Not Meta: The Avengers Sex Addicts AU
Because I have a cold and started watching Thanks for Sharing and all I saw was Bruce Banner and Pepper Potts.
So obviously Tony is the old AA vet who has worked hard to get clean and is deeply cynical and demanding of those around him because he wants to stay that way. Bruce is his mentee who he's worked with several years, but Bruce still calls him whenever he's afraid he's gonna slide and Tony talks him down.
Clint just got fired from his job and has a breakdown in meeting. Natasha approaches him after and praises his honesty. They call each other when they struggle and likewise freak out about being attracted to each other because what's real and what's the addiction and what's easy and where does forgiveness begin and end?
Thor is good-humored and speaks softly at each meeting. Everytime he gets a new chip he beams like the sun. Then one day he comes in, haggard and in borrowed clothes, and says he fucked up and his fiance Jane has left him and what's he going to do now?
And then there's Steve. He doesn't talk in meeting. Sam doesn't want to push, not when there's Tony and Bruce to be even keels while Clint and Natasha are on edge, but at the same time, why IS Steve there? They flirt a little, Steve coming on strong at the breaks, and Sam is so, SO tempted, but that is ALL KINDS OF OFF-LIMITS, but they go to the same coffeeshop and sometimes they end up sharing jogging routes and banter companionably. Steve is in training for freaking marathons and is all kinds of impressive, and Sam is all jelly because hot and charming and adorable, WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM WHAT.
And then comes the day Steve comes with this dark guy in tow, James Barnes, who mumbles and clearly struggles with just TALKING in front of the group, but gets through, and when he sits down again Steve puts his arm around him, and Sam is like, Oh good goddamn, that's what this is been, he's been scoping out the group to help his BOYFRIEND, Steve is so fucking MAGICAL and also TAKEN, FUCK.
But at break, Steve comes up to him and Sam talks about how pleased he is that Bucky came and is opening up, and Steve smiles and is like, yeah, he's so proud too. And Sam's like, "You must love him very much to do this for him," and Steve nods and looks sheepish and says he does, and Sam is totally dying on the inside but is so careful not to show it. And without skipping a beat Steve is like, "So do you want to maybe go out for dinner Friday?" And Sam glances between Steve and Bucky, eyes wide, and is like, "Um, I'm flattered, but--no, I can't do that," and Steve looks like a kicked puppy and FUCK.
Sam rolls in his misery for weeks. He's pathetic. On the one hand, he has his life together, on the other hand, he hasn't had anyone in his life that meant anything aside from Riley, and he helps as much as he can at the clinic and at the meetings, but fuck, who can help him?
He watches porn and sees nothing but Steve.
Anyway, eventually after meeting one day Bucky comes up to him and is like, "Dude, what is your problem? do you not see how Steve is amazing and how into you he is?" and Sam is like, "I can't date someone who's in my program, God, I want to more than anything I AM SUCH A TERRIBLE PERSON FOR THINKING THAT BUT NO."
And Bucky is all, "YOU FUCKING IDIOT, STEVE IS CLEAN AND HE IS IN LOVE WITH YOU, THERE ARE NO PROBLEMS HERE, UNLESS YOU ARE A JERK, IN WHICH CASE YOU HAVE A BIG FUCKING PROBLEM HERE AND IT IS ME."
And that's how Sam and Steve started dating, not exactly with Bucky holding them in place and saying "Now kiss" but pretty damn close.
So obviously Tony is the old AA vet who has worked hard to get clean and is deeply cynical and demanding of those around him because he wants to stay that way. Bruce is his mentee who he's worked with several years, but Bruce still calls him whenever he's afraid he's gonna slide and Tony talks him down.
Clint just got fired from his job and has a breakdown in meeting. Natasha approaches him after and praises his honesty. They call each other when they struggle and likewise freak out about being attracted to each other because what's real and what's the addiction and what's easy and where does forgiveness begin and end?
Thor is good-humored and speaks softly at each meeting. Everytime he gets a new chip he beams like the sun. Then one day he comes in, haggard and in borrowed clothes, and says he fucked up and his fiance Jane has left him and what's he going to do now?
And then there's Steve. He doesn't talk in meeting. Sam doesn't want to push, not when there's Tony and Bruce to be even keels while Clint and Natasha are on edge, but at the same time, why IS Steve there? They flirt a little, Steve coming on strong at the breaks, and Sam is so, SO tempted, but that is ALL KINDS OF OFF-LIMITS, but they go to the same coffeeshop and sometimes they end up sharing jogging routes and banter companionably. Steve is in training for freaking marathons and is all kinds of impressive, and Sam is all jelly because hot and charming and adorable, WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM WHAT.
And then comes the day Steve comes with this dark guy in tow, James Barnes, who mumbles and clearly struggles with just TALKING in front of the group, but gets through, and when he sits down again Steve puts his arm around him, and Sam is like, Oh good goddamn, that's what this is been, he's been scoping out the group to help his BOYFRIEND, Steve is so fucking MAGICAL and also TAKEN, FUCK.
But at break, Steve comes up to him and Sam talks about how pleased he is that Bucky came and is opening up, and Steve smiles and is like, yeah, he's so proud too. And Sam's like, "You must love him very much to do this for him," and Steve nods and looks sheepish and says he does, and Sam is totally dying on the inside but is so careful not to show it. And without skipping a beat Steve is like, "So do you want to maybe go out for dinner Friday?" And Sam glances between Steve and Bucky, eyes wide, and is like, "Um, I'm flattered, but--no, I can't do that," and Steve looks like a kicked puppy and FUCK.
Sam rolls in his misery for weeks. He's pathetic. On the one hand, he has his life together, on the other hand, he hasn't had anyone in his life that meant anything aside from Riley, and he helps as much as he can at the clinic and at the meetings, but fuck, who can help him?
He watches porn and sees nothing but Steve.
Anyway, eventually after meeting one day Bucky comes up to him and is like, "Dude, what is your problem? do you not see how Steve is amazing and how into you he is?" and Sam is like, "I can't date someone who's in my program, God, I want to more than anything I AM SUCH A TERRIBLE PERSON FOR THINKING THAT BUT NO."
And Bucky is all, "YOU FUCKING IDIOT, STEVE IS CLEAN AND HE IS IN LOVE WITH YOU, THERE ARE NO PROBLEMS HERE, UNLESS YOU ARE A JERK, IN WHICH CASE YOU HAVE A BIG FUCKING PROBLEM HERE AND IT IS ME."
And that's how Sam and Steve started dating, not exactly with Bucky holding them in place and saying "Now kiss" but pretty damn close.