The new Ninja Turtle movie was amazing and way better than the first one.
Chapter 16: Hot Cocoa
Karai furrowed her dark brows together as her amber eyes glared down at the marked paper in her lap with utmost resentment. She pursed her ruby lips together as she marked another tally across the sheet and attempted to keep herself calm. Unable to keep her anger at bay, she hurled the parchment onto her desk and growled out in frustration before she stood up and paced around her dim chamber.
Nearly a month had passed since she'd spoken with Leo about the Kraang's plan involving that clumsy blonde girl and her missing mother, and she'd expected to have seen some results by now. She'd been out every night to see if the pathetic human teen was even remotely improving, but unfortunately Karai had barely had the chance to observe her. When she did, the turtles were always around and doing all the fighting themselves while their new pet just hovered around with her weapon drawn, her presence similar to a spooked bunny who was surrounded by a pack of wolves. Time was running out, and while Karai wasn't necessarily somebody who was easily nervous, she had to admit that the thought of her life being in jeopardy by a whole fleet of aliens was enough to make even her continuously worry.
Ever since she'd mouthed off to Shredder, Karai and her father had barely exchanged a word to each other. She couldn't claim to be upset about not conversing with him, but she was still furious about him not taking her worries seriously. He was so obsessed with getting revenge that he couldn't see the bigger picture. He was stubborn and seemed to believe only his thoughts and ideals were correct, which was probably why he'd sent his two stupid henchmen, or rather, slaves, after her. She had pretended not to notice them trailing after her whenever she went out at night, but being raised by Shredder had given her the advantage of having heightened senses and perception. She had played their little game for a while, but now it was just getting old.
Next time she saw them, she was going to make sure they stopped following her.
Karai needed to confront Leo about what was going on, and if he actually had a plan. If not, then she was going to do things her way, whether he liked it or not. She didn't have time to sit around and day dream about being a hero and fighting off the disgusting brain-resembling aliens. Something needed to be done, and soon.
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"Again!"
Chest heaving and face slick with sweat, Noelle took her position next to Mikey while Donnie and Leo stood on the opposite side without a single drop of perspiration visible on their reptilian bodies. Splinter monitored the fight with careful attention, his eyes trained and ears twitching to indicate how closely he was watching. April and Raph sat off to the side, observing every thrown punch and kick with studious gazes. The redhead could see how the other teen girl was exhausted, and remembered her own group fights that left her aching, but it was because of those grueling sessions that she'd come so far.
"Come on. You've got this," April whispered with her fingers crossed.
Over the last week Noelle's fighting had improved immensely. She'd been partnered with everybody at least twice to learn teamwork and how each person specifically functioned during a fight. She believed in working together, but the first few training sessions hadn't felt like she was even on a team. She'd been focused on sparring with only April while the brothers would go right after each other, so she was put at a disadvantage when Splinter suddenly instructed her and April to fight the boys instead. Needless to say, both sides were hesitant about the idea, as the guys really weren't too keen on the possibility of hurting their female friends. April could handle getting some bruises, but Noelle seemed so innocent that the idea of leaving a mark on her made the turtles apprehensive about the whole thing. In the end, Leo had given her the first bruise by holding back his strength as he knocked her over with a gentle kick to the back. She'd been shocked and terrified at first, and Mikey was a little angry about it, but she understood that it was necessary if she wanted to learn. When she punched Raph in the arm she freaked out, thinking he would be peeved, but instead, he grinned at her proudly, and her confidence only grew from there.
"Hajime!"
Although exhausted, Noelle forced herself to charge ahead before she jumped off to the side and aimed a kick at Donnie's stomach. The lanky turtle blocked her blow with ease before he briskly spun around and pushed her backwards.
"I've got ya!" Mikey called out as he ran to his partner's side and caught her before she could land on the floor. She tiredly smiled at him in gratitude before Leo vaulted towards them and attempted to pin his youngest brother to the ground. Noelle saw what was happening and jumped in the way with her fists raised up. She winced as Leo's fist flew toward her face, her eyes tightly squeezing shut with a little squeak as she waited for the inevitable pain. When nothing happened, she opened her eyes and noticed that Leo had pulled his punch back only an inch away from her face.
"Nice job covering your partner there," the leader complimented as he lowered his hand. "You might want to focus on your opponents movement so you can dodge or retaliate instead of standing around with your eyes shut."
