Tmnt X Readers And OCs

5.0 Tmnt x Den

Next: Mikey x Reader 

Later: Dogpound x Nyla

SandraOsborne1

Den wished he had chosen another day to end up in New York. Matter of fact, he wished he would have gone anywhere but here. He was just looking for a place to stay, a place to call home, when he was ambushed by these weird robotic ninjas. He didn't know what they wanted or who they thought he was. He just knew he had to get away from them as soon as possible.

Den quickly descended from the rooftops and hid in between the wall and the giant trash can in a random alleyway. He held his breath as the ninjas jumped overhead to the next building. When he felt he was finally safe, he relaxed his muscles and allowed his body to slouch over.

The whole encounter caught the attention of the four mutant ninja turtles who were stealthily hiding out on a rooftop across the street. Once the Foot dissipated, Leo guided his brothers to the alleyway where they had seen the young boy escape to. Leonardo crouched down beside Den and held a supportive hand out to him. Den smiles kindly and gratefully, instantly feeling safe in the presence of the four humanoid turtles.

Raph crosses his arms. "Why would the Foot be after him? He's just a kid."

The brothers looked over to Den, awaiting an answer. He simply shrugged, not having an answer for them because he was wondering the same thing.

"Well, what should we do?" Donnie questioned.

"Dudes, let's bring him back home with us! Four is cool and all, but five siblings is a party!" Mikey said too loudly.

Leo shushed him and pulled everyone into the shadows. A second later, a Footbot peeked its head over the edge of the roof, searching for a face to match the voice. When it detected no one, it sped off to rejoin the group of Foot. Everyone released the breath they were holding.

"Look, we don't really have a lot of options now. The Foot may be back any minute now that that robot picked up on Mikey's voice. He's gotta come home with us." Leo's gaze left his brothers and found its way to Den. "You have to promise not to tell anyone about us."

Den nodded rapidly. "I promise. I don't have anyone to tell anyway."

Donnie wanted to investigate the young boy's response, but he knew there wasn't enough time to ask questions now. It would have to wait until they brought him to safety. Raph searched the perimeter and opened the nearest manhole, allowing everyone to jump down.

The walk to the lair was silent. The brothers were all planning on how they would tell Splinter that they brought a someone home with them. He wasn't exactly the happiest when April brought Irma to the lair, but, to be fair, she was secretly Kraang Subprime. 

"Master Splinter, we have a surprise for you!" Mikey sang once they reached the threshold of their home. He was quickly met by his older brothers' glares of disapproval and anger. He laughed nervously and shrank back into his shell some.

"What is it, Michelangelo?" Sensei called out to his youngest son as he made his way to the living-room.

Raphael pushed Mikey forward. "Since you're so excited, why don't you tell him, shell-for-brains?" Mikey nervously began explaining to their father what had happened and why they brought Den home with them.

Splinter nodded throughout the story and casted his gaze to Den. "Very well, if you all feel it was the best option for the situation, I trust your judgment." He stroked his beard. "Welcome to our home, Den. Please make yourself comfortable."

Splinter returned back to the dojo to meditate. Raph rolled his eyes. "Of course Mikey gets off easy. When I accidentally led Casey to the lair I was in trouble for a week!"

Leo simply grinned and ruffled Den's hair. The boy was shocked, but also grateful to have a place to call home. Mikey scooped him up in a bear hug, excited to no longer be the youngest and to have someone to hang out with.

~~~~~

As time passed, Den found himself enjoying his time with each turtle in a different matter. Most of his time was spent with Leo, who taught him hand-to-hand combat. Leo loved the idea of being someone's sensei. He didn't hesitate to say 'yes' when Den had came to him about it. He also learned how to meditate and began to experiment with which weapon he would choose.

Donnie appreciated the extra help Den provided in the lab. Experiments went smoother and a lot faster with the assistance. Much like Leo, Donatello loved the fact that someone was willing to learn about his favorite things to do and study. Don taught him biology, engineering, chemistry, you name it! 

Mikey taught Den all of his "secret" recipes in the kitchen and all of the cheat codes to their games. None of his brothers were the best cooks and they surely didn't want to play video games with him, which is why he enjoyed Den's presence. Michelangelo would always run to the boy's side and hug him tightly.

His relationship with Raphael, however, was like a real brotherly relationship. The hothead allowed the younger boy to snuggle up to him whenever he wanted. Anyone else would be subjected to Raph's wrath. Den found Raph's embrace to be warm and cozy.

Of course the two oldest brothers would argue over who Den's favorite was. Raph was certain it was him, because he treated the boy more like a brother than a student. Leo was confident he was the favorite because he taught him valuable skills that would help him if he were to ever encounter the Foot again.

~~~~~

One night, Den tossed and turned in his sleep. Nightmares plagued his mind whenever he dozed off. He dreamt of the Foot finding him once again. He jolted awake. Calming down, he decided to grab a snack from the kitchen. As he descended down the steps, he noticed the lights flashing from the TV. Leonardo sat on the couch, drawn in to the latest episode of Space Heroes.

"Hey, Leo?" The eldest turtle broke his trance and turned around to find the voice. "Can I watch with you?"

The turtle smiled and motioned for him to sit down. "What are you doing up so late?"

"I can't sleep. I keep having nightmares about the Foot finding me again. I still don't know why they're after me and I'm scared about what they might do." The boy says.

"Hey, hey it's okay. I promise that we will do whatever it takes to protect you. The Foot aren't going to hurt you if we have anything to do with it. You're family now. You have nothing to worry about." Leo assured him.

He hugged Leo tightly. "Thank you."

Den fell asleep on Leo's shoulder. Even though the teenage turtle had finished the show, he decided to stay put and sleep sitting on the couch so he wouldn't disturb the young boy's rest.