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gremlin-girly · 5 months ago

Text

Forget-me-not Blues

Ask and ye shall recieve! Buckle up buttercups, this is my first Soulmate AU.

Banner by me and the images were sourced from Pinterest (credit to the OG pics), made in Canva

Dividers by: @/sweetmelodygraphics

Pairing: Bucky x f!reader

Tags/Warnings: FLUFF, ANGST/WHUMP, Soulmate Mate Mark AU!, mentions of death., mentions of torture, right person wrong time, 2nd and 3rd person P.O.V, petnames (doll)

I’m leaving out some tags so I don’t go spoiling the plot so please read at your own risk!

Not beta'd. I do not give permission for my work to be copied, reposted or translated (or put through AI)

A/N: I cut a huge chunk about Soulmate AU context at the beginning because it felt unnecessary. It's just a world where word/phrase of the soulmate's is written on them; it's not always the first thing they say to a person :)

More Author’s Notes are at the end of this fic so if you want to know more about the flowers and some thoughts I had whilst writing this, please go take a peek! This has been a labour of love.

Summary: A story about finding and losing soulmates to the test of time.

Word count: 4.2k

Navigation | The Bucky Barnes Collection

1942

Your family had owned a flower stand for as long as you could remember. Ever since you could stand on your own two feet your father put you to work handing out daisies to every woman, young or old, that passed by just to put a smile on their face.

Adorned with roses, daisies, poppies and more, the colourful stall had always been popular. Your father expertly wrapped combinations of flowers in old newspapers until the war began. He believed it was bad luck to wrap gifts in bad news.

When your father had been called to return to service, he had entrusted the stall to you. The old women who’d lost husbands and sons in the war would often buy a poppy or three, and any of the soldiers on a short stay would always buy a dozen or so roses for all of the dames.

James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes was one of your best customers. Bucky was always smiling, flirting and generally schmoozing his way by, often with a battered Steve Rogers in tow. Bucky being the big romantic he was liked roses, of course, and would frequently stop by your stall on his way home from work.

“Hey doll,” Bucky grinned, leaning against your display table.

You couldn’t help but smile back. The playful air he had around him was infectious and you half wished you could find a soul mate like him. Or wished you could just have him.

“Afternoon Buck,” You fluff up a pile of pink roses. Despite the trying times, business was booming. A lot of dates, a lot of weddings and a lot of funerals. “Want the usual?”

Bucky plucks up a rose and twirls it in his fingers before raising it to his nose and inhaling the gentle, sweet scent. His grin grows wider, his boyish charm shining through with the glimmer of mischief in his blue eyes and the dirt on his cheeks from a long day at work.

You know what’s coming next.

“No, Bucky.” You say airily, smiling at him as you move to the next pile of roses on the stall. Bucky gapes at you.

“Please, doll. One dance - that’s all ’m askin’!”

It’s now the sixth time he’s asked you and each time he looks like a kicked puppy when you tell him no.

“Yes but one dance turns into two, then three.” You tease, moving around the stall to face him, plucking the rose from his fingers and leaning close. “And then you’ll be dancing with a new dame next week anyway. I’m just cutting out the middle man. Plenty of men like you come by my stall, James.”

You turn away from him with a short shrug, placing the pink rose back into it’s correct pile before moving to a new carefully packed crate of flowers that need unpacking.

“What if I’m not the man you think I am?” Bucky counters, following after you. “Maybe I’m terrible at dancing.”

Chuckling you turn to face him, ready to spout another weak excuse to not go with him, when one of your white roses is stuffed under your nose. Raising an eyebrow you look over at Bucky, who’s smirking at you.

“Hi, my name’s Bucky and, if you’d be so kind as to let me take you dancing sometime, I promise to make it worth your while.”

You feel heat crawl up your face as you start to laugh. “Why are you introducing yourself to me?”

“Because,” Bucky shrugs, the twinkle in his eyes becoming a bright sparkle now that you’re laughing. “I’m not the man you think I am. And life’s too short, doll. I’d like to spend at least one night of my life dancin’ with you.”

How were you going to argue with that?

But something seemed… strange. When you’d say no, usually he’d banter with you a bit more and ask about your dad, you’d ask after his mom, his sister and Steve before he’d trot on his merry little way with you gazing after him.

Today, Bucky was insistent but behind his eyes was a sadness you hadn’t seen before. Your heart strings tugged, something within you screamed at you to say yes like you had desperately wanted to all those times before. No more imagining what it would feel like to have his hands in yours as you twirled and danced well into the night.

“Sure,” you sigh after a few moments, trying not to seem too eager. Bucky beams at you so brightly anyone else would think you’ve hung the moon and hands you your white rose with a mocking bow.

“One dance.” You add firmly, heart fluttering as your fingers brush his when you pluck the rose from him.

Bucky puts his hand on his heart, beginning to walk backwards. As he passes your stall he stuffs a dollar into your change jar and bats his eyelashes innocently at you.

You shake your head with a grin, watching him go. There was an electric charge all around you and you felt excited for your long-dreamed-of date with one Bucky Barnes.

“I only need one dance to make you fall in love with me, doll!” He continues walking backwards, narrowly avoiding other New Yorkers, but his eyes never leave yours. “I’ll pick you up at seven!”

Dancing with Bucky was exactly how you imagined it would be; your feet barely touched the ground as he spun and lifted you. You felt lighter than air as you looked down at Bucky's grinning face, eyes sparkling with joy as he held you close. One dance quickly turned to three.

After the third, Bucky led you to a nearby table.

"So much for one dance." Bucky teases lightly, his hand still lightly holding your waist. You're thankful your flushed cheeks hide your embarrassment but you're smiling regardless. Before he can ask you what drink he can get you, We'll Meet Again begins to crackle over the speaker and you drag him back to the dance floor.

"Hey, shouldn't I be leading doll?" He jokes, hands immediately encompassing your hips once you'd found a space to sway in.

"Hush," You murmur, wrapping your arms around his neck. "I like this song."

Bucky smiles down at you and says nothing further until the song finishes. You both mimic the other, swaying to the music and gently singing along as you gaze at eachother.

"I should walk you home doll." Bucky says quietly once the song finishes. You feel a little light-headed and breathless, even though you'd only been swaying and you notice that Bucky's hands are still on your waist.

"O-okay." You swallow. If Soulmates didn't exist, you'd be kissing him right about now. "I know a short-cut."

"This," Bucky looked up as the wrought iron fence. "Is a short-cut?"

"Where's your sense of adventure?" You grin back at him as you crawl through a gap in the fence. "Come on Sarge, it's not far I promise."

Bucky sighs with a smile, pulling his dress pants up so they don't rip at the knees when he crawls through the gap after you. You take his hand and lead him blindly through the dark park, the both of you stumbling and giggling like teenagers, until you reach a dirtpath leading through a small thatch of trees to a clearing. The light of the moon illuminates the clearing into a sea of blue. Forget-me-nots are clustered together in one large group in the clearing; thousands upon thousands of tiny blue flowers that disappear to black when the moon vanishes again behind a cloud.

"Wow," Bucky breathes. "You've been holdin' out on me, doll. If I knew this was here, I'd have taken you on a romantic picnic instead of dancin'."

“Yeah, I could spend forever getting lost in those forget-me-not blues,” you sigh wistfully, looking over at Bucky's face.

“Well doll, forget me not.” He punctuates each word with a sad smile.

