing.

The lanky turtle exhaled in defeat before turning around to face his brother's pleading face. "Fine, but you better not get caught. Keep your T-Phone on you at all times."

"Booyakasha! Thanks D!" Mikey roughly pulled his brother into a tight hug before kissing him roughly on the cheek and running off. Donnie cringed as he watched the smaller reptile run off in triumph, hoping that he hadn't just made some awful mistake.

[][][]

School had been just as long as Noelle expected it to be. It had been extremely difficult not to nod off in Math Class, even with all the doodling she did in her notebook just to stay awake. The teacher's voice was so monotone and boring that half the class had either passed out or were struggling to keep their eyes open. Fortunately, the math professor had obliviously droned on while his students enjoyed their little cat naps. It was like that in almost all her classes, except a few of the professors actually walked around and kicked desks to scare the heck out of the slumbering teens. Noelle was just grateful that she had April and Casey in a couple of classes to make the dull sessions more interesting. Casey did end up sleeping face-first on his desk, which was comical when several students chortled at his snoring. April rolled her eyes at him from across the room and shook her head at Noelle, who bit her lip to prevent herself from bursting into amused laughter.

Art club had been cancelled due to Ms. Miller not feeling well, so Noelle and April headed to the lair right after school, both of them dreading the idea of training. The thought of taking a nap was much more appealing, but Splinter would disapprove and Noelle needed to hone her skills. Training was a little different that evening though.

"Noelle and Raphael, you will verse Leonardo and April."

All four students stood up and walked to the center of the mat, but it was done so in a hesitant fashion. Noelle may have gained more confidence, but the idea of her having to prove herself useful to her partner was a lot of pressure. She knew the others were worried about whether she could handle herself, so she had to show them that she wouldn't be a liability in a real fight. Taking a deep breath, she lined up next to Raph, who held out a fist to her.

"We've got this. You'll be fine," the temperamental turtle promised as he waited for her, smirking when she gently pounded her fist against his and timidly smiled.

"Okay."

Mikey and Donnie sat on the sidelines and anxiously waited for the match to start. Donnie tilted his head towards Mikey so only the youngest brother could hear him. "Do you think she can handle it?"

The freckled turtle seemed confused for a moment. "Who? April?"

"No, Noelle."

"Of course, dude." Mikey looked ahead and confidentially smirked. "No doubt."

"Hajime!"

Everything happened in one giant blur. One moment Noelle was standing with her feet pressed into the mat and weapon raised in defense, and the next she was engaged in combat with April. The redhead's iron fan was open and pushing against the wooden Jitte relentlessly in an attempt to force the blonde out of bounds. Noelle ran numerous options in her head on what to do, but remembered that she was supposed to act instead of wasting her precious seconds of defense on thinking of a strategy. She had to live in the moment and stand her ground, but April was much stronger than she thought.

Leo and Raph were repeatedly striking their blades together in a nonstop flurry of offense and defense, which proved to be really distracting. Noelle made the mistake of looking over, giving April the opening to knock the Jitte out of her opponent's hands and kick the other girl's legs. The blonde fell onto her back and glanced over at Mikey and Donnie in fear that they would look at her discouragingly. Instead, she was given a thumbs-up and words of encouragement.

"Get her, girl!"

"You can do it Noelle! Oh, and of course you too April."

Her emerald eyes stared up at the towering girl, looking for some sort of opening she could use. Her weapon had been flung away from her, so she had to rely solely on her hands and feet to gain some footing. Noticing April's undefended legs, Noelle took the opportunity to use her fists and knock them behind her foe's kneecaps.

April toppled forward and used her arms to prevent her face from crashing into the mat. Noelle moved in the nick of time to avoid being squished, clumsily climbing onto her feet as she grabbed her weapon and threateningly pointed it at April's back with trembling arms. She was unsure on what to do.

"Stop."

All activity came to a halt as Splinter folded her arms over his chest and stared at his newest pupil. "Noelle, why did you not attack?"

A feeling of dread curled in her stomach at his question. He was disappointed in her. "I-I'm sorry sensei. I didn't want to hurt her."

"Hey, I can take it," April reassured with a smile. "I appreciate you looking out for me, but I'm already prepared to get a few bruises. It'll be nothing I can't handle."

"When you are in a fight, you must not hesitate. I understand why you did not wish to harm April, but you will never improve if you do not give your best each and ever time. When the time comes for battle, you will need to push yourself to hurt your enemy before they can hurt you." Splinter's voice was wise and kind as he lectured, and Noelle felt herself relax when she realized he wasn't angry with her. "Now, let us practice once more."

The fighting continued another hour before Splinter finally dismissed his pupils. "Tomorrow we shall train exactly the same, but Michelangelo will take Raphael's place, and Donatello will be with April."

"Aw yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" Mikey excitedly jumped to his feet and slapped his palm against Noelle's. Her entire body was drenched in sweat and she was out of breath, but she felt great about herself. She had really improved during the last few fights. April had been her opponent the entire time, and she assumed Master Splinter was planning for that to happen. For her to go against Leo right away wouldn't be the smartest move, but that day would eventually come. Until then, she would think of ways to work with her partner to balance the team out.

