#i was a teenaged mothman

[renmackree]

Pleasepleasepleaseplease can you just write a LITTLE of the Stiles in Derek's DMs??? I just need something to keep me going while you slowly rip my heart out with other ideas?

I will pay in love?????

Hey Anon, I'm guessing you're talking about this post?

Just for you, ok? :)

Eggs

Butter

Cheese

Look up the percentage of Australia desert for **funsies**

Stiles typed out the list and hit send before sliding his phone back into his jacket pocket. The barista called his name and he scooped the large tray of coffees from the counter with a slight wave and a fiver in the tip jar. Shelly always made sure to add the extra whipped cream on his caramel macchiato frost and that was not to be forgotten.

The Boston air was crisp this morning as he stumbled out of the little coffee shop and towards Roscoe who was parked on the narrow street. While school was in Cambridge, the best coffee was across the river and everyone in his Computational biology department knew it.

Which was why Stiles was always the errand boy.

He put the departments coffees in the little box on the floor of the passenger seat strapping it in so that they would be safe for his long (not so long), arduous (re: three stop lights and a bridge), journey back to MIT.

A ding came from his phone, Stiles groaning loudly as he gripped the steering wheel and shook it in frustration.

"I swear, if it's Lydia changing her order for the seventh time, I'm throwing her Herbal tea into the harbor."

Ha. Boston Harbor. Tea. Stiles was hilarious.

He took another deep breath and opened his phone to see a small notification.

DH: Did you finish your paper on multidisciplinary approach to estimating wolf population size for long-term conservation?

"Huh. Specific..." Stiles had finished that paper a few weeks ago, but had barely made the deadline. He had been about to text Danny that the new AI prototype he had installed on Stiles' phone was whack when he saw the notification came from Instagram, not from M.A.T.T.

Another ping came through.

DH: And why would you need the percentage of Australian Deserts? That seems like a boring thing to spend your free time on.

Stiles' mouth hung open, eyes wide as he realized what was happening. Someone was replying to his DMs on Derek Hale's Instagram. He held his phone out like it was a bomb between thumb and forefinger; an almost whine escaped his mouth.

It had started when he was in High School almost 10 years ago now. One night he had been on an Adderall-Mountain Dew-Jelly Doughnut-Pizza high and decided that the best way to keep all his random thoughts in one place was to use the app that distracted him DAILY as a note system. He had even made a burner account so that he could keep all his random thoughts together.

Only problem was, his little distracted monkey brain had accidently clicked on Derek Hale's DMs rather than his fake account. It was five weeks in when Stiles noticed and at that point it was too late. It wasn't like Derek was going to answer him anyways, he had said on NUMEROUS occasions that social media was not his favorite thing and he only had the account to promote his new movies (which Stiles watched religiously. I Was a Teenaged Mothman was probably the worst and best movie franchise to ever hit the theaters and Derek Hale as Mothman was his every wet dream.)

So, he just continued to use it. Grocery lists, reminders, random thoughts at night, future movie ideas, school assignment ideas, complaints about his stupid roommate back in freshman year - he wrote it all.

And now someone was responding to TEN YEARS of DMs.

Stiles didn't know what he should do. Should he ask if this was actually Derek? No, wait that was stupid. Derek wouldn't actually be handling his social media. He had people. Peoples? Multiple people who could answer this for him.

"Some. of. us. have. hobbies. that. no. one. understands. And. I. need. it. to. win. a. bet." Stiles spoke each words as he typed it, sending the message out before typing another one. "And. yes. I. got. an. A. minus. because. Harris. hates. wolves."

Stiles tossed his phone onto the passenger seat and started driving to campus, mind still reeling that someone would be responding directly to random DMs that made no sense. If Stiles was asking questions about when the next IWATM movie, sure that would be a conversation the PR team might engage in. Not this.

Lydia owes you $40 for Venmo

Stiles decided to ignore it and his phone remained silent the rest of the day.

.o00o.

Call your Dad

Finish your stupid damn thesis or s u f f e r

Don't forget to get tickets.

It had been a week since the strange response to his DM came through, so Stiles assumed it was a fluke. He had tried a new note handling app that Danny had recommended, but a day later he had already started throwing things back into Derek's DMs. Hey, cut him some slack, it was a 10 year habit.

His phone pinged and Stiles' mouth almost fell open again. Another response.

DH: What are you getting tickets for?

This time, Stiles was quick to respond.

SS: I'm going to try and get tickets to the Bruins game tomorrow. Gotta love hockey, am I right?

There was silence on the other side of the screen, Stiles letting out a frustrated sigh. Whoever Derek Hale's Social Media manager was, they picked the weirdest things to respond to.

DH: So not Mothman in Love premier?

Ah. Now he knew what this was. They were trying to see if fans were biting at the newest spin off. Smart marketing.

SS: I already have my tickets for that. Opening night, middle row, got the collector Popcorn bucket on hold too. I know a guy.

The three dots at the bottom of the screen indicated that the person was typing, Stiles wondering if they were going to ask for a quote or a picture for the page from the opening night.

DH: You have appalling taste in movies.

Stiles' mouth dropped open again, his mind running at a million miles a minute and then crashing into a brick wall with the word appalling painted over it.

SS: Excuse me, the Mothman movies are absolute hot trash and I eat them up like greasy diner food. Do not talk about my comfort trash like that.

SS: but they are pretty bad, so I mean. You're not wrong.

And done, there was NO way the Social Media manager would ever EVER respond to a fan who said something like that. He could go back to his note taking life and luckily Derek Hale would never know.

DH: Then why do you watch them?

SS: Because you're a fantastic and sexy actor and if I could I'd lick chocolate off your abs.

His phone pinged.

DH: You're not bad yourself.

HUH.

Stiles was speechless, his eyes reading over the sentence over and over and over again. He opened his Instagram and quickly flipped through the pictures he had. Most were of him with the Lab boys, Lydia was in a lot of them, some of him on vacation in Peru, some with his Dad. Nothing that would ever, EVER scream you're not bad yourself.

SS: wow, maybe you do need those glasses checked? Unless scrawny Computational Biology Doctoral candidates really crank your wheel.

DH: Computational Biology PHD? Big change from the FBI you were originally thinking about.

Stiles sucked his teeth. That was the problem with this dynamic. Stiles had written everything and anything about himself in these DMs and it could be anyone reading it.

SS: Cyber security would have been my downfall if I did FBI clearly, since you know everything and I know nothing about you. I don't even know if you're Actually Derek Sampson Hale.

There was a blip of the three dots and then nothing. Right, Well that was fun while it lasted. Stiles had been about to turn on his Playstation and forget everything when the ping came through.

Instead of a text, there was a picture. Low v-neck, black rimmed glasses, slightly messy hair, beard that looked like it needed to be trimmed, holding a sign that read your turn @StilesisMe.

Derek. Fucking. Hale.

"Oh my god, oh my god..." Stiles scratched the back of his head furriously, throwing the phone on his bed and just circling it like a vulture circling its next meal. "Derek Hale sent you a picture, Derek Hale is reading your shit."

He stopped walking for a moment. "You just told Derek Hale you'd lick chocolate off his abs."

Stiles threw himself on the bed, slamming his head over the pillow at least a dozen times. Finally he grabbed his phone and sent a quick message.

SS: I don't send photos on Insta. Add me on snap if you want. @S.S.Stilinski69420

He waited.

God he waited.

And then the little Ghost of a notification from Snapchat appeared saying Haleofaguy added you as a friend. Stiles felt his fingers freeze as he hovered over the accept. Why, why was Derek Hale the movie star talking to him? Was he bored? Was he lonely?

Stiles remembered an interview once where Derek said he liked talking with people and learning new things, so maybe it was that? Maybe Stiles was just an interesting guy that Derek wanted to know.