Mikey patted Noelle on the back and beamed at her gratefully. "You totally saved me dude. Thanks!"
"Leonardo is right. You must pay attention to the way your opponent moves if you wish to avoid being injured." Splinter stroked his thin beard and smiled. "Perhaps we should begin the process of having one-on-one fights. You will not always have somebody around to help you during combat, so you must learn how to defend yourself, especially when you do not have a weapon at your disposal."
"H-hai Sensei." Noelle bowed her head and watched a droplet of sweat drip off her forehead and land on the mat. She personally didn't feel ready to fight somebody on her own, but it was just something she absolutely had to learn whether she liked it or not. He was right after all; there might come a time when nobody would be around to help her, and she'd be in trouble. She was simply going to have to push herself extra hard.
"We will work on that next time. Training is over tonight, so you may all go clean up."
The students respectfully bowed their heads to their sensei before splitting up to go do their own things. Splinter simpered at Noelle and affectionately patted her shoulder. "You have come a long way. You should be proud."
She shyly returned the smile, blushing over the compliment. "Thank you. I hope to improve."
"You will my child. Have patience."
"Yes sir."
He nodded to signal the end of their discussion before he seated himself in front of the dojo's tree and closed his eyes to initiate his daily meditation. Not wanting to disturb him, Noelle quietly left the room and grabbed her duffel bag that she'd set on one of the bean bag chairs. Usually she'd shower before heading home, but she decided to just do so at her dad's place.
Felix had left for Texas earlier that day. Just like before, he didn't wake her up, nor did he give her a hug to say goodbye the evening before. By that point, Noelle had stopped getting her hopes up about him showing some sort of affection towards her. She just numbly accepted that his job was really important to him, and that she should be grateful that he even let her stay at his house at all. She knew he wouldn't call her to say he missed her or even check up on her mother being found. He was gone, and she was alone once again.
She slipped on her coat and bid goodbye to everybody with her bag slung over her shoulder. Noelle wasn't in the mood to stick around and talk to her friends, which made her feel really guilty, but the only way she knew how to deal with being sad was to just hole herself up in her after being friends with the turtles and April for a couple months, she still refused to cry around them, no matter how much Splinter had encouraged her to. Her melancholy attitude must have shown in her eyes because Mikey was suddenly in front of her with a concerned expression.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"No, I'm not," she wanted to say, but instead she forced a smile and nodded to reassure him. "Yeah, thank you. Today was just a little exhausting so I'm going to head home and get some sleep. Good night." Noelle promptly turned and ambled away before he could even offer to escort her home. Mikey's eyes followed her slouched over figure with confused apprehension. Something heavy was weighing on her mind, and for some reason she wasn't willing to share it with anybody, even him.
April bit her lower lip as she watched the scene play out, her arms folded across her chest as she traipsed over to the freckled turtle's side. "She's been like this all day. I think her dad left this morning and didn't say goodbye again."
Mikey glanced at the redhead with widened eyes. "Again?! He's done this before?"
"Yeah. It isn't really my business to tell, but maybe you should check on her? Just... give her some time to herself first, okay? She's probably used to just dealing with things by herself."
His heart felt a little sad as he pictured her crying softly to herself without having anybody to talk to, and in a way it made him feel a little angry as well. "She shouldn't have to be so alone. don't get that dude. Does he just not care if she's sad?"
April shrugged sadly as they both stared at the empty tunnels in front of them. "I don't know Mikey, I really don't."
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The hot water washed away all her sweat as Noelle stood in the shower with her fists pressed against the wall and tears streaming down her cheeks. The hurt hadn't hit her until she'd arrived back to the empty house and saw that he hadn't left her any text messages or voice mail to inform her that he'd arrived safely or was sorry for not saying goodbye again. It had been a while since she'd cried so hard, so in a way she felt better after sobbing her brains out. She had a little pity party as she shampooed her hair and scrubbed her body, telling herself repeatedly that she couldn't understand why her dad seemed to not care about her. She just didn't understand why he couldn't give her a hug goodbye like other dads did to their children, or why he didn't even bother to ask how she was holding up with her mom missing for so long. He didn't question her when she returned late, or ask how her day at school been. It just really hurt to be so ignored.
She felt more relaxed after stepping out of the shower and putting her comfy pajamas on. She blow-dried her hair, wrapped a robe around her, and then headed downstairs to prepare some hot chocolate. Tomorrow was Saturday, so Noelle was planning to stay up later and work on a new sketch she'd had stuck in her mind for a while now.
