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Third Person

─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The boys all knew something was wrong with Iris, Nario's eyelids began to flutter closed so Emilio went to tuck him into bed. While he was doing this, the others cleared their plates and followed after Nazaire to go and check on Iris.

As they got into the room and saw the pictures scattered all over the floor with a single letter they were suddenly filled with confusion and when they saw Iris crying into Nazaire's shoulder they felt anger because without realising it they had all become attached to her.

"What's all this?" Lorenzo questioned as he held a picture between his fingers.

Valerius's jaw was set as Valentino's eyes looked over the letter that he felt like ripping into shreds but he kept his composure, for now.

"Who's Paul?"

At that dozens of questions were fired as the twins and Lorenzo desperately wanted to know who did this and who made her cry so they could be held accountable.

The last time a boy made Iris cry with a fake date Lorenzo and the twins made sure Iris was okay and acted calm but made sure to pay him a little visit, with Dante, making sure he wasn't going to be in school for at least a week.

"Enough,"

At Donatello words all the boys went quiet, he then muttered in Italian for them to go and wait in the living room, begrudgingly they began to exit.

As he approached Iris who was still being held, Nazaire slowly passed Iris to him before leaving the room, Donatello could tell his anger was festering inside of him.

Donatello ran his fingers through Iris's hair as her breaths slowed, they sat silently for a while entertaining the thoughts that ran in their heads.

"If you want to explain now we'll all be ready to listen but take as long as you need," he spoke.

Iris said nothing.

"Though, I will be looking into this Paul character for your safety," and though her safety was his main priority seeing the reaction Paul evoked from her he wanted to know just how badly he needed to hurt him.

"Later," she began, "can I try and sleep?"

"Iris you don't need to ask," he got up ready to leave but he felt a firm grip on the bottom of his blazer because for some reason he deemed it necessary to wear a suit everywhere.

"Can you erm," Iris tried asking, "could you-"

He noticed her worried state and how she was tripping over her words, he moved out of her hold shook his blazer off and placed it behind the chair at her desk.

"But just to make sure you're safe I'm going to wait until you fall asleep,"

A ghost smile fell on Iris's lips, "Okay if that will make you feel better cause it's not like I need you here or anything,"

He shook his head as a small laugh escaped him making his dimples present, "Of course not," he agreed.

* * *

Letting his fists take control, Nazaire continued to hit the bag over and over each hit harder and more precise than the last.

He may not have been as close emotionally to Iris but like most of his brothers he never really handled affection too well. That's what made it easier for him and Dante to get along better, they understood each other. For Nazaire, his way of showing love was through gifts.

This is why he'd always give Iris small gifts, when she first arrived he got her a limited first-hand copy of Pride and Prejudice. Sometimes he surprised her with food but what she loved most was his hoodies, which seemed to swallow her whole and whilst he always put up a fight he gave them to her in the end.

With one more hit the bag crashed to the ground.

He was going insane, when he looked at the pictures it was as if they were taken from the inside, he was going to switch up the security he had on Iris whilst he did a background check on the others.

"Who pissed you off?" Dante questioned as he sauntered into the room.

Nazaire was about to answer when an ear-shattering scream pulsated through the house, at the sound they both raced to Iris's room.

When they got there they were met with a fear-stricken Iris who was backed up against the headboard and looked as if she was trying to remove something from her throat, she was no longer screaming but hyperventilating. Donatello was calming her down alongside Emilio, while Lorenzo and Valentino looked saddened by what they were seeing. Dante and Valerius both had the same murderous looks on their faces. Nazaire was just frozen for once he didn't know what to meanwhile, Nario was asleep he had always been a deep sleeper.

Dante looked at all the pictures on her desk along with the letter, he was trying to keep his composure and his therapy was helping, of course, his therapy consisted of activities such as boxing, fighting of all arts, to be honest along with many sporting activities. They had tried normal therapy but that didn't seem to work, neither did musical or art but physical seemed to work great as they released a lot of dopamine and endorphins making him happier.