No matter what it was, Stiles' insatiable curiosity got the better of him and he needed to know just how far this rabbit hole would go.

He took a minute to find a filter he liked and snapped a pretty unflattering picture of himself with the caption this is what your in for, buckle up Mothboy

Nothing happened, and then snapchat told him Derek Hale saved the picture to their chat and sent one back. It was the most unflattering angle Stiles had ever seen of the actor and he couldn't help but laugh.

It's Mothman

[duckdodger]

this is so random I just wanted to draw raph & april pffftshsh-

[batbux]

Bernard helping Tim with his hero name like

B: So, is Red Robin your final form? Like Nightwing or Batman?

T: Uh, Batman has always been Batman. Nightwing still freelances.

B: Oh?

T: But Red Robin wasn't mine, really. I want something that's mine.

Steph, who they thought was asleep on the bean bags: Yeah and Dick told him he has to grow up sometime.

T: Shut up.

B: Oh, a push the baby bird out of the nest situation?

S: You have no idea.

T: Go home, Stephanie.

S: You go home, Timberly. You don't even live here anymore.

B: So what are the options?

T: Well it's hard to not plagiarize these days. Um, maybe Cardinal?

B: Oh, what about an owl theme? They're supposed to be really intelligent.

S: Ah-

T: Sorry, no. That niche is already...

S: It's a whole thing, a whole Court really.

B: (taking mental notes to come back to that) Okay, maybe going with the emo theme. Blackbird?

T: That might make things confusing with a Black Bat and a Blackbird. I don't know. I don't want to step on Cass's toes.

S: She could handle it, she's a dancer.

T: Who invited you, even.

B: Okay, forget the birds and bats. You know what else flies?

S: What?

T: (seeing the thought train as it's derailing, but helpless to stop it) Bernard...

B: Moths.

T: You mean-

B: You could be the Mothman.

[orionlancasterr]

What if the sole survivor actually sucked really bad and helped strengthen the minute men only to join the nuka world raiders bc it sounded fun the second the opportunity arose

[pyreshe]

i love talking about old hyperfixations,, talking about a series that induced a category 7 autism moment in me basically from ages 13-15 is something so personal,

[thepunkmuppet]

costumes / looks I desperately need gerard way to wear on stage (add your own in reblogs!!)

greek statue, he’s fully painted white including his hair with a white toga with a golden wreath thing on his head. I just think that would look sick

police uniform covered in blood

straight up zombie with full on green decaying gory make up

one of the heathers from heathers

either the blue cheerleader outfit from the i’m not okay mv or the iconic red ones from teenagers. then we’d have a little trio!

ghostface. possibly cunty ghostface as a treat

vanya from umbrella academy - young version with the school girl fit and black mask OR the all white comic version of course

also number five from umbrella academy (classic school boy fit)

this sounds weird but I think this would be really cool and meta for wwwy - a stereotypical mcr fan / emo. as in with that one black parade t shirt, heavy eyeliner, black nails, side swept emo fringe, studded bracelets and belts, skinny black jeans, vans or converse. again a very meta concept, after their old person looks in 2022 I can really see them doing this as a whole band this year and I would loooove to finally see gerard in the fashion style that’s so associated with him and his music

howl from howl’s moving castle

possibly also sophie from howl’s moving castle

slenderman

literally just satan. like the most stereotypical devil, give them fully painted red skin, horns, fangs, yellow or black eyes, maybe even goat legs. probably with a majestic black suit or something, or for a succubus vibe a black flowy dress with a slit down the leg. now that I think about it, this would be a SICK wwwy look to shock us all, esp if ray mikey and frank all dressed as other demons or the souls of the damned or some shit.

peni parker - he made her!!

question mark jumper from doctor who

also missy from doctor who omg

jane doe from ride the cyclone, possibly with added marionette or cracked porcelain makeup like in some renditions

classic majestic white-robed angel, with enormous fake wings and maybe even sparkly gold makeup and a big gold halo. also would be cool in all black, or all white but covered in blood (red, gold, or black, all would look cool)

buffy summers in prophecy girl, except he also has blood all over his neck from where the master bit her. I hope he’s watched btvs I think he would very much enjoy it this look would fit with their vampire vibe sooooo well

classic frankenstein’s monster

mothman. not only is he a heartthrob but he’s also a hunched goblin cryptid to me. the duality of man (he/theys)

jane prentiss from the magnus archives. if you don’t know she is a living flesh hive of sentient worms, she’s decaying and full of holes. again with all the nasty decaying rotting prosthetic makeup plus THE RED DRESS!!!

mr darcy vibes, sopping wet regency man with a big puffy white t shirt

opposite side of that, fuck it give him a full on ballroom gown

henry creel from stranger things (pre-vecna, nurse outfit)

any disney princess

crowley from good omens. my man looks GOOD in those anthony janthony aah sunglasses he has

cute flowy summer dress with like a flowery pattern. either go cottagecore with it and have flowers in his hair, or go full white soccer mum and put him in huge cunty sunglasses a massive straw sun hat with a ribbon on it

all-black cowboy!!!! the fact I’ve never seen him in a cowboy hat is actual sacrilege. also would very much appreciate an all-pink sequin studded cowboy

any alice in wonderland character, especially alice herself, the classic disney movie look with the blue dress and the bow in the hair. he would also do a great chesire cat (spooky big grin makeup paired with his weird ass dramatic facial expressions?? inspired) or a super extravagant queen / king / knave of hearts. also 100000% the mad hatter omfg, he was BORN to do a jefferson from once upon a time look!!

[leoruby-draws]

Kid Villains, pt 2.

Decided to post more kiddy villains, bit of a sequel to this. First up is Kitten, Mothman's bratty daughter from the 2003 teen titan cartoon:

Modeled her costume after the Rosy Maple Moth, while there are species of moths with the name kitten on them I figured she would prefer a pink outfit.

Thought it'd be kinda cool for her to be a villain for the batkids, she's already evil so why not. I don't imagine her to be all that talented at the job tho she would still be very dangerous if you underestimate her. I think she would work particularly well against Steph, being that Mothman started as a villain for Barbara (Cass might be too high level for her tbh).

Here's some more doodles:

Here's my Scarecrow's sidekick oc, I should probably name her something like Rag Doll or Raggedy Scream maybe? The three boys are oc's modeled after the Terrible Trio, criminals who commit crimes wearing animal masks. Their identities change a lot over continuities, so these kids are probably aspiring to be the next incarnation of this group.

Here's another random oc, a sidekick for White Rabbit (Jaina Hudson). Thought it'd be funny if it was just a kid in a silly rabbit suit, like what the kid wore in that movie, A Christmas Story. I'm not sure on what his personality should be. Maybe someone genuinely nice, a cheerful, polite boy who likes to hand people bombs (unintentionally dangerous) or maybe someone pretending to be nice but is actually malicious. Whatever's funnier I suppose.

Here's some characters inspired by the Super Friends enemies, the Super Foes. You'd see some of them return for the Robins 2021 mini, except for Toy Boy. Giggles and Guffaw are newer, only appearing in the mini.

I messed with their designs a bit to make them more unique looking. Honeysuckle for example was shown with either red or brown hair but I gave her a sorta dark maroon, thought it contrasted well with her green outfit. Honeysuckle btw, is older than the rest, and is more of an enemy to Dick and Barbara, tho her teenage self has no problem attacking the younger sibs.

Also Giggles and Guffaw might look a little similar to a certain anime starring a group of sextuplets, just being a little funny there. I gave these kids some made up names, mostly taken from whatever writer created them. Couple of them worked out pretty well actually, like Bridwell (well, spring, stream) and Estrada (Road).

This next one is a character from the 2004 cartoon The Batman, which I never actually watched but I did see commercials of. His name is Prank ( Donnie ?), a protege of the Joker. He wasn't evil enough to stick it out, but I gotta say I just loved his costume (esp how the jacket resembles Robins coat a bit). Made up a last name for him, just a random one from searching up famous clowns.