"Yo, Noelle! You around here?"
The blonde froze in surprise as Mikey's voice called down the stairs to her. She'd just checked her phone and there weren't any messages from him indicating that he was coming over, but she couldn't say she was upset about him suddenly showing up. He'd done so before, and honestly, the idea of being alone at the moment wasn't a really appealing thought.
"I'm down here!" Noelle responded as she reached into the cupboards for another mug and packet of cocoa. As she turned to the fridge to grab more milk Mikey popped out from around the corner, his eyes instantly lighting up with delight when he noticed what she was doing.
"Ooh, hot chocolate?"
"Of course." She smiled and set both mugs into the microwave for one minute and thirty seconds before she leaned back against the counter, unsure of what to really say. She just had a lot on her mind, and she felt guilty that Mikey had come over when she was clearly not in her happiest mindset.
Mikey frowned when he noticed her just somberly staring at the floor. He really disliked it when she was sad, and what was worse was that she probably wouldn't really talk to him about it because she didn't know how. For some reason, she had apparently convinced herself that nobody wanted to listen to her
Noelle took a deep breath before she raised her eyes to meet his. "Hey, would you like to sit on the roof with me? I used to do it when I was younger and it always made me feel really relaxed."
The freckled teen didn't even think about her request. "Well yeah! Girl, you know I'll chill with you anywhere!"
She giggled as the microwave beeped and she turned to take the steaming cups out. "Thank you Mikey. I'll get you a blanket, okay?"
"For what?"
"It's pretty cold out. Doesn't that really affect turtles?"
"Oh, uh, I guess so. It does feel a little frosty out tonight." Mikey took the mug carefully from Noelle's hand, trying not to twitch as the heat blissfully warmed his cold hands up. He hadn't even really realized how freezing he was until Noelle mentioned something to him. "You're not even a turtle and you knew that? Totally super smart!"
She chuckled once again as she went into the living room and grabbed a thick blanket for him. She draped it over her right shoulder and began her mini escalation of the stairs, gesturing with a brief nod of her head for him to follow. Mikey stepped up after her while he made sure a single drop didn't spill from his drink. The hallway floor creaked as they strolled across it towards the window adjacent to the bathroom.
Noelle slid the window frame up and climbed out of it, painstakingly lifting and lowering her legs to make sure she didn't burn herself with the hot chocolate or stain her dad's blanket. "For some reason there was already a balcony here," she explained, standing off to the side so Mikey could get on the platform with her. A small set of stairs led up to the rooftop. "I'm pretty happy they're here though. I always liked to come up here and watch the stars and city lights."
"I can't believe I just now noticed these! This is sweet!" The energetic turtle bounded up the steps after her with a grin on his face. "I'm kinda jelly now."
"Kind of jelly?" The blonde laughed and sat down so that her legs dangled over the edge. "That's a strange one."
Mikey plopped down beside her. "Well, the Internet is a pretty weird place, ya know?"
"That sounds like a true statement," Noelle agreed before she pulled the blanket off her shoulder and handed it to Mikey. He cheerfully wrapped the material around himself and breathed a sigh of relief as warmth permeated into his lime-green reptilian skin. When he noticed Noelle in just her robe, he scooted closer to her and draped the cloth around her as well. She didn't reject the offer, but she bashfully looked away as her face grew warm.
"It's warmer this way, right?" the teenage terrapin contently stated before he glanced up at the sky and focused on the stars. "Man, these are super pretty."
Pushing her self-conscious thoughts aside, Noelle peered up at the celestial sphere with him and felt herself smile. "Yeah, they are. I love the night sky. The universe must be a beautiful place." She shivered as a gentle breeze caressed her ivory face, and Mikey slid closer so that their legs were pressed together, causing her to close her eyes and embrace the heat his body emitted. The mutant lowered his eyes away from the night sky and eyed his best friend as she focused on the city below, her lips pressed firmly together like she had something to say.
"You know," Mikey began, "Master Splinter always said that talking about how you feel helps bring peace to your mind." Noelle silently stared at the drink in her lap. "I don't like it when you look so sad, so if you can, please talk to me?" His voice and eyes were pleading with her, and she found she couldn't say no to him. Besides, Mikey was somebody she could always count on. He had never let her down before, and after going through so much effort to make her day brighter by flying them to the Statue of Liberty, the least she could do was be honest with him about her feelings.
