#to be fair my hair is very fine/fair and dries fluffier / with more body when towel or air dried and it just

[hiddenbysuccubi]

Just a question. Because I just thought of it and I do not know the answer. Ever since Jr High at the latest I've whipped my head rapidly side to side to dry my hair and as an adult I haven't much but I've done so again recently and - it's a very pleasant feeling / stimulation and is that a thing other people do

[averytiredfanfictionwriter]

Sic Semper Tyrannis

A syndicate x Platonic! Reader/ Technoblade x Reader

Warnings: murder, kidnapping, blood, a somewhat graphic depiction of getting stitches

Word count: about 2800

Ao3 Link: wow.

I’m excited to share this. I did write a version with an angsty ending, which is up on my Ao3 account here if you want to read that one as well. Fair warning though, while writing it I found myself dying inside so I don’t know how you guys would feel. It was the original way I wanted to take the story but as I was writing I also created this one which is an alternate, fluffier ending. Reader is a raccoon hybrid in this one. Don’t forget to like and follow for more. Enjoy!

It almost seems to be a mistake, Techno thinks. The woman- no girl- standing in front of him never struck him as the anarchist type. She was always too soft, too nice for any of it. Yet here she stands next to Philza, shivering from the chill of the cave and rubbing her bare arms. 

“This is the new recruit I was telling you about.” The winged man smiles at Techno.

“She seems… soft.” He mutters, taking in her shivering form before handing her a cloak.

She only nods, accepting the cloak gratefully and clipping it around her neck with ease before burrowing into the thick material. 

“Trust me. You wouldn’t be saying that if you knew her how I do.” Phil mutters, rubbing at his shoulder.

“Fine. But do you swear to uphold the values of the syndicate? Do you promise that you’ll help in our mission to destroy the corrupted governments that threaten the freedoms of its citizens?” Techno stands over her, red eyes practically glowing.

She nods hastily under his seven foot tall frame and he seems satisfied as he backs away. “Okay then. Come take a seat. We have a lot to talk about today.” 

Techno makes his way up the stairs to the table behind him, taking a seat facing the entranceway. Y/n looks up at Philza and he only shakes his head. 

“Don’t worry about him. He seems scary but he won’t hurt you. In fact, that’s the nicest he’s been to someone that’s tried to join yet.” Philza says before walking towards the table.

“Wait- what do you mean ‘tried to join’? Phil, what happened to them?” Y/n says in a panic.

“We don’t talk about them.” Ranboo chimes in. “Now, come on. Don’t want to be late to your first meeting.” 

Y/n scurries up to a chair at the table, taking the one across from Phil and next to Ranboo. She sits furthest from Niki and Techno who both seem to be scrutinizing her every move.

“Now, let’s get this meeting started. First things first, we have a new recruit. This is Y/n. You all know her, but she’s going to be joining us. You’ll need a codename.” Techno states, and Y/n thinks a moment as they stare at her.

“Dolos. I’ll go with Dolos.” Techno nods, eyes flashing with an unknown emotion before returning to their usual blankness.

“Okay. Now that that’s over with, is there anything in particular you guys wanted to discuss? Any new information or governments?” 

Phil nods, standing as he stands from the chair and speaks to the group. Y/n zones out a little for the rest of the meeting, nodding along but not really listening. Soon, it’s time to go and they’re all standing, the sound of chairs scraping on the floor loudly and Ranboo’s laughter at something Niki said echoes through the small space.

“Y/n, can I speak to you alone.” It’s not a question, and the woman swallows thickly as she follows the piglin hybrid into a small room that connects to the main one.

“So why Dolos? I mean, of everything you could’ve chosen, why’d you choose Dolos?” He asks, standing against the door to the room, blocking her in.

“Ah, well- you see, I’ve been told I’m good at deceiving people and that I’m so good at it, no one ever knows until I tell them, and even then they don’t believe me. I think that it’s a good codename, that’s all.” She stutters out, and Techno’s eyes narrow.

“I’m not easily fooled. If you’re lying, or you’re here as a spy, I’ll figure it out. And then not even Phil will be able to save you. Do you understand me?” He grunts out, standing over her with his sword held in his hand.

