Chapter Text
You shouldn't be nervous to walk around your own city. You've lived in New York for over a decade now and were confident in your usual routes to your usual haunts.
And, seriously, after dinosaur-shaped aliens invaded and broke part of the city, there really wasn't much that normal humans could do to spook you.
Of course, after encountering aliens on your home turf, maybe you should have been a little more wary of others. Not everyone took aliens existing in stride or even figured that, hey, life isn't that bad here on Earth. No, some folks unfortunately figured that if aliens invaded once, they'll do it again, and it was inevitable that someone from space was going to take over the planet one day. Since life on Earth was meaningless, may as well either live life to the fullest or prepare for the eventual end.
There were multiple gangs taking advantage of people who thought the latter, as well as the occasional would-be mugger, but that was also just life in New York City. You tended to stick to the more traveled paths and tried to be friendly with those you saw routinely. Create a community, and the community would look out for you.
It helped that your small dog was able to imitate a shrill alarm and was usually a good enough deterrent against others who may try to intimidate you into giving up your wallet.
Usually.
Moose was doing his best to dart here, there, and everywhere to sniff everything, the excitement and dog-friendly sugar from his "pup cup" giving him plenty of energy to make it home after your walk. The little indie coffee shop that brewed delicious lattes and had dog treats on hand had become a familiar place whenever your walks took you in their direction, which was becoming more common due to Moose starting to memorize the way.
Generally, you visited the coffee shop earlier in the day, but you had a deadline coming up and writer's block had reared its ugly head. You figured both a walk and a latte would help chip away at the block, and Moose enjoyed getting out of the apartment and tiny yard that came with it.
With the later time, though, there were less people out and about. Apparently you and your little dog looked like prime targets, and you had made the mistake of letting Moose sniff a little too close to the entrance of an alley about two blocks away from your apartment building.
Someone yanked on the middle of Moose's leash from within the alley, dragging Moose and making you stumble into the darker passage.
"Aw, c'mon!" Your latte splashed onto the ground, but your disappointment was short-lived as you realized you should probably be more concerned with whatever the stranger wanted.
"Wallet," the stranger demanded, one hand palm out while the other still gripped the middle of Moose's leash tight.
"Don't have it on me," you said, releasing your end of the leash to quickly pat down your pockets. The walk was supposed to be short, and you didn't think you'd need much more than your apartment key and the cash for a drink. "I got, like, two bucks and change from when I got my coffee--"
Moose was growling up at the stranger, but he yipped when the stranger yanked on the leash again.
"Hey, buddy, I'm going to go all John Wick on your ass if you hurt my dog," you said in a rush. You pulled out the two bucks and added, "This is all I got--"
Moose leaped upon the stranger's shoe and bit his ankle.
"Ouch--!" The stranger dropped the leash and literally shook Moose off, your dog colliding with the ground. "You mutt--!"
Moose got back to his feet the same instant you saw the stranger brandish a knife. You lunged at the stranger, shoving him back before he could even think to throw the knife at your dog, and the tussle made both of you fall further into the alleyway.
A sharp pain laced your arm before the stranger disentangled himself from you.
You gasped, dazed, and were only vaguely aware of Moose sounding the alarm, his barks fast and furious. The stranger whirled around from you and towards your dog, the knife still in his hand, and you scrambled back to your feet. You sent a quick jab to the side of the stranger's head, but your footing was all off from your own tumble.
The knife's steel flashed as the stranger pivoted back towards you. The blade went up…
…and crashed back down with a screech as it was blocked by a pair of sais.
Raphael's arms were around you, his weapons crossed up to protect your face from the stranger's knife. All you saw was the stranger's eyes widen before Raph, in one fluid movement, twisted his wrists and body to simultaneously dislodge the knife and put himself between you and the stranger.
Moose howled excitedly at the cavalry and probably would have dove back at the stranger's ankle if you didn't catch his leash. You grabbed your dog and backed away to keep enough distance between yourself and your turtle friend's fight.
The fight was, unsurprisingly, short-lived. The stranger had tried a couple of punches, but you were certain he brought more harm to himself than Raphael when his fist collided with Raph's shell. Raphael sent him sprawling back towards the alleyway's entrance within a couple of moments, and the stranger immediately got up to run away.
You took a deep breath. "All that for two bucks…"
"You alright? What the shell happened?"
You refocused and looked up at Raphael. Moose gave a soft, "Aw-rooo!" as a greeting to your friend, but Raph was focused on your left arm.
"You're bleedin'," he deadpanned.
"Oh. Right." You rearranged your dog in your arms. "Shoot, hope I didn't get any blood on Moose--"
"Ya gotta be kiddin'…" Raph moved your jacket's torn sleeve out of the way, and the both of you stared at the slice that now ran down your arm. "Seems pretty shallow."
"Yeah, but who knows what else that knife touched," you said. "Gotta get home to clean it."
Staring at the bleeding wound, you took a deep breath, finding that your heartbeat was starting to pick up. The adrenaline and want to protect Moose had shoved aside any panic at being attacked but it was trying to force its way through now.
You swallowed hard. "Uh, mind following me back to my apartment? Make sure I get there okay?"
Raph nodded. "I don't mind. You'll be good walkin'?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'll be fine." You knew you were trying to convince yourself more so than him, and you guessed he knew it, too.
"Alright." He waited until you turned out of the alleyway before moving himself.
The time it took to reach your apartment was a blur, and you fortunately didn't meet any of your neighbors out and about as you made it to your door. Your hand trembled as you tried to put your key in the lock without putting Moose down, but your door swung open before you could even turn the knob.
"Window was unlocked," was all Raph said as an explanation as he stepped aside to let you in. He shut the door behind you, and you suddenly didn't have Moose in your arms any longer.
Raphael had taken Moose, giving him a quick pat before putting him in his bed, and wandered into your bathroom. He came out in seconds and told you to, "Take off your jacket."
Your jacket was abandoned and you were sitting on your couch as Raph, with your first aid kit opened beside him, starting measuring out a length of guaze and bandages. You hissed when he dumped a bunch of antiseptic on your wound, but he continually to methodically clean the cut.
"How often have you done this before?" you eventually asked.
"Once in a while, here an' there," was the only answer you got. Your turtle friends almost never gave you any details to their patrols or more troublesome outings.
"You're like a field medic," you said as he began wrapping your arm. "Showing up not only to fight but also to heal." You saw a crooked smile appear on his face, but it faltered when you asked, "How did you know I was in trouble?"
"Heard your alarm system goin' off," Raphael said, nodding towards Moose. Your little dog was passed out on his bed, tuckered from the whole adventure while thankfully none the worse for wear. "Surprised myself that I recognized Moose's barking. I realized it wasn't comin' from the direction of your apartment's yard, so I hurried to check on ya."
"I'm glad you did," you said. "Thank you."
"It's one of the reasons why you got a shell cell, ya know." Raphael looked back up at you.
You felt a pang of guilt. "I left it here," you admitted, jerking your head towards your bedroom. The shell cell was sitting on the nightstand. "I'll remember to bring it whenever I go out."
"Good," Raphael said. "You call us whenever, got it?"
"Got it."