"I'll do my best," Noelle promised. Just as she was about to follow April to the showers, Mikey grabbed her arm and grinned.

"Hey, I've got a surprise, so you need to hurry so I can show you!" He practically bounced away towards Donnie's lair while she glanced at him with a puzzled expression before turning to look at April. The redhead innocently shrugged and walked away with a concealed smile on her face.

[][][]

"Are you ready for your surprise?!"

Noelle had barely stepped into the den and finished pulling her hair back into a ponytail before Mikey popped up in front of her like an excited kid opening presents. She had thought about what he could possibly be planning the entire time she was in the shower, but nothing came to mind. She wondered if he had somehow acquired a new comic book and wanted to show her the art, or maybe he and Ice Cream Kitty had another interesting sundae creation to show her, but this seemed bigger than those two combined. She would love whatever he was planning to show her though, so she smiled and nodded.

"Okay okay! Come on!" Mikey grabbed her forearm and impatiently pulled her towards the sewers.

"Ah! My coat!" Noelle giggled as he stopped and pouted at her. She quickly ran over to the sofa where she'd discarded it earlier and zipped herself up in it. November had arrived, and the temperatures were quickly lowering to the point where she needed to wear her winter coat. "Alright, I'm ready now!"

"Yes! Let's go!" The energetic turtle grabbed her arm once more and pulled her into the tunnels at a brisk pace. She tried to keep up, but her limbs were simply too tired to move as quickly as him. When he saw how exhausted she was, Mikey slowed down and patted his shell. "Climb aboard!"

Noelle climbed on, embarrassed that she was the one responsible for slowing them down, though she was grateful to give her legs a rest. "Thank you. I'm sorry."

"No prob! Let's go!" He took off, his legs moving so fast it felt as if they were flying through the tunnels. He seemed to be in a real hurry, almost like he was racing against the clock. He slid to a stop in front of a ladder, which she recognized as the one they had climbed down on from the previous night. The colored marked numbers on the wall verified their location. "Okay, you've gotta close your eyes. No peeking!"

The blonde was even more confused as to what was going on, but she did as he said and held on tightly as he climbed up. A cool breeze blew on her face as they exited the sewers and stood on the streets, the evening atmosphere calm and quiet save for a few cars honking and people talking. She recognized the sound of water and seagulls, so they were definitely at the pier. He moved swiftly and quietly until they were climbing up a building. A sense of deja vu came to her as she recalled how he'd done the exact same thing on the night he took her to his hiding place, but this time the climb wasn't nearly as long.

Mikey set her down so her feet were firmly planted on the roof before stepping back to give her space. "Okay! Open them!"

She opened her eyes and stared ahead. Donnie was standing near the edge of the roof with a pair of what appeared to be folded up wings in his hands. She was still confused as to what was going on, but felt a strange sense of delight when she saw him opening up the device to reveal a two person glider with bulky black bat wings.

"Everything is all set up. Remember, this is a glider, so you have to ride the wind." Donnie instructed as he set the glider on the ground and eyed his brother skeptically, already regretting his decision to help. "Please be careful." This time he looked at Noelle, but he only offered her a gentle small before he climbed off the building and left the two friends alone.

The blonde walked over to the wings and felt how smooth and strong they were. She was in complete awe as she wondered if the glider meant what she thought it meant.

"Are-are we going to fly?"

"Even better!" Mikey bounced on his toes as he widely grinned. "We're going to fly to the Statue of Liberty!"

She stared at him, eyes wide and mouth open. Her heart pounded at his words, wondering if she'd heard him correctly. "We are?"

"Yup! I had Donnie make this for us so we can go. You said you wanted to watch the sun set from her view, right? Well, tada!" He gestured towards the wings proudly.

Suddenly she was overjoyed, completely and utterly overjoyed. She burst out into delighted laughter, and soon he joined in even though he wasn't really sure what she was laughing about. Soon their laughter dissipated, and he was strapping them into the mechanism. "So, I'm gonna run and then totally jump off this building, okay?"

Noelle gulped, her body shaking from both nerves and excitement. "That's safe?"

He shrugged but kept grinning. "I'm sure we'll be fine. Are you ready?"

Now she was just plain scared. "I don't-"

[Big Hero 6-First Flight]

"Go!" Mikey broke out into a run while Noelle tried to keep up. Luckily he was more than fast enough for the both of them, and in no time at all they were diving off the end of the building. "Booyakasha!"

She screamed as they dived straight down, getting closer and closer to the ground with every passing second. Her stomach flopped around and she thought she might puke from all the terror she felt, but suddenly the wings lifted them up, and then they were soaring.

Donnie had hidden himself nearby to make sure everything successful worked out. His shoulders sagged in relief when he watched them lift off and away from the ground. From what he could tell, they two hadn't been seen by anybody, which put them in the clear. "Don't wreck it, please," he whispered as he crossed his two fingers.

