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It's Free Baby Estate

In one universe, a freshly-escaped cloud of nanobots would see a conman selling robots and imprint onto him. In this one, the nanobots would escape just a few minutes too late to see the man, and they would spend the day alone, without anyone to call their dad.

When nighttime falls, however, that's when teenage brothers come out to play.

(Or, HI THE IDEA OF THE TEETLES IMMEDIATELY ADOPTING NANO IS CONSUMING MY BRAIN)

Based on this post from @mycatateit bc the writing gremlins got to me again lmao

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Raph leapt across the rooftops in blessed silence. Nothing against his brothers and father, of course: Donnie was simply enamored with some new hunk of junk he'd found after they'd helped April move into her dad's antique store, Leo was helping him brainstorm possible uses, Mikey was suggesting wild comic-book-type ideas, and Splinter had gone to his room to meditate.

This all just meant that Raph needed some time to himself to try and put that advice he'd spewed at Jones the other night into action- that was to say, he needed to clear his head SO freaking bad.

He jumped a slightly large gap, tucked, and rolled, keeping his momentum going as he leapt back to his feet.

Another gap came up soon after, another jump got him over.

He happened to catch a weird flash of motion from the alley below, and it was easy for him to come to a stop on the next roof and peer down at whatever-it-was.

It was some kind of…robot.

Now, Raph really wasn't all that keen to interact with any tech that hadn't come from Don's lab, especially not after the recent run-in with Baxter Stockface or whatever-his-name-was. Even this new robot's small size didn't matter- the Mousers hadn't needed to be big to be a major pain in his shell.

However, it seemed to be vaguely person-shaped, and it was seemingly hugging its knees as it sat against the wall of the alley.

Raph scowled.

He scanned the surrounding area with a keen eye. If he went and got himself captured by humans because some Pinocchiobot or something looked sad, his brothers would never let him hear the end of it.

However, the only humans Raph could see were sitting in their apartments, engrossed with various things. An old lady knitting, a young couple leaning into each other and looking at a TV, a man bouncing a baby and singing something Raph couldn't quite make out- all of them were minding their own business, and none of them were pointed out the windows Raph could see them through.

A quick check of the rooftops revealed even fewer humans, and even the one he saw was facing the other way and tapping at a cigarette as they headed back inside their building.

Whatever this robot was, it didn't seem to be bait in a trap.

Raph scaled his way down the wall of the building he was on, and as he grew closer, he heard sniffling.

"You gotta be kidding me," he grumbled under his breath.

The sniffling immediately stopped, and when Raph glanced down, the robot was jerkily scanning the alleyway, its face frozen in a blank expression. In a synthetic voice that sounded almost nervous, it asked, "H-hell-lo?"

Aw, shell, it sounded like a toddler.

Raph knew now that there would be no escape from his brothers' teasing, though for a much different reason than he'd first thought.

Welp. In for a penny.

He let himself make noise as he hopped the last few feet to the ground, then held his empty hands up for the robot to see when it whipped around to look. "Whatcha doing out here all alone, kid?"

The robot stared at him, then asked again, "Hell-lo?"

"Yes, hello, we've already passed that part of the conversation," Raph tried not to groan.

The robot ducked its head back behind its knees. "Sor-ry."

…the robot kid just apologized to him.

The robot kid. Just apologized. To him.

"Welp, you're already the most polite pile of metal I've ever met," Raph remarked. "And trust me, I've met more than I ever thought I woulda. It's been a weird few days."

The robot peered out at him again, and while its face didn't have the ability to change shape from the simple slab it was, its tight grip on its legs loosened a bit.

"That still don't answer my question, though. Why're you out on your own?"

The robot's head dipped slowly, and it fumbled through its next word even worse than the last couple. "Alllll-lone."

Raph found himself dropping to one knee in front of it. "What, you don't got a mommy or daddy or nothing? You can't have just popped out of thin air. Where'd you come from, huh?"

All he got in response was a mechanical whine.

