#stucky rec list

[booksandabeer]

Celebrating 10 Years of CA:TWS — A Stucky Rec List

Rec list for the CA:TWS 10th Anniversary Event @catws-anniversary (thank you so much for organizing this event! 💙) | Prompt: Memories

10 years, huh? 10 years of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. 10 years of what many—myself included—still consider to be the best MCU movie ever made.

But also 10 years of post-TWS fanfiction. 10 years of Bucky Barnes Recovering and Steve Rogers' Sadness Errands; of Up All Night to Get Bucky and Revenge Road Trips; of Winter Soldier Trauma Umbrellas and Everybody Needing A Goddamn Hug; of Good Bros and Soft Epilogues. 10 years and tens of thousands of Steve/Bucky fics later, here we are.

So, to mark the occasion, let's take a trip down memory lane and celebrate the movie and the stories it inspired: One fic from each year since it all began:

There's really only one rule here: All fics are set before, during, or after the events of CA:TWS and/or reimagine its plot in interesting ways. Naturally, many of the fics on this list are post-TWS canon divergent, but I tried to go for a nice variety of length, genre, and popularity to keep it interesting. Speaking of popularity, this is very much not intended as a round-up of ‘most popular fics of each year’ because—and I say this with all the love and respect in my heart for those stories and their authors—nobody needs a rec list for that, and I believe in spreading the love. Here we go:

Poltergeists by enemyofrome | 17K, T

Author's summary: When the helicarriers blow up and the Winter Soldier goes on the run, he takes Steve with him. He's got a name written in Morse code on the inside of his arm, a ton of questions he doesn't know how to ask, and now, a new handler with absolutely zero sense of self-preservation to contend with. Life is hard. In which Bucky tries to figure out whether he's a human being, Steve does everything he can to keep from losing him again, and there are lots of explosions.

Starting off with one of the best versions of the 'Bucky didn't leave Steve, he took him with him after the Potomac' fics that were (and still are!) so popular post-TWS. This one stands out because of its fantastic beginning, its interesting take on how Bucky was broken and remade into the Winter Soldier, and because it allows both characters to be messy. It's a popular fanon trope that it's Steve who brings out a ruthless, almost vicious streak in Bucky, but here it's emphasized that this is very much a mutual thing. Just like Bucky, who's often afforded the "excuse" of still figuring out how to be a person again, Steve gets to be difficult here—without ever turning him into a stubborn asshole. They're both traumatized, and they're both allowed to show it and to lash out, including at each other. Also, this fic will give you capital-F Feelings about morse codes and apples. Believe me.

sleepwalk back to the battle site by ftmsteverogers | 22K, T

Author's summary: “I’m going to track down every HYDRA agent that’s left,” Bucky says, buckling his gun deftly to his belt. “And then I’m going to kill them.” “Oh,” Steve says. “Come with me?” Bucky asks, dangerous hands tucked into his pockets.

A classic post-TWS fic that picks up right after the movie ends. Equal parts Revenge Roadtrip, Bucky Barnes recovering, and Steve Rogers being in urgent need of a good hug. This starts out intensely melancholic—Steve's despair and helplessness are palpable and there's a scene involving a drinking glass that still brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. Halfway through, the story changes pace and becomes much more action-heavy, but it still manages to allow space for the quiet, intimate moments between Steve and Bucky. They have both become sharp and deadly men, but they're also allowed to be soft with each other. Their coming together feels sweet and inevitable. I also really enjoyed the Steve characterization here. His absolute conviction that Bucky is still Bucky at his very core and always will be, but also his emotional and intellectual flexibility to adapt to this still-new-to-him, changed version of Bucky rang very true to me.   

Surveillance by Sproings, 7K in 2 parts, G

Author's summary: If there are ears everywhere, that means it's somebody's job to listen. I hate my job.

Do you ever think about how SHIELD bugged Steves DC apartment and how horrible that was, but also...you're kind of curious what they might have overheard? Do you ever wonder about the people who listened in on his sad, lonely life? Well, here you go. An outsider POV fic told "through the ears" of an unnamed SHIELD agent assigned to spy on the private life of a man who doesn't really have much of one. The story begins just before IM3 and takes us all the way through the events of CA:TWS and beyond. It's clever, original and told with great empathy for both the subject under surveillance and the person carrying out that surveillance—who increasingly questions its purpose. Here's a small snippet to give you an idea of the fic's style:

He got a phone call, once. He put it on speaker, too, which was very exciting for me at the time. It was from an archivist at the Smithsonian. They seemed really surprised that he answered his own phone calls. The two of them talked for a long time about an exhibit the museum was planning. A very long time. As if one of them was starstruck, and the other was desperate for any kind of human interaction.

What Gets You Through by velleities | 12K, M

Author's summary: For Steve, getting through each day is a process – one he’s currently failing at spectacularly. Feeling out of place in this brave new world, he hopes to find a home in Bucky, and looks for him with everything he’s got. But Bucky doesn’t want to be found, and when he does touch base with Steve, he never sticks around for long. Bucky has embraced the modern age, leaving Steve lagging behind – or so Steve believes, until Bucky shows him otherwise.

This post-TWS fic revolves around five encounters in liminal spaces, and each time Bucky has pieced himself back together again just a little more. Despite their increasingly longer and more honest conversations, and Bucky's incremental progress, he always disappears again, leaving Steve to grapple with his heartbreak. There are quietly gorgeous moments in this fic (the bus and the church in particular were my personal favorites) as well as wonderfully crafted characterizations. Bucky is initially portrayed as somewhat feral in some ways yet surprisingly well-adjusted in others, and I love that Steve can't help but be a little annoyed at that. However, it quickly becomes clear that, in good old Bucky Barnes fashion, much of it is really just a front put up for Steve's benefit...

A Real Boy by itsnotbleak | 5K, T

Author's summary: It took the Winter Soldier three weeks to remember that human beings needed to sleep and eat. It took Steve far too long to realise the Winter Soldier was sleeping in his bed.

A wonderful, short-but-doesn't-feel-like-it fic (in the very best way) set immediately after CA:TWS, in which Bucky secretly and then soon not so secretly visits Steve in his apartment. Follow along as Bucky Barnes argues with his brain about sandwich toppings, the importance of a good night's sleep, and the necessity of personal hygiene. Also: how to best go about becoming a real boy (again). And who the hell is that Bucky guy anway? This is as soft and sweet a Bucky recovery fic as you're ever going to find. It's funny but not silly; sad in a way that all of these stories inherently are—because, well, these are some tragic boys—but not super angsty or depressing. A beautiful story with a lovely, hopeful ending.

Savage God by PottersPink | 36K, M

Author's summary (abbr.): Past, present, future, Steve knows Bucky Barnes. It’s why he recognized him when he found him in that alley in April of 1942, even though Bucky was older, stronger, wearier; he called himself The Asset, and had a metal fucking arm. He flinched when Steve tried to touch him, and when Steve told him he loved him, his first response was to ask why. Seventy years later, Steve wakes up in the twenty-first century, and he doesn’t know whether to be heartbroken or hopeful when some of the things Bucky revealed to him in 1942 start falling into place.

An absolutely riveting AU that will have you on the edge of your seat the whole time. I'm itching to talk about it more but I cannot since it would mean spoiling the hell out of it. What I can say is that it's a very intriguing and clever exploration of what would happen if Steve knew about the future but without really knowing any of the details. How would it change the events of CA:TFA and CA:TWS, and how would it change Steve himself? I so very much appreciate this characterization of Steve as smart, competent, and unwavering with a hefty dose of no fucks left to give. This fic features some really nifty time travel and plotting, great action sequences and a very satisfying ending where certain people get their much-deserved comeuppance. Plus: Bonus Shrinkyclinks (kind of)!

Charlie Lock by seapigeon | 105K, M (hard M)

Author's summary (abbr.): The Winter Soldier knows that sometimes, in order to make the kill, you must destroy what the Target lives for. Steve Rogers knows that he can't fight his captors. If he fights, they'll kill Bucky. But the price of his life is steep. Tony Stark has nothing left to live for, but he's needed. So all these miserable motherfuckers better stay alive, too. Clint Barton never expected to be a leader. But a leader he is, and no one else is going to die on his watch. --- A story in which the first wave of Project Insight succeeds, and the Avengers must pick up the pieces and find a way to stop Hydra from completing its work with Zola's algorithm.

This is not only the longest fic on this list, but also the angstiest one—by a mile, so please heed the tags. It's dark, disturbing, and brutal. However, it is neither relentless misery porn nor is it shocking for shock's sake, where everything is magically forgotten and/or healed the moment Steve and Bucky start kissing. Instead, the author puts these characters into an absolutely horrifying situation and then slowly, gently guides them out of it and into the light.

It's a Stucky fic but it's also a multi-POV ensemble piece featuring all the Avengers and other familiar faces. If you are someone who'll always be a little bitter about the unfulfilled promise of an Avengers found family, then this is for you. In this AU, they do not only fight together, but grow together in every way. They truly become a team, not just co-workers barely tolerating each other. The story takes its time exploring the characters and the group dynamics. Steve and Bucky are definitely at the center of the narrative but there is space here for every member of the team to grieve and adjust to the new reality and to find at least some measure of healing. It's a story about the meaning and the consequences of revenge, about hope and resilience, and about love in all its many forms. It also has one of the most satisfying title drops that will have you pump your fist in triumph when it happens. It's a tough read, but ultimately a very rewarding one.

SPELEVINK by Ginny_Potter | 10K, G

Author's summary: Bucky’s back. He’s leaving me messages through IKEA plushies, Steve texts Sam. jesus christ, rogers, Sam texts back. Or, Bucky lives in an IKEA Tiny Apartment, Steve is a dancing monkey once again, and somehow they find their way back to each other.

This is an absolute DELIGHT of a fic that will have you alternately laughing out loud and crying quietly into your SVARTFIBBLA blanket (super-soft, recycled polyester, 47x63"). It's ‘crack treated seriously’ at its very best and a clear homage to the fandom classic Infinite Coffee… (that’s not a dig or a spoiler, the author says so in the author’s note).

Now if you know me, you’ll know that angst o’clock is my happy hour and I’m usually not very into these heavy-on the-humor quasi-absurdist fics (because I’m super special and not like all the other girls, obviously). But. I LOVED this story so, so much. It’s such a fun read—even when it makes you cry—and it really became one of those ‘huh, I guess I’m into this after all’ moments of joyful (self)discovery via fanfic for me. I never thought a pair of oven mitts could move me like that, and I'll never be able to walk into an IKEA again without muttering "F******!" under my breath (iykyk). Absolutely fantastic.

a handful of dust by RecoveringTheSatellites | 20K, M

Author's summary: Steve looks for Bucky for a long time. But the thing is that Bucky doesn't get found, Bucky finds. Bucky always finds Steve. This takes a hard left after the Potomac and stumbles through the dark a lot after. Take a bit of running, the occasional synaptic misfire, the resurfacing of old memories, a dash or two of PTSD, and (eventually) a nice dose of action, stir, and serve over some unresolved issues.

