#the stupid dopey grin on my face is embarassing.

[lotus-sunn]

he is CONSIDERATE and CARINGG UGH IT LIKE YOU KNEW EXACTLY HOW CARING HE IS IN THE SHOW AND APPLIED IT ON HEREE YOU GOT WROTE HIS CHARACTER SO RIGHT

Random Turtle HC: Raph & Anxiety

*clears throat and approaches microphone before hitting whiteboard with a ruler* A-HEM! Behold my theories peasants!

As we see expresses in the VERY 1st episode of ROTTMNT, the turtles can recognize each others signature scents and can smell fear.

Raph especially is shown briefly through the brothers dialogue to be the most aware and self conscious about said scent to the point of becoming defensive about it.

This leads me to believe that due to both natural biological olfactory senses and increased abilities due to mutation, the turtle brothers (with an advanced ability tipping to Raph due to his size and sensitivity) can actually smell the hormone cortisol.

WebMD defines cortisol as, “Your body’s main stress hormone. It works with certain parts of your brain to control your mood, motivation, and fear.”

Simply put, the turtle boys can literally smell fear.

Now I know you’re asking yourself, “Okaaaaaay cool fun fact I guess, what does that have to do anything with me?”

*takes a step back and adjust glasses with a smirk*

My dear dear fellow tumblr, allow me to share the wonders of mixing fact, madness and media all in one! *sounds of maniacal cackling can be heard*

(I wrote this with the intent to be platonic but it could be romantic if you squint long enough)

•So we've established Raph can smell fear right?

•As a protective big brother who is quite literally in fact “BIG” he knows a thing or two about getting scared

• Especially when it comes to looking out for people he cares about

•Hes been fighting baddies for his family since he was a tot! From keeping away scary dreams at night, from crushed ancient metal zombies to terrifying alien virus monsters, there ain't much he hasn't seen

•So when you join the ranks of the Mad Dogz, you immediately also get a built in prtoector

•Raphs been looking out for the little guys his whole life, what's one more?

•Not to mention you're kinda cute, so he doesn't mind sticking around a little bit closer

•But you're different than most folks, Raph notices. I mean besides the fact that you WILLING want to be friends with 4 mutant turtles of all things.

•No besides your abnormal incredible bravery in looking beyond the status quo to reach out the hand of friendship to these reckless reptiles, Raph noticed that you just kind of…smelled

•Not in a bad way or anything just…you always seemed to have a lingering scent of fear on you

•And Raph would know. Hed recognize that scent anywhere. It's a scent that ghosts every hour of every day for him. Nighttime and being alone especially.

•Raph hates being scared. He's the biggest and the oldest. He's supposed to look after his peeps! And he can't do that if he's frozen with fear all the time!

•So what does he do? Raph faces the problem head on like he always do.

•You get scared a lot. That's understandable, but Raph decides to make it his business that you don't need to be scared when he's around.

•Raph’ll protect ya

•Be prepared to have this turtle subtly (orrer not to much so because although he's a ninja he ain't exactly tactful or subtle) watching you every time you and the gang get all together

•Its not hard. You've always caught his attention for some reason or another. So looking at you is something he does without even realizing it.

•He’s looking for triggers, anything that gets that heart rate of yours spiking and that scent start to waft.

•Fidgeting hands, bouncing knees, shutting down and slinking into your hoodie, nervous chewing, pulling or playing with your hair and pacing, he's got eyes on it all.

•Once a trigger has been spotted, Raph immediately tries to locate the source

•Too many people? Suddenly you find a 6ft something giant turtle behind you, letting you know with his massive presence alone that he got your back. Literally.

•He kinda likes this position because he can see everyone that comes close enough to interact with you and everybody can see him.

•All he's got to do is narrow his eyes a little a give em a flash of that all too familiar snaggle tooth of his if he thinks someone's being mean and he gets his unspoken threat across just fine

•Not to mention you're also close enough to grab if someone he doesn't deem fit for your attention gets a little too close for his liking. But he doesn't say that part out loud.

•Scared of talking? You suddenly feel the cool tip of his massive scaely alligator tail (anatomically correct alligator tail be darned, I'm going with the fandoms HCs for this one) gently wrapping around your ankle as a physical reminder that he's right there here to support you

•Overwhelmed and the world feels like it's closing in on you? Raphs massive size is a natural battering ram that allows him to pass through thick crowds with easy. He's not afraid to help heard you into a quiet little corner away from it all

•Years of practice with Donnie allows him the experience to ask you if you're good with touch.