What should be a joyous moment filled with love, happiness and a rainbow of technicolour is soured by the harsh reality that Bucky wouldn't be staying in New York any longer. You shouldn't be too surprised, you knew he got drafted but you can see it in his eyes, the utter sadness of your situation. You can't even enjoy finding your soulmate in peace.

“You’ve got orders.” You can barely eke the words out of your closing throat.

Bucky nods, swallowing thickly and looking at your entwined hands. “Got my letter the other day. England."

You breathe out, long and slow, your nose becoming more blocked as more tears stream down your face and your throat burns with unvoiced sobs. It was unfair. So, so unfair.

"I'll write to you everyday." He promises, squeezing your hand back. "I'll come back and visit every chance I can get until this war is over. And then-"

“I could never forget you James Buchanan Barnes. Never.“ You say firmly, gazing over at him and squeezing his hand hard.

You cut him off with a quick kiss that doesn't even begin to convey how happy you are to have found him, trying to protect your heart from more hurt that undoubtedly will come.

"Save it for your letters," You tease softly, sniffing away tears. "I want something to look forward to while I wait."

Bucky grins and pecks your lips back. "You got it, doll."

You both stay on that log until the early hours, basking in each other's presence before Bucky was deployed to England the next afternoon. The voids left in your hearts when you separated were almost too much to bare but when you were safely home, and Bucky tucked away on a boat, you both immediately began to work on your letters to each other.

Being posted in England isn't too bad to begin with. In fact, Bucky thinks that his letters are too boring but he doesn't want to fill the letters with how much he misses you or how he wishes he could be with you instead; he knows you know it too, and it doesn't make it hurt any less.

When he's sent to Europe, suddenly those boring, mundane letters are a God-send. One of your letters contained a good Iuck charm, courtesy of your small slice of blue paradise ; a single pressed forger-me-not into a piece of card with a lipstick stain of your lips on the reverse. Bucky kept the piece in his left breast pocket, just over his heart, keeping the thought of you near wherever he went.

The first thing he does after Steve rescues him is write you.

He leaves out the details but tells you not to worry, he'll be home soon. Tell Mom and Rebecca not to worry too.

Days later, when he's lying in the snow bleeding from the Stump that was his left arm, he wonders if it was all worth it. Your lucky charm had disappeared somewhere during the fall and Bucky sobbed at the thought that not only had he lost his arm but a piece of you too. Delirious with blood loss, he imagined your face in the cold comfort of the snow, smiling playfully like you always did, kissing him so tenderly like you had on your date all those moons ago. He couldn't leave you without a soulmate.

Hearing approaching footsteps crunching in the snow, Bucky screamed for help, hoping, praying that it was Steve.

It wasn't.

Turns out, HYDRA don't like it when their science experiments escape and despite vowing to escape a second time once he's healed, it's nigh impossible. And not without consequence.

Bucky's vow quickly becomes to always remember you instead when he's strapped to the electric chair, biting on his tongue so hard he draws blood. The more his brain cooks in the chair, the more torture he's subjected to, the more your face blurs in his mind's eye. It kills him, little by little, knowing you're fading from his memory but he still tries to remember your face. He still hopes, dreams and thinks of you. Would you remember him? Would you recognise him if he returned from this hell on Earth?

What breaks him is not the twenty-seven long years of being thawed and unthawed, tortured and electrocuted. It's the one rainy day where his heart hurts so badly, he screams until he can't any longer. It's the day his blurred soulmate's face is torn from his soul and leaves him all alone in the cruellest, darkest place imaginable.

The premature death of Bucky Barnes' soulmate caused the birth of the Winter Soldier after twenty-seven gruelling years.

How could you suffer on knowing you would never see your one true love again? His brain and heart couldn't win out after that.

Present Day

Museums were Bucky’s favourite places to be on his days off. There was something comforting about the silence and the relics of human history, the evolution and study of animals, rocks and bones and the celebration of human artistry that wasn’t as overwhelming as the Internet. The Internet was faster, sure, but museums had everything in one neat place and no two museums were the same.

He and Steve had spent countless days of their childhood visiting the Natural History Museum and then when he'd finally broken away from HYDRA, he'd visited every museum he could find to learn about himself and the developments after the war that he'd missed.

Today, though, Bucky had decided to take a longer wander through the galleries. It was easy to walk through and ignore the paintings until something caught your eye but Bucky was insistent that he would stop at every painting today and perhaps try to see what Steve sees.

It wasn't with what she was wearing or how she looked but something just didn't seem right. Bucky knew he should probably investigate but dammit it was his day off; he deserved some peace and quiet.

The galleries aren’t busy, as usual. A few old couples taking a wander through, a gaggle of tourists taking photos and an art student or two studying brush strokes of portraits. However, in a small alcove surrounded by paintings of flowers and woodland, sat a woman who looked entirely out of place.

The woman is still there when he makes it to the alcove and the pull from his chest is unbearable now. He was wrong before when he'd thought that she didn't seem right; she was perfect. He couldn't remember when he'd last seen someone so beautiful that she looked like a rare painting come to life. Nervous didn't begin to describe the feelings swirling in his chest. There was an unfathomable joy coupled with anxiety and he wished he kept gum in his leather jacket right now.

The hair on Bucky’s arm and neck stand on end, his heart rate sky rocketing. He’d heard that phrase before.

“I could spend forever getting lost in those forget-me-not blues.” The woman sighs dreamily, gazing at the painting before her.

Bucky's caught off guard when she turns to look over at him, her eyes catching his for a small respite and he almost folds like a deck chair. The air is sucked out of Bucky’s lungs so quickly he can barely process it and he feels faint, no dizzy, from just looking at her properly. Her eyes are wide with surprise but there's a sliver of playfulness that hides within them and whatever ever was nagging at him earlier has now blossomed into a crackling hearth of building adoration that was vaguely familiar somehow.

“What did you say?”

Bucky's eyes drop to her neck, where a tiny blue flowers pendant sits on a delicate silver chain. It's delicate but sweet, an almost perfect compliment to her being.

“Oh! I’m sorry. Talking to myself.” The stranger gives him a sheepish smile and turns back to the painting. “Beautiful isn’t it?”

For some odd reason, Bucky feels a wave of melancholy. He can't place why when there's a stunning woman in front of him.

Bucky tears his eyes from her and looks at the painting; two blurred figures dancing amongst a sea of blue flowers, similar to the necklace she wears. The male figure is holding the female figure's hand as her dress billows and blends into the flowers. Although they don't have faces, it's clear these figures are happy and in love.

"Does it make you feel sad?" The woman asks suddenly. Bucky glances over to see that her expression has changed to one of longing.

"-they look happy." She finishes, looking over with a wry smile. "Sorry, I shouldn't be so depressing to a stranger."

"I... yeah. Even though-"

"I like your necklace."

Bucky smiles and shifts on his feet. He wants to say something more, tell her that it's fine, but instead he dumbly states;

He regrets it as soon as he says it and looks to his feet. Didn't this used to be easy? Hadn't he charmed women both as Bucky and the Winter Soldier?

"Oh! This?" She fiddles with the pendant between her thumb and fore finger, inspecting it gently. She doesn't seem bothered by the awkward compliment. "I just like forget-me-nots."

“Why forget-me-nots?” He asks suddenly.

Forget-me-nots.

Something in his mind flashes with recognition.

“What do you mean?”

“Why do you like them?”

