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(no subject)

Who: Robert Hastings (

semper_cogitans) and Hamato Donatello (

i_speak_softly)
What: Celebrating the birthday of a certain Turtle.
When: February 6th
Where: Around the village, though the Battle Dome's a standout locale.
Summary: While there's some rare peace, Robert tries to give Don some semblance of a birthday celebration by doing everything he's terrible at.
Rating: Shouldn't be anything too bad here. PG-13 maybe at most? Or maybe B for Birthday.

Thanks to the genius of Don's winter room, this year the Turtle is actually coherent on the day Robert remembers he defined as his birthday. And while the birthdate might not even be particularly accurate, it's nonetheless significant enough to Robert that he wants to commemorate it somehow.

So what better way than by making himself look a little silly doing all the things his partner is so fond of? Don had already wanted to go for a run, and it was easy enough from there to suggest a sparring session of sorts afterwards - they've been cooped up inside too long, and need the exercise anyway.

All of this is a little nervewracking for the scientist, but he is determined to make it work as he makes his way to the Turtle's winter room bright and early in the morning.

One way or another, he is going to make sure Don has fun today.

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"... I... am having some difficulty, with balance and standing..." Robert admits, swaying very slightly as he tries to make a grab for the shirt with one hand. He looks a little helplessly at it, since if he lets go of the chair he might fall.

Don looks at the various moving parts here, and makes a decision. Laying the shirt over Robert's shoulder, he bends to scoop his partner up in a bridal carry. He then heads slowly to Robert's bedroom, where he lays the man down on the blankets before crawling in next to him.

There's a brief moment where Robert looks a little confused when Don lifts him, but as soon as he's bundled up in the Turtle's arms he just curls gently into his plastron and lets him carry Robert wherever he will.

This happens to be his room, which is nice. He knows the temperature isn't as high as Don would like it to be, though, so he gently presses into the Turtle under the sheets. Maybe it's a good thing he didn't put his shirt back on?

Human lovers are a highly effective substitute for turning up the thermostat. Don settles comfortably against Robert, and soon dozes off.

While Don rests, Robert lays more or less awake but in a comfortable haze of familiarity. Don's presence near him, and the knowledge he genuinely made the Turtle happy, pleases him greatly.

It does revive an internal line of questioning, though - with all these comfortable expressions of affection, why does Don never use the ones he knows that other red-eared sliders use? Questions about what instincts Don has have been in Robert's head for ages now, but he's never asked...

Don sleeps soundly, but in a while begins to wake up again. He doesn't seem to be in any hurry to reach normal consciousness, though.

Robert doesn't hurry him, merely turns over to better face the Turtle as he begins to stir. He smiles softly into the Turtle's shoulder, perhaps giving him a hint that there is someone who would like to see him awake.

Don cracks an eye open, because seeing his partner smiling at him like that is always pleasant. Exactly here seems like a good place to stay for a while.

"... I had... a question for you, when you wanted to answer," Robert murmurs, still smiling. It's not a weird question - or, at least, he hopes - so it shouldn't be bad to ask...

"Um." Don assumes this will be some sort of simple, mundane question - go ahead and ask.

Don assumes wrong.

"Ah... well, this is not a significant concern of mine... but I have always wondered something.

... Non-mutatens Trachemys scripta elegans have... displays of affection, correct? But... I have never seen you exhibit them...

Do you... simply lack those desires?"

Half-awake as he is, Don barely even understands all those words.

"What...?"

Maybe he didn't word himself well?

"Things like... face-stroking." Robert looks at Don's sleepy expression curiously, albeit with a serious air. "Do... do you wish to do such things?"

Don stares at Robert blankly. Obviously he is not really awake, but having some kind of strange dream.

A little uncertain as to why Don isn't getting him, Robert backs off, looking as confused as he sounds.

"Is this... really a strange thing to ask...?"

"Robert..." Don rubs his eyes with thumb and forefinger, trying to stimulate some brain activity. "Are you surveying me about weird sex-related acts?"

"Not... surveying. I just... wondered why it had never come up before..."

Now Robert actually looks like he feels bad for asking, and backpedals a little accordingly. "Truly, it... does not m-matter. I am just... I wondered if, perhaps, I was... unapproachable on this level...?"

Don refocuses, and slides a little distance away from Robert - if they're going to talk, he wants to be able to see his partner probably.

"Of course you're unapproachable. You're human."

"But," Robert counters, looking a little more serious about this, "I perform human instinctually-based acts on you, and that is not a problem to you... or so it seems. So... why would it be one in the opposite situation?"

Not that Robert is good at separating his instincts from his cognitive functions, for multiple reasons, but he is certain that this is true. And if Don puts up with it from him, then there's literally no excuse about the opposite.

"Because I'm human-ish, but you're not a turtle."

So obviously the onus is on him to bridge the distance between them.

Robert tilts his head slightly.

"I may not be, but that does not stop me from wanting you to be who you are, without restriction... nor does it stop me from appreciating, or even desiring, such expressions."

Quietly: "You don't know what you're asking."

With a surprising firmness: "After all the research I have done on the subject, I would hope to have some idea."

~~Though this now sounds like it means something different from what Robert actually intended.~~

Don stares at Robert in disbelief: not that he did research, but that he came to this conclusion.

"Then why would you want that?"

Robert might be starting to realize that Don is asking this about all turtle habits, rather than strictly the gentler ones, but - despite the discomfort the question raises, for unrelated reasons - he still answers this immediately.

"Because it is part of you... it is part of who you are, and I am loathe to... have you hide that..."

There may be other reasons, too. Reasons that Robert is not so forthcoming on.