Captain America/Avengers Recs!
Okay, we're gonna do this a little different. There's a firehose worth of new fic turning up related to Captain America. I have by no means read all of it and, in fact, there are a lot of great looking ones I haven't read, but there are some piling up that are tagged to be recced. Unfortunately, a lot times when I go to write the rec notes, my brain just produces <3! or <3!!!, and maybe *SWOONflail* or *crywhimper*. Thanks, brain, that's very helpful of you.
So these recs will be a bit steamlined and may or may not come with rec notes. If you're looking for fic to cover that itch the new movie brought on, I enjoyed all of these and think they're worth your time. They were not exclusively written post-movie, at least one is only tangentially related by virtue of the MCU, but they're all going behind a cut to cover my spoiler bases. I'll try to have the next set of recs out in a bit more timely fashion. :)
Note that titles in [ brackets ] are untitled (usually ficlets or images from Tumblr) and I've given them something for linking purposes. Usually generic, sometimes my creativity gets the better of me - blame me, not the author. Speaking of Tumblr, I know I'm missing a lot of great art flying around over there, but alas for data caps. My occasional reblogging is usually things that have been referenced elsewhere and I very rarely see my dashboard until the end of the month when I have some leftover bandwidth to burn. So if you know of anything great, feel free to link me!
.: Gen :.
Next New Message by
fabrega [Gen, PG-13, 1.461 words] "YOU HAVE THIRTY. SEVEN. NEW MESSAGES," Clint Barton's phone announces. That can't be good.
Rec Notes: Yeah, you have to read this one if you haven't already. Go on, follow the link. I'll just wait here. This is obviously the third extra scene for the movie that just wasn't aired. (It'll be on the DVD, right?)
[In Which Steve Asked For It] by
ifeelbetterer [Gen, PG, 315 words] "Please, you’re not that sneaky,” said Steve. Natasha and Bucky both froze in mid-step.
Rec Notes: Also, in which Sam is the smart one.
Five SHIELD Agents Who Don't Look For New Jobs by
psocoptera [Gen, PG, 853 words] Not everyone needs or wants new employment.
Rec Notes: All good, but the first is my favorite.
A Place to Lie Low by
ifeelbetter [Gen, PG-13, 580 words] Sam gets a reputation for being the dude with a place to lie low for on-the-run Avengers.
Rec Notes: Beautifully funny.
I Can Tell That We Are Going to Be Friends by
prettyasadiagram [Gen, PG, 2.667 words] It’s a good thing that Phil isn’t in New York right now, because at this point, Pepper is pretty sure that her first action upon seeing Phil would probably be to kill him again. (Or, how Pepper goes from ignoring Agent Coulson to being his friend.)
Rec Notes: Fantastic Pepper POV on Phil stretching from Iron Man I all the way through the present.
and my feet stuttering to make a path by
defcontwo [Gen, PG, 1.770 words] "Who do you want me to be?" Stop. Pause. It's the wrong question.
Rec Notes: Natasha. Yes.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by
igrockspock [Gen, PG, 744 words] Maria Hill's definition of "job interview" is different from other people's.
The Dawn of That Last Great Day by
ignipes [Gen, PG-13, 13.845 words] The Winter Soldier has a mission: kill Captain America.
Art: [Steve and Bucky Gifset] by
memoryrecovery [Gen, PG] Wipe him.
Rec Notes: 4 painful gifs of first Steve disappearing from Bucky's memories, then Bucky disappearing into darkness. Rating: OUCH.
.: Assorted Pairings :.
Dad's Got Skeletons by
kehinki [Steve/Howard (...? *g*), PG-13, 3.906 words] “To think he became a dad-your dad. A daddy.” He looked up sharply and saw that Steve’s smile had twisted a little bit, pulled up at one corner like a smirk, except no, Captain America did not smirk. “You know, it’s funny. I called him daddy once too.”
Rec Notes: In which Steve Rogers is up to the challenge of Tony Stark in the asshole sweepstakes. I had to cover my mouth to muffle the quiet gasps of laughter more than once.
Take Aim and Show Me What You Know by
withthepilot [Clint/Natasha, NC-17, 1.884 words] Belgrade is colder than Natasha remembers it. The winter drags on and seems to follow her wherever she goes, in more ways than one. It’s been years since she’s been here-the only safe house she has left that’s still erect and not sanctioned by S.H.I.E.L.D. She’ll eat her scarf if Clint’s not already here.
