Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sofonisba Anguissola.

She was an Italian painter in the late Renaissance era, and the person he got his name from.

It was a good name, but it belonged to a woman. That might not be a very big deal, but all of his brother's names came from men. And their brothers were all guys.

He was a guy too, just a slightly different kind.

You see, they were trans. He knew from before they could even talk, obviously not really as he couldn't even understand complex thought, much less the concept of gender.

So rather, they knew he was different when they learned the concept of gender and knew he was trans when they opened a LGBTQIA+ book.

Someone had thrown the book away, him only finding it exploring the sewers. It had a collection of different genders and sexualities with definitions for each. They still had it, tucked away in his bookshelf somewhere.

With that in mind, they were thirteen years old when he knew they were trans. He spent the next two years trying, and failing to work up the courage to come out to their family.

Coming out was a term he learned from the book.

And now here they were, a bit over fifteen years old and still in the closet.

Being in the closet, another term he learned from that book.

They couldn't wait anymore, he didn't know how, but they were going to come out. Soon.

He would tell them all that he was no longer Sofonisba, but…a name that they hadn't decided yet, figuring his father would appreciate picking it out as he had done for their brothers.

He spun around in his lab chair, thinking so deeply they almost missed his brother standing at the entrance of the lab.

They stopped spinning, turning to face the door, "Hey Mikey, what's up?" He asked casually, hating the way his voice trembled slightly.

Thankfully his least perceptive brother didn't seem to notice, "Sofooo.." He dragged out the nickname that their brothers had given him, "Raph broke the remote and now the TV is stuck on the news channel!" Mikey complained, walking over to his desk, placing the destroyed remote on the tabletop.

They took a closer look, it seemed like someone had stepped on it, presumably Raph from his brother's explanation. They started to remove the casing, needing a look at the concealed parts.

Mikey didn't make any move to leave, instead pulling a chair over to sit next to him. Their orange-banded brother started talking about how the remote had been broken, but he wasn't really listening, focusing on making a list of the damage that needed fixing.

They nodded along with Mikey's story, catching a few bits and pieces, like how 'Raph couldn't take a joke' and 'needed to learn how to watch his feet when he chased people'.

He let a small smile drift onto their face, enjoying his brother's company.

It wasn't long before he sighed, ruining the moment, "Looks like this was the last The remote could take. I can salvage a few parts, but we'll need a replacement."

Mikey looked up at him, "So it's gonna be stuck on the news channel!? You gotta fix this Sofo!" He yelled, the peaceful happiness they felt disappearing with his nickname.

It was then that another brother decided to enter, "Did Brainiac fix the remote yet?" They heard his brother ask from behind them.

The two turtles turned around to face their older brother, with Mikey already shaking his head, exaggerating his movements, "Apparently, we need to get a new one since you stepped on it!" The jab obviously didn't have malicious intent, but Raph scowled all the same.

Or rather, his scowl deepened as he already had one on his face. It was unlikely that you would see his hot-headed brother without one.

They stood up, grabbing his bag, they pushed past Raph and into the main room. "I'll have to go to the junkyard. I'm missing a crucial part and don't have anything in the Lair to scavenge from."

Leo spoke up from where he sat on the couch, reading a comic book, "If you're going out then take Mikey with you." He met their eyes, giving him a look that said not to argue.

They didn't, this could work in his favor, "Alright."

Leo watched his sister until she entered the dojo, Mikey following closely.

"That was…odd." He said to no one in particular, it was true, his sister never acted like that. She would always argue that she could take care of herself and didn't need any help.

Raph nodded, "Something's up with Sofo."

The two fell into silence after that, except for the sounds of Raph hitting the training dummy and Leo turning the pages of his comic.

Both did these activities, pummeling a dummy and reading the comic book, halfheartedly. They were more focused on what could be wrong with Sofo.

The pair of turtles entered the dojo, grabbing their weapons and calling a quick goodbye to their father.

They left the Laid after that, giving the two eldest another quick goodbye.

They made their way through the sewer tunnels on foot, the junkyard being close enough that they didn't need to take the Shellraiser. Mikey filled the normally silent tunnels with the sound of his voice, talking about nothing of importance.

The newest comic he had gotten, ideas for new weapons or inventions, etc.

The tallest of the two didn't add much, happy to let their little brother talk away, and Mikey didn't seem to mind either.

That was until they got to the manhole covering that served as their exit, "Hey Sofo? Are you alright, you've been quiet - like more quiet than normal - or your normal."

He turned to their younger brother, seeing nothing but concern and worry in his eyes, he spoke, "Mikey, there's something I need to talk to you about."

Mikey noticeably brightened, "What is it?"

They stilled, now or never, "Mikey, I'm trans. As in transgender. As in everyone thought I was a girl, but I'm really a boy." He corrected themself, seeing the confusion in the young turtle's eyes at his first two statements.

