#stellasstarrywintersky

[wild-typo-turtle]

Home for the Holidays - Part 1 of 3

On your way home from work, you see a mysterious door. And since you're the only one who can see it, there's really only one call you can make...

A Steve Rogers x Reader fic for @stellar-solar-flare Stella's Starry Winter Sky Challenge!

Rating: T

Themes: Meet-cute, Reader has a secret, other worlds

Home for the Holidays - Part 1

The door wasn't much to look at, actually.

You stared at it, your hands clutching the cup of steaming hot chocolate that had been your indulgence as you'd closed down the bookstore. Your breath plumed out into the night, but you barely noticed how cold it was. Or how dark - it was the solstice, the darkest night of the year, and the air around you was black and frozen.

There was a door.

You knew you'd never seen it before. You crossed this park almost every day, twice a day: once on your way to work, once on your way home. You had certainly never seen a door standing there all by itself with no walls around it. 

You weren't sure that anyone else could see it. You stood there gaping at it, but no one else seemed to be. 

You pulled your phone from your pocket, pretending to be absorbed in it as you slowly approached the door.

It was an old door. The wood was weathered and splintered; it had been neglected. The handle, also wood, was a round knob, worn smooth and shiny with years and hands. It looked as though it belonged in a barn, as if opening it would take you into a feed room or a tack room.

Your phone lit up, and you really did look down at it that time.

Ben: Done with rehearsal. Doing anything?

You could just walk away. You could head home, and you could text Ben back when you got there. And his blessedly uncomplicated self could come over and you could enjoy a few hours with him before it was time to go to sleep. Maybe he'd stay the night, and you could get breakfast in the morning at the little cafe down the street that made the best cinnamon raisin bread.

But on the other hand…

There was that door.

The door where there shouldn't be a door. The door that no one could see but you.

Were you losing it? Were you hallucinating?

But then you noticed something else. Everyone walking past the door walked around it, deliberately avoiding the obstacle. On some level, they knew it was there. 

You weren't crazy.

And as you looked at it, you remembered something you'd seen on the news a few months ago. Something about a tip line for unusual occurrences in New York.

Back to your phone. And it was an easy search to find the number, and a woman's voice answered after only one ring. 

“Avengers Initiative, how may I assist you?”

“Yes, um…” You cleared your throat. “Um. Hi. There's…there's this door…”

-~-~-

They had asked you to wait until they arrived, assuring you that it wouldn’t be long. And so you found yourself an empty bench within sight of the door, huddled in your coat and sipping on your cooling hot chocolate, your breath pluming out in clouds in the clear and frosty air. For all the bustle in the park, it was quiet, a perfect winter night at the height of the cold and the dark. 

You watched the door. Nothing happened.

People kept walking around it absently. You watched their feet for something to do as you waited; they seemed to feel the door’s presence about ten feet away, their steps slowly angling around it. Far enough that the motion did not need to be sudden or jerky; it was subtle, smooth, easy not to notice. And no one did - even those few whose heads were high, looking forward and not buried in their phones - seemed unaware that they had adjusted their paths.

It was quiet, and that made it easy to hear the new footsteps. They crunched briskly through the snow, and you turned away from the door to see them coming towards you.

Eek.

You’d figured the Avengers would send some sort of preliminary team - the equivalent of a beat cop, just to check things out and make sure you weren’t lying. But no, they had sent the big guns, faces you’d only seen on television and the Internet, striding toward you and ignoring the gasps and stares that greeted them and that followed in their wake.

Natasha Romanov, the Black Widow.

Sam Wilson, the Falcon.

Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier. 

And Steve Rogers himself. Captain America, at the head of the group. 

It was a good thing you’d finished the hot chocolate several minutes ago. It would have ended up splattered on the ground.

You had about thirty seconds before they reached you, and you frantically tried to gather your composure. You stood up and brushed off your coat; you threw away your empty cup in the garbage can next to your bench. You’d given the woman on the phone your name, but they wouldn’t know what you looked like, you would need to - 

Oh. They were coming straight for you.

You gulped as they came up to you. Rogers gave you a nod of greeting; he was the only one to do so. The rest of them were busy scanning the park; their postures said they were relaxed, but their faces maintained alertness, looking for any and every possible threat. 

“Ma’am,” he said politely. “Thank you for waiting for us.”

