So I saw the Whumpay prompts “Truth Serum” and “Magic Overuse” and thought, if I don’t write about Harry Potter I’m basically committing a crime.
So we all know Veritaserum exists and it totally should’ve been used to clear Sirius’s name, but for some reason it never happened. I wrote about it set during prisoner of Azkaban, except it’s Whumpay so of course things go wrong
Here’s my crackfic turned angsty hell based on Hermione having common sense and being a little morally grey featuring oblivious Harry, smart Ron, and stupid Cornelius Fudge.
Tw: Erasing memories, headaches on steroids
They had just broken the bars off his cage, the sound of the the metal falling away almost deafening. That’s when it struck her.
“Veritaserum!” She exclaimed. She couldn’t see Harry’s nor Sirius’s face, but she could feel the confusion rolling off them in waves. They both exchanged looks before they stared back at the bushy haired girl, Sirius with a raised eyebrow and crossed arms.
“Er- Hermione, what about Veritaserum?” Harry had asked, still planted in front of her on Buckbeak. She slid off the Hippogrif, landing on the stone floor with a small thud, looking back up at Harry.
“It’ll clear his name!” She turned to Sirius now, a smile on her face. “If you take some in front of the Minister of Magic and Dumbledore- well, they can’t very well send you back to Azkaban, can they?”
She was stoked, wand in hand as he grinned happily. Sirius looked dumbstruck. It was the most logical thing he’d ever heard, but for some reason he’d never thought of before.
“This is why you’re the brightest witch of our age.” Harry laughed, finally realizing what this meant- what this could mean. If Sirius was cleared, he could finally escape the Dursley’s. He could finally live with someone who cared about his parents for all they did, and most importantly, cared about him.
“Hermione,” Sirius said, a strange look on his face, like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You’re a genius. Absolutely brilliant.”
Hermione was still smiling when she helped Sirius onto Buckbeak’s back. She was still smiling when she told Dumbledore to summon the Minister; when she told him her grand plan. She was still smiling when the Minister of Magic showed up, looking vaguely annoyed and entirely skeptical.
This would prove it. Right here- this moment, this would prove it. Sirius was innocent.
She held back a grin as he chugged down the Veritaserum, barely containing her glee when he confessed that he hadn’t killed James and Lily. She shot Harry a satisfied glanced when he explained that it had been Peter all along, that he was working for the dark lord. He explained that while he did try to kill him, all he got was a finger.
The tension in the room was thick, waiting for the minister to say something. She gave Harry’s hand a small squeeze in support, waiting.
The smile dropped off her face faster than the speed of light when he said it didn’t matter. Her eyes got dark when he ordered cuffs to be placed on Sirius’s wrists despite the damming truth between them. Her hand twitched to her wand when Sirius’s face dropped in realization that he’d have to go back. She watched the light in his eyes dim, and she couldn’t stop herself. Later she’d blame it on impulsivity- but she knew it wasn’t true. She didn’t feel bad for what she did, she felt vindicated.
“Obliviate!”
At once the Minister and his associate stopped, their faces going blank. A sharp pain pierced her own skull, but she didn’t care. From the corner of her eye she could see Dumbledores surprise, clearly not expecting her to do that, but underneath the shock she could tell he was proud. Sirius looked like he didn’t know whether to be stunned or amused, his face settling somewhere between the two. Harry of course was horrified, standing beside her with wide eyes and an open mouth.
“Hermione!” He yelled, sounding vaguely appalled.
“Don’t.” She snapped, looking back at Harry. “Just take Sirius and wait for me at the cell.”
He shifted on his feet then, glancing over the Minister, the blank eyes staring into the distance. “Hermione, you just-“
“I know what I did!” She snapped, looking back at Fudge. “If he doesn’t want to see reason, well…” she smirked, her hand steady on her wand. “Then I guess he just won’t remember this, will he?”
No one would remember this she thought, watching Harry free his uncle from the godawful shackles. Her head pulsed and she closed her eyes, trying to will away the pain. Hermione waited until she heard his footsteps retreating before she opened them. Once he was gone, she turned to fully face Dumbledore. He gave her a knowing smile, like he knew exactly what she was planning.
“You may not be doing the right thing, but you’re doing it for the right reasons.” He spoke softly, tilting his head ever so slightly as he turned to look at Fudge. “That man was proven innocent, and yet..” he trailed off, looking away from the minister.
Hermione hesitated, her wand faltering in her grip, her palms sweaty where the skin touched wood. Before she could speak, Dumbledore was already raising a hand to silence her.
“I shall take Mr Fudge and his associate back to the ministry. Once I return, I’ll be sure to get rid of any evidence, lest you want a migraine for days.” His voice was smooth but amused, she could practically hear the eyebrow raise, even though she couldn’t see it. Hermione blushed in embarrassment, her gaze darting to the floor for a second. “I promise, no one will know this has been done, my dear.” He leisurely walked over to the two men, like this was an everyday occurrence. (It was Hogwarts, maybe it was.) Dumbledore took ahold of them both by the arm, looking back with a soft but knowing smile. “No one but you.”
———————————————
Hermione didn’t feel any regret when she left the room, now holding her wand firmly, the time turner tucked safely under her shirt.
She didn’t feel any regret when she made it back to Harry and Sirius, both of them in varying stages of confusion and worry.
She didn’t feel any regret when she raised her arm, pointing her wand at the two of them. She let a small apology fall from her lips, a courtesy she knew they wouldn’t remember.
“I’m sorry Harry, Sirius. This is for the best.”
She didn’t feel any regret when their faces went blank, their eyes clouding over. She didn’t feel any regret when she got back on Buckbeak, leading them to think they had just broken the bars.
If the law wouldn’t allow Sirius Black to live his life, then Hermione would. She wasn’t cruel, she wasn’t mean, but some people deserved it. In her eyes, Sirius didn’t. If the price she had to pay was a splitting headache and nausea, then she would pay it. Headaches went away. Nausea went away. The trauma from living with dementors never disappeared. Hermione would be dammed if she let Sirius go back knowing he was innocent.