Noelle giggled in delight as they glided over unsuspecting pedestrians and cars. Building lights acted almost like a runway that navigated the mechanism in a straight line. A powerful gust of wind suddenly propelled them forward and away from the city so that only water was beneath them, glittering in the setting sun light like an ocean of jewels.

"Yes! This is so awesome!" Mikey crowed, holding on tightly as they sailed belly-down through the sky. Noelle closed her eyes as she felt a cool breeze across her body, shivering as goosebumps pleasantly crawled up her arms. The feeling of flying was unlike anything she had ever felt. If the word freedom had an emotion or action to represent it, then this moment would be it.

"Girl, you better hang on! Woo hoo!"

The turtle lifted up the control stick between him and Noelle so that the wings tilted up, causing the window to blow them higher and into a flip. He laughed hysterically as he heard the blonde shrieking with laughter, the sound welcoming and pleasant. He did two more flips before he maneuvered them down towards the water. He saw Noelle gazing in fascination at the surface before she stuck her hand in and allowed the water to rush over her fingers. Some of the liquid sprayed onto Mikey's face, so he returned the favor by spraying hers. They burst out into laughter before she spread her arms out like she was actually a bird, imagining that the sensation of having wings was similar to what she was feeling now. She felt a little silly in doing so, but that went away when she watched Mikey do the same thing.

"Yeah son! Turflytle is back, buzz buzz!" He spiraled them up until they were over Lady Liberty's head, providing an absolutely breathtaking view that provided the perfect height for nosediving. "Here we go, buzz buzz!" They shot downwards, the atmosphere littered with their screams and yells until he lifted the wings up last second and zoomed them towards the statue's face.

Noelle felt extremely privileged to be able to examine the amazing work of Frederic Auguste Bartholdi so closely. The design was flawless and beautiful, even with the scattered areas of verdigris coating her form. Mikeye flew them up the back of the giant woman and nodded at Noelle, who breathlessly extended her hands out and ran her fingers along the cold surface as they soared up higher, her eyes closed as she tried to ingrain the texture in her mind to always remember.

When they had finally gained enough height, Mikey landed them on the monument's hand gracefully. Noelle remained silent as she undid the safety straps and walked forward like she was in some sort of trance, unable to take her eyes of the sea. Mikey smiled, pleased at the look of awe on her face. She extended a hand out like she was grabbing the sun before she slowly lowered it and watched as the blazing orb in the sky gradually sank into the ocean, the horizon line glowing a brilliant gold while the hemisphere above darkened with dark blues, purples and pinks. She climbed up the torch's stairs and leaned against the circular railing at the front of the torch, completely captivated by the most majestic sight she'd ever seen.

"You like it?" Mikey asked as he stood next to her, trying not to feel too pleased with himself

"It's beautiful," she whispered, her eyes literally shimmering with joy. He looked out at the sunset, captivated by the scenery for only a moment before he turned and faced her. Light reflected on her face as she continued focusing ahead with a satisfied smile.

[+]

Noelle suddenly swallowed and bit her lips before she turned and gazed at him with coy and nervous eyes. Mikey felt himself growing confused as to her sudden change in attitude, and wondered if maybe she really wasn't enjoying herself like he thought. He tried not to feel disappointed that her brief moment of happiness was already over, feeling like he had failed her in some way.

However, instead of her asking him to take her back home, Noelle walked forward and apprehensively lifted her arms up before she wrapped them around his shoulders and pressed her face against his plastron. She felt her face burn when he rested his hands on the small of her back and smiled against her shoulder, her stomach somehow inwardly shaking at the close and unfamiliar contact. He'd hugged her before, but this time it felt more personal, not to mention the fact that she was the one initiating it this time. The last person she'd made the effort to hug was her grandma, and that wasn't anywhere near as intimate as this felt. The intense feeling of her insides quivering, fevered face and pounding heart forced her to keep the contact brief before she pulled away and shyly gazed at the ground.

"Thank you," she gratefully voiced as she tried to avoid eye contact in fear of him seeing how much of a nervous wreck she was. "I'll never forget this."

He was completely stunned by her actions, and even more so at the fact that he had actually wanted to hold her longer. Mikey had always been the protective type when it came to animals, his brothers and April, but for some reason he felt even more protective of Noelle. He didn't view her as some helpless creature who couldn't defend herself, but they'd somehow formed a really deep friendship that he'd never experienced with anybody else before, not even his brothers. He knew that what she just did had taken a lot of courage for her to do, so he grinned at her in reassurance so she wouldn't feel as embarrassed.

"Anytime, girl! You know it!"

The way she softly laughed with her face lit up had made the whole experience worth it, but he felt the worries appear again when he felt like little creatures were playing around in his stomach. He wondered if this was what Raph felt like when he'd accidentally swallowed the Squirrelnoids. Mikey couldn't remember an animal entering his mouth at any point during the day, but maybe he'd have Donnie check him out later just to be safe.

For now though, he was going to bask in the moment with his best friend.