#canon divergent catws | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thatmexisaurusrex · 1 month

Note

For the Sambucky romance ask: 💕

SamBucky Romance Asks

Ooh, "💕 Who Fell First"! Great option, Leslie 😆 It was so good, I accidentally 😂 wrote enough to post on AO3, so it's on there too 😂 I hope you enjoy this little fic! 🥰

Link to AO3 version!

Plum Jam

Sam hadn't meant to bump into the man when he was at the grocery store.

Honestly, Sam's entire day had been a bit of a mess.

Sam had talked to Steve about Riley earlier that day. And it wasn't that Sam didn't like thinking about Riley. Sam loved to remember the ridiculous dad jokes Riley loved to tell; he loved how Riley would find a way to tangle himself in Sam's personal space whenever he had the opportunity; Sam loved how Riley's arm always rested on his chest when they slept like a comforting weight.

But thinking back to that moment.

Back to the fall.

Sam always forgot how much pain that dredged up in him. How it could feel as if that guilt and heartbreak were fresh again, like a reopened wound.

Sam had asked to go home early when he realized how unfocused he was at the VA after that. He had gone home and realized he had no food, and without really thinking about how he could have just ordered in, decided to go to the grocery store.

And now, Sam was bumping into random strangers.

"Sorry," said Sam, frazzled as he noticed and picked up the plum jam on the ground that had thankfully not broken during the fall, "I'm all over the place. Here."

Sam extended the plum jam to the man.

The man wore mostly leather, with a baseball cap on greasy, long hair that needed a brush and a mask Sam assumed had to be heavy duty - maybe the man had a cold?

The man didn't look down at the jam.

No.

He stared at Sam with piercing blue eyes that pinned Sam where he stood. He stared at Sam as if Sam were the first person he had seen after a long coma. He started at Sam as if Sam had just moved mountains, had just performed a miracle.

He stared at Sam like Sam was the hottest man he'd ever seen in his life.

Sam's face heated at that thought, because, no, not everyone Sam bumped into at the grocery store thought Sam was hot. Sam wasn't going to feed into that idea.

"I'll... put it back on the shelf," said Sam, about to place the jam back before the man's hand instantly reached for the jam.

His hand wrapped around both Sam's fingers and the jam.

"Bucky!" blurted the man, still holding the jar of jam with Sam.

It felt like they were holding hands.

Sam couldn't find it in himself to let go.

"My name is Bucky," said the man as if he was only certain of that fact at this very moment.

Sam couldn't help but answer back, "I'm Sam."

Bucky didn't look down at the jam. He kept looking into Sam's eyes. Sam couldn't keep holding onto the jam with this man, could he?

"You like plums?" asked Sam, which sounded awkward when he was saying it.

"Do I - " Bucky started before turning his gaze to the jar, "... I guess I do."

Weird way to answer that.

"My Ma, when she was very young, used to go to this one stand in Constanța that had these fresh plums," continued Bucky, his voice soft, "She would look everywhere for plums that reminded her of home. When she found some we could afford, she would scrounge up whatever supplies we had at home and try to make găluște cu prune - plum dumplings. She could never make them as well as her bunica, but I always loved them."

Sam couldn't see the smile, but he could feel it. This man reminded of home and family by something so small.

"We had this pecan tree in the back of our house - we still do, my sister owns our family home now," Sam explained, "And my mama would have us help her pick pecans and make pralines. It was usually during a Saturday afternoon and our entire house would smell like pralines for days. She talked about how her own mama had taught her, and her mama's daddy had taught her. And when I miss her, sometimes I'll buy a thing of pecans and try to make pralines."

"You're beautiful," Bucky said, stumbling before correcting himself, "That's beautiful. That's."

Sam really needed to stop basically holding hands with this man.

Bucky was wearing these gloves, these fingerless gloves. Sam wasn't sure if he had ever seen fingerless leather gloves before, but here they were, on this man.

There was a distinct contrast between the gloves and Bucky's fingers.

The gloves were smooth; a soft, thick black leather that felt almost comforting.