•If yes, you know you're going to be instantly wrapped into his arms, pulled flushed up against the worn keratin of his plastron. Raph’s always been more of “hands-on experience” kinda of guy anyway.

•Raph gives good hugs. They're firm and tight, padded with the security of arms who have been holding the weight of the world for years.

•He will rest his chin on top of your head, gently guiding your head with the motion ever so slightly so you're somehow perfectly nestled right against his heart.

•It's a loud heart, especially when you're up so close. It's actually his strongest muscle and one he's most proud of. He cares about you, so he reckons he’ll allow you the privilege of getting close to it. In more ways than one.

•Raph doesn't talk much during these special security hugs. He's never really been much good with words anyways. Raph knows sometimes the noise can be too much, but he also knows that the silence can be defeaning. So being a turtle comes with some built in perks that make up a happy medium.

•Hes got a special churr saved for special situations just like this one. It's one of the lowest and deepest ones he's capable of making. More akin to a muted growl more than anything the way it vibrates his chest as you're pressed up against it. You can feel it more than hear it and it just takes a handful of minutes listening to this bad boy before Raph can sense your fear stink slowly dissipating and your natural sweet scent can return.

•Raph can smell fear, and there's something incredibly humbling for this Atlas of a turtle to have the sweet experience of watching that scent drift away whenever he gets the privilege of being close to you like this.

•��You don't need to be scared no more, Sweet Pea. Raph’s got ya. I'm gonna be right here until you're ready to face the world again. Until then, let me just hold ya.”

Dedicated to the one and only @anobodyinabog. Sorry this took so long,but I hope your day gets better Shortcake. Please know you're always looked out for and loved ok? 🧡❤️

[ivadeshin]

Pasadena Iced Coffee (4/?)

(Sequel to Five Soda Maximum. Catch up on previous chapters on Ao3.)

Last chapter was short-ish, so this one is longer. <3

Another ten minutes go by, and Molly begins to suspect Caleb may sleep til dinner if something doesn’t happen soon.

“Frump scarf,” Molly says quietly, nosing at Frumpkin’s arm when Frumpkin curls further around his shoulders to look Molly in his eye. “Can you get down for me? Down?” He taps the table a few times until Frumpkin gets to his feet, nimbly jumping down as requested. “You’re such a good kitty.”

As if he understood, Frumpkin trills quietly and leans forward to rub his face against Molly’s horn.

“Okay. Okay. Love you too.” Molly stands up, giving Frumpkin a few last chin scratches before throwing the Doritos bag away and putting his phone in his pocket.

Peeking back into the bedroom, Caleb is absolutely still out cold. Naked on top of the sheets and sprawling out as if trying to claim territory or recapture Molly’s warmth, his mouth is ever so slightly open, red-blond lashes fanned across his cheeks.

Molly shuts the door behind him as quietly as possible and leans against it a moment, taking in the sight. Caleb’s ribs don’t stick out like they used to anymore, but he’s still lean, and his creamy white skin looks delicate and dappled from the sunlight coming in from the window.

Molly’s eyes drift and settle on Caleb’s lap - even soft, he looks big. It’s difficult to think too much about the specifics of trying to fit that inside him someday.

But you tried it the other way, and he was so uncomfortable you had to stop. So maybe stick with the hands and the mouths?

Molly drags the heel of his hand across his cheek, willing the embarrassing memory away. He’s only felt that guilty a handful of times in his life, and it was only worse that it was their ‘about to go away’ night that he’d had that stupid idea. And rushed it too much.

Caleb takes a sudden deep breath in, letting out a mumbly sort of half-breath as he turns onto his side. Molly laughs quietly, admiring the view of Caleb’s back and ass a moment before telling himself to get over his mental angst. He shucks his clothes back off, easing back onto the bed and sliding an arm over Caleb.

“Fffm.” Caleb does not completely wake up.

“Hey, cutie.” Molly kisses his shoulder. “It’s like 3.”

Caleb’s hand drifts over Molly’s arm, closing around it and giving it a gentle squeeze. “Was? Oh!” Caleb looks over his shoulder with a dopey smile. Molly grins back. “Molly.”

“Caaay-leb.” Molly pretends to chomp down on Caleb’s shoulder, letting his teeth show.

“Do not eat me,” Caleb protests half-heartedly, awake enough now to play along with their usual game.

“I must, I must eat you,” Molly says around a delicate mouthful of shoulder. He gives it a brief nibble.