Mikey grinned, "Oh, cool. What are your pronouns?" Here he was thinking something was wrong, but his brother was just being nervous - classic Sofo- or maybe not that name anymore.

He balked, they hadn't expected this, "How do you know about asking people's pronouns?"

Mikey's happy grin turned more smug, "I snuck into your room and read all the books on your bookshelf - or the ones I could understand. You know I keep telling you guys that I'm not dumb."

He shook their head, "I don't think your dumb, Mikey. And to answer your question, my pronouns are he/they."

Mikey's grin grew larger, if that was possible at this point, "You got it!" He paused, remembering something else from that book, "Do you have a new name that I should call you?"

He shook their head again, "No, I want to let Sensei choose. Like he did for all of you. But, I haven't come out to him yet."

Mikey looked up at his brother, "Dude, please tell me that I was the first turtle you told, because if I was then I have officially won the best brother award!"

He smiled affectionately, looking down at their younger brother, "You were the first turtle, or otherwise, that I've told. And you definitely deserve that award, don't tell Leo I said that, though."

Mikey, quite literally, jumped for joy, "Yeah! Booyakasha!" He suddenly stopped, turning to look up at his brother, "Wait a minute - I see what you're doing - By telling me first you think you're going to get into the running for best brother, don't you? Nice try, dude, but you can't get past me that easy!"

They ignored the fluttering in his heart at being in the running for the best brother award. Instead, they shook his head, chuckling, "Wouldn't dream of it Mikey."

Mikey gave them a suspicious look that said 'I don't believe you' before breaking into a grin and embracing the other turtle. It was one of the few hugs in his life that he didn't hate, hugging their brother back.

The hug lasted for a few more moments before the purple-clad turtle pulled away. Mikey didn’t protest, letting him back up.

“How about we go get that remote, huh?” They asked, already moving for the ladder beneath the manhole cover.

Maybe this would be easier than they thought.

Chapter Text

This was not easier than he thought it would be.

They didn't think he could handle opening up to more than one person at once, so they decided to handle each person, or mutant, one at a time.

But a good opportunity hadn't been presented yet, besides with Mikey of course.

Speaking of which, he had noticed an odd new behavior in their two older brothers mostly just Leo.

They started checking in on him more frequently, without reason or warning. They didn't think he was acting any differently, perhaps a bit happier since Mikey had begun to gender him correctly.

But, it wasn't a big enough difference for their brothers to worry, and it was a positive change, so he was perplexed.

They were fine, more than fine even, so why were his brother's worried?

Something was wrong with Sofo, but Raph couldn't figure out what.

She didn't argue when Leo told her to bring Mikey, and it's not like she would've just wanted to hang out with Mikey, because who would?

They took way too long at the junkyard, not that Raph was worried, Fearless was though.

In hindsight, it was kind of funny watching Leo pace in the TV pit, nervously calling Sofo.

When the pair did get back, Sofo wasn't ignoring Mikey like she usually did after being near him for longer than 20 minutes.

And Sofo seemed happier now, that wasn't bad, but it was different.

Leo didn't want to talk to Sofo about it, just check in on her. It was stupid, tiptoeing around Sofo like she was fragile.

Leo had a bad habit of that, treating the younger two turtles like they were made of glass.

Raph had obliged for three days, a new record of following Leo's orders, before he couldn't take it anymore. Something was up with his sister, and he needed to know.

That led him to where he was now, opening the door to the lab Sofo had long since claimed.

The door opened with a loud screech, visibly startling the turtle at the desk. Said turtle had been hunched over their computer, working on a new update for the T-Phones.

The purple-banded brother spun around in his chair, an angry comment on the tip of their tongue. But it died in his mouth when they saw the look on his brother's face.

Anyone outside of their family would've been fooled by the mask Raphael had put up, thinking what was happening was simply annoying to him. But they saw through it, his brother was concerned and had carefully disguised it as anger.

"Hey Raph." They said carefully, already turning back to his desk, if just to get away from that burning state.

"Hey." Was all the red-banded turtle said before he closed the door and walked up to the desk.

Raph leaned down to the younger turtle's view, uncomfortably close, "Now, are you gonna tell me what's going on or do I have to beat it out of you?"

Another patented Raphael move, using anger and threats to hide his worry.

The purple-banded turtle huffed, midway through an eye roll before he stopped short. They weren't alone with Raph very often, so this may be his best chance.

They met Raph's burning gaze, "I'm actually a bit surprised it took you this long to come talk to me. For a second, I wondered if you had actually started listening to Leo." It was true, this was probably the longest Raph had followed Leo's orders, if it wasn't in a life or death.

"Stop dodging the question, Brainiac." Raphael huffed, leaning back to give the younger of the two some room to breathe.