Honestly, the second paragraph up there perfectly sums up the story. It's a good ol' fashioned Bucky recovery fic with some angst, some action, and a whole lot of healing and devotion. Steve and Bucky get to be very sappy about each other, but also extremely Badass Battle Boyfriends™ when somebody threatens their hard-won happiness. Both are allowed to be messy, unstable, and very co-dependent.

This was the first time this author played in the Stucky sandbox and I mean it 100% as a compliment when I say that you can tell. This is someone with "fresh legs" diving headfirst and very deep into the Stucky trope pool and they're doing it with great relish and enthusiam. The result is a story that rejects some of the tried and true conventions of the post-TWS fanfic canon and lovingly embraces others, but that is definitely aware of and in dialogue with the body of work that came before it. Also, it's just a really fun read that gives these two the very soft ending they deserve.

Everybody is Supposed to be Dead by pollutedstar | 22K, M

Author's summary: In 1944, Bucky Barnes falls off a train into the Alps, missing and presumed dead. Months later, Steve Rogers nosedives a plane into the arctic. In 2010, the Winter Soldier project is uncovered by S.H.I.E.L.D., and Bucky Barnes is found alive. Three years later, Steve Rogers’ frozen body is found in the ocean.

A really interesting AU and a fascinating exploration of what could’ve been; the impact it would’ve had on the events and characters if Bucky had been the one to be “found” first. How would it affect Steve to come back into a world where he isn’t quite so lonely and adrift, and where he does have the relief and reassurance of having Bucky by his side and at his back? How would that have changed the way he acted and reacted to this strange new world and the people and organizations trying to recruit him to their cause even though the ice hasn't even completely melted off his body yet?

There are a lot of astute and precise observations about characters like Tony, Natasha, and Clint in this story, and on top of that, it offers up some very compelling insights into Steve's conflicted and difficult relationship with his role as Captain America.

it's never over (hey orpheus) by romcommie | 12K WIP, 2/?, M

Author's summary: He remembers a song first and then everything else follows, burying him below. Or, Bucky Barnes pieces a life back together with a few choice verses, some duct tape and seventy years worth of spite. Steve Rogers tries very hard to relearn there's a life to be lived in the first place.

Ok, listen up, people! This is a WIP and there are only 2 chapters posted so far, but I haven't felt this absolutely bonkers excited about a post-CA:TWS fic in a long while. We're talking frothing at the mouth here. I have such a massive crush on this fic, it's a bit embarrassing, really. It's one of those fics where you know after just a few paragraphs that you're in very good, very competent hands. The wealth of historical and cultural detail; the way the story shifts/flips/flickers back and forth between time, perspective and narrative levels; the Bucky voice—it's all so well done! I'm so insanely excited to see where the author takes this!

ENJOY!

[dharmasharks]

I read so many neat fics this summer thanks to the @ficreadingchallenge and managed to black out my bingo card! Not only did I finally get to stories that had been languishing in my TBR for literal years, but I discovered tons of delightful fics in genres I wouldn't have sought out otherwise.

Thank you mods for organizing this, I’m already itching to do it again. Bingo card below the cut, plus my unhinged ramblings about the 24 fics I got to read. (Mostly Stucky, but also a smattering of Sambucky, MattFoggy, a Winterhawk, a Captive Prince, and a Catwin.) 

WIP: on the shore of the wild world by verger_de_pommiers

MCU | Steve x Bucky | M | 19k | Civil War AU

In which a fierce little Steve shelters wounded union soldier Bucky in his remote cabin. Gorgeous prose, immersive historical detail, and tender protectiveness. I lucked into finding this as it was posting (it’s now complete!) and felt like the author had been reading my dream fic journal because it ticked so many of my very specific boxes!

No powers AU: Broken But Mending by Lissadiane

MCU | Bucky x Clint | M | 15k | Modern AU

Bucky is a recovering war vet who starts rebuilding his life one instagram post, coffee, and plant at a time with some motivation from Clint Barton’s weekly sex advice column. Spoiler: the advice isn’t so much about sex as it is about trying again, and accepting that we’re all scared and scarred and worthy of love anyway. Read this on a day where your heart needs a big hug of happiness. 

Secret relationship: Don't Ask by AnnaFugazzi

MCU | Steve x Bucky | M | 21k | WW2 

I’ve seen this fic recced a lot for wartime stucky but was admittedly apprehensive because it’s canon-compliant and we all know where that train gets off, ya know? This is not a lighthearted premise either: Steve and Bucky get outed and because they’re a propaganda machine, the Howlies are ordered to keep their relationship a secret, despite their intense discomfort—all told in a devastatingly effective outsider perspective from Gabe. I appreciate that the author didn’t shy away from depicting unflattering (and hard to read!) period-typical attitudes, including those Gabe and Morita would have faced in the service.

Newest fic in the tag of your choice: Cabin Fever by missbeizy

MCU | Steve x Bucky | E | 5k | Cabin PWP

Missbeizy never fails to deliver on beautifully written stucky smut that caters to my tastes, so when I got that notification you better believe I jumped on it stat. Even in their shorter fics, they always build up a lovely setting and tension, which makes the eventual hot, hot sexy times feel even sexier. (All their stucky fics are *chefs kiss* — Foothold and Number of Years are my favorites.)

Mission fic: (With eyes shut) it's you I'm thinking of by Yavannie

MCU | Sam x Bucky | E | 3k | Partners with Benefits

Gosh only knows I enjoy a dynamic where it’s easier for two closed-off people to communicate physically than to actually talk! About their feelings! Good stuff!

Found family: Only the Good Die Young by ZenaidaMacroura / @zenaidamacrouras1

MCU | Steve x Bucky | M | 23K | Shrunkyclunks

There’s banter both awkward and charming, sweet sweet crushing, and a whole cast of wonderful characters who care so much (even when it’s hard). I love the dynamics between everyone in paramedic!Bucky’s crew and the way they look out for each other.

Pets: no years of silence in the shadow of regret by Ginny_Potter / @hipsterdiva

MCU | Steve x Bucky | G | 9k | De-serumed Steve

I don’t usually have the strength for post-EG fic, but look at me now, I read three this summer! Here, Steve is irrevocably changed by everything he’s endured, and he suffers for it in the most perfectly Steve-ish way: very, very quietly. Such a satisfying balance of grief and hope as Bucky tries to bridge the distance Steve’s put between them (and his acquired pet, The Dog) in order to protect himself from the possibility of loss. 

Mythical creature AU: all this and heaven too by spinawren

Captive Prince | Laurent x Damen | M | 15k | Selkie AU

I may never get over how perfect a Lighthouse keeper / selkie AU is for these characters. There’s Laurent, whose sense of self-preservation is so integral to his sense of self that giving love feels like giving a part of himself away—because it means giving up your armor. And Damon: unwaveringly devoted, who knows that love isn’t taken, it’s a choice you both keep making. I want to live in the lush world of this fic forever. 

Oldest fic in the fandom: Genie In A Bottle bykupcake_goddess

Dead Boy Detectives | Cat King x Edwin | E | 2K | Missing Scene

Edwin was hot for that hot cat guy and they should have kissed about it. Fanfic is great.

Fake dating: The Constellation of Touch by what_alchemy

Daredevil | Matt x Foggy | E | 19k | Pretend Relationship

What’s juicier than fake dating your best friend? Fake dating your best friend while actually going through a messy (law partnership) divorce! Featuring: wonderful Nelson family dynamics, a singular bed, and the intimacy of getting to know the person you thought you knew best all over again. I’ve read a lot of gorgeous depictions of the way Matt experiences the world, but these might be some of my favorites. 

Author’s oldest fic: the wrote and the writ by stewyonmolly

MCU | Steve x Bucky | G | 10k | everybody lives, nobody gets serumed

You know when you read the first paragraph of a fic and go, “yes ha ha ha YES,” like a sicko, but what you’re really sick over is the author’s style? That’s how I feel about this fic. I would eat the dialogue if I could! While it includes one of my favorite soft premises (everyone home safe in post-war Brooklyn, the end), Bucky doesn’t come back unscathed. But Steve–and this is a wonderful, wonderful Steve–never dances around Bucky’s amputation and Bucky never coddles him back.

Parallel universe: Except it Abide in the Vine by spitandvinegar

MCU | Steve x Bucky x Sam | M | 27k | Multiverse Shenanigans 

If you’re afraid of the summary just know that there is a place for every Steve and every Steve in its place, which is with a Bucky (and/or a Sam)!!! And by golly are there a lot of Buckys to love in this one, including a scrappy 616!bucky with the most pockets and everyone’s favorite cannibal, Sweetpea. There are plenty of melty exchanges (and breathtaking art!) but my favorite multiverse moments are always when a WS!bucky gets to see a small Steve again. I could read it a million times and it would never be enough. 

Free space: When I Put Away Childish Things by hansbekhart

MCU | Steve x Bucky | M | 14k | Prewar

One of the most vivid and immersive prewar settings I’ve had the pleasure of reading, which is saying something, because I have read a [redacted] quantity of prewar stucky. The narrative structure is so powerful and effective, even if you already know what we’re building toward. The author also has my new favorite take on Bucky’s enlistment status, which felt nicely refreshing (and this is a 10 year old fic!) given the otherwise ubiquitous fanon.

Space AU: We'll meet again in Brooklyn by Gfawkes / @gfawkesphoenixchokingonashes

MCU | Steve x Bucky | E | 33k | Scifi AU

Amazing dystopian premise and world building featuring the bravest small nurse Steve and a devoted and self-sacrificing soldier Bucky. They’re both so loyal to each other but also to their separate friends and teammates.

Werewolf AU: you touch me within and so i (know i could be human once again) by notcaycepollard

MCU | Sam x Bucky | E | 12k | werewolf!bucky

In this canon-adjacent-verse, Bucky is freed from Hydra’s clutches, but they turned him into a (very soft and sweet) werewolf who just needs to be cuddled and petted and maybe bossed around a little bit. Sam is understandably beside himself…and also up to the task. 

Vampire AU: the blood is the life by obsessivereader

MCU | Steve x Bucky | M | 3K | vampire!bucky

When Bucky keeps sneaking off to bite a lot of strange young men, Steve’s biggest concern is, “Why not me????” I love the trope that the super soldier healing factor makes them great vampire companions.

Short fic: give up on trying to save us by returnsandreturns

Daredevil | Matt x Foggy | E | <1000 | Hate Sex

They’re rival lawyers, they banter, they are not going to have sex with each other again except that oh no, yes they are! What’s not to love!?

