Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A young boy with wispy, light brown hair, clever, chocolate brown eyes, and square glasses, sat in the dim light of a dying flashlight. A book was lying open across his lap. The worn cover and fragile pages showed just how old the text was. The contents of the aging book was known only to the boy reading.

Outside the boy's window, the wind howled, flicking drops of rain into the previously clean glass. Every so often there would be the loud sound of a splat when the wind smacked wet leaves into the glass. A door opened somewhere in the house and the boy clicked off his light. The smallest stream of light illuminated his room, still far too dark to see clearly. There was the distant sound of staggering footsteps and the boy raced to his room door. With quiet carefulness, the seven-year-old turned the knob and pushed open the wooden door. He could now hear the heavy breaths and something dripping, probably water from the rain. Using preciseness not possessed by most children his age, the boy made his way down the stairs to the entrance of his house. Standing only a few steps from the door was-

"Dad!" The boy raced over, all caution lost. His father, a tall, limber man with wise brown eyes, similar to those the boy had, and graying hair, had a limp and a frightening amount of blood pouring from his side.

"Donatello," The man wheezed out. "Shut the door," Donnie glanced at the door but shook his head.

"You need hel-"

"The door, Donatello!" His father said in a tone that left no room for argument. The boy hesitated, but ultimately nodded and closed the door. Making sure it was locked, Donatello turned back to his father. The man was now sitting on the couch, hands applying pressure to the wound. Rushing past him, Donatello ran up the stairs to grab a first aid kit. Snatching the red and white box into his arms, Donnie made his way back to his father. The man was still on the couch, now fading in and out of consciousness. Being seven, Donnie wasn't at all knowledgeable on first aid. Guess it was time to learn.

"And what about Mikey?" Leo grinned widely when his mom asked about his younger brother.

"He's in bed! Told him a story and everything!" Leo chirped happily, sapphire eyes glinting with glee. On the other side of the screen, his mother smiled softly.

"That's good," She said, a faint laugh could be heard in the background, most likely his father.

"That boy is too grown up for his own good," The deeper voice of Leo's father said. The boy beamed under the statement. It was, like always, said in jest.

"Oh hush you," The woman lightly tapped her husband before turning her attention back to her son. "Now, you should probably be getting yourself to bed too, Leona-" There was a loud, booming crash and Leo's mother dropped the phone. Through the video call, the young child saw a glimpse of the chaos on the other side of the screen.

"Mom?!" He cried out, hoping she would respond. And, as though his guardian angel had heard his innermost thought, his mother picked up the phone. Compared to how she had looked only seconds earlier, Leo could tell something terrible had happened. The most noticeable change was the blood dribbling down her forehead, which Leo tried to ignore for both his own sake and his mother's. Her demeanor had also changed drastically.

"Leo? Oh, Leo. Honey, my sweet precious son," She cooed softly. Tears were pooling in Leo's eyes. He didn't like how his mom was talking. "I don't think we're coming home. I need you to look in my room and grab some things for me. Can you do that?" Leo nodded shakily, not trusting his voice any longer. "Alright. There's some boxes under my bed, grab those. And one in the closet. Give that one to your brother tomorrow," Leo set down the phone as he retrieved the three boxes. Once he had them, he ran over to where his mother was still on the call. She was now talking to his dad. Something about their old jobs and the house not being safe. When she noticed Leo had returned, she fell silent.

"Got the stuff mom," Leo said softly, tears trailing down his cheeks.

"Good. Now, since we're not coming home, don't answer the door for anyone. Okay? Because me and your father are going to be gone, something will  be looking for you," Her eyes glanced around, Leo saw water as the phone tilted ever so slightly. Water... They were- "Goodbye Leonardo, I love you," With more tears falling, he nodded.

"Bye mom, love you," She gave her son one last smile and ended the call. Leo fell to his knees, sobs wracking his body. He pulled the phone close to hs chest. "Mama, mama," Leo started saying over and over, as if that would bring her back.

Finally, wiping the tears from his eyes, he looked over to the boxes. The two from under the bed looked very different from each other. Though, they both had the number 15 written in different colors. One was written with blue marker, it was a longer, narrower box compared to the one with orange marker. That one was thicker and blockier. The third was much smaller and had the number 7 scrawled in orange marker. Mikey's birthday present...

Raph splashed in the shallow water just beside the river. His dad was busy doing whatever it was he did for work. Meanwhile, he raven-haired boy was finding ways to entertain himself. The water that occasionally flowed into the side divot was calm and perfectly safe for the boy compared to the rushing river next to him.