He sighed, "I'm trans." They raised an eyebrow ridge at Raph's blank stare, "Do you…know what that is?"

Raph scoffed, "Yeah, I know what that is. So, you're a dude?"

It was interesting that so far two-thirds of his brother's had an understanding of trans people. Mikey's explanation seemed plausible, and as much as they wanted to probe Raph, the glare older turtle sent advised him against it.

"Yeah, I'm a guy. He/they pronouns."

Raph nodded, "You got a name yet?"

They shook his head, "No, I'm letting Sensei choose once I come out to him."

Raph sent them an odd look, "You haven't told him yet?" His tone was full of disbelief.

"Seeing as I said 'when I come out to him'." He paused as if pretending to think, "No, I don't think so."

"Don't get smart with me, Brainiac."

"That's a contradicting statement. And I would try, but I think most things would be considered smart for you."

Raph lightly slapped them on the back of the head, an almost smile on his face. The purple-banded turtle went back to his work, Raph watching for a moment before turning to leave.

He was in the process of leaving, but his immediate brother's quiet voice stopped him, "Besides you, only Mikey knows. And I'll talk to Leo soon, but I just haven't found the time."

Raph didn't turn back, but he did speak, "I'm heading out with Casey on a solo patrol today. Mikeys working on that secret art project of his. It'll just be you, Leo, and Splinter in the Lair. Do it then." With that he left.

They stilled, thinking over his brother's words. It made sense, he decided, they'd confront Leo tonight.

Chapter Text

He had finished the T-Phone upgrade, hours ago actually. They just needed to leave his lab, walk up to Leo, and say the words they had already said twice.

He just needed their legs to work. So why wouldn't they?

This wasn't any different than when he talked to Raph and Mikey. Sure, Leo was their oldest brother, and he looked up to him a lot, and cared a lot about his opinion…oh, that's why.

They cared more about what Leo thought of him than Raph or Mikey. Which was to be expected, Leo was the leader, Raph and Mikey were not. Mikey was their younger brother and while Raph was technically older, but it didn't feel like that unless Raph was shoving the fact in his face.

He took a breath, and forced themself to stand up. He took a step, and another, not thinking about where they were going just knowing that this had to be done.

The lab door opened with a loud screech that echoed in the near silent lab. The only noise was the muffled music that came from Mikey's room.

He knew Leo was still in the Lair, but didn't see him in the TV pit so they kept walking toward the kitchen.

He had barely made it to the entrance of the kitchen before they heard a loud crash. He finished the last few steps quickly, entering the kitchen to see Leo leaning on the ground.

They rushed over to them, relaxing a bit when Leo had already begun to stand up, "Leo, you alright?"

Leo smiled, "Don't worry, I just dropped the kettle." He picked up the tea kettle and gingerly set it on the stove. He didn't put water in it though, instead staring at the younger turtle.

For a moment neither of them spoke, just staring at each other. It made the tallest of the two very uncomfortable, Leo's strategy to get him to open up, no doubt. He had used it on them several times before.

It never worked on Raph, but Mikey would crack immediately. For him it just depended on their sleep to coffee ratio at the moment.

For half a second, he wanted to stare down Leo. Pit his own strategy against him, see how he liked it.

They had to remind himself that they were here for a reason. He didn't think it was the best idea to instigate their oldest brother, not when he had important news.

So, they sat down at the kitchen island, his hands flickering between their legs and the countertop. The silence made him uncomfortable and eventually they opened his mouth to speak, "Uh, Leo. I've got something important to tell you."

Leo just looked at him, face unchanging, "Yeah? What would that be?"

Curse you Leonardo for making this more difficult than it had to be. They cleared his throat before speaking, "I'm, uh, I'm not a girl. And my name isn't Sofonisba." Okay, they could have explained that a bit better.

Leo looked confused, "What do you mean?" Great, he didn't know about this like Mikey and Raph did. Which reminded him, they yet to ask where Raph had to react the way he did.

"I'd recommend looking up the term transgender later for further clarification, but to summarize: I was born into a body that is associated with girls, but my brain tells me that I am a boy. It makes me uncomfortable when people refer to me as a girl, or use my birth name." He finished explaining, watching Leo's face carefully. They'd never been the best at reading other people, but really needed to know what was going on in Leo's head.

Leo nodded, "So, you're a boy, then? Like me, Raph, and Mikey."

He waved their hand in a so-so motion, "Yes, but I prefer he/they pronouns instead of he/him like you three use." He continued their explanation seeing Leo's confusion return, "Just use the pronouns he and they when talking about me."

Leo nodded again, smile now returned, "Alright Sofo-" He stopped, looking at his younger brother apologetically, "You said you were uncomfortable with your birth name. I'm sorry, force of habit. Do you go by a different one now?"

He smiled, a bit uneasily thanks to Leo's mistake, but they'd get over it, "Yeah, I do. Or I will once I talk to Splinter about this."