Bucky's fingers were calloused to hell and back. They rubbed on Sam like a strangely addictive sandpaper. They radiated heat; they were almost scorching to the touch without the leather. But it was a nice heat; the type you nestled in after a long, tiring day at work.

Sam wanted to crawl into that heat and close his eyes.

Fuck.

Why was Sam still holding onto this jar?

"I'm not even sure why I'm in this aisle," Sam confessed, "I meant to just get myself a roast chicken."

Which sounded sad. It was a little sad. But hey, a man can live alone and eat pre-cooked chicken if he wanted to.

"They roast the chicken for you?" asked Bucky, as if he had never been to a grocery store in his life.

"Yeah. They do," said Sam, still holding the jam with Bucky, "I usually shred it up, put it on some rice with some veggies I cook with the rice. Shishito peppers and onions and garlic. Pretty simple easy meal."

"Sounds delicious," said Bucky, still gazing into Sam's eyes as if they were the only things for miles.

"It can be," said Sam as he finally, finally, let go of the jam, "I should probably get that chicken for it. Hope you like the plum jam."

"Yeah," said Bucky as he straightened his back and cleared his throat, "Yeah. Thank you for the jam."

Sam walked away from Bucky. He could still feel Bucky's gaze on him as he left the aisle.

#sambucky ask game #sambucky #sam wilson #bucky barnes #sambucky fic #first to fall #meet cute #tooth rotting fluff #canon divergent catws #past sam wilson/riley #my fics #Plum Jam

20 notes · View notes

mandyyvibes · 1 month

Text

For Reasons Wretched and Divine

Chapter 1: “Run.”

“On your left,” Steve huffed, because once a little punk, always a little punk, and he liked seeing folks’ reactions.

@catws-anniversary

#CATWS10 #fandom event #marvel #marvel fanfiction #ao3 #fic rec #ao3 author #stucky #stucky fic #bucky barnes #bucky barnes fic #winter soldier #winter soldier fic #steve rogers #steve rogers fic #clintasha #samsteve #polyavengers #catws canon divergence

17 notes · View notes

glittercake · 1 year

Text

In 2010, Sam loses the love of his life in Bakhmala and retires from the Air Force. Late 2014, with the fall of Hydra, the love of his life comes back from the dead to assassinate him. In which the Winter Soldier is Sam's EXO-7 partner. In which he is shot down and believed to be dead. In which Sam carries that loss around for years before a violent twist of fate reunites them.

READ CHAPTER 1 HERE

LINK TO ART HERE

Please enjoy my collab with the wonderfully talented @yavannie for the @starspangledbigbang! The full art piece is embedded in the fic but keep an eye out for the art post on here and reblog it! We have spent months on this collab and it has been so much fun, thanks for this incredible experience and beautiful art, Yav! ❤️

#sambucky #winterfalcon #sam x bucky #star spangled mini bang #pre catws #canon divergent #samantha writes #art studio #ANG

82 notes · View notes

booksandabeer · 25 days

Text

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!

#catws10 #stucky #stucky fic rec #stucky fic #stucky rec list #steve x bucky #stucky fic recs #steve x bucky fic rec #stevebucky fic rec #stevebucky #my recs #*drops this and runs aways* this rec list nearly gave me an aneurysm. you're welcome!

354 notes · View notes

somanywords · 2 months

Text

tin cans with string

Rating: T

Relationship: Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes

Major Tags: Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes, Sarah Rogers (Marvel), Winifred Barnes, prewar to post catws, Canon Divergence - Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, steve rogers and winifred barnes, bucky barnes and sarah rogers, Friends to Lovers, Get Together, Mutual Pining, Becca Barnes - Freeform, Barnes Family, Grief/Mourning, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Internalized Homophobia, Jewish Bucky Barnes, another start to finish fic by yours truly

Length: 22.5k | Complete

Summary:

Bucky’s mother was looking at him knowingly, and she pulled out a chair for him, which he climbed into gratefully. “You’re an only child, aren’t you, Steve?” “Yes Ma’am.” “It ever gets to be too much for you, you just excuse yourself and come sit in the kitchen a minute. It’s a little noisy with the baby at times, but other than that you can catch a breath.” Steve looked up at her gratefully. She understood, and having someone understand was the best thing in the world. --an exploration of mothers, and of one that isn’t yours.

