Dumpster diving was usually a relatively successful endeavor, but the pickings that night were slim. The hollow pit in his stomach twisted as Splinter frowned down at the small wicker basket he held, just a few overripe pieces of fruit and a mostly untouched takeout container resting inside. In his other hand he held a small brown teddy bear with a red ribbon around its neck. It was easy to see why it had been tossed out, considering its frayed ears and matted fur. He wasn't really sure why he'd picked it up, but now that he had it he couldn't stand the thought of putting it back in the garbage. He set it in the basket alongside the food before turning back towards the trash bags scattered throughout the alley, ears pricked for the sound of approaching footsteps. He picked one that looked promising and ripped open the plastic, nose wrinkling with disgust as the overpowering smell of rot washed over him, and began to sift through yet another mess for anything useful or edible.
As he tossed aside the bad parts (which turned out to be most of it) he couldn't help but wish he was back in the small pile of pilfered blankets and sagging pillows he'd come to call a bed. The comforting embrace of oblivion called to him with a siren's song of fleece and polyester, but he'd already allowed himself to waste away in it for nearly three weeks. The sharp jut of his ribs and the matting in his fur attested to that. He owed it to his sons to nourish himself so he could continue his treks into the city, no matter how hard it was to pull himself out of the soothing weight of sleep and up the slippery ladder rungs to the world above the sewers.
He glanced at his watch, a beat up old digital one he'd found by the dumpster a few months back, when it beeped at him. The hour had ticked over to 1am. He wasn't sure if the time it displayed was correct, but it was what he had been basing his daily schedule on since he'd first strapped it to his wrist. Keeping some semblance of a schedule was good for him, when he could manage it.
His knees cracked as he straightened from his crouch and gathered what food he had managed to scrounge up, leaving the trash scattered across the stained concrete all around him. It wasn't the most neighborly thing to do, but he had a limited amount of time and he wasn't planning on spending it cleaning up the mess he'd just made. He had two hours before he would have to be back on the surface, taking advantage of the witching hour to creep through the nearly-abandoned streets instead of being forced to hide away in the alleys.
Still on high alert, ears twitching and swiveling to pick up any noise, he shifted the basket of goodies to his tail to free up his hands and darted out of the alley towards the sewer entrance. Though he'd struggled with it for many years and still hated seeing it when he caught sight of his reflection in darkened windows, he couldn't deny that having an extra appendage came in handy. Especially in those few early years when he'd had a gaggle of babies toddling their way into all sorts of trouble, and running him ragged with their mischief. He missed those days.
With a grunt of effort, he heaved open the manhole and began his descent into the dank darkness of the sewers he had called home for the last seven years. Before his feet were even on the ground, he was already dreaming of climbing into his bed and sleeping until he had to head aboveground again. That was what he would have blamed his inattention on later, if anyone had ever been around to ask. He had made it a half mile through the tunnels, mind filled with a comforting buzzing static as he navigated the twists with a practiced ease, and didn't notice the intruder until he was already colliding with them.
He heard a loud yelp, and suddenly he was on the ground, nose throbbing and the base of his tail aching from the fall. When he looked to see what he had hit, he found himself staring at a human child. She had miraculously managed to keep her footing and was now towering over him, emitting an impressively high pitched noise of shock. In the dim light that filtered through the grates above them he could see that her mouth was hanging wide open, her missing front tooth on display and one finger pointed almost accusingly at his face. He blinked, squinting back at her, not entirely convinced that he wasn't already home and dreaming. After all, there was absolutely no precedent for a human to have stumbled their way into the underground tunnels he had learned to call home, much less one so young.
The noise dragged on, never pausing or wavering. Splinter couldn't help but be a little impressed by the girl's lung capacity, and was considering complimenting her on it when she suddenly cut herself off with a gasp. She drew her pointing finger back, only to level at him once again with even more force.
"A giant rat!" she squealed, pigtails bouncing as she fell into a slightly shaky crane stance. "Stay back!"
"Yes, yes, big scary rat man," he grumbled, rolling his eyes. His bones creaked as he pushed himself into a sitting position, only half focused on the girl as he cast around for his basket of hard won supplies. His stomach was rumbling and he wasn't sure he had the energy to go hunting again. "And who are you supposed to be?"