“I, uh - um, yeah, no trouble,” you fumbled. “I wasn’t…wasn’t expecting…”

“Oh, us?” He grinned, chuckling, as you flapped your hand at him and his teammates. “Well, yeah. Normally we wouldn’t come right away, but we verified your report at the Tower. It’s not anything that would have tripped up our early detection systems, but once we looked for it, you’re absolutely right. There’s definitely something going on here. So we called in the cavalry.”

You couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief at the confirmation that you hadn’t lost your mind. Rogers saw it, and his grin softened a little bit.

“It’s okay,” he said. “You did the right thing by calling us in. This is exactly why the A.I. even exists.”  

You nodded mutely, but you weren't sure if Rogers saw it. He was already turning to his teammates, Wilson and Romanov, his brow lifting in inquiry as Barnes continued surveilling the park.

“Anything?”

Romanov was holding some kind of tablet, and she was poking at the screen in unmistakable frustration. “Something, but that's about all I can tell you,” she grumbled. “It's like a fly in your house. You know it's there, but finding it's a bitch.”

Captain Rogers looked back at you, and the expression on his face was heavy. “Look, I'm sorry,” he began, and you did not like the sound of that. “I'd do it, normally. One of us would. But since you're the only one who can see it…”

“He's asking you to open the door,” Barnes said, not even turning back to look at you. “And he would do it, the stupid punk.”

Rogers let out a sound that was somewhere between a groan, a grumble, and a snarl - but you noticed that he didn’t attempt to deny what Barnes had said. Either part of it.

You looked at him, your insides trembling, and he laid a hand - a big, strong hand, and you were certainly noticing those details - on your shoulder. “It’s okay,” he said, very quietly. “If you don’t want to, we can find another way. There are people we can call.”

People, but those people hadn’t come with him, and there was probably a reason for that. They would take time to arrive, and who knew what would happen while they were getting here?

You were no hero. You worked in a bookstore, you lived alone with your cat, and the closest thing you had to a romantic relationship was a friends-with-benefits actor. You weren’t like these people. 

But maybe you could be, just for one night.

You squared your shoulders, looking up at Rogers. 

“I’ll do it.”

-~-~-

They made a plan. And after they’d done so, more agents arrived, garden-variety this time, cordoning off a circle around the door and setting up a perimeter of barriers and screens. You were still the only one who could see it - Rogers had checked with everyone as they’d arrived - but they’d given you some plastic stakes to mark where it was. Everything was terribly efficient, and it was easy to forget the chill in the air with the bustle of activity. You stood huddled in your coat, watching, until Rogers waved you over to a section of the perimeter. It was draped on three sides with tarps, creating a small tent, and someone had set up a little portable heater that was doing an excellent job of warming up the space. 

As you got there, sighing happily at the heat, you noticed that Rogers was holding what looked like a climbing harness and a coil of rope. 

“Ever worn one of these?” he asked. When you shook your head, he continued. “Nothing to it - just a safety precaution. We’ll have the rope attached to the harness and we’ll secure it here. That way if something tries to pull you into - uh, well, wherever that door goes - we can get you out of the way fast.”

You nodded, trying not to think about being pulled into wherever that door goes. Instead you let Rogers help you into the harness, easing it over your coat and helping you tighten the straps, and tying the rope to a metal ring on the back. 

And then, what seemed like a mere second later, you were standing in front of the door.

Behind you, Rogers and Barnes were holding onto the rope. The sight of the two supersoldiers didn’t exactly banish the butterflies in your stomach, but their solid forms did inspire at least a little bit of confidence. They weren’t going to let you go anywhere.

You offered Rogers a small, trembly smile, before you turned back to face the door. Romanov was right beside you, and she nodded at you. Just once - but it was, in its way, just as reassuring as the two men holding the rope. You got the impression that there was very little she couldn’t handle.

“You ready?” she said softly. 

Off to your right, Wilson was standing with his wings extended. He was the backup plan: if Rogers and Barnes lost hold of the rope, he would dive in and try to grab you before you were pulled in too far. You were no hero, and yet they were treating you as if your life was just as precious as theirs. 

Well. Perhaps that was what made a hero, a hero.

In answer to Romanov’s question, you shuffled forward two steps and placed your hand on the doorknob.

