#Steve: …America’s favorite pastime is baseball

[morganbritton132]

Eddie, posting to TikTok: I dunno how relatable this is, but is anybody else’s husband mad at them for not playing the Super Bowl or is that just me?

Steve: I’m not mad at you

Steve: I mean, you could have auditioned

Eddie: *makes a ‘this is what I’m talking about’ face at the screen*

[artiststarme]

The only real sport Eddie could ever get behind was baseball. He could understand the meaning of the running and the bases, loved the junk food around the arena, and loved hearing the roars of the fans fighting for a common goal. He had memories of going to Hoosiers games with Wayne, baseball caps on their heads, ratty gloves on their heads, and a beer (or coke) against their chests.

It had been a long time since he’d accompanied Wayne to a game that wasn’t on TV. But as soon as Steve uncovered his interest in America’s favorite pastime, it was only a matter of time before a new tradition started.

Now, going to a ball game wasn’t anywhere near as interesting as the last session of a good campaign or being immersed in the metal scene at an amazing concert. But seeing Steve’s smiling face beaming when one of the players hit a double, watching his whoop for joy as all bases scored, and hearing his screams of amusing horror when the red made a bad call made Eddie’s day.

And the best part of every game was holding Steve’s hands under a cap of their laps and sneaking kisses amongst the excitement of the surrounding fans when a player scored a point to the board. As they sneak a fleeting glimpse of love amongst the chaos of the last game of the season, Eddie can hardly imagine being anywhere else.

[apomaro-mellow]

S01E06: All Bases Covered

“Okay now remember what I taught you boys. Keep it loose but stay tight.”

“What exactly are you teaching my boys?”, Joyce asked as she stepped out into her backyard, arms crossed.

Jim had on a baseball glove, as did Jonathan. Will was holding a bat.

“Teachin’ them America’s finest pastime in preparation for this weekend.”

“The charity game?”

“Yep. Alright Will, get ready”, Jim bent his knees just barely. “Jonathan, don’t go easy on him, put some mustard on it.”

“Why not some mayo and a pickle too, while you’re at it”, Joyce heckled.

Jonathan wound up and pitched to his brother, who hit the ball dead on. His, Jonathan’s, Jim’s, and Joyce’s looks of pride and wonder where all dashed the moment the ball dashed through one of the windows of the Byers house.

“Now boys, here’s another important lesson”, Jim said, adjusting his cap. “If you break a window while playing ball…book it!”

The three of them bolted off, dropping their things and ignoring Joyce’s calls.

---------------------------

Eddie cleared his throat while dusting off the microphone. He got comfortable in his seat, Nancy right along with him.

“Goooood morning Hawkins. It is a beautiful day for baseball on this clear Saturday morning. Most would say this time is better spent watching cartoons. And they’d be right!”

“But what a privilege it is to be here anyway”, Nancy gave him a look. “Remember folks, all proceeds from the concession stand, as well as donations goes to Top of the Mornin’ flower shop on 2nd Street, which suffered a devastating fire recently.”

Eddie grinned. “In addition to the snacks and donations, Steve Harrington is offering dough for kisses. 2 bucks and he’ll plant one anywhere.”

Steve, who was in the middle of jogging the bases to warm up, paused and glared at Eddie. “Buzz off, Munson!”

Nancy made sure her mic was off before reprimanding him. “Need I remind you you’re doing time for last week’s crime?”

“Hijacking the school announcements barely counts as a misdemeanor Big Wheel.”

“It’s only thanks to me that you’re doing this instead of spending all day in detention. So behave.”

“As you wish”, Eddie said with a flourish of his hand.

The two teams were made up by people in the community. Joyce wrangled the kids to represent the store she worked at. The other side was Hawkins Middle School’s actual baseball team.

Dustin watched as other kids his age ran drills with what appeared to his eyes to be militant-like precision while he sat in the dug out.

“So, we’re content with being beat, right? This is just for charity and there’s no shame in losing.”

“That sounds an awful lot like quitter talk”, Jim said, adjusting the cap on his head.

“Yeah, I don’t know about you, but I came to win”, Lucas said.

Steve beamed as he returned from his jog. “I knew there was a reason he was my favorite.”

“How am I not your favorite? I’m your sister”, El challenged.

“You just answered your own question. Sister, ergo different category than these dweebs.”

“Don’t lump me in with the rest of them, I actually know what I’m doing”, Max said while practicing her swings.

“Alright”, Jim clapped his hands. “Let’s stay focused. I’m not gonna lie and say it’s gonna be an easy game, but as long as you keep your fundamentals, we’ll be in good shape.”

Mike, Will, and Dustin looked unconvinced but they were in it now. No denying that. Steve called over Max and El for some batting practice and Jim ordered some laps for Jonathan and Dustin. He told Mike and Lucas to organize the dug out. Mike was propping up the bats when they all fell over, jostling the pile of everybody’s bags and backpacks.

He put the bats back up, then tried lining up the bags instead, when a notebook fell from one of them. The book fell with the pages open on the dirty ground. Mike picked it up and turned it over, dusting it off, eyes just happening to graze over the words as he did.

“Mike and his annoying voice…”

He shoved his face into it, skimming the words. That was his name. And a few lines later, Dustin was mentioned, then Will. He looked to the top of the page and saw that there was a date. He snapped it closed and then went over to Lucas who was just about to leave the dug out for more warm ups.

“Dude!”, Mike hissed.

“Yeah?”

"This is a diary", Mike said, holding it tightly in his hands but also at arm's length.

"And this is a baseball bat", Lucas said, knocking it against his feet. "These are all things."

“You’re not listening. This is a diary. Of someone we know”, Mike kept his voice at a whisper.

Lucas looked around to make sure no one else was watching. “Put it back where you found it before Max kills you.”

“How do you know it’s Max’s?”

Lucas shrugged. “It’s gotta be a girl’s, right? Only chicks keep diaries.”

“It could be El’s”, Mike suggested. “Aaand I can’t put it back into someone’s bag until I find out whose it is.”

“You’re treading shaky ground, friend.”

“Just-just keep a lookout, okay?”, Mike urged while opening up to the first page he had started on.

“I’m going to have to suffer through Mike and his annoying voice. He’s fine I just wish he wasn’t always so quick to argue. It gets kind of old.”

“Is my voice annoying?”

“Who cares? Did you figure it out?”, Lucas asked.

Mike was unable to answer as Nancy’s voice rang out, stating that the game would begin soon and for all players to vacate the field. Mike sat on the bench, putting the diary under him as the others returned to the dugout. 

“It is 9:05, skies are blue, wind is abouuut 2 miles towards the southeast, and it is time for some baseball!”, Eddie announced.

“The Hawkins Middle pitcher is Reggie Ranner and he’s been in the sport since he started t-ball at 5”, Nancy said. 

“And up to bat first is Will Byers. Don’t let the sweet face fool ya, he once called a grown man an idiot. To his face!”, Eddie exclaimed. “Mad respect.”

Reggie pitched and Will waited until just the last second to bunt and get himself a place on first base. While the game was going on, Mike was still reading the diary, trying to figure out who it belonged to. He tried looking at some earlier pages for context.

“We’re finally moving and I’m trying to be excited about it. Jim says we could use a fresh start. I guess I do want to get away from here. But as stupid as it sounds, moving is scary.”

“This is definitely El’s”, Mike said to himself. He imagined her lying on her bed, kicking her feet as she wrote. He skipped a few pages, trying to find something about himself.

“Life is weird here. But, maybe in a good way? I definitely never imagined having dinner with people like Dustin, or Mike, or even Jonathan. My social circle has seriously flipped. And yet it’s not that bad. What is bad is the guy who keeps hanging off these people. His name is Eddie Munson and he’s so annoying.”

Mike looked up as he heard Eddie’s voice, announcing the next batter.

“Coming up to the plate is Steeeeve Harrington. And yes ladies, he’s single.”

“Mike, come on, you’re after Steve”, Jim called out.

Mike put the book under the bench as he got up, grumbling about the futility of athletic pursuits. Steve swung and with his hit the bases were all loaded.

“All Mike has to do is hit and his team could get everyone home”, Eddie said, voice a whisper on the microphone. “Now I only read the manual ten minutes before the game, but even I know a grand slam could be major.”

Jim, Will, and Lucas were shouting encouragement to Mike who was wiping his sweaty hands down. Reggie was smirking him down.

The umpire from behind tapped him on the ankle and snickered. “Enjoy it Wheeler. This is the only time you’ll get to first base.”

Mike didn’t see the pitch. His body just moved and the ball popped right into the air. While the Hawkins Middle team scrambled, Will, Lucas, and Steve all made it home. Mike heard the cheers but all he was thinking was whether or not El would put this in her diary.

“Well we are four innings in and it seems the luck of the first inning has worn off with a current score of 5-3, Hawkins Middle up”, Nancy said. “As the weather heats up, be sure to get a drink from our snack stand. Remember, all proceeds go to Top of the Mornin’ flower shop. My partner Eddie is over there right now, grabbing refreshments.”

Nancy turned her mic off the moment she saw her brother coming up to the booth. Lucas was with him.

“Nancy, we’ve got a question”, Mike started.

“What does it mean when a girl keeps talking about a dude over and over again but only about how she doesn’t like him?”, Lucas asked.

“What are you guys talking about? Jonathan is about to pitch.”

“Can you just tell us what it means in girl-talk?”, Mike asked.

Nancy rolled her eyes. “For girls your age, if she’s constantly talking about him, usually it means she has a crush.”

She shooed them out as they started getting either excited or angry she couldn’t tell. Either way she had to get back to announcing the game. 

“If what Nancy said is true, then that means El has a crush on Eddie!”, Mike hissed in a whisper as they returned to the dugout.

“I mean…she could do worse”, Lucas said.

“She could also do better”, Mike deadpanned. “Like someone actually her age.”

“Maybe Nancy’s wrong. Maybe El actually just doesn’t like Eddie.”

“She talks about his hair a lot. Like a lot. Should I start growing mine out?”

“Mike, I guarantee you his hair is cripsier than a french fry”, Lucas said.

“Let me just see if she said anything else”, Mike began to flip the pages.

Lucas gave him a nudge and Mike hid it behind his back, then tossed it under the bench as the others returned for a switch. Jim tried to give a rousing speech as the innings went on and they didn’t score any more points after the first inning. Eventually he switched gears to ‘winning isn’t everything.’

“We’re at the last bout of the afternoon”, Eddie announced at the bottom of the ninth. “And here comes Steve Harrington and I know what you’re thinking. No, he does not stuff. He just buys his pants a size too small. And there he is giving me the bird. What a class act.”

“Is it because he’s funny?”, Mike asked.

“Is what because he’s funny?”, Dustin asked.

“Mike thinks El likes Eddie”, Lucas said.

“What?!”, Dustin shrieked, getting everyone else’s attention, and making Lucas and Mike shush him.

“And that’s the game!”, Nancy exclaimed from the booth.

