Tmnt X Readers And OCs

Dog Pound x Den

I wanted to end this book with two special requests! SandraOsborne1 is one of my friends on here and has shown this book a lot of love. Thank you for your support! I hope you like this one-shot! 

(There are four chapters left in total, including this one)

TW: Mentions of physical and verbal abuse!

Den crumbled to the ground as his dad chucked another empty beer bottle across the room. The young boy had no idea what he did to make his father mad this time. It was like every little thing would make his father angry with him since he fell into alcoholism. The short boy scrambled behind the kitchen counter and waited for his dad's assaults to end.

"You useless son of a-" The curse word hurled at him was drowned out by his dad punching the wall. If Den would have been in his sights, his dad would have aimed his punch at him instead of the wall.

His onslaught of anger seemed to dissipate suddenly. "Bring me something strong since you're in the kitchen. One of the fancy liquors, you pathetic piece of trash."

Den sighed to himself and opened his father's liquor cabinet. He had more alcohol than food in the house. He knew that if he ignored his father, his injuries would only get worse. He already had a terrible limp, likely a sprained ankle, and cuts and bruises that dotted his body.

His father's definition of fancy meant the cheapest thing in the store he could find that still had a decent taste. The boy didn't worry about finding a wine glass for the drink. All of them were destroyed last week when his dad blew up about Den being late for school. He grabbed a beat up plastic cup in one hand and the clear liquid in the other, handing both to his paternal figure at the same time.

His dad snatched the giant bottle from him and swatted at the cup. "Go to bed. I don't want to see your face anymore tonight. It's past your bedtime anyway."

"But it's only seven o'cl-"

"Are you talking back to me?"

"N-no! I just wanted to remind you that your favorite show comes on in thirty minutes since it's seven. Goodnight!" Den scurried away to his room and closed the door gently.

His "bedtime" seemed to get earlier every night despite the fact that Den hasn't had any really sleep in weeks. He is always plagued by his dad's actions and words at night, so he stayed awake. He was tired of living in this nightmare. He had to escape, even if it were just for one night.

Peaking his head out of the door, Den noticed that his father had passed out merely moments after he turned the TV on. Returning to his room, he rearranged his bed to make it look like he was laying in his bed. Den knew his dad wouldn't make the effort to actually check if it were him. Sliding up the window, he slipped out of his first floor window and disappeared into the night.

The pain in his ankle shot up his leg with every step, but he had to keep going. He needed to get far away as possible. He needed a moment of freedom, even if that meant he would take another beating when his dad found him.

Tightening his black hoodie's drawstrings, he kept moving. He limped around for hours until exhaustion creeped up on his tiny frame. A bright sign came into Den's view. There was a picture of a brown haired man that he recognized from the cheap off-brand cereal his dad buys. Chris Bradford. The studio appeared to be abandoned. He could sleep there for the night. He slipped in through the set of broken windows and allowed his tired body to collapse on the floor.

~~~~~

Bradford wasn't the most loving and caring people in the world, especially after he had been mutated into a giant dog. Yet, when he found the injured boy asleep in his ninjitsu studio, he didn't have the heart to kick the kid out. The young boy reminded Chris of his past. Constantly being beat down by Shredder when he was a young pupil.  

He covered the young child with a blanket and warmed up a simple ramen meal. He placed the bowl on the small wooden table before waking up the boy. Speeding away from view, he hid himself in the shadows as Den woke up to avoid scaring him with his mutant appearance. 

Den's eyes immediately focused on the bowl of ramen in front of his face. He wasn't sure how it had got there, but it must have been recent since warm wisps of aroma swirled from the meal. Shrugging to himself, he decided to take the risk of eating the food.

"What make you want to come here?" Bradford asked, still not revealing himself. "Of all the places in New York, you choose my dojo."

Den slurped a noodle in shock. "THE Chris Bradford? You're actually here? I'm so sorry I just needed a place to get away. I can leave-"

"Calm down. You can stay as long as you need to." He debated whether or not to bring up the boy's injuries. "It's just... I don't look like what I used to anymore. I don't want to scare you off."

Den scoffed and put down his bowl. "I don't think anything can be scarier than my dad, especially after he's been drinking. Besides, you've been nice to me."

Chris decided to let the boy see him for the monster he really was. If he ran away, at least he had helped the child a little. If he stayed, he would make it his mission to protect him in anyway he could. Den's eyes widened and he shifted in his spot. However, Bradford had already shown him more care in a few minutes than his dad had in a year. Hopefully that meant he could trust the ninja master.

"You didn't run away?"

"No... and I'd like to stay actually. If that were possible... Anything to get away from my dad."

Bradford smiled softly, well as soft as he could with a giant mutant dog face. "You will always have a home here."

~~~~~

As time went on, Dogpound officially asked Shredder for permission to take Den under his wing. He began to train the boy in the art of ninjitsu so he would never have to fear anyone again. It seemed that most of his colleagues liked having a young student around. Tigerclaw often aided with Den's training. Fishface would teach him how to patrol from the rooftops. Even Shredder gave nods of approval every now and then when he saw the boy's accomplishments.

One night, Chris had given Den some money to go and buy some groceries for everyone. He waited on the rooftops across the street from the store as his pupil/adopted son walked into Walmart. Coincidentally, as Den was leaving the store, he ran into the very person he had dedicated his life to getting away from.

"There you are, you useless idiot!" His dad growled. "CPS has been on my case looking for you. You show up to school everyday, but you never come home! Where have you been?"

Den dropped the bags of groceries and cowered away in fear. He has had training on how to fight, but in that moment he could do anything but freeze up.

"Answer me!" His father raised his hand to slap him, but the hit never landed.

Bradford released a deep growl and yanked the biological parent backwards. "He's my son now. You didn't protect him, so I will. If i ever catch you near him again I will end you!"

Chris threw the poor excuse of a person into the nearest dumpster and escorted Den back to their home. Petting the boy's head in a joking, but affectionate manner, Dogpound bid the boy goodnight and returned to his chambers. That night, was the first night that Den slept without any nightmares. That was when he knew his life had truly gotten better.