“The pain...” Caleb gives a convincing, if dramatic, wince as he pretends to try to pull away. “Everysing they said about tieflings was true.”

“We eats you.” Molly lets go to give the nibbled spot two quick kisses. “Can we go do something?”

Caleb wiggles a little bit away, rolling onto his other side so he can face Molly and continue to smile dopily at him. “Yes. In a minute or two? Where would you like to go, or do.”

“I had a vending machine snack, but maybe a coffee place? Somewhere where we can sit outside?”

Caleb is taking Molly’s right hand in his, gazing studiously at the new tattoo. “Almost all the places have seats outside.” He giggles as Molly bends his wrist back and forth, making the snake move toward him and up toward his face. “Oh!”

“What’s ‘snake’ in German?” Molly asks, folding his hand so the snake head on the back of his hand can give Caleb a brief smooch on the cheek.

Caleb makes a face, taking a little too long to answer: “Natter.”

“Natter,” Molly echoes, curious. “Did you really forget?”

“No, I just have never gotten a kiss from one before.”

“It’s a very kissy snake.” Molly uses his hand to give two more quick kisses. Kiss is 'Kuss’, Molly remembers... “Natter Kuss!”

“Natter Kuss,” Caleb agrees, grinning again. “Hallo, Natter, hold still.” Molly holds his hand still. Caleb gives it a light peck.

“It’s blushing!”

“Is it?”

“It likes you.”

“Well, let me buy it some coffee.” Caleb sits up and runs his fingers through his hair a few times. “It’s always warm here. Do you want iced coffee?”

That sounds really good. “Sure.” He gets up, catching Caleb’s eye as he stretches and bends over to pick his boxers and jeans back.

“Where do you think you will have another one?” Caleb asks, picking his clothes off the floor.

“Another- oh, tattoo?”

“Ja.”

Molly shrugs. “There’s a bunch I’ve thought about but I don’t know what order... I think a garden-y flower thing on my shoulder next.”

“Like, the snake is coming out of it?”

“Yeah.” Molly smiles and traces his right shoulder with his left hand. “What do you think?”

Caleb shrugs as he pulls his jeans back on. “Whenever you talk about it, you get so happy. You like this one so much. I think, whatever you pick will be beautiful, so I do not... I do not care what it is exactly.” Caleb’s looking at him, probably to make sure the ‘I don’t care’ isn’t taken the wrong way. Molly knows that look.

“Even if it’s five more tattoos?” Molly half-jokes. “And more skirts, too?”

Caleb gives him a confused look. “Did you stop wearing them?”

“No, I.” Molly shrugs and feels a little embarassed. “I just didn’t really pack any for here.”

“It is hot,” Caleb says, gesturing to the window as soon as his arm is all the way through the sleeve of his t-shirt. “And, and everyone here is very... not-stuck-up.”

Molly gathers up some courage and says it: “Yeah, but this is like. Your town. If you introduce me to your friends, it’ll be as your boyfriend, and I don’t. Wanna make you feel weird.”

“Because you wear...?” Caleb lets go of his shoe and looks at the floor for what feels like a full minute, composing another sentence. Molly waits. “Your skin is very beautiful without tattoos, and also with tattoos. Your clothes are very beautiful when they are pants, and also when they are dresses or skirts. I am very proud. To be with you. Either way. And when you have tattoos and skirts, you are more happy, and so. That one is better.” He looks up, a mixture of serious and hesitant.

“That made sense,” Molly reassures, through a slightly tight throat.

“Okay, good.” Caleb looks down to his shoe again, then back up to Molly’s face. “Are you okay?”

Molly nods and sits down on the bed to pull his boots back on too.

“Are you - were you worried?” Caleb pokes his leg to get his attention.

“Only a little,” Molly says, laughing and rubbing his nose. “I just. This part of your life is so important to you and you’re working really hard, I don’t want to mess it up.”

“You could not,” Caleb says. “My professors, the companies I am freelancing for, none of them would mind, and if they did I would manage without them.”

“And your classmates?”

“I have mentioned you a little. Most of them are just interested to meet you. I showed a few the video of you in the high school Cabaret and they said you were a good singer.” Caleb smiles at him. “I am not pretending to be straight or something, here.”

I still haven’t met your parents, and you bought them a condo like ten miles from here, Molly thinks but doesn’t say. “I’m worrying over nothing.”