Read on AO3!

#stucky #stevebucky #captain america #steve rogers #bucky barnes #tin cans with strings #my art #my fics #cassstuff #good morning everyone and happy birthday jbb

103 notes · View notes

dharmasharks · 24 days

Text

Tried to drift but don't know how

E | 10.4k | no archive warnings | tags: canon-divergence - tws; adventures in renovating the apartment you also destroyed; identity issues; top Bucky/bottom Steve; Steve feels; starting over

“If you’re gonna stand there admiring your handiwork,” Steve says to the construction paper he’s laying over the hardwood floor, “the least you could do is pitch in.” Bucky doesn’t move from the shadows of the window frame. But Steve can see in the dark, too. Can see his suppressed smile tick, then reset. There’s a soft whir as Bucky points at the kitchen island, where the granite countertop is cracked down the middle. Then a Steve-sized hole in the living room drywall. “That was all you,” he says, before picking up a drop cloth off the floor and covering Steve’s couch.

Read on ao3 >

Written for @catws-anniversary theme: To The End of The Line. Thank you Tej and Maya for organizing such an epic event! Consider this my humble contribution to the time-honored tradition of pretending canon ends in Brooklyn, where the boys experience a lot of big feelings and also kiss and nothing bad ever happens again, the end.

(Also fills my free space for @stuckybingo)

#catws10 #happy birthday babygirl you've aged beautifully #my fic #stucky #steve x bucky #stucky fic #also: there is obviously no EG in this universe i just think bucky looked very cute there (and for what!)#his jacket is soo jacket and it matches the bomber steve wore in tws #so im reclaiming the fit! it's mine now #the year is 2014/15 and he and steve are brooklyn-ing around brooklyn in their matching bomber jackets. so there.

78 notes · View notes

dontcallmebree · 28 days

Text

Between New York and What Comes Knocking by dontcallmebree

Major Tags: Canon Divergence, Humor (maybe), Light Angst and Fluff @catws-anniversary Day 3 Neighbor, @steverogersbingo Adoptable: On the Run & @stuckybingo Adoptable: Helicarrier

Summary: Taking a deep breath, Sharon finally looks at him from the corner of her eye with a hint of uncertainty. In the light of the streetlamps and the rapidly passing headlights, Sharon looks younger than he’d’ve first guessed. How young does Shield recruit? Steve thinks back to Bucky, sent to die at 26. Sharon Carter is a daredevil behind the wheel, a subpar baker, and sufficiently gay. Steve learns this in quick succession.

Happy ten years to stucky. Here’s my little contribution, hope you enjoy! Read now on AO3!

#CATWS10 #steve rogers bingo round 3 #stucky bingo round 5 #canon divergence #stucky #fic #dontcallmebree

40 notes · View notes

voylitscope · 26 days

Text

CA: TWS 10th Anniversary Ficlets (Day 8)

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! 💞

Steve thinks his new apartment is haunted. He hasn’t told anyone else anyone about it.

He guesses he maybe should.

But he’s got a whole list of reasons not to. The list starts with how he’s not completely sure he’s just imagining it all —that most of it hasn’t been dreams. It ends with the way he’s afraid that if he’s right —

If he’s right, well, then, he’s afraid talking about it might make it stop. And the last thing Steve wants to do is scare away the occasional presence in his apartment.

It’s too scarce as it is. It’d been barely perceptible at first. Objects in places that weren’t quite right. A shadow there and gone before Steve could blink. The feeling of being watched — so real it made Steve’s skin flush, but without a source he could find when he turned around.

A little more solid, sometimes, in more recent weeks. The sound of his own name in late hours, but with no response when Steve’d tried to answer. A bottle of water and some pills on his nightstand the morning after he’d returned from a mission that’d had left him bruised and exhausted.

(The pain and injuries were gone by the time Steve woke up, but he’d said a thank you out loud before taking a sip of water, anyway.)