Leo looked shocked, "You haven't told Sensei? What about Raph and Mikey?"

He nodded, "I've told them already. I'm planning to tell Casey and April once they actually come over." Unfortunately, April had been busy with school and Casey had hockey so they hadn't talked to them yet. "And I am planning on telling Splinter, today actually."

Leo turned back to the stove, carefully moving the kettle to a safer place, before turning back to his brother.

"Wanna watch Space Heroes with me?"

He had known Leo long enough, their entire life in fact, to know that Space Heroes was Leo's way of bonding. He smiled, bigger and less shaky now, before following Leo into the living room.

Leo had apparently been in the middle of a rewatch as the episode on screen definitely wasn't the first one. The taller turtle did notice that Leo's attention was on his phone and not the show. They carefully looked over Leo's shoulder, relaxing when he saw that Leo was following their advice.

He had looked up the term transgender, and how to make trans people feel comfortable.

He officially had three people, that knew who they truly were, in his corner. They held out hope that the number would grow.

Chapter Text

He watched Space Heroes with Leo for the next couple of hours, both content to watch it in silence.

They could still hear music coming from Mikey's room and absently wondered what he was up to. That was until Raph entered the Lair, hopping over the turnstiles with a large bruise on his face.

Leo immediately turned towards Raph, annoyance and worry prevalent on his features, "You went out patrolling with Casey again," Leo got a better look at his condition once Raph sat on the couch with them, "How bad are you hurt?"

Raph huffed, "Just a few bruises, it'll heal, go back to your dumb show."

Leo scoffed, mumbling about how great a show Space Heroes is, but turned back to the TV regardless. Of course, after he checked that Raph wasn't hiding a fatal stab wound.

Raph poked his purple-clad brother, who quickly did a once over of their own to make sure that Raph really was fine. After finding nothing serious, he met Raph's gaze.

Raph subtly gestured to Leo, the question clear, did you tell him?

They gave him a deadpan look, "No, Raphael, we have been sitting here for a few hours, in silence, and I did not take the opportunity to tell Leo that I am trans."

Leo snickered from his place in front of the TV.

Raph hit him in the side, "Wasn't sure if you'd chicken out or not, Brainiac."

They had just opened his mouth to refute that claim when Mikey came rushing in, his hand behind his back, "Guys! Guys! Guys!" He stopped once he had reached the pit, smiling excitedly. Mikey's smile faltered when he noticed Raph and Leo, gesturing not-so-subtly at the two with a false eyebrow raised at his immediate older brother.

Raph rolled his eyes, "Yes, Mikey, we know he's a boy!"

Mikey's smile returned in full force, threatening to outshine the sun, before he ran up the tallest of the four, "Okay, I made you something, so here!" He then pushed a large piece of paper into the open hands of his brother. The purple-clad turtle carefully flipped the drawing over and they could feel his smile grow at what was on it.

It was a detailed drawing of themself in the lab, hunched over his computer. Several mugs and beakers were scattered across the desk and the projects they held dearly were in the background. Several things were colored either pink, blue, or white, which created a subtle trans flag.

He found themself speechless, desperately trying to think of something to say. Then Raph spoke up, "Why don't we ever get anything as nice as that?"

Mikey stuck his tongue out at him, "Because it would be a waste of my time to draw someone as ugly as you- AH LEO HELP!!!"

Raph had leapt for Mikey, the latter now running around the Lair while the former chased him.

Eventually Mikey jumped back into the pit, hiding behind Leo for protection, a mischievous grin on his face. Raph flopped back onto the couch with a huff and a glare at his youngest brother.

Leo had taken the drawing into his hands, "This is wonderful Mikey." Mikey grinned at that, "I take it this is what you were holed up in your room doing?"

Mikey nodded, happy to talk about his art, "I wanted to get it just right so that D would like it!"

Said turtle took the drawing back, a confused look on his face, "D?"

Mikey gave them a 'duh' look, "I said that I would call you dude, didn't I? D is short for dude." He explained.

'D' laughed quietly, standing up to put the drawing where it would be safe in his lab, "Amazing, you shortened a one-syllable word."

They told his brother's that they'd be right back and went to put the drawing in his lab. When they returned he saw that Leo had gone back to his show, Raph was reading a comic book, and Mikey was on the phone. Likely ordering pizza as none of them had dinner yet.

They were about to go sit down when the doors of the dojo caught his eye. Splinter would be in there, they could tell him right now. It would go fine, and even if it didn't then he was surrounded by their loving family.

He glanced at the pit and caught Leo's eye. Leo seemed to understand and nodded softly, reassuring them. He took a breath and made up their mind.

He had made it all the way to the dojo, standing directly in front of the doors, when Leo called over his shoulder, "We're here for you."

With that simple sentence ringing their head, he pushed open the dojo doors and walked in.

