#wr teddy

[stainedglasstruth]

Left wrapped in a box outside Arden’s door.“Saw this at the Antiques shop and thought of you. Don’t know if you are a digital or film girlie, but it’s a beautiful camera even if it just sits on your shelf - T. Jones.”

There is also a tin of cookies and cocoa to be shared with Teagan.

[oceansrevenge]

Marina and Teagan with a Teddy in the distance.

Thank you so much @eldritchaccident for the absolutely stunning art and bringing Marina's true form to life exactly how I imagined.

Aside from being INCREDIBLE, this is a reference for what Marina's true form looks when she's not using a glamour.

[letsbenditlikebennett]

Timing: Current Location: Downtown Rec Center With: @letsbenditlikebennett & @eldritchaccident  Warnings: Parental Death mentions Summary: A local cooking class gets two very invested students. 

Finding entertainment for oneself was a never ending sisyphean effort. Teddy had a thirst for knowledge and fun that would never really be quenched. No matter what they did. No matter how many hobbies they picked up, or how they filled their time. It was like an aching pit of curiosity. Calling like a siren in any and every direction. Today, it led down to the local rec center. Not the first time the demon found themselves in the concrete cube, standing side by side with a few other ‘Resters’ or whatever the hell they were supposed to call citizens of this messed up town. 

Cooking. 

Something that already piqued the demon’s interest (enough that it consumed them entirely some days) was enough to drag them from their houseboat. They donned their very best apron and a massive grin. Big brown eyes behind red sunglasses staring at the instructor like they were some sort of celebrity. Giddily shifting their weight from one food to the next. It didn’t actually matter if the guy was going to teach them something new or not. It was the community aspect of it. 

The Joneses were more often than not either gone too soon to make any sort of attachments, or far to suspect to really ever enjoy participating alongside the others in their locale. Wicked’s Rest had been much more than the rest stop the young demon expected it to be. Two whole years already behind them, and with the way Leviathan’s business had put down roots, maybe a whole lot more ahead. It was strange. But exhilarating. Something new. Teddy had to care what they said to people because they might see them more than once. Had to take care of people who they wanted to keep around. It all had a learning curve, and they definitely messed up here and there. But they couldn’t say it wasn’t an enjoyable ride. 

“What do you think is on the menu tonight?” Ted leaned down to the smaller shape at his side, a fidgety little thing almost making them look still. “Chef hasn’t said yet, but I’m hoping it’s creme brulee. Love working with fire.” 

— 

The presence of her cousin in their home had Alex on edge in more ways than one, but the initial worry of him possibly wanting to kill her had long since passed. As much was apparent in the effort Kaden put into helping out around the home and pretending to like her less than stellar attempts at cooking. He was always trying to get her and Andy to eat better, likely out of concern, at least from what she could gauge. Kaden was far from the easiest person to get a read on, but she’d spent so much of her childhood reading people and mirroring them to convince everyone she was something she wasn't that she felt like she had a fairly good grasp on him. 

Not enough of a grasp to outright ask him when his birthday was, but Alex had done a bit of snooping through his things and found out his birthday had just passed and she missed it. Putting an effort into making a nice dinner had to count for something. So she found herself at one of the free cooking classes at the local rec center. Maybe it wouldn’t be the fine French cuisine Kaden was used to getting back home, but he’d be happy to see her making something that didn’t come from a can or powder. 

There was a lot of nervous energy in Alex as she fidgeted with the different cooking utensils in front of her. She hated not being good at things. That probably had something to do with the fact she never felt good enough for her parents, but that was a suitcase of emotional baggage to unpack another day. Today was about embracing learning something new and using it to make a kind gesture. 

The voice next to her pulled Alex pulled her out of the loop of shuffling through measuring spoons that she’d been in and she looked up with a curious glance. “I’m hoping something French,” she answered, “So creme brulee would fit the bill… though not sure if I trust myself with fire in my own kitchen.” Kaden had made a lot of small repairs around the cabin, but she figured a burned down kitchen might be a bit much for him to fix, especially on his birthday. 