Later that night the two of them sat in the infirmary with Ron. Harry had taken the role of filling him in while Hermione sat in silence. She massaged her temples every once in a while, for the most part having her head rest in her hand. Earlier she had told them that she was tired, they didn’t question it. The headache raged like a hurricane, battering the inside of her head so violently she almost cried. Her vision doubled, she was so nauseous she genuinely debated grabbing a bucket just in case- but she refused to show it. Not in front of Harry. It would be too suspicious.
She wasn’t paying attention when he told Ron that he felt weird, like he was missing time. She didn’t hear him when he stated that the rescue felt much longer than it was, too focused on the cacophony of drums behind her eyes. Only when he turned to her to ask if she felt the same did she realize what he was talking about. She put her shaking hands onto her lap. Out of sight, out of mind, right? She did her best to sound genuine while she reassured him that everything was okay.
“I mean, the stairs did take a bit longer than usual,” she said with a convincingly thoughtful hum, “Maybe it’s just the adrenaline.. I wouldn’t worry about it.” Her voice was strained, trying her best not to show the pain. She gave Harry a bright smile, and he returned one of his own, even if his didn’t reach his eyes. She felt a pit forming in her stomach, but she quickly pushed it away. Third years weren’t supposed to use that spell, let alone know about it, but Hermione was no ordinary third year. She’d been gifted a time turner, what was one more secret to keep? Yes, her head hurt, a side affect of using magic to powerful for her age, but it was well deserved. She didn’t regret anything she did, even if it meant having a migraine. She’d do it all again in a heartbeat.
After Harry had gone to bed, Hermione stuck around. Ron gave her a side eye from his position on the cot but she rolled her eyes, ignoring the spike of nausea from the action. She gave him an unamused look, quirking up one of her eyebrows. “Really Ronald, everything’s fine. Why are you looking at me like that?”
For a minute he just stared, and she sat there confused. Finally he reached over, placing a hand over top of hers. “Whatever you did..” he paused, unsure if he should continue. “I know you had a good reason to do it.”
She stared at him with wide eyes, but she didn’t respond. Was she really that obvious?
He chuckled for a second at her confused expression, a small sound that filled the air between them. “There are painkillers over there, you know.” He said, jutting his head to a small bottle on his bedside table. “They work faster if you hold ‘em under your tongue- here, let me grab them for you.”
Her eyes went wide with shock and she looked away. Ron was a lot more observant than she gave him credit for, clearly. She heard him grab the bottle, having some difficulty flipping open the lid, and she laughed quietly at his struggle. Her gave her a small smile, finally getting it open with a triumphant yell. She shook her head, he was lucky they were the only people in here. She held out her spare hand and he shook three pills into her palm, closing the cap and putting it away.
“Take one now, and these two tomorrow.” He said firmly, now holding a small mug of water. She looked at him with a grateful smile, popping one of the magical pills into her mouth before she drank the water to help it go down.
“Thank you.” She said, setting the water onto the side table. He just shrugged, looking oddly smug. “What’re friends for?”
Ron gave her hand a pat before pulling back, giving Hermione an easy, reassuring smile. As the feeling of being stabbed in her skull slowly faded away, she smiled back.
You can also read this on Ao3
https://archiveofourown.org/works/65405383
Dc writers be like yeah sorry this character was doomed by the narrative there was nothing we could do, like my brother in christ you ARE the narrative
Whumpay has my going crazy, so to all the Donatello whumpee fans out there, this one’s for you.
Donnie deserved to crash out after the events of The Fourfold Trap and Leo should’ve apologized. Hence, we have this
(Uses the prompts from day 2, and day 15)
Tw: Swearing (it’s Raph), and mentions of injuries
Donnie slumps in his chair, staring at the remnants of his latest failure. The liquid was pitch black, bubbling in front of him, mockingly.
He groans, putting his face into his hands. This was the fifth failure of the night. It was supposed to work- why haven’t any of them been working?
He forces himself into an upright position, shoving the black sludge to the far side of his desk. His head is pounding but he doesn’t care, he has to find a cure to the brainworm. He forces his hands to stop shaking as he grabs a pipette, trying a different combination of chemicals. He’s meticulous, careful and calculated. Every drop feels like torture, the calm before the storm. He adds the last ingredient and waits with bated breath. For a second it looks like it’s going to work and he stands up, planting his hands on the table. He’s laughing, it’s working- he’s done it!
Of course, it didn’t work.
The mixture turns cement grey, bubbling like the last one had. He groans again, slamming his hands onto his desk. He was so close. But of course- of course it wouldn’t work. Why would it work? All he does is fail. With an angry shout he punches his desk, once, twice- he only stops when his hand starts throbbing.
His eyes burn. His head hurts. He’s so tired- he hasn’t slept since their kidnapping, too preoccupied with finding a cure to the brain worm. He wasn’t even sure he’d bandaged his burns, he just didn’t have the time. He lets out a bitter laugh, the remnants of another experiment gone wrong glaring at him. Gloating. Screaming. He’s a failure. All he’s done lately is fail- he couldn’t make the cure, he couldn’t save his brothers, he couldn’t beat the brain boggler, all he could do was fail.
He wants to cry, but he doesn’t. He’s not sure he can. Instead he takes a deep breath, running a hand over the top of his head. He can do this. He can do this.
He gives his hands a shake, cracks his neck, and metaphorically rolls up his sleeves. He won’t rest until he gets this right and finds a cure. He can’t. He has to do this for Leo. For Splinter.
————————————————————
It has been a few days since the kidnapping. Mikey had been shaken up for the first day or so, but bounced back quickly compared to the others. Raph still had the occasional headache (especially when he didn’t drink enough water) but it looked like he was on the road to a full recovery. Mikey had decided to spend most of his time annoying said brother, playing pranks on the older turtle whenever he could.