She nods and all but teleports out of the room to get away as quick as possible. He looks after her, seeing the disappointed look on Phil’s face outside and the confused glances from Niki and Ranboo. He steps out of the room as well and leaves the meeting hall without another word. 

It’s a week before anyone hears directly from Y/n again, and when they do it’s not for reason they would have ever expected. 

“I need your help.” Techno takes in the sight of the blood soaked clothing that covers the young woman.

“What happened?” He’s bewildered, the first time he’s been surprised in a long time.

“It’s not my blood. Most of it’s from the people we were fighting, but some of it’s his.” She points behind her where Phil stands, holding up a severely injured Tommy.

“Come on.” Techno grunts, ears twitching. The voices chime in, but he pushes them aside. 

“Set him on the couch.” Phil lays him down gently and gets to work brewing potions for the young boy. 

Y/n sits next to him, clutching his hand tightly with one of hers as she continues putting pressure on the gaping wound in his stomach. Her striped tail swishes nervously on the floor behind her and the large black ears lay back against her head.

“Get his shirt off. I need to sew it up.” Techno has his sleeves rolled up to the elbow as he comes over with a small first aid kit.

Y/n uses her sharp nails to cut away the stomach section of Tommy’s shirt, revealing the ugly looking gash. She pales at the sight of it, getting up and running to the bathroom to most likely vomit. Techno only sighs as he gets to work, wiping off the dried blood around the wound and starting to stitch it up. Tommy shifts uncomfortably on the couch, crying out at the needle threading in and out of his skin. 

Once done, Phil shoves the healing potion in Tommy’s face, which he drinks and then promptly passes out. Y/n comes back from the bathroom, hair tied back from her face.

“What happened?” Techno asks, standing in front of her.

“We were running through the woods, having fun- y’know, kid things- when we came across a small group of people. They started to attack us, and we started to fight back, thinking there weren’t anymore of them. Well, we were wrong. Very wrong. We wouldn’t have escaped if it wasn’t for Phil. Before we got away though, they said something like ‘down with the order’. I don’t know what they meant though. It was hard to understand them through their masks.” Y/n spews out and Techno only stares at her.

“‘Down with the order’? That sounds like they know something. What did they look like? Any distinct markings for kingdoms or anything?” Techno says softly.

She shakes her head. “Nothing that I could see, unless I missed it. I could probably lead you back to the place we fought at. I don’t know if more came to collect the bodies or not.” 

“Take me there. But first, go get cleaned up. We don’t need you walking around drenched in blood.” Techno says, nodding to the bathroom. 

One shower and change of clothes later, the pair are on their way to where Y/n and Tommy were attacked. Techno notices her fidgeting more than usual, constantly looking around them and watching as she jumps at the smallest of noises. He chalks it up to having been just attacked and they continue walking.

She stops in a clearing and he stands beside her. No sign of bloodied bodies is anywhere to be found. In fact, there’s no evidence a fight even occurred here. No blood spots on the ground, no scrapes in the ground, no disturbance of wildlife.

“Are you sure this is the place?” He turns to look at her, but she’s gone. Suddenly, something hits him from behind and the last thing he sees is Y/n, crying softly as someone holds onto her.

Techno slowly opens his eyes, registering the cold metal against his wrists and multitude of people surrounding him. The voices scream out in rage- rage at Y/n for getting them captured, rage at himself for allowing this to happen, anger for not trying to stop him and Y/n from being captured. They’re angry at a lot of things, and he grunts as he feels a headache coming on.

Y/n stirs in the chair across from him, whimpering softly and her tail waves behind her slowly. “Where-”

“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that you need to tell us who the rest of the members of your little club is, or else you both die. Tell us, and you live. It’s that simple.” A voice speaks out, a young man with brown hair and light eyes.

He rests a sword on Y/n’s shoulder and looks Techno in the eyes. He says nothing, glaring at the man instead.

“Are you going to tell me? If not, then I guess I’ll need to encourage you to do so.” The young man sighs, and takes out a knife, grabs hold of Y/n’s tail and presses the knife against the base of it.

Y/n screams loudly, and Techno hates the sound of it more than any other sound he’s heard. The voices seem to hate it as well, yelling at him to just tell the man the names of the other members to end it.

“Fine.” Techno gives in. 