“Wanted to make my cousin something for his birthday,” Alex explained, “He’s French… well, we’re both French, but he, like, actually grew up there.” Speaking French was about as close as she ever got to really connecting with her heritage, which never really bothered her all that much. “You ever been to one of these before,” she asked, hoping maybe they were more skilled at cooking than she was. 

— 

“Ahh oui!” Teddy was smiling like it was their job. Like they were ready for a photoshoot for the cover of Demon Weekly. “French cuisine is a lot of fun. They are much more adventurous than a lot of American pallets.” Thoughtfully, they clicked their tongue against the roof of their mouth. “If you aren’t a fan of torches at home, you could always use a broiler. It’s a great tool once you master it. Mostly you gotta just pay attention to it cause it can go from golden to burnt so fast.” Problems, they figured, needed solutions. Teddy liked to offer solutions to anything they had knowledge on, which kind of gave them the air of a know-it-all sometimes. But mostly they were just excited to share. They were just as excited to be corrected as they were to give out corrections. 

Especially about food. Whenever the topic of cooking came up, it was like Teddy couldn’t shut up if they tried. Which they didn’t. Because why would they? Why would you go to a cooking class and not want to chat about cooking? Didn’t make any sense at all! They were always a bit of a loquacious gadabout though, when they had the energy for it. Always searching for the next bit of joy to come from someone else, or make it themselves if they had to. After all, if you couldn’t find organic happiness out in the wild, homemade was fine. 

“Oh!! A birthday! Gonna make him something special then? That’s exciting! I’ve been to France a few times. Paris is a bit overrated if you ask me but Lacoste is absolutely gorgeous no matter what time of year you go. Not as close to the ocean as I’d like it to be but– Sorry I’m being a motor mouth. I haven’t even introduced myself. I’m Teddy. And yes. Been to a few. The usual instructor is very… interesting. But a really good cook too!” 

Interesting, was a fun way to say ‘secretly a two hundred year old fae who got very into the rumor that eating fae food binds you to them in some way but doesn’t usually use it for that, even if they do make a mean meal’ that owed Teddy a favor or two. Which is probably the only reason they hadn’t been kicked out of class. Somehow their bright and cheery and overly ambitious attitude didn’t always come across as infectious. “How about you? First time?” 

—

The amount of enthusiasm her partner in this class had was something Alex wished she could muster for… just about anything. That level of unbridled joy wasn’t something she could ever remember possessing, even as a small child. Even then, the weight of her parents’ expectations seemed crushing and now– Well, now she wasn’t too sure. It was hard to pick apart the right and wrong in how she was raised when all her feelings about her parents were clouded with grief. The blues of grief, the reds of anger, and the small yellow slivers of joy were all muddied together into a brown that she could parse through, even on a good day. The fact she couldn’t bring herself to even likely didn’t help, but even if she did, she couldn’t imagine carrying such a carefree feeling. The enthusiasm was almost contagious at least and they brought a smile to Alex’s face. 

“Isn’t the American palette just like… the McDonalds menu,” Alex joked, “Which no shame, I regularly feast on cold Spaghetti-os. Just comparatively other cuisines don’t have much competition. Unless we’re throwing apple pie into the mix.” The broiler she could try to work with. Kaden had been fidgeting around with the shoddy oven and probably got it working. He was really on his Bob the Builder shit and she loved that journey for him. “Huh, that could work. May have to give it a try some time.” 

While Alex wasn’t sure she had the cooking skills to back up calling anything she made special, that was in theory, the whole idea here. “Special, passable,” she shrugged, “It’s the gesture, right? And Lacoste– I’ve only been to Lyon and… well, I forget where the camp I went to was, but somewhere in France with my cousins. Cities aren’t super my vibe so I think I’d probably agree with you on Paris. And hey, no need to apologize. The enthusiasm is a whole ass vibe. I’m Alex.” 

It was comforting to know that this wasn’t Teddy’s first rodeo. Alex was no Gordon Ramsey and being alongside someone who had a better idea of what they were doing would surely be helpful in the class. “Good stuff,” she responded, “First time here for me, so if I ask like 20,000 questions– well, I’d say sorry, but that’d be a lie.” 