It was cold. Ice cold, and you hissed as the chill bit at your skin even through your thick mitten. Your teeth chattered, and you stumbled back a step, as Romanov caught you. 

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” you gritted out. “Just - ‘s just cold.”     

But you were all right. And now that you were braced for it, it wasn’t as bad when you touched the knob again. You twisted it, and it moved easily in your hand, and the door fell open.

You were not sure what you’d been expecting. But it definitely had not been an older gentleman standing on the other side of the door. 

He didn’t move. 

His hair was an ashy, golden white - a color that made you certain he had been as blond as Steve Rogers in his youth. He was dressed in brilliant green, a tunic and trousers and a thick cloak, green with accents of gold and red. A thin golden circlet sat on his brow, and as you looked at him, he bent, sweeping into a deep bow that almost left him lying flat upon the ground.

It was winter beyond the door, too. A light snow was falling, and it was piled up high around the gentleman’s brown boots. 

No one spoke. No one moved. Everyone was staring at the strange man as he straightened from his bow, and looked straight at you.

“Your Royal Highness.”

TBC...

[stellar-solar-flare]

Reblogging this for those who might've missed it! Also a reminder of the Wildcard Round aka me welcoming all sorts of questions and blurb requests on my fics.

WILDCARD ROUND!

Since this is my birthday event too – Happy Birthday to me on 9th of Dec! – you can also participate to this via The Wildcard Round. This one is all about me me me.

You can ask questions or request blurbs/headcanons/missing scenes/drabbles about any of my existing fics. (This includes stuff I've teased here but haven't yet published). My tumblr masterlist is HERE – my longfics are on AO3 HERE.

If you choose this option, you don’t have to heed to the prompt list – but you can use it, if you want to. On this round, you can send in more than one request/question!

The rules about about what content is accepted also apply here. I reserve the right to not write anything that makes me uncomfortable or doesn't spark the muse.

Stella's Starry Winter Sky

Welcome to the Stella’s Starry Winter Sky Event! This event is a celebration of our lovely Cap Quartet: Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Sam Wilson, and Natasha Romanoff.

Rules! (And other important stuff):

As I run a 18+ only blog, this challenge is only for users that are at least 18 years old.

You can participate either by 1) writing a fic using any of the prompts below, 2) sending one or more of the prompts below to me to request a fic. For requests, you can also include any further ideas you’d like to see in the finished fic, as long as your request has at least one of the prompts below.

This challenge is about celebrating the Cap Quartet, so please make at least one member of the Cap Quartet a central part of your fic.

Challenge will run from Monday 9th of December 2024 to Friday 28th of February 2025. No late submissions will be accepted. You can start sending in requests as soon as you see this post, but post any fics partaking the challenge on Monday 9th of December the earliest.

You can choose a maximum one thing from each prompt category, but you can skip categories / only use one thing. You can write as many fics as you’d like and don’t need to claim prompts – however, if you submit a request to me, only one per person, please.

Please use #stellasstarrywintersky when posting the fic; linking the challenge is appreciated, and you can also tag me if you'd like.

This challenge accepts both ”Character x Reader” and ”Character x OC” fics. If you write an OC fic, please add a link to an OC introduction post or provide all the necessary information in your fic. For requests, I only accept my OCs. You can use multiple characters in the fic and even have a ”Character x Character” pairing as a side pairing – so for example, a Steve x Reader fic with a Bucky/Nat side pairing.

What is not allowed in this challenge? No full dark (appropriately tagged soft!dark is welcome, I leave the it to the author to decide where the line goes), no cheating/infidelity, no minor characters in romantic or sexual situations, no non-con (dub-con is fine as long as it’s tagged – again, the line is at author’s discretion), no gore (MCU canon level violence is fine), no incest/bestiality/watersports/similar kinks. Ask if you are unsure.

Scenarios/tropes:  

birthday

blind date

chaotic shenanigans

cooking together

comforting one another

everyone ships it

exploring something new in bed together

fake marriage

friendly competition

hurt/comfort

idiots in love

it was supposed to be an one night stand

knight in shining armor

misunderstandings

movie night

moving in/out

night out

Reader is the newest Avenger

shopping together

soulmarks

Tony’s party

tending the other’s wounds

undercover

Valentine’s Day

Winter Holidays

AUs (you don’t need to choose an AU – canon-adjacent is fine):

Academia AU

Coffee Shop AU

Everyone Lives AU

Fairytale AU

Fantasy AU

Lumberjack AU

Medieval AU

Mob AU

Neighbor AU

Omegaverse AU

Sci-fi AU

Soulmate AU

Quotes:

”Is that what you’re wearing?”