The young man smiles, dropping Y/n’s tail and wiping the knife off on her shirt. “Oh good! That’s very good.” 

“Don’t do it. It’s not worth it. My life’s not worth it.” Y/n mumbles, tears falling down her face as she clenches onto the armrests of the chair tightly.

“You might know one of them. His name is Zephyrus. Has black wings, wears lots of green. Another one is named Lethe. He’s half enderman. Good luck catching him though. The last one is Nemesis. You might never find her though. She spends most of her time underground.” Techno states and Y/n almost laughs at the use of the codenames.

“You’re lying.”

The young man holds the knife to Y/n’s throat and presses gently, causing a small trickle of blood to run down her neck. “You have one more chance to tell me their names before I kill her and then you. I’ll give you to the count of ten. Ten…” Techno growls at the man before him, the sight of his knife pressed against the woman's throat more than angering.

“I told you. Those are their names. It’s not my fault if you don’t believe me. Now let her go. I don’t even like her. Killing her wouldn’t get me to reveal anything.” Techno says calmly.

The man considers this, pausing his counting. “You’re still lying. I saw you help her and her friend, the blonde. I’m surprised the cut didn’t kill him, to be honest. I think I’ll have to go back to your cabin when I’m done here and finish the job.” 

Steam is basically pouring out of Techno’s ears and his eyes glow a bright red. “Don’t fucking touch him.” 

“Yes! I will, unless you tell me the real names of the other members of your little club.” He releases Y/n’s head from his grip, and pulls his knife away from her neck. 

“Phil, Niki, and Ranboo. Those are their names. Now let her go.” Techno growls and Y/n shakes her head.

“He’s lying. Those aren’t their names. There’s not even more than one other member of the group. The third member of the group is named Dream. He’s currently in prison for killing several people and blowing up a country not once, but twice as well as manipulating kids. He’s the only other member of the group.” Y/n says, hoping that they don’t know she’s lying and buy her bluff. 

The god currently sits in prison, waiting out his days monotonously. They would definitely all die the minute they try and kill him- if they even do get to him, considering Sam would kill them the minute they step foot in the prison.

“Finally, someone here is telling the truth. You’re going to give me the exact coordinates of where the prison is, and then you two are going to stay here while we go kill him.” Y/n gives him the coordinates and the man is almost bouncing in joy. “For your sake, we better not be walking into a trap. Let’s go boys.” They leave the room and Y/n sighs, her head hanging forward heavily, as if her neck can’t hold itself up anymore.

“What was that?” Techno asks and she shrugs.

“I told you. People don’t believe I’m capable of lying to them. They’re all going to die trying to get to Dream, or he’s going to kill them himself.” Y/n yawns.

“Yeah, and we need to get out of here in case some of them survive.” Techno says, struggling against the restraints holding him to the chair and eventually manages to break them.

“Alright, let’s get you out of here.” Techno mumbles, picking the lock on Y/n’s restraints and lifting her up easily in his arms.

The maze of hallways is nearly impossible to escape, but they do it somehow and step outside to a snowy tundra. The wind blows frozen ice shards through the air and it bites at their skin. They were stripped of gear and their cloaks. The cold is no match for Techno, who produces enough body heat to stay warm enough, but Y/n shivers in his arms and presses her face against his chest in an effort to keep warm.

Techno’s communicator beeps as it regains signal, and he works it out of his pocket, seeing the messages from Phil and quickly shoots one back with their coordinates and a request for blankets.

Looking around, the only shelter Techno can find until Phil arrives is the building they came out of but that’s not an option in case the people come back. Techno settles for sitting on the ground and hugging the woman to his chest, doing his best to protect her from the wind and cold. 

“Oh my god…” Phil says as he lands in front of the pair, quickly grabbing Y/n and wrapping the cloak around her.

“Take her back to my cabin. She needs to get warmed up and is going to probably need stitches in her tail.” Phil nods, passing his sword to Techno.

“Will you be fine walking back? I can zip right back here to get you. Tommy’s healed and can look after Y/n while I do so.” 

Techno shakes his head. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. After all, you need to check on Ranboo and Niki. Make sure they’re okay. We’re not extremely far from the cabin, I’ll make it back before the end of the night. Now go already.” Techno says and Phil nods, taking off quickly with Y/n.