Being Barbara's peer, he's also more of a antagonist for the older kids, decided he and Honeysuckle should friends. I kinda want to use them as a sorta contrast to Babs and Dick, that could be fun to do. Also look at baby Dick, I don't draw him enough at this age.

Speaking of Barbara, I've been going back and forth between having her start out as either 12 or 16. All the other kids start out really young, so it makes sense for Babs to do so as well. But I kinda like the thought of her starting out much older, makes her more unique among the batkids (in pre-crisis she became Batgirl in like her 20s btw, cool huh?)

More various rivals for the kids to fight, excluding my oc Pink Rabbit, all of them more antagonists for the kids themselves rather sidekicks of the villains that Batman fights.

Here's Jason and Steph torturing poor little Enigma, who would be considered the bad guy here?

Here's some more proteges, Holly probably exists in this world, she's a bit too old for all this nonsense tho. Kitten is also a Super Foes member and was in Robins 2021 as well, she's been shown to be a sidekick to the Cheetah and Catwoman. Maybe she's just likes to attach herself to any cat-themed villain.

Crazy Quilt is more of an enemy to Robin than Batman, plus he has his own legacy in Crazy Quilt II, so obviously I had to include them. I wonder what name should I give the younger one, Duvet? Silly Blankie? idk

Lastly here's Earth 3(?) Jason Todd as Talon II paying a visit to the Training Wheels universe, seems like hes a bit of a crybaby. I don't think we've seen a earth 3 variant of Jason, so I'm just making up my own version of him. Wonder why he seems so nervous...

Anyways!! That was a lot, hope you liked all that!

[starmieknight]

Besides showing my love for this AU through fanart, I have a question :D

You had already responded to this comment on AO3, but for those who are not from there, I had commented that I find The idea of Stan becoming an adventure-enthusiastic teenager, like Dipper, who after recovering the journals begins to inevitably become interested in everything in Gravity Falls

The question here is, what exactly would that look like? How do you imagine Stan might actually act on this idea?

Thank you for creating such beautiful drawings, I'm looking forward to updates on AO3

First off… OMG THANK YOU HE’S ADORABLE!!!! Would you mind if I put it in the fic?

As for cryptid chaser Stanley… I think he’d be super into chasing them down for the stories. Maybe he’ll be Dipper’s camera man when the kid eventually starts his own tv show. Or they team up and go looking for cryptids like a weird version of River Monsters, with Stan taking Jeremy Wade’s role. He’ll merchandise it too, selling MothMan and UFO and Bigfoot merch. Maybe include them in his comic books. He gets a Kraken tattoo after sailing with Ford that first summer. Gets his ears pierced after getting drunk with Wendy.

Spent too much time reading over Dipper’s shoulder for info on the portal and got sucked into the kid’s enthusiasm for the weird. He already had half a foot in the boat after growing up with Ford, telling Dipper about meeting the real Jersey Devil and capturing it ends with Dipper dragging him into the woods to find something new. He’s really charismatic when he wants to be. Ford gets annoyed when Stan gets more information from creatures after casual conversation than he did in the course of a month.

[notfeelingthyaster]

btw, i still cannot take seriously any name with man in it, that's a teenager (leave any other suggestions in the comments or the tags)

[onyx-archer]

A NEW GIRL! (+ a minor correction for Abigail) The new OC is Kerri Silveira, a girl of Brazilian decent that likes Grunge music and Cryptids. She is quietly judging you, unless you ask her about the Mothman or something. She's part of Abigail's band, Parasite Eden, and has known Abigail for a while, having played with her in their previous band, Teenage Cremation. The logo on the back of her flannel is for the radio station she DJs for, Cryptid Coven Radio. The station primarily plays alt-rock and experimental music, and has segments about cryptid sightings and the like in a short "true crime-esc" style. Abigail's correction is fixing a typo btw. It was such a small thing that neither myself or MthS noticed it lol As I just mentioned, the art was handled by @mthsmelo! He continues to do a great job! Next on our chopping block is another redesign for a character (won't say who) and I'm super stoked.

[blooming-smiles]

imagine prompt: people say “trevor was never a werewolf” this, “trevor was always a werewolf” that, but consider: trevor USED to be just a weird larping furry, but then he actually got BIT and has to deal with being a real werewolf now

(larping trevor is so real oh my GOD i love this request)

🐺 - trevor turning into a werewolf

- i can see him being in the woods behind at a local park prowling for cryptids on a full moon (specifically a full moon because he marks every full moon on his calendar cus hes a neeeerd)

- he sets up traps for cryptids back there to accost them !! and prove to the world they exist !!!!!! its like a whole thing he’s got a playlist for it and everything

- he sets up the trap and hunkers down behind a bush to watch. a lil while passes and he’s starting to doze off until he hears a rustling in the bushes! and jolts awake!

- hes on the edge of his stump watching the bushes like OH MY GOD WHAT IS THAT!!!! SWAMPMAN? MOTHMAN?? MANMAN???

- and out jumps… a little orange pomeranian

- and hes like OH MY GOD ITS A WEREWOLF!!!!!1!!1!1!1!1!

- but it stands comedically near the trap but not quite there and trevors like UGGHH I GOTTA DO EVERYTHING MYSELF and chase scene ensues

- he chases it through the woods and winds up at this dramatic looking full moon over a valley. he thinks he’s got it cornered so he lunges but he missed by like a lot and it bites him. and hes like OUCH and then WOOSH its gone.

- and hes just left there like. oh my god…. my origin story is so edgy now…..

- i think becoming a werewolf would be affirming for trevor i mean theres definitely pros and cons to it in general but like. its trevor. he wanted it to happen so bad. he’s over the moon about it. might be a lil bummed it didnt come with shapeshifting or electric powers though

- i think that him getting bitten would be a genuinely dramatic event but because trevor over exaggerates a lot, any time he tries to recount it to anyone he’s not believed. the boy who cried wolf….

- i dont know if he’d develop a dog-like mentality when hes transformed or if he’d just stay the same… i think either way he’s going to chaotic about it though hes howling at the moon and digging through peoples trash and shid

- imagine he forgets what happens during his transformation and he just wakes up in some completely random situation every time. pov you are an animal shelter worker and the stray pom you took in last night is now a random teenager going on a tangent about vampires

- i dont think he has many friends prior to the habitat but id like to think he befriended nat later on. (or at least she started tolerating him pfft) i mean she’d be one of the only people to believe him because shes supernatural too. so i think hed really appreciate that and probably leans into the whole werewolf vs vampire thing so much more because now hes an actual werewolf oops

- if he was already a werewolf during the habitat i think thatd make it a neat context for his object head in the 11/22 ending but i think itd be really funny if he got turned after the habitat because like. he already treated nat Like That when he was already human so actually becoming a werewolf would make it so much more annoying to her LOL

- all in all it sure would make larping a hell of a lot more fun for him. just dont let him see a squirrel when hes transformed or its so over

(asks open for requests!)

[renmackree]

For the prompt game - 126 for college!Stiles using Derek's insta DMs as a notes app

I was a Teenaged Mothman part 4 of ???? One day, one day this will be a fic.

Prompt me up!: Open

126. “we’re quite literally fugitives of the state.” - “so no pizza?”

Stiles was laying on his bed with the packet of paper in front of him. He flipped another page open and began circling words in bright red ink and adding little notations on the edge of the paper. He glanced up at the clock, sighing even deeper as he tapped the pen against his lips. It was nearly midnight and he still hadn't heard anything from Lydia on if she was coming home tonight. His roommate had found a new 'fresh face' at the bar and was trying them out before seeing if they were worthy of the great Lydia Martin ride. He had been thinking about just texting her, but the last time that happened the partner she was with had suggested a threesome.