Steve’s even gotten a couple full glimpses. A single second of a flash of movement from a figure that hadn’t stopped when Steve called to it. A half second of the most familiar eyes in the world locked on Steve’s but then disappearing before Steve could recover from the shock of it.

All of those moments could have been dreams — could have been entirely in Steve’s head.

He doesn’t know what do, even if they’re not.

(He doesn’t know how to figure out what his ghost wants.)

Until, on Steve’s birthday, his haunting turns into a full-fledged ghost story.

(Unless it’s a dream.)

It’s late, and he’s been home for a while. It’s late enough that it’s probably nearly the 5th now, and Steve’s been meaning to stop drawing, get out of the chair in his living room, and head to bed for at least an hour.

It’s soft musics that finally make him put down his pencil. The song is playing at a low enough volume that, for a second, Steve thinks the sound is coming from the street or a neighbor —

But then he recognizes it. Steve hasn’t heard this song in about 70 years..

Steve’s heart is pounding as tries to run his eyes over every inch of his apartment. .

“Bucky?” His voice comes out in a whisper.

He’s never gotten an answer. There’ve been no conversations during this haunting.

Until now.

“Made you a promise,” Bucky’s voice says. Steve still can’t see him. “Didn’t I?”

“A promise?” Steve echoes, standing up.

Bucky emerges from shadows in Steve’s hall that shouldn’t have been large or dark enough to hide him. He’s wearing a button down shirt and jeans. His hair his pulled back at his neck. He’s somehow looking right at Steve without really meeting his eyes. He looks calm. He looks terrified and skittish. He smiles at Steve and it’s unsure and hesitant and heartbreaking and beautiful.

And Steve feels like he can’t breath.

“Think I told you that if we both made it to your next birthday we’d have to dance. I figured this counted,” Bucky says. Then he frowns and pulls his eyes away. He looks like he might fold right back into the shadows. “Maybe I didn’t.”

“You did,” Steve says. He nods, and he waits for Bucky to look back at his face. Then Steve holds out his hand.

For a few seconds, Steve’s certain that Bucky’s about to disappear or that he’s about to wake up.

But Bucky nods, too, and he puts his flesh hand into Steve’s before taking a few steps toward him. It brings them close together — close enough to dance.

Steve moves slowly. He’s still so sure he’s about to ruin this somehow.

But Bucky stays when Steve wraps an arm around his waist. And Bucky’s arms end up around Steve’s neck. And they both take small, tentative steps that bring them even nearer to each other.

And they together dance to a song Steve hasn’t heard since 1945.

And he can hear Bucky breathing and the beating of Bucky’s heart.

Steve wants to pull Bucky in closer and beg him to stay. He wants to ask him if this real. He wants Bucky to assure him this isn’t a dream or a ghost story at all.

He wants to ask Bucky if he’s okay — where’s been, where he stays, where he goes, what else he remembers — Steve wants to ask him a thousand things.

He wants to kiss him.

Steve’s almost sure that doing any one of those things would ruin this moment — could maybe make Bucky stay away for a long, long time.

So he simply feels the heat of Bucky’s body, and Bucky’s hands on him, and Bucky in his arms, and he dances.

And when he music stops, he says,

“Buck —" and he’s not surprised when Bucky shakes his head.

But he is surprised when he gets one final response.

“Happy birthday, Steve.” Bucky says, hands gone from Steve before Steve can blink, back across the floor and halfway into those shadows before Steve’s taken a couple breathes.

“Thanks for the dance,” Steve calls. He doesn’t get a reply to that, but he hopes Bucky heard it.

He hopes next time, if there is a next time, will be soon. Steve hopes the haunting of his apartment keeps on increasing.

(He hopes he’s not asleep on that chair in his living room right now.)

He’s still not planning to tell anyone about this. Not yet, anyway. Steve wants to keep this one to himself for a while.

(They’d always planned on that birthday dance being a secret, anyway.)

(Ficlets Tumblr-exclusive until all are complete.)