Sometimes, Raph questioned why his dad would leave him alone in random places, sometimes, he wouldn't care. This was one of the times he didn't care. So far, Raph had found six turtles, three different kinds of fish, and caught a water strider. All in two hours. There was a mound of wet sand that somewhat resembled a building, decorations of sticks and dead leaves littered its sides. The incomplete sandcastle was a testament to how long Raph had been sitting alone. It had been built up and washed away several different times.

The sky was getting darker and the clouds overhead were threatening the ground below with a storm. Raph was still alone, though that wouldn't be the case for much longer. The boy was chasing after a grasshopper, it was flittering and jumping, kicking its long thin legs. The bug was too good not to catch. Of course, the grasshopper, not wanting to fall into the river or be caught, made its way to the tall grasses farther away. This led to Raph sifting through the grass looking for his bug the moment disaster struck.

Just as he cupped his hands around the hopper, there was a loud explosion. Raph turned around just in time to get slammed to the dirt. A large chunk of the nearby bridge had flown into the boy, cutting deep into his chest and forehead. The young boy tried to push off the rubble, it only scratched his chest further as it fell to the ground. Raph tried to stand back up, but getting hit with something so big and heavy seemed to have knocked the air out of his lungs. He was feeling really dizzy and just stayed lying in the dirt. The young boy started fading in and out of consciousness. He heard blaring sirens and voices, really fuzzy voices before it all went black.

Chapter Text

Mikey sighed, his light blue eyes peeping out of his orange bandana. He had pulled it up from his neck to almost entirely over his face, not even his freckles were visible. The clock on the wall read 7:30. Looking outside, one could see the bright summer sun shining down on the smog heavy city of New York.

"Ughhhhhh, Leo, it's fine," Mikey groaned, emerging from his bandana. Now out of his sanctuary, his dark splotchy freckles were visible. If one didn't know him, they might assume that his face was covered in mud. The large, obvious freckles on Mikey's face had some vague resemblance to the much smaller paint splatter freckles that dotted Leo.

"No, it's not. If I just let you wander all day, the only thing you'll eat is pizza. Now, if you want this to go quicker, pick out what chips and drink you want," Leonardo slipped a string cheese into a lunch bag as he talked to his brother.

"Why can't I just take pizza gyoza?" The younger whined. Leo looked over to his brother and raised an eyebrow.

"What do you think?" Mikey glared and mumbled something into his bandana. "What? Speak up, I can't hear you," Though, Leo had a pretty good idea what had been said.

"I said because you're a fun-hating buzzkill," Leo rolled his eyes and resumed making his little brother's lunch. Mikey begrudgingly got up to fetch a bag of doritos and a bottle of lemonade. Leo put the new additions with the rest of the lunch. He handed the bag to Mikey with a tired smile.

"Now, stay out of trouble. There's a dollar you can spend at the arcade. The rest of the money is strictly for school supplies and pet food," There was a soft meow beneath Leo. "Yes, that's for you, Cream," The fluffy calico liked the older's ankle before stalking off to her cat tree. "If you have any money left over, you can buy a comic book. And I mean one. Just one. I don't want to come back and see a stack of new ones. We good?" Mikey sighed.

"Yeah. Thanks Leo," The older smiled and ruffled his brother's hair.

"I'll see you later," And with that, Mikey skipped out the door, completely prepared for a day of adventure.

Leo was now alone in the apartment, nothing new for the older Ito. Everyday, excluding weekends, Mikey would go out and run a few errands while Leo went to work. That was just how it had been since Leo even before finished middle school. He had yet to start high school, choosing instead to focus on his job and little brother.

With a near inhuman speed, Leonardo got himself ready for work. He tried to run a comb through his messy hair before pinning it back. After that, he slipped into his shoes and grabbed his work apron before heading out the door. Just downstairs was a little noodle shop. The place was so warm and welcoming. It terrified Leo that he had only come here on a chance meeting.

Back when the Ito brothers first left the house, Leo had been looking for a new place for them to live, a job, anything to keep his brother safe. That day had been particularly windy and his scarf had managed to blow away from its spot on his neck. It had been the only thing Leo had kept from his old home. It gave him a sense of warmth, of safety. And it blew away. Leo chased after it, hoping that he would catch it. At some point, he found it. Snagged on the door of a small restaurant. The eleven-year-old boy quickly retrieved his beloved scarf. After it was snuggly, and securely, around his neck, Leo opened the door. It was cold and he needed to warm up.