[The Amazing Spiderman- Rooftop Kiss]
She took a deep breath before she began to speak."I've always been seen as weird by people in school because of how quiet and shy I am." Noelle's eyes fixedly watched the steam swirling off her hot chocolate as an attempt to distract her from the nerves spinning in her stomach. "Even now, I have a hard time communicating with people, but I guess that's kind of my fault. My parents were more interested in their work than me, so I ended up turning to art as an escape from life." She smiled fondly as she recalled the first painting she'd ever done, and just how proud her grandmother had been. "My grandma is a very talented artist. I used to watch her paint all the time, and eventually I just became so fascinated by the beautiful things she brought to life on canvas that I ended up doing the same thing. I was unhappy with being ignored all the time, and when my parents ended up getting a divorce I was devastated." The corners of her lips turned down as she timidly glanced over at Mikey, who had been listening to every word intently. "Art brought me happiness, but it also caused me to withdraw myself away from everybody. My dad still doesn't talk to me; he even left for his trip without saying goodbye. I can't remember the last time my parents hugged me or even told me they loved me. That's why I'm so shy. I don't know how to communicate anymore, and it makes me feel lonely and helpless."
Mikey remained morosely silent as Noelle gradually sipped from her cup, her fingers trembling at having gathered enough courage to tell somebody the thoughts she'd always kept to herself. For years he had always been jealous of the world above the sewers, assuming that the people who were able to walk through the streets among each other were safe from harsh judgement and possessed freedom. Besides the small packs of thugs and occasional homeless person, the world had to be a happy place, at least better than being cooped up in the lair every day. He realized that his assumptions were incorrect, and that even somebody who had a "normal" life could be just as isolated from society as somebody who lived underground.
"You wanna know something? My bros are really great guys, but they sometimes make me feel like I'm a joke." Noelle sympathetically gazed at Mikey, and he just wistfully simpered at her. "I make a lot of mistakes, but I don't mean to. I've been stuck in the sewers for so long that I just get really curious, so whenever I see a button I want to push it, which usually sets off an alarm or sends something bad after us." He chortled over the bad luck he and his brothers usually had, most of which was his fault.. "I like to make my brothers laugh with pranks and stuff, but most of the time they just get mad and call me an idiot, so I guess I kinda accepted that." His blue eyes twinkled as he remembered the time he'd spent helping Noelle pack, and how she'd said the one thing he hadn't been told by anybody else before. Every time her words rang in his mind he always felt better because he knew she'd been completely sincere. "At least, until you told me that I wasn't one."
"I m-meant it, you know." Her cheeks turned pink at the smile he displayed for her. "You're my best friend."
Mikey grinned and playfully nudged her slender arm with his shoulder. "You're my best friend too."
A flash of light across the sky caught their attention. Noelle's eyes lit up in excitement and she clapped her hands together in a moment of childish delight. "A shooting star! Mikey, you have to make a wish!" She instantly squeezed her eyes shut as she thought what she desired for most.
The terrapin jovially did as she said. He'd heard about shooting stars before but had never actually seen one. He closed his eyes like her, but he already knew what he wanted. He'd actually known it for quite a while.
"I wish Noelle would never change."
The blonde's lids flew up as she gaped at him, touched that he didn't think she was some freak. For the longest time she thought that maybe her parents didn't talk to her because they couldn't stand her, that maybe she was part of the reason their marriage crumbled to nothing. Now she realized that she'd had no control over the situation, and for the first time ever, she really was content with being herself. "You're supposed to think of it and not tell anybody, but that's okay." Noelle reached over and squeezed his hand without thinking to show how grateful she was. "My wish is that you would never change too."
Mikey grinned and closed his own hand over her thin fingers. "Well don't worry, because the Mikeynator is here to stay!" he declared so proudly that she burst into laughter. There was a moment when their eyes met, and suddenly the laughter dissipated. They stared at each other as a strange feeling took hold of their bodies, one that was nauseating and yet wonderful at the time. When Noelle noticed that they were holding hands, she blushed and instinctively looked away. Mikey realized that he must be sick due to the warmth in his face, so he promised himself to go see Donnie as soon as he went home so he could get some medicine.
Unable to deal with the unfamiliar atmosphere, Noelle stood up and grabbed her cup. "I, uh, think I might go to sleep now, if you don't mind."