#CATWS10 #SteveBucky #Stucky fic #My Fic #My Writing #This one got a little long on me. But I really wanted the romantic dancing. So.#MCU

42 notes · View notes

blackwood4stucky · 25 days

Text

hoping these roses dull the pain, cover the scars and turn the page

author: aspen blackwood

james “bucky” barnes x steve rogers | mcu

masterpost | 🅴 | 🔞 | word count: 3,360 | complete

tags: alpha x alpha, drugged, forced sex, non con body bod, non traditional omegaverse, triggered mating, secondary gender modification, dark elements

"A peculiar scent fills Steve’s nose as he wakes slowly. He knows that scent, it is one that still haunts him, that whispers his failures in his ears like prayers." - There were turncoats on the Lemurian Star.

bingo fills + event prompts

ch. 1: hoping these roses dull the pain, cover the scars and turn the page

@anyfandomangstbingo | barely conscious

@anyfandomdarkbingo | fuck or die

@anyfandomgoesbingo | possessive alpha

@anyfandomkinkbingo | handcuffs

@badthingshappenbingo | mutilation

@buckybarnesevents

alpha bucky april | breeding kink + purring + double minimum requirement babb 2023 | failed mission [april prompt] babb 2023 [babb060] | held down connect 4 [c4013] | c1: sex slave

@catws-anniversary | theme: bucky barnes - metal arm

@deaddovekink

frisky february | drugged sex monsterfcking march | shapeshifting: transforming during sex

@eclipsingbingo | trail of blood

@fandom-free-bingo: valentine’s edition | aphrodisiac, bound

@hurtcember | forced

@julybreakbingo: post-july | sex pollen

@kinky-things-happen | transformation

@marvel-smash-bingo | forced orgasm

@mcukinkbingo: open round | torture

@multifandom-flash

omegaverse | forced mating round 2 [1028] | free space

scalding hot: consent issues bingo | non con body mod: extra fuck holes

@sebastianstanbingo | sex slave

@stuckybingo [5080] | kink: breeding

@stuckygeekevents: stucky geek bingo | captivity, kidnapped

@yearoftheotpevent | april: canon divergence

read: ao3 | ffn | sqwa

mini playlist

26 notes · View notes

thatmexisaurusrex · 6 months

Note

Hi! For the would you rather game: 2. Quit pining or shameless flirting?

2. Quiet pining or shameless flirting?

Thank you for the would you rather, cee 😆 here's a fic. Enjoy! 🥰

***

Shameless Flirting

Bucky couldn't stop staring. Staring into his eyes. Gorgeous brown eyes gazing up at Bucky as he -

Where.

Where was Bucky again?

Why was he on the hood of a car?

Were people screaming?

Bucky couldn't focus on any of that. He needed to say something, anything, to the hunk of heartbreak in front of him.

"Are you my appendix? I don’t know what you do or how you work, but I feel like I should take you out," Bucky somehow allowed himself to say, and were his words muffled?

Was Bucky wearing a muzzle? Talk about first impressions. The handsomest dreamboat ever seemed to take the flirtation well, somehow. Blinked a few times.

"Excuse me?" asked the swoony fella, a little stunned.

"If you were a vegetable, you would be a cutecumber," said Bucky.

Bucky.

Somehow said that. The words came from his mouth. But then again, the corny line seemed to be doing something as the cute cookie fidgeted.

"Thanks, I guess," said the heaven-sent fella, and was that a gap-toothed smile?

Could this man get any more beautiful?

"Oh my god Sam, he is holding your steering wheel," said - was that Stevie?

Bucky grimaced.

Of course Stevie was ruining the vibe he had going with this glad lad, this - Sam?

Wait, was Bucky holding a steering wheel? Huh. So he was.

"He was trying to crash the car," Stevie continued before he added quieter, "And I was the first one to take you out on a date."

"Stevie, you just have to face it that sometimes, people go on dates with people you've dated," said Bucky coolly as he... put the steering wheel back where it belonged and turned back to Sam, "Do you believe in love at first sight—or should I walk by again?"

Bucky reached out a - fingerless gloved hand? What was Bucky even wearing? Sam took the hand, though. Bucky tried to kiss Sam's hand before he remembered the muzzle.

"Walk by? You mean crashed into the windshield?" asked Stevie, exasperated.