”Come on, it’s going to be alright.”

”I really thought it’d be different this time.”

”But... how?”

”We shouldn’t.”

”Tell me about it.”

”That’s just disgustingly wholesome.”

”I... I’ll just go.”

”I dare you.”

”You’re a dead man.”

”Would you really do that for me?”

”At your service.”

”In another lifetime.”

”You look like a corpse.”

”I am praying for the sweet release of death.”

”It’s not your fault.”

”I was just wondering.”

”My treat.”

“I’m here.”

“I love you."

Words:

abate – to become less intense

alacritous – eager and cheerfully enthusiastic towards a task

benevolent – kind, good, well-meaning

capricious – someone who changes their mood and behavior suddenly/frequently

conjecture – an opinion that is formed without all the necessary information

deference – humility, submission, respect

eftsoons – an old-fashioned way to say ’soon afterward’

exigence – an urgent matter (need/demand)

fervor – strong/sincere/intense feelings

kindle – to set on fire

kith – one’s social circle (friends and relations and acquaintances)

mellifluous – something that sounds sweet and is pleasant to hear

nefarious – unethical, wicked, criminal

obdurate – stubborn about one’s opinions

petrichor – the pleasant smell of ground when it’s rained on

quixotic – something that is very impractical and idealistic

quell – to put an end to disorder by the use of force

spurious – something that is false or fake, not what it seems to be

tacit – understood without explicitly saying it out loud

ubiquitous – something that appears to be everywhere

WILDCARD ROUND!

Since this is my birthday event too – Happy Birthday to me on 9th of Dec! – you can also participate to this via The Wildcard Round. This one is all about me me me.

You can ask questions or request blurbs/headcanons/missing scenes/drabbles about any of my existing fics. (This includes stuff I've teased here but haven't yet published). My tumblr masterlist is HERE – my longfics are on AO3 HERE.

If you choose this option, you don’t have to heed to the prompt list – but you can use it, if you want to. On this round, you can send in more than one request/question!

The rules about about what content is accepted also apply here. I reserve the right to not write anything that makes me uncomfortable or doesn't spark the muse.

WELCOME! I look forward to your entries and requests.

[stellar-solar-flare]

Stella's Starry Winter Sky

Welcome to the Stella’s Starry Winter Sky Event! This event is a celebration of our lovely Cap Quartet: Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Sam Wilson, and Natasha Romanoff.

Rules! (And other important stuff):

As I run a 18+ only blog, this challenge is only for users that are at least 18 years old.

You can participate either by 1) writing a fic using any of the prompts below, 2) sending one or more of the prompts below to me to request a fic. For requests, you can also include any further ideas you’d like to see in the finished fic, as long as your request has at least one of the prompts below.

This challenge is about celebrating the Cap Quartet, so please make at least one member of the Cap Quartet a central part of your fic.

Challenge will run from Monday 9th of December 2024 to Friday 28th of February 2025. No late submissions will be accepted. You can start sending in requests as soon as you see this post, but post any fics partaking the challenge on Monday 9th of December the earliest.

You can choose a maximum one thing from each prompt category, but you can skip categories / only use one thing. You can write as many fics as you’d like and don’t need to claim prompts – however, if you submit a request to me, only one per person, please.

Please use #stellasstarrywintersky when posting the fic; linking the challenge is appreciated, and you can also tag me if you'd like.

This challenge accepts both ”Character x Reader” and ”Character x OC” fics. If you write an OC fic, please add a link to an OC introduction post or provide all the necessary information in your fic. For requests, I only accept my OCs. You can use multiple characters in the fic and even have a ”Character x Character” pairing as a side pairing – so for example, a Steve x Reader fic with a Bucky/Nat side pairing.

What is not allowed in this challenge? No full dark (appropriately tagged soft!dark is welcome, I leave the it to the author to decide where the line goes), no cheating/infidelity, no minor characters in romantic or sexual situations, no non-con (dub-con is fine as long as it’s tagged – again, the line is at author’s discretion), no gore (MCU canon level violence is fine), no incest/bestiality/watersports/similar kinks. Ask if you are unsure.