Their side lost, of course. But they said good game to the other team anyway. Mike left the diary on the ground near the bags, hoping that El would gasp and exclaim when she found it. Instead, he heard Steve curse and jam it into his duffel bag, looking around to see if anyone was watching.

“So the diary was Steve’s, what does that mean?”, Lucas asked as Jim and Joyce took them all out for ice cream.

Mike shrugged. “Steve hates Eddie. That’s not news.”

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

TAYLOR DERANGEMENT SYNDROME TAKES OVER INADEQUATES, INC.

TCINLA

JAN 31, 2024

The Bulwark’s entertainment editor, Sonny Bunch, gets it right about this week’s MAGA brainfart over Taylor Swift:

“Of all the dumb things the nascent nouveau right has tried over the years, attempting to turn conservatives against the NFL is by far the dumbest.

“It’s a sort of brainwashing, like you see in 1984 or Scientology. Get people to say the dumbest shit imaginable (“Two hot celebrities dating is a psyop culm,inating in the Illuminati fixing the Super Bowl so you’ll have to get vaccinated!”) and they’ll believe anything.”

Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift hasn’t even endorsed President Joe Biden for reelection yet. That hasn’t stopped upper crust members of MAGAworld Inadequates Inc. from declaring a “holy war” on the pop mega-star, especially if she ends up publicly backing the Democrats in the 2024 election.

According to three people familiar with the matter, Trump loyalists working on or close to the former president’s campaign, longtime Trump allies in right-wing media, and an array of outside advisers to the ex-president have long taken it as a given that Swift will eventually endorse Biden, as she did in 2020. Indeed, several of these Republicans and conservative media figures have discussed the matter with Trump over the past few months. In recent weeks, the Inadequate-in-Chief has told people that no amount of A-list celebrity endorsements will save Biden. Trump has also privately claimed that he is “more popular” than Swift is and that he has more committed fans than she does. Last month, he said that it “obviously” made no sense that he was not named Time magazine’s 2023 Person of the Year,an honor that went to none other than Swift.

The state of affairs among MAGA Inadequates Inc. is truly remarkable. A subset of America actually purports to boycott Disney, the world's preeminent entertainment company; Bud Light, once America's most popular beer; Target, the quintessential brick-and-mortar shopping destination; Pfizer, the pharmaceutical company that produced life-saving Covid-19 vaccines; Major League Baseball, the nation's favorite pastime; and now Taylor Swift, a generational icon who is one of the most successful musical artists of all time.

It’s incredibly idiotic, but the online right-wing worldview ALWAYS chooses bizarre conspiracies as their default setting for any event that captures the public interest. As Jonah Goldberg put it at The Dispatch, “Now they declare war on the National Football League and Taylor Swift - what’s next, sunny days and hotdogs?”

World’s Dumbest Mick and Proof the English Were Right, Sean “Hammerhead” Hannity, running to not be late to the party, has concluded Taylor Swift was lied to and misled by the left, saying, “Maybe she just bought into all the lies about conservatives and Republicans, that they’re racist and sexist and homophobic, and xenophobic and transphobic and Islamophobic, that Republicans and conservatives want dirty air and water and a total ban on all abortion with no exceptions. If she believes all that, she is believing a lie because those talking points are simply untrue. Now, I’m just saying maybe she wants to think twice before making a decision About 2024.”

(Mmmm, Sean baby, I hate - no, I don’t, I love it! - being the guy to tell you that it’s you who have been misinformed. All you and the rest of the seething Inadequates ARE INDEED “racist and sexist and homophobic, and xenophobic, and transphobic, and Islamophobic, and want dirty air and water, and a total ban on all abortion with no exceptions.” IT’S YOU baby!!)

Every last one of the Inadequates - from The Inadequate-in-Chief, to Best-Dressed Turd Steve Bannon, to reincarnation of Reinhard Heydrich Steven Miller, through all the otherwise-unemployable grifters like junior college flunkout Charlie Kirk - knows in their heart that no matter what they ever do, nothing will ever lead to the glass door they have had their noses pressed to all their loser lives opening with an invitation to come inside.

Trump knows that all the famous golfers he invites to his courses tell everyone they know about how he cheats so obviously, and laugh at him.

Miller knows that the Cool Kidz at Santa Monica High who laughed at him for all those years won’t be inviting him to the After Party at his Twentieth Year Reunion next year.

Bannon knows that no one in Hollywood who matters is ever going to return his many phone calls.

Because They. Are. Losers.

It’s the knowledge of how Inadequate they all are and always have been that drives them, like the lost souls in “The Day of the Locust,” to want to knock down Taylor Swift - who has shattered virtually every major record in the music industry, as she lives her best life supporting her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, while she breaks the brains of each one of the Inadequates.

The digital fever swamps are where the boys no woman would ever touch gather to fume over everything and anything Swift-related. Her world-wide popularity, the success of the Eras Tour - which is so big that it has notably added to the country’s Gross National Product - her relationship, her appearances at NFL games, and especially her politics - all of that drives the losers crazy.

When the Chiefs won the AFC championship on Sunday, punching the team’s ticket to the Super Bowl (for the third time since t hey appeared in the first on), the Inadequates began shouting about long-standing conspiracy theories around the NFL’s “scriptwriting” for football seasons.

All that gets added to the river of shit pouring from the Inadequate conspiracy theorists who have been claiming since she was first spotted at a Chief’s game that Swift’s involvement with Kelce is part of a deep state plot to build support for President Biden in the 2024 election.

The result is as ugly as it is stupid.

Millenial We’d All Like To Throw From An Upper Story Window Head First, Inadequate blowhard Vivek Ramaswamy, tweeted last Monday that he wondered “who’s going to win the Super Bowl next month,” adding, “I wonder if there’s a major presidential endorsement coming from an artificially culturally propped-up couple this fall. Just some wild speculation over here, let’s see how it ages over the next 8 months.”

That was in response to Pizzagate conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec, who suggested there was a suspicious shift in Swift’s political leanings over the past several years.

Laura Loomer - who it’s rumored gives the worst blowjobs of any of the professional MAGA bimbos - wrote on Elmo’s Xitter (that’s pronounced, “shitter”) that “The Democrats’ Taylor Swift election interference psyop is happening in the open. They are going to use Taylor Swift as the poster child for their pro-abortion GOTV Campaign.”

Swift has not yet announced if she’ll attend the Super Bowl — as she has a concert in Tokyo, Japan the night before (Due to the International Date Line that allows her to leave Japan just before midnight of the day before the event and arrive in Las Vegas in the early afternoon of the day before the event, she’s pretty likely) Looney Loomer suggested in another post that Swift would be seated next to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom at the game. “Just in time for 2024.”

Far-right influencer Rogan O’Handley posted a message on Xitter addressed to the San Francisco 49ers, in which he suggested that if the Chiefs won the Super Bowl, Swift and Kelce would trigger an apocalyptic chain of events that would kill millions. “You MUST defeat the Chiefs! If you don’t, Mr. Pfizer and his girlfriend are going to tour the country as ‘world champions’ helping elect Joe Biden WW3 will likely follow in a 2nd Biden term and millions will die. The fate of the free world rests upon your shoulders”

Failed GOP candidate Jack Lombardi II wrote on Xitter that he has “never been more convinced that the Super Bowl is rigged. With all the unneeded and unwanted Taylor coverage at the games. KC’s journey to the Superbowl – totally scripted … KC wins. And then later [they announce] their support for Biden. Coincidental? No. Bought and paid for couple. SMH.” He later posted that, “Taylor Swift is nothing more than a controlled influencer who has been put to work by those who seek to destroy America. She is a very talented operative working for the same group responsible for the timely and coincidental covid-19.”

Podcast host Mike Crispi raged that “The NFL is totally RIGGED for the Kansas City Chiefs, Taylor Swift, Mr. Pfizer (Travis Kelce). All to spread DEMOCRAT PROPAGANDA. Calling it now: KC wins, goes to Super Bowl, Swift comes out at the halftime show and ‘endorses’ Joe Biden with Kelce at midfield.”

And just to prove that every part of MAGA Inadequates, Inc., is aboard for this shitshow, when I was in the grocery store this afternoon, I spotted the new issue of the National Inquirer in the rack by the checkout line. The third headline read” “CROOKED NFL REFS ALL IN FOR RIGGING SUPER BOWL.”

Republican Georgia politician Kandiss Taylor wrote that she “tried to warn yall back in October that the influence of [Taylor Swift] on our youth with witchcraft was demonic, evil, and Luciferian. Of course, Satan wants to use her now to elect Joe back into the White House to destroy what’s left of America.”

Conservative commentator Benny Johnson freaked out over a magazine stand at a Barnes & Noble that had been stocked exclusively with Taylor Swift covers. He posted on Xitter that “Taylor Swift is an op. It’s all fake. You’re being played.”

Charlie Warzel, staff writer at The Atlantic who covers the intersection of politics, technology, and culture, wrote, "There’s something striking about watching the far-right tying itself in knots and attacking Swift and Kelce that demonstrates how badly the far-right media has alienated itself from most of society. They’ve built out this alternate universe and reality of grievance and it feels like instead of using it to wage an effective culture war, they’re fully lost in it and can’t see that they’ve chosen as their primary enemy the person with the literal highest approval rating in American life right now."

TCinLA

[shefancdotcom]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Donruss 87 Minnesota Twins Lot Of 4 Collectible Baseball Trading Cards.

[mysecretlittlelibrary]

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

Pairing: Stucky x Reader

Word Count: 1.8k

Warnings: voyeurism, exhibitionism, spitroasting, oral (f,m receiving), degradation, praise, double penetration, threesome, praise, cumplay, dubcon if you squint

Genre: smut

Summary: When your boyfriend plays with you at a baseball game it causes some reactions

***

Baseball. You wouldn't call it your favorite sport but you consider yourself a fan of America's pastime. Which is why when Steve offers you tickets to go with him to a Mets game you gladly take him up on the offer. You even convince Bucky to go with you and he's not nearly as interested in the game as you are but he'd follow you anywhere if you gave him your puppy eyes.

Bringing Bucky along proves to be a bit distracting when about halfway through the game his hand starts tracing circles along your inner thigh. Initially you aim to just ignore him, assuming- rather naively on your part, that your boyfriend would keep things innocent in such a public setting. When his hand starts sliding up you place your hand over his before it slips beneath the hemline of your skirt. When he'd draped his jacket over your legs a few minutes before it seemed harmless- now though you realize he had other intentions.

"Bucky- what are you doing?" You whisper quietly through your teeth hoping not to grab Steve's attention who sits on your other side.

"I think you're due for a check doll." Bucky shrugs.

"Not now!?" You look at him with wide eyes. He fixes you with a raised brow that dares you to protest again.

"Remind me sweetness, what are the rules?" He asks. You let out a sigh as you quietly recite the rule in question back to him.

"Wetness checks can be conducted at any time to ensure I'm always ready for when daddy wants to play." Your voice is as quiet as you can manage.