The woman pauses and scratches her face thoughtfully, as if trying to place when she began loving the tiny flower. "I… don’t know, actually. I just always have.”

Bucky starts to smile wider. He feels like himself, how he used to be back in the 30s. Even though there's something about her that makes him suffer this almost recognition, like she’s a word stuck on the tip of his tongue, he can't deny the joy and warmth he feels in her presence and he can't help but want keep speaking with her.

She offers Bucky a shrug. “I guess they’re pretty? Teeny, tiny little things but the colour?” She gives Bucky an impressive smile but then it falters for a moment as she catches his eyes again, really looking at them this time. “Wow. Your eyes are some shade of blue.”

“Thanks.” He clears his throat and tries for nonchalance. "Do you... come here often?"

As soon as the words leave his mouth, he cringes, scrunching his face with disgusted embarrassment. So much for feeling like himself. Was flirting always so hard?

"Ugh. Sorry that was.... oh God." Bucky runs a hand down his face as the woman laughs.

“It’s alright and to answer, no - I don't. Today I just, well, it sounds stupid. But today I just really wanted to come here. I usually just walk straight past but I’m glad I did.” The flirtatious smirk she gives Bucky makes his knees wobble and he has to shift his weight to hide it.

"You probably already know why they’re called forget-me-nots.”

Bucky says, opting to try to sound knowledgeable instead of cool. Maybe that would be a better play. He doesn't know what's gotten into him. He's usually calm and collected. However, his heart is beating so hard he's scared it may fall right out of his chest.

Bucky’s lip twitch into a smirk and the woman pats the empty space next to her, shuffling over slightly to make space for Bucky. His knee knocks hers and he gives a quiet, embarrassed apology before clearing his throat to recite what he'd been told.

“I do but tell me anyway.”

He trails but the woman is transfixed on his face.

“They used to be given to soldiers going off to war by their lovers.” He says. “I don’t remember who told me but…”

"Sorry." Bucky scrunches his nose and smiles. "I got lost for a moment."

"At least you came back." The woman smiles in return. She looks back towards the painting again. Bucky tells himself that it’s out of old observational habits that he watches her face; how her eyes look longingly at the dancing couple of the painting, the sweet curve of her lips as she smiles.

"Do you think they were soulmates?"

"I think they're two people who love each other." Bucky says cautiously and when the woman raises an eyebrow at him, he shrugs sheepishly, waving his left arm. "Sorry I... I don't have one. The writing must have been on my left arm and I can't remember what it said. I'm a little jaded, unfortunately."

She frowns and points to his arm. "Your arm looks fine to me."

Bucky snorts and smiles sheepishly at her. “It’s a…. um, prosthetic. I don’t have any words anywhere else so they had to have been on my left arm. I should have been clearer."

“Oh.” The woman's face turns fire-engine red with embarrassment. “I’m so sorry. That was so rude of me."

"Don't worry about it." Bucky shrugs it off with a chuckle before swiftly changing the subject. "What do you like about the painting?"

“I’d love to do that one day.” She says wistfully after a moment, nodding at the figures.

She laughs, no chuckle this time, a pure lilt of happiness that makes Bucky’s heart twist in his chest and he can’t help but smile a little wider. Flirting was a little bit like riding a bike, not that he’d been interested in flirting much since having his brain fried multiple times.

“Do what? Dance?” Bucky asks curiously, sensing an opportunity. “You can dance whenever you want. We can dance right here if you want, I’ll ask one of the guards for music.”

The woman glances over at him, biting back a smile and rolling her eyes playfully. “Riiiiiight. Sure."

"I mean it!" Bucky bolsters, hopping to his feet. "I-..."

He falters for a moment when he sees her grin; her challenge. Her eyes meet his, bright and sparkling. Whatever he feels he knows she feels it too. He offers his left arm to her, stiff and awkward as his face blooms red.

The woman snorts and laughs again but she takes hold of his gloved hand, rising to her feet.

“Hi, my name’s Bucky and, if you’d be so kind as to let have this dance, I promise to make it worth your while.”

"Y/N. And just one." Her tone is firm but her glittering eyes betray the same excitement he feels. "What about music?"

"Heard they have music on phones nowadays, doll." Bucky quips, his free hand reaching for his phone in his back pocket. He doesn't notices she's raised a curious brow.

"Doll? That's a new one."

"I - oh..." Bucky grins sheepishly but before he can apologise, she stops him with a smile.

"I like it. Vintage."

Now it's Bucky's turn to snort. Who needed soulmates anyhow?

"Speaking of vintage." Bucky hits play on Vera Lynn's remastered classic.

"We'll Meet Again." She murmurs as Bucky's hands ghost along her waist. "Good choice."

"Thanks. Is this okay?"

"You're barely touching me." She giggles, wrists crossing behind his neck.

"Hey, I gotta make sure. Just follow my lead."

Vera Lynne's voice echoes around the alcove drawing curious peeks from other museum-goers but both Bucky and the woman in his arms couldn't care less as they swayed to the music. Y/N followed Bucky's footsteps as he guided her around the room with practices ease, poking fun at her lightly when she'd step on his feet accidentally.

An image rears its head in Bucky's mind's eye. There's a park, somewhere, with hundreds of forget-me-nots but he can't place the timeline. Did he go there as the Winter Soldier? Did he go there during the war? Was it a passing visit on a mission?

He knows he didn’t find it, someone showed him. Maybe Steve? Someone else? Did he see it once in a dream?

“You’re a good dancer.” Y/N whispers against his chest as the song draws to a close. Bucky is sure she can hear his heartbeat through his leather jacket now. “I don’t think I could ever forget this.”

“Well, doll... Forget me not.” He doesn’t know why he says it. It’s cheesy at best, terrible word play at worst.

But she halts, blinking up at him. The silence in the alcove is so loud a pin could drop.

It’s like a veil has lifted. The air shifts, Bucky can feel it now. That joy he buried earlier rose from the soles of his feet all the way up to his head. He felt like he was walking on air. He can see her eyes widen, further and further until their the size of dinnerplates, and there, almost within the depths of her soul; there's the flicker of recognition.

“What did you just say?”

It's a domino effect. Y/N's soul reaches for Bucky's as memories flood back; lifetimes of memories, experiences and pain binding their souls together in a dance that will last for eternity.

"It's you," He chuckles, still not quite believing his eyes. "It's really you."

The kiss they share is nothing like their first one. It's longer, more patient, relishing the electric feel of each other's lips for what feel like eons.

“James Buchanan Barnes,” You breathe, tears of happiness filling your eyes. “I knew I wouldn’t forget you. And I knew you’d come back.”

That playful smile he'd grown to love all those decades ago makes a swift appearance on your face and reaches the lights of your eyes as you look up at him.

"Now, if I remember correctly, we have a few decades worth of catching up to do."

END

A/N1: Ready for the flower symbolism? None of this the roses were pink because they were pink roses bs

Forget-Me-Nots: were given to lovers when their gifter went away to war. Commonly associated with the phrase “Forget me not.” (Duh). But they are also representative of remembrance, memory, love, friendship, hope, and fidelity. Source here

The necklace is based on this one on Etsy that I adore

Pink roses: (The first rose Bucky picks up and you steal back) symbolise admiration, happiness and love.

White roses: (The second rose Bucky picks up and hands to you) represent Innocence, purity and loyalty. Bucky’s intentions are were true.

