Requested by @Bestfg14
Title: Tiggy
Key: (b/n)= baby's name
Note: i know imma get at least one comment correcting me so imma say this now ik his name is tigger but since the baby is 2 they can't say "r" so it's tiggy. that and come one tiger claw as tiggy? u can't say no to that.
"What on green Earth is that?" I put a hand over my mouth and tried to keeep from giggling at the wide-eyed stare Tiger Claw was giving my baby. He was standing over a foot taller than me, but looking ridiculously tiny as he stared down at the tiny human in the crib below him, sleeping happily.
"That's (b/n). Aren't they cute?" His head slowly turned to look at me as he pointed a finger down at it, still halfway bent over the two year old.
"No. Why would I think that thing is cute? It is obviously hideous." I gasped and snapped my head over to Tiger Claw, who had the right idea to look a little ashamed at his words.
"Thank you for calling my baby ugly they really look just like me, don't they? Anyways, do you mind babysitting for a few hours? I have to go to work in a few and everyone else is busy." Tiger Claw scoffed and turned back towards me as he sat on the couch and rested one of his ankles sideways on his knee, leaning forward.
"No. I am a hunter- a dangerous creature! I am not to be babysitting and looking after a tiny hairless human." I sighed and raised my eyebrows, biting my lip. Then, I got an idea. But, if it didn't work, I wouldn't be going anywhere but to park my butt on the couch to wait for my baby to wake up.
"Oh, okay. Well, when you leave could you maybe send Baxter Stockman over here?" Tiger Claw froze from where he was halfway standing to turn around and stare at me with narrowed eyes.
"For what?" He demanded quietly, finishing standing up to his full height to tower over me and cross his arms. I knew he was trying to intimidate me, but I didn't care. I knew he'd never actually hurt me.
"Oh, so Baxter can babysit for me. He loves (b/n) and they love him. That, and every time he comes over, he always brings flowers with him for some reason. Hm, probably nothing." What I was saying was true, Baxter did always come over and he did love my child, but I lied about the flowers. He only occasionally brought flowers when he knew the flowers he had brought before were dying- but Tiger Claw didn't need to know that.
"On second thought, Baxter is busy today. I am the only one free." And with that, he plopped back down on the couch and proceeded to stare at me. When I didn't move, he lifted a hand and did a "go" motion with his hand, waving me away as he turned to my baby instead.
I hoped I wasn't going to regret this.
Tiger Claw stared at the child and immediately regretted saying no to (y/n)'s obvious reverse psychology. He just wanted to prove that he was the best not some Baxter whatever his name was. Obviously if he couldn't remember it, then he wasn't important. What was important was proving to (y/n) and her...baby that he was the best. He was the best at shooting, aiming, fighting, drinking milk, having no tail, dressing, and- where was the baby?
Snapping his head over to the crib, where the baby had been laying before, he now noticed that it was empty. Uttering a curse under his breath, he began slowly treading around, being sure to look where he was stepping so he didn't accidentally hurt the child. Tiger Claw was a large animal, so even just stepping on a leg would probably break or fracture it.
"Tiggy!" Tiger Claw snapped up and turned around to see the child sitting on the floor, a movie in hand. He immediately made his way over to them, making sure to sit on the floor and reach for them instead of just pulling them up from a standing position, as he didn't want to risk doing it too fast. Contrary to popular belief, Tiger Claw was really good with kids, as he liked to claim. Though, so far, no one had taken him up on his offer.
"What is that?" He dropped the kid in his lap and leaned forward to see what they were pointing at. It was a movie that said "Winnie the Pooh" with their tiny finger pointing at a character that was- a tiger. But, it was the goofier version of one. It seemed to be in midair, jumping up with hands and feet that looked as soft as the rest of its fur, with no canines or dark glint to its eyes.
"Is this a joke? Are you saying that's me?" Tiger Claw, offended, tossed the movie onto the couch and stood up with the child under one arm, who continued to chant "Tiggy!" as he walked over to the kitchen, trying to keep his big mouth shut.
"Tiggy!" The kid finally screamed as he set them down in a high chair, choosing not to buckle them in. If they wanted to fall to the hard tile floor, that was on them. But if they didn't, that was good too.
"Young bas- I mean, child- are you hungry?" Tiger Claw decided to ignore them as he got into the refrigerator, digging around for something sufficient to feed the child. He nodded in approvement when he found what he wanted and turned around to set it down on the table, looking over to see the child trying to paint themselves with water.
He stole the cup away and wiped the kid down, doing a little growl to the kid when they "roared" at him. The child clapped in glee and demanded that he do it again, louder, and Tiger Claw embarassingly turned down the offer, not wanting to disturb your neighbors with his antics. Instead, he picked some meat off the chicken he'd stolen from you and put it on a plate, giving it to the baby in front of him.
The kid stared at Tiger Claw as he began eating too, getting a little too into it. Though his part of the chicken was still cold, he would've rather eaten it like that as microwaving it never got the body temperature just right.