"Which means- I can and will conduct one now if I so please. Now be a good girl and open your legs." Bucky's leaned in closer to you now, his breath tickling your ear as he speaks. You glance nervously at Steve.

"But Steve-"

"Is busy watching the game, as long as you stay quiet he won't know a thing, can you do that doll?" Bucky asks as his fingers slip inside your panties.

"Y-yes." You whisper, letting out a soft gasp when he brushes your clit. When his two fingers drag along your dripping slit he can't help but chuckle. He plunges his digits into you with ease, immediately curling them and making you shudder.

"Well- look at that, you passed pretty girl. I think I'll give you a reward for that." Bucky toys with your clit, rubbing the bundle of nerves in harsh circles.

"N-now?" Your reply is breathless as you struggle to maintain some control of yourself.

"Obviously now. Unless of course you don't want to cum like a good girl for me?" Bucky hums as he increases the pressure on your clit. You grab the armrest that sits between you and Steve and don't notice when he looks over at you momentarily but before he can ask anything the crack of bat against ball snatches his attention.

"I- I want to be good." You whimper softly to Bucky.

"Then cum for me sweetness." Bucky orders. A few more circles around your clit and you're doing just that with a shuddering breath. Bucky pulls his fingers away and directly into his mouth, licking them clean before he leans over again to whisper in your ear.

"Good girl." He breathes before turning back to the game. You take one deep breath to recover and to your luck Bucky doesn't distract you for the last 4 innings of the game and you chat through it with Steve whenever something cool happens.

When the game ends and you all return to the tower you split from the guys to go do some things in your room. You have some books to put away anyhow.

"So uh- does Bucky always slut you out in public or was today a special occasion." You jump at the sudden sound of Steve's voice. You didn't notice he was behind you.

"Holy hell you scared me. Wait what did you just say?" You blink at him in confusion.

"During the baseball game." Steve says.

"What about the baseball game?" You frown.

"Don't act daft- I was sitting right next to you." Steve rolls his eyes.

"Wait you knew-"

"Of course I did. I'm a super soldier, did you really think I wouldn't notice you two whispering beside me?" Steve walks towards you and you instinctively step back. "I could hear his fingers- or rather I could hear your soaking wet pussy as he played with it. Could hear your gasps as you desperately tried not to outwardly react. I could even hear your heartbeat quicken. It's doing it now." Steve's now trapped you against the wall with his arms on either side of your head as he stares down at you.

"I- Bucky said-"

"You think he doesn't know how good my hearing is princess? He knew I could hear everything. So I ask again- was today a special occasion or are you always such a slut for my best pal?" Steve leans in incredibly close to you.

"Steve this is- wrong. You really shouldn't be asking me this-"

"And you really shouldn't be getting fingered at baseball games and yet." Steve retorts.

"What's going on in here?" Bucky asks. His sudden presence causes Steve to back up just enough for you to slip away from him and you find your way behind your boyfriend.

"Bucky he heard what you were doing at the game." You mutter feeling heat rise to your cheeks as the embarrassment of getting caught settles in.

"Oh is that what this is about? Get a little too worked up Stevie? Frustrating isn't it? To have her right there, to smell her arousal and not be able to touch her." Bucky smirks.

"Bucky what are you doing?" You hiss at him.

"Hush babygirl I'm asking Steve a question." Bucky waves you off.

"You know how frustrating it is." Steve grits out.

"Not really- I can touch her whenever I want. I can touch her right now if I want." Bucky shrugs grabbing your arm and pulling in front of him. His arm wraps around your waist and shoves his hand up your skirt.

"Bucky stop this is insane." You say grabbing his wrist in effort to stop him but his fingers have already moved your underwear and slipped inside you. Your eyes widen as you moan- embarrassment mixing with lust at the fact that Steve is staring right at you.

"You wanna touch her Stevie, don't you?" Bucky's lips kiss along your neck as he talks to Steve.

"Buck you can stop now." Steve says, his jaw clenched tightly.

"Answer the question Steve." Bucky's fingers fuck into you faster making you cry out as he holds you still against him.

"B-Bucky please I-" you know you should ask him to stop but at this point you're so worked up you almost want to beg him to let you cum.

"What is it babydoll? You wanna cum, don't you?" Bucky coos at you.

"Y-yes please." You whimper.

"Cum sweetheart. Show Stevie how good you are for daddy." Bucky hums. You moan loudly as your orgasm washes over you.

"Was that really necessary?" Steve huffs.

"If you wanna touch my girl so bad all you had to do is ask." Bucky says shoving you forward towards Steve on shaky legs. Steve reaches forward to catch you when you stumble.

"B-Bucky?" You look over your shoulder at him with a confused frown.

"You'll be good won't you doll? Let Stevie have you the way he wants to?" Bucky asks.

"Bucky." Steve warns.

"Answer me y/n." Bucky orders.

"Y-yes. I'll be good." You answer quietly.

"Strip for him doll." Bucky says. You step away from Steve to peel off your clothes one at a time until you're standing naked in front of them.

"Fuck you're gorgeous." Steve huffs out.

"Thank you." You mutter.

"Ask him to touch you baby." Bucky tells you.

"S-Stevie touch me. Please." You whimper breathlessly. Steve looks at Bucky for a moment before his hands are on you. You let out a short yelp when Steve pulls you towards him by your throat and crashes his lips against yours.

"God I want to ruin you." Steve growls against your mouth.

"Please- please do it." You whimper. Steve drops to his knees in front of you suddenly and places a kiss against your hip.

"Spread your legs princess." Steve says against your skin. You shuffle your feet further apart and as soon as there's space for him to slot his head between your legs he does lapping at your core so vigorously that you almost lose your balance in shock. Bucky comes up behind you to steady you as Steve eats you out like a man starved. Steve's tongue lalves your clit with attention, flicking it sharply until you're shaking against Bucky.

"Cum doll. Let Stevie really taste you." Bucky says kissing against your neck. Steve latches onto your clit and sucks harshly causing you to arch against him as you cum.

"Oh my god!" You groan as Steve continues to tongue at your cunt.

"Good girl." Bucky hums. You pant heavily as Steve slowly pulls away.

"You taste fucking amazing." Steve breathes.

"Doesn't she?" Bucky muses, grabbing your chin and kissing you sweetly. Steve stands and immediately covers your neck in blooms of red. Steve pulls you up, making you pull away from Bucky to wrap your legs around his waist. He carries you over to your bed and tosses you onto it and this is when you notice both men have at some point stripped. Steve tugs you towards the end of the bed and slots himself between your legs, thrusting into you quickly. You let out a loud moan as he bottoms out and Bucky takes the opportunity to shove his dick into your open mouth. The two men take control of your body, Bucky fucking your throat as fast as Steve fucks your pussy. You moan around Bucky at the way Steve fills you.

"You feel so good princess. So wet and tight." Steve grunts between thrusts.

"You're so good with your mouth doll. You always suck me off so well." Bucky huffs. You moan around him again at their praise and Bucky pulls out of your mouth allowing you to gasp some breaths. Bucky jerks himself off until he cums on your chest and Steve follows his lead pulling out of you just in time to shoot his load onto your stomach, ropes of cum now covering your body. When you drag your finger through the mess and wrap your lips around it both men groan at the sight.

"You- are fucking dangerous." Steve mutters. You giggle at his curse.

"Don't be rude Stevie- look how pretty she is all covered in our cum like a dirty little slut." Bucky says stroking your hair affectionately.

"Of course she looks gorgeous- that doesn't make her any less dangerous." Steve shrugs.

"Aw you guys are gonna make me blush." You joke.

"I think we should make you look even prettier." Bucky says.

"You wanna make me look prettier daddy?" You blink up at him with your biggest doe eyes and he groans.

"She's still to cognisant anyway." Steve says as the two men switch places.

"Then let's fuck her til she passes out." Bucky suggests.

"I like that plan." Steve says. Before you can add anything Steve pushes past your lips at the same time Bucky thrusts his length into you.

By the time they've finished with you, you've lost count of your orgasms and theirs but the evidence stains you and the sheets but you're too fucked out to even think about the mess you'll be cleaning up once you're conscious again.

***

[sup3rbloom]

STB Bingo Masterpost

My masterpost for @stb-bingo​!

More Than Pretend: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29449386 Free Space General Word Count: 2,161 Major tags: Fluff, Fake Dating, Family Dinners, Valentines Day

Approval: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29608971 James Rhodes General Word Count: 1,462 Major tags: Fluff, Established Relationship, James Rhodes

The Jock And The Nerd: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30617132 Secret Hobby General Word Count: 729 Major tags: AU - High School, Fluff, Library, Nerd!Tony

Biker Boy: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31099451 Steve’s Vintage Motorcycle Teen And Up Word Count: 1,282 Major tags: AU - Neighbors, Flirting, Motorcycles

America’s Favorite Pastime: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31283387 Sports Fan General Word Count: 1,296 Major tags: Fluff, Anniversary, Established Relationship, Baseball

The Ice-Cream Truck Experience: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31881208 Ice-Cream General Word Count: 650 Major tags: Fluff, Established Relationship, Ice-Cream

[mitsususu]

I spy with my little eye, multiple opportunities for romance to develop when they’re crammed in a small car for hours. Below are my Top 5 Favorite stories:

“In pursuit of happiness” (E, 30k) by lockedlocke

As a burnout finally catches up with Steve Rogers, he calls his best friend Bucky Barnes for support. Bucky comes over in a heartbeat, intent on helping Steve through his struggles and make him find himself again. The solution after an evening of Spaghetti and watching The Aristocats, is a road trip down to Florida with as many detours as they wish.

End goal? Disney world. If there is a place in the world to make Steve feel happy again? It is the happiest place on earth. And should he find love on the way down? All the better...

+ Modern AU. Friends don’t let friends stay sad. Bed sharing, dogs, handjobs, and Disney World!

-☆-

“Drive It Like You Stole It: A Bodyswap” (E, 28k) by AggressiveWhenStartled

Steve had gone fully red-faced with pedantic altar-boy fury. “Did your computer forget how to Google translate?” he bellowed, sticking his head up and over. Bucky yanked him down again. “What are you even trying to say?”

Bucky tried to shake the sparkles off the grenade he had been planning on lobbing over the divider. “It sounded like Latin to me,” he said reasonably, pursing his lips and frowning at the explosive. It dripped a sparkle, and a puff of purple smoke curled up where it hit the concrete.

“That’s because you spent Sunday school flirting with Sarah Cunningham,” Steve accused, bobbing back up to throw his shield and ducking back down to dodge a shining ball of blue light. “You wouldn’t know Latin if it came up and kissed you on your ugly mug.”

“I’d sure know it if Sarah Cunningham did, though.” Bucky grinned, struck by the memory. “That gal really knew what she was doing.”