These also are used for fresh starts, so can also be used as Bucky “starting over” (like when he goofily re-introduces himself to you and in the modern day where his memory has been wiped).

A/N 2: Name of the Fic

Well, a multitude of reasons really.

1) forget-me-nots are hardy plants that always come back (hence why reader says it to Bucky). He has an awful habit of bouncing back bless him.

2) Bucky’s Eyes: Azure blue? But there’s something about little poetic in a forget-me-not Blue ;)

3) Blues: Bucky is a big fan of Jazz, and Blues although Blues came before jazz its debated heavily on whether it is a sub-genre of jazz or if its a genre all on its own. Blues songs tend to be romantic, sad and slow; which I think are key elements of Bucky and his story.

4) Their meaning: true love and faithfulness. Can’t have a romance without those right?

5) the utter irony of the fact that Bucky did actually completely forget her lmao

A/N 3: I heavily debated how to incorporate the words of the Soul Mark back into modern day. Originally I was going to leave it kinda open ended at the gallery because I couldn’t think of a way to get Bucky’s words in without them seeming forced. But when I was doing a third edit of this, I realised they could end up having a haphazard date; which ended up as a replay of the 40s just so their souls could greet eachother again in the same place bc I am nothing if not a romantic at heart. I ended up scrapping that in favour of the museum alcove and having them recreate their "first date" there with the paintings acting as the woodland this time because I was struggling with dialogue and bridging the two - but I think it turned out pretty romantic!!!

This was my first time writing a Soulmate AU and I quite enjoyed myself! But I would like some feedback, and obviously all comments are welcome! It’s not to say I’m not proud of my other work on here but this story has been brewing for months (and I’m actually really happy that it won the WIP poll).

I wholly appreciate any comments or asks on this work!! I don’t quite think I’m ready to let it go yet 🥹 so much so that even though there's not a part 2 in the works, there's another fic in the same AU I'm working on ;)

Taglist

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@irishhappiness | @awkwardgiraffe726

#gremlin girly #gremlin girly writes #fluff #james bucky buchanan barnes #bucky x reader #bucky mcu #bucky barnes #sebastian stan characters #bucky x you #bucky x y/n #bucky fanfic #mcu bucky barnes #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n #james buchanan barnes

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dark-stucky · 21 days ago

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🎂 Dark Stucky Events: Steve's Birthday Bash 2025 🎂

You're invited to the party! 🥳

We're celebrating Steve Rogers' July 4th birthday by collecting dark-themed prompts that participants can fill with any Steve Rogers-centric content they desire! Prompts are open now and moderators will be approving fills all throughout the event week.

⭐ Timeline ⭐

Prompting: Now through July 4th, 2025!

Posting: July 4th through July 10th, 2025!

⭐ Rules ⭐

Prompts: - require a title which should be the core of the prompt and can be as simple as a single word or phrase - characters, relationships, categories, archive warnings and additional tags are optional and more complex details can be added in the appropriate field - you may add things that you do not want (DNW) in the details box, but a fill may still be approved with these as long as they are tagged for appropriately, if necessary

Fills: - should be Steve-centric, but may include other characters, even as the POV character, as long as Steve is the focus of the fill - should be tagged appropriately, including archive warnings, if they apply - must show a good-faith effort to fill the prompt

⭐ FAQs for the Birthday Bash! ⭐

Does my prompt have to be dark? Not necessarily, but since the event is being hosted by a dark-content focused community, it's less likely to be filled here if it's not at least a bit dark, so we do encourage it. Also, even if you didn't mean a prompt to be dark, again given the event host, any fills made could run darker than expected and may not be what you're looking for. If dark isn't your jam, you probably want to seek other events and that's okay!

Does Steve have to be getting whumped for this event? You may have noticed that the Steve in our icon is having a concerning day. This is not an indicator of Steve's expected role in any prompts or fills for this event. Steve could be a whumper or a whumpee, you could write about pre-serum Steve, or Captain Hydra, or Winter Soldier Steve, or Nomad, or any Steve iteration that lives in your brain.

Is there a limit to how many prompts I can fill? We encourage participants to fill as many prompts as speak to them, but keep in mind that if you claim a prompt, it may deter others from trying to fill it as well, so please only claim prompts that you intend to fill during the event!

What do I do if the prompt I want to fill is already filled/claimed? Do you know what's better than one cake? Two cakes.

What types of fanworks can be used to fill a prompt? We are not in the business of stifling creativity. You could write a fic, draw a picture, render a digital painting, compose a video, create a playlist, assemble a moodboard... All creations are welcome.

Can I combine prompts or use more than one in the same work? Yes! Stack them as much as you want to.

Can I combine prompts from here with prompts from other events? Absolutely, as long as the other event allows it.

AO3 Collection

#dark stucky events #steve's birthday bash

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nix-sacrificium · 4 months ago

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STILL A DRAFT

Took half my day to type out a rough outline and some scenes ✨🫶🏻 yes saved in Ao3 but also on my hard drive

Snow leopard Bucky go brrt

[ Bluesky ]

#Wynn writes #fic #Fic wip #winter soldier #bucky barnes #steve rogers #whump #whump writing #Stucky #tw #cw #I got four WIPS in progress if y’all wanna ask ab them 👀

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bilightningwhumper · 1 year ago

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Shadow of a Shield- Rewrite Poll V2

Less wordy. Feel free to reblog and/or vote on the original poll as well.

Bottom line, I've made more OCs since the original creating of SoaS. Plan is to either make the rewrite one big fic OR like TNEI and make several fics happening in the same timeline revolving around each of the OCs (listed below the poll).

Benefits of either: (Option 1) big fic all together / (Option 2) separate fics but opportunities for more Avengers PoVs

(Tbh, I'm personally leaning toward the second option, but I might be able to do both if need be. It's a different balance, at the very least.)

Now these are my OCs for the story (in order of creation, not age):

Jamie Carter-Rogers - omega; daughter of Peggy Carter and Steve Rogers; kept in captivity similar to how Bucky had been; autistic and adhder; love interest is another OC named Ana/Anastasia (Latina-american)

Willam Wallace - alpha; supposed son (trans) of Bucky Barnes and Natasha Romanoff (unsure because Mariya Ivanov often lies); dyslexic and adhder; tentative love interests are either Peter Parker/Harley Keener (together) or an OC; has a twin, Mare

Becca Barnes - omega (late bloomer); daughter of Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers; autistic with OCD tendencies; love interest is her fiance who is also an OC

*Mare ? - omega; twin sister of Will; selective mutism; seperated from the others, so she isn't with them during the 5-year Blip; eventual planned QPR with MJ

(All of them have C-PTSD, that's just a given)

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melles1276 · 6 months ago

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A big "Thank you" to Heartswarm for the terrific moodboard! ❤️❤️❤️ and mommagotabuzz who accompanied me for much of the route. ❤️❤️❤️

New chapters (the last one plus the Epilogue) are online!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/56470924/chapters/159500509

Excerpts:

Chapter 23 - March 10, 2018

Barton Estate

Iowa

"Ready?" Clint joins him to watch the group from a distance, who are partly in the winter garden of the house and partly outside. The weather is exceptionally mild today with temperatures hovering around 66°F, prompting some to visit the farm animals.

"Not really." Steve looks at him indecisively. He still thinks it’s wrong to be here and had hesitated for a long time before accepting the invitation. But after all, it had come from Lily herself and he didn't have the heart to decline. So he booked the flight and took a taxi to the Barton Farm. However, that doesn't make this meeting any easier for him. Clint had met him when he arrived here and introduced him to Laura and the children.