Raph gave the robot a quick once-over. It looked like something Raph might've built- focused entirely on function, not necessarily the prettiest piece of engineering, and (this was the most critical) unable to house any fancy-schmancy spy cameras or what-have-you.

Like, Raph was pretty sure the robot was built exclusively from the parts of one of those street conmen's cheap toys. If there was any kind of surveillance in those things, he'd eat his own shell.

"Well, how about this," Raph said. "Me and you, we don't really look like the kinds of folks that most humans wanna hang out with. I do have a family, though, my brothers and my pop. We all don't fit in, but we do it together. If…if you wanna, I can bring ya home to meet 'em."

The little robot perked up. "Fa-mi-ly?"

"That's right, kid," Raph said. He held a hand out for the kid to take. "Whaddya say?"

The kid's posture brightened, and it (he? she? they?) took his hand, standing to a full height of Barely To Raph's Hips.

Raph picked the kid up without a second thought, and once his passenger was secure against his side, he made his way to the nearest manhole. "Alright, kiddo, I mighta got here from the rooftops, but I don't really wanna drop ya, so we'll be taking the boring way home."

The kid pressed tighter against him with a small nod.

His brothers could tease him all they wanted. So long as this didn't blow up in their faces or turn out to be a ploy from Stockman after all, Raph was already too attached to the kid to care.

Much.

He hefted the cover off with his free hand, slipped inside, then gingerly slid it back into place over his head. It was a bit of a balancing act, making sure he didn't fall or drop the kid while he did so, but he managed it with a little bit of luck and a whole lot of spite.

Just the way he liked it, frankly.

He began the descent down the ladder. "So, you got a name, kiddo?"

The kid's head tilted. "Name?"

"Yeah, kid, your name," Raph said. "Like…you can call me 'Raph.' Or 'Raphael,' that's my full first name, but the only times someone calls me that is if they're trying to convince me I'm doing something rash or something. Or if I'm in trouble, heheheh."

"Raph…" murmured the kid.

Then, in a stern woman's voice, as though from an audio recording, "Codename: Nanotech."

Raph blinked. "Wait. Don't tell me that's your name!"

The kid shrank in on themself a bit as the two of them hit the bottom of the ladder.

…Raph had a sudden urge to figure out who that woman's voice belonged to.

For no reason in particular.

Just because.

Out loud, instead of telling the kid this completely true information, Raph said, "Well, that's all fine and dandy for somebody's science project, but it's a bit wordy to use for a little kid, right? What if we shorten it some? Like how I stick to 'Raph' even though it's just a part of my actual name?"

That got the kid to loosen up a bit.

Raph struck out, mentally tracing a path back to the new lair before nodding. "Yeah, what about…Nano? Short, sweet, and snappy."

The newly-nicknamed Nano nodded into his plastron. "Raph! Nano! Nano, Raph!"

Raph chuckled. "You like that, then? Thank goodness."

Nano giggled unsurely, then again with more confidence. "Nano, Raph, Nano, Raph!"

As Raph started seeing more of the fancy architecture that came with the new lair, he realized- "Aw, shell, I gotta let my family know I'm bringing you home. You mind if I make a quick phone call, Nano?"

"Fa-mi-ly," stated Nano seriously.

"I'm gonna take that as 'you're fine with it,'" Raph decided.

He fished out his shell cell and dialed Donny, who picked up after only a few rings.

"Raph, what's up?"

Raph snorted. "Alright, first order of business- you gotta promise not to laugh at me."

Donny's voice tinged with amusement. "Why?"

"So I may or may not have found a little kid robot crying in an alleyway while I was out," Raph said. "I already checked 'em over- there's no fancy-schmancy spy tech in here, just some kinda AI in a toy robot housing. Not even an evil AI like whatever the Mousers had going on, either- I'm pretty sure this kid considers itself…himself? Herself? I dunno. Kid acts and thinks like a toddler, is my point."