As if on cue, the instructor came in and introduced themself to the class. They told them they’d be working on a pie crust and that they would get to choose the filling. That was way too much freedom for Alex. Did she choose an American classic like Apple? That was kind of boring and Kaden wasn’t even American. He did seem to really like pie though. “Hm,” she wondered aloud, “Kinda stumped on a flavor. It’s the first birthday gift I’ve given him in like…. 15 years or something.” 

—

“You’d think so, right? But there’s actually a pretty interesting dynamic to it.” Teddy bounced in place, a new energy surging through them with the chance to explain something like this. “Because so many people come to America, right?  And they influence and are influenced by the culture around them. It creates this sort of… Mix? Everything is a little bit of fusion, and if you give it enough time that develops into whole new cuisines! It’s amazing and–” The excitable demon was cut off mid sentence by a loud stare they happened to catch out of the corner of their eye. 

Chef Spencer was standing opposite their station, arms crossed, sporting an all too familiar expression that Teddy knew meant something along the lines of “For the love of god please hush Jones. I respect you and love you, but dear lord. You are so knowledgeable and funny and hot and have such great stories that it overshadows my class.” Or something like that. Maybe just “Shut up, I’m trying to start.” But Teds liked to think it was the former. 

Teddy shot a wink along with an apologetic smile over towards the teacher, who rolled his eyes and laughed under his breath. Whether it was the topic or the fact that this wasn’t the first time this had happened in this very kitchen was hard to tell. 

The class started, and the very first second of acceptable chatting time that popped up, Teddy resumed the conversation like it’d never stopped. “Go with a classic. But give it a twist. Apple, but in addition to the warming spices, add just a pinch of chili powder. It deepens the complexity and gives it this whole new bite. Plus, if you add a bit of nice gruyere on top, ahh–” A chef kiss, fit for Julia Child. 

— 

“Huh,” Alex pondered in response, “Never really thought of it like that, but if I’m being honest most of my meals are stolen cans of spaghettios and vienna sausages.” She whispered, as to not draw more attention to them after the Chef had all but told them to quiet down. Teddy was pretty excitable, but she found she didn’t mind it as much. It made her feel more at ease being in an unfamiliar place and doing something that was way outside of her skillset. 

She listened closely to Chef Spencer explaining the basics of how to get started on their pie crust. Alex was wondering if maybe she should have enlisted Andy for this, but how different could it be from one of her labs at school? Not very– at least she hoped. Teddy’s input was helpful. She would have never thought of the addition of chili powder, but it sounded good. Her brow furrowed in confusion at the last part. 

“Chili powder, I’m gonna try that,” Alex agreed more enthusiastically than she had expected, “But what’s gruyere? Is that some sorta Guy Fieri branded thing?” Diners and Dives was admittedly one of her favorite late night watches, but she hadn’t heard of that one. Not that she was an expert on ingredients that couldn’t be found in 7/11. “Thanks for the idea, definitely want him to love the pie.” Well, she wanted Kaden to love her– which in families was supposed to be some sort of given, but she wasn’t sure that same logic applied to a faulty werewolf kid in a family of rangers. 

— 

“Oh but those are the best.” Teddy had probably more than their fair share of the best of Chef Boyarde. The days before a settled kitchen was a guarantee often included a canned meal or two. Shared over smiles, regardless of the situation they were in. Made Teddy wonder about their little partner in crime. Food crime? Nah, this wasn’t the place for that. Chef Spencer might say otherwise considering Ted’s proclivity for strangeness, but oh well. Alex was keeping up with Ted’s jittery joy. A rare feat, which meant she was a rare find. A wonderful addition to the metaphorical rolodex the demon kept in their mind. 

What was her childhood like? Was it lots of tinned meat and overly sweet sauce because she had to, because that’s all that was around? Or was that just choice? A good choice, but y’know. Not the one most humans made. Balanced meals and all that. Teddy had a lot to ponder as they worked their hands through the flour and butter. Mixing just enough to combine, not so much that the dough wouldn’t be flaky and lovely. 