+ Post WS. Babysitting Peter Parker on a road trip to switch back their bodies. They (lovingly) bicker like an old married couple...because that’s exactly what they are

-☆-

“Americas Favorite Pastime isn’t Baseball” (E, 6k) by 74days

Steve takes off on a road trip after the events on the Helicarrier - disillusioned with S.H.I.E.L.D and needing to get away. He suspects he is being followed, but when he wakes up with the Winter Soldier in his room, things go a little differently than he expected.

+ Post WS. Bucky remembers. The story with “If you were a dame I’d have been your fella from the start” and “You’re a stupid punk if you think there’s anyone better than you” and “If you were mine, you’d stay mine” 

-☆-

“Steve Rogers Is (Not) A Good Influence” (T, 4k) by attackofthezee (noxlunate)

Steve’s left staring at the kid- Peter, his brain helpfully reminds him. The kid is staring back.

“So, you’re, like, Captain America, huh?” Peter asks, and he looks a little starstruck but less so than he did when he’d stared at Tony Stark’s jet taking off.

“Uh, yeah.” Steve says, staring hard at a spot just past the kid’s shoulder as he shoves his hands as deep as they can go into the pockets of his jeans. “Call me Steve.”

“Cool.” Parker breathes, and Steve tries not to think about just how badly this is going to go.

Aka Steve Rogers' American Tour Of Waiting For His Brainwashed Boyfriend To Come Back And Blowing Up Hydra is interrupted when Tony Stark dumps Peter Parker into his lap.

+ Post WS. Steve has no idea what he’s doing. Good thing Bucky’s come to help!

-☆-

“days we were whole” (E, 13k) by radialarch

Steve wakes up off the ice. Then the Winter Soldier breaks into his house and takes him on a road trip.

They see a little of 21st-century America and a lot of each other, and maybe they each learn something new.

+ Defrosting to Avengers. Bucky might not remember everything, but he remembers that Steve is Important

-☆-

*More road trips in the Moms list

[sunmoonandeddie]

feelings are fatal (5/24)

pairing: bucky barnes x reader, past steve rogers x reader

word count: 4,255

summary: After the events of Endgame, you struggle to come to terms with what you’ve lost, though you’re learning that you still have something to gain.

chapter warnings: swearing, unwanted flirting, anxiety attack

masterlist

a/n: Let me know what you think!

“You can’t be serious.”

Rolling your eyes, you put one hand on your hip as it cocked to the side.  “What makes you think I’m not, Sam?” You asked as you glared daggers at the two men in front of you.

Bucky just smirked as he watched the two of you going at it.  He wasn’t about to get into the middle of the two of you, even though he was also wearing a blue and orange jersey just like his best friend.  His favorite team had left New York ages ago and taken up residency in Los Angeles.  It was a sad, sad day when he’d found out that the Brooklyn Dodgers were no more.

Sam gestured to you, waving his hands all over the place.  “You’re… You’re wearing a Cardinals jersey!”

“And?  It’s a Cardinals game, dumb ass.”

“It’s a Mets game!  And we live in New York!  We’re supposed to support the home team!”

You raised your eyebrows.  “I am.  My dad was from the Midwest—St. Louis, specifically—so this is my home team.”

He sputtered, staring at you in disbelief.  “You don’t even remember St. Louis!”

“And?”

He narrowed his eyes at you as he crossed his arms over his chest.  Sam was quickly realizing that he couldn’t win this fight.  He couldn’t even force you into the Mets jersey he had been planning on letting you borrow until he found you in a red and white jersey with a fucking bird on it.  “Bucky’s sitting in the middle at the stadium,” he said before turning on his heel and marching towards the garage.

“Shall we?” Bucky asked as he held out his arm for you to take.  There was a soft smile still lingering on his lips.

“Depends,” you said, even though you looped your arm with his anyway.  “Are you going to give me shit for my jersey choices, too?”

He barked out a laugh, shaking his head.  “My team left Brooklyn in 1958 and I didn’t find out about it until I came out of my programming.  I only took this jersey because Sam threw it at me.”

“I’m sorry it’s not the Dodgers,” you said quietly, gnawing on your bottom lip absentmindedly.  You had heard that the super soldier was a baseball fan before the war, and when you found out that the Major League Baseball was starting up again, you’d immediately bought tickets for the first game in New York City.  It was also a little weird, to have a season starting in mid-June, but whatever.  The MLB had resigned itself to a super short season this year.  Anything to get up and going again.  You’d had to pull a few strings to get good tickets—aka, using the Avengers card—since it seemed like everyone was dying to see a game.  

They didn’t call it America’s Favorite Pastime for nothing.

It had actually been a coincidence that they were playing the Cardinals, but you hadn’t hesitated to order a jersey once you saw it. It was a little thing to connect you to your parents, even though you didn’t remember them.

“Hey,” Bucky said, nudging you so you’d look up at him. “I don’t care if it’s the Dodgers or not.  I haven’t been to a game since before I got drafted.”  He pressed a soft kiss to your forehead, letting it linger for what was a little longer than necessary.  “This means the world to me, sugar.”

You closed your eyes as you felt his soft lips against your skin, relishing in the contact before he pulled away.  “I’m sorry that I invited bird brain,” you said with a giggle. “I didn’t know he’d get so upset over me wearing a jersey.”

“We’ll just have to spend the entire game annoying him then, won’t we?”

“I heard that!” Sam shouted from where he stood beside the driver’s side of one of Tony’s cars.  Your and Bucky’s laughter bounced around the huge garage as you headed for him.  “You two are gonna be the death of me, I swear.”

The drive to Citi Field somehow didn’t end in a murder. You had dozed off in the backseat about fifteen minutes in, due to the late night before.  Morgan had been having nightmares and you’d stayed up with her even after she fell asleep.  Pepper had been losing sleep over her little girl and since she’d been going back to being the CEO—and now owner—of Stark Industries, she needed all the sleep she could get.

“She stay up with Mo again last night?” Sam asked, glancing up at you in the rearview mirror.  Your cheek was smashed against the window, your phone hanging loosely from your fingers.

Bucky’s sea blue eyes were already on you, and he was feeling rather warm as he watched the way your shoulders gently rose and fell with each breath.  “She was still awake when I went to check on her at three.”

The other man smirked as he watched the road.  “You check on her, huh?”

He already knew where this was going, and he fought off an eye roll.  “Don’t even go there.”

“I’m not going anywhere.  I just think that it’s a little strange for a friend to—”

“Y/N checks in on Pepper all the time,” Buck retorted, staring out his side window.  He could ignore Sam and also watch you in the mirror.  A win-win all around.

“That’s because she’s a good person.”

The super soldier reached over and shoved him, though not hard enough to make him swerve.  He might’ve if they were alone, but there was precious cargo in the backseat, and he wasn’t risking it.  “Are you saying I’m not?”

Sam shrugged, glancing over at his friend. The city was coming into view up ahead. “I’m just saying that you check on her because you’re in love with her.  She checks on Pepper because she wants to make sure that she’s taking care of herself and sleeping.  Same reason she stays up with Morgan and doesn’t let her wake up her mom.”

“Thank you, by the way,” Bucky said as he stared at the upcoming skyline.  “When you got her angry.  She’s gotten a little better the past few days.”  He paused, nose scrunching.  “Well, I don’t know if ‘better’ is the right word.  But she’s not as numb anymore.”

“When my mom died, I didn’t even cry at the funeral,” he said tentatively.  His eyes flicked up to the rearview mirror, making sure you were still asleep.  “I didn’t cry for four months.  Then, I dropped her favorite coffee mug one morning and it shattered.  And I just… I broke down.  Everything I’d been ignoring and pushing away came to the surface.” He sighed, his knuckles white from his grip on the steering wheel.  “I know it was unconventional, but anything is better than being numb and ignoring what’s going on.  Anything.”

The game ended up being packed, completely sold out. Any other day, the crowds would be cranky.  The parking was awful—cars still had to be towed from where they’d been dumped after the Snap—and the lines were outrageous.  The food and drinks were still over-priced and Bucky says something that starts with, “Back in my day,” but no one cares.

Because for the first time in five years, there’s a baseball game.  There’s a baseball game and everyone is just so grateful that they get to experience it.

The three of you end up in the first row behind the Mets dugout, right along the aisle.  Sam was still adamant that Bucky sits in the middle, but you didn’t really mind. His hand was resting on his leg as he was turned, talking to Sam about something you didn’t care to know.

I wonder what it’d be like to hold his hand, you thought.  Your cheeks flooded with color as you shook your head, immediately dismissing the thought. What the hell was that?

“Hey, aren’t you one of the Avengers?”

You blinked slowly, coming back to the present before turning to see one of the baseball players staring up at you.  He was one of the older ones, probably around thirty.  The number seventeen was printed on his jersey.  You didn’t recognize him, but that was to be expected.  You weren’t exactly a big fan of baseball before or after the Snap.  “What?”

He grinned, and it struck you that it was a little flirtier than a normal smile.  “They had that press conference for you years ago.  You were—what?  Twenty?”

“Eighteen,” you said, thinking back to that first press conference when it’d been announced that you were officially an Avenger.  It’d only been three months after Natasha had recruited you, getting you out of the grasp of the Red Room and HYDRA.

The baseball player whistled, shaking his head. “Eighteen.  I was still playing college ball back then.”  He shot you a wink that made your skin crawl.  “You were cute.  Still are.”

You were vaguely aware that the conversation between Bucky and Sam had stopped, that the super soldier beside you had tensed up.  The hand that you had just been thinking about holding was clenched into a tight fist.  “Uh, thank you.”

“Pity you’re a Cards fan,” he said with a nod towards your shirt.  He clearly wasn’t getting the signals that said that you absolutely did not want to talk.

And it wasn’t even that he wasn’t attractive. He was actually kind of alright looking. It was just that you were there to spend time with Bucky and Sam, not get hit on.

“Oh, uh…”  You looked down at the red and white fabric, grabbing it for a moment.  You weren’t exactly sure how to respond so you just shrugged.  “My dad’s from St. Louis.”

“Maybe I can convert you.”

You must’ve suddenly turned into a guppy, because your mouth kept opening and closing like a fish as you tried to think of something to say that would tell him—very clearly—that you weren’t interested.  But he had a stupid smirk on his lips that made your skin crawl and you knew that there were cameras somewhere on you and—

“Sugar, is he bothering you?” Bucky asked, glaring daggers at the guy.  He protectively wrapped his left arm around you, pulling you a little closer.  The metal digits of his hand stroked your shoulder protectively over the thick fabric of your jersey.

Seventeen’s eyes widened as he took in the man beside you. He’d clearly been so enamored with you that he hadn’t noticed the two other Avengers sitting in the next two seats. “Uh—”

Sam was sitting on the edge of his seat as he leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.  “If I were you, I’d turn around and pay attention to the game.  Maybe then you wouldn’t be losing.”

The man’s eyes flickered between all three of you, clearly trying to decide whether it was worth it.  After a moment of hesitation, he turned away and made his way deeper into the dugout.  He was clearly pouting, but you really didn’t care.