"Hello! Welcome!" An inviting voice greeted. Leo looked up and saw a friendly man behind the counter of the restaurant.

"Um, hi," Leonardo mumbled.

"What is one as young as yourself doing here alone?"

"Don't have anywhere else to go," Leo said as he shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, in that case, you may stay here. Order something off the menu," The man set a menu on the counter. Leo walked over and glanced at it quickly.

" 'm sorry. I don't got any money,"

"No need! Anything you want, I'll make. Say, what's your favorite food?"

"Pizza," Leo said in his soft, timid voice.

"Very well," And the man got to work. It was around this time that Leo realized the man couldn't see. But the skill with which he was cooking... Leo was utterly amazed.

It wasn't long before a warm plate of gyoza was set on the counter in front of the boy.

"Pizza gyoza," The man said cheerfully. And it was the best meal Leo had eaten in weeks.

Murakami, as Leo later learned was the man's name, offered Leo to come back any time. And come back Leo did. But, it wasn't often that he accepted free food. He felt so guilty about not being able to pay for any of it. Most of the time that he did take food, it was given to Mikey. Later, Leo did bring his little brother. It had only been a month since Leo first stumbled into the little shop. And it was on that day that Murakami offered for the boys to stay with him. And, left with no other options, Leo agreed. Of course, the eleven-year-old couldn't accept this for free. He offered, well, begged is more accurate, to work for the man that had been nothing but kind to him. Murakami couldn't accept this. So, the two made a deal. If, by next year, Murakami couldn't convince Leo otherwise, the boy could work in the shop. Small things only, and he'd get paid. And when Leo tried to protest that Murakami had done more than enough and he really really didn't need to get paid, it was shot down.

So, a year later, Leo started working.

A small smile crossed Leo's fate. Yes, it had been chance, but at the very least, fate had allowed Leo to find this safe, little place in the large city.

"Ah, Leonardo-kun. You're early, as always," Murakami greeted.

"Hello Murakami-san," Leo said as he made his way behind the counter.

"There is something I wish to speak to you about," Leo didn't respond, correctly assuming that Murakami would elaborate. "I want you to go back to school," Leo's mind skidded to a halt.

"Wh-what?"

"I think you hear me. When this new school year starts, I want you to go back," Leo finally rebooted his brain and tried to think of every reason not to go.

"B-but, I'm sixteen. I would be starting as a freshman. I don't have the needed credits or anything for someone my age, I-"

"Michelangelo is also starting high school this year, is he not?" Murakami pointed out.

"Yes? But what does that have to do with-" Murakami then interrupted.

"Go with him. You can keep him safe. And don't worry about your job," Leo snapped his still open jaw shut. After a moment, he responded in a soft, barely audible voice.

"Okay,"

Chapter Text

Nerd: Oh my gosh. You have less than a week. Like, four days. Raph, are you insane?

Big Brother of Many: oh shut up. you probably finished it the first hour we were out

Nerd: I did not. But even if I did, it's better than having less than a week to work on it.

Big Brother of Many: so what do i do

Nerd: You get yourself down to the park and I'll meet you there. It's better if I get to you first. Mrs. Windmir is going to the high school too. She'll flunk you on the spot.

Big Brother of Many: damn it

Donnie sighed and rolled himself off his bed. Putting on normal, everyday clothes, Donnie sluggishly made his way downstairs. He snatched his school bag from its hook in the closet and quietly made his way to the dojo. Like most days, his father was meditating on the floor, deep in thought.

"Father?" Yoshi opened an eye. "Can I meet Raph in the park?" Yoshi sighed.

"Of course you may, Donatello. Though I expect you back before dinner,"

"Yes father. Thanks," And with that, Donnie was on his way.

Being able to walk to such a lively and open park while living in the big city was something that Donatello was immensely grateful for. He loved being so close to a calm and serene environment. Of course, today, Donnie wasn't here for anything fun or relaxing. In fact, Raph was already seated at one of the parks many tables, paper and notebook next to him.

The taller slid into a seat on the opposite side of his friend. Raph wasn't really aware of Donnie's appearance,  so  the ignored friend lightly tapped the zoned out Raph on the head with a book.

"Huh? Oh. Hey Don. Uh, what're we doing?" Raph asked, now back in the present, before blowing a strand of raven hair out of his face. Donnie gave his friend the most unimpressed look he could muster.

