Mikey couldn't stop grinning if he was paid to. Tonight marked the first family movie night since the Foot's attack, with all of them together. Leo had finally been okayed to be out of bed after nearly four weeks; the decision was left to both Casey and Donnie, since Leo had an unfortunate tendency to push himself before he was fit. Both had still been rather reluctant, but gave in. Leo could be very persuasive… especially since when sweet talking didn't work, he resorted to loud complaining.

But the youngest turtle didn't mind at all and had immediately claimed a spot right next to his blue banded brother, who had grinned and wrapped an arm around him. Raph immediately settled behind them, the others joining in. The result was a cuddle pile that made Mikey feel almost like things were normal again, though he just had to look at Leo to get a sobering reminder that they weren't. Not many of his bandages had been removed yet, and a cast covered his broken leg from the ankle to just above the knee.

Of course, it wasn't plain white… Mikey wasn't having any of that. In addition to his name and those of his siblings, it was festooned with colorful art and stickers. But even if it was nicer to look at, nobody could help wishing it wasn't there at all. Leo was facing everything with his usual humor and positivity but was still noticeably uneasy about his leg.

What made it even more uncomfortable was that no one was sure how to handle it. The first idea was to avoid mentioning it, but Raph and Donnie had noticed that seemed to make Leo nervous. Finally, they settled on just talking about it like any other injury, and that seemed to be what worked best.

Mikey was pulled out of his thoughts by a finger tapping his head. He could tell it was Leo and looked to see the slider looking back at him. He didn't say anything, but Mikey could see the concern in his eyes. Not wanting to cause a fuss, the youngest turtle just gave him a bright smile. Apparently, that was enough to reassure Leo, and he grinned before rubbing Mikey's head. The box turtle felt the wide plastron behind him vibrate as a low, rumbling churr came from his oldest brother.

Mikey couldn't help but smile. Of course he knew… Raph always knew. He was making noticeable effort not to, as they say, baby the youngest as much, but Mikey knew he could never actually stop. And though he preferred not to admit it, the orange turtle found it strangely comforting.

"Okay, Case-man!"

Mikey turned his head to see April striding in, a wide smile on her face.

"I think I got just the drink for ya to try," she said. Casey looked at her, a slightly uneasy expression on his face. April chuckled as she handed him a small can.

"Relax, it's not soda."

Casey examined the can, squinting a little.

"V-8 Energy?"

"It's a bit like soda, but it's actually a mix of fruit and veggie juice," April explained. "Sweet but no fizz. It's good, trust me."

"She's right," Mikey chimed in. "We all drink it. Just shake it a couple times first!"

That seemed to confuse the teen, but he did so without question. He was somewhat hesitant as he opened the can… Mikey assumed it was a result of his rather unfortunate first experience with soda. Whatever time you were in, nobody liked learning the hard way why you shouldn't shake soda cans. Casey quickly held the can away from himself at the hissing pop of the tab, and Mikey heard Leo let out a quiet snicker.

"Relax, Case," he said, his tone somewhat teasing. "Energy drinks don't bite here."

That got a sheepish grin out of Casey, and Mikey both heard and felt Raph's amused chuckle.

"Okay," Casey said. "Here we go."

He took a small, cautious sip, and Mikey's grin grew wider as he blinked.

Three, two, one…

A look of pleased surprise came to Casey's face, and he looked at April.

"You're right," he said. "It is good!"

April grinned and held out a fist toward Donnie, who bumped his own against it without looking. Mikey joined in the laughter, feeling lighter than he had in days. He almost felt as if things were normal again.

If only they could be. As cheerful as the atmosphere was, Mikey knew that everyone had the same dark cloud hovering in the back of their minds. No one had left the lair yet, but April, along with Donnie's uncanny ability to hack pretty much anything kept them well informed on what was happening in the city.

Yesterday he'd said that even though he hadn't seen any significant activity from the Foot, there seemed to be a troubling change to the Krang-infected. Before, attacks from them had been scattered and random, but they seemed to be growing more focused, as if there was something directing them. Mikey had little doubt as to what that something was, and he knew the others did too. Leo's reaction, though, had been even more troubling.

The unease in the room was palpable as everyone watched Leo process the information. Then he frowned, determination replacing anxiety as he sat up and pushed back the covers.

"We can't keep waiting here. We gotta get back out there."

Raph immediately moved to push him back down, a frown on his own face.

"Hang on there, little brother. You're not in any shape for that yet and ya know it."

Leo's jaw tightened, a stubborn look coming to his face.

"Well, we're not exactly in th' best position to sit and wait, are we? I'm supposed to be the one who steps up and helps fix it, and I'm not scared…"

A loud metallic whack made everyone jump and look to see Donnie facing the wall. The fist he'd hit the wall with was still where it landed, and he directed a chilling glare at his twin.

"Then you're just stupid," he said, his voice low but cold. "Either because you don't have the sense to be scared, or you're too bull-headed to admit it. And that's all very familiar, isn't it?"

Mikey stared with wide eyes, knowing the others likely had similar expressions. He heard Leo speak, his voice quiet and full of concern.

"Donnie…"

The genius let out an angry hiss, cutting him off, and stormed out without another word. A faint groan made Mikey turn to see Leo moving to get up, clearly intending to hurry after his twin. But Raph placed a large hand on his shoulder, gently but firmly pushing him back down.

"Take it easy, skipper. Raph's got this."

As their eldest brother headed out after Donnie, Mikey looked at Leo. The slider's eyes were on the door, a familiar look of exasperation and frustration on his face. Mikey knew right away that it wasn't directed at Donnie or Raph, it was at the situation… and himself. The box turtle moved to place a hand on his older brother's arm.

"Leo, it's okay," he said. Leo looked at him, then let out a sigh as his mouth twitched up in a half-hearted grin.

"Thanks, little brother. But it'd be better if I could at least do something other than lay around."

Splinter, who was seated beside Leo, gently patted the slider's hand.

"You will, Blue," he reassured. "You just need some time to get strong enough, then we all will figure this out."

Leo looked between him and Mikey, then his smile grew a little. But it still didn't seem to completely reach his eyes.

"Yeah… yeah, I know."

As the memory replayed in his mind, Mikey realized that he was starting to frown. He quickly smoothed his features and focused on the screen, just in time to join in the others' laughter at one of those corny yet somehow still hilarious jokes.

Just like Leo's.

Mikey snuggled closer to his blue banded brother, his smile widening at Leo's soft, contented chirp. Their troubling situation, however much it might be weighing on Leo, at least wasn't troubling him now… or pushing him to charge off to do something drastic and heroic. Still, the youngest turtle made it a personal task to watch him like a hawk. If their fearless leader was thinking of going solo again, Mikey was going to be ready for it… and his dear brother was going to get a less than friendly session with good old Doctor Delicate Touch.