That had been the pleasant part. Now they are outside in the shelter of a huge tree. As far as he can see, there are at least 10 adults sitting around a table in the winter garden with the large windows, none of whom even know he’s here, too. Two children are romping around on the hay bales in the large barn under the supervision of a man and a woman.

“Understandable,” Clint nods. “Take as much time as you need.”

“Can you…can you tell me who’s who?”

Clint gradually points to the people present. “This is George. Buck's father. Winifred, his mother. Lily’s parents William and Ethel are over there.” He points to three women one after the other. “That’s Buck’s sister Frances; and there is Rebecca. Olivia is over in the barn with her husband Jefferson and children Nicolas and Joshua. As a teacher, you certainly have no problem remembering names.” He turns slightly and looks at the small gate next to the barn. There are some cows and pigs inside. A rooster struts freely among his chickens.

Two children and a woman are standing outside feeding three goats.

Clearing his throat, Clint says, "That's Lily with the kids."

“Anna and Jack,” Steve whispers, briefly squeezing his eyes shut. He immediately pictures the three of them in the photo beaming with each other. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair.

“And Alpine, the goat. With her two fawns.”

“That’s Alpine?” Steve asks in surprise.

“Yes, it was a bit tricky getting the three of them out of the camp unscathed. But I didn't want to leave her behind. Buck would have liked them to be happy here.”

"Yes, that's right."

Then Clint becomes more serious and lowers his voice slightly. “Um, if you run into Lily later, please don’t offer her condolences, okay? She doesn't want a memorial service to mourn his death. Instead, today we should celebrate his birthday, his life. And I think that’s a nice idea.”

Steve blows air audibly through his teeth. He isn't sure he can look her in the eyes.

“She’s not mad at you,” Clint persuades him, because he senses the reserve that emanates from Steve. “Otherwise she would hardly have invited you, would she?”

“Perhaps she will be afterwards?”

Laura waves to them. “I can’t imagine that,” Clint says, giving him an encouraging pat on the shoulder. “I am being called.” Before he leaves, he glances at Steve. “No one here blames you for anything. But I understand if you have concerns. You can retreat to your guest room in the house at any time.”

"Thanks." The words give him some confidence, but not enough to approach the widow and her children. So he stays in the shelter of the tree for the time being and tries to give himself courage. His gaze goes to the large table and he studies the people there who were talking to Clint and Laura, but he’s too far away to hear what is being said. Now that he knows exactly who they are, he starts to examine those present a little more closely.

He estimates George to be in his mid-60s, with graying hair and a receding hairline. Winnie seems a little older to him. And very fragile. Even from a distance it’s clear how much she suffers from the loss of her only son. The three sisters range from early 20s to 30s, if he interprets what he sees correctly. The five of them undoubtedly have a close bond with each other. He estimates William and Ethel to be in their early seventies.

“You’re Steve Rogers, aren’t you?”

Read more on ao3

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kandisheek · 6 months ago

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FIC REC WEEK 53 – 2024 FAVORITES

Darling, Darling, Stand By Me by Carsonian

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: T Words: 8,662 Tags: Romantic Comedy, Light-hearted, Oblivious Tony

Summary: Tony links arms with Steve, and the world wants to know if they're together. They're not, of course. But maybe they should be.

Reasons why I love it: I love absolutely everything about this. The dialogue, the characterizations, the plot, the humor, the tension, the conclusion – everything is perfect, 10/10, no notes. Treat yourself to some goodness and read this one, I promise you won't regret it!

Staying Sanguine by itsallAvengers

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: T Words: 7,669 Tags: Whump, Protective Steve, Angst with a Happy Ending

Summary: They're trapped, and help is too far out to be helpful. Tony's dying. Steve needs to save him. No matter what, Steve needs to save him.

Reasons why I love it: This fic is SO GOOD. The action and gorey bits are just fantastic – tense and suffused with a genuine sense of fear through Steve's PoV that just tears at your heartstrings. And the romance is downright adorable. Poor Steve deserves every happiness in the world, just as Tony does. Check this one out if you haven't yet, it's brilliant!

Ground Untread by Anonymous

Pairing: fem!Steve/fem!Tony Rating: T Words: 5,431 Tags: Canon Divergence, Gender Identity, Jealousy

Summary: Eve Rogers likes to put the Captain first in this time, a hero who has a duty, who this body was made for. It's easier that way, and besides, after Rebirth there's never been a place for them both to co-exist. But the world has changed and for Eve it holds possibilities she never could have dreamed of before. Up to and including Toni Stark, who seems to need no extra effort to send her spinning into a whole new kind of trouble.

Reasons why I love it: This fic has a special place in my heart, not just because it was literally written for me as a gift but because it incapsulates everything I love about sapphic Stony. Eve struggling with her identity after rebirth, her being drawn in by Toni's raw magnetism, Toni's insecurities about getting to keep Eve – it's all fantastic. Definitely check this one out, it's amazing!

My light in the darkness by BladeoftheNebula

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: E Words: 4,635 Tags: Pre-Serum Steve, Meet-Cute, Mothman Tony

Summary: Steve gets an unexpected nighttime visitor to his cabin in the woods.

Reasons why I love it: Neb never fails to make even the most outlandish concepts endlessly entertaining. And to say that Mothman Tony has my entire heart would be an understatement. Give this one a read if you haven't, it's as hilarious as it is sweet! And you don't want to miss the moth man smut ;)

Accusations False and Otherwise by Carsonian

Pairing: Steve/Tony Rating: T Words: 7,768 Tags: After College AU, Getting Together, Misunderstandings

Summary: Tony hadn't meant to make a habit of reassuring Steve's partners that his relationship with Bucky was totally and wholly platonic. It just happened to fall to him once, and then kept falling to him; Tony simply went along with it. A couple years down, he had talking points and everything. So when Steve's latest partner asked to speak with him, he assumed it was (once again) because they felt insecure about Bucky's presence in Steve's life. Imagine his surprise when it turned out they felt threatened by him.

Reasons why I love it: Carsonian just can't go wrong in my eyes. Their writing style is impeccable, their voices for Steve and Tony are both very in character and hilarious, and this fic made me giggle so much I was practically kicking my feet. Definitely check this one out, it's as sweet as it is entertaining!

#marvel #fanfic #a year in fanfic recs #fic rec #fanfic rec #stony #ficrec #steve tony #fanfiction recommendation

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impossibleprincess35 · 5 months ago

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Hey, I'm Sig.

I post incessantly about Obitine (Obi-Wan Kenobi and Satine Kryze), and Steggy (Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter), on here, and that's basically my Tumblr persona.

I also write Obitine fanfiction, so here's the master list for quick reference:

<<<<< EUCLID Series >>>>>

A ridiculous amount of words to tell the story of how Obi-Wan and Satine met ("The Echo and the Stain") and how their lives progressed during the Clone Wars had they kept in touch and our girl hadn't been fridged ("Asphodel"). Romance, longing, angst, whump, and suffering, and a little bit of smutty goodness. I touch plenty of grass, but I just can't seem to stop thinking about them.

An Accident of the Fates [Rated: G] A two-part story about Satine and Bo-Katan Kryze's childhoods, and how their separate ideologies came to be.