Currently, Mikey sat in front of the TV, cross legged and smiling at an episode of Crognard The Barbarian. Raph sat on the couch behind him, comic in hand. The two had been bickering up until a few moments ago, leaving them in a not so silent, silence.
Leo emerged from the dojo, stretching his arms above his head with a small sigh. He’d been spending most of his time with Splinter, meditating, and talking about Karai. This was the first time he’s been out since this morning.
“Has anyone seen Donnie?” He asked, and Raph snorted, shaking his head.
“Not since we got back.” He said snarkily, refusing to take his eyes off his comic. “He’s been cooped up in his lab, something about finding a cure? That ringing any bells?” Raph looked away from the comic, giving Leo a pointed look. The eldest narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. Whether or not he did this out of frustration or guilt he wasn’t sure.
“Really?” He frowned, glancing at the large doors to his side. “Did he at least grab anything to eat?”
“Nope,” Mikey said, popping the p. He leant back on his hands, still looking at the TV as he answered his brother. “I brought him some pizza earlier, he might’ve had that.”
Leo frowned harder before he let out a sigh, once again glancing at the door. “Doubt it.”
Raph snapped his comic book shut, staring at him with narrowed eyes. “Well maybe if you hadn’t yelled at him-”
“Oh- so this is my fault now?” Leo scoffed, his arms falling to his sides. “He knew how much it meant to sensei, he wasn’t trying hard enough!”
Raph stood up, glaring hard at his older brother. “Trying hard enough? Do you- do you hear how stupid you sound!? Of course he was trying, you idiot!”
Leo rolled his eyes, adjusting his feet. “He wasn’t trying enough.” He said it with finality, a hard tone that didn’t leave any room for discussion.
Raphs forehead vein made an attempt to burst out of his skin, but he did his best to stay calm.
Leo furrowed his eyebrows, taking a few steps forward. “That’s all I told him- it’s not like I told him to make it his whole life!“ Leo was getting angrier by the second- look, he knows Donnie was trying. But they didn’t have time- they needed a cure as soon as possible.
“His- are you kidding me, fearless?“ Raph marched towards him, his fists balled. “I mean seriously, how do you not see how much of an asshole you were.”
Leo stood his ground, clenching his fists. “She needs this cure. Splinter needs his daughter. I was only trying to give him motivation-“
“Motivation!?” Raph snapped, laughing loudly. “Are you that obsessed with her that you thought bitching out your brother was the best idea for motivation?”
Leo spluttered, holding his hands up in front of him. “I did not bitch-“
“You kinda did, bro.” Mikey’s voice cut in, giving Leo a dodgy side eye. “Donnie was always working on that thing. What you said was not cool, dude.”
The two older turtles stopped, staring at the youngest. Raph held a hand out, gesturing to Mikey. If he had an eyebrow to raise, he would’ve done so. “You know it’s bad when even Mikey admits it.”
Leo stood silently, staring at the ground. His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides, a mixture of anger and guilt swirling in his mind. He wasn’t- Donnie should know that he wasn’t trying to be harsh. He was just stressed, and he felt like Donnie could be doing better.
“Well, what do you want me to do about it?” Leo frowned, looking up at the shorter turtle. Raph crossed his arms while Mikey piped up from the floor. “Apologize, duh.”
Leo sighed, rolling his eyes. “Fine.”
“And take him some more pizza!”
————————————————————
Donnie had barely slept, the pizza Mikey brought over long since forgotten on the floor. He was hunched over his desk, his eyes drooping every so often. He was no closer to creating a cure than he had been a week ago, and he was starting to get extremely frustrated with himself.
That’s where Leo found him. Muttering quietly, shaky hands reaching for pipettes and test tubes, beakers lined up on his desk, all filled with the same orange liquid. Donnie was evidently doing multiple experiments at the same time, trying to cut his time short.
Leo sighed, glancing around the room. His eyes landed on the uneaten pizza and he frowned, his fingers twitching under the plate in his hand. He shifted awkwardly, waiting for Donnie to notice that he was there- usually, the sound of the door opening would’ve been enough. Today, the taller turtle was none the wiser, far too wrapped up in his experiments to notice. Leo very quickly got fed up with it and cleared his throat, walking a little closer with intentionally loud steps.
Donnie jolted, his hands seizing. He nearly dropped the test tube he was holding, just barely steadying himself enough to avoid a spill. Once he was calm, Donnie set the tube onto a holder, placing his hands on the desk, his head bowed forward in frustration.
Donnie was turning as he spoke, pinching the bridge of his beak as he did so. “Raph, I already told you, if you want me to get out you’re gonna have to-“ he paused, finally realizing which brother he was talking too. He locked eyes with Leo, eyes widening slightly before they hardened. “Oh. It’s you.”
Leo tried not to feel hurt, but the stab of guilt in his chest made that difficult. He walked forward a few steps, gesturing to the plate in his hand. “I brought pizza.” He tried, gently. Donnie eyed it up before he turned back to his desk, waving a hand over his shoulder. “Put it on the side.”
Leo frowned again (he seemed to be doing a lot of that-) before he set the plate down next to the one Mikey had brought him. “Are you gonna eat it?” He questioned, crossing his arms in a classic big brother move. “You haven’t even touched the stuff Mikey brought you.”
“I’ll eat later.” Donnie’s tone was dismissive and cold, hardly paying attention anymore. Leo didn’t know why that made him so mad.
“Come on Donnie, just one piece won’t hurt.” He tried bargaining, taking another step towards the turtle. He was a few feet away and still, his younger brother refused to look at him.
“Oh, but it will, right?” He snapped, narrowing his eyes at the beaker in front of him. “If I eat, I’m not working on the cure.”