Mikey rose onto his feet as well, confused as to why things had just felt so pleasantly awkward. "Oh, hey, no problemo. I'll see ya tomorrow for training?"
"Yeah. Yes. I mean, I will see you training tomorrow, I mean for training tomorrow." She wanted to smack herself for stuttering so much and messing up a single sentence that should've been so simple to say.
Mikey shuffled his feet and played around with his fingers"Alright. Well, thanks for the awesome drink and blanket! See ya later!" The turtle handed the cup and blanket to her before he waved and prepared to drop to the street below. With a second thought, he hurried back over to Noelle and pulled her in for a quick hug before he finally jumped down to the alley. Noelle watched him go around the building and wave once more before he lifted the manhole covered and entered into the sewers, leaving her shaking with ecstatic nerves.
She took a deep breath and gazed up at the stars, breathing in the evening breeze to clear her thoughts and calm her heart down. She had no idea what was going on with her, but one thing was abundantly clear: she needed to talk to April and figure out what was going on. If anybody could help her, it was the redhead. If not, then she'd turn to Donatello, though the idea of going to him for advice on feeling strange around his baby brother did sound a little nerve wrecking. Still, she couldn't hep the smile that spread across her lips as she thought about their moment with the shooting star, and how they'd managed to somehow make the same wish. Noelle had never seen one before, and she was glad that her first time viewing it had been with Mikey.
[+]
She wrapped the blanket tightly around her and carefully stepped down the roof stairs with both cups in one grip. Once she was through the window she dropped the blanket into a temporary spot on the hallway floor and went into the kitchen to wash the mugs out. Content with how things were going wonderfully in her life, she hummed a melody from a beautiful instrumental piece she'd listened to earlier on her way to class. That was really the only good thing about taking the subway; it gave her time to be lost in her thoughts while music played.
When the cups had been dried and put away, Noelle climbed back up the steps towards her room as she thought about what to draw before bed. Remembering the blanket she'd discarded on the floor, she picked it up and wrapped it around her shoulders. It faintly smelt like the sewers, which oddly enough didn't disgust her anymore. Of course, if somebody else had taken a whiff of the material they probably would've been appalled, but she'd rather grown used to it. The smell actually made her happy because it reminded her of her new family, and the fact that the scent had come from Mikey made her even more cheerful before she shuddered and realized that she sounded rather strange and creepy. To avoid questions from her father, she dropped the blanket down the laundry chute outside of the bathroom and headed back into her room.
Her cheerful attitude metamorphosed into fear when Noelle reached her doorway, immediately stiffening up at the uninvited person sitting contently on her bed.
"Welcome back. Did you and your boyfriend have a good time?" Karai's scarlet lips widened into a teasing smile as she raised one leg over the other and folded her arms over her metal-plated chest. She seemed to be enjoying the panic that escalated across the blonde's face. "What, you weren't expecting me?"
Noelle swallowed nervously and hesitantly entered her room, unsure of what Shredder's adopted daughter wanted with her. She ignored the boyfriend remark and focused on the situation instead, her eyes scanning around for a weapon in case she needed to defend herself.
Karai laughed and stood up when she noticed the blonde's eyes warily shifting around. "Chill out. I'm not here to fight you. I actually need you to give Leo a message for me."
"A message?" The shy teen owlishly blinked at the request. "About what?"
"I need him to meet me somewhere. Text or call him on your little weird phone and tell him to meet me at the fair grounds outside the Fun House. I need to talk to him about something important, but my father's annoying henchmen keep following me around." Karai huffed out in irritation while Noelle's eyes widened in fear.
"Did they follow you here?"
The female ninja shrugged. "I don't know. It's possible. I wouldn't worry too much about it though. They don't even know who you are. Anyways, can you give that message to Leo for me?"
Noelle took a deep breath and wordlessly nodded.
"Thanks. I'm sure we'll meet again." Karai slipped her metal mask over her mouth and impressively flipped backwards through the window, leaving behind a slightly worried girl with a pounding heart. She peeked out her window to look for any signs of somebody watching her before she lowered the window pane and locked it. Not wanting to take a chance, Noelle closed the blinds and wasted no time in grabbing her phone to get a hold of the oldest terrapin.
If anything would calm her down, then it would be knowing her friends had her back.