The Echo and the Stain [Rated: Mature] A 345k+ word count take on the "year on the run" as an assassination attempt on the Duchess of Kalevala’s life puts her in the hands of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, as the New Mandalorians are looking to end the Great Clan War.

Petals for Armor [Rated: G] Satine addresses the Galactic Senate when the Council of Neutral Systems is formed.

Asphodel [Rated: Mature] A 600k+ word count retelling of Satine and Obi-Wan's interactions during the events of the Clone Wars, and their commitment to putting duty over love is continuously challenged as tensions rise with the escalation of terrorism in Mandalore and the fall of the Republic.

A Sky Full of Stars [Rated: Mature] [Please review tags.] An additional text relative to chapter 18 of “Asphodel.”

The Sundari Archives [Rated: G] Snips, blurbs, prompts, etc., that supports all this and doesn't fit anywhere else.

<<<<< SPOTIFY PLAYLISTS >>>>> I was that dork who had burned CDs (I’ve aged myself *sigh*) for every mood and hyperfixation, so of course, I have playlists for some of my fics.

The Echo and the Stain (Spotify)

Asphodel (Spotify)

<<<<< ADDITIONAL OBITINE >>>>> Some multi-chapter modern AUs, some one-shots, and some pieces for event weeks here.

Reputation [Rated: Explicit] A modern AU Obitine story set to the album “Reputation” by Taylor Swift. She rules a country. He works for the United Nations. They’re reunited 16 years later when a terrorist attack puts her at risk. This is a ridiculous ploy to put them in a modern AU.

The Sapir Mercantile [Rated: Explicit] A modern AU Obitine story. Satine gets a spa gift certificate from her co-worker Padme, and discovers the spa is owned by her ex-boyfriend, Ben Kenobi. An excuse for kinky stuff. Porn with plot.

La Cantina de Bloomita [Rated: Explicit] Obi-Wan Kenobi and Quinlan Vos find themselves in a cantina on Dantooine, and when Obi-Wan drinks, he drunk dials; Quin’s trying to get laid, and Obi-Wan’s showing holo-photos of Satine to pirates. *Sigh*

Peace [Rated: G] A one-shot fic where Satine and Obi-Wan welcome baby Korkie together. Total tooth-rotting fluff. [Obitine Week 2023]

In Vain [Rated: G] A one-shot fic where in a post-Order 66 universe, Obi-Wan finds himself in Kalevala searching for pieces of Satine’s memory. [Obitine Week 2023]

Hard Candy [Rated: Explicit] A one-shot fic where Satine and Obi-Wan partake in namana fruit and end up doin’ the dirty. Definite smut. [Obitine Week 2023]

Satine’s Lament [Rated: G] A quick 1,000 word one-shot where Obi-Wan encounters Satine in a ghost window post-“Obi-Wan Kenobi” series. [Ghost Window AU 2023]

Much Ado About Christmas [Rated: G] A modern AU Christmas Obitine story. Anakin, Ahsoka, and Korkie try to set up Obi-Wan and Satine so they’ll take a vacation together for some time alone.

#sigrid.txt #obitine fanfic #star wars fanfic #satine kryze #duchess satine #duchess of mandalore #obi wan kenobi #obitine #fanfic #fanfiction

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hurtspideyparker · 6 months ago

Note

Heeey! Idk if someone has already asked you this but, if you could recommend three Stony fanfics which ones would you recommend? And What made you ship them? :] Also love ur writing!

IT'S MY NEW STONY MUTUAL YIPPIE ✨ HI FRIEND. Sorry for the late reply, been busy in my own way. I'm so happy to hear from you! 😸

that is a tough question...

Principles of the Thing by Annie D (scaramouche)

In Tony’s opinion, the only thing worse than having a crush on Steve is: having a crush on Steve while Steve won’t shut up about how great Tony is.

Mainly recommending this because the author's Stony fics are all amazing. They're a fantastic writer and I'm sure there's something there for everyone; I'm still making my way through them and I'm never disappointed! This fic in particular is very sweet and adorable, plus it has my favourite Stony fanfiction device—it's told from a self-deprecating Tony's perspective <3 that's how you know it's gonna be a good one 😌 I need my man to hate himself a little thankyouverymuch. I also think it's cute to have Steve be virtuous in a very sweet gentleman way, instead of the hurting-Tony way (although I like that way a lot too)

Loverboys by theappleppielifestyle

“Here’s the deal,” Tony says. “I’ll give you ten thousand dollars to pretend to date me.”

Steve stares at him, but only for a second.

“No thanks,” he says, and looks back down at his algebra worksheet.

(Or, a High School Fake Dating AU.)

I have a soft spot for high school and college AUs okay, sue me! Why I particularly like it for Stony, and what this fic does beautifully, is it uses their class disparity as a point of contention for their characters and relationship. I like young!Tony fics because we see the trauma of his family life and circumstances affecting him in real time. I love to hate Howard Stark <3 plus Stony is all about the tension of their opposing personalities, and AUs like this help highlight Tony's distant family and extreme wealth, and Steve's poverty and loving support system. This fic is also fake dating, which means ✨tension✨. Plus Tiberius Stone is a total guilty pleasure character of mine. Tony has many evil ex's in the comics, and I love to see them used for some good whump. And jealous protective Steve is absolute gold!!! Even if you don't like high school AUs this one is worth a shot because it wasn't written by a high schooler like many are, so it's mature and paced very well.

the girl with the modern face by isozyme

“Nice to meet you. I’m Steve Rogers,” Steve said, sticking his hand out and trying to wrestle the interaction back into something normal.

“I know, sweetheart,” Tony said, ignoring his hand. “Rescue told me all about you.”

“Did you make her?” Steve asked. It had been implied that Tony was a tech-man, and she said he was her boss. It would fit together.

“Yes, the armor, that was me; she’s my bodyguard,” Tony said archly. “Impressed?”

The only good thing about the future is Tony Stark's bodyguard, Rescue. She's beautiful in her red and gold armor, and Steve will never know who she is.

This story changed my brain chemistry when I read it. It's just such a fantastic culmination of so many delicate and beautiful things. Internalized homophobia and identity porn are severely underrated tropes and two of my all time favourites. I find it's hard to get them right, but boy does this story get them right. Also—genderfucked Tony Stark? Yes Yes and Yes. Steve falls for a woman, who is actually a man, who is actually Tony Stark. This hurts both of their feelings immensely. I love the tight-wound Captain and seeing him come to terms with his struggles and bigotry. And the juxtaposition to a flamboyant and open Tony, yessirrrr. Also, comic Stony fics are on a whole other level. They have so much more material to work from, so their characterization and background is really well fleshed out. You don't need to read the comics to understand it, don't worry.

—

I just love talking about this stuff, I will never be short or chill about asks 😅

What made me ship Steve and Tony? Oh GAWSH. Mainly, their opposing natures. Nothing is more compelling than seeing people so close yet so different have this intense magnetism. It's like a puzzle piece, they fit so well because they complete something in each other.

Rivals/enemies creates a lot of tension, especially when they have such a respect and trust for one another even if they don't always like it, it's undeniable. The betrayal and disagreement between them is painful because only those inside your heart can wreck it so intensely. I really like angst, whump, miscommunication, the push and pull. It's so them. They aren't rivals TO friends, they are rivals AND friends. Tony is incredibly Much, Steve is rigid. Tony is controlled by his emotions, Steve is controlled by his morals. Tony is an over-thinker, Steve is all intuition.