Bucky waved Stevie's annoyance off. Stevie snoozed, he lost. No need to feel butthurt over this.

Bucky might have broken a little more of the window, though, as he felt a car crash into the back of the car he was currently riding the hood of.

"If you're going to keep flirting, just join us in the car already!" yelled the redhead in the back as she swiftly reorganized the car so that she was driving and Sam and Bucky were in the back, "We need to get off this freeway!"

Something was definitely going on. Bucky wasn't sure what, but he was glad he was in the back of the car with Sam.

Sam.

Smiling at Bucky as he figured out how to get the muzzle off him.

"I'm Sam Wilson," said Sam as he set the muzzle down.

"Bucky Barnes," said Bucky as he finally kissed Sam's hand like a smooth gentleman.

That was.

Before mood ruiner Stevie turned and yelled, "Holy fuck, Bucky, you're alive?!"

***

send me one of these would you rather and I'll make a lil SamBucky micro fic

#sambucky #sam wilson #bucky barnes #sambucky fic #catws #steve rogers #natasha romanoff #crack treated seriously #canon divergence #meet cute #meet ugly #shameless flirting #ceeeee ✨

26 notes · View notes

mandyyvibes · 1 month

Text

For Reasons Wretched and Divine

Chapter 2: Work Song

“What makes you happy?”

“I don’t know,” Steve answered honestly.

“But you feel like you have to keep fighting. To make up for not being able to save Bucky.”

@catws-anniversary

#CATWS10 #marvel #winter soldier #fandom even #captain america the winter soldier #catws #ao3 #ao3 author #samsteve #stucky #clintasha #polyavengers #canon divergence #steve rogers #steve rogers fanfiction #stucky fanfiction

14 notes · View notes

5ummit · 1 year

Text

Post-CATWS Winterbones Fic Recs

I truly never could've predicted the incredible influx of amazing winterbones fics over the past year or so, and I especially couldn’t have predicted the rise of an almost entirely new winterbones genre – Bucky choosing to return to his abuser Rumlow of his own free will – in the year of our lord 2022. Previously I said I wasn’t going to make a separate winterbones rec list, since most of my favs were already on my HTP rec list, but this delicious new HTP-adjacent genre really deserves its own collection.

Pretty much everything on this list will be some flavor of Bucky relapsing post-CATWS. While many of these fics may not be strictly considered HTP by some standards, rest assured they're still plenty trashy and Rumlow is still a Very Bad Man. If you’re looking for actual good guy Rumlow and tender handholding, look elsewhere.

Since Steve’s abandonment of Bucky in Endgame was undeniably a major catalyst for this genre and many of these fics were written in direct response to that event, I’ve split the list into two categories: fics that are canon compliant with and/or directly address the fallout of Endgame (some of which are NOT compliant with TFATWS) and fics that clearly diverge from canon before Endgame. I’ve also made note of any fics that feature The Gun, an intriguing bit of winterbones canon I recently discovered that's already made its way into multiple fics, much to my delight.

Blanket warnings for dubcon, unhealthy dynamics, violence, psychological abuse, victim blaming, non-negotiated kink, and dehumanization. Any significant additional pairings or kinks/tropes not covered by the blanket warning will be noted to the best of my ability, but please read all tags very carefully!

- - - - - - -

Endgame Compliant

Old Faces in New Places by SubverbalDreams Words: 44,600 Additional pairings: Steve/Bucky, Zemo/Bucky, Hydra Agents/Bucky Notes: noncon, whipping, torture, voyeurism

“The fuck do you want.”

That voice. A hundred, thousand dreams. Bucky’s lower half turns to water and he forgets how to speak for a minute.

“What, jaw ain’t workin’ after you been suckin’ off Wilson all this time?” Rumlow asks in a flat tone. “Fuck off, cyborg. Go back to your new handler.”

Something Broken [series] by Exorin Words: 23,350 Notes: The Gun, gunplay, object insertion, erectile dysfunction

"Oh now," Rumlow breathes, sounding just as caught off guard as Bucky feels - the other man’s deep amber eyes flicker from Bucky's face down to the gun in his hand, lingering there long enough that Bucky wants to let the weapon clatter to the concrete floor between them and turn tail to run.