“What’s Gruyere?” The demon smiled again, there wasn’t any malice to it or anything like that, no Teddy was just excited to be able to expose someone to something new. And delicious, a bonus bonus. “Oh it's cheese!” They still tried to keep their voice hushed, lest Chef Spencer have something important to share with the class. “I think it’s french, but honestly it might be Dutch or something. I’m not the most informed on ch-origins.” A pause, a toothy grin. “Cheese Origins.” 

—

It was nice that despite the clear passion that Teddy had for cooking, they weren’t overly judgmental about things like canned meals. There was a lot about them that made Alex curious. It was nice that they weren’t a total snob despite their clear love for all things culinary arts, but hadn’t grown out of tinned food. Not that she had either. Sure, they had a bit more money to scrap together now everyone in the household had some form of income, but it wasn’t like she and Andy could afford to go all out on every meal. Oftentimes, Alex just found the familiarity of Chef Boyardee and Velveeta comforting. She wondered if it was the same for Teddy, she wanted to ask, but at the same time, that usually meant sharing more about herself in return. And the intricacies of why she and Andy spent a good chunk of their life on the run wasn’t something she exactly delved into with… well, anyone. 

Instead of voicing any of the thousands of questions running through her head, Alex donned a winning smile, and responded, “Clearly, we have a refined palette. Glad I’m taking pie-flavor advice from someone with taste.” Whether that would be up to Kaden’s tastes or not was to be determined, but she hoped that this little surprise was worth the effort  as she carefully worked the flour and butter together to form a crust. Chef Spencer advised they’d want to give the dough time to chill while they prepared fillings for their pies. 

The mention of fancy cheese clearly excited her new… did she daresay friend? Alex had resisted the idea of friends for a long time, but the more she opened herself up to the idea, the more she found she craved the connection. Maybe she was a monster that didn’t deserve it, but that thought was harder to hold onto when Teddy had a megawatt smile that was definitely contagious. “Fancy French cheese,” she hummed, “That’d actually be perfect. Fancy French cousin and all. You should see how long that guy spends on his hair in the morning.” She secretly hoped it wasn’t one of the extra stinky French cheeses, but she could put up with it for the sake of surprising Kaden with something nice. 

A snort escaped from Alex as she made the finishing touches on her crust to give it time to chill. “Ch-orgins,” she laughed, shaking her head, “That was so cheesy.” The smirk she wore made it obvious the pun was in fact intended. It was a happy and light feeling, one she realized she didn’t want to end, which brought a sort of bittersweet feeling. She didn’t want another fleeting encounter, she wanted to be around people that made her feel like she belonged like she did in this moment. She wanted to do this again and despite the fact the idea of being rejected in an earnest moment, she asked, “Would you wanna do this again sometime? Not necessarily here, I mean, the kitchen at my cabin is small, but this is fun and you’re cool.” 

—

“Oh, why I must say! I am so charmed by your noticing. It is so good to share in such resplendent company.” Teddy donned a very played up and intentionally not that good British accent. One of those Down-town Abbey types or whatever. All the while adopting the mannerisms and affectations of an old rich lady who might be concerned with such things as taste. Very, very few people on this earth shared in Teddy Jones’ taste. 

They’d learned that one way or another, many people were put off by how individual the demon allowed themself to be. And for all Ted cared, they could choke on it. People that mattered, they figured, would stick around regardless of the kinds of shirts Teddy liked to wear, the strange combinations of foods they liked to try, and the peculiar way of viewing things they always seemed to have. 

“Eh–” Teddy returned to their normal accent, “I can brie cheddar than that.” Puns were a specialty of the demon. Patron anti-saint of portmanteaus, silly jokes, and all things punny. Alex definitely won a basket full of points by unlocking that little number. A few more in asking to hang out after Chef Spencer’s class had concluded. “Hell yeah dude, your cabin, I also have a decent kitchen on my boat. An even better one at my dad’s place, which is still basically my place too, just gotta give a heads up. You’re cool as ice cream too half-pint.” 