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Donnie stuck his tongue out in concentration as he carefully used a pipet to squeeze a drop of green ooze into a beaker containing red liquid. He closely observed the container for any sort of reaction, but couldn't seem to make out anything significant occurring. He didn't take his eyes off the substance as he proceeded to gently squeeze out another drop. When nothing happened again, he took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair.
He was getting closer and closer to finding a cure for April's dad. Even though she had forgiven him and his brothers for accidentally dropping ooze containers onto the streets of New York, one of which mutated Mr. O'Neil, Donnie was still overcome with guilt. Because of him she had lost her father once more, and that was something that shouldn't have happened. He spent countless nights in his lab, working tirelessly to discover some sort of treatment that would bring Kirby back to his human senses and be reunited with his daughter. All the hours of sleep Donnie lost would be worth it in the end if he could make April happy. She deserved to be after everything she'd been through.
He hunched over his desk again and eagerly went to squeeze the pipet's dropper, hoping that maybe this time there would be a change. "Come on," he whispered encouragingly to the little drop that was beginning to inch out of the tube's opening. "You can do it."
"Donnie! I think something's wrong with me!"
Mikey's screeching voice caught Donnie off guard, prompting him to lose hold of the pipet and drop it into the beaker. The container exploded as smoke erupted from the failed mixture, earning a horrified yell from the scientist. The door to his lab slammed open as Mikey frantically bolted right through with his hands clutching the sides of his head.
"D! I need your help man! I'm feeling-uh, bro?" The young turtle watched his older brother with cautious eyes as Donnie lividly glared at him.
"Do you have any idea WHAT YOU JUST DID?!" the scientist bellowed out with flames fanning out of his form. Blue eyes traveled around the room as Mikey tried to think of what he could have possibly done this time. When he saw the broken beaker, his eyes warily met Donnie's as he shuffled his feet.
"Well, it looks like you just broke something. Did I stop you from cleaning the mess up or something? My bad."
Donnie turned around and began counting to ten underneath his breath. He loved Mikey, he really did, but this was one of those moments where he seriously wanted to scream at his little brother until he was turquoise in the face. He knew that he himself was mostly to blame for being so easily freaked out by the loud noise and not holding onto the dropper a little tighter. Besides, Mikey genuinely seemed worried, and there was still more ooze around to experiment with. He could spare a few moments for his younger brother.
With a calmer face he rotated his form around, only to be genuinely surprised when he saw Mikey already sitting on the medical chair with his feet kicking and eyes glued to the floor. Donnie felt mildly concerned over the freckled reptile's quiet behavior. "What's the problem?" he inquired as he grabbed his stethoscope and sauntered over to the chair in front of Mikey. He took a seat and waited patiently for an answer.
"Ever since the Halloween dance, I've felt like I had a fever," the orange-banded turtle began to explain in an unnerved voice. "And it's not just that either! My stomach feels all gross and my heart goes super fast and I just feel weird."
"And you say this has been happening since Halloween?" Donnie asked as he placed the stethoscope's ear buds over his ear canals and moved the silver circle over his brother's plastron.
"Dude, it's really weird! I was fine until I started dancing with Noelle, and then we went outside and chilled for a little but I ended up kinda feeling worse."
The lanky brother noticed that Mikey's heart rate had suddenly increased. He raised his brow ridges. "Worse how?"
"Oh, uh, my face felt super hot, and..." His eyes widened in horror as his voice trailed off. "Donnie! Bro! You gotta check my stomach! I think there might be Squirrelnoids in there!" His voice was high-pitched in terror at the thought that those freaky creatures were running around in his stomach.
Donnie's mouth widened as he took in all of his brother's symptoms. He had an idea of what was going on, but needed to double-check, so he moved the chest piece around until it was directly over the heart muscle. "Hey Mikey, how are you and Noelle doing? Do you enjoy you time with her?"
At the mention of the blonde's name, Mikey's face lit up with a wide grin. "Well yeah! She's my best friend. Dude, you should've totally seen her face when we went to Lady Liberty. The view was awesome, and she was so happy that she actually gave me a hug! It was the cutest thing ever! Oh, and tonight we drank hot cocoa on her dad's roof and saw a shooting star together." His cerulean eyes seemed to glow. "She's amazing. I'm so glad I met her."