Slow burn: Steve Rogers, PA by sparkagrace / @sparkagrace

MCU | Steve x Bucky | T | WIP | Hunkyclinks

Hopefully you all are reading this one already because it’s a freakin delight all around. The premise is incredible and very funny, but there is also action and wound tending and my favorite thing ever, which is Steve and Bucky always managing to know each other better than anyone.

Holiday fic: Teshuva by JHSC

MCU | Steve x Bucky | T | 6K | Recovering Bucky

I could not find it in me to read a holiday (lbr: Christmas) fic over the summer, but ‘tis the season for atonement, y’all! That’s right, Yom Kippur is upon us, and this was a really lovely read on Bucky coming to terms with his memories, his relationship to his mother, and what it means to seek forgiveness. 

Medieval AU: The Tale of the Silver-Armed Knight by BeaArthurPendragon

MCU | Steve x Bucky | E | 5K | medieval AU

I had never come across a medieval fic in my journeys before, so this was a fun scavenger hunt. I managed to stumble my way into some sexy, sexy treasure by way of smithy!Steve measuring knight!Bucky for a special suit of armor. Amazing historical detail including—and I am very serious—D/S dynamics that felt so period appropriate. 

Video edit: Evidence by @bromcommie / vivelarevolution

MCU | Bucky Barnes

Why are you reading this rec list (or whatever this is) when you could be watching and reblogging this fucking edit! Are you watching it yet? Are you??? OP’s perfectly matched dialogue, parallels, and transitions will destroy you and you WILL thank them for it. (Thank you, Max.) The build up from the quiet of Bucky’s therapy session to the blurred violence between Bucky, the Soldier, and everyone he’s been in between is beautifully gutting.

Inspired by another fanwork: [Podfic] If They Haven't Learned Your Name by quietnight

MCU | Steve x Bucky | M | Post-CATWS

I’m far from the first to praise quietnight’s incredible voicework and podfic production, but holy heck, I’ll do it anyway. I have a hard time getting into audiobooks, and have never had a problem feeling fully immersed in their works. Silentwalrus’s story deserves all the praise it gets, too. A lovely balance of humor and heart, action and character work. 

Fluff: Invisible Ink by ctimene

Daredevil | Matt x Foggy | E | 16K | Tattoo Parlor AU

Hard to write a rec that isn’t just keysmashing and squealing sounds but OKAY FINE I’ll try. This ‘verse manages to parallel canon in ways that are both delightful and heart twisting, with all of Foggy’s heart, kindness, and snark translated to tattooing instead of lawyering. And they were still avocados! And also: sexy. Really, extremely sexy.

Time travel: Some legends are told by chaosmanor, rufferto

MCU | Steve x Bucky | E | 26K | Neolithic Wanderings 

In which Steve will go to any length to find Bucky, including 4 thousand years into the past (while wearing a very short tunic). I absolutely devoured this and was beside myself with delight over its uniqueness and all around nerdery—so many amazing and specific historical details.

Domestic: t'aimer sur les bords du lac by burning_brighter / @burnin-brighter

MCU | Steve x Bucky | M | 17k | Post-EG

Lovely and soft wish fulfillment: put those boys in a cabin until they can get the rest they deserve…and also talk about their feelings! I loved how careful they were with each other until they slowly found their footing again.

[perception-sets-it-fair]

Stucky Fics

Weirdly enough it took not watching Marvel anymore to get into these boys.

One or both is in the Avengers

The Best Way to Wake - LeeHan Bucky was in the ice and was found a year after Steve. Steve is determined to make Bucky’s experience better than his was.

Head Over Heels- Chiyume Bucky (re)learns things about himself when taking dance class with Natasha 

My Albatross Always With Me -LolitaBlue Bucky Barnes joins the Avengers team as a weapons developer. Steve has an attitude about it. 

Rhapsody in Pink- 1918 After chemical castration from Hydra, Bucky’s libido is causing some hallucinations.

Like A Good Little Soldier Girl_Back_There, xPixelx Bucky gets brought on as a sniper to the avengers team. Steve has a lot of feelings about it.  

Pour the Guinness buckybarnesdeservestobehappy (hutchabelle), lyn7 Modern Bucky meets Steve at a bar and does not realize who he is. 

Sorry, Not Sorry Art_By_DrowningByDegrees, SoftObsidian74 Vet Bucky really resents Cap. And thinks he’s hot.

Through a dark night, without a sunrise, love will tell us where to go LunaCanisLupus_22 Bucky can’t remember being the winter soldier but that doesn’t stop him from being wayyyy interested in Steve. 

Retired Avenger(s)

Song of the Rolling Earth - the1918 Steve is living a quiet life on the farm when he saves a young man who got hit by a car. 

if you're looking for jesus (then get on your knees) - voxofthevoid  former captain gone rogue meets agent Bucky 

ABO fics

Love Me Tender Like What Keeps You Well thiccbuckybarnes Retired Widow captain Steve Rogers and young omega Bucky. Jane Austen vibes.

Wanna Feel the Heat With Somebody- 2bestfriends  Omega Bucky finally takes a risk and gets a new job. Too bad his boss is way hot. 

On the cover of Alpha's Health -Jerana photosheet, omega captain america Steve

Heart of Fools- Claudia_flies alpha captain america, hired omega Bucky

Mistletoe Season- lordeofstucky  Christmas fic, Captain/alpha steve

The Omega Protection Act - Imagineitdear omega rights, omega Bucky, past non-con

The Way I Feel For You -Becassine  avengers fake dating with omega Bucky.

Lullaby for Futures Lost - Oh_i_swear ex-special forces nanny Bucky taking care of omega Steve’s baby while he does his avengers stuff.

(Not A) One Night Romance Girl_Back_There, Oh_i_swear Dad Steve and younger omega Bucky. His kids don’t exactly approve

A Year and a Day Julie_dAubigny (burningbrightly) mistreated omega Bucky with a mysterious past rescued by Steve. Medieval ABO. 

Dad/Single parent fic 

you will always be my favorite form of loving thiccbuckybarnes dad steve, college student bucky

On The Back Of A Raindrop - musette22  dad steve, gardener bucky

I wanna be yours-prettylittlehead22 dad bucky, art teacher steve

Songbird-chicklette washed up star Bucky, art student Steve

(Not A) One Night Romance Girl_Back_There, Oh_i_swear Dad Steve and younger man Bucky. His kids don’t exactly approve

Prince Charming - Brenda Tattoo artist Bucky is a bit of a matchmaker and loves the ladies. Then he meets Steve.

Home Is Wherever I'm With You by cydonic Bucky moves next door to flip a house. Cue adorable dad Steve next door.  

Veteran/military

All About Sarge - Izulkowa, myfailsafe ptsd processing featuring adorable dog.

A Higher Epsilon- deadto27 veteran/dogwalker Bucky, meet-cute  

Can't Keep My Hands to Myself - AHM1121, MissyRivers Bucky is a tattoo artist/yoga instructor. Steve needs a way to wind down.

Prince Charming - Brenda Tattoo artist Bucky is a bit of a matchmaker and loves the ladies. Then he meets Steve. 

Sorry, Not Sorry Art_By_DrowningByDegrees, SoftObsidian74 Vet Bucky really resents Cap. And thinks he’s hot.

Human Au- College

Learn Me Hard Oh, Learn Me Right -AHM1121  math tutor Bucky

On Thin Ice-fandomfluffandfuck. Friends with benefits college hockey au. (feat. daddy Bucky)

Alkynes of Trouble by yammz Nerd Bucky, Jock Steve, lab partners.

Human Au- Sex work

E is for Escort VenusDoom3 escort Bucky hired by Tony for Steve. 

Whiskey & webcams by fallenangel69 Bucky does camwork and roommate Steve gets very curious. (gay Bucky, Steve discovering his sexuality)

General human au

The Big Board buckybarnesdeservestobehappy (hutchabelle) Bucky Barnes, senior news anchor at SHIELD and stat guy Steve.

I was alone, I took a ride (I didn't know what I would find there) unremarkable Shelter 2007 au artist Steve

A Very Specific Type- yammz Bucky has a type and silver fox Steve fits it.

Then a small thing happened by beaarthurpendragon- Bucky’s combat photographer career ends with an accident. He goes to a lake house next door to Steve’s mom. (Grief,astronaut Steve, Christmas)

chemistry-deadto27 Bucky has a disappointing one night stand with Steve but keeps running into him. Yoga instructor Bucky, Photographer Steve, Bucky making rom-com level bad decisions.

Put It on Repeat, It Stays the Same by giselleslash The boys get snowed in and realize that fwb is not working for them. 

Give me a pen, I'll write you a story orphan_account Bucky gets to meet his author idol. A huge misunderstanding starts them off on the wrong foot. Bdsm with sub Bucky. 

The House on Winter Lane ClandestineMira (LoquaciousJargon), Duchess_On_Fire Former MIT student Bucky after a car accident lead to losing his parents and his arm. Works for construction company and starts hooking up with silver fox Steve, who is building the house that was Peggy’s dream. FWB/angst/grief.

[booksandabeer]

I was going to put this in the tags, but it got too long, so forgive me for rambling in the rb:

1. It's also my birthday on Sunday!!! 🙌

2. This is an EXCELLENT list--so many fabulous fics on here and a few I haven't read but I will now put or move up on my TBR list! Thank you so much for putting this together!

3. wash the blood from your bony fingers is a fic that I have reread multiple times already and I still can't get enough of. As with pretty much every fic from this author, once you've read it, you'll never forget it. I strongly second this rec and it made me so happy to see this story on the list!

4. I also second everything you said about The Kinder Thing. I am exactly the type of reader you've described above, as in I'm generally ok with age difference (I don't go *looking* for it, but I don't mind it), but daddy kink is something that's just not my personal cup of tea* and would usually make me skip a fic. But! I'm so glad I gave it a chance anyway because it is really VERY good--and really, there's so much going on in this story, the kink is just one aspect among many others. There's also a moment in it, around the halfway mark, that I still think about from time to time. I'ts incredibly heartbreaking--but the amazing thing is, you don't even realize how heartbreaking until almost the very end. And then it just lands like a gut punch.

5. Anyway, thank you once again for putting together this wonderful list and taking the time to share what you love about these fics. What a great resource!

*I hope this goes without saying, but just to be very clear, I do not think that daddy kink is a "bad" thing. It's just not *my* thing

Stucky Recs: Timeline Jumping, Time Loops, and Alternate Selves

My birthday is this Sunday, so I thought I'd celebrate by sharing some fic recs. I'd like to do a series of these highly themed rec lists, and my birthday week seemed like an ideal week to get started.

So: twelve fics I love that play with time. (I realized I was making this that three of these fics are, at least partially, also Shrinkclinks fics. Because, you know, time travel. Bonus?)