Though right now he was close to snapping and letting the anger in him take over.

"What the fuck is this?" he asked.

"I'll explain later," Nazaire whispered, before Dante could argue Iris spoke up.

"No, I'll explain,"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

* * *

Iris was sat up straight in her bed while she rubbed her wrists in an attempt to make her calmer, Lorenzo and the twins were sat at the end of her bed, whilst Dante leaned against her desk and Nazaire placed up and down at the end of the room. Donatello was sat in the chair from the desk which he had now moved next to her bed.

He ripped her hands off her wrists and placed them in his own before saying, "I hate when you do that,"

She shrugged her shoulders, "Old habits die hard I guess,"

"You said you were going to explain," Dante urged.

"Thank you for reminding me," she said quietly sending him a sarcastic smile to which he replied with a sarcastic smile of his own accompanied by his middle finger.

No one said anything to interrupt them they were happy the two had started to get along, sort of, well whatever type of interaction this was they were happy it was more playful and less murderous.

Iris couldn't stomach telling them about her mother so she had gotten Donatello to do that seeing as though he already knew. They were beyond angry at the mother, the fact that she had succumbed Iris to both physical and emotional abuse made them filled with anger, though they were more saddened at the fact that she never got the love of a mother.

Dante for one started to feel guilty about all the comments he'd made.

"After I'd been put in the system, they started putting me in possible placements but each time I'd acted out making them send me back,"

"Why did you act out?"

"I thought my mother was looking for me and it would've been hard for her to find me if I was living with someone else,"

Instantly a ten-year-old Iris who sat around waiting for her mother to come back for her made its way into the boy's mind making them feel one of the things Iris hated most; pity.

Ignoring their looks she continued, "I'd been in the system for about a year that's when I met your mother Amalea," Iris skimmed over this part as she didn't want to make herself nor the boys relive her death.

"Once I ran away I was found and placed into the system, I lived with this nice couple for around a year but got sent back,"

"Why did you get sent back this time?"

"They thought they couldn't have kids and took me in but once they found out they were expecting they 5hough it would be best if I went back,"

"Damn,"

"I stayed in the system for a few months, then I was placed in a new house a family with one daughter, Paul's family. At first, they were nice well Paul wasn't nice but he wasn't rude either," their jaws set at the mention of Paul's name, "Vanessa was nice and Rowan always treated me like her little sister and her friends were nice too," she smiled at the memory.

"But when Vanessa died Paul turned abusive and one night he, he erm,"

"Iris, did he rape you?" Nazaire bit out as if it was hurting to even ask.

"He touched me, I hit him over the head and ran before he could do anything more," she finished tears running down the side of her face.

A dark laugh fell from Valentino and Valerius before they left the room, they were beyond angry. From Iris's rooms, they could hear things being shattered and curses in Italian being thrown around.

"But now he's coming back and-"

"We won't let him touch you," Emilio promised.

Though we all knew promises were made to be broken.

Dante has left the room soon after going to see to his anger whilst Nazaire had gone to find out everything about Paul, he wanted Paul to suffer greatly, he wanted him begging for death.

He also wanted to find out if someone had been working on the inside, he also needed to see just how dangerous this Paul character thought he was, he was obviously involved in their line of work but he needed to find out how involved

Lorenzo held Iris hand tightly as did she as the two fell asleep first, Emilio brought Nario into Iris's room as they all slowly began to fall asleep.

Donatello went and calmed the others down and told them all to clean off and go to sleep too. He was stuck in his head but quickly shook all thoughts away.

He wasn't going to let a single hand touch Iris but he wasn't going to leave her helpless had she fallen into the wrong hands.

He was going to train her.

- x -

author's note: please tell me someone observant knows who Rowan is and I've been waiting so long for this I can't wait for the training to begin.

^^^

yeah, I bet this update was earlier than expected. BOOM element of surprise.

^^^
everybody say ayeeeeeee