Stiles loves Lydia to death, but no. He was far more interested in someone else right now anyways.

"We’re quite literally fugitives of the state," Steven Dex said on the TV, Stiles' eyes moving to the screen. He had put on one of the Mothman movies (specifically I Was a Teenaged Mothman Too) and couldn't help but smile as Derek Hale's character came on screen.

"So no pizza?" Erik Weizer asked, Stiles mouthing the line along with the actor. 

Stiles tossed the Dissertation from one of their potential candidates to the side and grabbed his phone. While he might not be able to text Lydia, there was someone else he could try. He wasn't sure if the man would even answer, they had only just began texting in some strange turn of events.

SS: Why did Erik Weizer always want Pizza? Did the writers just say hey, that's your one trait? Like pizza and get slammed into walls by Steven?

Stiles went back to watching the scene where Steven and Erik were tracking down where the Alpha moth had gone. It was one of the most quoted Sterik scenes in the franchise and had actually been the part where Stiles himself had started shipping them. He had actually been a little jealous of Jared Ormly who played Erik. To be that close to Derek Hale at ALL times? Yeah, that was the dream.

He heard his phone go off, checking to see if it was Lydia. Stiles jumped up in surprise, seeing Derek had texted him back. He rolled over his bed clutching his phone and kicking his feet in the most awkward and foolish way he possibly could before reading through the texts.

DH: Jared actually said a lot of those lines off the cuff. Most of our lines were improv between the two of us. DH: What movie are you watching?

Stiles grinned, typing back as fast as his fingers could go.

SS: I was a Teenaged Mothman too. 

DH: Gross, that's the one where they used Jello instead of fake blood.

SS: I couldn't eat my dad's Jello salad for a year without thinking about it. He stopped making it because I laughed too hard every time he brought it out. I kept thinking about that stupid line.

DH: "His weakness is the light, quick shine it on his blood?"

SS: That's the one. Do you remember every movie's script?

The phone started to ring, Stiles sitting up and holding it out in front of him with an almost confused look. "Oh my god, who the hell calls in the year 2023?!" The name read "Derek Hale FOR REAL" and Stiles cleared his throat as he answered the phone.

"H-hey, what's up?"

"What was the last line?" Derek's voice was soft, almost like he was trying to keep quiet while talking to Stiles. 

"Uh, Erik just said 'I hope you know what you're doing.'" Stiles looked up to the movie, watching as the scene shifted to a close up of Derek's character contemplating.

"I don't think any of us know what we're doing." Derek was saying the line in almost perfect sync with the TV, Stiles hearing the young 19 year old and the now 30 something murmuring in his ear. "We're teenagers, Erik. We shouldn't have to deal with this. But we will. And come morning, there will only be one Mothman left. It's him or me, and right now, I'm going to do my damndest to make sure it's me."

Stiles whistled low, letting out a chuckle. "Bravo. You're truly a thespian. Such a riveting line."

"I can't tell if you're being sarcastic, but thank you." Derek chuckled. God it was like bells ringing on a clear day and stars falling from the sky. Stiles was a fucking mess when it came to Derek Hale. "It's not the first time you've said that."

"I'll tell you you're a good actor every day. Not many people stick through a series like this and come back from the grave with a new boyfriend."

"I made them write that in to my contract. If Steven Dex is resurrected, he has to end up with Erik." Derek's phone rustled a little and he sighed. "Just like I made them remove my social media restrictions so I could answer you."

Stiles swallowed hard, clearing his throat as he licked his lips. "You.., did what?"

There was silence on the other end for a moment, then Derek sighed. "I couldn't respond to you because my original contract I signed when I was 15 said I couldn't respond to private DMs on social media. Laura thought it was a good idea since underage and in Hollywood, but I really was glad you found me again. I didn't think you would remember."

Again. Found him AGAIN? Stiles wracked his brain, trying to remember when in his whole life he had met Derek Hale. Wait. He met Derek Hale?? Derek Hale knew who he was the whole time???

"Uh, yeah! Of course. I was wondering why you weren't responding but. Glad we could talk now."

"I have to go, we have a press conference tomorrow. Hope you finish your paper."

"Yep! Have a good night, thanks for the call!" Stiles hung up the phone and stared at it, looking over the screen. "When the fuck did I meet Derek Hale?"

[mousegard]

the long-awaited next aria chapter is here!

Symphogear SfZ: Aria of the Black Eagle, Season 2

Episode 11: Ver's Eleven

Magic and alchemy clash in a battle between the Black Eagles and the Illuminati. Doctor Ver puts together a team of mutant superheroes.

Ver waited for the applause to die down. “Thank you, thank you, you’re a wonderful audience, and I’m so happy to have you as partners!” he said, taking several deep bows like a stage actor. “Now, if we’re going to be a team of heroes, we’ll need a name. The Avengers, the Justice League, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles—all the greatest heroes had a great team name to match! Any ideas?” The other monsters mumbled and muttered among themselves. “The Monster Squad?” the Jersey Devil offered. “The Misfits of Science?” said Miss Flatwoods. “Diamond Dogs,” Sasquatch suggested. “The Blade Breaker… Breakers,” Shez added. “No, no, no, no,” Ver said. “Mothman and the Mothmen,” the Jersey Devil added, high-fiving Mothman’s wing. “No.” “Hey, Elsa, you got a good idea for a name?” Shez asked. All eyes turned to Elsa. She ground her teeth. Why was her kidnapper being so chummy with her? “It’s important that everyone has something to contribute,” Ver said, and all the other monsters nodded and agreed. “Well, um… for us so-called monsters, the Illuminati calls us failures—rusted cogs in their machine. But the color of rust is not such an ignoble thing. It’s the color of blood. A noble color. We should call ourselves Noble Red.” The other monsters all beamed and nodded among themselves and agreed that it was a great name. Elsa just wished she’d came up with it herself—it had been Vanessa who had told her and Millaarc that though the Illuminati said there was rust flowing through their veins, the color of their blood was as deserving of dignity and respect as anybody else’s. “I liiike it,” Mothman said. “I like it, too,” Miss Flatwoods said. “I like it, three,” Shez said. “I also like it,” Elfnein said, which made Elsa’s heart skip a beat. Ver frowned. “I don’t,” he said. Then his eyes lit up, a grin erupted across his face like a pimple popping, and he snapped his fingers. “I’ve got it! In a world where society is the real monster, the real heroes are outlaws! That’s what we’ll name ourselves after—a band of famous heroic thieves!” “Robin Hood and his Merry Men?” Sasquatch asked, furrowing a furry brow. Ver rolled his eyes. “Ver’s Eleven,” he corrected. “That’s much better than ‘Noble Red.’”

[the-babygirl-polls]

Babygirl Polls Lineup: Week Three

Hi everyone! Here is the lineup for the third week of the Babygirl Polls! Thanks to everyone for your submissions!

Chris McLean (Total Drama)

Diego Brando (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)

Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Benjamin/Hokma (Lobotomy Incorporation)

Sir Crocodile (One Piece)

Leone Abbacchio (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)

Getou Suguru (Jujustsu Kaizen)

Yami Bajura (Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters)

Troy Barnes (Community)

Cahara (Fear and Hunger)

Zuke (No Straight Roads)

Five Pebbles (Rain World)

Obito Uchiha (Naruto)

Matt (Eddsworld)

Spamton G. Spamton (Deltarune)

Luo Binghe (Scum Villain Self Saving System)

Raphael (Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

Death (Discworld)

Kimimaro (Naruto)

Cronus Ampora (Homestuck)

Lorenz Hellman Gloucester (Fire Emblem)

The Doctor (Doctor Who)

Riddle Rosehearts (Twisted Wonderland)

Klaus (The Vampire Diaries)

Caroline (The Vampire Diaries)

Jammie Tartt (Ted Lasso)

Catra (She-Ra)

Adora (She-Ra)

Natalie (Yellowjackets)

Prince Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Caesar Flickerman (The Hunger Games)

Sasha Nein (Psychonauts)

Scott Pilgrim (Scott Pilgrim vs The World, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off)

Vergil Sparda (Devil May Cry)

Aran Ryan (Punch Out!!!)