Brock nods toward the gun in Bucky’s hand—the custom SIG Sauer P226 SCT.

"That mine, sweetheart?"

Crying Wolf by sparklingbinjuice Words: 9400 Notes: The Gun, gunplay

“You’re dead,” he says again, the words now more doubtful than decisive. The Commander Rumlow tilts his head, lips twitching into a twisted smirk. He looks vaguely amused.

“Well, that ain’t no way to greet an old friend.”

Untitled by barb-aricyawp Words: 350 Notes: caning

Rumlow opens the door. Without even really looking at Bucky he says, “You again.”

Bucky can’t meet his eye as he asks, “Can you do it?” And then, because Rumlow will make him say it anyway, he grits out, “Please?”

Until the blood runs clear by darthpumpkinspice Words: 4430 Additional pairings: OMCs/Bucky

Bucky shudders, disgusted with his own selfishness, furious at even contemplating the thought of finding a girl to play house with, some innocent woman he’d inevitably ruin.

He reopens the app, inhales a deep, steadying breath. Goes to his settings, selects “men only”.

He knows what he’s good for.

Make the call and take it all (again) by itallstartedwithdefenestration Words: 13,240

“I—” Bucky began, and Rumlow held up one hand: be quiet. Bucky shut his mouth instantly, without thinking about it. He remembered in Selby’s bar, how easy it had been to do things without thinking about them. To do them because he knew it was required of him, to have no will of his own, no power—

“You didn’t come find me for the first time in almost a fuckin’ decade to ask me about a serum,” Rumlow said.

Turn soonest to the sea by itallstartedwithdefenestration Words: 7040 Notes: The Gun, gunplay

His memory glitches. But he knows this gun. He knows that he knows it, in the same way he knows his functions, his languages, his directives. He picks the gun up; feels its weight in his hand (he does not trust himself to hold it with the flesh hand, which is still malfunctioning). He doesn’t know why the Commander’s gun is on the floor here when the Commander himself is not in the room.

(Heart rate increase: three bpm.)

Thoughtless Familiarity by sirtrash Words: 1750 Notes: CNC, gunplay

“I’m not going to tell you again, let’s go, soldier,” the commander said and the soldier had no choice but to obey now.

The soldier was not allowed to fight back.

A Certain Romance [series] by Exorin Words: 10,390 Notes: exhibitionism

“Ah-ah, no, not you Baron,” Selby says with a grin that shows too many teeth for Bucky’s comfort - she snaps her fingers and he straightens his posture, his spine going rigid as one of her bodyguards steps forward from the circle of heavily armed men around them; the other man moves to stand beside the couch, his darkened eyes the only part of his face that Bucky can see, the rest of it covered with a full black mask, “I think he’ll do nicely, don't you?”

The man's eyes are a deep amber; the colour of them make Bucky’s shoulders go instinctively tense.

His Vice by LadyLetterR Words: 3000 Notes: infidelity (briefly mentioned)

It had been a bad idea, letting him pay for his drinks, one after the other and it had been a terrible idea to follow after him, no, walk with him, to the motel on the corner in which he was apparently renting a room, closing the door behind the two of them.

It had been the worst possible idea to let himself be pushed onto Rumlow’s bed.

You’ve always known by Exorin Words: 750

The soldier finds his way back to Rumlow’s doorstep just under three months after Steve – tears-in-his-eyes, ‘what did you say about Bucky’ – Rogers finally fucks off and leaves his buddy alone for real and not just through neglect and indifference and his own stupid inability to actually help in the way that Rumlow knows the asset needs.

Good fucking riddance.

- - - - - - -

Pre-Endgame Canon Divergence

You held my hand and pulled me down (with you) [series] by itallstartedwithdefenestration Words: 127,000 Additional pairings: Steve/Bucky Notes: prong collar, whipping, waterboarding, infidelity

Assets were not built to make their own decisions. Secretary Pierce had been quite clear on that point, and the Commander was too. Sometimes, when the asset answered to that other name, he could pretend (convincingly) that he thought like Steve, and Steve’s friends: he wasn’t an asset at all, but a person, and was therefore allowed and even encouraged to make his own decisions. But it wasn’t the truth. It would never be the truth.