Splinter was meditating. They'd just interrupted Splinter while he was meditating!

Despite this, Splinter did not seem annoyed, in fact he motioned for the turtle to sit. Once he did, Splinter spoke, "Something troubles you my daughter."

They cringed, having grown accustomed to being called a boy since he came out to Mikey a few days ago. They pushed down the discomfort and instead looked to his Sensei, "How could you tell?"

"I like to think I know how my children act normally." Wow, Splinter was hard to read, "So, Sofonisba, what troubles you?" He was trying to steer the conversation back to the task at hand.

The turtle fidgeted with his hand, avoiding Splinter's gaze for a moment before looking at him directly, "I'm a boy. Not a girl. And my name is not Sofonisba. Please don't be mad at me." They spoke quickly, fumbling over his words a bit.

Splinter was quiet for a moment before his face softened as he gently took the turtle's hands into his, "Were you happy as a girl?"

They don't have to think about it, "No."

Splinter nodded, as if expecting this, "And are you happy as a boy?"

He didn't hesitate with this answer either, "Yes."

Splinter squeezed the turtle's hands, "Then, my son, why would I be mad that you are happy now?"

That broke the careful wall holding back their tears, as he began to sob. Splinter pulled the turtle onto his lap, just like he did when they were younger, rubbing circles into their shell.

They stayed like that until the turtle's eyes ran dry and he gently pushed themself off of his father.

Splinter still held one of their hands in his, a silent reminder that he was there, and he gave it a gentle squeeze, "My son, have you picked a new name for yourself?"

He shook their head, "You picked the others' names, so I wanted you to pick mine as well."

Splinter thought for a moment before standing up, "One moment." He walked into his room and a few seconds later reammerged, carrying a piece of paper. He sat back down in front of his son, "I have a list of the names I thought of for your four. I suppose it is good I kept it all these years."

The paper was old, the pencil markings faded, and his father treated it with such care that you would think it was his long lost child. He handed it to the turtle who quickly read it, it had four girl names and four boy names. He skipped the girls names and looked straight at the boy names.

They immediately noticed that the names were out of order, starting with Raphael, then Michelangelo, then Leonardo. And finally, Donatello.

He handed this list back to their father, who looked at him with nothing but love, "Donatello is yours if you want it."

Donatello smiled, still teary eyed from their crying earlier, "Have to stick with the theme."

Splinter smiled, "I would say go tell your brothers, but I suspect they have been eavesdropping."

Donatello laughed and stood up, walking towards the doors before stopping and rushing back for another hug, "Thank you, Sensei."

Splinter patted his shell, "Of course, my son."

Splinter had been partially right, one of their brothers had been eavesdropping. Donatello was not surprised when he found Mikey leaning against the dojo doors, obviously trying to hear better.

Mikey, however, was very surprised, "AH!" He fell to the ground since he had been leaning against the doors which Donatello had now opened. He looked up at his older brother, taking the hand that was offered, "Give a turtle some warning," Mikey looked back at Splinter, "Sorry, Sensei."

Splinter smiled, waving the pair off.

Donatello quickly closed the doors, walking towards the pit, Mikey following close behind. Donatello, they loved his new name, was surprised to see Raph and Leo still where they were before they had gone to talk to Splinter.

Donatello and Mikey sat on the couch, Leo immediately turning around and Raph looking up from his comic book, before Mikey started to question his immediate older brother, "So, how did it go? Was he cool with it? Did he give you a new name?"

Raph slapped a hand over Mikey's mouth, "Why don't you let him answer?" Raph rolled his eyes, until Mikey licked his hand. Raph hit Mikey upside the head, before looking back to Donatello. Leo hadn't taken his eyes off of him since they had sat down.

Donatello took a breath, "It went great. He was completely cool with it, even calling me his son. And he gave me a new name!" He couldn't stop the smile that spread across their face, letting the feelings of the conversation fully catch up to him.

Mikey perked up at the last declaration, "He gave you a new name! That's awesome! Wait, what is it? I gotta think of a cool new nickname for you."

Donatello smiled at their only younger brother, looking up to see his two older brothers as well. They thought for a moment about just how lucky he was, even if they were mutants living in the sewers.

"My name is Donatello."

Chapter Text

Donnie, the nickname that Mikey had given him, was putting the finishing touches on the T-Phone update with Mikey. Of course, Mikey wasn’t helping much, but he provided light conversation that was very much welcome. Ever since Donnie came out to him three weeks ago, they found it easier to be around the younger turtle.

Mikey suddenly stood up, literally jumping with joy. Donnie glanced over at him, “What happened Mikey?”

Mikey was smiling larger than usual and that smile only widened when he spoke, “Dude, check the group chat! April and Casey can come over tonight!”