“Thank you,” you breathed as you felt the tension in your shoulders dissipate.  You didn’t move from Bucky’s embrace, though, choosing instead to curl up closer against him in case the man came back.  Plus, the metal arm was a nice respite to the late June heat.

“Of course,” he breathed, though his eyes stayed locked on the game.  He was sure that if he turned to look at you, he wouldn’t be able to stop.  He’d spend way too long gazing at you, memorizing your features even more than he already had.  But it was so rare for him to be able to look at you this closely.  If he just turned his head slightly, he’d be able to count your eyelashes, see the little flecks in your e/c eyes.

He could feel the way your eyes kept flicking back over to him as you curled further into his side.  It hadn’t hit you just how truly touch-starved you were until this moment.  Sure, you’d held Morgan and things like that, but nothing like this.  It was… nice.  “I wasn’t sure how to tell him no,” you said with a faint laugh, trying to play it off even though you’d been pretty uncomfortable.  “I know that the press would have a field day if they got a story about an Avenger turning down a baseball player.  They’d take it out of context and make it seem like I’m a heartless bitch.”

“Well, fuck them,” he said, his jaw clenching. It pissed him the fuck off that you were scared to tell a man no because of how the media would portray you.  “Right?  Fuck the press.  You have every right to turn him down.  Avenger or not.”

Sam suddenly came into your field of vision as he leaned over, a playful grin on his lips.  “I can kick his ass for you if you want.”

“No, that’s—”

You were suddenly caught off by the large screen lighting up, bright red letters saying ‘Kiss Cam!’ flashing on it as a bunch of hearts floated around it.  Your eyes were locked on the couples that flashed across the screen, a soft grin on your face.  It was nice to know that love was still a thing that existed.  It kind of reminded you of that picture from the end of World War II, with the sailor dipping a girl and kissing her in the middle of Times Square.

But you didn’t notice the camera crew that had crouched in front of you and Bucky until you saw yourself on the screen, his metal arm still wrapped around you as your head rested on his shoulder.  It looked so coupley that it made sense that the camera crew would’ve chosen you.  You were Avengers who appeared to be dating.  The heroes of the century.  Of course they’d want you on their big screen.

Your heart pounded against your rib cage as you sat up in your seat.  His arm fell off you as waves of panic began to radiate from your body.  What could you do?  You were going to have to kiss him.  You were going to have to kiss Bucky, and even though that wasn’t a repulsive, your mind immediately went to Steve.  You knew that you shouldn’t be worried about what he’d think, that you shouldn’t worry that you’d be betraying him, but you couldn’t help it.

The crowd was beginning to chant, clearly getting impatient.  All the noise around you was just adding to your anxiety.  The man behind you clapped a hand on your shoulder and pushed you towards the super soldier harshly.

The man beside you whirled around, opening his mouth to chew out the man, but before he could say anything, Sam—who was in the shot—dragged him over to him and smacked a big kiss on his cheek.  The crowd didn’t seem very happy, but the camera crew moved on after they realized that they weren’t going to get a smooch between you and Buck.

Sam said, “You’re welcome,” even though you didn’t hear it.  You could hear the blood pounding in your ears.  Everything felt like it was closing in, which was ridiculous because you were in an open air stadium.  The former assassin beside you was currently turned around, sharing sharp words with the man who had pushed you, but you didn’t hear any of it.  Your hands trembled where they rested on your lap.

“Hey, Steve?”

“Yeah, doll?”

You stared up at the ceiling of the shitty motel room, your lip worn from being bitten so much.  Your hands were fiddling with the stiff white sheet covering the two of you.  “Have you ever thought about our future?”

The super soldier rolled onto his side, so he was facing you, his brows furrowed. The look on his face was serious—but then again, it always was.  You honestly couldn’t remember the last time your boyfriend of two years had laughed, though you’re sure it was before you went on the run.  “Where’s this coming from?” He asked.

You moved to face him, close enough that you could feel his warm breath on your face.  “I don’t know.  I just…” Closing your eyes, you took a deep breath.  You knew that this was reaching into territory that he didn’t like.  “I miss the rest of our family.”

“Y/N—”

“And I know,” you said, sitting up suddenly, “that you and Tony aren’t… good. And you know that I agree with you on the Accords.”  You were growing flustered as you ran your fingers through your hair.  Steve’s t-shirt hung off your shoulders as your hands moved with your words.  “Signing them would mean that we would’ve become nothing more than brainless pawns.”  He watched quietly as you deflated, picking at the bedsheet underneath you.  A sign of just how anxious you were.  “I miss them.”

Steve sat up, reaching out to brush your hair away from your face.  “I miss them, too, doll,” he said, his voice cracking.

You were shocked to find tears rimming his eyes.  Your hand reached up to cover his where it rested on your cheek. “I want to go home,” you croaked. A laugh wrenched itself from your throat as his forehead leaned against yours.  For a moment, it was just you two.  Nothing else outside mattered, and you could pretend that you were just young lovers spending the night in a foreign country.  You could pretend that you weren’t considered criminals.  “We’re a mess,” you giggled as he wiped at your tears.

“But I’m your mess,” he said teasingly, his fingers reaching out to grab at your sides.  All seriousness was lost as he tickled you, straddling you so that you couldn’t get away.  His laughter bounced around the hotel room, and it was so warm and so good that you didn’t even mind that he still hadn’t given up on tickling you.

When he finally stopped, collapsing beside you, the two of you just laid there. Your heavy breathing was the only sound in the otherwise silent room.  Turning on your side, you were surprised to find him already frowning again.  “Hey, hey now,” you said as you moved to curl up into his side.  “We’re having a good time, don’t go all Mister Serious on me now.”

A small smile cracked across his face.  “Mister Serious.”

Your finger traced small shapes on his bare chest.  The feeling of his steady breathing always helped to ground you. It had gotten so bad that you weren’t able to sleep without the sound of him beside you.  “I haven’t heard you laugh in a long time,” you murmured, barely audible.

“I wish I could give you more than this.”

“What?”

His baby blue eyes were locked on the ceiling, a tension in his jaw that hadn’t been there before.  “You deserve someone who can give you a future.”  His hand reached up to grab yours, squeezing you softly.  “I’m always in the past, trying to catch up on everything I’ve missed.  Trying to find where I belong.”

“I don’t mind,” you said timidly, trying to gauge exactly where he was going with this.  If this was an attempt to break up with him, you might have to have words with him on leaving his girlfriend right after fucking her while they’re on the run because she became a criminal for him.  His eyes slid over to you and you intertwined your fingers with his.  “I was never one for a white picket fence, you know.  The idea of being a soccer mom with a minivan isn’t very appealing.”

You’re rewarded with a snort as the hand that isn’t in yours gently runs through your hair.  You can’t help but wince as he catches a few knots, but he doesn’t seem to notice.  “Sometimes I think I never should’ve been Captain America,” he said, and you felt the rumble of his voice in his chest more than you heard it.

“Why’s that?”

“I still feel like I don’t belong in the twenty-first century,” he admitted. There was a lump in his throat that he was fighting to speak around.  “Sure, times were rough back then and it really sucked being sick all the time, but at least I understood the world around me.  Here…”  You had gone completely silent, letting him get all of it out and wondering how long he’d felt like this.  “I always feel out of place.  Like I’m a step behind everyone else and I’ll never catch up.”  The weight of his hand in yours disappeared as he wiped at his eyes. “I’m sorry.  I’m sorry.  I didn’t want to—”  He sat up, rubbing both of his eyes as he tried to hide from you, curling in on himself. “I don’t want to make you think that I don’t love you, because I do.  But sometimes—”

“Hey, it’s okay,” you said as you tenderly wrapped your arms around him.  Resting your head on his shoulder blade, you gently began to rock him back and forth.  “You’re okay.  We’re okay.  I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”

“Bucky,” Sam said as he watched you.  He could see the panic that still resided in you, even though it’d calmed considerably when he’d kissed him.

“—dare you touch her like that.”

“Bucky.”

“I have half a mind to—”

“BUCKY!”

The man in question finally turned, his eyes narrowed darkly as he stared at Sam.  “What?” He snapped.  He clearly wasn’t done chewing out the older gentleman.

“We need to get her home,” he said, nodding at you.

You were still staring into space, your chest heaving with the shallow breaths you were taking.  It was too much.  Too much. The cameras on you, the chanting of the crowd.  The feeling of unfamiliar hands shoving you.

Bucky reached for you, gently getting you to stand. “Come on, sugar,” he said, his voice dropping to a gentle whisper.  All the anger that had been in his eyes just moments before was gone.  “Come on.  Let’s go home.”

When you got back to the compound, you were still shaken, though you were starting to come out of it.  Your heart wasn’t about to beat out of your chest, at least.  The car ride home had been completely silent other than the soft whirring of the air conditioner.

Someone—Wanda, maybe—guided you to the couch and pressed a mug of chamomile tea into your hands, but you couldn’t be sure. Everything still felt a little fuzzy.

When everything came to, you found Bucky sitting on the other side of the couch.  He had his nose buried in a book and was completely entranced.  “James?” You said.  The sound that came out of your throat was raspy and choked, as though you’d been gargling gravel.

His eyes went to you immediately and he dropped the book, scooting a little closer to you.  He was more than a little surprised that you used his actual name, but he didn’t mind.  Rather, he enjoyed it.  He liked the way that it rolled off your tongue like the sweetest honey.  “Hey, sugar.  How are you feeling?”

You knew that he was trying to give you space, clearly unsure how close you were comfortable with him being.  So you took it upon yourself and tucked yourself into his side.  “I’m sorry.”

“What on earth are you sorry for?”  He tugged you closer so that you were half-sitting on his lap, his arms wrapping around you like a cocoon.

“We were supposed to have a good day, and then we left before the bottom of the fourth because of me,” you said, your lower lip quivering.

“Hey, we still had a good time,” he reassured you as he rested his chin on your forehead.  “It’s not your fault that there were a bunch of douche bags there.”

“Still, I—”

He squeezed you a little tighter, rocking you a bit. “No, no, no.  ‘Still’ nothing.  It’s not your fault.”  He kissed a forehead.  And he could admit that he wanted to kiss you.  He wanted to kiss you more than anything in the world—and probably had since your days in the Red Room—but that wasn’t the right moment.  You were still grieving the loss of your relationship, for one, and he wasn’t about to have your first kiss be broadcast to thousands of people.

Even though you still felt like a bit of a disaster, it wasn’t so bad knowing that your friends weren’t angry with you.  Hell, you’d spent over half the car ride back convinced that they were going to be pissed that you all had left before the game was half over just because you couldn’t get a handle on your emotions.  You giggled softly, burrowing into his chest.  “Did you really say ‘douche bags?’”

And Bucky grinned as his fingers flew to your sides, tickling you mercilessly.  “And so what if I did, huh?  What if I did?”

You burst into laughter, squirming as you tried to get away.  “J-James! Stop it!”

And it felt like a little bit of déjà vu, but you didn’t care.  Because there was a feeling in your chest that told you that the brunet with startling blue eyes was here to stay.