The Handler by SubverbalDreams Words: 39,850 (Incomplete) Notes: eating disorders, exhibitionism/voyeurism

“I’m—” can’t say ‘functional’, Steve HATES that word now “—feeling okay. I’m okay, S—Steve.” The asset’s heart is tripping over itself in an unsteady rhythm. He’d almost said ‘Sir’, another of Steve’s new forbidden words. He keeps changing the rules. Nothing means what it used to. Steve is the only one who could make this safe, but he doesn’t.

He doesn’t.

'Til the end of the line [series] by Exorin Words: 14,000 Additional pairings: Steve/Bucky Notes: Hydra sex tapes, voyeurism

"What is it?" Steve starts and Bucky wants to cry, wants to scream when the other man's thumb traces - too soft, always too soft - over his jugular before moving away to stroke across Bucky's cheek and then gently over his lower lip like the carefullest of caresses, "I'll give you anything you want."

You won't, is what Bucky wants to say.

You can’t.

Out with the new by seabone Words: 1780 Notes: daddy kink (minor)

Imagining the shock on Steve’s face soften into delight as he flips through each photograph and old sketch, now yellowing and fading but crystal clear in Steve and Bucky’s minds, Bucky almost, almost, overlooks the unmistakable flash of leather-black hair. Sharp jaw, eyes a strange pinwheel of green and amber that Bucky always remembers as daybreak filtering into the woods, littering its gold across a pack of angry wolves. He almost does. But he doesn’t.

Our Share of Night by anonymous Words: 3300 (Incomplete) Additional pairings: Steve/Bucky Notes: infidelity

Bucky knocks at the door and that’s a statement, because he could easily break in or break it to pieces, or just enter through the window unseen. He’s not here as an intruder, though. Today he’s a petitioner.

Bucky equally expects Rumlow not to open the door at all, to shoot him right through it or to burst out and challenge him to a fight. Neither happens. The wood creaks as the door opens a gap, the scarred grimace of a familiar face studying him. If he’s surprised, he does not let it show.

Quis Pro Quo by fallbekind Words: 6280 Additional pairings: Steve/Bucky Notes: voyeurism

A ghost of a smile flashes over Bucky’s face, making Steve’s stomach toil, and then Rumlow leans in and licks slowly across his lips. Doesn’t kiss, doesn’t linger. Claims him like a kid would a cookie, letting everyone know they touched it and now no one else wants it. As if Rumlow knows Steve is right there, crouching, watching pathetically on the sidelines, while his- his- Bucky, is being ruined by someone else.

#you've heard of safe sane and consensual #now get ready for unsafe insane and dubiously consensual #winterbones #bucky barnes #brock rumlow #hydra trash party #marvel #fic recs

91 notes · View notes

postmodernmulticoloredcloak · 3 months

Text

Fic title and moodboard reveal~!

"Regarding nightmares, dreams and real things" soon to be published on ao3 by yours truly. Canon divergent after Bucky saves Steve from the river. Hurt/comfort. It's a WIP, but I am determined to finish it!

After the battle on the Potomac, Steve lies in a hospital bed half-delirious with pain and morphine, nightmare after nightmare playing in his mind, where he’s haunted by Bucky’s absence. But once he recovers, he has to face the reality of Bucky’s disappearance, struggling with doubts and hopes.

Yeah I'm posting post-CATWS fic in the year of the Lord 2024 🙌🏼

#stucky #stevebucky #stucky fic #stevebucky fic #steve rogers #bucky barnes #marvel fic #post catws fic #hurt/comfort #my fic

11 notes · View notes

booksandabeer · 3 months

Text

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

#stucky #stucky fic rec #stucky rec list #steve x bucky #stucky fic recs #steve x bucky fic rec #stevebucky fic rec #stucky fic #stevebucky #steve rogers fic rec #my recs

162 notes · View notes