That explained why Mikey was so excited. April and Casey hadn’t been able to come over because of school, it being final season and all. In fact, it had been almost an entire month since either of the two humans had been to the Lair at all.

Which meant that they didn’t know about Donnie and how he was trans. Which meant they would call them by his deadname, and misgender them.

For the first time in three weeks, that feeling of disappointed acceptance that always came with being seen as a girl, settled in the pit of their stomach. His face must have given away their thoughts and feelings, because Mikey spoke up, “Don’t worry, D! April and Casey won’t have a problem with you being a guy.” His expression turned very serious, “And if they do, we’ll go full ninja on them!”

Donnie couldn’t tell if Mikey was joking or not. But it didn’t matter, it wasn’t like Donnie could ignore his human friends forever. Unless…no, they couldn’t.

Donnie gave Mikey a shaky smile, “It’ll be fine. They’ll be fine. I’ll be fine. We’ll be fine.” He realized just how unfine they sounded, but it was fine. Okay, change of topic, “Are they bringing pizza, or are you cooking?”

The perfect distraction, get Mikey to talk about his cooking. Donnie mostly tuned Mikey out, letting his talking become background noise as he works. That lasts for maybe an hour, before Mikey pulls out his phone again and begins to leave the lab. He turns around once he reaches the door, an excited expression on his face, “Come on D, they’re here!”

Donnie gulps, now or never. Their legs shake as he walks to the now open door, nervousness coursing through their veins. “I can do this..” He mutters softly, reassuring themself.

April sets some pizza boxes on the floor of the TV pit, Raph and Casey talk with each other from their places on the couch, and Leo and Mikey are trying to find a good movie to watch. It’s a normal scene for the Hamato household.
“Hey Sofo, done hiding?” And there it is. Donnie cringes, looking everywhere but at April. When he does manage to look at her, they have to fight to not look away again. She looks confused and hurt, after all it was only a teasing remark.

He had almost forgotten what it felt like to be called that name, their brothers and father only messing up a few times since he came out. This hurt, it felt like when they had first figured out why he was different, when they finally had an answer, it just made the hurt worse. Now, he knew what it was like to feel supported and understood, it just made being called that worse. That's probably why they blurted out what he said next, which was, “I’m trans. I go by he/they pronouns, and I use the name Donatello-”

“Or Donnie!” Mikey added in helpfully.

“And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” Donnie continued, “But I was scared of what you’d think, and what’d you say, and…yeah.”

Donnie was terrified of what her reaction was going to be, since she didn’t have to love them unconditionally like his brothers or father. That's why, when they saw her expression, he breathed a sigh of relief, “You don’t have to apologize, and thanks for telling me, Donnie.” She said, a fond smile on her face.

They smiled at April and turned to look at Casey, who had been silent up until that point.

Casey always had confusing expressions, which wasn’t helpful considering Donnie already sucked at reading faces. But now, Casey was more confusing than ever. He looked a little annoyed, proud, and bored? It was a whole mixed bag of emotions. Donnie continued to stare at Casey and he didn’t seem to realize until Raph elbowed him in the ribs, “Ow, what the hell!?” Raph rolled his eyes and motioned at Donnie, a look of realization crossed his face, “Oh, yeah, Donnie. I don’t care that you’re a guy.” Casey then stood up, walking over to get in Donnie’s face, “I do care that you just totally upstaged me!”

“Huh?” Was the most intelligent reply that Donnie could muster.

Casey scoffed, “Yeah, man, I was gonna come out as trans, but now we both have to share the spotlight.” The annoyed look, that Donnie now realized was Casey joking, fell off of Casey’s face, being replaced with an easy grin, “Congrats on coming out, though.”

Donnie blinked, then blinked again, before a grin similar to Casey’s fell onto his face, “Thanks, now I believe you were coming out?”

“Yes, I was.” Casey cleared their throat and turned to the people sitting in the TV, Leo and April paying attention, while Mikey and Raph started watching the movie that had been ignored until that point. Casey cleared their throat again, this time louder, until Raph and Mikey focused on Casey. “Anyway, I’m a chick. She/her, and my name is still Casey.” She finished her, admittedly very short, speech with a slight bow, already walking towards the pizza boxes, “Now, seeing as me and Donnie are the only two non-cis people here, we deserve first dibs.”

She grabbed the top box, carrying it over to the couch, with Donnie following after her. The two sat down on the couch, Casey slinging an arm around Donnie’s shoulders and placing the pizza box on her lap. She turned her attention to the TV, relaxing once she realized that something good had been put on for once.

Donnie looked around the TV pit, with almost all of their family surrounding him, Donnie didn’t feel very alone. They counted the people that were on his side now, and were pleased when they realized it was at an all time high.

Six people knew who he was, and weren't freaked out, weren’t against them, and would fight for him. That was enough for Donatello.

Chapter Text

He watched Space Heroes with Leo for the next couple of hours, both content to watch it in silence.