Timeline jumping

🌙 After You're Gone | SD_Ryan | Explicit | 7,229 words

A timeline jumping fic that is also both a post-TWS recovery fic and a shrinkyclinks fic. Do you want to read about a fiery pre-war Steve popping up at Avengers tower to the surprise of everyone, including a sad-eyed post-TWS Bucky? Of course you do.

Quote:

He pulls Steve close, palm pressed to the base of knobby spine, rolling them until Steve is on top. He likes the slight weight of him, the easy way Steve spreads his legs around his hips, hands cradling his face while they kiss. He’s got the theory down but doesn’t remember specifics, and he wants Steve to run this show.

The man doesn’t disappoint.

Steve kisses like he’s leading an orchestra, all confident grace and subtle notes of whimsey, playing Barnes in a way that suits them both. Barnes even learns to follow along. It comes back to him in surprising flashes, the way Steve keens when Barnes sucks on his bottom lip, the soft groan drawn out with a scratch of stubble against Steve’s cheek. Muscle memory. History built anew.

🌙Cheat Days | Chicklette | Mature | 2,033 words

A quick read that might make you cry. Perfect for times you're already having feelings about Steve being lonely waking up in a new century.

Summary:

Other times it’s something else  - something more cruel – a joke that he knows Bucky would find hilarious, a movie that Bucky would have loved, a book.  Sometimes Steve is just so goddamned lonely that he feels like he’s going to come out of his skin.  Then he has what he calls a cheat day.  A day when he closes up his apartment and uses the coin, and sighs into Bucky’s embrace. 

🌙Strangers in the Street | Crinklefries | Teen | 15,304 words

This fic is so romantic that I don't really know how to handle it. Featuring a Bucky who is doing pretty okay, a Bucky who even makes it back to Brooklyn after the war, but also a Bucky who is achingly lonely — except during those brief moments in time, every five years, when Steve pops into his life.

Quote:

Steve says nothing. He lifts both dog tags to his mouth, presses a kiss or a blessing to them, and tucks them back against Bucky’s chest.

Steve leans forward to kiss him again and this time, he hasn’t even pulled away before Bucky is left aching for more.

Between one breath and the other, Steve leaves him. Bucky doesn’t see him go, but he feels him disappear. When he opens his eyes, it’s just him on his cot, with the lamp flickering in the empty quiet of his tent. Bucky takes in a hard, painful breath, and then, with devastation, presses his palms into his eyes until, eventually, he stops feeling Steve’s hands carefully worshipping his tired body.

🌙the time that's slipping | its_tortle @its-tortle | Teen | 4,585 words

Listen, I just really think we all, as a fandom, need to read about Steve going back in time to talk to his mom about everything that's happened to him. I know I needed this fic in my life. Steve and Sarah's relationship in this fic is gorgeous and perfect, and their conversation feels so important.

Quote:

“Steven,” she says quickly. “No. Listen to me.”

His Ma sits up in her bed a little further, ignoring the way he reaches out to steady her. There’s a sudden urgency to her movements, a determined passion pumping energy through her tired bones. Her big blue eyes are alight with the fire Steve knows he himself inherited.

“Mo stór,” she starts. “You have the biggest, bravest, and most beautiful heart anyone could ever dream up. It’s not perfect, none is, but if there’s one thing I know it’s that it’s good. That it loves in its entirety and always stands up for what it believes in. If you followed your heart, Steve, you made all the right calls.”

🌙It remembers you | often_adamanta | Teen | 13,585 words

This one is: Timeline jumping, Post-TWS recovery, Shrinkyclinks, and Pre-war. Yes. All of that. Featuring the very most endearing pre-war Steve handling a traumatized and barely post-TWS Bucky in the sweetest way possible. Also featuring a pre-war Bucky who keeps going, "Steve, what the hell do you mean it's completely fine for this guy, who has my face, to just come into our apartment while we sleep? That's terrifying???" And a post-TWS Bucky who keeps saying things like, "You definitely shouldn't trust me because I am dangerous, but also I think when I was that guy you live with I was in love with you? But also I was never him. But also I brought you this bread? Wow, you're so good at art. I'm terrible and scary. You should tell me to leave. Oh hey, that cat on the fire escape is so pretty." This fic is so very darling.

Quote:

James yanks the earpiece out as quickly as he can with his unsteady hand, gripping it tightly in a fist against his chest. He can’t listen to Steve say good things about him, especially since they aren’t true. He can’t listen to Steve list all the ways he’s failed, the ways he’s not Bucky. He just can’t listen anymore.

When he goes to find food that night, he goes out even farther than usual. For the first time, he takes something with him that might be missed: a single glass tumbler, heavy and cold in his hand.

Steve and Bucky are sleeping in the main room, one of the mattresses pulled onto the floor so that they can curl up together. It makes it harder to move around the small room, but he sets the glass next to the sink in the kitchen and leaves again without waking them.

He puts the earpiece in when he returns to his spot across the street, able to rest easy knowing they’re safe, Steve’s head pillowed on Bucky’s chest as he drooled and kept Steve close with an arm around his waist.

🌙to memory now I can't recall | Etharei | Explicit | 102,600 words

A WW II Bucky and a post-TWS Bucky switch places, and two storylines take place. This fic will break your heart approximately twenty times. This fic, like a lot of fics on this list, follows rules of time travel that actually make sense, so WW II Bucky's actions in the future and post-TWS Bucky's actions in the past directly affect each other. They both know this the whole time, and they each know that they are the other and that they will be switching back. So, in a lot of ways, this fic is about Bucky's relationship with himself — about Bucky reconciling who he is before and after Hydra. It's honestly stunning.

Quote:

Steve's fingers twitch hard against his palm. Steve's face can occasionally manage to remain impassive when he's lying; it's a real pity he has about two dozen other tells.

Bucky stares at him. Steve practically flinches, at the same time as his grip on Bucky's hand tightens to the point of pain. Bucky feels like something is carving a chunk out of his insides.

"I died," he says, quietly. "Oh, Stevie. I died on you, didn't I? In the war?"

🌙wash the blood from your bony fingers |  newsbypostcard | Teen | 63,134 words

You know how sometimes it's 2018 and you think a Hydra operative has de-aged your longtime super soldier boyfriend, except, surprise! It's actually that weird comic-science time travel has transported the younger version of your boyfriend out of 1936(and you guys hadn't talked about feelings yet in 1936)? And being the human that he is, the 1936 version of your boyfriend doesn't understand why, as a 5'4, 18-year-old, with asthma and a dozen other health conditions, it's not the best idea for him to immediately charge into battle as an Avenger or to, very literally, climb into your lap? Yeah, Bucky is facing some serious challenges here, okay? And that is just during the first chapter of this fic.

Quote:

"Why would you…" He gestures at himself, coughs out a laugh, and looks at Bucky with the kind of pure vulnerability that always knocks him flat. "Bucky, come on. Why would you…?"

Bucky feels the tension drag out of him, ebbing away into sympathy. "Come on, Rogers," Bucky says, softer than he'd like. "You know better than that. You're -- you're a force of fucking nature." He gives a fragile smile and swallows; clasps his hands together, nerves clustered in his throat. "There's nowhere you could go that I wouldn't follow, just to watch you try to take on the world. Including the future, apparently, god help us both."

🌙The Kinder Thing | Stele3 | Mature | 27,474 words

I don't think I've ever been as surprised by a fic as I was by this one. This fic does have all the things the tags and summary say it will. There very much is, of course, time travel! There absolutely is an age difference going on here — for most of the fic, anyway — because of the time travel! But, at its heart, this fic is about how there is literally nothing that can keep these two apart. It's shockingly beautiful.

Quote:

Bucky peers up at Steve through his eyelashes. “And how much longer have you got?”

Steve has no answer for that, either, and so he pulls Bucky into the bedroom. If this were someone else, he’d be barking at them to get their head on straight, he’s on a fucking mission right now, but all of that fades into the feel of his fingers skimming over Bucky’s chest as he pulls his shirt out of his trousers. It used to frustrate the hell out of him to watch movies where characters make terrible mistakes because of sexual desire; he’s never felt anything that strongly, certainly not enough to ruin his whole damn life, let alone jeopardize the space-time continuum.

When Steve bites down on Bucky’s shoulder, he gasps loudly in his small bedroom, his narrow body arching up against Steve’s, and Steve thinks, Yeah. He gets it, now. He thinks he’s been missing Bucky his whole life without even knowing him.

Time Loops

☀️offer me that deathless death | canistakahari | Explicit | 10,656 words

Bucky relives the day he falls from the train over and over. Exactly as painful as sounds (but with a canon-divergent post-TWS ending, so we're okay.) Wartime Steve and Bucky romance that absolutely guts me. I can't overstate how much I love this fic.

Quote:

He reaches for Steve impulsively, cupping his jaw in his hand. “I can’t stand you,” he murmurs.

Steve raises an eyebrow, keeping still in Bucky’s grip. “Is that so?”

He really is unbearable. It’s hard to look at him directly, to see his smooth, earnest features screwed up with gentle concern. Steve’s mouth is soft and vulnerable and Bucky is helpless to give into the urge to press a kiss to his lips. The shape of him has changed in so many ways, but his eyes and mouth, his crooked nose, all remain achingly familiar.

☀️I can't remember how this started (but I can tell you exactly how it ends) | gwyneth_rhys @teatotally | Mature | 12,391 words

A time loop fic that sees Bucky continually reliving the day of the Project Insight launch and remembering/recovering more and more each time he does. Angsty and romantic and so beautifully done.

Quote:

When he opens his eyes, Bucky wants to cry. Maybe he is crying. They’re all staring at him as if he’s suddenly started tap-dancing and singing a song. He wipes at his eyes, and yeah, there are tears there, so of course they’re completely panicked. Codename: Winter Soldier isn’t exactly programmed to cry, so this is a major failure of the conditioning. He kills them as quickly as he can, because it’s just annoying to be stared at like that.

There may not be many good things in this day, but being able to kill some of the people who’ve tormented him for so long over and over and over again is definitely helping him work out some issues, as they say nowadays.

Bucky gets twelve more delirious, wonderful, hot days with Steve, rediscovering everything he loved about loving him. Sometimes it’s slow and tender and sweet, other times they fuck like rabbits in heat, but then it all goes pear-shaped.

Alternate selves

➿Asymmetry | Candlemaker | Teen | 46,423 words

I feel like this is fic on this list I've most often seen rec'd by other people, and I get why. This fic is a delight. Steve and Bucky, along with Sam, Clint, and Tony, find themselves in another timeline — a timeline where Steve and Bucky are married. Alternate timeline Steve and Bucky's relationship is unbelievably sweet, and this way of getting main timeline Steve and Bucky together is such a great balance of angst and fun. I also love this fic for using a trope I normally don't even like and managing to make me enjoy it very, very much.