He looks back at the building they were in, and heads back inside. If there’s anyone left here, they’ll pay for what happened.

It’s a few days before Techno comes back and Philza spends the time either worrying over it or about the worsening condition of Y/n, who seems to have developed a bad cold or flu or hypothermia or all of it, really, as well as making sure Tommy doesn’t rip his stitches trying to do stupid stuff. When Techno does come back, he’s covered in blood and doesn’t even stop to talk to the members of the syndicate sitting in the living room or even wash up, instead going straight for the room where Y/n is sleeping and peeking in.

“She’s not doing well at all. I stitched her tail up, but she’s developed a fever and is still freezing cold all the time and isn’t getting any better, even with a ton of healing potions. I don’t know if she’s going to make it.” Phil mutters beside Techno and he only nods.

He steps out of the doorway and leaves to take a shower, taking extra care to scrub the blood out of his hair and changes into comfortable clothes. Peeking into Y/n’s room again, he sees her shivering underneath the blankets. Well no wonder she’s sick, she’s still freezing cold, he thinks to himself before opening the door further and stepping into the room. He climbs under the covers and Y/n instantly curls up to him, soaking in his natural warmth.

“Thank you, for getting me out of there.” She mutters, before falling back asleep.

“Anything for you.” He whispers, holding her tighter against him in an almost protective manner. 

Phil watches from the doorway, smiling as he watches Techno fall asleep curled up with her.

Tagged: 

@thegeekisheere

[wtnrscap]

Cursed Words- Furnace

Pairings- Bucky Barnes x Reader, Natasha Romanoff x Bruce Banner, mentions of past Natasha Romanoff x Clint Barton.

Summary- Avoiding saying the words is a lot harder when you don’t know what they are. It’s rendered you silent around Bucky. Bucky knows he’s doing better in the sessions. Allison talks highly of him now. When a nightmare strikes him, you bring the deal forward.

Warnings- (18+) Mentions of blood, death, injury detail, PTSD, panic and anxiety attacks. Fluff. Swearing. Dirty talk, dirty fantasies. Eventual smut.

A/N- Sorry this took so long! A nice long chapter for you. It’s a bit deeper as well. What do you think?

This could be considered a songfic as I wrote this listening to ‘Inside Out’ by Andrew Austin so I would really recommend putting it on while you read this. I’ll put a link in. Also, the bathroom scene is inspired by BBC’s Bodyguard when David attacks Julia. This chapter is full on Bucky having bad dreams, PTSD, panic and anxiety attacks at the start but hopefully it gets fluffier towards the end. Taglist is open.

Cursed Words Masterlist

Bucky jumps awake at the gunshot that echoes in his head. Breathing heavily, he sits up and wipes sweat off his brow. The dream... it was so real... The gunshot sounded like it could’ve been in the compound. 

He’d decieded on a early night after a rough mission and left the common room at 4PM, missing his therapy session and ignoring the worried looks from you and Steve. Sleep had come surprisingly easy and he’d been fine until the dream.

Night has fallen and the compound is dark when Bucky leaves his room. His breath rises in the cold morning air and goosebumps decorate his skin as he makes his way down the corridor towards the kitchen. 

He doesn’t feel it until his finger connects with the metal button for the lift. The hairs rising on the back of neck. The feeling that someone is watching him, following him. Instinctively, he turns his head around and scans the empty corridor but sees nothing. The lift opens and he dismisses it as aftershocks of the bad dream he’s just had.

When the doors open to the kitchen, the smell hits him first. It’s putrid, rotting, and a smell he knows so well. His breath hitches and he takes a slow step forward, trying to hold his breath. He rounds the corner from the lift and the smell is impossibly stronger but the sight makes Bucky’s blood run cold.

Steve is sitting on a chair, his head lying on the table, arms hanging limply by his side. His eyes are glazed over and his mouth hangs open, frozen in permanent terror. A hole in his forehead leaks blood and Bucky throws his hand over his mouth in disgust and grief. 

Who could have done this?

On the chair opposite Steve, Sam lies in a similar position. A walk around the table finds Wanda on the floor, her hand inches from Vision’s, his body grey.