“You are. You - Natter, please, come here.” Caleb holds out his hand mock-seriously, and Molly laughs and puts his right hand in Caleb’s. Holding it up to his face, Caleb pretends to talk to the snake. “Herr Natter. Please reassure Molly that I have gotten over being gay and I am okay with it now.”

“Ssssssstimmt,” Molly agrees, pretending to be the snake. Caleb laughs immediately, which helps Molly relax further.

“The snake knows German! What a good snake.”

“Aber... esss... isssst... ssschlecht.” Molly beams as Caleb laughs louder, leaving a loud smacking kiss on the snake’s head before flinching back.

“Wait, is that too hard? Because it is new?”

“Kisses are okay,” Molly reassures.

“Okay. Let me buy you coffee.”

**

Caleb’s apartment is more or less across from campus, and it’s only a block or two of white stucco houses before they’re walking past little shops and diners Molly didn’t see on the way over. Caleb seems to be making a point of holding his hand, squeezing it as they wait for the street light to change.

“I’m not worried anymore,” Molly says under his breath, grinning a little.

“Too bad, I already have it.” Caleb gives him a mock-stubborn glare and squeezes tighter.

“Do you ever go out here with classmates?”

“Sometimes, yes.” Caleb gestures ahead. “Everyone here is used to students, so they are very friendly to study groups and things. Sometimes we get a very long table and bring our laptops and collaborate for a few hours. Group projects.”

“But you do buy something,” Molly prompts.

“Yes, and we tip a lot, also.” Caleb sticks his tongue out. “I have become a very good American, you do not need to worry.”

“Mister Weiss!”

Caleb’s head whips around, and Molly follows suit to look at an older elf with white hair and tanned skin. From the way Caleb’s just straightened up, Molly would guess this has to be someone important.

“Dr. Errenis!” Caleb sounds surprised. “H-hello, it is nice to see you.”

Dr. Errenis looks to Molly, evaluating a moment before speaking directly to him. “Mr. Weiss has not been with us long, but I see he’s already aware of my reputation for staying on campus.”

“It’s a nice day for it, though.” Molly smiles and gestures to the general weather. Errenis looks up and around, as if beginning to consider it.

“Yes, we do have a lot of those.”

Caleb takes a breath. “Sir, this is my, my boyfriend, Mollymauk Tealeaf.”

Molly makes himself hold his hand out like an adult. “Nice to meet you.” He’s not shocked when the hand is slightly cool. Elves seem to keep even cooler internal temperatures than humans do.

“And you, Mr. Tealeaf.” The man seems to have had no particular reaction to the ‘b’ word. “I assume you are HSS?”

What does that mean?

“He actually doesn’t go here,” Caleb interjects.

“Ah.” The older elf tilts his head to the side, evaluating Molly a moment. “Well, we can’t blame him for that. Our humanities and social studies courses are as limited as one would expect.”

“What class do you teach?” Molly thinks it’s a reasonable question, until he sees the elf’s golden eyes narrow slightly.

“Several,” he says, maybe implying that asking it in singular was a little ridiculous for someone like him. “Mr. Weiss has the honor of being the only freshman taking one of my 400 level courses.”

Molly switches gears from being embarrassed about himself to being proud of Caleb. “Yeah, he’s always been a little brilliant.”

Caleb looks suitably shy. “Dr. Errenis is an excellent professor,” he says in a half-mumble.

“Well, you’re one of the few students to display practical knowledge in... the field, so I wanted to respond in person, since the opportunity presented itself, to the email you sent last week.” He fixes Caleb with a level stare. “I will take on the role of being your adviser. Please understand that it is predicated on your continued performance both in and out of school.”

Caleb’s brows lift slightly. “Out... of school?”

“I have a colleague who is a senior developer for one of the projects you have been hired onto as a freelance analyst. You have the unique position of possibly gaining or losing potential standing with me depending on your quality of work on said project.” The man’s lips almost smile. “So I trust you will continue your Herculean efforts both in and out of academia.”

“Y-yes. Sir.” Caleb swallows as the old elf nods and walks away, giving a brief tilt of the head to Molly as he passes them. They watch as he practically floats down the warm Pasadena street, turning into a used book store.

“What’s the word?” Molly says under his breath. “Unheimlich.”

“A little scary, yes,” Caleb agrees softly. He hasn’t looked away from the last place he saw the elf, right at the shop’s doorway. “But. I think... I just... made one of the most powerful allies on ze entire campus.”

(just checking, have you seen this fanart from cait?)