[histrionic-dragon]

Fanfic Recommendations for Fanfic Author Appreciation Day

A quick, disorganized, and partial recommendation list of some of my favorites, focusing on ones I have liked for a long time and/or haven’t seen on a ton of other rec lists.

The Hundred Year Playlist by @girlbookwrm A whole series, creatively canon compliant, from Steve and Bucky’s childhood through the time in Wakanda between Civil War and Infinity War. So good. Actually, everything by Girlbookwrm is good. The characterization is fantastic, the insights brilliant, the humor and the bittersweet and the painful mixed in just the right proportions.

Collected Letters (1930-1943) by  brokentoy, triedunture  Epistolary fic--Steve and Bucky, from childhood birthday cards to snippy passive-aggressive roommate notes to letters during the war. 

Sincerely, Your Pal by lettered Also epistolary, but starts around the time of The First Avenger. A really good, bittersweet slow-burn romance entirely in letters--so think about that for a second, the time period this correspondence covers and what happens when that time period ends and why it ends and what various people knew and didn’t know, because the ending kind of smacked me in the face. It’s good, it’s fantastic and the character voices are great, and it’s awkward and funny and very very hot, but it ends when that correspondence ends.

Scrap Metal by Scappodaqui, tinzelda  An epistolary romance (you picking up a theme here?) kicked off when Bucky leaves at the beginning of The First Avenger. Followed by a full series. I have a special soft spot for the final work,  Shared Experience (adding stripyjamjar as a third author), because, uh. *fans self* good LORD. 

Slow Work by lorata Set after the events of Winter Soldier. About Steve and Bucky adapting to the 21st century and how that’s hard; even with the two of them, everything is not magically okay and comfortable. It’s well-written and believable, and the character insights are great.

A Glossary of the 21st Century by kinky_kneazle. Look, I have a thing for Steve settling in in the 21st century, having some bumps in the road adjusting, but leveling out, OK? And for Avengers family. Can read as early Steve/Natasha, but basically gen. The pictures appear to be gone now, though! :P 

Source Code by Closer ....and on that note, here’s one I summarized in my Ao3 bookmarks as “Steve owning his story, late-night show hosts, and a really good version of Tony.” Because of course most people don’t believe the guy in the Captain America outfit fighting aliens is the guy who crashed a plane in the 40s.  Also totally gen. Is the one time I can avoid romantic plots when it’s about otherwise establishing a stable home? Hm. Apparently.

the evolution of the national pastime by Mici (noharlembeat)  Short story about Steve and Sam going to a baseball game. Just Steve being kinda happy and kinda wistful and kinda lost and Sam being a really good friend.

hold me until we crumble by queenklu  The one where Steve evaluates antiques because he can spot forgeries of his own 1940s merchandise--and he’s kind of falling apart--and Sam and Natasha are good friends to kind-of-falling-apart Steve. There’s also a podfic of it that is GREAT.

You Made 'Em Laugh, You Made 'Em Cry by Lynchy8  Tony finds an old recording--one of his dad’s prototypes--of Steve and Bucky joking around. That’s it. That’s the story. Giggling and then tearing up in your local coffee shop an unexpected side effect.

Ibid. by trinityofone   HOLD ONTO YOUR HATS, THIS IS NOT MARVEL. It’s about Kirk and Spock and original-timeline!Spock. I found this way back before I even had an Ao3 account, sometime shortly after the second reboot movie came out. Good characterization, kinda cute. 

"Worked okay so far?" by lalaietha  I love Calvin and Hobbes. That’s my childhood. Generally I don’t want to read fic of anything so precious to me, but I love love love LOVE lalaietha’s MCU fics, so I read this, and it’s a delight. It is Hobbes and Mr. Bun and the next generation.

EDITED TO ADD:  The Bright and the Restless by Chikinan (@chikinan)  because I’ve rec’d it before but it wasn’t finished then. Go read the no-longer-WIP fancomic, followers! Very cute, full of feels Steve, Bucky, and Peggy!

[witcherislovewitcherislife]

Steggy Week 2019 - Day 5: Domestic Bliss

This was shorter than I hoped or expected because I procrastinated so I had to rush. I hope it’s okay and I hope you all enjoy! :)

The Little Things      

(Read on AO3)

“Alright, gremlins, what do you want for breakfast?”

“Pancakes!”

“Waffles!”

“Eggs and bacon!”

Of course. Steve and Peggy both grinned and shared an amused exasperated look with each other. This was how most mornings went. Their three children never agreeing on what to eat or what to do. And honestly, Steve wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Alright. How about all three?”

“Yay!” All three of Steve and Peggy’s children shouted in unison.

Peggy laughed, “Oh, you are out of your mind if you think I’m helping you with all that, Steven.”

“I got it, Peg. Go relax, I’ll take care of it. What do ya want?” Steve said, giving his wife a kiss on the cheek.

“Hmm, I was thinking some sausage,” Peggy whispered seductively into Steve’s ear as she reached around and pinched him on the rear.

“Peggy, not in front of the kids,” Steve whispered back embarrassed, the blush on his cheeks bright red.

“Alright, you’ll just have to give that to me later.”

“Peg!” Steve laughed but she was already sliding out of the kitchen, her mission complete. Embarrassing Steve was a favorite pastime of Peggy’s. He was still so shy and it was the most adorable thing to Peggy behind their children and pets.

Steve and Peggy had three children together. Well, Peggy had three children. Steve just donated the ingredients as Peggy liked to say.

“Hey! I did half the work!” Steve had said the first time.

“Darling, if you call that work, you did it wrong.”

“I think we both know I didn’t do it wrong.”

Their eldest child, Sarah Natalia Carter-Rogers was born a few years after Steve returned. She was the most beautiful little girl Steve had ever seen. She had Peggy’s curls but Steve’s blond hair with Peggy’s brown eyes.

She was a little hellraiser as a toddler, always dressing up as mommy and trying on her lipstick. Steve was pretty sure she was going to grow up to be an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D and Steve loved the thought, as much as it scared him.

She was more tom-boyish than most her age. Sarah shared Steve’s love of comic books, baseball, and Sinatra music. Some of the kids at school had picked on her which resulted in her adapting another one of Steve’s traits, beating up bullies.

Steve still laughed remembering the look on Sarah’s teachers face when Steve told her to do a better job to stop bullying and stop worrying about his parenting.

Sarah was three when her younger brother was born. He wasn’t planned, not like Sarah. A spontaneous anniversary night resulted in Steve and Peggy getting rather carried away and not bothering to use protection. Nine months later and Michael James Carter-Rogers was born into the world.

He was really the opposite of Sarah. He had Peggy’s brunette hair but Steve’s blue eyes with the faintest hint of green.

Michael was a shy child and might have just been the smartest one in the whole family. He shared Steve’s love of drawing and loved diving into a good book. Peggy was worried about his closed off nature at first but there was no need. He just didn’t like talking much, but he sure loved his mama. Peggy and Michael did tons together. He always loved going to run any errands she had.

Their third child came two years after Michael, another little girl that they named Jamie Wanda Carter-Rogers. She was a mix of her two parents as well. Right in the middle of Sarah and Michael though. While Sarah was blonde and Michael brunette, Jamie was right in the middle. She was the happiest child Steve had ever seen and made the pain Peggy had gone through during her third child birth worth it.

“No more,” Peggy had said, breathless after pushing Jamie out.

“Agreed, Peg, no more,” Steve said back but with the biggest smile on his face. Their family really was complete.

The three children did drive both Steve and Peggy crazy at times but they didn’t regret a thing. Even when their children were crying and keeping them up all night, Steve wasn’t upset. It reminded him that this was real. That he was here, with the woman he loved, and now he had a family to dedicate his life to instead of endless fighting.

Sarah found an injured puppy one day while walking home from school and she insisted on nursing him back to health. Of course that led to them keeping her and the rest was history. They named him Dodger in honor of Steve and Sarah’s favorite baseball team. He was a mixed-boxer breed with light brown and white fur and a fluffy tail. Dodger was always there to kiss away any tears and offer his cuddles. Peggy hadn’t realized how much a dog could add to a family but she was forever grateful for that dog.

Michael wanted a cat of course. They went to the shelter and he picked out a senior cat much to Peggy’s surprise. She supposed she shouldn’t have been too shocked, Michael was always very kind, and eager to help in any way he could. When he saw a senior kitty that no one else wanted due to his age, he sprung into action and begged Steve and Peggy to adopt him. They named him Chester in honor of their old Colonel. He was really a smitten image of Phillips, hard on the outside but a real softy on the inside.

Their family was rounded out with their ample supply of aunts and uncles. There was Aunty Angie, Uncle Bucky, Uncle Howard, The Jarvis’ ,and of course all the Commandos. That wasn’t even mentioning Bucky’s family which had accepted Peggy with open arms since the moment she came back from war and visited them, recalling memories with Bucky’s mother about her lost sons. They weren’t lost any more though. And their family was whole again.

The kids all loved Aunty Angie. On the rare occasions that Jamie would cry, Angie would soothe her with a song. Michael was smitten by her too, always whispering to his father about how pretty she was whenever she came around. Sarah, as the oldest, knew the most about Angie’s career. She didn’t care too much that her father was Captain America or that her mother was the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D but she loved that her Aunt Angie was a big Broadway and Hollywood star.

Uncle Bucky was another favorite, mainly because the kids could all run rampant when he was around. He spoiled them rotten, always letting them eat ice cream to their heart’s content. Peggy would yell at him for it but he flashed that patented Barnes charming smile and ran out the door before she could really lay into him.

Like most things in his life, Uncle Howard bought the children’s love more than earned it. He would bring them fancy new inventions and presents whenever he came to visit. Peggy was none too happy when he gave Michael a flying toy car that ended up exploding.

Steve finished breakfast seriously quickly. He ended making a feast that looked like it could feed fifty. He just couldn’t say no to any of his children and ended up making them their favorites each and every morning that they requested it. He knew he shouldn’t spoil them too much but he lived too long thinking that the life he dreamed of wouldn’t be possible. And now it was. And he was going to cherish it.

They all sat around the table. It went how meals usually went in their house. Jamie drowning her waffles in syrup. Michael accidentally knocking over his juice. Sarah not putting down her comics while she chowed down.

It may have annoyed different people, but not Steve and Peggy. It was the little things that they enjoyed most about the life that they had been blessed with. These little moments were what the would remember for the rest of their lives. One day, they would reminisce. Reminisce about how Michael could never keep his juice in his cup and how Sarah could never put down her comic books, or how Jamie may have had a slight Maple Syrup addiction. And that was what really mattered. Unique moments to their family that other people would never understand. And it didn’t matter that they didn’t understand.

Ultimately, Steve and Peggy wouldn’t have it any other way. Their family was a bit of a mess and they loved it that way. Their children would grow up in a safe world knowing that they were loved and that was all that mattered.

Steve did occasionally wonder what his life would be like if he hadn’t returned. But as he sat around the table with his family, he knew, he made the right decision.