– 

Normally, Alex would find the use of a fake British accent annoying at best, but something about the way Teddy used it in such a joking and dramatic fashion made it a lot more amusing. Much less grating than that one girl in her high school chemistry class that talked in a British accent for months after her trip to London. She laughed along as she worked on the filling for her pie, taking both Chef Spencer’s instructions and Ted’s inventive ideas into account to make this the best pie ever… or at least the best pie she’d ever made. Given it’d be the only pie she’d ever made and Andy probably still made better pies, but maybe that didn’t matter much if she was having a good time and doing something thoughtful for someone she cared for. 

The pun sent her into another fit of giggles as Alex carefully added a little bit of chili powder to the apple mixture she was working on. “Okay, that was gouda,” she added with overemphasized awe, “Gonna need to get some crackers in here for all this cheese.” It was easy to joke with Teddy. Perhaps it was their openness and the unapologetic way they were just themself. She wondered what that was like. She felt as if she’d been apologizing for who she was for as long as she could remember. Then again, Teddy was human. What did they have to apologize for? Though she supposed she was once just that, too, and she had been filled with just as much self-doubt and overcompensating. 

Her filling seemed to be coming along nicely and Alex had a feeling that Kaden might actually enjoy the pie. Better yet, Teddy was down to hang out in the future which indicated she may have successfully made a friend. Maybe Andy would stop recommending her to people who needed insoles, but that was a long shot. “You live on a boat,” she asked incredulously, “That’s fucking cool.” Did they have money or something? Usually boats were a rich people thing, but at the mention of their dad, it was clear parents in the picture usually meant more stable finances. “And that’s cool of your dad, to let you use his kitchen.” Was that a normal father thing? Her own father seemed to hate when she focused on anything that wasn’t directly related to her training, as if more practice would every make up for the fact that the ranger genes happened to skip her. “We can make it a thing. Switch it up where we go. Maybe make something your dad loves when we go over there since he’d be letting us use his kitchen and all.” 

The threads of a plan had begun to tie together in a way that left Alex feeling good about this whole experience. She had to admit, she was curious to meet whoever raised Teddy. That level of easy confidence and enthusiasm made her wonder what their father was like. “First up will be that creme brulee,” she assured, “Then, who knows? The possibilities are endless.” 

– 

As Alex caught a case of the giggles Teddy felt more and more alive with an overdeveloped sense of pride. Nothing felt better than watching someone fall into that breathless joy. If they were going to live forever, if they were going to have to watch as the world changed. Watch the faces of people they’d grown to like, get older and eventually leave him for good… Well all then all they could hope for was a few moments like this with each of them. Delightful, silly, bordering on preposterous. 

“Doesn’t it just melt the stress away though?” A warm hum filled Teddy’s chest as they busied themself with their own fillings. Already well on their way to making something that Levi might like. Mango and peaches, a bit of basil and tajin. All set in an earl gray custard. Sweet and spicy, just like the old kraken itself. Papa shark would like this little one, Teddy was as sure of it as they were sure that Leviathan would like the pie they were carefully arranging. “Ahh, Crackers. Then we’ll really be putting on the Ritz.” 

Each slice of fruit thin and careful, they even broke out the mandolin. An element of musically homonymous danger made any dish just that much more delicious. The ‘petals’ of fruit all spun into a central bud, making the whole pie look like a blooming rose. Teddy wasn’t much of an arteest, but they had the queer audacity to believe they were good enough to do anything they set their mind to. And in this particular case? It worked out. 

Time passed, pies were in the oven and all there was left to do was wait. “You know what Chef Alex, I think that sounds grand. Creme brulee day will be crackin’.” The devilish smile softened again. Excited to add another little buddy to their growing arsenal. Wicked’s Rest was full of folks who just seemed to get it. Ted’s kind of people. It was… nice. Made it the kind of place they didn’t want to leave. Even if the thought of staying somewhere more than a decade sent shivers down their spine. “Once we’re less coated in flour, I’ll have to grab your number. For now though–” timed to a scarily accurate degree, the buzzer on the oven popped off and Teddy nudged Alex with a grin. “Bon appetit!” 

[stainedglasstruth]

[pm] I'm so sorry-- I can't-- I should have-- It should have been me-- I'm just going to die anyway--this is-- I'm--

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