Scenarios/tropes:  

birthday

blind date

chaotic shenanigans

cooking together

comforting one another

everyone ships it

exploring something new in bed together

fake marriage

friendly competition

hurt/comfort

idiots in love

it was supposed to be an one night stand

knight in shining armor

misunderstandings

movie night

moving in/out

night out

Reader is the newest Avenger

shopping together

soulmarks

Tony’s party

tending the other’s wounds

undercover

Valentine’s Day

Winter Holidays

AUs (you don’t need to choose an AU – canon-adjacent is fine):

Academia AU

Coffee Shop AU

Everyone Lives AU

Fairytale AU

Fantasy AU

Lumberjack AU

Medieval AU

Mob AU

Neighbor AU

Omegaverse AU

Sci-fi AU

Soulmate AU

Quotes:

”Is that what you’re wearing?”

”Come on, it’s going to be alright.”

”I really thought it’d be different this time.”

”But... how?”

”We shouldn’t.”

”Tell me about it.”

”That’s just disgustingly wholesome.”

”I... I’ll just go.”

”I dare you.”

”You’re a dead man.”

”Would you really do that for me?”

”At your service.”

”In another lifetime.”

”You look like a corpse.”

”I am praying for the sweet release of death.”

”It’s not your fault.”

”I was just wondering.”

”My treat.”

“I’m here.”

“I love you."

Words:

abate – to become less intense

alacritous – eager and cheerfully enthusiastic towards a task

benevolent – kind, good, well-meaning

capricious – someone who changes their mood and behavior suddenly/frequently

conjecture – an opinion that is formed without all the necessary information

deference – humility, submission, respect

eftsoons – an old-fashioned way to say ’soon afterward’

exigence – an urgent matter (need/demand)

fervor – strong/sincere/intense feelings

kindle – to set on fire

kith – one’s social circle (friends and relations and acquaintances)

mellifluous – something that sounds sweet and is pleasant to hear

nefarious – unethical, wicked, criminal

obdurate – stubborn about one’s opinions

petrichor – the pleasant smell of ground when it’s rained on

quixotic – something that is very impractical and idealistic

quell – to put an end to disorder by the use of force

spurious – something that is false or fake, not what it seems to be

tacit – understood without explicitly saying it out loud

ubiquitous – something that appears to be everywhere

WILDCARD ROUND!

Since this is my birthday event too – Happy Birthday to me on 9th of Dec! – you can also participate to this via The Wildcard Round. This one is all about me me me.

You can ask questions or request blurbs/headcanons/missing scenes/drabbles about any of my existing fics. (This includes stuff I've teased here but haven't yet published). My tumblr masterlist is HERE – my longfics are on AO3 HERE.

If you choose this option, you don’t have to heed to the prompt list – but you can use it, if you want to. On this round, you can send in more than one request/question!

The rules about about what content is accepted also apply here. I reserve the right to not write anything that makes me uncomfortable or doesn't spark the muse.

WELCOME! I look forward to your entries and requests.

[navybrat817]

This looks like fun! ❤️

Stella's Starry Winter Sky

Welcome to the Stella’s Starry Winter Sky Event! This event is a celebration of our lovely Cap Quartet: Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Sam Wilson, and Natasha Romanoff.

Rules! (And other important stuff):

As I run a 18+ only blog, this challenge is only for users that are at least 18 years old.

You can participate either by 1) writing a fic using any of the prompts below, 2) sending one or more of the prompts below to me to request a fic. For requests, you can also include any further ideas you’d like to see in the finished fic, as long as your request has at least one of the prompts below.

This challenge is about celebrating the Cap Quartet, so please make at least one member of the Cap Quartet a central part of your fic.

Challenge will run from Monday 9th of December 2024 to Friday 28th of February 2025. No late submissions will be accepted. You can start sending in requests as soon as you see this post, but post any fics partaking the challenge on Monday 9th of December the earliest.

You can choose a maximum one thing from each prompt category, but you can skip categories / only use one thing. You can write as many fics as you’d like and don’t need to claim prompts – however, if you submit a request to me, only one per person, please.

Please use #stellasstarrywintersky when posting the fic; linking the challenge is appreciated, and you can also tag me if you'd like.

