#also again creative liberties taken hope thats ok lmao

[lunar-lair]

and they woke up.

(OK, ONE MORE CELESTIAL AU FIC! @ashwii i swear your au is consuming me. two fics in one day. four fics total. girl . if i go REALLY feral you might get that casey jr idea ive been brewing soon, but for now, its just origin story electric boogaloo, more godly and less rebirth-y.)

Raphael woke up. 

It was sudden, and he almost jerked when he did. All of a sudden, here he was. 

He didn’t know why that was his name. Or why he was here.

He only knew his name was Raphael, and that he was the sun, and that he was to stay here and provide heat and light and warmth for this universe.

Ok, he said back. I can do that. 

It was home, anyways. He was born here, right? 

He could already stand and walk. He was already the size of a child.

But he didn’t know that that mattered at all, yet. 

He waited, a little while. It was quiet and, besides his light, a little dark. 

He wondered if he would be alone here, for however long he would live. (Forever, some mysteriously already-knowledgeable part of his brain whispered-a gift from the god himself, perhaps, Donnie would muse later on-and he thought, ok, then, forever.)

Something caught his eye, though. 

Little lights. Small little things, lighting up the sky, winking in one by one, in clusters. 

He felt a tug, like he was part of this, like he was this light alongside them, like he was part of something, someone else now. 

Leonardo woke up. 

It was slow, and soft, like a star building itself out of helium and hydrogen, like the sun rising and falling on the horizon, like the stars showing themselves on a clear night. 

He didn’t know much. Why he was here, why his name was his name. 

He woke up surrounded by light, surrounded by stars, his stars, surrounded by family and love, and all he could feel was warmth. 

They gathered around him, following him as he found himself drifting towards a tethered spot in the center of this great big void lit up only by his stars, himself, and seemingly, whatever it was (as stars gave off only so much light on their own). They called him caretaker, and father, names he didn’t question at all. It didn’t matter how young he was, that he was just born. He already knew what they were to him, what he was to them. They were part of him. They loved him and he loved them back, all of their chattering and his bright laughter back, and their nicknames for him, starshot and Leo and blue. 

He liked that name. He already knew he wanted to be called Leo. 

He finally found it, the bright light at the center of this all. He was fiery, red cloth over his face. It fit perfectly. He grinned and waved, but the bigger guy beat him to it. 

His eyebrow was raised, grin light as he asked, “Are you what’s up with the light all of a sudden?”

He gestured to him. “I should ask you the same question! And they’re not lights, they’re called stars.”

Raphael pointed to himself, grinning. “Well, my name’s Raphael. I’m the sun. I’m supposed to keep this galaxy warm.”

Leo gestured to himself in return. “Well, I’M Leonardo, and I’m the stars. They keep things tidy and light up the sky a little more! Plus, they’re all my kids and we share a very special connection.” 

Raphael huffed, crossing his arms. Ok, yeah, being all of that light in the sky is pretty cool. Plus, he’s everywhere, Raph’s just stuck here. Leo was just staring at him, though, eyebrows furrowed. “...somethin’ wrong?”

“...you’re a star, I’m sure of it,” Leo said, voice quieter all of a sudden. In some ways, it felt wrong. Everything was quiet before him, and he was so bright, so bombastic. And yet, the light he held, all over his body and all around him, was so soft, cooler than the kind Raphael let off. Like he was always meant to be bright and bold, yet mellow. 

Raphael frowned. “I don’t really feel like your kid, though.”

Leo shook his head back, tilting it and squinting like he could analyze him. “...yeah. Maybe…” He thought, and thought. He looked back up at Raphael, straight on. “It’s definitely…like, you’re one of them. You’re mine, you’re part of my family.”

Raphael nodded. “It feels like we’re sharing hearts.”

Leo laughed, soft. “Maybe my stars got their light from you.”

There was a moment of silence, a fond thing, broken by Leo snapping. 

“Brothers! That’s it.”

Raphael nodded, slow. “Yeah, that…makes sense.”

“What does?” A new voice asked, and they both jumped five feet in the air. 

Donatello woke up. 

It wasn’t jarring, but it was sudden. He adjusted to it quickly, being alive. He was here now, though he’d have to look into how he got here, and how he knew his name.

He quickly deduced what he was: a new planet’s moon. Earth, his brain supplied, and he thought, ah, I must know that because my purpose is part of being in its orbit.

He was a little ahead the other three in figuring things out, just like always. 

There were already little lights in the sky, and he knew innately he was made to reflect something’s light, so he followed the focal point and the muted sound of talking. 

Eventually, he found two other people like him. Same three fingers, same clear representation of some celestial body. He didn’t expect them to jump so high when he asked them a simple question, though. 

The one in blue held a hand to his chest, eyes wide. “Gods, you scared the stars outta me! Who are you?”

Donatello held his chin up in the air and said, very simply, “My name is Donatello, thank you very much. I’m Earth’s moon.”

The one in red tilted his head. “Earth?”

He nodded back. “Yes, that’s the name of the blue and green planet we’re all near right now. I believe I knew its name at birth due to my responsibilities including living in its orbit.”