Raymond (Animal Crossing)

Randall Ascot (Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask)

Peter B. Parker (Into the Spiderverse)

DJ Octavio (Splatoon)

Tape (Paper Mario: Original King)

Tangent (I Was A Teenage Exocolonist)

Gargamel (The Smurfs)

Tobari Durandal Kumohira (Nabari no Ou)

Emil Castagnier (Tales of Symphonie: Dawn of a New World)

Israel "Izzy" Hands (Our Flag Means Death)

Deadpool (Marvel)

Viago (What We Do In The Shadows)

Julian Devorak (The Arcana)

Grimer Wormtongue (Fleetway Sonic Comics)

Will Turner (Pirates of the Caribbean)

Sea Hawk (She-Ra)

Muriel (Good Omens)

Axel (Kingdom Hearts)

Crowley (Good Omens)

Castiel (Supernatural)

Crowley (Supernatural)

Jack Skellington (Nightmare Before Christmas)

Bow (She-Ra)

Scorpia (She-Ra)

Frenchie (Our Flag Means Death)

Oluwande Boodhari (Our Flag Means Death)

Dr. James Wilson MD (House MD)

Seeley Booth (Bones)

Will Graham (Hannibal)

Niklaus Hendrix (Just Roll With It: Riptide)

Ambrosius Goldenloin (Nimona (2023))

Hawkeye Pierce (M*A*S*H*)

Sandalphon (Granblue Fantasy)

Kai (Kung Fu Panda)

Tai Lung (Kung Fu Panda)

Mikoko Mikoshiba/Mikorin (Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-Kun)

Saul Goodman/Jimmy McGill (Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul)

Doctor Starline (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Adam Stanheight (Saw (2004))

Infinite the Jackal (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Xenk Yendar (Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves)

Espio the Chameleon (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Neo (The Matrix)

Morgana Pendragon (BBC Merlin)

John Reese (Person of Interest)

Dr. Cameron (House MD)

Anthony "Anton" Herzen (Professor Layton and the Elysian Mask)

Drumbot Brian (The Mechanisms)

Ivan (Shadow and Bone)

Holland Vosjik (Shades of Magic)

Hannibal Lecter (Hannibal)

Jesus (The Bible)

Edgward/Nygma (Batman)

Gabriel Reyes/Reaper (Overwatch)

Big Boss (Metal Gear Solid)

Gunpowder Tim (The Mechanisms)

Gaueko (Nasty Dogs)

Hancock (Fallout)

Mothman (American Folklore)

Harry Wilson (Leverage: Redemption)

Kiyoka Kudou (My Happy Marriage)

Rand al'Thor (Wheel of Time)

Nam Seon-ho (My Country: The New Age)

Steven Grant (Marvel)

Howl Jenkins Pendragon (Howl's Moving Castle)

Redos (cuz i messed up in one way or another)

Jason Todd (DC Comics)

[pyreshe]

like this was partially inspired by a tiktok about the t.wilight franchise, but I do think a LOT about watsonian vs doyalist analysis and how it applies to characters of color and female characters in an unfair way and t.wilight and the fandom it spawned is a really good example of that in the wild.

in general, fandom is more fair to white male characters, more willing to excuse their actions and flaws, that's always been true. they are more willing to play with a doyalist assumption that the character does actually have a rich inner life and morals that align where they want them too that the author simply wasn't able to expand upon that. they can look at white male characters and decide they just need to be "saved" from a bad narrative. it's part of why u see the unnamed (white) male background character who has maybe a single line being turned into a 3d character by fans. (don't get me wrong, this isn't necessarily a bad thing to expand on a character with little screen time, but it IS if you ignore or devalue characters of color and female characters who contributed a lot more to the plot in favor of them)

but characters of color and female characters are often locked into watsonian analysis; the brown character is written as violent and predatory because that's just how he is- the author's racism is glossed over. meanwhile, the female character who was not written as having a rich inner world or at least not one expanded upon in the canon- she clearly doesn't have that. so on and so forth. fandom is not as forgiving of these characters; their flaws and misdeeds exist because they themselves are wrong - not because of an authors numerous and not even subtle biases.

I think people are slowly getting better about this sort of thing? I hope? but. not fast enough.

[afreakingdork]

Weak Spot - Chapter 48

RotTMNT Donatello x Reader

Don't cry and enjoy this week's chapter art work by @yorshie

Warnings: Aged-up Turtles, Romance, Meet Cute, Villain Donatello, Cussing, Crushes, Xenophobia, Fear, Intimidation, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Hurt/Comfort, Love, AFAB Reader, Vaginal Sex, Sex Rough, Sex, Penis In Vagina Sex, Creampie, Teasing, Scent Kink, Sexual Tension, Breeding Kink, Multiple Orgasms, Cunnilingus, Fellatio, Marathon Sex, Somnophilia, Bondage, Feral Behavior, Feral Donatello, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Public Sex, Dom Donnie, Human/Turtle Relationships, Turtle Noises, Roleplay, Sexual Roleplay

Synopsis:  A love story of villainous proportions! Though it hadn’t come easily, as these things rarely do, you found yourself in a whirlwind romance with a handsome and mysterious mutant. His idiosyncrasies had been easy to ignore as attraction grew into something more. However, will love endure when the unknowns about him end up being far darker than you ever considered?

I am suffering on my phone, but I dedicate this chapter to @mothmans-left-nipple ! Not only did they totally help me envision the whole concept of this chapter by sharing a story with me about their grandparent, but they're always around to scream about Donnie and bully Leo. I can't thank you enough 💞

Also available on Ao3

First 💜 Previous

You were caught weaving one of those winding tales. Nothing alarming, it was a story that had to be told over several hours if it were to reach true fruition. For your history or more so your family’s, there were many required details intrinsic to you. It was the kind of conversation that revealed why you were the person you were. You’d talk about the way your parents handled you as a kid and, for those paying attention, connections could be made. The smallest interactions that had life changing impacts made for everything leading up to this moment.

The one where your mate was actively encouraging you to continue.

A lazy Saturday, you’d woken up early for no reason other than you were awake when you woke up. Moving on that energy as it was obvious there was no more sleep to be had, Donnie stirred beside you as you were scrolling on your phone. The morning exchange and check in with one another, you moved to grab something to eat. Making enough for two and about to bring it back to bed, he'd appeared behind you while you were plating so it could be eaten in the designated area. Mooning over how sleepy Donnie had snuck in without your knowledge, he too was a thousand changes brought up to date. His latest software had made him a new machine and it was one you wanted to run at a slower pace.

He was for leisure.

He was for love.

He was for more than computations.

Watching him eat with lulled lids, you mentioned how you’d often looked like him in the mornings as a teenager. It hadn’t caused an obvious flicker, but you could tell Donnie was interested. Since his youth was a recent topic, there was a stark contrast in what you had you shared of yours. Not for any particular reason, there were simply entire lifetimes to catch up on as you navigated your relationship. He knew things. He’d asked the basics. Those basics had been refined with time, but your summary of existence had not been published autobiographically.

So he started with something small.

“Do you have a first memory?”

He’d chosen a familiar start with the same brushstroke he’d begun his own story with. You didn’t have the same capacity to know if it was your actual first, but you softly shared something from what had to have been from your toddler days. A sliver of time forever emboldened for no exact cause, what you really remembered was the feeling. It was akin to something of joy and surprise that had forever etched that point into the annals of your mind.

Soon he was asking something else.