This challenge accepts both ”Character x Reader” and ”Character x OC” fics. If you write an OC fic, please add a link to an OC introduction post or provide all the necessary information in your fic. For requests, I only accept my OCs. You can use multiple characters in the fic and even have a ”Character x Character” pairing as a side pairing – so for example, a Steve x Reader fic with a Bucky/Nat side pairing.

What is not allowed in this challenge? No full dark (appropriately tagged soft!dark is welcome, I leave the it to the author to decide where the line goes), no cheating/infidelity, no minor characters in romantic or sexual situations, no non-con (dub-con is fine as long as it’s tagged – again, the line is at author’s discretion), no gore (MCU canon level violence is fine), no incest/bestiality/watersports/similar kinks. Ask if you are unsure.

Scenarios/tropes:  

birthday

blind date

chaotic shenanigans

cooking together

comforting one another

everyone ships it

exploring something new in bed together

fake marriage

friendly competition

hurt/comfort

idiots in love

it was supposed to be an one night stand

knight in shining armor

misunderstandings

movie night

moving in/out

night out

Reader is the newest Avenger

shopping together

soulmarks

Tony’s party

tending the other’s wounds

undercover

Valentine’s Day

Winter Holidays

AUs (you don’t need to choose an AU – canon-adjacent is fine):

Academia AU

Coffee Shop AU

Everyone Lives AU

Fairytale AU

Fantasy AU

Lumberjack AU

Medieval AU

Mob AU

Neighbor AU

Omegaverse AU

Sci-fi AU

Soulmate AU

Quotes:

”Is that what you’re wearing?”

”Come on, it’s going to be alright.”

”I really thought it’d be different this time.”

”But... how?”

”We shouldn’t.”

”Tell me about it.”

”That’s just disgustingly wholesome.”

”I... I’ll just go.”

”I dare you.”

”You’re a dead man.”

”Would you really do that for me?”

”At your service.”

”In another lifetime.”

”You look like a corpse.”

”I am praying for the sweet release of death.”

”It’s not your fault.”

”I was just wondering.”

”My treat.”

“I’m here.”

“I love you."

Words:

abate – to become less intense

alacritous – eager and cheerfully enthusiastic towards a task

benevolent – kind, good, well-meaning

capricious – someone who changes their mood and behavior suddenly/frequently

conjecture – an opinion that is formed without all the necessary information

deference – humility, submission, respect

eftsoons – an old-fashioned way to say ’soon afterward’

exigence – an urgent matter (need/demand)

fervor – strong/sincere/intense feelings

kindle – to set on fire

kith – one’s social circle (friends and relations and acquaintances)

mellifluous – something that sounds sweet and is pleasant to hear

nefarious – unethical, wicked, criminal

obdurate – stubborn about one’s opinions

petrichor – the pleasant smell of ground when it’s rained on

quixotic – something that is very impractical and idealistic

quell – to put an end to disorder by the use of force

spurious – something that is false or fake, not what it seems to be

tacit – understood without explicitly saying it out loud

ubiquitous – something that appears to be everywhere

WILDCARD ROUND!

Since this is my birthday event too – Happy Birthday to me on 9th of Dec! – you can also participate to this via The Wildcard Round. This one is all about me me me.

You can ask questions or request blurbs/headcanons/missing scenes/drabbles about any of my existing fics. (This includes stuff I've teased here but haven't yet published). My tumblr masterlist is HERE – my longfics are on AO3 HERE.

If you choose this option, you don’t have to heed to the prompt list – but you can use it, if you want to. On this round, you can send in more than one request/question!

The rules about about what content is accepted also apply here. I reserve the right to not write anything that makes me uncomfortable or doesn't spark the muse.

WELCOME! I look forward to your entries and requests.

[jobean12-blog]

Love it! Yay🥰👏🏻🥰❤️

Stella's Starry Winter Sky

Welcome to the Stella’s Starry Winter Sky Event! This event is a celebration of our lovely Cap Quartet: Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Sam Wilson, and Natasha Romanoff.

Rules! (And other important stuff):

As I run a 18+ only blog, this challenge is only for users that are at least 18 years old.

You can participate either by 1) writing a fic using any of the prompts below, 2) sending one or more of the prompts below to me to request a fic. For requests, you can also include any further ideas you’d like to see in the finished fic, as long as your request has at least one of the prompts below.

