Author's Note: This whole fic is very silly, self-serving and depends a lot on loving ancient Rome. A lot of short pieces coming together to form a big, ridiculous AU. Enjoy!
"Mikey…"
"I'm not going to bed!"
Leo was tired, and his head ached, and his heart ached too from walking all over the Subura looking for work that didn't exist. So he didn't need an unhappy, still-sniffling little brother talking back at him tonight.
Raphael looked up from the window, but didn't say anything, turning his eyes back to the oiled paper that covered them. Leo had sold the glass months ago when he had run out of metal to pawn.
Leo sighed. Mikey stood in the doorway to the bedroom, arms folded tightly across his chest and frowning deeply at Leo.
"I'm thirteen," he said, his brows furrowed. "I don't need a bedtime any more! Raph and Donnie don't have bedtimes! I'm old enough to work, Leo!"
"Those things might all be true, but Raph and Donnie haven't been sick for three weeks with a funny cough. We can't afford more medicine."
Beside Raphael, Donnie winced, looking up from the tablet he'd been writing on. Donatello was the only one with consistent work, but a painter's apprentice earned so little that it might as well have been nothing. Still, Donnie seemed to like creating frescoes when he could, and he never held back his earnings from Leonardo. His oldest brother hoped that his craft would pay off someday.
"Leo's right," Donnie said, setting down his stylus. "Go to bed, Mikey, I'll be in there soon too. You need to get better if you want to get back to working."
"Maybe I don't want to get back to working."
"None of us do," Leo said, a wry smile finally playing on his face. "But we have debts to pay off if we want to keep Father's house. But I want you to get better, so you've gotta get to bed." The worrying, dry cough of Mikey's hadn't completely disappeared yet; there was only so much that strong tea and rest could do.
"Leo."
He turned, his posture stiff with irritation. "Was it is, Raph? In the middle of something here."
Raphael ignored the tone, which was Leo's first clue to something being wrong. He was closer to the window now, his nose nearly touching the paper.
"There's a bunch of guys coming up the walkway," he said, pointing to some smudges beyond the paper, ambling down the road. "Big guys."
Leo tensed, and motioned to Donnie, who immediately stood up. His arm went around their youngest brother and they stood in the doorway, Mikey's eyes suddenly wide and darting between the doorway and Leonardo.
This wasn't right. The only person that came this way was the tax collector, and he always came alone.
He was startled by three hard raps on their door, and a rough voice.
"Open up! Open up, sons of Hamato! Or I'll break this door down!"
Mikey squeaked behind him, and Raph was on his feet right away. He was always ready to fight for Leo, for their family. It took much less than this.
Leo had no choice. He reached for the lock.
Janus, may no darkness enter our doorway. Protect my brothers.
But the gods had never listened before.