Mabuhay by
InitialA [Steve/Natasha, PG, 1.714 words] In which Steve and Natasha meet up in the Philippines, and find they've both gotten more courageous because of each other.
Closer to Flying by
Odsbodkins [Steve/Sam, R, 2.405 words] Sam Wilson had thought he had excellent gaydar. The sort of neighborhood he grew up in, then the military, a near-flawless gaydar was a survival essential. He was going to have to revise it to “has excellent gaydar in person”. Because he had never had the slightest inkling that Captain America might be gay.
On Your Right by
thingswithwings [Steve/Sam, PG-13, 5.569 words] Missing scenes from the movie.
Rec Notes: Between Steve waking up and the final scene.
A Bureaucratic Nightmare by
Mikey [Clint/Phil, R, 23.931 words] As a child, Phil Coulson was vaccinated against whooping cough. In one version of the story, the vaccination held and he went on to become Agent Coulson, SHIELD bad-ass and Avengers liaison. In another, though, he was one of the few the vaccine doesn't protect and he nearly died when he was ten, suffering permanent lung damage and recurrent asthma. This is the story of what happened after that.
Rec Notes: This one is really amazing. It's how Coulson ended up being Coulson even if he took an alternate route on the way.
.: Steve/Bucky :.
(Note: A lot of these are "Steve/Bucky" by authorial intent rather than content.)
Surrender this Skin by
rhombus [Steve/Bucky, PG-13, 711 words] No one asks him how he lost [his shield]. He can tell Natasha wants to. Or he thinks he can. It's possible that the half-tilt of her mouth means she already knows.
Young Hearts, Out Our Minds by
junko [Steve/Bucky, PG-13, 2.144 words] Bucky posts a selfie of the two of them in bed to his instagram. He hashtags it #goodmorningamerica. Sam Wilson and Pepper Potts retweet it to their twitter accounts.
Rec Notes: Scenes from a life; sweetness and light.
but diamonds are only carbon by
postcardmystery [Steve/Bucky (Gen-ish), PG-13, 960 words] The blond man’s smile slips between his ribs like a knife. He does not say wake up. Time is not fluid here, merely eternal, a serpent swallowing its own tail. His left ring finger twitches. He does not remember, but he does not forget.
Excerpt:“Who the hell is Bucky,” he says, and breaks his own programming without even realising.
“But I knew him,” he says, and red numbers flash, warning, panicked, in his vision, and a broken toy is a useless toy, but he knew he him, he did, he did.
“You’re my mission,” he says--
--and both redemption and damnation, they start with a fall.
Soft Spot for the Hell Raisin' Boy by
ifeelbetter [Steve/Bucky, PG-13, 1.957 words] The Winter Soldier takes an interest in Sam Wilson. Bucky Barnes wants to tell him how to be Steve Rogers's best friend.
Hold Me Tight by
hollimichele [Steve/Bucky, R, 11.116 words] In the old days, before the war, Steve got cold at night. That was all it was, at first.
and it starts just where the light exists by
caughtinanocean [Steve/Bucky, R, 3.493 words] In which Bucky can't admit the things he needs, but Steve knows them anyway, and Steve and Bucky are definitely a couple, even if they don't know it. “Steve, you don't gotta-” Bucky tries to say, when he's ten days out of SHIELD custody, and the dark circles under his eyes make it look like he hasn't slept since he was last sedated. It's probably close to the truth.
(You're My) Phantom Limb by
verizonhorizon [Steve/Bucky, PG, 1.036 words] Steve gets another hospital visitor, this one after visiting hours are over. The thread begins to pull itself.
Snow is Falling (Like Forgiveness from the Sky) by
torakowalski [Steve/Bucky, PG-13, 3.301 words] Steve wakes up cold. Steve almost always wakes up cold, though, so it takes him a couple minutes to realise that this time it’s not just him, this time, the whole room is freezing.
but the fires are coming by
stitchingatthecircuitboard [Steve/Bucky, PG-13, 4.003 words] He does not remember, except that is better than being made to forget, again, and again, and again. He does not go to Brooklyn.
Source Decay by
psikeval [Steve/Bucky, PG-13, 1.633 words] Slowly, and never quite the way Steve imagined, Bucky comes home.
this is a back alley by
Febricant [Steve/Bucky, R, 14.289 words] Here is the only thing you know: the body remembers.