Through putting the dishes to soak and washing up, you continued to talk. The words came easily, not an outpouring and certainly out of order. You told him of what you pegged as your most exciting moments first before having to backtrack to cover the ground that led up to them. Often forgetting that his upbringing was not one of a shared experience, you also took the time to explain the factors leading to such choices. It nearly tripled the time because society had intricacies that you often accepted without deeper thought while Donnie was quick to shred them. Points made, you hadn’t minded.

For Donnie, this was something different than an experiment. He wasn’t coming at this with his usual scientific intrigue and instead seemed like a professor off after a long day. Having beers with a colleague, the conversation was light with a philosophical air that you imagined intellectuals took on. Not haughty debates, but instead a liminal space of conversation where you could pose something absurd without the wry looks. It was the ‘yes, and’ sort of talk that was happily indulged.

No pretense.

No solution.

Only the genial sharing of one’s time.

It was that desire to co-exist and willingly ask more about your partner. The one where you wanted to know for the sake of it and not because you had something planned. He was surely logging the information, but not because he had some future scheme in the works. He only wanted to know for knowing’s sake and that resonated deeply with you.

It meant the dialog focused on you, but that didn’t mean there weren’t reveals. Having not had an Earthly upbringing, Donnie found he could connect things you mentioned to the way things had been when he was a teen. Between getting dressed, you would see a light bulb go off for him and you chased the switch. It came with more words that were gathered for construction. Making something unknown, but sturdy enough to span a lifetime, you asked if he wanted to take a walk.

Another act just for the sake of doing it, he didn’t bother asking the destination. Knowing he understood and that a backdrop would enhance the tale, the two of you were off into the early December chill. Not anything unmanageable, it meant cozy coats and you opted for a scarf with some faint knowledge that you’d be out for a while. With clouds covering the sky, light scattered in a pleasing way. As if knowing this was something special, the city lagged your same stagnant.

You were in the midst of explaining the public elementary school system and the camaraderie it brought moving grade to grade with virtually the same students. Donnie had been studying some article about funding as an additive when you decided to take a corner. He had long been moving as a remora to you, not seeking his own path, but drafting along yours. He followed you similarly and just up the way you spied a burst of flowers while he prattled on supplementary numbers.

Skipping ahead a few beats and breaking his current, he tapered off as you approached the explosion of color on the muted day. A florist on a slow day, you sniffed at something in pale blue. Donnie approached and a dart of his eye said his sense of smell was thrown off by the many florals. Regardless, you ushered him down to whatever you were breathing in. He came with trust and bent at the waist for a tepid inhale which for him was the same as a deep one. Appreciating the notes and explaining to you what flower this was, you pointed to a pink one and asked him about that.

You warmed on how easily he tabled the current conversation for the new one. The man running the flower stand had wrinkles that creased his eyes in a way that made them appear closed. In addition to his elderly jitter, he also nodded along with the information Donnie shared. Adding a few lines of his own along with how long he’d known his distributor, you were both given a flower. Pinned to your jackets with an elderly hand, he adjusted the petals just so and proclaimed them handsome. Thanking the man and not missing how Donnie tried to slip him an obscene amount of cash, the florist staunchly refused and sent you both on your way, wishing you lovebirds a wonderful day.

Admiring the flower and wishing you’d remembered to pin your hydrangea, you meant to jump back into your school talk when you caught Donnie a step behind. With a delicateness that seemed foreign for the size of his hand, he was caressing a single tiny petal with the pad of his finger. Feather-like, he had a relaxed expression that said he was idling in the moment. You matched his pace down the road until he returned with a question about assigned seating.

Going on about that and a few mishaps that occurred, you wandered corridor after corridor. The grid system of New York rolling out the carpet of unique metropolitan life, what was contained within was nowhere near as orderly. From seemingly non-existent storefronts to garish tacky ones that were sure to close in a week, you strode past things such as lavish banks and construction networks that created an odd awning. All the same to your story, Donnie trended toward the road and this time you followed him as he took a turn.

A glance at his expression found a twinkle that said this was something done in a near mischievous way, but you refused to ask for fear of breaking the illusion. It was in seeing the swivel of his head that you soon realized he’d done this as his own carefree choice. He was preening at the marvel of taking a step into the unknown. While he patted himself on the back, you slipped your hand into his and squeezed. He returned it, examining the shops and you asked if there was anywhere he had never gone before. Taking a moment to consider your phrasing, he’d lobbed back that he wouldn’t know then.

Laughing at his wisecrack, you told him about a class clown you had once known. Concept foreign to him and of a disruptive nature that he wouldn’t have cared for, you imagined that staunch child of him only wanting to learn. He’d have been labeled a nerd and a teacher’s pet so you took the chance of explaining those concepts without matching them to him. Surprisingly, you’d forgotten about the brown nosing nature of those positions which was something he picked right up on. Dismissing them in that way, he was still offended by interrupted learning and in that way the imagined version of him broke the mold.

He was something too unique to typecast.

Moving on through the years and further into the city, you thanked your comfortable shoes as you both alternated taking turns. Getting lost on purpose, you moved on whatever instinct felt right and lounged in the comfort of your super powered boyfriend. His presence meant a safety to go basically anywhere other than spaces ran by lesser. The xenophobia never truly gone, You rarely noticed the glances as your attention was always on him. Today, the onlookers seemed to only pass glances at the mutant who so boldly strode in the daylight. A mutual day off, they left well enough alone.

It was down a quieter street with less attention that you noticed a very short line outside of a simple storefront. Closing in, you wondered what could be busy and found it to be a butcher. Musing about how you’d always wanted to go to one of the places where the staff yelled at you for not knowing what you wanted, Donnie steered you right into the line. Knowing you'd told a joke, you asked him what he’d get, but he simply smiled straight forward toward the queue until you knew this was meant for you. It was and he clarified as much when he said you were going to get your experience.

You immediately tried to protest, but he teasingly held you in place with a comment about how even kidding meant it was on your mind. Giggling a sort of helpless, you tried to come up with better excuses until the entrance drew close. On edge as you entered, you were thrust into an odd game of people waving tickets and butcher paper. Nowhere near able to examine the deli case for the many people were packed inside, it seemed like a lot and no time at all until you were next up to the counter. A sweaty man with a permanent scowl demanded your order and you stuttered, trying to multitask along the choices. He yelled at you to hurry up and you snapped at him that you weren’t sure. Now playing his game, he continued to harass you with a new air of levity until you told him to decide.

Playing into another whim, this struck the man as another correct dialog choice and he interrogated you on what you needed it for. For the time of day you said lunch and he told you he was going to give you something special he just got in. Some kind of sausage you had never heard of, the man said something about its origins with a smile on his face as he wrapped it up for you. Donnie paid and you were shoved right out the door as the next feral customer went to get their go at the counter. Looking over your sack with a laugh, you thanked Donnie for forcing you to do that even though you had no idea what you were going to do with this meat.

Donnie didn’t seem to care as you continued on your trek and your story edged towards your time in high school. Fingers cold, you tugged your boyfriend over to a cart selling drinks and got two hot chocolates. Passing them more for the sake of holding than drinking, you eventually did sip to find it mostly watered down. Donnie’s face spoke to his identical findings and his scrunched up snout said that he wouldn't bother bringing the cup to his lips again. Teasing him how this was cheaper than hand warmers, he said he had something free before he bumped cups with you. Knowing he was referring to holding hands, you ruefully reminded him that the act was uncomfortable because while his size meant he could cover your hand, it also exposed your wrist. He stalled, considering the plight, and you took a break in talking to breath in steamy chocolate air.

It came to him once the cups were cooled off and you trashed them in time for him to take your arm for some mental math. Imagining him one step away from pulling out tailor’s tape, he let your lifted arm fall back down to your side before taking your hand. Holding it limp so he could maneuver it how he liked, he adjusted his grip to an odd one before stuffing both your hand and his into his pocket. The angle was a little too high to be comfortable, but Donnie stubbornly tried to adjust until he found a doable version.

