A/N: Hey guys! WOW, what an awesome episode THAT was, am I right? I was SO relived that it wasn't actually Shredder that got mutated, but those weird crab, shrimp, lobster thingies instead! And plus OH MY GOSH MIKEY AND LEO FEELS! SO MUCH FEELS!

So here's a little drabble for that episode! Also, Turtle Lover101

I haven't forgotten that request! I'm gonna be on it asap!

I OWN NOTHING!

Thanks again for the support, you guys are awesome!

Enjoy!

Monsters

Now, it was a very well-known fact within their little family that Michelangelo was the comic book fan. He was the otaku of the four brothers, the one who stayed up all night reading or watching horror stories and only slightly regretting it in the morning, and the one who'd single-handedly saved his brothers countless times due to that extensive knowledge of horror and chaos.

Of course, aside from those two instances – well, to be honest, he still wasn't all that sure if that whole 'Pizza Face' thing had actually happened or not – Mikey knew that things such as giant monsters rampaging through cities, smashing buildings to smithereens and gobbling people whole would and could never truly happen in real life…

Well, that's what he'd thought, anyways.

Usually, after watching a particularly scary movie or flipping through one of his mint condition horror comics, Mikey would remain awake for the remainder of the night huddled within his blankets, his wide eyes scanning his darkened room warily in search for any brain suckers lurking in the shadows. But despite that, he knew that in the back of his mind, such things didn't exist. And even if they did, there was no way they would ever get past his brothers or his Sensei before they could possibly get to his brain.

However, this time was different. This time, Mikey was in a cold sweat, desperately clutching his bedsheets with an iron grip as he trembled violently beneath them, his baby blue eyes wide and alit with terror as he lay there.

He could still see it. Everything, from the moment that creature had grabbed him, trapping him within his clutches, was playing over and over again, right before his eyes. And no matter what he did, be it closing his eyes or playing games on his T-Phone, he couldn't stop the vicious cycle from staring anew. He just couldn't banish it from the darkest depths of his memory.

Mikey tried to convince himself that it wasn't really all that bad. After all, he'd seen and been eaten by scarier things before, right?

But…he'd come so close to dying today.

Of course, he'd come close to death lots of times, just like his older brothers. But this was just too close. He'd been in the literal belly of the beast this time. He'd come so close to being digested, melted, never seeing his family again…

And Leo's face…oh god, when he'd seen Leo's face seconds before he'd been thrown into the monster's mouth, swallowed whole and then plunged down the monstrosity's throat…there was pure fear in his eyes, anger…and guilt in knowing that he hadn't made it in time…

That was the scariest thing about the entire ordeal, scarier than anything he'd ever read or watched in his books or the movies he'd watched. He would have died knowing that Leo would blame himself for his death for the rest of his life, when in truth, it was Mikey that had asked to tag along in the first place. It was Mikey that had been acting too reckless and got himself caught, not Leo…

Tears stung Mikey's eyes, and he burrowed his face into his pillow to stifle the worst of them as he hugged it to his chest. He should've just listened to Leo…he should've never followed him in the first place…then he wouldn't have to relive those horrible moments. He wouldn't have to see Leo's distraught, broken face. He wouldn't have to think about what would've happened had he not been able to escape in time…

Above the sound of his muffled sobs, Mikey heard his door slowly creak open before sliding closed again.

He froze in his bed, holding the pillow tighter as a horrible thought hit him.

What if part of the creature had survived the explosion? What if it followed them back to the lair and had already devoured the rest of his family? What if –?

A soft, three-fingered hand came to rest upon his shoulder. It wasn't clawed or crooked, but tender, yet rough. And as it gently stroked his shoulder, it was comforting, warm, familiar…

"It's okay, Mikey. It's okay," said a quiet, soothing voice as the owner of the hand sat down on the bed beside Mikey's curled up form. "It's all over now. I'm right here with you…"

Lifting his head from his tear-soaked pillow, Mikey smiled at the sight of his older brother smiling down at him, his ocean blue eyes filled with love and reassurance, just like when they were younger, when they all suffered from bad dreams and he could stay by their side through the night…

…but even in the obscurity of his room, Mikey could see the dampness on his blue mask that betrayed his calmness, his serenity and his reassurance.