Crossposted to Dreamwidth where there are
comments. Comment here or there. ♥ Blue :)
So these recs will be a bit steamlined and may or may not come with rec notes. If you're looking for fic to cover that itch the new movie brought on, I enjoyed all of these and think they're worth your time. They were not exclusively written post-movie, at least one is only tangentially related by virtue of the MCU, but they're all going behind a cut to cover my spoiler bases. I'll try to have the next set of recs out in a bit more timely fashion. :)
Note that titles in [ brackets ] are untitled (usually ficlets or images from Tumblr) and I've given them something for linking purposes. Usually generic, sometimes my creativity gets the better of me - blame me, not the author. Speaking of Tumblr, I know I'm missing a lot of great art flying around over there, but alas for data caps. My occasional reblogging is usually things that have been referenced elsewhere and I very rarely see my dashboard until the end of the month when I have some leftover bandwidth to burn. So if you know of anything great, feel free to link me!
.: Gen :.
Next New Message by
fabrega [Gen, PG-13, 1.461 words] "YOU HAVE THIRTY. SEVEN. NEW MESSAGES," Clint Barton's phone announces. That can't be good.
Rec Notes: Yeah, you have to read this one if you haven't already. Go on, follow the link. I'll just wait here. This is obviously the third extra scene for the movie that just wasn't aired. (It'll be on the DVD, right?)
[In Which Steve Asked For It] by
ifeelbetterer [Gen, PG, 315 words] "Please, you’re not that sneaky,” said Steve. Natasha and Bucky both froze in mid-step.
Rec Notes: Also, in which Sam is the smart one.
Five SHIELD Agents Who Don't Look For New Jobs by
psocoptera [Gen, PG, 853 words] Not everyone needs or wants new employment.
Rec Notes: All good, but the first is my favorite.
A Place to Lie Low by
ifeelbetter [Gen, PG-13, 580 words] Sam gets a reputation for being the dude with a place to lie low for on-the-run Avengers.
Rec Notes: Beautifully funny.
I Can Tell That We Are Going to Be Friends by
prettyasadiagram [Gen, PG, 2.667 words] It’s a good thing that Phil isn’t in New York right now, because at this point, Pepper is pretty sure that her first action upon seeing Phil would probably be to kill him again. (Or, how Pepper goes from ignoring Agent Coulson to being his friend.)
Rec Notes: Fantastic Pepper POV on Phil stretching from Iron Man I all the way through the present.
and my feet stuttering to make a path by
defcontwo [Gen, PG, 1.770 words] "Who do you want me to be?" Stop. Pause. It's the wrong question.
Rec Notes: Natasha. Yes.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by
igrockspock [Gen, PG, 744 words] Maria Hill's definition of "job interview" is different from other people's.
The Dawn of That Last Great Day by
ignipes [Gen, PG-13, 13.845 words] The Winter Soldier has a mission: kill Captain America.
Art: [Steve and Bucky Gifset] by
memoryrecovery [Gen, PG] Wipe him.
Rec Notes: 4 painful gifs of first Steve disappearing from Bucky's memories, then Bucky disappearing into darkness. Rating: OUCH.
.: Assorted Pairings :.
Dad's Got Skeletons by
kehinki [Steve/Howard (...? *g*), PG-13, 3.906 words] “To think he became a dad-your dad. A daddy.” He looked up sharply and saw that Steve’s smile had twisted a little bit, pulled up at one corner like a smirk, except no, Captain America did not smirk. “You know, it’s funny. I called him daddy once too.”
Rec Notes: In which Steve Rogers is up to the challenge of Tony Stark in the asshole sweepstakes. I had to cover my mouth to muffle the quiet gasps of laughter more than once.
Take Aim and Show Me What You Know by
withthepilot [Clint/Natasha, NC-17, 1.884 words] Belgrade is colder than Natasha remembers it. The winter drags on and seems to follow her wherever she goes, in more ways than one. It’s been years since she’s been here-the only safe house she has left that’s still erect and not sanctioned by S.H.I.E.L.D. She’ll eat her scarf if Clint’s not already here.
Mabuhay by
InitialA [Steve/Natasha, PG, 1.714 words] In which Steve and Natasha meet up in the Philippines, and find they've both gotten more courageous because of each other.