"I do believe you're supposed to be the one telling me that," Donnie quipped back. Raph groaned and handed Donnie a paper. He skimmed over it quickly. The paper contained a list of six books. These were handpicked by Raph just before summer break. Three of the books were on Donnie's own list and two were books he had already read regardless. "I hope you know you still have to actually read one of these," Raph groaned and slammed his forehead into the table.

"But there's no time left," He whined, hoping his friend would have sympathy and help him just a bit more. Alas, Donnie was immune to such tactics.

"Raph, it's not my fault you wait until now to even tell me,"

"If I told you earlier, you woulda forced me to do it sooner," Donnie made some sort of irritated noise while shooting his friend a glare. He tried to dismiss any thoughts he had of slamming a book, a particularly thick textbook, over his friend's head.

"Yes Raph, yes I would have," Donnie said, his voice edging on growling. "Now," He said, his tone having calmed far too quickly to be considered safe. "I suggest you get to work. I'll still help you out, but at this point? You might be too far gone even with me," Raph glared but flipped open the notebook. Honestly, who knew that the lanky, lonely nerd that decided to start eating lunch with him was such a pain when it came to schoolwork?

A couple more hours passed with the two of them sitting in the park. It was more than difficult to keep Raph on track, but Donnie did his duty as Raph's closest friend and used any means necessary to keep the other on task.

This led to the current situation. Both notebook and reading book were abandoned, the two boys who were previously studying were now standing up, engaged in some argument that could have been about anything. But, somehow, it was about rabbits.

"It's stupid!" Raph shouted, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

"You're the one who picked it out!" Donnie said, just about done with Raph.

"I didn't know it would be about rabbits!" Ah, of course, Watership Down, a good book, but apparently not for Raph.

"Did you even bother to read the description?" Donnie huffed, just about ready to throw the older student into a tree.

"Of course not! I knew you were a bookworm so I assumed you had already read it," If one blinked, they would have missed it. Donnie had lobbed a stick at Raph's face. It hit him square in the forehead. The ranting boy stopped and stared blankly at his friend. "Wh-what?" Raph blinked a couple of times, seemingly confused. Donnie was already making his way back to the table. Raph, still in a stunned silence, followed behind.

"Now, Oruku Raph, I recommend you keep reading," A smirk formed on Donnie's face as his friend nodded furiously.

And that was how to pair spent every day left in summer. In the morning, they met up at the park, by the time afternoon rolled around, they were both on the verge of snapping. Donnie from Raph's inability to listen and Raph from the excruciating amount of schoolwork. So, they stopped for roughly an hour to eat lunch at this little pizza place. After that, it was back to suffering. And each day, around three, the two of them were arguing about some new topic. Seriously, it could be anything.

But, after a little under a week of this, Raph had the majority of his project finished. He still hadn't finished the one book he needed to read, but at least it had caught his attention. All that was left to do now was hope and pray that Mrs. Windmir was not their first period. Maybe then Raph could finish his summer work in a different class. Because really, who on earth would want to get on her bad side just as the school year starts?

Chapter Text

Donatello and Raph walked side-by-side into the school building. The taller of the two had pinned back the long strands of hair that normally fell in front of his face. The rest of his hair was far too short to do anything with. Raph had his raven hair in a somewhat nice bun. It was still a bit messy, but the fact that it was done said quite a lot. A black leather jacket was securely around him. Donnie had a worn brown messenger bag, of which a small collection on pins were stuck on in careful patterns, slung over his shoulder. A length of colorful ribbon that could normally be found around Donnie's neck was tied snuggly around the strap of the bag. Raph had a plain gray backpack that was barely holding anything. It didn't have anything special or fancy. It was simply gray and a backpack.

Not even a full minute after Donnie and Raph entered the school, Mikey raced up to the building. He had a yellow hoodie that somewhat went with his orange bandana. His backpack was a vibrant orange to match with said bandana. It was littered with pins, doodles, and stickers. Leo followed closely behind, his head ducked into his scarf. A pale blue backpack was slung around his shoulders, the left strap slowly inching down. There was a stark contrast from Leo's nervous energy to Mikey's hyperactive one.

"Calm down Leo, you look like you're gonna faint," Mikey chirped, drawing attention to the rapidly draining color in his brother's face. Leo quickly spun on his heel and made an attempt go back out the door. An attempt that was swiftly thwarted by two things. The first was a new wave of students flooding into the halls. The second was his little brother grabbing his backpack. "Dude, you promised Murakami-san, you can't back out now," Mikey whined. Leo freed himself from his little brother's grip.

"I can and I will," He said quickly as his legs slowly turned to jello beneath him. "Who was our first teacher again?"