"Are you wanting a drink?" He asked as he stood up, reaching for (b/n)'s sippy cup. "What do you want?" They pointed at Tiger Claw and he tilted his head, confused. What did that mean? Oh, wait.
"Do you want milk?" He clarified as he pulled the jug out of the refrigerator, quickly checking to make sure it was skim milk. When the kid saw him pouring some in a glass for himself, they quickly nodded, holding the sippy cup out to him.
"Like Tiggy!" Tiger Claw almost lost his mind. Why was the kid still calling him Tiggy? He accidentally slammed the glass down too hard on the table, almost cracking it, but then (b/n) went quiet. Cue curse word.
"(B/n)?" He set the sippy cup down and lifted the child's chin, staring into their eyes. They were watering and the kid was already sniffing as they avoided looking into the tiger's eyes. They were quiet for the rest of the meal.
Tiger Claw continued to watch (b/n), who was watching Winnie and Tigger talk onscreen. As Tigger began boucing offscreen, the child laughed, but quieted down when they noticed "Tiggy" staring at them. They turned over and crawled farther away from him, continuing to watch the movie while ignoring Tiger Claw's offensive look over at them.
"Tiggy!" The child screeched with happiness, pointing to the tiger, who was singing his famous song while bouncing on his tail. Tiger Claw caught the glance sent his way, but he had a plan now, and it was going to be executed perfectly- or (y/n) would kill him for making her baby cry.
"No!" Tiger Claw bent over his lap and began shaking his shoulders while speeding up his breathing to make it sound like he was crying. He even added a couple of voice-cracked sobs in to really sell it since he wasn't going to actually cry. Come on- it wasn't that deep.
"Tiggy?" He softened down when he heard the child toddle over to him, their voice wavering. He slowly sat up and squinted his eyes, pretending to still be crying. He didn't want to admit it, but he had actually begun to cry with the heartbroken expression on (b/n)'s face.
"(B/n), Tiggy is sorry about the milk. That made him sad." Tiger Claw explained slowly, scooping up the kid to hold them in their arms. "But, Tiggy is sad for another reason and that is because he can't make (b/n) happy the way the other Tiggy does." (B/n) tilted his head and leaned up to run a hand down Tiger Claw's nose, petting him softly.
"What?" Was all they asked, confusion written all over their cute face.
"Tiggy bounces on his tail right? He sings the song and bounces on his tail?" Tiger Claw began to gently bounce his knee, making (b/n) laugh in glee as they nodded, understanding what he was saying. "Well, this Tiggy doesn't have a tail so he can't make (b/n) happy like Tiggy." (B/n) immediately gasped out loud and their eyes widened as they began crying instantly, throwing themself onto Tiger Claw's chest.
"I'm sorry, Tiggy. Did not know." Was all they could muster as they began sobbing louder and louder, utterly heartbroken by this new information. Tiger Claw, beginning to panic, tried to think of something that would make them happy. He did not need (y/n) coming back to a sobbing kid.
"But, if (b/n) stops crying, Tiggy will give them a surprise later, okay?" Almost instantly, the tears began slowing down as (b/n) looked up expectantly. "Later, okay? First you have to be a good creature and listen to your mom when she gets back, okay?" (B/n) nodded and closed their eyes, lollling their head forward to rest it on Tiger Claw's chest. He began patting their back as he curled up on the couch, leaning back so he could get a bit of rest too.
He only made sure to fall asleep after he knew the child in his arms was safe and having well dreams.
"Just do it and if you say anything, I'll shoot you where you stand." Tiger Claw glared at Fish Face, who nodded furiously, a phone in hand. He stalked a few feet away and cleared his throat, glancing up at Shredder, who was watching with a blank face. He was immediately embarrassed, but had promised (b/n) this.
With another deep breath, he slowly opened his mouth and stretched it, measuring the strength it still held. Then, he began growling lowly to charge himself up. He knew he would have to roar a few times as tigers didn't roar for as long as lions, so he was getting his throat all warmed up and and vocal.
Then, he opened his mouth and roared. It wasn't amazingly loud, but it still echoed around the glass room as he opened his mouth and roared again, this time a little louder and a little more ferociously. He let it fade off into growls as he let out a tiny purr after, just enough to take the tension that he knew (b/n) would have after watching his video.
After Fish Face stopped recording he gave the phone back to Tiger Claw with shaky fingers and immediately retreated back to his underwater safeplace.
"Tiger Claw." Shredder demanded suddenly just as said animal was hitting send with a last "love Tiggy" message written under the video. He quickly pushed the phone back into his pocket and made his way over to Shredder, bowing at the base of the stairs that led to his seat.
"Yes, Shredder?" He asked, bowing down on one knee.
"Why don't you do that more often?"
"I'm sorry, what?"
raph is turtle man and tiger claw is tiggy and that is that good day.