Bucky flees the kitchen and ends up in the common room only to find Tony and Pepper lying on the floor, wrapped in each other’s arms. Three gunshot wounds litter Tony’s chest and Pepper has one in her lower abdomen. Rhodey and Bruce lean against each other on the couch, their blood flowing onto the carpet.

Bucky staggers into the corridor, heading towards the training room. Lying a few feet in front of him is Clint and Bucky notices flies buzzing around the archer’s head. Bucky trips round the corner to find Thor lying by the open door to the training room. Just as he thinks he’s going to throw-up, a voice wavers into the corridor, “No! Please... Please...We can talk about this! No... No!!”

A gunshot and scream, “Natasha! No!”

Silence. 

“Are you going to kill me, or you going to stare at me?” your rings through the empty training room and Bucky’s heart pounds. A deep gravelly voice that Bucky doesn’t recognise responds, “I’m trying to figure out why he likes you.”

“I couldn’t tell you.”

Bucky peers into the room and spots you, sitting in the middle of the room hunched in a ball. Natasha lies a few feet away, blood seeping out of her chest. A figure walks around you and Bucky has to bite his tongue when he sees the black mask wrapped around the figure’s face, “How did you figure out that I wasn’t him?”

“He wouldn’t kill his family.”

“Family...” the Winter Soldier muses the word before barking a harsh laugh, “You don’t know what he’s capable of.”

“I know excatly what’s he capable of. The worst he can do is kill someone. And he wouldn’t kill his family.”

“You’ve said that. What do you mean by ‘the worst he can do is kill someone’?”

“You torture people. You make them beg for death and them don’t grant them that small mercy.”

“I didn’t make your friends beg for death...”

“Your mission, Soldat, was me, wasn’t it? You wanted me and now your stalling in killing me. Why?”

The Winter Soldier yanks you into a standing position and a knife glints in the dawn, “I was waiting for an audience. I can kill you now.”

You scream as the knfie is pushed into your lower abdomn and Bucky yells, rushing forward. As you collaspe, you see his face and tears erupt out of your eyes, “It’s not your fault. It was never your fault.”

Bucky turns on the Winter Soldier as the life leaves your eyes, “YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO KILL HER!”

“Wow. You really liked her, didn’t you?” taunts the Winter Soldier, “I was trying to prove a point.”

“Which was?”

“I’m back, James. I’m taking control.”

“My name isn’t James!” spits Bucky angrily. The Winter Soldier laughs nastily, “You are James. I am the Winter Soldier. Bucky is the middle ground. I am Bucky when I’m not on mission and you hide behind the mask that is Bucky.”

“Your not taking control. I’m strong enough to beat you.”

“We both know you’re not. I know how to defeat you. It’s the same way you can defeat me,” chuckles the Winter Soldier. Bucky snarls, “Tell me.”

“I’m going to kill you in a minute, so fair’s fair. Embrace James, embrace the soldier. Create Bucky and live peacefully in the middle ground. Your fear is helping me to take control. Thank you, James.”

“I’m not scared of you.”

“Prove it. Save your own damn life,” the Winter Soldier hurls the knife at Bucky. Bucky freezes and snaps his eyes closed. When he wakes, his body won’t be his own, his mind won’t have control-

Bucky feels himself pushed to the side and his eyes open to find you on top of him, “Bucky! Wake up, your having a nightmare!”

Bucky stares at you, then at your dead body lying a few feet away in shock. You shake his body again as the Winter Soldier howls, “Wake up! It’s a nightmare!”

You slap his face and Bucky jolts forward, an invisible hand pulling him out of sleep.

-

Bucky’s wet blue eyes snap open to you. You’re lying underneath him, your hands wrapped around his wrists as you struggle for air. In the split second before Bucky realises what’s he’s doing, he notices the scratches on your forehead, blood dripping into your eyes, and the dried blood beneath his fingernails. He releases you and as you cough, you scoot back on your bum, falling into his bathroom and closing the door on him. Bucky pounds a fist against the door, “Y/N! Y/N... Sorry doesn’t even-”

A few sobs interrupt him and Bucky collaspes against the door, his head resting on the wood, “Doll? Do I need to call a doctor? Are you okay?”

A sniffle.