[marvelousmarvelimagines]

The Longest Attempt at a Proposal Ever

Pairing - Steve Rogers x Reader

Summary - Steve Rogers is a workaholic. For the past two years of dating him, you’ve known this, but now that the world has finally come to a sort of peace, you think it’s past time that he took a vacation. Little do you know that he has something else in mind for this trip. 

A/N - Surprise! I wasn’t even planning on posting this, but here we are! This story hit me while I was at the beach a couple months ago, and I thought it might be a cute little idea to make into a series. Right now it only has six parts, but that could change. I’m not going to lie, this series is going to be pretty much full fluff, so if you’re into that, give it a read! Tag list is completely open so if you want to be a part of it, just let me know. Thanks! 

Warnings - None! Tooth rotting fluff. 

I didn’t like to believe in the impossible. As a technical analyst, one of my main jobs was to make the impossible, possible, but of course, meeting and dating Steve Rogers meant that I had to deal with the impossible a lot, from aliens to other worlds, to a whole being made out of a computer. Yet, all of those impossible things seemed like nothing compared to getting Steve Rogers to take a day off work. My goal was a whole week. Was it going to happen? I sure hoped so, or else I’d wasted a lot of time, money and favors. I knew one thing for sure though. It wasn’t going to be easy, but like I said, I like making the impossible things possible. 

After the retinal scan, handprint, and vocal recognition, I was finally able to enter the Avengers compound. “Ms. Y/N, we were not expecting you today.” FRIDAY voiced. 

“I’m just here to surprise Steve. Can you tell me where he is?” 

“Certainly. Mr. Rogers is training with Mr. Barnes on the fourth floor.” 

“Of course,” I replied, shaking my head with a soft smile. “Thanks FRIDAY.” 

Watching Steve train was definitely a very nice perk of being his girlfriend. The training room had two levels, one was a track while the one beneath was covered with equipment and a sparring mat. That’s where I found Steve and Bucky. I climbed between the railings of the top half and sat down, my legs dangling over the edge while I watched. It really was something to see, his determined gaze, the precise movements of his arms and legs, the muscles rippling under his white v-neck . . . it almost had me forgetting my mission. I sat and watched for several moments before Steve finally got the drop on Bucky, pinning him. I let out a cheer, getting both of the super soldiers’ attention.

Steve grinned up at me, but Bucky used his momentary distraction to flip their positions. 

“Oops! Sorry!” I called out. 

“It’s not your fault that Steve gets distracted easily, darling.” Bucky said with a smirk as he helped his best friend up. 

“I don’t get distracted easily.” Steve argued, crossing his arms over his chest defensively. 

“Your current position says otherwise.” Bucky told him, smirking. “Can’t say I blame you though with a girl like that.” 

I rolled my eyes at his compliment. “If you’d let me set you up -” I had been trying to get the man to go out on a date with a friend of mine for ages, but he wasn’t having it. 

“I told you -”

“I know, I know!” I held up my hands in surrender. “For the record, I disagree with you and so does Steve.” 

Bucky raised his eyebrows at the man in question, crossing his arms over his chest, the vibranium reflecting speckles of light around the room. 

“You know I’m not supposed to argue with the missus. Especially when she’s right.” Steve said, shrugging his shoulders.

“You two enjoy meddling in my life far too much.” Bucky said. 

“It’s my favorite pastime.” I teased. 

“Hey now -” Steve interrupted. 

“Trust exercise!” I yelled, sliding out of the railing and into the level below, right into my waiting boyfriend’s arms. Immediately, my arms wove around his neck, my legs his waist. 

“You’ve got to stop doing that when you want to change the subject.” Steve chided me. “One day someone’s not going to catch you.” 

“That would be the purpose of the trust exercise, Steven. When they drop me, I’ll know I can’t trust them.” I told him. 

He shook his head at me, and I felt his arms tighten around me, pressing me against his warm chest. “What are you doing here anyway? I didn’t know you were coming by today.” 

“Well -”

“I’m going to leave you two to it.” Bucky said with a knowing look. “Good luck,” he said, patting my shoulder as he passed by. 

“Good luck?” Steve asked, raising his eyebrows at me. 

I smiled innocently at him. “I have a surprise for you.” 

“Other than being here? Because that’s already a really nice surprise.” 

I nodded, flushing just a little at his words. “All I ask is that you keep an open mind and don’t say no immediately.” 

“All right . . .” I could tell that Steve was a little worried. He let go of me, and I slid down his body. As soon as my feet touched the floor, he took his hands in my own, keeping me from moving too far away from him. 

“Okay, so you know my birthday is next week?” 

“Yes . . . I’ve actually talked Fury into letting me head out early -”

“About that . . . you’ve actually got the whole week off.” 

Almost immediately he started to protest, but I cut him off before he could. 

“I know, you can’t take off that long,” my voice deepened, putting on a poor imitation of his own. “I’m Captain America, I can’t afford to take time off because I never know what’s going to happen.” While my impression was horrible, it did bring a little smile to his face. “Yes, I understand, but I’ve already taken care of that.” I squeezed his hands tightly in my own. “I called in every favor I have with everyone. I’m working overtime for two weeks for Fury, taking Natasha on a shopping spree, cooking for Bucky for a week, and I even called Thor in. Thor! Do you know how hard it is to get in touch with a God who doesn’t have a cell phone or computer?” Steve chuckled a little, and I kept going. “All of them will be here to cover for you while we’re gone. Yes, you are amazing at what you do. You’re an incredible person, a selfless leader, and there’s no denying people need you, but I need you too.” 

His eyes darkened a little in sadness, “Y/N, I didn’t know -”

“I didn’t tell you this to make you feel bad, or to make you think I feel like I’m being neglected, because that is so not the case. I think we both know you spoil me far beyond what I need or deserve, and I love every second of time with you. I also love how much you care about keeping people safe. It’s such a big part of you, and I don’t mind it. Really I don’t. I couldn’t be prouder when I see you out there saving the world. I’m just telling you this so you’ll know how important this is to me. I want you to come with me somewhere I love, and honestly, I want you to take a break. Everyone needs one every once in a while. Even Captain America” 

He was silent for several moments, considering my speech. My heart pounded as I awaited his response. “Well, how can I turn down an offer like that?” 

I could hardly believe what I was hearing. Had that really worked? Was this actually happening? Maybe I should pinch myself? My grin was so wide my face hurt. “Are you serious?” 

“What kind of boyfriend would I be if I said no to something you obviously want and went to so much trouble to set up?” 

I reached up and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, tugging him down for an intense kiss. No matter how many times we kissed, it would never get old. The butterflies would never stop, his lips would never be uncomfortable, and my knees would never not be weak. I tried to show him just how happy I was with his decision in my kiss. I didn’t pull away until I knew my super soldier was breathless. 

“I should take days off more often.” Steve replied, our faces still only inches apart.

“I love you,” I told him, my smile soft and gentle as I nuzzled my nose against his. 

“I love you too,” he said, pressing another brief kiss against my lips. 

I trailed my hands down his chest, regretting that I would now have to leave. I always hated leaving him. It always felt so whole and right when I was with him, it made leaving miserable, but I knew I now had things to do. “Okay, I have to go finish packing, and you need to start.” I said, tapping his chest with my finger. 

“You’re leaving already?” Steve said, frowning down at me. 

I kissed it away softly. “Don’t worry Rogers. I’ll make it up to you all week at the beach.” 

“The beach, huh?” He asked with raised eyebrows.

I nodded, grabbing a hold of his shirt once again and leaning up to whisper in his ear. “Which means bikinis.” I kissed his cheek, grinning at his equally pleased and distracted expression. “I’ll be back bright and early tomorrow!” I told him happily before practically skipping away. 

Mission accomplished. 

-----

“Bucky! What the hell?” 

“Language, Steve,” Bucky said, grinning up at his best friend. 

“You know what I was planning for her birthday and you went along with her idea?” Steve was absolutely furious with his friend. Weeks and weeks of planning had just gone down the drain, and now he was right back to square one. 

“Really, I thought you’d be happy with me.” Bucky told him.

“Why would I be happy with you?” 

“Because instead of some proposal at a baseball game that’s been done hundreds of times, you’ll get to do a super romantic one on the beach. I thought that screamed Steve Rogers.” 

Steve sat down on the couch beside Bucky, crossing his arms over his chest and staring at the strange yet colorful piece of artwork that Tony had placed on the wall. After a moment his shoulders slumped, and he sighed. “You thought my idea was bad?” 

“She likes baseball, but she likes watching you watch it more.” He pointed out, patting his best friend’s shoulder sympathetically. 

“Then why didn’t you say anything?” He asked him. 

“Because that ring has been burning a hole in your pocket for months now. I was just happy you were finally doing it.” Bucky told him. 

Steve tensed up a little bit. Had it really only been months now? It felt like longer. “I haven’t found the right -”

Bucky sighed, shaking his head at his friend. It was hard to believe sometimes that this oblivious man was the same guy who led a team of Avengers. “Steve, we picked that ring out six months ago. You haven’t found the right time in six months?” Bucky asked, cocking an eyebrow at him. 

Steve scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, not wanting to answer Bucky’s question. 

“She’s not going to say no.” Bucky assured him. 

That wasn’t what had been holding Steve back. He knew she would say yes. That didn’t mean she didn’t deserve better. “She should. I wouldn’t want to marry me. Gone all the time -”

“Getting in unnecessary fights -”

“-Occasionally on the run -”

“-Waking up at an ungodly hour in the morning -”

“-Everyone I love is constantly in danger-”

“I don’t know what to tell you, Steve, I wouldn’t marry you either.” Bucky teased him with a smirk. 

Steve sighed, pulling out the small velvet box that he carried with him at all times. “She will though.” 

Bucky patted his shoulder as Steve opened up the box, revealing the ring. 

The band was rose gold, something he knew she would love, small oval diamonds surrounding half of it with one large oval diamond in the middle. It was simple, it was beautiful, and it was perfect for her. 

“You gotta ask her first, Punk.” 

Steve nodded, closing the box back up. Bucky was right. She was perfect for him. Everything that he wanted and more. For so long he had been afraid to settle down, thinking the next big disaster could be the last one, and he didn’t want anyone suffering when he didn’t come home. Now though, the world was semi at peace, and while he knew that he was always in danger, he wanted to be selfish for once. He wanted her in his life, he needed her, and he knew that she needed him. She was his safe place and he was hers. Steve didn’t want to waste another second of whatever time he had left without her by his side.“I’m going to do it. I don’t want to waste anymore time. Before we come back, I’m going to propose to her.” He said with determination. 

“Good, and then when you get back, you can break the news to Wilson that I’m your best man.” Bucky told him, grinning excitedly. 

Steve just shook his head. 

[ao3feed-buckyxtony]

let's play ball!

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2J3BuN0

by wintersoldier (bloodfeather)

"wait, wait. stark? as in, tony stark, the captain of the team that we've been in a rivalry with for the past three years?" steve spoke, sounding as if he was in complete and utter disbelief.

bucky winced. "uh, maybe?" he said softly.

this was gonna be a long night.