Also, have you SEEN the way they look at eachother?!?!? The gazing omfggg. The way they lead together, have such an intense relationship, perfectly in-sync even in disagreement. Their movies? Never without insanely strong feelings for each other, arm touches and long looks, trust broken and rebuilt. TV shows? Eye rolling yet great respect, a deep admiration that will always trump any mistake or disagreement. Bickering boyfriends. Comics? They're so intense everyone just KNOWS something freaky is going on. Divorced /pos. It's always hate or love, these two can never be neutral. Their relationship is incredibly dynamic—they're so soft for each other! They hate each other's guts! They are gonna fuck about it! All three at the same time.

ty for the compliment 🫶 yes this is yap city but I am a very passionate person mk. I could talk about them for hours 💕💔

#stony #ask #seesternsstuff #stevetony #marvel #mcu #marvel mcu #fic rec #steve rogers #tony stark

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stevetonyweekly · 1 year ago

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SteveTony Weekly - May 19 - Week 20

Hi friends! My daughter's graduation activities start today (!!!!) and in anticipation of an extremely busy week, I asked @meidui to pinch hit with a guest rec list. Check out her fantastic recs, say hi, and before sure to comment/kudos the fic you enjoy!

Therapy Works (if your therapist isn't a Hydra agent) by @16woodsequ

Tony accidentally stumbles onto the fact that Steve isn't holding things together quite as well as he makes it look. As awkward as it is at first, Tony's been there, and he finds himself reaching out to him.

But the more he tries to push past Steve's walls the more he realises just how deep his issues go. And they all seem to be pointing in one direction.

Should he really be surprised to find SHIELD is at the root of it?

My Thoughts: in sequ we trust when it comes to steve whump!! poor steve is all messed up from shield's abuse and has a list of psychological/emotional issues longer than his pre-serum ailments, and the way it shows is SO SO SO detailed and devastating and believable, and tony being tony is trying to mend what's broken. this is being updated every thursday until it's done and there's so much meat in every chapter that even if you don't usually read wips, this is 100% worth following along 🥺

Just for the Conversation by @msermesth

Tony's fine. He's back on the Avengers, Steve seems to have forgiven him, and he’s building Resilient to change the world.

Then why is he so jealous of Steve’s new boyfriend?

(Or: that awkward moment when you realize you are in love with your old best friend while having a three-way with him and his boyfriend, who just happens to be your counterpart from another universe.)

My Thoughts: if you love multiverse fics like i do this is for you, it's the perfect cocktail of multiverse shenanigans 😌 and don't worry if you haven't read any of the comics before, the author's note is very helpful and you don't need much background to enjoy jealous tony and a steve sandwich <3

Fortune Favours the Bold by @bladeofthenebula27

Omega Steve Rogers is betrothed to an old rich alpha nearly three times his age, and decides on an act of passionate rebellion before his wedding.

My Thoughts: neb writes the best omegaverse fics ever so you automatically cannot go wrong, but the mistaken identity in this fic is so pleasing and steve's internal dialogue is >>>

When It Comes to Trying by @softanticipation

Steve is weird about food. Tony takes notice.

(Or, because I was once told that whenever characters share food together, it means something.)

My Thoughts: i love rereading this fic and it hits the spot every time <3 it starts in the shawarma restaurant post-battle of new york and doesn't shy away from how tony gradually goes from ""disdain"" to adoration and steve adjusts slowly and fits in better with the team, and there's flirting and steve is so sweet and tony gets so gentle with him!! and the focus on food is executed so well i want to eat the whole fic

late night talking by @omg-just-peachy

Steve realizes he can't sleep without the light of the arc reactor.

My Thoughts: if you look up "comfort fic" in the dictionary all 700 words of this fic is there!! the established relationship is established relationshipping and clingy steve waiting on tony is so sweet 🥺

#stevetony weekly #steve rogers #tony stark #stevetony #stony #iron man #captain america #stevetony fic #stony fic #fic rec

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jinxquickfoot · 2 years ago

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@badthingshappenbingo prompt: Human Shield

Find the fic on Ao3

Note: Second half is written from Tony's POV during Civil War, but not intended to be anti-Team Cap or anti-Steve.

2012

God, Tony wants to die.

“Put the shield down Rogers, or I’m going to shoot him in the head.”

Not literally, obviously. Figuratively. From embarrassment.

The guy they’ve been chasing for the past week is just that—a guy. A very well-trained, very strong guy, based on the burly arm gripping Tony by the throat, but still. Human shield is not Tony’s best look.

Steve is managing to appear, Tony begrudgingly admits, exponentially cooler. His expression is stoic behind the cowl and shield, the gun resting on the rim, film and steady. “Let him go, Batroc. It’s over.”

Batroc huffs, right in Tony’s ear. Tony cringes away because gross—he does not need this guy’s morning breath anywhere near his breathing passages—but that only presses his temple more firmly against Batroc’s firearm.

He’s already working on ideas to make the suit more portable. The suitcase design was a good start, but it had just taken one kick from the Frenchman to send it skidding out of reach. Tony’s hand-to-hand skills are far from weak, but he and Steve had been ambushed without warning, and apparently Batroc had decided that Tony was the more controllable hostage of the two.

Next time, this wouldn’t happen. He’d make some sort of suit he could carry on his person all the time, even just a gauntlet, so he’d be ready always.

But that was next time. This time, Tony has to make do with what he’s given. Which, at the moment, is the hostage training Natasha had forced him through for this exact scenario.

“You know I wear a two-hundred-pound suit around the bad guys, right?” Tony had scoffed. “I highly doubt one of them is going to be able to get me in a chokehold.”

Natasha’s response to that had been to, naturally, put Tony in a chokehold, not releasing him until he had agreed to let her show him a few moves.

“A human shield makes it harder to hit the target,” Natasha had told him. “But not impossible. Still, you want to reduce the odds of getting shot yourself as best you can, which means you aim for the ribs. Give us a window, and we’ll take the assailant out.”

They’d practiced it until Tony had it perfect. “There. You happy now, Romanoff?”

“Now that I know one of my friends is in slightly less danger than before? A little bit, yeah.”

Batroc’s blathering on about something else, demands or threats, but Tony isn’t listening. He catches Steve’s eye, raising an eyebrow. Ready? He sees Steve make the calculation—determining the risk. Then he makes eye contact with Tony, and nods. Ready.

Batroc doesn’t see it coming. He’s so focused on Steve that he’s completely unprepared when Tony slams his elbow into his solar plexus.

The gun at Tony’s head stutters, the hold around his throat loosening. It’s not enough to pull free, but the next moment there’s a bang, and then strong arms are grabbing his and pulling him to safety.

“Are you alright?”

Tony winces as he runs a hand over his surely bruised throat. Batroc is bellowing on the ground, bleeding from the shoulder, but neither Tony nor Steve pay him any attention. “Yeah,” Tony croaks, clearing his throat. Ow. “Just some bruised pride. Maybe a few other things. Nice shot.”

Steve claps him on the shoulder. “Always. Although not something I want to do often.”

“You getting squeamish, Captain?”

“Not for this,” Steve replies grimly. “For you—for anyone on the team—I’ll always make the shot. I promise.”

2016

Tony has been through a myriad of feelings the past couple of days, but the absolute panic of I’m about to be shot in the face is a new one. The swell of pride when one of his inventions works for the first time, however—that’s one he’s all too familiar with.