Quote:

Steve watches them go in muted disbelief, eyes flicking from the back of his own head to their joint hands, metal and flesh fingers intertwined.

“You’re kind of adorable,” Clint coos to Steve and Bucky once their doppelgangers have disappeared down the hall, hands pressed to his cheeks and eyes wide like he is looking at a particularly cute puppy. When Steve can draw his eyes away from his own retreating back (there's no way his shoulders are that huge, right?) to risk a glance at Bucky, he finds his friend resolutely avoiding his gaze, arms wrapped around himself and hair shielding his expression from view.

“Clint-“ Sam warns, levelling the archer with a dangerous look and flicking his gaze pointedly between where Bucky is visibly distressed and Steve just looks lost.

“No, really, the cutest. I didn’t have you pinned as the settling down type, Barnes, but-“

➿Forcing All These Hollow Hearts to Feel Again | paperstorm | Explicit | 12,175 words

Okay, so, I very much appreciate the way people take the — honestly incomprehensible — concept of timelines/time travel in the MCU as presented in Endgame and use it to write fic involving multiple Steves and/or Bucky in which: a) A large part of the premise is Steve an Bucky are together in all timelines b) There is a threesome/foursome/etc but everyone involved is Steve or Bucky. I'm very fond of this because: a) the 'in every timeline' thing is just ridiculously romantic, and b) I feel like the MCU would hate this particular use of their own time travel rules — and, whatever, but that brings me a little bit of joy.

Anyway, I've read multiple fics that fall under this general premise. For the purposes of this list, I'm rec'ing this very, very soft and lovely hurt/comfort one. This fic does a gorgeous job with Steve's guilt and grief, and also works as an Endgame fix-it of sorts.

Quote:

Steve nods. They walk, hand in hand through the mud, and slowly Steve pulls back the flap on the tent. His former self is on the cot, now, curled up with his arms wrapped around his knees and his face pushed into the meager pillow, his big body tucked into as tight a ball as he can manage. Steve distinctly remembers, after the serum, missing being small in moments of sadness and wishing desperately he could curl up in Bucky’s lap like he used to, safe and protected. He doesn’t remember if that’s what he was thinking about in this exact moment, but given the circumstances, wouldn’t be surprised at all.

[sparkagrace]

Hello! This is a little late but I was busy and then the world pretty much imploded and I was not feeling it. But I'm here now and I'm excited to share what I read last month! (they're basically all buddie so sorry to my stucky moots).

october

454,334 words read over 37 fics (average of 12,279 words per fic, not including wips) 📉 11% from September

current total for the year: 3,296,717 words

a handful of fic recs

Talk Dirty To Me by ameliahart buddie | E | 6.4k

when everything's on fire by beartowns buddie | T | 15.4k

all these broken parts by @woodchoc-magnum buddie | M | 56.4k

Advice For the Young At Heart by @cal-daisies-and-briars buddie | T | 3.6k

Stuck on Fast Forward (Throw Away the Blueprint) by @extasiswings buddie | E | 42.8k

the sound of the saw (must be known by the tree) by literalmetaphor buddie | T | 13.7k

if i'm in an airport (what kind of man does that make me) by @tallahasseemp3 buddie | T | 1.5k

tripping over getting lost on you by prettybegins buddie | E | 15.8k

There's something stuck on your tongue (I think it's my name) by seachanged buddie | E | 2.6k

piece by piece, rubble to rubble by @sharpbutsoft buddie | T | 6k

Eddie Diaz vs The Buck's Boyfriend Agenda by @songbvrd buddie | M | 23.4k

i can tell just what you want (you don't want to be alone) by @tallsinspace buddie | E | 12.6k

author recs

@burnthatbridge

wait for you to come home buddie | G | 1.6k

we keep this love in a photograph buddie | T | 2.3k

littleghost / @ghostlandtoo

pulling pigtails buddie | G | 4.8k

man against man (who's ahead in the game) buddie | E | 9k

justhockey

bury the bricks and bones buddie | T | 11k

you'll just have to taste me (when he's kissing you) buddie | T | 4.2k

drh0rrible / @betanoiz

sharing is caring buddie | E | 9k

the taste of things buddie | T | 12k

wips finished this month

The art of shadowboxing by @dharmasharks stucky | E | 28.3k

[heytheredelulu]

ALL FICS ARE 18+ // MINORS DNI // CHECK C/W’s

Bucky Barnes 💙 // Loki 💚 // Steve Rogers ❤️

Welcome to my Tumblr bookshelf.

Below are my top 7 favorite fics of all time.

💙💚❤️ A Gentleman’s Bond - @lokisgoodgirl

Set a time after A Gentlemen's Agreement, you and Loki decide to open up your bedroom. And who better to join you?

Masterlist

💚 Kinktober prompt - @sarahscribbles

Another night spent on your knees for your god.

Masterlist

💙 Be Mean To Me - @bucks-babe

After a long day at work, you just want to lose all control and have your boyfriend fuck you into oblivion.

💙❤️ DP in one hole - @myfictionaldreams

You were adamant about proving Steve wrong and doing something you’ve never done before.

💙 “Look at the mess you made.��� - @chxrryhansen

Anon request for watersport kink.

Masterlist

💙 Open Up - @navybrat817

You help Bucky feel better when he’s in a mood.

Masterlist

💙❤️ Just a Taste - @buckyalpine

Bucky likes Steve’s wife.

Masterlist

💋 Sj Stark

[navybrat817]

October Reading List

Hey, lovelies! Here are the fics I've had the pleasure of reading and reblogging throughout the month of October. Please show these writers some love and heed the warnings for each fic. Remember, you are responsible for your own media consumption. Banner by yours truly and divider by the talented @saradika .

Love, thanks, and happy reading!

Marvel Characters

Bucky Barnes

Feelin' Gourd by @jobean12-blog

Never Saw You Comin' by @nickfowlerrr

Healing Hands by @rookthorne

Mile High Club by @writing-for-marvel

Off Day by @theeleggymeggy

Hold Me Down by @flordeamatista

Blood Sweat and Tears by @treatbuckywkisses

Protective Biker!Bucky by @pellucid-constellations

Insomnia by @intrepidacious

Chain Around My Neck by @bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky

Storm by @bucky-barnes-diaries

Biker!Bucky Headcanon by @sinner-as-saint

Smitten by @buckylattes

Give Up Part 1 and Part 2 by @fineanddandy

New Perspective by @honeybloomss

Behave by @becca-e-barnes

Steve Rogers

Haunted by @targaryenvampireslayer

Let's Get Physical by @mrsmischief209

Darkness Between the Stars by @biteofcherry

You Are in Love by @scrumptious-delusion

Baby Girl by @wint3r-h3art

Drain You by @darkficsyouneveraskedfor

Morning Light by @drabblewithfrannybarnes

Interrupted by @ciarawritesmarvel

Steve Rogers as a Husband @neonovember

What You Can Do For Your Country by @krirebr

I Made Your Favorite by @heli0s-writes

The Cinema Experience by @myfictionaldreams

Learn My Lesson by @cockslutpadalecki

Breathe Me by @fushic0re

An Olive Branch by @real-jane

Stucky

Letters to the Moon by @violentdelightsandviolentends

Chris Evans Characters

Andy Barber

Your Age is Showing by @worksby-d

Rosebud by @kthynes

Second Shot by @/drabblewithfrannybarnes

Ari Levinson

Beauty Wrought of Rapture and Desire by @the-iceni-bitch

The Domestic Life @imyourbratzdoll

Of Service by @stargazingfangirl18

The New Romantics - Part 1 by @slvttyfied

Curtis Everett

Lots of Candles by @sweater-daddiesdumbdork

Can I Try Something? by @luxeavenger

Lloyd Hansen

Trucker!Lloyd by @oh-my-damn

Alpha by @boxofbonesfic

Sebastian Stan Characters

Lee Bodecker

It Will Come Back by @slyyywriting

Lights Out by @vellicore

No Way Out by @shadeysprings

Captivity by @wheezy-stucky

Devil Devil by @sgt-seabass

Snuggle Time by @holylulusworld

[fsbc-librarian]

Hi! I hope you are good! Feel free to mention some of your works that aren't yet posted to tease us all with the potential we're waiting for!

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Spread the self-love! <3

I don’t have many more works than 5 😂 here are some of my favourites 💜

This took me over a year to write, and I was so insanely nervous before I posted it, but I’m so so proud of it. It’s still my most popular fic by hits/kudos (and it recently got a short one shot sequel).

Summary: Bucky looked at Steve. Steve carefully did not look at Bucky.

“You didn’t tell him?” Becca asked, pausing in the doorway. Steve shook his head.

“He only just got here. Besides, I thought you would have told him over the phone,” Steve grumbled, now also carefully not looking at Becca.

“He is also standing right the fuck here,” Bucky snapped. “In case you both forgot.”

“Steve,” Bucky started, quietly, purposely not looking at either of them now. “Why is Becca your doctor?”

Neither Steve nor Becca answered him. Bucky looked up. Becca was watching Steve, who was staring intently at a wrinkle in the sheet covering the bed he was sitting on.

“Why is Becca your doctor right now?” He asked again, more forcefully, this time looking to his sister. “And why are we in the fucking family rooms?”

*****

Steve’s a marathon runner. He’s still friends with his ex-alpha, his life revolves around training, work, and Bucky, his best friend. He’s also 6 months pregnant and he doesn’t know who the sire is. If he ignores his problems, they’ll go away, right?

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers

Characters: Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes, Lorraine, Rebecca Barnes Proctor, Winifred Barnes, Howling Commandos, Tony Stark, Natasha Romanov (Marvel)

Additional Tags: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Mpreg, Slow Burn, Friends to Lovers, hidden pregnancy, Secret pregnancy, New York Marathon, Mechanic Bucky Barnes, Marvel Cameos, Easter Eggs, so many easter eggs, Rating for later chapters, Anal Sex, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Fuck Or Die, Hand-Wavey Medical, Pining, Mutual Pining, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Oblivious Steve Rogers, Oblivious Bucky Barnes, Mildly Dubious Consent, only because both of them want it but both think the other doesn't

✨✨✨✨✨

Summary: Bucky Barnes is running from his problems. He's housesitting for his best friend while she's on her honeymoon - the almost a year prior that he's been staying in her house doesn't count - when he's woken in the middle of the night by an angel and a demon. Okay, maybe they're not a literal angel and demon, but Steve Rogers *looks* like an angel, and his daughter Charli certainly *acts* like a demon.

The father/daughter duo are running from their own problems, but that doesn't mean that they can't crash headlong into one another's lives. Throw in a cursed book for good measure, and it's about to get a whole lot more interesting.