“I’m okay.”

“I am so sorry...” Bucky whispers, tears dripping down his face. 

Silence. 

Then a whisper, “Bucky... I know you didn’t mean to hurt me...”

A few more seconds of silence before the lock clicks and Bucky feels your hands wrap around his body. He lets you comfort him as the sobs start. You sigh, carding one hand through his sweaty hair and resting the other against his forehead, “Jesus Bucky, you’re burning up like... like a furnace...” 

Bucky jumps violently and you almost fly across the room, but he manages to tug you closer to him at the last second. You look at him with shock and alarm, “Did I say a word? Goddamn it!”

Seemingly, Bucky ignores you, picking you up, taking you back into the bathroom and setting you on the counter, He pulls out a first aid kit from a draw and you sigh, “Bucky, I said I was fine... Please...”

“Sshh... Your head is bleeding...” Bucky mutters, dabbing an alcohol wipe to your head and making you hiss, “I think I did it... I think I scratched you...”

“I heard you screaming and realised that you were having a nightmare. I tried to wake you. I tried to help. I tried-”

“I know, doll, and I’m sorry, I really. am...”

“It wasn’t your fault... Do you wanna tell me about it?”

Bucky shivers, “It was a dream in a dream. I woke up from a nightmare to be in another. I dreamt that everyone in the compund was dead. Steve, Sam, Tony, Wanda. I went to the training room and watched... a man tease you and kill you.”

“Who was this man?”

“The Winter Soldier... He taunted me when I confronted him. Said I must’ve really liked you. He said he was taking control. Tried to kill me. You pushed me out the way. I was confused, looking at your dead body and your very alive face. The Winter Soldier screamed, you slapped me and I woke up, my hands around your neck...”

Bucky puts a plaster on your head before moving to the sink, washing his hands and splashing cold water on his face. He looks into the mirror and your heart breaks for him. He looks so tired, with black rings around his eyes and light stubble. You want to help him, you just don’t know how.

An idea hits you.

“Hey, Bucky... come here...” you flash a weak smile as Bucky trudges over to you, “I wanna move our proposition.”

“Our proposition?”

You nod your head, “The date. Allison and Steve have been giving me extremely positive feedback. I think you’ve earned it so I’m moving it forward... If you want...”

Bucky’s eyes are suddenly wide with hope, “Are you serious? It’s all I’ve wanted for weeks! I’ve been trying so hard in therapy, I feel so much better for getting off my chest!”

Laughing, you wrap your hands around his neck, “I’m glad Bucky, I really-”

A tight kiss quietens you and squeak in suprise. Within seconds, the kiss is getting more heated and you never want to stop. You want to savour this beautiful moment, kissing Bucky with everything you have but he pulls away, “No. No! You have to go!”

“What?! Why?!”

Bucky hoists you off the counter and shoos you out the room, “I have a date to plan! Out, out!”

“Bucky! Bucky, stop!” you swivel round and put your hands on his waist, a laugh on your lips, “Bucky! You don’t need to make a big deal about the date. A day, a night... with you would be enough. I promise.”

He pauses, staring into your eyes and you almost get lost in his blue hues before another quick peck is pressed to your lips, “I know but after everything I’ve put you through... You deserve the best date ever. Now go! I have a lot to plan!”

More shooing till you’re standing on the otherside of his door, your hand planted against it. A smile lights up your face and you turn around, heading back to your room. A voice calls out, “I’m happy for you.”

You turn to see Steve with a small smile on his face, “Thank you, Steve. I’m happy too.”

As you turn to leave, Steve grabs your hand, “Seriously. I felt terrible, not being able to help my best friend. We used to be so close but we’re different now. He’s been through things that I can’t even begin to imagine... He... He does deserve happiness, despite what he thinks.”

“I know...” you sigh, looking into Steve’s happy face, “Steve... I could really do with a hug right about now...”

Steve wraps his big arms around you, enveloping you in a big hug. You bury your head into his chest and a small tear slides down your cheek. You can’t tell if it’s happy crying or sad crying. But you do know things are falling into place. Bucky is getting better, everyone is alive and the Winter Soldier has been kept at bay.

Also.

You have a date to get ready for.

Taglist

@indecisivedolly