They could still hear music coming from Mikey's room and absently wondered what he was up to. That was until Raph entered the Lair, hopping over the turnstiles with a large bruise on his face.

Leo immediately turned towards Raph, annoyance and worry prevalent on his features, "You went out patrolling with Casey again," Leo got a better look at his condition once Raph sat on the couch with them, "How bad are you hurt?"

Raph huffed, "Just a few bruises, it'll heal, go back to your dumb show."

Leo scoffed, mumbling about how great a show Space Heroes is, but turned back to the TV regardless. Of course, after he checked that Raph wasn't hiding a fatal stab wound.

Raph poked his purple-clad brother, who quickly did a once over of their own to make sure that Raph really was fine. After finding nothing serious, he met Raph's gaze.

Raph subtly gestured to Leo, the question clear, did you tell him?

They gave him a deadpan look, "No, Raphael, we have been sitting here for a few hours, in silence, and I did not take the opportunity to tell Leo that I am trans."

Leo snickered from his place in front of the TV.

Raph hit him in the side, "Wasn't sure if you'd chicken out or not, Brainiac."

They had just opened his mouth to refute that claim when Mikey came rushing in, his hand behind his back, "Guys! Guys! Guys!" He stopped once he had reached the pit, smiling excitedly. Mikey's smile faltered when he noticed Raph and Leo, gesturing not-so-subtly at the two with a false eyebrow raised at his immediate older brother.

Raph rolled his eyes, "Yes, Mikey, we know he's a boy!"

Mikey's smile returned in full force, threatening to outshine the sun, before he ran up the tallest of the four, "Okay, I made you something, so here!" He then pushed a large piece of paper into the open hands of his brother. The purple-clad turtle carefully flipped the drawing over and they could feel his smile grow at what was on it.

It was a detailed drawing of themself in the lab, hunched over his computer. Several mugs and beakers were scattered across the desk and the projects they held dearly were in the background. Several things were colored either pink, blue, or white, which created a subtle trans flag.

He found themself speechless, desperately trying to think of something to say. Then Raph spoke up, "Why don't we ever get anything as nice as that?"

Mikey stuck his tongue out at him, "Because it would be a waste of my time to draw someone as ugly as you- AH LEO HELP!!!"

Raph had leapt for Mikey, the latter now running around the Lair while the former chased him.

Eventually Mikey jumped back into the pit, hiding behind Leo for protection, a mischievous grin on his face. Raph flopped back onto the couch with a huff and a glare at his youngest brother.

Leo had taken the drawing into his hands, "This is wonderful Mikey." Mikey grinned at that, "I take it this is what you were holed up in your room doing?"

Mikey nodded, happy to talk about his art, "I wanted to get it just right so that D would like it!"

Said turtle took the drawing back, a confused look on his face, "D?"

Mikey gave them a 'duh' look, "I said that I would call you dude, didn't I? D is short for dude." He explained.

'D' laughed quietly, standing up to put the drawing where it would be safe in his lab, "Amazing, you shortened a one-syllable word."

They told his brother's that they'd be right back and went to put the drawing in his lab. When they returned he saw that Leo had gone back to his show, Raph was reading a comic book, and Mikey was on the phone. Likely ordering pizza as none of them had dinner yet.

They were about to go sit down when the doors of the dojo caught his eye. Splinter would be in there, they could tell him right now. It would go fine, and even if it didn't then he was surrounded by their loving family.

He glanced at the pit and caught Leo's eye. Leo seemed to understand and nodded softly, reassuring them. He took a breath and made up their mind.

He had made it all the way to the dojo, standing directly in front of the doors, when Leo called over his shoulder, "We're here for you."

With that simple sentence ringing their head, he pushed open the dojo doors and walked in.

Splinter was meditating. They'd just interrupted Splinter while he was meditating!

Despite this, Splinter did not seem annoyed, in fact he motioned for the turtle to sit. Once he did, Splinter spoke, "Something troubles you my daughter."

They cringed, having grown accustomed to being called a boy since he came out to Mikey a few days ago. They pushed down the discomfort and instead looked to his Sensei, "How could you tell?"

"I like to think I know how my children act normally." Wow, Splinter was hard to read, "So, Sofonisba, what troubles you?" He was trying to steer the conversation back to the task at hand.

The turtle fidgeted with his hand, avoiding Splinter's gaze for a moment before looking at him directly, "I'm a boy. Not a girl. And my name is not Sofonisba. Please don't be mad at me." They spoke quickly, fumbling over his words a bit.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Splinter was silent.

Okay, that’s fine, maybe he’s just processing things. This is fine, they can deal with this-

“Why would you say this, Sofonisba?” Splinter didn’t sound caring, or worried, or even confused. He sounded…annoyed.

“W-What do you mean?” This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. This wasn’t how it went with his brothers.