Leo winced, opening his mouth before closing it. He let out a loud sigh, giving Donnie his best mom look. “You know that’s not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?” He snapped, turning to look at Leo. “You wanted me to try harder- I’m trying harder! What, now you’re mad at me?” He scoffed, letting out a short laugh. Of course- of course, because Donnie couldn’t do anything right.
“Of course not! I’m just worried about you, you haven’t eaten, you don’t sleep-“
“You told me to try harder!”
Leo fell silent, his eyes widening with a sudden realization. Donnie paced in front of him, tugging at the skin on his head with a manic look in his eyes. The steps seemed to echo off the walls, a deafening sound to Leo’s ears.
”You want me to work on the cure, I’m working on the cure. Now you don’t want me to work on the cure? Make up your mind!” He said angrily, gesturing as he spoke. “You don’t get to say I’m not working hard enough then tell me I’m working too hard, that’s not how it works!”
Leo shook his head, firing back a response. “Yes I can! I can when you’re not taking care of yourself! I’m your older brother, and your leader!”
Donnie let out a loud laugh, one that seemed to reverberate around the room and drown out any other noise. When he finally calmed down, he refused to look at the other. He was seething, and his arms were tense at his sides.
“I can’t win with you! I’m expected to have all the answers and when I don’t, I’m told to try harder. I am trying! I’m trying my hardest! I do everything! Everything! You may be the leader but you don’t have half the responsibility I do! You act like you do, but you don’t/ you guys don’t even acknowledge 90% of what I do! And you want me to try harder!?” He whipped his head around, staring into Leo’s soul. He was sure at that moment if looks could kill, he’d be limbo dancing with the devil. Leo watched his younger brother stalk forward, jabbing a finger into his plastron. “How would you like to figure all this out? To be in charge of all the technology, all the vehicles, all the first aid? How would you like to be the first person everyone goes to for their problems, and the first person blamed when something goes wrong?”
Every stab of his finger felt like a knife through his heart, the weight of everything he’d done settling in like a dark cloud. Choking him, suffocating in the guilt. He was cut off anytime he tried to speak, forced to listen. Something he wasn’t used too.
“You- you tell me to try harder, like I’m not telling myself that everyday.” The jabs were losing heat, barely more than a firm poke at this point. “I know I need to find the cure. I know how much this means to Sensei. I know that we’re on a time crunch. I know because I tell myself every single day.”
He stopped, choking on his words for a moment. Leo went to open his mouth but Donnie gave him a look, clearly saying ‘I’m not finished’.
“I.. give everything to this family. Everything. And what do I get back? I’m told to try harder.” His voice is quiet, barely more than a whisper. His hand has long since dropped to his side, eyes locked to the floor as he spoke. “So go. Let me try harder. Let me redeem myself. Thats what you want, right?”
Leo wasn’t sure if he should cry or punch himself in the face. The silence enveloped them like a blanket, and for the first time in a long time, he took a long look at his brother.
The first thing he noticed was the untreated burns, blistering and swollen on the side of his head. Next were his eyes. Bloodshot. Drooping. He could see the unshed tears gathering in the corners, fighting a battle they were bound to lose. He noticed the dark circles under his eyes that stretched so far you could see them below his mask. He could see how sickly he looked, pale, almost deathly so. He looked like a shell of what he’d been even a week ago- how had Leo not noticed?
He looked around at the lab next, it was a mess. There were papers thrown all over the floor, burns, dents and scrapes on every surface. Broken parts of past machines were scattered everywhere, wires were stuffed in questionable places, and there was a box on the floor overflowing with gears. The broken toaster sat on one of his shelves, next to some hand drawn blueprints of the battle shell. With every small detail Leo felt his heart breaking, his breath catching in his throat. His eyes burned with shame, how has he never noticed before?
He finally looked back at his brother, his eyes landing on the burns once again. He felt a swell of emotion in his chest, nearly choking him with the intensity, and he realized with a start that he never answered his question.
“God- no, Donnie. I’m-“ he took a breath, closing his eyes as he collected himself. When he opened them he saw Donnie’s eyes. Narrowed. Tired. Disbelieving. “I shouldn’t have said that, okay? It was stupid, I- I realize that now. I don’t ever want to see you putting work over your own well being. That’s not what I meant.”
Donnie stayed silent, his red rimmed eyes scanning over Leo. He didn’t believe him, that much was obvious, and Leo knew that somehow he had to fix that.
“I know you don’t believe me, but just- take a break. Get some sleep. Eat something. Spend some time out of your lab, this’ll all be here when you come back to it.”
Donnie shifted on his feet, glancing back at the desk, his eyes were searching- for what, he wasn’t sure. Finally, after a terrifying minute of silence, he turned back to his brother with a small sniffle, clearly trying not to cry.
“You’re not gonna let me say no, are you?” He spoke softly, like all the fight had drained out of him, leaving him exhausted.
“Nope.” Leo said, giving his brother a small smile.
Donnie let out a wet laugh, one hand coming up to cover his mouth, the other resting on his desk. He gave it one last look before he turned around, crossing his arms over his chest. He stood in front of Leo, shifting on his feet with another sniff. Before he could say anything, Leo had his arms wrapped around him in a tight hug, the unsaid words obvious between the two. I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I’d do anything to make this better.
Donnie froze, his body going stiff before he slowly relaxed, wrapping his arms around his carapace. The tears fell freely after that, soaking his mask and Leo’s shoulder. At some point they ended up on the floor, Donnie half in Leo’s lap but of course he didn’t mind. He sobbed, he knew things weren’t gonna be okay. He still had to find the cure, he was still the tech guy, but right now.. he was just Donnie. Being comforted by his older brother, like he used to when they were tots.
Right now, they were Donnie and Leo. Brothers before teammates. Brothers before ninjas. That’s all they needed to be.