Donnie nonchalantly pulled the stethoscope away and stared at his little brother in complete awe. Just talking about Noelle had caused Mikey's heart to pound at an above normal pace, and there was red evident on his face that darkened through his green skin. Donnie understood what Mikey was feeling all-too well because it was something he still went through whenever April was around.
"My stomach is feeling weird again, D!" Mikey dramatically cried out. "What's going on with me?"
The gangling terrapin awkwardly cleared his throat as he considered how to phrase his answer. He almost wanted to laugh at how oblivious Mikey was being, but he also knew that now was the time for him to be a supportive older brother and try to help the normally silly turtle out. Emotions could be a complicated thing to explain, especially in terms where he couldn't use large words without confusing anybody. He decided that Mikey needed to discover it on his own.
"It's just puberty. You'll be fine. It's part of growing up."
Mikey groaned. "Seriously? Growing up stinks. I don't want to get old."
Donnie laughed as he went to put his supplies away. "Yeah, it can, but it'll all be worth it in the end."
"I doubt it," the freckled terrapin huffed. "Do you think it's happening to Noelle too?"
The lanky reptile turned around so Mikey wouldn't see his eyes twinkle. "Oh, I'm sure she is. In fact, I'm going through it as well, and so is Leo." He blushed as he thought of April, and wondered if maybe she was experiencing the same thing as he was. It was just hard to tell with her sometimes.
"Oh man, what a relief! I was worried I was turning into a mutant or something. Phew!"
Donnie gaped, amazed at how his little brother continued to amaze him with his simple mind. "You're already a mutant."
Mikey shrieked and rubbed his face. "It's too late! What'll Noelle think of me now?! Oh man, this stinks so bad!" Just as he slumped on the ground and whined, the lab door burst open to reveal a frustrated Leo. He was followed closely behind by Raph and Casey, who had joined him on the late-night patrol.
"Noelle just called me," the leader explained with a serious gaze. Mikey stopped the act and stood straight, his eyes searching Leo's for any sort of clue as to what was going on. "Karai was just at her place."
"She's okay, right?" the freckled terrapin worriedly inquired. A comforting hand was placed on his shoulder by Donnie. "Please tell me she is!"
"She said no harm was done," Leo reassured. "Apparently Karai just wanted Noelle to pass a message on to me. I'm supposed to meet her at the fair near the docks to talk about something, which I'm assuming has to do with the Kraang."
"Of course you're going to go meet that psycho," Raph scoffed. "You can never just stay away, can you?"
"I'm willing to do whatever it takes to save Earth, even if it means meeting her in some abandoned place," Leo calmly defended. "Besides, I won't be alone. Casey, I want you to wait nearby in case it's a trap. I don't think it will be, but we can't be too sure."
Mikey felt extremely anxious as he thought about his best friend being home alone. He wanted to make sure she was okay, and not just through a text message or phone call. "I'm going to go make sure Noelle's doing alright."
The leader opened his mouth in protest before he closed it and saw how worried his little brother was. Mikey and Noelle were really close, and he knew that if something had happened to Karai he'd be worried as well, even though their friendship was of a different sort. It was more out of respect for skill than the desire to enjoy each other's presence, but he really did care about her.
He remembered how their new friend's voice had wavered even though she tried so hard to sound strong. He needed to be honest with his brothers and come up with a plan on making sure she remained safe. "Donnie, Noelle was worried about Shredder's henchmen or the Kraang finding out where she lived. I know this sounds like a breach of privacy, but can you work on at least a couple cameras to make sure we can keep an eye on her? Some sort of alarm would be helpful too, and we'll tell her about them so she won't have to worry about us invading her personal space."
"Got it. I should be finished by tomorrow," Donnie confirmed with a head nod before he briskly moved to his work desk and began pulling out supplies.
"Good. Raph and Mikey, go over to Noelle's and make sure she is okay. It might be reassuring for all of us if you two see for yourselves how she really is."
"Thanks bro," Mikey gratuitously thanked. Raph gave him a friendly punch in the arm.
"Alright, let's go Mikey," the red-masked reptile encouraged. He exchanged a look with Leo, one that promised he'd make sure both their little brother and Noelle remained safe, and Leo nodded. He watched his brothers determinedly run off before he tilted his head in the same direction. "Ready to go, Case?"
Casey lowered his hockey mask and tapped the hockey stick against his gloved hand, a toothless smirk stretched on his hidden face. "I'm right behind you dude."