“Why would you say something untrue like this?” Splinter’s voice grew angrier, “Why would you lie to me like this? You are not a boy, you are a girl, and your name is Sofonisba.” He placed a hand on the turtle’s shaking shoulder, using his other hand to force them to look at him.

He wiggled out of their father’s hold, returning his gaze to the intricate carpeting of the dojo. They could feel the tears gathering in his eyes, they tried to speak and found he couldn’t. They swallowed the knot that had growth in his throat and tried to speak again, “I’m not lying about this Splinter. I’m not a girl and my name is not Sofonisba.” Their voice became stronger, firmer as he spoke. They know who he is, they don’t have to prove to himself, only others.

Still, the tears that had been gathering in their eyes now fell freely. As much as he wanted to put up a strong front and pretend that they didn’t need his father’s approval, it simply wasn’t true. They need his father, because he’s their father.

Splinter’s face softened at the sight of the young turtle’s tears, “My daughter,” He spoke, “I love you, and I will support you on anything.” The turtle looked up, hopeful, “But,” The turtle’s face fell and Splinter continued, “I can not support you on this.”

The turtle stared at his father. The man they had looked up to his entire life, the man who read to them as a child, the man who would hold him after a nightmare. But now, he was the man who refused to accept his son for who they are. Those memories were still held dearly by the turtle, but it was almost like a filter had been placed on them.

He couldn’t look at their father anymore, so he rushed out of the dojo. Splinter did not call after them.

He kept running, pushing past their brothers in the process. He needed to be somewhere safe, somewhere alone.

They got to his lab, slamming the door once they did. He stood there for a moment, heaving, desperately trying to breathe through their tears. He didn’t realize that they had fallen to the floor, knees to his chest, back to the door.

They could faintly hear voices on the other side of the door. He knew that the voices belonged to their brothers.

"Look, D, please come out! We can talk about this.." That was Mikey.

"If you don't open this door, I'll pound you into the ground!" That was Raph.

Where was Leo? He had expected Leo to be first to defend them. But, now he wasn't even trying to convince him to get out of the lab? That stung.

Leo sat down next to them.

He swung around to face Leo, wondering how he even got in there.

Leo smiled gently, "the garage door was open." His voice was quiet, but it still stung the younger's ears.

The voices outside stopped. "Leo?" Mikey's hesitant voice asked.

Leo looked at his younger brother, "Do you want me to let them in?" He asked.

The younger nodded, standing up and walking over to their desk. Leo opened the door, letting Raph and Mikey inside. The two had gone quiet once they saw the tearstained face of the second youngest.

Mikey pulled up a chair next to his older brother, resting a head on his shoulder. Raph and Leo stood nearby.

"It didn't go well, did it?" Raph's voice was curt, to the point.

"Raph!" Leo elbowed him.

"What? It clearly didn't go well since he's in here crying." He sent a glare at Leo, then returned his gaze to his immediate younger brother.

"Yeah. He didn't believe me." Some of their bitterness crept into his voice.

Raph's expression darkened, eyes holding a dangerous glint. Leo looked shocked, then sad. Mikey's eyes held fresh tears, steadily pooling in his older brother's shoulder.

"You don't need him to believe you." Raph put a hand on their free shoulder.

"Yeah!" Mikey popped up, looking his older brother in the face, mask stained with tears, "We believe you!"

Leo spoke up, "We're here for you, no matter what."

The second youngest could feel new tears gathering in his eyes. They were incredibly grateful for his brothers, and how much they had already helped them.

"So, what's next?" Mikey asked.

The second youngest took a breath, thinking, "I say that we order pizza and have a good night." The others smiled at his declaration, Mikey already grabbing his phone to order the pizza.

Raph pulled them up, heading out of the lab and towards the TV pit. Leo gave him a small smile, gently leading him to the living room.

The pizza arrived not long after that, while they were already well into their movie marathon.

They let Mikey pick what they watched, and mostly just watched with conservation. Of course, Raph had to give many comments about how dumb the movies are, and Mikeys reasons why they're the greatest films in cinema history.

While they watched the movies, the second youngest was busy. They were looking up names and careers of Italian Renaissance artists, since he had to stick to the theme.

They were in the third movie of the night when they suddenly stood up, causing the blanket that had been on him to fall to the ground.

Leo paused the movie and they all looked at the now standing turtle.

"What?" Raph asked.

The second youngest bounced on their feet, fully smiling, "I've been looking," He glanced at the closed dojo doors, then lowered his voice, "I've been looking for a new name and I found one."

"Really?" Mikey cut in, "That quickly?"

The second youngest waved him off, "I can always change it if I need to."

"What name did you choose?" Leo asked, steering the conversation back on track.

The second youngest smiled, voice proud and strong when he spoke, "Donatello,"

"My name is Donatello."