This challenge is about celebrating the Cap Quartet, so please make at least one member of the Cap Quartet a central part of your fic.

Challenge will run from Monday 9th of December 2024 to Friday 28th of February 2025. No late submissions will be accepted. You can start sending in requests as soon as you see this post, but post any fics partaking the challenge on Monday 9th of December the earliest.

You can choose a maximum one thing from each prompt category, but you can skip categories / only use one thing. You can write as many fics as you’d like and don’t need to claim prompts – however, if you submit a request to me, only one per person, please.

Please use #stellasstarrywintersky when posting the fic; linking the challenge is appreciated, and you can also tag me if you'd like.

This challenge accepts both ”Character x Reader” and ”Character x OC” fics. If you write an OC fic, please add a link to an OC introduction post or provide all the necessary information in your fic. For requests, I only accept my OCs. You can use multiple characters in the fic and even have a ”Character x Character” pairing as a side pairing – so for example, a Steve x Reader fic with a Bucky/Nat side pairing.

What is not allowed in this challenge? No full dark (appropriately tagged soft!dark is welcome, I leave the it to the author to decide where the line goes), no cheating/infidelity, no minor characters in romantic or sexual situations, no non-con (dub-con is fine as long as it’s tagged – again, the line is at author’s discretion), no gore (MCU canon level violence is fine), no incest/bestiality/watersports/similar kinks. Ask if you are unsure.

Scenarios/tropes:  

birthday

blind date

chaotic shenanigans

cooking together

comforting one another

everyone ships it

exploring something new in bed together

fake marriage

friendly competition

hurt/comfort

idiots in love

it was supposed to be an one night stand

knight in shining armor

misunderstandings

movie night

moving in/out

night out

Reader is the newest Avenger

shopping together

soulmarks

Tony’s party

tending the other’s wounds

undercover

Valentine’s Day

Winter Holidays

AUs (you don’t need to choose an AU – canon-adjacent is fine):

Academia AU

Coffee Shop AU

Everyone Lives AU

Fairytale AU

Fantasy AU

Lumberjack AU

Medieval AU

Mob AU

Neighbor AU

Omegaverse AU

Sci-fi AU

Soulmate AU

Quotes:

”Is that what you’re wearing?”

”Come on, it’s going to be alright.”

”I really thought it’d be different this time.”

”But... how?”

”We shouldn’t.”

”Tell me about it.”

”That’s just disgustingly wholesome.”

”I... I’ll just go.”

”I dare you.”

”You’re a dead man.”

”Would you really do that for me?”

”At your service.”

”In another lifetime.”

”You look like a corpse.”

”I am praying for the sweet release of death.”

”It’s not your fault.”

”I was just wondering.”

”My treat.”

“I’m here.”

“I love you."

Words:

abate – to become less intense

alacritous – eager and cheerfully enthusiastic towards a task

benevolent – kind, good, well-meaning

capricious – someone who changes their mood and behavior suddenly/frequently

conjecture – an opinion that is formed without all the necessary information

deference – humility, submission, respect

eftsoons – an old-fashioned way to say ’soon afterward’

exigence – an urgent matter (need/demand)

fervor – strong/sincere/intense feelings

kindle – to set on fire

kith – one’s social circle (friends and relations and acquaintances)

mellifluous – something that sounds sweet and is pleasant to hear

nefarious – unethical, wicked, criminal

obdurate – stubborn about one’s opinions

petrichor – the pleasant smell of ground when it’s rained on

quixotic – something that is very impractical and idealistic

quell – to put an end to disorder by the use of force

spurious – something that is false or fake, not what it seems to be

tacit – understood without explicitly saying it out loud

ubiquitous – something that appears to be everywhere

WILDCARD ROUND!

Since this is my birthday event too – Happy Birthday to me on 9th of Dec! – you can also participate to this via The Wildcard Round. This one is all about me me me.

You can ask questions or request blurbs/headcanons/missing scenes/drabbles about any of my existing fics. (This includes stuff I've teased here but haven't yet published). My tumblr masterlist is HERE – my longfics are on AO3 HERE.

If you choose this option, you don’t have to heed to the prompt list – but you can use it, if you want to. On this round, you can send in more than one request/question!

The rules about about what content is accepted also apply here. I reserve the right to not write anything that makes me uncomfortable or doesn't spark the muse.

WELCOME! I look forward to your entries and requests.