"Uh, Mr. Bell? For homeroom and science. Why?" Mikey asked, confused to the sudden change in topic.

"After that?" Leo asked, voice shakier. Mikey, sensing something was wrong, continued, keeping his concerns to himself.

"Mx. Alva. Math,"

"Just- give me all of them," Mikey nodded as he guided his brother to their first period. Luckily, they were given identical schedules.

"Ms. Chase for PE, Mrs. Windmir for English, Mr. Kaiba for history, and Mr. Docson for beginning media arts," Mikey had noticed that, despite pushing his brother into their first class, Leo tried to escape when Mrs. Windmir's name came up.

"Oh gosh, she is here. Mikey-" Leo leapt to his feet, somehow having squirmed past Mikey and the desk enough to do so.

"Chill bro, Mrs. Windmir isn't that bad. She taught me all through middle school,"

"Mikey," Leo hissed at his younger brother. "She taught me too," And all at once, Leo's fear seemed a bit more justified.

When Donnie and Raph entered their classroom, the first thing they noticed was the panicking blonde in the back of the room. Someone, assumably his brother, was trying to calm him down. It, unfortunately, wasn't working. Raph, big brother that he was, walked over to help.

"Hey, you two doing good?" He asked. The taller blonde looked up at Raph, then to his brother.

"He's just a bit freaked out that he's in high school now," Mikey explained. "Oh, I'm Mikey and this is my bro, Leonardo. But you can call him Leo," He held out a hand. Raph took it.

"I'm Raph. And hey, Leo, were all new to high school. I'm sure you'll be fine," Levo gave a small nod before sitting back at his desk. Raph gave the brothers a smile and glanced around for Donnie, who was already taking a seat by the brothers. So, not even an hour into the school day and they seemed to acquire new friends? That was alright by Raph.

After first period, the four went their separate ways and didn't see each other for the next couple of periods. And the day went by without incident. In fact, Leo was starting to feel almost comfortable with the entire situation.

That was, until fourth period. Apparently, Raph and Donnie also had Windmir's English class, as they were already in the room when the brothers got there. The four sat together, much like they did in first period. Leo was shaking and on the verge of breaking down. Mikey wanted to say something, but the teacher entered the room before he could. And then, she started taking attendance. As the last names called got closer and closer to I, Leo freaked out more and more. But it wasn't just any freaking out. It was his big brother freak out that he used whenever he didn't want to concern anyone else. Then, Donnie's name was called. H.

"Donatello Hamato?" She called. Donnie muttered something under his breath about her 'doing this on purpose' before responding.

"Here!" And, unfortunately for Leo, Donnie was the only person with a last name starting with H.

"Ah. Well isn't this interesting. Didn't think I'd hear this name in my class again," Windmir smirked. "Leonardo Ito," And under her breath she muttered. "Dropout,"

"H-here," Leo mumbled out before slowly retreating into his scarf. He was completely oblivious, or maybe not, to the insult thrown his way. Both Donatello and Raph noticed this change in behavior. With the time they saw him in first period, as well as when they saw him in the halls, Leo had been improving. But now, under Windmir's glare, he crumbled again. After attendance, Raph placed a hand on Leo's desk, gaining the older's attention.

"Hey, you doing good Leo?" Raph asked. Leo exhaled shakily before nodding his head.

"Yeah, yeah. No need to worr-"

"Mr. Ito, I understand that you think you are above my rules, but if you do not follow them while you are in my class, you can expect to wait another two years before you become a sophomore," And with those words, Leo shrunk back, completely burrowing himself in his scarf. Donnie, who had his attention drawn to the situation by Mrs. Windmir's scolding, tapped Raph on the shoulder. The shorter boy turned over to his friend.

"Did you see that?" Donnie whispered. Raph shook his head. "She completely ignored you. Windmir loves going after you, Raph. But with Leo..." The two glanced at the thoroughly embarrassed Leo. His face was red as a beet and still buried in his scarf. "Somethings not right," Donnie said, his voice so soft that Raph was straining to hear it.

"Maybe there's just two students she hates in the same class," The shorter tried to reason, but even he didn't really believe that. There was something about how Leo reacted that just gave Raph the worst feeling ever. Raph opened his mouth to say something more, but Mrs. Windmir shot the friends a look, she clearly suspected them of talking, but couldn't be sure. Donnie noticed and made a few subtle arm motions which Raph had learned to translate years ago.

'Talk at lunch' Raph nodded and tried to focus on whatever was being taught, which was already difficult in even the best of circumstances.