You can also find this on Ao3
https://archiveofourown.org/works/65259853
Honestly, it’s the best Tmnt crossover AND it’s one of the best Tmnt movies out there. I love it so much and it doesn’t get half the hype it deserves
It might seem like I’m joking when I say that Batman VS the TMNT is my favorite movie of all time but you need to understand that to me. to me? This movie has it all. The Gotham City Rogues all get fursonas. Two poorly voiced lesbians tearfully break up in a pizzeria right before Batman throws Michealangelo through the window. Donatello sees Damian Wayne and yells “What are you, five?!” Leonardo calls him “Little guy” and Damian fucking breaks his knees with a bo staff. Harley’s in her jester outfit telling Joker that eight years of college and three years of residency make her overqualified to be the sexy nurse. Raphael of all turtles lectures Batman about not being direct and trusting with his family. Leonardo kicks Ra’s al Ghul in the balls. Shredders asks Batman to say his last words and he goes, “Cowabunga”
Whatever you do, make sure you turn down the volume
Get a song rec by choosing a color.
🟥🟧🟨🟩🟦🟪
I was so disappointed with the aftermath of Stiles possession. Not only did it feel kinda rushed, it was just an “oh the bad guys gone and now Stiles is totally fine time to move on!” type of situation. Like no. I know they exorcized void, but give me something!! Please!!
Since I am a writer and deranged, I took the Whumpay prompt “Psychic Link” to create this short drabble about possible after affects from his possession, so yk
SCOTT MCCALL IS NOT AN ASSHOLE IN THIS!!! WE LOVE SCOTT!!
Tw: Mentions of losing time/slight dissociation
Stiles never felt the same after void.
He knew, logically, that he was gone. They’d banished him. But sometimes he wasn’t so sure.
Most of the time he felt normal, he went about his life like usual, helping out the pack where he could. Sometimes though.. sometimes he said things- did things, that he couldn’t control. School presentations ending in detention, instigating a fight at one of Lydia’s parties, snapping at Scott for no reason. He remembered it all, but it didn’t feel like him, rather it felt like he was a passenger in his own mind.
He tried not to worry, coming up with excuse after excuse when his friends asked if he was okay.
“I’m just tired, don’t worry about it.”
“I had a bad day- sorry for snapping.”
“I pulled an all nighter, I don’t think my brains working at its top capacity if you know what I mean.”
“Dammit, I forgot to take my meds.”
Was he telling the truth? Mostly, he was just distorting the actual affects of said actions. He didn’t want to worry his friends- void was supposed to be behind them all. Void needed to be in the past, or Stiles would start freaking out.
The dreams started pretty soon after the behavioural issues. Confusing and quick, flashes of things Stiles didn’t remember, yet seemed too real to be fake. Sometimes he dreamt that he was higher than life, watching the world from a birds perspective. He had dreams about flying, feeling the wind on his body like it he was actually there. These dreams made him wary, some part of him thought they could still be linked. With what they did to the Nogitsune… it was possible, but he still wasn’t convinced.
Things got concerning when he started losing time. It was never like it was before, losing hours or days, waking up in places he didn’t recognize. No, this was smaller, subtle.
The first time he was walking with Scott on their way to practice. He blinked, and suddenly he was a couple feet further than he had been. He brushed it off, thinking maybe he had just zoned out for a second. He convinced himself that he was fine. Void was gone.
It kept happening. He never lost more than a minute, but every time it happened he grew more and more concerned. Stiles knew he should tell someone, but how was he supposed to say it? Hey guys, I know we exorcised Void but I think he might still be here. Oh no, it’s not a big deal, I just black out every once in a while. Oh, also I can’t control what I say or do sometimes. No no, you don’t need to worry ‘cause it’s really not that bad, I’m just letting you know. Anyway, what’s up with you lately?
Yeah. No way.
He was going to deal with this by himself if it killed him.
..Okay, maybe not, because saying that never ended well for anyone. He’d deal with this until it got worse. Like, Void possessing him levels worse. Hopefully it would never get to that point, and Stiles could just move on with his life and forget about everything that happened with the dumb Nogitsune. Right?
Wrong.
Stiles had been at the wolf house, taking a day to hang out with everyone. Everyone wanted some time to just be teenagers (Derek not included). They brought snacks, watched movies, and caught up with the normal things in life. Someone mentioned Isaac and things got quiet for a second, the air tense with his recent departure. Shortly after that the chatter resumed, if a little less excited than it was before. Stiles had excused himself, heading to the kitchen to get some water. He blinked, and suddenly Scott was in front of him, shaking his shoulders and calling his name.
“-iles? Stiles! Dude! Can you hear me?”
“Yeah, Jesus Scott, you wanna stop screaming my ear off?” Stiles said, pushing himself out of Scott’s hold. The Alpha looked sheepish for a second before he asked quietly.
“You alright dude?”
Stiles shrugged, giving him an easy smile. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Scott didn’t look impressed with that answer, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. “You were just holding a knife.”
Stiles stopped, his smile dropping. Fuck him.. “Yeah well, it was a nice knife.” He said, trying desperately to deflect. He knew he should tell him- but come on, cut a guy some slack!
“Stiles.” Scott said, sternly. “What’s going on?”
He paused, fidgeting with his hands as he looked around the kitchen. He could see the knife he presumed he was holding set onto the counter, it was a chopping knife. Of course. He looked behind Scott and that’s when he noticed the rest of the pack. Derek was leaning against the wall, Lydia had her arms crossed, standing next to him. Kira was standing behind Lydia with a worried expression. Of course, their eyes bore into his. It felt like he was suffocating. They weren’t saying anything but he could feel the disappointment, the worry, the fear.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes for a second before he finally responded. “Look- maybe..“ he paused, sighing. “Okay, I know we got rid of Void, the ritual worked, right?”
He saw everyone’s uneasy expressions, Derek pushed off the wall with narrowed eyes, his mouth pressed into a tight line. Somehow Stiles felt like he was judging him the most.
“Well,” he continued, looking at the wall beside him. “I don’t think we got rid of all of him- I dunno, maybe there’s some after effects from getting possessed that no one told me about.”
