You peeked out between your fingers- curled up on the cold ground- and saw the one responsible for the smelly, fallen men surrounding you. Their grunts and groans of pain deaf to your ears.

All you heard was his deep, rapid breaths several feet away.

All you saw was his truck-like frame walking back to you.

All you felt were his arms picking you up and holding you close to his massive, hard chest.

You wondered if the shell was permanent or part of a costume.

"Are ya hurt?" His voice was severe, making you flinch- his Brooklyn accent didn't help matters, causing him to sound more thug-like. He didn't even look at you as he walked. Not one glance. Not that it mattered, you had seen those green eyes flash in fury when he shoved you to the ground earlier. "I'm takin' ya ta Donnie. He's gonna make sure yer okay."

You didn't say a word. You couldn't. Your voice was stuck in your throat when you opened your mouth to say thanks. Any other time you were nervous your voice had a mind of its own, but no, not when a big, hulking, kind-hearted guy saved your life. So, giving up, you closed your eyes and rested your head on his chest, succumbing to sleep as you let him take you to this Donnie person. Not that you could have stopped him even if you wanted to. You had the feeling this guy would do what he wanted, no matter what anybody said. He seemed the type.

Your eyes opened to darkness, but you were comfortable on what felt like a giant bean bag, a thin blanket rested on top of you.

Where were you?

You sat up, not realizing you startled someone awake, and searched the darkness as your heart rate picked up.

"It's okay," a deep, husky voice said and you let out a sigh, recognizing the voice. He hadn't left you.

"Yer okay," he whispered, sounding relieved.

"Where am I?" You asked hesitantly. You didn't want to anger him, worried he might hurt you if you do. Earlier you had felt so safe in his arms, but now you were in a dark, unknown place with someone you knew could cause pain if he wished.

"Home," he replied, still quiet. "Not that it's much, but it suits us."

"And, um, Donnie?" You asked, unsure if this person had 'checked you' yet.

"Donnie?" He growled out.

"S-sorry!" You squeaked out, slinking back under the blanket. "You said something about him on the way here is all."

"Oh, yeah," he said in a much calmer voice. "He didn't find any injuries, but he wants to talk ta ya when ya up for it to make sure ya didn't hit yer head.

"I'm ready now," you stated hopefully, curious to see who this guy was. Was he a doctor?

"Watch yer eyes," he said as you heard light footsteps move further away from you. "I'll turn on the lights."

You squeezed your eyes shut until the lights came on. Opening them, you searched for the familiar hulking form, wanting a better look, but he was gone. Instead you found yourself in a large, domed room along with furniture made of old pizza boxes. Your face scrunched in confusion. There were no windows, but the large room was open, connected to equally large rooms on every side that had other rigged up furniture. Honestly, you weren't really sure what you were seeing, or if any of it was real. Especially when a giant, freakishly tall, walking turtle walked in wearing a purple bandana across his eyes.

"Hey, I'm Donnie," the creature said, sitting down on a makeshift stool next to you.

You stared in silence, wondering if this was all a dream. That maybe the guys in the alley weren't actually real.

"Care if I ask a few questions?"

You nodded, eyes unblinking.

"Do you know your name?"

"Y/N"

"Okay, y/n, follow my finger."

You did as he said, finding it odd he only had three, and answered his questions with ease, getting more comfortable with him by the minute. He even had you giggling a few times. Then he asked you if you could stand up.

"Yeah, but would you mind helping me off this thing?" You asked good-naturedly, feeling stuck in the bean bag, but also curious to know if his lean muscles were just as strong as the guy who saved you.

"Sure," he chuckled before picking you up underneath your arms and setting you gently down on your feet with ease. You were in awe, not realizing you were holding onto his forearms for support. "I'm gonna let go now, okay?"

"Oh," you removed your hands as if they were burned. "Sorry... Can I walk around?"

"Yeah, sure. You seem fine. No sign of a head injury. Want me to get Raph?"

"Raph?" You asked, not knowing who he was talking about.

"Yeah, my brother. The guy who brought you here."

~~~~~~~~~~

Raph was listening in on everything Donnie and you said, like a coward he hid away where you couldn't see him, but he could see you. He told himself he didn't want to scare you with two giant, mutant freaks in the same room. He wanted to rip Donnie away from you the moment he picked you up. His jealousy got worse the longer you stood there staring up at him in awe.

It made him want to punch something. But at least you hadn't screamed or passed out. That was something.

"I-Is he like you?" You asked quietly, looking at her feet.

"Yeah," Donnie chuckled. "We all are. Well, except Master Splinter."

"All?" Your head shot up in surprise.

"Yeah, there's four of us. My brothers and I. Plus Master Splinter," Donnie explained.

"Oh," was all you said for a moment. "Can I meet them too?"

Raph jumped back in shock. You wanted to meet all of them? He couldn't believe it.

"Uh," Donnie looked in Raph's direction, asking what he thought would be best for you. He shook his head before Donnie replied. "Maybe just one at a time? We can be kind of...."

"Big," you finished for him with a smirk. Gosh, you were adorable.

And brave.

And so very accepting.

But you hadn't met him yet, he reminded himself. Not really, anyway. You had only seen glimpses of him and your eyes were closed throughout most of the ordeal in the alley. Donnie could be awkward, but that made him easy to feel safe around. Mikey made everyone feel comfortable with his innocent ramblings, and Leo, well everyone liked Leo.

"That's one way to put it," Donnie said. "I'll go get Raph. You stay here, okay? It's easy to get lost in here."

You nodded and followed Donnie's movement toward Raph. He hid behind the wall to collect himself.

Here goes nothin', he thought, stepping forward after Donnie walked past him with a thumbs up.

You stood in the middle of their living room looking like you were meant to be there as he slowly, quietly stepped toward you. He didn't want to scare you. He didn't want you to run away.

"Hey," you waved awkwardly as he stood in front of you.

He stayed silent as he waited for the inevitable scream.

"I never got to say thank you. Ya know?" You looked up at him. "For saving my life."

"It was nothin'" Raph replied, unsure of what to say until he remembered you wanted to meet all of them. He strode away before you could start a conversation, throwing over his shoulder that he would go get Mikey. That you would like him.

And he was right.

You liked all of his brothers and they liked you.

You even met April and Casey that first day. Donnie called them, thinking you would be more comfortable with other humans around. You did seem to relax a bit more when they came around that day and Raph was happy for it. He wanted you around where he knew you would be safe and he wanted you comfortable. Over the weeks you proved to be a great friend to all of them. You played video games with Mikey, helped Donnie with his experiments, meditated with Leo, had tea with Sensei, and on movie nights you always plopped yourself in Raph's lap.

Those were the moments he longed for; the movie nights. That was the only time he ever let himself get close to you. The only nights he allowed himself to fantasize that you two could be more than almost friends. Just for a couple of hours. Then he would lay you in his bed while he went out to watch over the city.