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers

Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Sam Wilson (Marvel), Original Children of Peggy Carter and Steve Rogers

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Author!Bucky, Architect!Steve, Peggy Carter & Steve Rogers Friendship, Human Disaster Bucky Barnes, Homophobic Language, Cursed Book, Eavesdropping, Past Bucky Barnes/Brock Rumlow, Past Bucky Barnes/Alexander Pierce, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Steve's Daughter has a British Accent, Gay Steve Rogers, Gay Bucky Barnes, Anal Sex, Angry Sex, meet ugly, Top Steve Rogers, Bottom Bucky Barnes

✨✨✨✨✨

Summary: An Avengers fundraising event in Las Vegas takes a left turn, and Captain America wakes up with a brand new spouse and no way to get a divorce. Coupled with Tony Stark's current obsession with reality dating shows, obviously nothing can go wrong, right?

Bucky Barnes isn't even Tony's PA - Pepper is his actual boss - and he does not have time to even date anyone, let alone be married to one of the most famous people in the world, especially not with a sick sister and precocious niece at home depending on him. He just needs to keep his head down, and wait it out til they can get a divorce. Easy, right?

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers

Characters: Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes, Tony Stark, Thor (Marvel), Clint Barton, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Happy Hogan, Jennifer Walters, Darcy Lewis

Additional Tags: Accidental Marriage, Shrunkyclunks | Modern Bucky Barnes/Captain America Steve Rogers, pa bucky barnes, Captain America Steve Rogers, alcohol consumption, Crack Treated Seriously, Sort Of, mentions of illness, Cancer, Hand-Wavey Legals, There Was Only One Bed, Kidfic, Public Sexual Acts, Oral Sex, Anal Sex, Teasing, Bottom Steve Rogers, Top Bucky Barnes, light Dom/sub tones

✨✨✨✨✨

Summary: How do you mourn for someone who isn’t dead? That’s the big question, and so far, Bucky hasn’t been able to answer it.

He’d fought for seventy years, even when he didn’t remember his own name, when he didn’t know he was a person. Always the first memory to come back to him was a set of blue eyes, touched with a tiny bit of green. The whisper of a voice in his ears, the flash of memory that someone should be there, right beside him.

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers

Characters: Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes

Additional Tags: no happy ending, Angst, Hallucinations, Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, Anger, Unrequited Love, Canon Compliant, Not A Fix-It

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Summary: He's not sure how it happened. One moment, he was the Winter Soldier, and the next he's working in a Brooklyn coffee shop, where the prickly owner is someone who treats him like a person, not a machine. And just maybe, he can be a person again.

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers

Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Sam Wilson (Marvel), Yelena Belova, John Walker (Marvel)

Additional Tags: Captain America John Walker (Marvel), Former Captain America Sam Wilson, Shrinkyclinks | Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes/Non-Serum Steve Rogers, Coffee Shops, Coffee Shop Owner Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Minor Character Death, Past Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Amnesia, memory problems, Hand Wavey Medical, Sad, Feelings, Gay Bucky Barnes, Bisexual Steve Rogers, Gay Sex, Anal Sex, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence

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Upcoming fics

Sympathy for the Devil

Summary: Alpha Bucky Barnes has been a headlining rock star for over 20 years, both as the lead singer of the band The 107, and as a solo artist. The Reunion World Tour of The 107 also features the up-and-coming punk rock band SHIELD, with lead singer (omega) Steve Rogers. The chemistry is undeniable, and when one thing leads to another, Steve Rogers finds himself with an unexpected souvenir.

Working Title: Runaway

Summary: rich kid Bucky Barnes is an omega who has had to pretend to be a beta his whole life, until he’s faced with something that will literally change his life. So, he does the only thing he can think of - he runs away. Right into the dive bar owned by ex-army captain, and alpha, Steve Rogers.

[lemonandpie]

Hiiiiiiiiii Ok I just finished The Doctor is In and it was like.... my literal actual dream fic. Do you think you'll every write more in that world, or something similar? I hope this isn't rude to ask an author, but do you have any recs for other Teen Wolf sex training and/or medical kink fics? All my AO3 skills haven't turned up much :(

This has been in my drafts for a worryingly long time. Anon if you ever see this I'm so sorry 😅

It's one of my favorite tropes. The specific premise seems to mainly be a Supernatural fandom thing, but here's my personal reclist:

Disclaimer: Due to the nature of this trope, all of these fics contain consent issues to varrying degrees. Sex is not a replacement for SSRIs and other medical treatment

We Are All Works In Progress by @gemjam (Teen Wolf) Stiles gets kidnapped by a trafficking ring by accident. Peter buys him, and tries to train him into the perfect pet. This fic is an emotional rollercoaster. It got me so good it made me take up yoga.

Room 27 by @udunie (Teen Wolf). Stiles hears an urban legend about a motel where you will get turned into the owner's plaything and decides to sign himself up. This is a classic for a reason. It's not medfet, but has the perfect blend of sex training and dub con therapeautic BDSM. Still one of my all time favorite fics. I recommend checking out @udunie's other works, that have similar vibes.

Below are fics that are beyond the Teen Wolf fandom

Nearest Thing to Heaven by Wandalust (Supernatural). Probably the fic that most inspired The Doctor is In, with a similar premise and vibe.

Stiletto by AtomicFrond (Supernatural). Biologically Necessary Submission is my favorite tag, can you tell?

Surrender by Coragyps (Supernatural). Sam gets kidnapped from his bed and informed he is a natural submissive, who is slowly killing himself by ignoring his natural instincts. This was my introduction to the genre, and Coragyps has written similar fics like All In The Timing (also Supernatural) and Black Collar (White Collar).

A Different Kind of Coaching by Nomanono (Yuri on Ice). This fic focuses primarily on the sex training, and does so beautifully.

Author RedSnowWhite has written about this topic so extensively and wonderfully that I struggle to link to individual works. Thankfully, the author has an amazing and comprehensive system where they link to similar fics of theirs in the endnotes. To start you off, A Harsh Lesson focuses on a boarding school of sorts where young men are taught discipline via submission. Spoons and Ginger is set in a world where any disorderly behavior is punished sexually, and one first time shoplifter learns a lot about himself during the experience

Underline The Black by @not-poignant (original work). I haven't actually read this fic yet, because on of my favorite authors doing one of my favorite fics was too much for my poor brain to handle 😅. While you're there, you may as well give the breath taking Fae Tales a go. Elements of this trope crop up in between the insane amounts of world building and incredibly tangled relationships.

An Appropriate Education by Anonymous (MCU). Peter has to get an alpha guardian after the death of his parents, and Tony is determined to train him the way an omega should be.

Plan B by Anonymous (MCU). Peter collapses from heat sickness in the lab, and his bosses take it upon themselves to tend to his needs. Genuinely one of the hottest things I've read.

Beyond the fanfic world is the manga Dangerous Drug of Sex and it's live action adaptation. This is about a suicidal man whose life is saved by a deranged doctor, who decides to use BDSM to teach the man to enjoy life.

And of course, there is pretty much everything I've ever written ;) Apparently BDSM isn't accepted therapeutic practice in real life, but it isn't going to stop me from jamming it in there every chance I get. The Governor is even a deconstrution of it! I'd also love to write more in the Doctor Is In verse (if my brain ever stops being an asshole).

[kitsune024]

Stucky Fic Recs Part 2 - will add later

Bucky and Steve's Excellent Adventure by blue_beans I Chapters: 48/48 I Completed Post-Avengers: Endgame Bucky Barnes is very suicidal for a good chunk of this, Sentient Infinity Stones, Fix-It fic, Action/Adventure, Time Travel, slow burn

Six months ago, Steve set out on a final mission to return the infinity stones to their proper timelines, and returned a minute later having lived out a life of peace and contentment with Peggy Carter in the past. He died in his sleep a few days later, surrounded by his friends. Or so Bucky assumes. He wouldn't know, he'd been busy being locked up on the Raft while the government decided whether or not to pardon him for the whole Winter Soldier thing. What with the court-mandated therapy and the constant surveillance by alphabet agencies and the crushing weight of his past, he's not sure if giving him a chance at "normal life" is more cruel than the alternative. But he's doing fine. Great, actually, so don't ask. He didn't have a nightmare. Especially not that strangely disturbing one about Steve... *** AKA I wanted to write the reverse time-heist and I'm still salty about Endgame. This is the result.

Seasons of War by eretria I Chapters 11/11 I Completed Friends to Lovers, World War II, war horrors, Dark

Chasing Bucky, always a step behind, Steve remembers the cycle of seasons that took him from the raw and naive young man to the Captain America who led the Howling Commandos into hell and, except for Bucky, out again. As his memories center on Bucky, one question haunts him: Is the Bucky he knew in the war the same one he knew before?

ampersand by kaydeefalls I Chapters 1/1 I one shot World War II, Friends to Lovers, the Winter Soldier started long before Bucky fell from the train

They've been steveandbucky since they were kids, but that ignores the parts of their lives that don't wrap around each other, that never did. (Bucky needs to figure out who he is, just him, with or without Steve.)

In Vain by kireteiru I Chapters 1/1 I one shot James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers(unrequited), Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Endgame, All hurt no comfort, not a fix it :(

"Nothing of the heart remains, Even if we could've stayed, We've been here long enough, Long enough to know it's all in vain. Everything we tried to say, Up until the final day, I guess we said enough, Said enough to know it's all in vain." _ "In Vain", Within Temptation (Resist) A choice was made, and now the world will bear its consequences.

i'm the furthest thing from heaven, but the closest to home by @buckyismybicycle I Chapters: 6/6 I Completed Guardian Angel Bucky, Identity Reveal, Canon Divergence, Memory Loss

When Steve loses Bucky in Kreischberg, he’s lost the only thing left he cares about. He crashes the Valkyrie into the Arctic, ready to be reunited with his love, but instead, he’s saved by an angel. Except this angel isn’t like the ones he’s read about — no, his angel is armed to the teeth and has wings the colour of blood and night. Yet, there’s something eerily familiar about this angel.

Good God, Let Me Give You My Life by @bellefyre I Chapters 6/6 I Completed Bucky/others, One-Sided Relationship, Non-Consensual Touching, rape, Hydra, Steve/Bucky is Endgame

5+1 meme, five people over the decades who fell in love with the Winter Soldier and died because of him and the one person the Winter Soldier loved and lived because of him.

How to Woo the Winter Soldier by @writeonclara I Chapters 6 /6 I Completed funny fic, gift giving, Steve falls for the Winter Soldier before finding out his Identity, Courting, Identity Reveal, Identity Porn, bad ideas

“I think I’m ready to date again,” Steve said. “What,” Natasha said. “What?” Clint said, lowering his binoculars. He blinked at the dumbstruck look on the Captain’s face, then followed his gaze to where he was staring dopily at—at the Winter fucking Soldier. “Steve, no,” Clint groaned. Or: Steve courts the Winter Soldier.