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Mikey cajoled from one building rooftop to the next without a moment of hesitation. Noelle's place wasn't far from the lair, but he didn't want to leave her alone for too long. Awful scenarios crossed his mind continuously, each one far worse than the last. He couldn't imagine how he'd feel if Shredder or one of his goonies reached her before he did, so he briskly vaulted over alley gaps and kept his eyes alert and ahead in case he spotted Splinter's enemy.
Raph was amazed at how hasty his little brother was moving. He was just as worried about Noelle, but he was pretty sure she was perfectly safe and unharmed. After all, she'd called Leo and assured that nothing had happened to her, but for some reason Mikey was acting extremely panicked. Noelle wasn't the most skilled fighter, but he felt confident enough that she'd at least gained enough confidence in combat that she could use anything as a weapon and defend herself long enough for the brothers to arrive. Then again, if she had been fighting, then there was a good chance she'd actually been hurt.
Suddenly, Raph was just as worried.
The two reached her home in record time. Mikey dropped down to Noelle's bedroom window and peered in, relief filling his chest when he saw her sitting in bed and drawing in her sketchpad. She had her earphones in and was completely oblivious to the terrapins lurking outside her window.
"See, she looks fine," Raph declared, secretly grateful that the blonde hadn't been harmed. "Come on, let's get back to the lair."
Mikey didn't move an inch. "She isn't okay. She's just drawing like a robot. Usually there is this happy look on her face, but she's barely even looking at the paper. I bet she's still a little freaked out." Before Raph could even get a word in, his brother rapped against the glass until Noelle glanced up from her drawing, her eyes softening in alleviation at her friends' arrival. She set her book and pencil off to the side as she crawled over the mattress and lifted the window pane up. She opened her mouth to speak, but was silenced when Mikey encircled his arms around her protectively. The blonde laid her head on his shoulder as she welcomed the hug and basked in the feeling of safety.
"Yo, you okay?" Raph asked as the two pulled apart. He felt like he was around April and Donnie with the hugging and private moments that made things suddenly really awkward for him. Sometimes it was enough just to make him want to gag.
Noelle flushed at how uncomfortable the red-banded hothead appeared and gradually pulled away from her best friend to avoid seeming rude. She smiled at him to show she was happy to see him as well. "I'm fine, thank you. I didn't mean to create a panic or anything."
"Karai didn't hurt you, right?" Mikey asked in a concerned tone. He searched her face and arms for any evidence of bruising or scratches.
She hastily shook her head and rested her hands on her lap. "I promise she didn't. She just wanted me to pass a message on to Leo, so I did. I was only worried that she found out where I lived. I know this isn't fair to her, but I can't help worrying that maybe she was followed or seen by somebody, and the thought that I'm at my dad's house scares me into thinking that he might somehow be hurt. I'm being silly."
"Aw dude, no you're not," Mikey assured her with a pat on the head. "The Shredder is a scary guy, and it's pretty sweet that you're thinking about your dad like that."
"Plus, Donnie is working on hooking up some cameras and a security system in your home so we can rush over as soon as something happens. You can probably even choose where the cameras go so it's as creepy," Raph chimed in. When Noelle and Mikey laughed, he couldn't prevent the smirk from spreading on his face. He felt pretty pleased with himself that he'd made them both relax and stop worrying.
"Thank you, but I promise I'll be fine."
"You sure? I'll stay longer if you want," Mikey suggested. "It's no problem, for real."
The blonde felt her heart race at the thought, and even considered his offer for a moment before she dismissed the idea from her mind. She really liked being around him, but he shouldn't have to stay by her side because she was a little anxious. Besides, she now felt more at ease and was certain she could finally fall asleep. "I'll be okay. Thank you for offering though."
Mikey nodded and gave her one last hug before he slid the rest of his body outside the window to join Raph. "Okay. Nighty night then!" He waved and ascended up the wall, choosing to return home by rooftop instead of dropping down into the nearby sewer. The other terrapin gave her a thumbs-up before he also scaled to the top, leaving Noelle alone with her thoughts. She closed her eyes and breathed in the night air, feeling the nervous tension leave right away. She was grateful to have the brothers looking out after her, and only hoped that the meeting between Leo and Karai went over smoothly.
"Good night," she whispered before she closed her window pane and went to turn out the light. As Noelle snuggled beneath the sheets in her darkened room, content and cozy, she was completely unaware of the two pairs of eyes watching her every move from the shadows.