The silence was deafening, he could feel everyone’s eyes on him like he was a frog laid out on a dissection table. He shifted on his feet, looking down at the floor. Scott was the first one to break the silence.
“Stiles.. why didn’t you tell us?” He sounded hurt, like someone had just told him that his dog was dead. Stiles shrugged, absentmindedly picking at a loose thread on his pants.
“I didn’t think it was a big deal, I didn’t want to worry you.” He said, finally looking up. Lydia moved forward, a sad expression on her face. She held out her arms and pulled him into a hug, tucking her face into his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist. Even though the hug was unexpected, it was nice.
“Of course we’re going to worry, you’re our friend.”
He pretended that word didn’t hurt, turning his head into her hair just enough that it wasn’t weird. His hands tightened around her before he slowly let go, mourning the loss once she fully pulled away. She held her hands on the side of his face, giving him a look that spoke volumes.
“We handle this kind of stuff together, right? You should’ve told us. We could’ve figured this out so much sooner.” Her voice was kind but clearly upset, clouded with emotion Stiles couldn’t quite understand.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. Their eyes were still locked together but she sighed, pulling her hands away with a small smile. “Good. Next time I hope we don’t have to find you holding a giant knife.”
“Let’s hope there is no next time.” Derek piped up from the back. His arms were crossed over his chest, but his face was relaxed, giving Stiles a knowing look.
Scott clapped a hand onto his shoulder, giving it a firm shake. Stiles looked at him with a half smile, putting a hand over his. He was glad he finally told them, he felt.. better in a way, like he didn’t have to carry this burden on his own. He felt light, but he was tired and so, so drained.
“We’re going to deal with this together. Alright?” Scott said firmly. His voice was reassuring and left no room to argue. Stiles rolled his eyes but his smile got just a little bit brighter, giving the hand under his own a pat. He nodded at his best friend in understanding and relief, he really should’ve done this sooner.
“Together.”
You can also find this on Ao3 :P
https://archiveofourown.org/works/65344081
Somebody tell me.. come and give me a signnn
It's just me, myself and I....
I’m both. It gets a little confusing but it’s okay
The two types of Jason Grace fans
people coming into the pjo fandom need to understand that we multi ship like there's no tmr. Of course we love percabeth but also we love piperbeth and ofc jiper was nice while it lasted but there's piper and shel and oh jercys cute too and valgrace should've been cannon oh but valangelo is fun but yk you can't forget about solangelo, and frazel is so wholesome but so is the enemies to lovers valzhang and and-
I’ve been on that Whumpay grind, and I’m back again (to no one’s shock or surprise). I dunno about you guys, but I love rescue fics. I also love the teenage mutant ninja turtles.
When I saw the prompt “Muzzled”, I knew exactly what needed to be done.
I’m pretty sure I hyperfocused so hard I blacked out lmao, but here we go
Tw: Swearing (it’s always Raph), mentions of injuries and blood
Leonardo wasn’t prepared for this.
They had been looking for weeks. Two hellish weeks. They had checked under every rock, every nook, in every cranny. They ransacked every abandoned building they came across, every tunnel in the sewers. Hell, they even broke into the Shredders lair.
They. Looked. Everywhere.
They were getting desperate, snappy. They barely slept, barely ate. Master Splinter had tried to keep the two of them inside for one day- just to rest.
He never tried that again.
It had been the beginning of the third week when they found it. Raphael had almost run straight by the building, but Leo stopped. He noticed that on the gps there was no building in this location. Not only that, but they couldn’t see an address. The structure was way too new to be off the grid, and it was easy to realize something shady was going on.
From an outside perspective it was just a storage building. Unassuming, grey brick, a blue roof made of metal, and a ten foot high chain link fence that circled the property. For a few hours they waited and watched, silently. It bustled with just enough activity that they almost left, wondering if they were making something out of nothing. That was until it hit him that the people coming in weren’t the same ones coming out a few minutes later. Leo knew it shouldn’t take hours to check your storage compartment, unless you weren’t. That’s when Raph spotted the man, an officer circling the perimeter.
“What the fuck is this? Protected storage?” He snapped, huffing with frustration. They had been up in the trees, hidden from view but still able to observe the compound.
Leo didn’t react, scanning the property for guards. It didn’t take long to realize that it was armed to the teeth with soldiers and guns.
“There’s something sketchy going on down there.” He mumbled.
Beside him, Raph snorted. “No shit, fearless.”
They fell silent once again, and Raph shifted on his tree branch. He was almost.. apprehensive. Scared.
“Do you think… Mikey and Donnie are in there?” He asked softly, looking at his older brother. Leo’s eyes hardened, his fist tightening on the branch in hand. He hoped so, he really hoped so.
“Theres only one way to find out, right?”
Raphael looked confused for a second before he smirked, cracking his knuckles with an evil looking glint in his eye.
“Tonight?”
“Tonight.”
———————————————
It wasn’t hard to break in. They slipped past the guards easily, taking them out with practiced precision. They were methodical and silent, hidden within the shadows. They made their way into some sort of elevator. They’d already stolen a keycard from one of the high ranking guards, ensuring access to every level. The first floor they landed on seemed to store old and unused lab technology. They had a laugh about how Donnie would love this, before they fell silent, the weight of what was at stake resting heavily on their shoulders.
The next floor was a lab, extensive and huge. It seemed to go on forever, door after door leading to more rooms than they could count on both hands. But it wasn’t the size that worried them, it was everything else. Tazers and cattle prods, trays full of scalpels and bone saws, dissection tables, test tubes numbered from 1-578. Then there was that room, full of giant tubes containing some sort of green goo. What they held.. well, it looked like mutants. They were probably made from scratch, floating within the green liquid.
They gave each other a look then, certain they were in the right place, and yet so incredibly scared of what they might find.
The floor below that looked like a training room, one they didn’t bother exploring.