Closer to Flying by
Odsbodkins [Steve/Sam, R, 2.405 words] Sam Wilson had thought he had excellent gaydar. The sort of neighborhood he grew up in, then the military, a near-flawless gaydar was a survival essential. He was going to have to revise it to “has excellent gaydar in person”. Because he had never had the slightest inkling that Captain America might be gay.
On Your Right by
thingswithwings [Steve/Sam, PG-13, 5.569 words] Missing scenes from the movie.
Rec Notes: Between Steve waking up and the final scene.
A Bureaucratic Nightmare by
Mikey [Clint/Phil, R, 23.931 words] As a child, Phil Coulson was vaccinated against whooping cough. In one version of the story, the vaccination held and he went on to become Agent Coulson, SHIELD bad-ass and Avengers liaison. In another, though, he was one of the few the vaccine doesn't protect and he nearly died when he was ten, suffering permanent lung damage and recurrent asthma. This is the story of what happened after that.
Rec Notes: This one is really amazing. It's how Coulson ended up being Coulson even if he took an alternate route on the way.
.: Steve/Bucky :.
(Note: A lot of these are "Steve/Bucky" by authorial intent rather than content.)
Surrender this Skin by
rhombus [Steve/Bucky, PG-13, 711 words] No one asks him how he lost [his shield]. He can tell Natasha wants to. Or he thinks he can. It's possible that the half-tilt of her mouth means she already knows.
Young Hearts, Out Our Minds by
junko [Steve/Bucky, PG-13, 2.144 words] Bucky posts a selfie of the two of them in bed to his instagram. He hashtags it #goodmorningamerica. Sam Wilson and Pepper Potts retweet it to their twitter accounts.
Rec Notes: Scenes from a life; sweetness and light.
but diamonds are only carbon by
postcardmystery [Steve/Bucky (Gen-ish), PG-13, 960 words] The blond man’s smile slips between his ribs like a knife. He does not say wake up. Time is not fluid here, merely eternal, a serpent swallowing its own tail. His left ring finger twitches. He does not remember, but he does not forget.
Excerpt:“Who the hell is Bucky,” he says, and breaks his own programming without even realising.
“But I knew him,” he says, and red numbers flash, warning, panicked, in his vision, and a broken toy is a useless toy, but he knew he him, he did, he did.
“You’re my mission,” he says--
--and both redemption and damnation, they start with a fall.
Soft Spot for the Hell Raisin' Boy by
ifeelbetter [Steve/Bucky, PG-13, 1.957 words] The Winter Soldier takes an interest in Sam Wilson. Bucky Barnes wants to tell him how to be Steve Rogers's best friend.
Hold Me Tight by
hollimichele [Steve/Bucky, R, 11.116 words] In the old days, before the war, Steve got cold at night. That was all it was, at first.
and it starts just where the light exists by
caughtinanocean [Steve/Bucky, R, 3.493 words] In which Bucky can't admit the things he needs, but Steve knows them anyway, and Steve and Bucky are definitely a couple, even if they don't know it. “Steve, you don't gotta-” Bucky tries to say, when he's ten days out of SHIELD custody, and the dark circles under his eyes make it look like he hasn't slept since he was last sedated. It's probably close to the truth.
(You're My) Phantom Limb by
verizonhorizon [Steve/Bucky, PG, 1.036 words] Steve gets another hospital visitor, this one after visiting hours are over. The thread begins to pull itself.
Snow is Falling (Like Forgiveness from the Sky) by
torakowalski [Steve/Bucky, PG-13, 3.301 words] Steve wakes up cold. Steve almost always wakes up cold, though, so it takes him a couple minutes to realise that this time it’s not just him, this time, the whole room is freezing.
but the fires are coming by
stitchingatthecircuitboard [Steve/Bucky, PG-13, 4.003 words] He does not remember, except that is better than being made to forget, again, and again, and again. He does not go to Brooklyn.
Source Decay by
psikeval [Steve/Bucky, PG-13, 1.633 words] Slowly, and never quite the way Steve imagined, Bucky comes home.
this is a back alley by
Febricant [Steve/Bucky, R, 14.289 words] Here is the only thing you know: the body remembers.
Crossposted to Dreamwidth where there are
comments. Comment here or there. ♥ Blue :)