Ready to Comply by @exclamation I Chapters 31/31 I Completed Canon Divergence - Post-CA: The Winter Soldier, Dehumanization, Hurt/Comfort-But Mostly Hurt, Angst, Protective Steve Rogers

The asset's orders at the end of The Winter Soldier weren't to kill Captain America, but to capture him, so that he could be wiped and turned into another asset. The asset has succeeded in that mission, capturing its target and taking him back to the Hydra base. But the Hydra soldiers are dead, captured, or fled, so there is no one there to give the asset new orders. Alone with its captive, the asset has no instructions on how it is meant to act. But the more time it spends with its target, the more old protocols start to assert themselves, like the protocol that when that face is hurt and bleeding, the asset is supposed to clean away the blood.

From Grit to Pearl by @bluesimplicity73 I Chapters 38/38 I Completed Bucky & Rebecca Barnes, Bucky Recovering, Body Horror, BAMF Bucky, BAMF Rebecca Barnes, Angst, AU - Canon Divergence, Hydra

He does not have a name. He has been called many things over the years; a weapon, a ghost, HYDRA’s Fist, the Soldier, and from what they have told him his work has shaped the century. But he does not have a name. His name, like so many other things, has been taken from him, stolen. Forgotten. Until the day it is not, and remembering, he breaks free, killing his handler and making his escape in a desperate bid for freedom. Frightened, lost and hurt, he seeks out the last person in the world he can trust, his baby sister, now an almost eighty-year-old widow, somehow knowing she is the only one who can help him. It is a difficult journey, one filled with pain, tears, and things that should not be possible. But also with recovery and redemption, rebirth and miracles, family and hope. This story is a love letter between Bucky and his sister Rebecca, the world, and eventually his childhood best friend, Steve Rogers, the boy he once loved. But ultimately, it is the love letter Bucky writes to himself, as he reclaims who he once was, discovers who he is now, builds a new life for himself and realizes he might, just might, be as strong, as beautiful, as precious as a pearl.

Bookmark Series

Til the Sun Goes Down by @scyllaya I Part 1 - 2 I Bucky & Loki, Thor & Loki, Kid Loki

Stucky with Fanart

to memory now I can't recall by @etharei | Chapters: 16/16 I Completed Time Travel, World War II, Memory Loss, Identity Porn, Alien Technology The Good Monster by Taste_is_Sweet | Chapters: 2/2 | Completed Canon Divergence, Transformation, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Body Horror, Self-Sacrifice, Self-Harm despite the threatening sky and shuddering earth (they remained) by @praximeter | Chapters: 20/20 | Completed Non-Consensual Body Modification, Canon Divergence, Identity Reveal, Drug Withdrawal, Body Horror, identity Porn, American Sign Language The Second Labor by @aidaronan I Chapters: 18/18 I Completed wartime imagery and violence, pre-serum steve, Alternative Timeline, Psychological Torture, Medical Torture, AU - Canon Divergence

Bookmark Series

Ipseity by @skyisgray I Part 1-3 I Completed Dissociative Identity Disorder, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Torture

[booksandabeer]

Steve-Centric Stucky Fics: 5 Recs + 1 TBR

As promised, here is the rec list for Steve/Bucky fics with a focus on Steve-centric stories—all of them not EG-compliant, as requested. It's not quite as long as my usual rec lists for two reasons:

(1) I'm still sick and I can barely sit up straight, so please forgive the brevity of the list, and

(2) I deliberately wanted to include exclusively fics that were written in 2022 and 2023 to shine a spotlight on a few of the many wonderful writers and artists who are still creating absolutely fantastic works for the Stucky ship and who deserve to be read just as widely and passionately as older works in the fandom. Recency bias, but make it positive!

So without further ado, here are five Steve-centric Stucky recs and one more fic that I can't wait to get to:

1. say it soft and it's almost like praying by Somanywords | 41K, M

Author's summary: Natasha says, “Look, whatever the truth is about you, we have no way of really knowing the Winter Soldier's intentions. He’s not all there, he’s not who you remember. He’s a hot mess, Steve.”

“Why does everyone think that?” Steve says, and he’s nearly yelling, but not quite, because he doesn’t need to, not when they’re so close. “Why does everyone keep saying he’s a mess—have you seen me?" 

Post-CA:TWS canon divergent. I literally finished this fic about 15 minutes ago, so I haven't even left a comment yet. I'm still processing, you could say. The author tagged this with "just another post catws fic (but by me)"—and yes, that's what you get. All the usual ingredients are here, but the joy of TWS canon divergence is of course in the endless possibilities of how these well-known ingredients are used, re-arranged, and re-imagined as something new, exciting, and often much more satisfying than in canon. This fic excels at all three and is an absolute joy from start to finish.

2. Daybreak by BonkyBornes, art by PottersPink | 9K, NR

Author's summary: They called it project Rebirth because the person was supposed to be reborn, like a phoenix from the ashes. Steve was supposed to be the phoenix. He was supposed to rise from the ashes of his old body, he was supposed to leave behind his deafness and his limp and the scoliosis that bent his entire body to the left. He was supposed to leave behind everything that held him back.

In the end, the only thing that left was the only thing that mattered.

Shrinkyclinks canon-divergent AU. What if Project Rebirth didn't go right...but it didn't go entirely wrong either? A story about ghosts but not a ghost story. Or maybe something else entirely? Steve fights his body and time and the memories that keep haunting him. Beautifully written, with gorgeous art by PottersPink that perfectly complements the story.

3. Exhale by seapigeon, art by dudewhereismypie | 15K, M

Author's summary: After the Chitauri invasion, Steve parts ways with SHIELD, unsure if he can trust an agency that tried to deceive him and built weapons from the Tesseract.

He finds himself alone in an unfamiliar future, penniless, not even legally alive. Fortunately, he knows how to survive. Steve Rogers is used to getting by on his own.

The thing is, he doesn't have to.

Shrunkyclunks. Post-Avengers canon divergent. A fic that asks the question: What if, after the battle of New York, Steve had told SHIELD a polite but firm 'No'? Follow him as he strikes out on his own, finds an apartment, a job, and friends, figures out life in the 21st century...and of course falls in love!

4. Preberseeschießen by Ginny_Potter | 6K, T

Author's summary: Bucky breathes out and shoots. The bullet hits water… and there it is, the zapping sound of paper tearing.

The light turns on and off three times. Third circle. Just a lick out of bullseye. The Howlies explode in cheers.

Or, the Howling Commandos play a shooting game with the Austrian Resistance and Steve has lots of unresolved feelings about himself, his new body, and his changing relationship with Bucky. In other words, comrades are comrades, angst looms, and Steve feels.

Wartime fic. Would you like to read some excellent gay angst full of yearning and unresolved tension, peppered with interesting and wonderfully specific historical details and Howlies camaraderie? Would you like to get your heart crushed a little? Yes? Here you go. And if this makes you feel too sad by the end of it and you crave a bit of a happier resolution, just jump straight into a fistfull of dollars (5K, E) by the same author, which is not intended as a companion piece or even set in the same universe, but it works just as if it were. (Look at me sneaking in extra recs.)

5. Not In The Answer But The Question by aimmyarrowshigh, art by PottersPink | 27K, T

Author's summary: It rankles that his drink was made before he even got a chance to order it. What if he wanted a change? What if he were adventurous and bold? What if he tried something new?

---

Or, Steve Rogers shakes up his gray daily routine in 2014 by going back home to Vinegar Hill. To his surprise, the Jewish deli he used to frequent with Arnie is still standing.

And Steve's whole life changes again.

Shrunkyclunks. Post-Avengers canon divergent. A lost and lonely Steve tries to figure out who he was, is and most importantly, wants to be in this new century he's found himself in that is both terrifying and full of possibilities. Told in vignettes (I did not count, but I believe all of them are exactly 100 word drabbles) that perfectly illustrate the fragmented mind and life of its protagonist and his experience of constantly shifting and adjusting between past and present. A story about identity, memory, self-acceptance, and finding the courage to love and let yourself be loved. And food. So much amazing food!

+ 1 TBR: Operation: Gros Michel by SquadOfCats | 358K, E

Author's summary: “It starts with bananas. Of course, it's not really about the bananas. Just like a camel isn't bothered by one single straw, just like a dam doesn't break because of one extra drop. Obviously, Steve's mental breakdown isn't about bananas.”

Steve is overwhelmed and hanging by a thread, doing his best to take care of Bucky while still deeply traumatized himself. He finally has a breakdown over the stupidest of things: bananas. So Bucky takes care of him.

In which Steve learns to surf, Bucky becomes a gardener, and they both begin to heal.

Post-CA:TWS canon divergent. No, I did not make a mistake, the word count for this story really does come in at an impressive (or intimidating, you decide) 358,225 words! Which is the only reason why I haven't read it yet. I do want to make time for this asap because the snippets I've read so far were very intriguing and everything I've heard about it from people who have finished it, sounds absolutely amazing. So, this is the wild card pick!

Happy reading! <3

[hail-americas-ass]

🔆JUNE REC LIST

AU-MODERN SETTING:  🌺 Coming Home by Charlesdk (@transcowboy on tumblr)  (Winter Soldier!Bucky x Farmer!Steve) 42K Words  (very fluffy, perfect fic) 

“Steve, you don't know a damn thing about that guy. The fact that you're even considering keeping him in your house is crazy.”

“I don't care.” Steve glanced over at the stranger, his face softening when he saw him sinking back into the couch cushions and gripping his backpack so tightly.

“Sam, the guy looks like no one's been nice to him for years. How am I supposed to be okay with just sending him off somewhere?” Sam sighed heavily and looked heavenward. “I swear to God, if I come by tomorrow and find you dead in your bed, I'm gonna find a way to bring you back to life just to kill you again.”

OR – in which former army captain, current farmer Steve Rogers finds a bruised and battered and dirty stranger who remembers nothing and doesn't speak in his barn. He takes him in, despite his friends' advice not to, and helps him recover. It's not easy. Especially not when, along the way, feelings get involved.

❄ Winter’s Children by Neery (Post-WS Kid Fic)  66.8K Words (words fail to describe how amazing this fic is READ IT)

When their attempts to recreate the super soldier serum failed, Hydra started trying to breed Captain America clones from his genetic samples.

Unfortunately, the serum's effects aren't passed down genetically, so instead of an army of tiny Captain Americas, they get a bunch of tow-headed, asthmatic, allergic, immuno-compromised little Steves. And then the Winter Soldier stumbles across Hydra's failed experiment...

🏰 Your Heart is a Castle by teenytabris  (Modern!Bucky x Cap!Ghost!Steve) 68.8K Words (THERE IS A HAPPY ENDING)

Becca and Bucky have spent the last few years living in England as they finish up degrees in Anthropology/Archaeology and Historical Engineering respectively. Neither were able to find paying jobs in their chosen fields, and the end of their lease is looming close. London is expensive, and they begin to worry about where they could possibly live.