Donny chuckled. "Awww, did Waphie find a widdle baby?"

"Hey, watch it. Is Mikey getting in your head or something?" threatened Raph without heat. "Since this kid seems to be just that, a kid, I'm bringing 'em back to the new lair. Figured I'd give you guys a heads-up before I show up with a robot, especially after what happened with Stockman's little toys."

"Good thinking," Donny conceded. "I'll want to give this 'kid' a once-over before we officially declare them safe, for sure, just so we can try and avoid another forced move. I'll meet you just outside the lair, in the northern tunnel?"

"You got it," said Raph. "I'm coming from that direction, anyways."

"See you then," said Donny.

The call ended, and Raph pocketed the cell once more. "Y'hear that, Nano? My bro Donny wants to give you a bit of a checkup once we get there. That okay?"

"Check-up," repeated Nano quietly. Then, louder, "Doc-tor?"

"Eh, he ain't licensed, if that's what you're asking," Raph admitted. "Kinda hard to get a diploma when you're short and green and mutated all over, but he's plenty smart enough for it. He works with tech a lot, too, so he's probably the closest thing we'll get to a robot doctor. You don't gotta, but it'd help us make sure everything's going okay with you."

Nano thought it over for a long moment- long enough that Raph was starting to get nervous, he could see Donny just up ahead- then nodded. "O-kay."

Phew.

Raph grinned and turned his attention to Donny. "Alright, we're here. Let's get Nano's checkup taken care of."

Donny smirked knowingly at Raph, then softened the smile into something friendlier for Nano. "That's right. Would you be alright with Raph setting you down for a bit so I can check you over?"

Nano looked up at Raph.

Raph tried to look reassuring.

Even though those kinds of expressions had never really been in his wheelhouse, it seemed to work, because Nano nodded to Donny. "O-kay."

Raph carefully set Nano down, stepping to one side to give Donny room to work.

"So, 'Nano,' huh?" Donny asked as he knelt down, inspecting the kid's joints. "Did Raph name you?"

"Raph!" Nano said. "Nick-name!"

"Oh, really?" Donny peered nonchalantly through a gap in Nano's chest, then up to the kid's face. "Might I ask what Nano's a nickname for?"

Nano's head ducked down, and the stern woman's voice spoke again. "Codename: Nanotech."

Donny blinked, then glanced at Raph.

Raph crossed his arms. "Like I told the kid, that sounds like the kind of name somebody would give their science project, not a kid."

Pick up on what he's putting down, Don.

Donny seemed to clock what Raph wasn't saying almost immediately, if the quick flash of hardness in his eyes meant anything, but when he turned back to Nano, the steel was already shoved out of sight in favor of a warm smile. "Well, I think I'm with Raph on that one. 'Nano' definitely rolls off the tongue better."

Nano nodded. "Raph, Nano!"

Donny rocked back on his heels. "I think that's about everything we gotta check up on. Everything looks good, as far as I can tell."

Raph grinned. "Hear that, Nano? Everything's good!"

"Good! Good!"

Donny pushed himself to his feet. "Let's introduce you to the others, then, alright Nano?"

Nano nodded quickly, grabbing for Raph's hand and clinging to him tightly.

Raph gave the kid's hand a squeeze, drawing a little giggle, and oh, shell, he was so in over his head here.

Donny smirked at him again, but just turned to head into the new lair. "It's right over here."

Raph led Nano towards the arch, letting the kid hide behind his legs when Mikey, Leo, and Splinter all glanced their way.

"Hey, guys, remember how I said Raph made a friend and wanted me to check 'em over?" asked Donny, walking over to one side to leave Raph and Nano in the spotlight. "Meet Nano."

Nano peered out from behind Raph. "H-hell-lo…"

"A robot baby?" asked Mikey.

"Raph…" said Leo warningly.

"Hey, me and Don both checked the kid over already," Raph defended. "They're a robot kid I found crying alone in an alley."