Once reached, he took off, holding your hand tight in what you had to admit was a cozy comforting pouch. Your other hand feeling lacking for it, you tucked it into your own jacket pocket. You lasted only a few blocks before your awkwardly raised elbow protested loud enough that you translated how it wouldn’t work to your partner. Only marginally huffy about his failed experiment, the smile on his face said he was simply glad to have been given the space to expirement. Hopping off that to tell him about some harebrained scheme you’d concocted in middle school, he had his own litany of sometimes horrifying forays to add.

Only slightly traumatized and needing a cleanse, you tugged him into what looked like a health food store. Immediately finding it to be a stocked co-op, your eyes gleamed at the state of the produce. Your garden was still producing but for the time of year it was a hearty vegetable yield that was thinning out. Most of your labors now needed to be long simmered and you yearned for the fresh crunch of something usually reserved for the summer months. Gravitating toward obscenely bright looking lettuce and tomatoes, you gushed a little too loud and summoned a nosy employee.

The type to take breaks by following customers around and upselling for the sake of not doing proper work, the woman droned on about the greenhouse that produced these. It was apparently some recluse obsessed with their garden, the worker painted them some shadowy figure that only appeared to drop off the best. Donnie wasn’t so easily swayed and, within a few minutes of what looked like him checking out of the conversation using his phone, he returned to interrupt the woman with the exact details on the distributor. Not some magician, but instead a mother who regained her sanity by tending to her garden, she used the cash to supplement her failing income after her husband had lost his job.

With only a few grumbles, the employee was not to be bested and had talked her way onto a new subject of some jarred spread made locally. Donnie lingered by the produce as you took the snare trap to give him freedom. Roving the store by her instruction, by the time you were squishing bread to hear just how crusty it was, your boyfriend returned and announced it was time to pay. You almost heard the woman curse as she politely gave up her bready pitch and moved over to the register. There you watched several items go down the belt and were intrigued to find them all the ones the employee had tried to get you to buy.

The shock was equally apparent on her face as it seemed this had never happened to her before. Donnie watched on with some form of amusement as she finally dropped the act to instead earnestly explained that these were some of her favorite items. Telling you to make the best sandwich you could from the ingredients, you parted affably and Donnie took over carrying duty. Now able to properly tuck your hands into your pockets, you continued on through high school and after. Meeting the friends he could match faces to, he was just as thoroughly invested.

Taking several left turns in a way that said you were heading back home, your stomach growled so loudly that it interrupted you and you were forced to look down. For his hearing, Donnie caught it as well and told you that it was a good thing where the day had taken you. You joked back how you’d eat three whole sandwiches and he warned he’d hold you to that. Quickly backtracking for maybe one and a half if he split with you, he asked if you were replaying your third meeting. A fond memory tinged with bad undertones, you threw your nose up to tell him no before asking if he ever found the club he was looking for.

He quieted at the question and you watched him between glances at the sidewalk to make sure you wouldn’t trip. There was a solemn searching air to him as his gaze lowered to concrete and an odd almost wistful smile painted his face. He slowed to a stop and you moved to face him and take the full brunt of whatever his weighty response seemed to be. Lowering down, he brushed his lips to yours, not giving you time to make it a full kiss before he told you he’d found something better. Flushing darker even though the cold had already kissed your cheeks, you caught his jacket to sneak a hug from him. He returned it as best he could with full hands before urging you to catch him up to now.

Jolting for drama, you chuckled before going on about the jobs you had held and moving in with Coral. Not a level of animosity at first, you cohabitated well off the bat, but it was a basal arrangement which surprised Donnie. You moved as most New York roommates did, pining for affordability and living with others out of necessity. Getting close came with time a few important events such as her needing help getting out of a bad date and you not realizing you’d mistakenly invited an ant infestation. Both raids on other parties, the trenches brought you closer and you regaled him in war time as you neared your apartment.

Moving up and sprinkling on the little last bits of your major life events, you mentioned a few offhanded facts you knew about your friends. Donnie took it genuinely with only slight hesitation you could tell stemmed from him not knowing if this was the appropriate way to find out. Explaining to him that they definitely shared facts about him behind his back, he grew a bit frustrated as he had a negative history with the concept. Easing him down as you took the groceries to the kitchen, you explained that it was mostly friendly in nature. Having to acknowledge their little intervention, you said being protective to a certain extent was what friends did.

Quickly clarifying that how they’d handled it was Coral’s helm and not the average reaction to worry, Donnie calmed and you left him to think over the concept as you examined the haul.

“Why’d you buy the stuff at the co-op?” You mistakenly interrupted him as you were reading the label on the sandwich spread.

He was slow to come to, deep into a thought experiment, but appeared with a flicking glance at the products. “Threw caution to the wind.”

“Even after that lady put her hands all over this loaf?” You tipped your jar forward to gesture to the bread.

“I selected one that smelled the least touched.”

Your head came up as you turned over his sentence. “Oh I've never thought of that. You would absolutely cheat at secret Santa!”

He chuckled and folded his arms against the bar. Resting his head in the nest, he watched you purse your lips.

“We could have been using that nose of yours for so much!”

“We do.”

“Like what?” You set the spread down and put your hands to the counter, addressing him.

“Selecting the best produce, knowing when the vegetables are ripe for harvest, and choosing subway seats that haven’t previously been urinated on.”

Lips falling with surprise, you stared at him openly. “It’s one of your unsung labors.”

“My what?”

“There’s a thing… like a concept, that in a lot of relationships, usually women, take on the emotional burden of doing everything.”

Donnie made an unconvinced face.

“It’s true!”

“Not that.” He shook his head to rid some distaste. “You're insinuating I’m in this position.”

“You are!” You walked around the counter to meet him.

He refused to move his body and instead rolled his head against a forearm to watch you.

“You do… so much. You are constantly taking care of everything. You don’t even mention half the stuff you’re doing; you just do it. You-”

“Come here.”

Your lips rounded as his interruption was both even and affectionate.

Walking over to him and just barely staving off the last few things you’d wanted to note, he slid an arm around you and tucked you in-between him and the counter. Unfurling from his lean, he set his head atop yours and renewed the sling of his arms, this time around your shoulders. Standing like that and drinking you in for a moment, he spoke with his lips to your hair. “Have I not been asking for help when necessary?”

Looking out and trying not to move your head much, you saw a flittering memory set of him doing just that. “You have.”

“Haven’t I begun voicing my needs?”

“And wants.” You reached up and cuffed your hand around one of his wrists.

He nuzzled into you for it. “Do you feel controlled?”

“Controlled?” That got you turning in his arms.

The shawl of his wrap moved easily and he peered down at you with an interested smile. “I’m controlling.”

“Yeah, no. I wouldn’t call you that.”

“I enjoy taking care of my m-” His smile widened and he dipped down to bump his snout to your cheek. “-you. I enjoy taking care of you and I am the least fatigued I have been in my entire life.”

You reached up and scratched just under his chin.

His throat vibrated for a second under the sensation and he lifted up out of it. “Does that sound like labor?”

“I guess not…”

“I will notify you.”

“Even if you’re the tiniest bit stressed.” You turned the question up to him, needing to see his reaction.

He adjusted his distance so you had a clear view of his eyes and the truth there. “I swear.”

“Another swear?” You leaned in close. “All on your own too.”

“Important.” He clipped before kissing you right in the center of your forehead. “Not stress, but lunch would be preferred.”

“My first request.” You chirped cutely and ducked out of his hold.

Resuming his place on the counter, he tracked you back into the kitchen.

“So soon too.” You arranged the ingredients and thought them over before you remembered something. “Wait…”

He hummed a happy interest.