However, the floor below that one… well, it was nothing short of a prison. Cells lined the walls in every direction, and Leo’s skin crawled with disgust. It was inhumane, unsanitary and it reeked of blood. Some cells were empty, some weren’t. Even if he wanted to save every mutant captured, he knew there wasn’t any time. He was on a mission. He needed to find his brothers.
It was one of the last cells, furthest away from the elevator, practically hidden in the darkness. They would’ve walked past without a second glance if they hadn’t heard it, a high pitched whimper, the sound of chains rustling. Then, a voice.
“Leo..?”
It was scratchy, barely above a whisper, but Leo would recognize that voice anywhere. His heart had plummeted to his feet as he rushed to the bars, grabbing at them desperately.
“Donnie!?” He whisper shouted, trying to peer into the dark cell. He could make out two silhouettes, one of them sat up against the wall, his arms hanging next to him, limply. Laid out on his lap there was a second figure, presumably asleep, curled up close to the first. With what little light they had, Leo could make out green skin and shells on both of them.
Next to him, Raph had froze, staring at the scene in front of him with wide eyes. His sais hung limply in his hands, mouth parted in horror. He stepped forward and his face tightened, twisting in guilt and worry. He had stabbed his sai into the lock mechanism, twisting it roughly until he heard a click. Raph didn’t waste any time before he entered the cell, dropping to his knees next to the two figures. Leo followed soon after, first checking to make sure no one heard the commotion. Once he deemed it was safe, he joined them inside the poor excuse for a room.
Raph had pulled out his t-phone to turn the flashlight on, and almost dropped it immediately after.
Donnie was muzzled. Leo hadn’t noticed until now- how, he wasn’t sure- but he was muzzled. Like a wild animal. He gasped from his place behind Raph, his hand covering his mouth as he glanced over their bodies. He didn’t want to look too closely just yet, scared of what he might see. What he had gathered from the once over was enough. Leo wanted to throw up, but he knew he needed to keep it together. He was the leader for Christ’s sakes! But… god.
Leonardo wasn’t prepared for this.
It was quiet. They all stood there- or sat, in Donnie’s case- and stared. Raph couldn’t look away from the muzzle. Leo was scanning Mikey’s shell, mentally noting every new dent and scratch. Donnie’s eyes flicked between his two older brothers, like he couldn’t believe this was real.
They sound of a low groan snapped them out of their silent trance. Michelangelo shifted from where he was in Donnie’s lap, letting out the same whimper they heard earlier. Leo didn’t think his heart could break anymore, but here he was, his heart breaking.
“Oh god..” he mumbled, finally dropping to his knees on the other side of Donatello. He hesitantly grabbed Mikey’s shoulders, rolling him over. He almost puked at what he saw.
His little brother had bruises covering his skin and his beak looked broken, evident by the blood dripping down his face. What really pissed him off was the collar around his neck, metal and about an inch thick. It looked too tight to be comfortable, but, it did explain why the youngest didn’t have a muzzle. Leo swallowed harshly, tapping Mikey’s shoulder.
“Mikey, can you hear me?”
His brothers eyes fluttered but didn’t open, and Leo frowned. He grabbed his shoulder, careful about any bruises or scrapes, and gave him a light shake.
“Come on Mike, we need to get you out of here.”
Finally he seemed to stir, cracking his eyes open ever so slightly. Donnie immediately pushed the t-phone out of Mikey’s face, before he gingerly brought a hand to his forehead, swiping his thumb over the skin a few times. Mikey looked up at Donnie with confusion and maybe concern, before he looked around. He saw Leo first and did a double take, his eyes widening in shock. Then Mikey was sitting up, far too quickly because he nearly fell over in the process, but it was clear that he didn’t care, throwing himself into Leo’s arms. Donnie reached after him, his arm hovering in the air as he watched the two before it dropped onto his lap.
Raph had long since started looking around for the chains they’d heard earlier. Once spotted, he didn’t waste any time before breaking both of them with his sai. He let out a small puff of air, sitting back onto his heels. At least they weren’t tied down anymore, he thought bitterly.
Leo didn’t care about anything but the turtle in his arms. He held his brother tightly, the relief was finally hitting him. He could feel Mikey’s tears soaking his shoulder, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t shedding some of his own. The younger turtle was trembling, his face was tucked into Leo’s neck and his body felt cold, but Leo didn’t care. He was here. In Leo’s arms. That’s all that mattered right now.
“Not to burst your bubble or anything, but we need to get out. Like, now.” Raph snapped, already helping Donnie to his feet. Leo noticed that the muzzle was still on his face, it must’ve been too dangerous to take it off right now. Raph wouldn’t leave it unless he had too.
Leo nodded from his place on the floor, shifting Mikey into a princess carry soon after. He stood up, pulling Mikey close to his chest. His younger brother still hadn’t said anything, and that fact alone was starting to worry Leo.
“Alright, you got Donnie?” A quick nod of confirmation from Raph was all he needed before they set off. They were careful, doing their best to be quiet. Donnie stumbled a lot, clearly dizzy and weak, before Raph wordlessly offered him a piggyback.
It was smooth sailing from there on.
They made it to the elevator and hit the main level, all of them standing in silence. Raph and Leo were relieved to have their brothers back, but worried about what happened. Mikey and Donnie were still reeling from their imprisonment. They didn’t see any guards- they were all still tied up and gagged- and made it across the property within a minute.
The first step outside of the gates felt like a huge weight lifted off their shoulders. Leo let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding, and Raph was quick to call their father. He let him know that they found their brothers and that they were heading home.
They made it back about an hour later to a panicked April and a concerned Splinter. They still didn’t know what happened to them, they weren’t sure they ever would, but they were home, and that was good enough for Leo.
You can also find this on Ao3 :3
https://archiveofourown.org/works/65316250
Anyone remember when Sirius played that prank on Snape and almost got him killed? Yeah..
So I wrote a little thing about it and I figured, why not post it here?