The child responded by screaming and kicking him square in the nose. Almost on instinct, he shot to his feet and returned the attack with a blow strong enough to send her flying halfway across the tunnel, where she landed mere inches from the sluggish stream of sewer water. He didn't have time to regret his action, though, as she was almost immediately back on her feet, clothes soaked through and hands up as she readied herself to hit him a second time.
"Are you alright?" he asked, though he did not lower his own raised fists.
"You threw me!" she shouted, and they both winced at the volume as her voice echoed back at them.
"You kicked me first!" he responded in kind, and they both winced again.
They faced off for several long seconds, neither daring to move. The only sound was the soft rushing of water and the child's loud breathing. Blood was welling up on her bottom lip, bitten open when she'd hit the ground. The sight made guilt well up inside him, though considering the fact that she surprised him in his own home and then attacked him unprovoked, he didn't really want to deal with the feeling. Still, it wouldn't do either of them any good to continue this little sewer showdown.
With a put upon sigh, Splinter slowly allowed himself to relax and made a show of unclenching his fists and lowering his hands. The girl watched him suspiciously, but after another tense thirty seconds, she also allowed her trembling muscles to unwind from their battle-ready position. She remained on the opposite end of the path, dark eyes watching him suspiciously.
"What are you doing down here?" she demanded, shoulders squared and chin raised. Her tone was almost harsh enough to disguise the tremble in her voice. Something about her false bravado made the tight feeling of trepidation within his chest begin to loosen.
"I live here," he answered, then lifted his fuzzy eyebrows and asked pointedly, "What are you doing here?"
The girl winced, her puffed up chest deflating almost instantly. There was a worrisome wobble to her bloodied lower lip when she said, "I got lost."
"You got lost."
"Yes."
"In the sewers."
A nod.
"The sewers beneath New York City."
"Mhmmm."
"All by yourself?"
Another nod. Splinter was quiet for a long moment, waiting for some form of explanation or backstory, but as the seconds ticked by it soon became clear that none would be coming. He sighed again and checked his watch. He really wanted to take a nap, but it seemed that children would always come first.
"I have a few hours to spare," he told the girl, taking a single step towards her. He kept a careful eye on her, watching for any sign that his slow approach was enough to spook her and make her want to hit him again. Thankfully, other than the skittish way she kept out of arm's reach, there was no indication she felt anything more dangerous than wary curiosity as he said, "I'll take you back to the surface."
She watched him as he passed her and began to shuffle his way back towards the tunnel exit, turning to keep him in front of her at all times. It made the fur along his neck bristle with discomfort, but he brushed the feeling away. She was just a child after all, hair tied into pigtails and all.
Her footsteps were quiet, but not silent as she trailed after him. An impressive feat, considering the puddles on the ground and the way the space made everything echo. It seemed like she'd had some training. He wondered if she'd somehow wandered off from a tournament, or gotten lost on the way home from a lesson. The gi she was wearing would imply that, now that he was allowing himself to think about it.
"How did you end up down here?" he asked, casting a glance over his shoulder.
"You're a rat," she said instead of giving him an answer. He frowned.
"Yes."
"A talking rat."
"Also yes."
Her mouth was agape again, and he was a little worried that one of the many flies living down here would find its way inside it. Splinter wasn't quite sure what she was trying to get at here.
"Where am I taking you?" he tried again. He could feel his tail twitching with irritation. Her eyes were still burning holes into the back of his neck, and he felt when she edged a little closer. A full body shudder crawled up his spine at the unpleasant feeling of her fingertips brushing the sensitive hairs on the tip of his tail.
"Are you magic?" she asked. "Can you grant wishes?"
"If I say yes, will you tell me where you live so I can return you to your parents?"
"I don't have parents," she shot back, completely unconcerned with the blunt nature of her response. "But sure. Answer me and I'll tell you where my senseis are."
Sensei? So she did get lost after a lesson. He sighed, glad that the darkness of the tunnel would hide his eye roll.
"Then yes, I am a magical talking rat. Now. Your foster home or, uh, orphanage or what have you. Where is it?"
"I dunno."
Splinter's tail twitched again, a little more violently this time, and he was suddenly reminded that his basket of supplies was still missing. Probably lost to the stream of murky water running parallel to them. What a waste. He thought of the little teddy bear and his fingers curled into fists at the sting of disappointment that shot through him, claws poking into the pads of his palms. It hurt more than the loss of the food, somehow.