The nanotech gauntlet is barely out of the testing phase, but it’s the only one he’s allowed to carry these days under the Accords. He’s not meant to be using it, either, not without UN permission, but he thinks they’ll let him off the hook given there’s a feral Winter Soldier plowing through Avengers right now.

Catching the gun is the first thing that comes to mind when Barnes points the thing right in his face, his thoughts transforming from That was incredibly stupid to That was amazingly genius in a nanosecond. It’s also a nanosecond of distraction, where he’s not moving, not thinking, and apparently that’s all Barnes needs to get the upper hand.

Tony braces, preparing for the blow as the metal arm swings for his head, but the pain doesn’t come. Instead of a hit, he feels metal grip his throat, a human but inhumanely strong second hand wrap around his waist, as he hears the distant clatter of his glasses hitting the floor.

At the last possible second, Tony throws a counter-maneuver—one of the many, many moves he’d practiced with Natasha after the Batroc incident—but he doesn’t account for Barnes’s strength. The escape attempt does nothing, and then Tony finds himself helpless in the Winter Soldier’s hold.

“Release him.”

Barnes spins them both around, looking for escape paths, the arms around Tony tightening as T’Challa stalks towards them with claws at the ready.

“You will not escape here,” T’Challa adds, and Tony doesn’t know whether the calm murder in his voice is a point in or against his favor. Tony recalls the day he found out his own father had died. He hadn’t exactly handled it with aplomb. He can’t even begin to imagine how he’d react if he’d found out it was deliberate, that there was someone to blame outside of a lethal combination of windy country roads and whiskey.

Barnes responds by shifting his grip, too fast and too expert for Tony to take advantage, so his gun is pointing at Tony’s neck.

“That’s not going to help you.” A new voice. Barnes doesn’t turn to meet it, clearly more worried about the Black Panther. Natasha moves around to where they can both see her, meeting Tony’s eye. “Stay calm, Tony. We’ll get you out of this.”

Tony would love to believe her, but knowledge of just how deadly Barnes is even without a gun isn’t helping matters.

And then, a third voice. “Bucky!”

This time, Barnes does move, even though he’s careful not to let either T’Challa or Natasha out of his sight. Steve is running full tilt at them, not even bothering with the stairs as he leaps to the lower floor. The shield is missing, but Steve’s managed to acquire a gun. He holds it loosely between his fingers as though he’s worried it's going to burn him, not even trying to lift it when he sees the situation before him.

“Bucky,” Steve says again, all determination. “I know you’re in there. Stand down.”

Judging by the increase in pressure on Tony’s throat, Barnes has absolutely no intention of following that order. Tony chokes, instinctively trying to pry the arm away, but it’s like trying to shift concrete.

The gun in Steve’s hand twitches. “Bucky,” he says, yet again, his voice soft. “You’re not in danger. These are allies. I’m your ally. I know you remember me.”

Great, so Tony’s life depends on the memory of a guy with seventy years worth of brain damage.

“Steve,” Natasha murmurs—a warning. She’s eyeing the gun, as though thinking of grabbing it.

Steve notices. His response is to clutch it a little tighter. Which Tony reads as I know what I’m doing, Romanoff, back off. And apparently Barnes reads as This man is about to shoot me so time to run away.

Tony has no choice but to be dragged with him, feet unable to find purchase as Barnes starts backing through the building. More backup has arrived, but Tony’s unable to pay them much attention. He doubts any of them are willing to take a shot anyway, not with the gun trained on them, and not when he’s blocking so much of Barnes’s body.

The panic doesn’t properly set in until he realizes Barnes is taking him to the roof. “Hey, you don’t need—” he tries, but immediately gets cut off when more pressure is added to his throat. He blinks rapidly as they burst into sudden daylight, willing them to adjust, then almost wishing he was still blinded as he sees Barnes’s target.

Tony is just thinking that he really doesn’t want to find out if Barnes is planning to drag him onto that helicopter, or if his part here is done and he’s about to be disposed of, when another figure joins them on the roof. “Bucky, stop.”

Barnes doesn’t stop. He doesn’t go to the helicopter either. Instead, he drags Tony backward until they’re balanced on the edge of the roof, and Tony catches a glimpse of water way too far below them. The gun is still at Tony’s neck. Tony grimaces as he tries to move away from it, but Barnes’s grip is as resolute as ever.

“No one is going to hurt you,” Steve tries. “I know you’re confused, but I know you know me. I’m Steve. You’re Bucky. James Buchanan Barnes.”

Tony wishes he could have one ounce of Steve’s conviction. Maybe then his heart would stop pounding quite so fast.

Barnes doesn’t move. He doesn’t let him go. And Tony’s done playing damsel in distress. He raises his arms, just slightly, willing Steve to see the movement.

Steve does. His eyes go a little wider, his grip shifting on his gun. It’s not pointed anywhere near Barnes, but Steve’s reflexes are super-soldier fast. He’ll make the shot.

Tony watches Steve’s face, seeing the indecision there. Alright, give the guy a second to work through the idea of shooting his closest friend from the olden times. They only need a shoulder wound for Steve to get Tony out of this. Batroc had survived, and then healed well enough to escape SHIELD custody and had a second go at Steve on the Lemurian Star. And he wasn’t even a super-soldier.

Barnes will be fine, even if he ends up falling off the roof. Steve had survived a much longer fall in much worse condition from the helicarrier. Tony’s not so sure about his own well-being if they don’t do this. And he has no idea how long he has before Barnes either fires, snaps his neck, or throws him into the water below.

He brings his elbows up, and slams them backward.

Something snaps in his arm, pain ricocheting up his side, but none of that matters as time seems to slow. Because he’s not free. There was no gunshot. Just the sound of a finger squeezing a trigger, right beside his ear.

This is it. He’s dead. Steve didn’t take the shot and he’s dead.

That thought can’t have lasted longer than a quarter-second, but it feels like an eternity before he feels Barnes go rigid behind him.

Tony doesn’t waste the opening. He tugs the arm away from him, even as he sees Steve barrelling towards them. Tony remembers this part. Being tugged out of Batroc’s grip, beyond relieved even if there was no way he was showing it.

But when Steve reaches him, he doesn’t slow down. He doesn’t look at him. Tony is vaguely aware of a splash, and then Steve is launching himself off the roof, and gentle hands are gripping Tony’s bad arm.

“What—”

“I hit Barnes with a Widow’s Bite,” Natasha’s saying, tilting her bracelet up to show the missing disc. “Maybe you had a point about building ones you could throw.”

Tony cranes his head over the roof to where Steve has surfaced with an unconscious Barnes lolling in his arms.

“Hey.” Natasha tilts his face back towards her, concerned. “You okay?”

Tony blinks at her, trying to remember how to speak, but his voice is gone. He supposes nearly getting shot in the head twice in the space of ten minutes will do that to a person.

When she doesn’t get an answer, Natasha gently prods his elbow, making him wince. “Fractured,” she remarks. “You tried that move I showed you, huh?”

He had. And Steve hadn’t taken the shot.

He hadn’t… he hadn’t even looked at him.

“Come on.” Natasha helps him stand. “Let’s deal with that elbow, and then we’ll deal with the mess that just got one hundred times worse.”

Author's note: Steve believed that Bucky would never actually hurt Tony and therefore Tony was never in any real danger.

#bad things happen bingo #bthb card #human shield #tony stark #steve rogers #bucky barnes #civil war #marvel #mcu #avengers #whump writing #hostage situations

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