“You’re not doing this because my stomach growled right?” You narrowed your gaze.

“I’ll concede…” His eyes flicked up to think. “40/60.”

“Which number are you?” You stiffened your posture to show your displeasure.

“First.” He feigned guilt though he clearly didn’t feel any.

You gave a dramatic sigh before going to get a cutting board. “Sandwiches make the most sense I guess. I don’t know about this weird sausage though.”

Pulling an arm free of the tangle, Donnie manifested a glowing screen from his tech gauntlet and flipped a few pages. “Ready to eat.”

“But on a sandwich?” You asked the air and turned to root through the fridge for cheese.

“Often served as an appetizer.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty thin.” You returned with a white block of something whose label was gone.

“Cut at a bias.”

“More surface area.” You agreed and went to get a knife. With carefully tucked fingers, you got large enough coins to shingle for two sandwiches worth. Storing the rest, you then went through the motions of prepping the veggies and bread. Only harassing Donnie’s calm so he could feel how crusty the bread was, you whipped up two sandwiches with almost exclusively everything you had gathered today. Cutting them in half for the ease of pick up, you kept most of the sausage inside before you passed a plate over to him and mimed hitting a bell. “Order up.”

He chuckled as he turned the plate, looking the meal over.

“Yeah, I’m starving actually.” Skipping the trip to sit down, you scooped up half your sandwich and sank your teeth into it. Taking way too large a bite, you appreciated how everything strangely went. From the homemade sandwich spread to the crispy vegetables, it melded for a balance of flavors.

Mumbling how good it was through a full mouth, Donnie rolled his eyes at you before finally scooping up a half of his sandwich. He then did his usual adjustments to select the perfect first bite where you were already on your third or fourth.

Trying not to scarf down the thing too fast, you slowed near the crust and appreciated the crackling snap it added to the dish. Not hard to bite through and instead a necessary texture, you went to convey this when you caught sight of your partner.

Donnie was crying.

Dropping your sandwich, you rushed to his side. Not outright sobbing, tears rolled down his face as he was seemingly stuck. His sandwich was still lifted, clutched, at a halfway point to his mouth where a single perfect bite had been carved out of it. Plump tears rolled openly down his face as the pucker of his lips said he hadn’t even fully chewed the mouthful he took. Reaching him and just barely tracing your fingers to his arms, he screwed his eyes shut before forcefully grinding down what he’d consumed.

Swallowing with what looked like way too much effort, he opened his mouth for a little breathy gasp before he stumblingly got his sandwich back to his plate. Holding the opposite side as in doing so he tipped the china, you kept it from making noise before he was slow to look at you. Eyes glassy, another puffy exhale parted his lips before he screwed up a sort of smile through the tears. An awkward one as his mask soaked and bunched, he moved methodically in a turn to you.

Catching your arms with the mechanics of a crane game, he squeezed your forearms in a grip that almost feared you would disappear. Trying to form words, more little spurts of air evacuated him and you imagined his nose was somehow already stuffed.

“Donnie…” You mouthed soft and soothing.

Shaking a little around the open weeping, he looked down at his hold. Flexing his fingers against your skin and needing to watch the maneuver, he then released to move upward. Thinking he’d work his way up as he usually did, he instead skipped the rest of you to cradle your face. As gentle as he was in brushing that flower’s petal, he took your jaw and skirted his pads up over your cheeks. Feeling yourself growing emotional at this sight of him, he blinked wet lashes to keep his gaze steady on you.

Increasing the weight of his digits as if you might evaporate, his eyes darted in a way that said he tracked how his fingers sank into your flesh. A press he liked to watch, the smile on his lips grew. Tears tracked the line of it and then down his chin for a wetness you felt dripping onto you. Barely registering it, you stared right into those wet eyes of his and tried to place what he was feeling. Nothing so obvious, he trended toward your ears and you almost thought he might grab them by the way he was moving.

Working with little pinches to assure himself you were of this plane, he bypassed them to tangle into your hair. Working hard to follow the scalp, it caused you to bend your head back for him and he visually ate up the real estate. His tears now falling onto your neck as he drew close, his hands wove down your neck before he pulled you to him. Crushing you into a hug, you squeezed as hard as you could around his midsection as he did similarly around the whole of you. Encompassing your entire upper body, he had to do some rooting to find you with his snout.

Once located, he scrubbed his soaked face against yours and you shuddered against the sensation. It caused him to rumble with what you identified as a sort of laugh before he moved to rub against you harder. Pushing hard enough that you could feel his scales bite your cheek, you patted his sides to hopefully convey it was a bit too much. He only relented after a few more nuzzles and then appeared above you with now a trickle cascading down his face.

“Are you alright?” You asked and reached up to brush his cheeks.

He gave the faintest nod before hunching further into you. “Gotta pick you up.”

“Okay…” You murmured as he encased you again.

With a learned expertise, he scooped you up, bridal, into his arms and walked you over to the threshold of the living room. Abandoning your lunches, he sat down on the couch before moving to adjust you so. A certain distance from him and sitting on his joined knees, he looked over you as if seeing you for the first time. Fluttering touches marked your features; a tap to your nose, a caress to your cheek, trailing down your neck, and a press over your heart. Finding it all there and more, he gave a weak pant that morphed into a sort of chuckle. “How’d you do it…?”

It didn’t sound like a question for you. “Do what?”

“None of the ingredients were the same…” He smiled so large that it wrinkled his eyes and wrung out more tears. “But the taste… The taste…” He choked on the sound and his body quaked.

Immediately throwing your arms around him, he broke a tiny sob against you before putting himself back together and returning to his place. As if having to repeat his checklist, he went back through the motions of cataloging you before something else caught his attention. “Lunch…”

“Donnie…” You worried, trying to catch his hands, but he was in motion.

Smoothing out your sleeves, he didn’t quite stand and kick you off him, but he did lead down to your hand. That being your original destination anyway, you let him take it in a leading way and tugged. It got you to your feet where he continued his dancer’s direction in getting you back to your plate.

Depositing you there, he rounded the counter for his, but you didn’t feel much like eating anymore.

Grabbing the plate just to hold something, you watched your partner send that watery grin at his sandwich as if it were the most precious thing he’d ever been gifted. He then scooped it right up and started taking voracious bites. Not nearly enough time to chew, he seemed more preoccupied with getting as much of it into his mouth as possible. The embodiment of a starved man, he took gulps of air between bites as each consecutive one activated his tear glands. His face a mess of crumbs and fluids, nothing could beat that smile underneath.

It took a few gasping breaths, but he got what had to be ten mouthfuls down with one powerful cartoonish gulp. Thinking he must have swallowed it all whole and having no idea how to do the Heimlich through a shell, he didn’t seem bothered and instead gasped happily as if he’d sipped the most refreshing beverage. One half down, he moved to grasp the other when a small foreign giggle escaped his now free mouth. Trying to fight the sandwich up as if to smother it, more came until he was outright cackling. Not his menacing one, but something bright that shined like glass, he bit right down through a chuckle to finally get more of the sandwich into his mouth.

Following through the same motions as the last, he attempted to swallow the thing whole all while juggling the addition of laughter into the mix. Not even a far cry, but a sheer impossibility versus the Donatello you first met, you watched as he rubbed his mouth clean on the back of his hand before grinning a mucked teeth smile at you.

Only able to return it, you felt faulty of bursting at the spectacle you were witnessing.

It had to be a once in a lifetime event.

As you had penned yours, this was him dotting off a chapter in his.

It closed some unseen plot hole and left him unencumbered to turn the page.

A fresh sheet ready to be filled with the pen firmly in his hand.

“My apologies, chef.” He got out through a warbling voice. “I send my highest regards.”

After all those weeks of saying that they were suffering, I finally felt that double-edged sword so huge shout out to my betas @tmntxthings and @thepinkpanther83

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