"Is there anything you can tell me? Do you remember anything at all about how to get home?"
Maybe she could sense his shifting mood, or maybe his voice hadn't come out as level as he'd intended it to, because her steps had begun to slow. She fell a few paces back, still following where he led her but back to keeping her wary distance.
"Nooooo," she said, drawing the word out as her voice wobbled and her breaths began to hitch.
Oh, no. No no no. He was not ready to deal with a crying child. That would be the worst possible thing for his already tenuous hold on his emotions. The fine thread of determined motivation that had gotten him out of bed was already frayed with the loss of his supplies and the thought of the little bear alone and drowning somewhere in the sewers. If he had to deal with a crying child, he was definitely going to lose it. He swallowed hard and resolved not to acknowledge this newest development. Maybe if he just ignored it, the girl would pull herself together and they could both just pretend that it never even happened in the first place. Just ignore it.
She sniffled.
He kept his eyes resolutely forward, squinting through the darkness in search of the easiest way to the surface.
A wet sob, cut off quickly by a hiccuping breath.
He ground his teeth and pretended to admire the way the barest hint of light from the sewer grates and street lights above reflected off the murky grey water.
Another sob, wetter than the last, sounded over the soft rush of the water. There was something sad about how quickly she muffled herself, but he still couldn't bear to look back at her.
"Hey, mister magic giant rat man?" she said, voice tight and trembling.
"What is it?" he grunted, still careful not to turn and look at her in case that somehow made it worse. There was a long moment of hesitation, and he gritted his teeth as her fingers once again brushed gently over his tail. She sniffled, somehow more pathetic than the one before, and he felt his steps beginning to slow as his resolve wavered.
"Are you angry at me?"
His steps faltered, and he almost heard the way she flinched. Quickly, he shook his head. Sadness for this child felt like a knife in his chest, twisting slowly.
"I'm not angry. It has just been a long night, and I want to make sure you get home safe."
"Oh," she said, and allowed herself to trail a little closer. Her breaths were still hitching, the kind of hiccupping sorrow that only comes from trying to be quiet when crying. Each of her steps echoed his own, silence stretching between them until she broke it once again.
"It's really dark down here," she whispered, and it was only his mutation-enhanced hearing that allowed him to make out the next words. "Can I…hold your hand?"
His already weakened resolve crumbled like sandcastles before a tidal wave. He turned to face her, and he was overwhelmed with emotion as it struck him how very small she was in the vastness of the underground. Her cheeks were flushed and wet with tears, her eyes downcast, and her hands clutched tightly to her chest like she was trying to keep herself from breaking apart.
"It-it's just until we get out of here! It's dark a-and you might get lost."
Her tone was defensive. She wasn't just embarrassed about being scared; she was also ready to be told no, preemptively making excuses to save face. She seemed like she was preparing to be berated for expressing her needs, like she thought she was about to be humiliated and hurt on top of already being scared. Well, that just wouldn't do.
"Yes," he hummed after a moment of over exaggerated deliberation. "That is a very smart suggestion."
And with that, he held out a hand for her to take. She stared at it, obviously surprised by the gesture, before a bright smile broke across her snotty features. When she slipped her hand into his, he gave it a gentle squeeze. She giggled as his fur tickled her palm. Her grip was surprisingly strong when she squeezed back, but he could feel the way her bones pressed too close to her skin. No meat on her at all!
Before he could think twice, his mouth was moving and he found himself saying, "Are you hungry?"
Her eyes lit up like he'd just offered her the world. Apparently, no one ever bothered to teach her about stranger danger, because she enthusiastically followed him back the way they had come, letting him lead her to his home without a word of protest. As he watched her scarf down the last of his food reserves with a worrying amount of eagerness, he resigned himself to another night of dumpster diving. Despite that, though, he felt a smile twitching at his whiskers; it was nice to have someone around. He couldn't help but think that his sons would forgive him for not continuing his search that night.
The title of this fic comes from IDK You Yet by Alexander 23. I have had this sitting in my drafts for so long I just decided I'd post the first chapter and see if there was any interest lmao. So here we go! If you liked it and want to see more please feel free to leave a comment and let me know! And if you want to find me on tumblr I go by daboyau and I'm always looking for more people to cry about turtles with.