The one in red stared blankly back at him, but the one in blue squinted for a moment before nodding and grinning, holding out a hand. “Well, I’m Leonardo! Leo for short. I’m the stars!”

Donatello nodded, and shook the offered hand. “And you can call me Donnie.” Might as well figure out nicknames now. They’re more efficient, anyways. 

The one in red held his hand out, too, once Leo had let go. He grinned, bright and wide. “I’m Raphael. Uh, Raph for short, I guess? I’m the sun!” Donnie shook hands, stuttering for a moment at the sheer warmth the boy’s hand gave off. Not to mention the completeness he felt being so near him. Maybe this is what he reflects. His grin widened, enough for his eyes to close. “Leo ‘n me have already declared each other brothers, so if you wanted to join, we’d be happy to have you!” 

Donnie turned to Leo, and he nodded along, grin bright. 

So he turned back to him and smiled, a little soft, holding Raph’s hand more properly. “Alright. I’d love to.”

It was just the three of them, for a while. Raph had mentioned before that he was alone before the other two showed up, though, so it wasn’t too much of a surprise when a fourth showed up.

They were talking, one night, Leo rolling stardust formed into a nonsentient star over his knuckles when he suddenly dropped it right onto Donnie’s head. Ignoring the offended ‘ow!’ his brother gave, he pointed, grin wide, and turned to him and Raph. “Guys, look!”

Off in the distance, there were little lights, trails of rocks falling into Earth’s atmosphere.

They followed it, this time, all three eager to meet someone new. 

Michelangelo woke up.

It was something bursting and bright, awake suddenly and yet full of energy the moment he did. Comets fell around him, like a signal flare. He wanted to meet people, he could tell there were people, there was light in the sky. 

He grinned as three forms approached, waving with both of his arms to get their attention. As soon as they were close enough for them to hear, he shouted, “Hey! My name’s Michelangelo, I’m the comets! It’s nice to meet you!!!”

The biggest of the three, fiery and red, laughed, hearty and full and set his hands on his hips once he was next to him. “Well, aren’t you a bright little guy!” He settled, grin still wide but hands by his side. “My names Raphael, Raph for short. I’m the sun at the center of this galaxy.”

Donnie held out a hand for him, the way Raph and Leo had introduced themselves when he first awoke. “Hello. I’m Donatello, Donnie for short. I’m this planet, Earth’s, moon.”

Michelangelo shook his hand vigorously, and him and the blue one only laughed when Donnie scowled and took his hand away. There was something about these three that already felt familiar, like they’d already adopted him in. 

The blue one gave a little wave, stardust falling from his fingertips. “Hey, I’m Leonardo, Leo for short. I’m the stars! Nice to meet you, too!”

Man, they all had shorter nicknames. That’s so smart. 

He should do that.

He puffed out his chest, and said, “Well, you all can call me Mikey!”

Raph laughed, and set a hand on his shoulder. “Alright, Mike.” Ooo, he liked that one. Good nickname nickname. 

Leo waved a hand, grin lackadaisical, yet somehow warm and welcoming. Artificially bright yet warm and soft, just like his stars. “We all consider ourselves brothers. Us three have been around for a while.”

Raph nodded, grinning down at him. “You’re welcome to join the family if you’d like.”

Mikey grinned wide, beaming and bright, and jumped up high enough to reach past Raph’s head. “I’d love to!!!”

They all laughed, the other three finding, suddenly, that they’d do anything to protect that.

They lived that way, for a while. The four of them, living and loving and learning about themselves and about each other.

When they were finally a little older, Life and Knowledge came to visit.

They knew, an innate thing, all of them sitting in a little row. 

Life spoke first, telling them they were doing so well keeping this galaxy bright, warm, and safe, keeping earth’s tides in check, keeping the galaxy’s gasses in check and making sure the stars were alright, keeping the comets falling so the rocks wouldn’t collect and so they could fall the way they should. 

What a beautiful family, they laughed, warm the way Life always seemed to be. You’ve crafted such an amazing home for yourselves.

Home, they thought, and locked it away.

Home. This was home.

Knowledge filled them in further. How they knew what they did, how they got there, and where they got their names.

There are multiple universes, galaxies just like theirs. And there are always these turtles-ah, turtles, that’s it-that keep things in check. That keep the world safe.

And, well, to base their sun, moon, stars, and comets off of those world saviors, how could it hurt?

There’s also an excellent joke about world turtles Knowledge tells them, but it kind of flies right over their heads.

They are only given one real task:

Stay here. Keep this galaxy safe. Keep Earth safe, as that is the epicenter of intelligent life. Do your jobs, live your lives.

And most of all, Life told them, grin soft, live. Love, and care. Feel. Be your own people, independent and dependent of your purposes. You may be the stars and moon and sun and comets, embodiments of these beings, but they and you are so much more. You are my creations. Live, if not for you, but for me. 

And so, they did.

They lived, they aged until they got to the point they’d be for forever, they cared, they loved.

They woke up.

They would not be falling asleep for a long, long time.

And, well, why not make the most of it?