[ON HIATUS] Blue Is a Girl's Color (ROTTMNT AU fic)

Chapter 1: Damsel in Distress

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It was a cool night in New York City. The sun had vanished below the horizon long ago, though the light coming from advertisements and shining through windows left the streets as bright as day. The sidewalks were crowded, people pushing and shouting at each other to get where they needed to go. Dogs were barking, children were screaming at the top of their lungs, and cars honked their horns and revved their engines as the vehicles drove down the streets.

New York. What a town.

Down in the dank sewer system of New York, the sound of the city above was muffled and quiet. The only other noise within the dark tunnels was the occasional drip, drip, drip of murky sewer water onto the stone walkway. One would think there wasn't a single soul down here.

For the sake of both him and his children, Splinter hoped to keep it that way, no matter how much of a handful his sons could be.

With a cup of tea in one hand and the newest storybook in their small collection in the other, the mutant stepped out of the family's kitchen. Releasing a quiet sigh, he looked up from the cover and into the living room, eyes drifting to each of his boys.

They were actually being fairly calm this evening. They weren't hitting each other and breaking things in an attempt to be like Lou Jitsu, so that was a plus.

His littlest, Orange, was laying on the living room floor, coloring in an old coloring book Splinter had managed to secure. He was on his plastron, kicking his legs in the air with his tongue stuck out in his concertation.

The two middle children were definitely being the loudest. They were arguing, as they often did, and judging by the comic books they both held in their little hands, the sci-fi series "Jupiter Jim" was the topic of debate. Purple tapped his finger rather aggressively against one of the comic's pages, trying to shout his opinion over Blue's own argument.

Between them was his sweet little Red, trying desperately to break them up. His attempts were drowned out by the twins' screaming match, much to the oldest child's clear dismay.

Splinter sighed again at the sight of his sons' antics. Despite this, he couldn't help the fond smile that settled comfortably onto his features. He shifted the book, now holding it under his armpit, and called out to the little turtles.

"Boys!"

Orange was the only one to react, looking up at his father with curious eyes. Then, a huge grin broke out on his face.

"Dad, Dad!" The little six-year-old jumped up from his spot on the floor, grabbing the coloring book before running over to his father. He bounced excitedly on his heels and shoved the page into Splinter's face, or at least tried to. Splinter was still quite a bit taller than him. "Look, look! I drew this! Isn't it pretty?"

Splinter smiled at his youngest son, reaching over to pat him gently on the head. "Yes, my boy. Your drawing is very pretty."

Orange pulled the book away, holding it close to his chest. He bit his bottom lip as he clearly resisted the urge to squeal in joy.

The older mutant laughed a little at the sight. "Yes, yes. But now, it is time to put the art supplies away."

Orange pouted at that, looking down at the floor as he lowered the coloring book. "Aww..."