Words: 1018, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: Multi

Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Sam Wilson (Marvel), James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Wanda Maximoff, Vision (Marvel), Clint Barton, SO MANY SIDE CHARACTERS - Character, Scott Lang

Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers (one-sided), Steve Rogers/Sam Wilson

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Baseball, Alternate Universe - No Powers, this is basically civil war but if they were baseball teams, americas favorite pastime ft some snarky avengers, how do I even tag this, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, based off some drawings i saw on tumblr that i Loved, it's like romeo and juliet except it's baseball and there's too much bubblegum, Tony is a sap, mild verbal abuse, Pining Bucky Barnes, Bucky Barnes Has Issues, Confused Tony Stark, steve rogers is not helping, Homophobic Language, bucky barnes coming out, Internalized Homophobia

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2J3BuN0

[loadingseeker540]

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Past Seasons and Performances

2019-2020

Mainstage Season:

The Abduction from the Seraglio, September 21 – 29, 2019

La bohème, November 9 – 17, 2019

Lucia di Lammermoor, March 7 – 15, 2020

The Shining, April 25 – May 3, 2020

Explorations Series:

“…When there are nine,” January 18, 2020

Cabaret: In the Mood for Love, February 1, 2020

2018-2019

Mainstage Season:

West Side Story, September 22 – September 30, 2018

Madama Butterfly, November 3 – November 11, 2018

Cosí fan tutte, March 16-24, 2019

The Pearl Fishers, April 27 – May 5, 2019

Lyric Opera Kc

Explorations Series:

High Fidelity Opera, November 17, 2018

Cabaret: Mack the Knife is the Man I Love, February 9, 2019

Penelope, March 30-31, 2019

2017-2018

Famous Opera Lyrics

Main Stage Season:

Eugene Onegin, September 30 – October 8, 2017

Everest, November 11 – 19, 2017

Rigoletto, March 3 – 11, 2018

The Barber of Seville,April 28; May 2, 4, and 6, 2018

Explorations Series:

Meet the Resident Artists, September 24, 2017

Arias and Barcarolles | The Bernstein Songbook, October 14, 2017

As One, January 27-28, 2018

American Voices, March 24, 2018

2016-2017

Main Stage Season:

Lyric Opera Kcmo

Hansel and Gretel, September 17 – 25, 2016

The Marriage of Figaro, November 5 – 13, 2016

Dead Man Walking, March 4 – 12, 2017

The Pirates of Penzance, April 22 – 30, 2017

Lyric Opera Of The North

Explorations Series:

Meet the Resident Artists, September 11, 2016

Schubert | Beatles, October 1, 2016

The Juliet Letters, January 28 and 29, 2017

American Voices, March 19, 2017

Update

In the face of this uncertain and unpredictable public health epidemic, we determined it was in the best interest of our patrons, our artists, staff, volunteers, and musicians to postpone the rest of the 2020-2021 season until we can best determine that they are safe for all concerned. The postponed performances include The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs scheduled for Feb. 27 – Mar. 7, 2021, and Carmen scheduled for Apr. 24 – May 2, 2021.

Subscribers for our 2020-2021 season will receive a credit to their Lyric Opera accounts for the value of their tickets for postponed performances. These credits can be applied to subscriptions to our 2021-2022 season and will be noted on renewal information when distributed. If you would prefer to discuss other options, please email patronservices@kcopera.org or call us. Our ticketing staff is available to help 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Monday – Thursday.

On July 7, 2020, we announced the cancellation of our Fall 2020 productions including La Traviata scheduled for Sept. 26-Oct 4, 2020 and The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess scheduled for Nov. 7-15, 2020. Subscribers who did not request a refund or donated the value of their tickets by September 10, 2020 have received a credit to their Lyric Opera account.

Lifehacker lastpass. Whether you’re looking to make a change in your password management just because, or you’re a LastPass user annoyed with the service’s recent changes to its free tier, switching to the much. LastPass lives inside your browser as an extension. It’s available for just about every major browser, including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Opera. Head to the LastPass downloads page and install. With your LastPass data retrieved, head to the 1Password website and sign in. Click on your account name in the top right of the page and select Import. Select LastPass and then choose the relevant.

Ticket Holders

[sup3rbloom]

America’s Favorite Pastime

Title: America’s Favorite Pastime Square: Sports Fan Ship: Bucky/Steve/Tony Rating: General Major Tags: Fluff, Anniversary, Established Relationship, Baseball Summary: It's Bucky, Steve and Tony's anniversary, and Bucky and Steve have bought baseball tickets to a baseball game. Tony is not thrilled whatsoever, but when he sees how excited Bucky is at the game, all that goes away. Word Count: 1,296 AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31283387

my next fic written for @stb-bingo :)

[metalarmproblems]

The Fourth

A/N: The following story is a one-shot in honor of Steve Rogers and the Fourth of July. There is no pairing; it is just meant as a bit of friendship fluff. Thank you to everyone who takes the time to read it! Tags are at the bottom.

Warning: Language

Word Count: 1,191

For once, Steve Rogers was dressed exactly as someone who didn’t know him personally would assume he dressed: as a walking American flag. To be fair, he was wearing legitimate clothes: shorts, a t-shirt, and sandals. They just all happened to be covered with American flag designs.

He exited his living quarters in Avengers Tower and was instantly greeted by a groan of disapproval. Sam dragged a hand down his face.

“I love my country just as much as you do, but please tell me you’re not seriously wearing that outfit to the party,” he joked, daring to take another look at his friend. “Shit. That’s really awful.”

“You have an American flag on your shirt,” Steve pointed out. “What’s the difference?”

“The difference? I’m also wearing khaki shorts. I don’t look like Betsy Ross threw up on me.”

“I highly doubt she threw up American flags.”

“You would know.”

“I’m not that old,” Steve laughed.

“But it is your birthday,” Natasha cut in, interrupting their good-natured teasing as she caught up with the pair in the hallway, “And we are going to celebrate.”

Steve rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not sure, Nat. This is Bucky’s first Independence Day back with us, and I don’t think a lot of loud explosions are really a good idea.”

“Look, I know Bucky’s been dealing with some shit, but we all have. You need to stop coddling him.” Sam’s voice had turned serious. “I know he’s your friend, but he isn’t the kid you knew back from Brooklyn anymore. He is a man and has been doing really well lately with dealing with his own shit. I think you can disable big brother mode.”

Steve looked to Natasha for support, but she just shrugged. “I agree with Sam.”

“You could at least pretend to agree with me on my birthday,” Steve sighed.

Natasha smiled and nudged Steve with her elbow. “Just trust us, okay? We want you to enjoy your birthday, but we also know that freaking the hell out of one of your best friends isn’t the way to do it. I don’t know if you noticed, but we aren’t idiots.”

Before Steve could respond, Bucky walked out into the hallway.

“Speaking of…” Sam mumbled, earning himself a playful smack to the ribs from Steve.

“Are you heading up to the party?” Bucky asked, jerking his thumb in the direction of the elevator.

“We are,” Natasha smiled, “Why don’t you walk with us?”

The group would have spent the entire elevator ride in silence if it weren’t for Natasha, who was an expert at dismissing awkwardness or tension whenever necessary. She pressed a button on the control panel and launched into a one-sided conversation about sidearms. Bucky hung on every word, which didn’t escape Sam’s notice. He rolled his eyes and tried not to laugh. Steve caught his expression and couldn’t help but chuckle, causing Sam to join in.

Natasha stopped mid-sentence. “What?”

“Nothing. Keep going,” Sam smiled.

Natasha narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to speak, but Steve cut her off.

“Why are we going to the 36th floor?”

“That’s where the celebration is,” Natasha explained as if it were common knowledge.

“I thought we were going to the roof,” Steve said, “That’s always where we have birthday parties in warm weather.”

“Well, my star-spangled friend, this year is different,” she informed him with a wink, “Don’t worry so much.”

Steve made a mental map of the Tower in his head, and all he could place on the 36th floor was what Tony liked to call the “media room,” which was a giant room with a screen that took up almost an entire wall and had comfortable seating spread throughout the floor space. The back of the room had a wet bar and snack area. To Steve, it was just a fancy movie room and he didn’t know what the difference was, but he knew better than to argue it with Tony.

When the quartet got off the elevator, the rest of the team was waiting for them in the media room. Red, white, and blue decor was everywhere. It looked like someone had looked up Fourth of July decorations on Pinterest and then actually made all of them. The smell of fresh popcorn wafted from the back of the room, and Steve looked back to see an unopened bottle of his favorite whiskey sitting on the bar.

“Not bad, huh?” Tony walked over with a proud grin. “Plus, it’s the most soundproof area in the Tower.”

For all the shit everyone gave Tony about being self-centered, he always seemed to come through when it counted. Steve pulled him in for a hug.

“It’s perfect. Thank you, Tony.”

Tony awkwardly patted Steve on the back. “Grab some food and take a seat,” he said, gesturing over toward the snack table set up near the bar.

There were a number of individual boxes of popcorn in addition to various other foods that Steve loved.

“Can I crack open this whiskey?” Natasha asked, holding it up. She had already lined up a few glasses with frozen stones in them on the bar.

Steve laughed, “Yeah. Knock yourself out.”

It took some time for everyone to gather their food and drinks for the movie, but eventually, everyone was settled in around the room.

Tony got up and walked in front of the screen, clearing his throat.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to welcome you to the media room on this most special of days: the anniversary of America’s independence and Steve’s birth.” He paused for a moment while the team clapped. “To celebrate, we are going to watch a movie that truly makes me proud to be an American every time I watch it. Nothing screams America quite like it. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you…The Sandlot.”

“Is he kidding?” Sam whispered to Steve, who shrugged.

“I have no idea what The Sandlot is,” Steve admitted.

“You will!” Tony called from the front of the room. “It is about the great American pastime: baseball. You’ll also learn how to make a proper s’more, which is honestly something you could use a little work on.”

“Okay, okay!” Steve gave in. “Start the movie.”

Tony bowed and hit play on the remote as he returned to his seat.

The team ate and laughed together through the movie. Thor was especially entertained with saying, “You’re killing me, Smalls!” to anyone smaller than him, which was everyone.

When the credits rolled, everyone got more to eat and drink and lounged around, telling stories of both shared and individual experiences. As the night wore on into the morning hours, people began falling asleep in their spots around the room.

Eventually, Steve was the only one left awake. He looked around at his friends, who fought by his side and he trusted with his life. Settling in on the couch he had been sitting on, he quietly instructed F.R.I.D.A.Y. to turn down the lights. Once the lights dimmed, a very grateful Steve Rogers fell asleep in the company of friends.

Tags: @partypoison @hisredhenley @themcuhasruinedme @mellifluous-melodramas @buckyappreciationsociety @armpratt @melconnor2007 @psychicwitchphilosopher @axelinchen