Warning: Suicidal thoughts/ideations, and swearing
He wanted to say he was drunk.
“It wasn’t his fault.”
“He couldn’t control wether or not he listened.”
But he wouldn’t.. he couldn’t, he knew he was stone cold sober. He knew he’d given it too much thought to even try to pass it off as a joke. He debated telling him before he made up his mind, while he was walking to meet him. Hell, he was still debating it while he told him where to go for the next full moon.
He didn’t think it would be this bad.
His intention was never to get Snape hurt- Sirius genuinely believed that he would’ve stayed hidden and just watched.
…
He never thought he would be staring at Snape, a single bloody scratch on his arm, scared.. hell, he looked terrified. And he was glaring daggers at Remus, a scowl plastered on his face.
He’d have been dead if James hadn’t intervened and saved him. Sirius didn’t even try to help, he just stood there, like an idiot.
…
James yelled at him, a lot. Which was fine. He could handle yelling.. if he could handle his parents, he could handle this. And he knew, he knew he fucked up, so he didn’t say anything. What could he say?
Peter didn’t talk to him much anymore, (no one did) but he didn’t glare daggers at him either.
Remus though? His reaction had to have been the worst. He hasn’t spoken to him in days, not since he found out- not since he told him to get out of the infirmary the morning after. He’s been giving him the silent treatment, avoiding him, refusing to talk to him no matter what Sirius does.
He won’t even look at him for fucks sake.
He doesn’t know what to do.
He does know- it’s only fair. Because of something he did, Remus attacked Snape, and his boyfriend needed his own space to deal with that. Still, it didn’t stop him from feeling so.. alone.
He hadn’t felt this way in a while, not at school at least, but now..? He was eating meals alone in the great hall, he had to listen to Remus, James, and Peter talking for hours, laughing, planning pranks, studying, and he couldn’t say anything, because if he did? They’d all shut up. No one would answer him. On the rare occasion they did answer him- it was always school related, short, clipped, and straight to the point. Still, it was obvious they wanted to be anywhere else. Anywhere but here, with Sirius.
They weren’t the only ones who knew. Lily, Marlene- bell, even Mary found out about it, and they wouldn’t talk to him either. Fucking Regulus, his own brother was disappointed in him. He’d made a point to stop talking to him, making it clear that he stood behind Remus.
His own brother picked his best friend over him.
Which brought him to now.
He was sitting at the edge of the astronomy tower, like he had for the past two nights, his feet dangling in the frigid, cold air.
It would be better for everyone, right? His best friends (could he even call them that anymore?) acted like they hated him. his boyfriend refused to talk to him. His brother was apathetic and disappointed, even strangers refused to talk to him.
He fucked up, big time, and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to fix it. He wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to talk to Remus again. To have James look at him with a mischievous grin, rather than a disappointed scowl. To talk to his brother without the prank being brought up, held over his head like a weapon.
He stared, looking at the ground. Would it hurt to die? Probably. But once you’re falling, he supposed, there’s no going back.
He wondered if it would be instant, or if he’d have to endure unimaginable agony until he died.
He snorted to himself, laughing softly. He dropped his head, letting it hang down by his chest. It’s not like he wouldn’t deserve it.. the pain. Maybe it could make up for what he did, even if it’s just a few minutes.
He didn’t notice tears falling down his face until his shoulders were shaking. He clutched onto the side of the floor, his vision blurred while he looked out at the night.
It hurt.
Loneliness hurts.
Even though he knew he messed up- he wanted to forget it. He wanted to laugh and joke with his friends, plan stupid pranks to pull on Snivelus. He wanted to gossip with the girls, have a place to sit at meals, to be the class clown again.. he wanted his friends back. He wanted the love, the affection he was so used to having. He wanted his brother back.
He wanted Remus to look at him. Even if it was with hate, or anger, or annoyance- he couldn’t handle the silent treatment anymore. He just wanted him to acknowledge that he existed, that maybe he was having a bad time too, to know that the guilt Sirius felt was so overwhelming it was the only thing he could think about, ever. He wanted his boyfriend. But he knew he had to give him space.
It was a little hard to say any of that when every time he tried, he was shut down. He’d almost reverted to begging Remus to yell at him, just let all his anger out- hit him even, maybe that would make them both feel better- but he hadn’t got past opening his mouth before Remus had got up and left the room.
They made it clear nothing Sirius could ever do would fix this, or speed up whatever grieving- or healing they had to do. Everyone had to come around on their own terms.
He wasn’t sure he’d be here when that happened.
Sirius knew the prank didn’t hurt him, it didn’t mess with him, scare him, traumatize him, or risk expulsion- but he’s been stripped of everyone he cared about. He’s been banished from social situations, temporarily banned from being a marauder, and shamed for giving the Gryffindor students a bad name- by everyone that knew what happened, at least.. by more people than he would’ve liked.
He felt bad for himself, he did. Even if he knew he deserved it- he wanted them all back so badly.
“I really fucked up this time, didn’t I, Moony?”
He choked out, staring at the bright, white ball in the sky. He sniffed, rubbing the tears off his cheeks, blinking harshly.
It was getting late, he ought to head back inside. Even if he knew nothing good was waiting for him, even if he knew it meant enduring another day of silence, contempt, and loneliness. Even if he knew he’d end up back here the next night, waiting until he gained the strength to jump..
He got up and went back inside, because maybe- maybe today Remus would look at him without scowling. Maybe James would give him a friendly grin. Maybe Peter would say more than a word to him. Maybe his brother would talk to him again.
Maybe.
God, it sounded stupid- but maybe was all he had, it was the only thing he could hang on too. So with the promise of a new day and another chance for a maybe, he dragged himself back to the common room. His steps were quiet as he climbed the stairs, not a single person noticing his absence or return. As he slipped under the covers, he did his best to fight off the loneliness threatening to consume him.
Hope you enjoyed! You can also find this on ao3
https://archiveofourown.org/works/64891168