Of course. He was just as frightened and upset about the ordeal as Mikey was. And undoubtedly, he was reliving the same things, too. Perhaps he still felt the guilt, the fear of watching his brother being devoured right before his very eyes, and being powerless to stop it…

However, despite knowing this, Mikey only smiled as he sat up in his bed, before wrapping his arms around his brother's shoulders in a tight, unbreakable embrace, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. It didn't take a genius like Donnie to know that even his older brother, his pillar of strength and hope, needed someone to comfort him as well. And Mikey was more than ready to be that someone.

"I'm still gonna be here for you, dude," he whispered. "Just like you're always here for me."

It was after a moment of hesitation that Leonardo's arms finally came around Mikey's shell, returning the embrace, with just as much strength and love. Mikey heard the faintest of sniffles, but he said nothing of it as the two of them sat there in the darkness together, neither of them even dreaming of letting go.

"Thanks, Mikey," Leo said, his cheek nuzzling against Mikey's as a smile grew across his face, despite the single stray tear that managed to slip down his face. "And don't worry…I won't let that Mega Shredder, or any other monsters get to you ever again. I promise."

Mikey smiled wider at that, knowing that his brothers' words were the undeniable truth. "Yeah, I know you won't, big brother. Besides, the only thing that scares me now is thinking about what Splinter's gonna make us do for the next three days of our groundedness."

"Ohoh yeah," Leo chuckled with a roll of his eyes as they finally drew away. "Can't forget about that now, can we?"

"Well, it's kinda your fault, y'know, since you went out by yourself and dissed Sensei's orders and stuff," Mikey snickered cheekily, bumping Leo's elbow with his own as he winked smugly.

A sly grin found its way across Leo's features as he stared down at his baby brother. "Oh? And you're not at fault at all for sneaking out as well?" he asked, prodding Mikey's sides and earning another giggle from his brother as he squirmed and shuffled away from the prodding.

"Alright, you got me there," Mikey harrumphed, but was still smiling even as he crossed his arms. "Still, it's good to know that I've got you around to make it less boring, and to keep the monsters off my shell, right bro?"

Smiling fondly, Leo reached out and laid a hand atop Mikey's head, rubbing it affectionately. "That's right, little brother," he whispered. And then a thought came to him as a wicked smile stretched across his lips. "But, there is one monster I don't think I can handle," he said.

Mikey's smile faltered at that as he stared at Leonardo, an uneasy feeling rising in the pit of his gut at the sight of his older brother's ominously evil grin. "H-Huh? W-What do you mean?" he stammered. "What monster can't you handle?"

Leo raised a single brow. "You know what monster I'm talking about…"

And it was then, as Leo raised his hands above his head, fingers bent into crooked claws, that Mikey finally understood with a terrified squeak. "Yeeee! No, not the Tickle Monster again!" he cried, shuffling futilely to the corner of his bed to avoid his impending doom by the hands of the monster he knew he couldn't defeat.

Alas, despite his attempts to escape his fate, Leo closed in and attacked his unfortunate victim, tickling him under his armpits and the sensitive spots of his neck as they laughed, not caring in the least if they were heard by Splinter or anyone else.

Even if he couldn't escape this particular monster, Mikey had no reason to doubt or be afraid anymore. He knew that no matter what, Leonardo, his brave, strong leader and big brother, would always be by his side to ward of whatever creatures lurked in the darkness.

And in turn, Mikey would always be there for him whenever he needed him the most.

In the morning, Splinter awoke early to check up on his sons before preparing them for training, and opened the door of his youngest son's bedroom to find more, much to his surprise, more than one turtle occupying the bed.

Beneath the blankets draped over their sleeping bodies, Leonardo held Michelangelo close to his chest in a warm, protective embrace, with the younger turtle cuddling close to him like a new-born kitten as they dozed peacefully.

Standing in the doorway, Splinter smiled fondly at the scene. A part of him, the fatherly part, wanted to leave them as they were, for they reminded him of they had been as mere toddlers, always huddling together in the night to protect one another from whatever monsters haunted their deepest nightmares…

However, the other part of him, the disciplinary Sensei part, remembered that they were still grounded for disobeying him yet again, almost getting themselves killed in the process, and that they had yet to be punished accordingly.

The old rat master smirked to himself. Well, there was no time like the present, was there?

A/N: THE TICKLE MONSTER RETURNED! XD I hope you guys liked that! More are on the way!