He raised the ridge where his eyebrows might have been at Leo knowingly. "Pretty sure the kid built the body from scratch somehow, too. Just motors in there to move the limbs around. Nothing else."

Hint, hint.

After a second, Leo nodded, relaxing slightly. "Well, it's not like we're not used to the unusual around here."

Mikey grinned. "You can say that again!"

Splinter got to his feet and walked over to Raph and Nano. "How curious."

Nano looked up at Raph, the grip on his hand tightening.

"It's okay, kiddo, this is my dad," Raph said quietly. "This is Master Splinter."

"Dad…" Nano thought for a moment, then looked back at Splinter. "Dad-dy?"

Splinter's eyes widened, then he smiled. "I would be honored to be your father, little one."

Nano gasped, then let go of Raph's hand to waddle up to Splinter. "Dad-dy! Dad-dy!"

If anybody asked Raph later, he most definitely did not smile to himself as Splinter gave the kid a hug, and he certainly didn't feel a warm lightness in his chest at the sight.

"Hey, if Splinter's adopting you, then that makes us your big brothers!" realized Mikey.

"Hm, that's right," Splinter agreed. "I see you already know Raphael and Donatello, but the other two are Leonardo and Michelangelo."

"You can just call me Mikey, though, little dude!" declared he, hopping over to join the little group.

As Mikey, Splinter, and Nano walked over to the couch, chatting to each other, Leo stepped closer to Raph and Don, speaking lowly. "How'd a toddler-bot capable of building a body end up in an alleyway?"

"I dunno, but if I had to guess, whoever built the kid wasn't trying to build a kid," Raph said.

"When I asked Nano's name, Nano played what sounded like a recording of someone saying 'Codename: Nanotech,'" Donny added. "Whoever made this kid, they operate under some kind of official protocol, be it legal or otherwise. My money's on Nano either escaping or getting scrapped for not working the way those people wanted them to."

Leo frowned. "Nanotech, huh? Why the not-very-microscopic body, then, you think?"

Mikey's voice gasped in awe, and the three of them turned to look as a cloud of silvery somethings rose from Nano and engulfed Donny's latest whatchama-hoozie-doodle, pulling it into Nano's body. After a few moments, the cloud settled back into wherever-it-had-been, and Nano's face turned to them and smiled.

Because Nano's face wasn't a solid plate anymore, instead being made of a few plates around the eyes and mouth that could now move on their own.

"That answer your question?" murmured Raph. Then, louder, as he flashed a thumbs-up, "Looking good, kid!"

Donny smiled wearily. "I guess that's one way to settle the debate about what I was gonna use that for."

Nano beamed and went back to whatever was going on with Mikey- oh, crud, Mikey was already turning the kid into a comic book addict.

"Right, well, I'll leave the serious tech talk to you two," Raph said, narrowing his eyes at Mikey. "I need to relieve Mikey of his Nano privileges."

Mikey blinked innocently, even pointing a finger at himself as if to say 'moi?'

"Jurassic Park is where it's at, Mikey, not your comics!" Raph pressed, striding over and hopping onto the couch. "Master Splinter, y'mind if I take the TV and show Nano some true art? I think the tape's still in there from last night. It's not a perfect adaptation of the book, but I dunno if the kid can read yet."

Splinter chuckled. "I don't see why not."

"Raph!" said Nano, hopping up next to him on the cushion and shuffling over until he had an armful of robot.

Raph just gave Nano a pat and settled in, digging the remote out of the cushions. "I'm right here, kid."

Nano smiled up at him, then turned to face the TV as Raph switched to the VCR and started rewinding.

Mikey started snickering, but Raph just flicked him in the forehead without even looking.

"Ow! Hey!"

Raph chuckled to himself, and Nano giggled with him after a few seconds.

Ooh, yeah, Raph would tear the world down for this kid, alright.

#awww #tmnt #tmnt 2003 #nano tmnt #tmnt nano #tmnt raphael #raphael splinterson #teenage mutant ninja turtles

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