Then, an unknown Great Uncle dies suddenly, and names Bucky (by way of legal loophole) heir to the castle he lived in. In Germany. And sure, it’s run down, they have barely any furniture, and it’s tucked away remotely in the mountains between Germany and the Czech Republic, but hey? Free house?

Bucky supposes the brush with death that made him able to see the ghosts of Captain America, Agent Carter and the Howling Commandos is just the price he has to pay for it.

🔥 knew we’d be alright by burning_brighter (@burning-brighter on tumblr) (Firefighter!Bucky x Cap!Steve) 82.8K Words (sooo much angst but happy ending)

In 2012, Steve is a man out of time, trying to battle his demons and build a life in a new century when he meets Bucky, an FDNY Lieutenant helping with cleanup and rescue after the Battle of New York.

In 2014, Bucky is a fire Captain, trying to get his life back on track after a rough break up with his super soldier boyfriend.

Going back and forth between past and present, see how they fall in love, how their relationship falls apart and how it inevitably falls back into place.

🌊 lane lines by sparkagrace ( @sparkagrace on tumblr)  (Olympic Swimmer!Steve x Olympic Swimmer!Bucky) 132.5K Words (MUST READ! THIS IS NOT A QUESTION! YOU MUST READ THIS ONE)

Steve Rogers has spent his entire life swimming and now is poised to take the Wakanda 2024 Olympics by storm. The only thing he’s missing is a friendly rival to help get him there. Enter Bucky Barnes, who doesn’t seem to take the sport quite as seriously despite his raw and enviable talent.

Steve hates him. Bucky doesn’t care. That makes Steve hate him more.

💌 And they all lead back to you by pandafish ( @myexplosion​ on tumblr) 1.8K Words (so fluffy, perfect read, and the poem hit me in the heart strings)

Bucky was dancing with Alpine.

It was a slow dance, because she was a sleepy kitten by now, but the radio was playing an old song that reminded Bucky of times past and he didn’t have Steve here to dance with him. He'd be home from his mission tomorrow, but it felt like forever.

Bucky had just tucked the kitten into bed and was preparing for a night without Steve, when he noticed a letter on their doormat.

[puzzlebeanficrecs]

It's summer, and that means we have time to sit in the sun with a nice drink and time to read all the fics we want to. If you are looking for a nice, wonderful, Stucky fic to occupy your summer days with, look no further. This little list will help you out!

Not In The Answer But The Question by aimmyarrowshigh @aimmyarrowshigh (Teen and Up, No Archive Warnings Apply, 27,382 words)

It rankles that his drink was made before he even got a chance to order it.

What if he wanted a change?

What if he were adventurous and bold?

What if he tried something new?

---

Or, Steve Rogers shakes up his gray daily routine in 2014 by going back home to Vinegar Hill. To his surprise, the Jewish deli he used to frequent with Arnie is still standing.

And Steve's whole life changes again.

Why it's being recced: This story is a beautiful deep dive into Steve’s life and the way he feels about adjusting to a new century, himself and Captain America. It's enhanced by food, Jewish culture, the Barnes Deli, queerness, disability, Brooklyn, and the love Steve and Bucky find with each other. The writing takes you by the hand and leads you through the story, through the feelings it evokes. This is truly everything I could ever want from a Stucky fic.

The Roommate by Niitza (Teen and Up, No Archive Warnings Apply, 28,632 words)

In which Steven G. Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America, gets a roommate. Who rapidly turns into his "roommate"—in the euphemistic sense of the word.

It takes SHIELD and the rest of the Avengers an absurd amount of time to notice.

Why it's being recced: This is a wonderful story about people only seeing what they want to see and also Steve being seen for who he is by Bucky, when others don't. The fic also goes into privacy and how people assume someone like Steve doesn't deserve it. Though, of course, Bucky does think so. The characterization of Steve and Bucky is spot on in this. I also really enjoyed the multiple POV's. It added to the premise of the story and it was interesting to have a glimpse into different characters' heads.

Cynics are Simply Thwarted Romantics by Reccea (Unrated, No Archive Warnings Apply, 13,746 words, Archive Locked)

"It could be alien technology," Natasha offered, folding her arms over her chest. "Something he stumbled on. They're still finding things from the Chitauri so it's not impossible. But the simplest answer is the most likely."

"How is magic the simplest answer?" Stark asked.

Or

In which Steve is Sleeping Beauty and true love's kiss doesn't have to be requited. Or does it?

Why it's being recced: This is a fun and compelling story, filled with magic, true love's kiss and wondering whether the love you feel for someone is requited or not. The friendship between Sam, Bucky, and Steve is also wonderful in this and the ending of the story makes me smile.

I Can't Do Everything (But I'll Do Anything For You) by musette22 @musette22 (Explicit, No Archive Warnings Apply, 24,576 words)

Steve Rogers cares about a lot of things, but dating isn’t one of them – much to his fellow Avengers’ bemusement. It’s just never been very high on his list of priorities, falling somewhere behind his work, his friends, his hobbies, and that excellent pepperoni pizza from Vinnie’s on Flatbush Ave.

That is until one night, Natasha drags Steve out to a charity music concert by some hotshot singer that Steve has never actually heard of (which would surprise exactly no one, seeing as Steve is still partial to his records and his radio plays). And as soon as Steve lays eyes on Grammy-award winning musician and international heartthrob James Barnes for the very first time, suddenly he wonders if maybe dating wouldn’t be so bad after all. Dating James Barnes, specifically, that is. The question is just: how does one go about that? Especially one like Steve, who’s never wooed anybody in his century-long life, let alone a man. Let alone a man with long, dark hair, tattoos all over his arms, and a fanbase that rivals Steve’s own.

It’s not like he can just go up to him and say something like, "You and me babe, how about it?"

Why it's being recced: This is a really fun story and Steve and Bucky are so cute in it. I loved how Steve just immediately was completely blown away by Bucky’s beauty. I also really like fics that incorporate music the way this fic does. Music has such a way of changing our lives and this fic felt like that. I also liked how vivid the descriptions are in this story.

A Long, Long Way by thepinupchemist (Teen and Up, No Archive Warnings Apply, 5,595 words)

Post-Thanos, post-Captain America, post-Nomad, Steve Rogers is lost. He takes a Volkswagen bus on a self-discovery tour of the United States.

When Steve hits a bicyclist in the Rocky Mountains, he meets the love of his life.

Why it's being recced: I think road trip fics are fun and this one certainly delivers. There's humor, there's sweetness, and the characterization is spot on. I also loved the hype for Cap!Sam and all the references to books.

[voylitscope]

CA: TWS Anniversary Ficlets

Daily ficlets for the CA: TWS 10th Anniversary Event @catws-anniversary. With Huge thanks to @sparkagrace and @cable-knit-sweater for running this wonderful event! 💞

One | March 26th | Theme: On your left | Prompt: The Smithsonian | Words: 250 | Canon compliant | No warnings

In his bed, in the middle of the night, and all alone, Steve wakes up to visions of Bucky falling. Over and over. A recurring nightmare. 

(A memory.)

Inside the walls of a museum, during dedicated daytime hours, surrounded by dozens of people, Steve watches Bucky smile.  Over and over. A looped bit of film. 

(A memory.)

On a lotta days, seeing those forever persevered few seconds of his life helps.  There are days it's soothing —  a concrete reminder he can hold on to. There are times he uses the bit of film to prove to himself that happy moments and better times were real. 

But.

But on other days, watching that smile take shape is somehow more painful than waking up alone in his too-big bedroom with visions of Bucky falling behind his eyes. There are days when Steve watches and all he can think is about those happy moments being long gone. Times when all he can think is that'll he never see, or cause, that expression ever again. 

There are days when it's like a repetitive stab to his heart. 

But then, sometimes. 

Sometimes, he stares at the looped footage, and he lets himself recall a hundred other smiles. Sometimes, his brain draws up images of mornings in Brooklyn and the way Bucky's smiling mouth had looked only inches from Steve's own face, and — 

And that hurts, too. 

But Steve replays it in his mind, anyway. Over and over again. A moment from long ago.

(A memory.)

(Ficlets Tumblr-exclusive until all are complete.)

[sparkagrace]

It's spooky season! I read so much this month (I didn't even realise?) and as much as I'd like to list every single fic, I bring you a very small shortlist because otherwise this post would be super long.

september

510,986 words read over 53 fics (average of 9,641 words per fic, not including wips) 📈 75% from August

current total for the year: 2,842,383 words

a handful of fic recs

steve x bucky

Tinder is the Night by @rohkeutta stucky | E | 6.8k

brooklyn boys by @flyandfall-updates stucky | G | 1.8k

Self Service by dewystars stucky | E | 1.3k

Baby, Lay Your Burden Down by @voylitscope stucky | E | 2.8k

buck x eddie

Pick your poison, babe by @dreamsinthewitchouse buddie | E | 3.8k

ripples all the way down by @fcntasmas buddie | E | 57k

just know you'll taste me too by @littlefreakbuckley buddie | E | 12.4k

The Christopher Diaz Reddit Takeover by dylaesthetics buddie | M | 7.5k

it's leading me on, every time we touch by lightyears buddie | E | 5.6k

whatever you like by @clytemnestraaa buddies | M | 6k

all my little words by @maddiebuckettebuckley buddie | T | 11.4k

all you're giving me is friction by @henwilsons buddie | T | 8k

you ruined my life by not being mine by @coldbam buddie | E | 8.7k

glass on the pavement under my shoe by @doitbuckley buddie | T | 9.4k

Love Me Most by @unlifeira buddie | T | 11.3k

the evan buckley matchmaking agency by @mmtions buddie | M | 28.6k

a couple of author recs

cloudydaisies

ice cream before dinner buddie | T | 58.5k

if you leave the light on buddie | G | 27.8k

JJK @trenchcoatsandtimetravel

No One Loves Me Like You buddie | T | 7.6k

Love & Other Surprises buddie | T | 4.6k

ameliahart

i'm gonna knock you out buddie | M | 4k

every dead-end street led you straight to me buddie | T | 5k

you want some trouble (ooh, come and get some) buddie | M | 1.8k

[nexadarling]

Fic Rec Masterpost

Welcome to the masterpost of all of my fic recs!!

Nexa, I hear you say, you're taking this way too seriously! Why yes I absolutely am, but I am also having so much fun and it makes fic authors happy to see their stuff appreciated, so I'm not about to stop 🖤🖤

This should be fairly self-explanatory, and will be an ever changing post that I keep updated with all my lists in which I throw lovely fics at your faces. I hope very much that you enjoy, and as always, please read the tags!

Trigun

explicit

Priest Wolfwood

MDZS

TGCF

Jujutsu Kaisen

Misc.