#also trying to workshop their tag/title/ship name

[thats-a-lot-of-cortisol]

Behind every great warrior woman is another woman who is choosing kindness. For now.

[tisfan]

Black Thumb, Green Wallet

Title: Black Thumb / Green Wallet Collaborator Name: @tisfan Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25019287 Square Filled: O3: “Why do I even Bother?” Ship/Main Pairing: Bucky/Tony Rating: teen Major Tags & Triggers: none Summary: Tony doesn’t know anything about plants. Bucky-- has no idea who this crazy guy is, but he has a cute butt and is willing to help out. Guess gardening 101 is in session Word Count: 1397 For @monobuu For @starkbucksbingo 

“Why do I even bother,” Tony said, looking disgusted. The plants, which had been bright and cheerful a few days before were limp, drooping, and one of them had turned black. He wasn’t sure which one was more pathetic, the dead one or the one where all the leaves had fallen off.

It wouldn’t be so bad, really, except that Pepper had given him the plants, specifically for his birthday. And she and her husband Happy were coming to visit for the fourth of July weekend. Tony’s balcony had a good view of the fireworks and they could drink and eat without being surrounded by people. 

It had been a while since Tony had seen her in person, really. The plants had been part of some delivery system, and Tony had watered them and put them in the windowsill.

He thought he’d even managed to water them more than once.

Probably. He thought.

Pepper wouldn’t say anything if she didn’t see the plants. She wouldn’t. She wasn’t that kind of person. But she would look around for them, and then for just a second, her eyebrows would get that little wrinkle and Tony would know she was disappointed in him, once again.

There were so many people who were disappointed in Tony on such a regular basis, it was hard to admit to disappointing Pepper.

“Fine,” he exploded at the empty air. “Fine.” He gathered up the little stakes from the plants that told him what they all were. There had to be someone at the nursery -- he was pretty sure that garden shops were called nurseries. Maybe they were called nunneries. Now he couldn’t remember, damnit. -- that knew enough to get him at least replacement plants and he could pretend everything was fine.

Like when he was eight and his mom forgot to tell the maids to feed the goldfish while they were on vacation, and she had them replaced with new fish. Like he wouldn’t notice.

Well, Pepper at least hadn’t seen the plants. 

Had she? He thumbed through his texts and emails to her to see if he’d mailed any photographs. And no, he hadn’t. Except for one, but maybe he could tell her he’d had to repot that plant.

Probably.

Right?

Jesus, he was in trouble.

*

“Hey, hey, excuse me,” someone said. Bucky, who was staring into the endless depths of the delivery truck and knowing for a fact that Quill was slacking somewhere in the back with his headphones in, sighed. He was the only employee out in the nursery, which was usually fine, but then someone had to go and want to know why the begonias weren’t on sale. 

Lady, I don’t make policy around here.

Can you carry this to my car? No.

Would you-- No.

Bucky didn’t bother to answer. He laid another flat of pansies on the handtruck and started wheeling it down the truck’s ramp. If he didn’t get the plants unloaded by the time the driver got back, the driver would leave, half the flowers undelivered, and then there’d be hell to pay.

“Hi, yes,” the guy said as Bucky rolled the flat down the ramp. “So, I looked around and there’s no one else here, and I hate to bother you--”

Bucky gave the guy his thousand yard stare, but it didn’t seem to have any effect. Right. “How can I help you, sir?”

“So, like, I don’t know anything about plants--” 

Oh, Christ.

“Neither do I,” Bucky lied. He was, in fact, a master gardener, and he’d convinced the owner of Hydra Hardware to add on the nursery, but it also meant he was extremely overworked. “I just pick up heavy things and put them down. I gotta unload this truck, man.”

“If I help you unload, will you answer some questions?”

What?

Bucky looked the guy over; he was wearing painted on jeans and a ratty band t-shirt that showed off biceps for days. Did a very slow pan and scan, and even added in a little twirl of his finger. He wasn’t quite sure if he was trying to embarrass the guy, or what, but holy crow, the rear view was really, really nice.

“Don’t suppose you have better shoes than that out in your car,” Bucky said,

“Huh?”

“You’re wearing keds. If you drop something on your foot, you’ll break a toe, and I don’t want to get sued for that.”

“Wha-- oh, you know, I have steel-toed boots in the trunk, if I get them, and help you, will you answer some questions about plants?”

“Sure, why not.”

Because Bucky was almost positive that the guy did not have work boots in his car, probably some doc martin knock offs, which were great for working a shift behind the counter at the coffee shop, but still weren’t up for dropping a flat on your foot.

“Great, you’ve saved my life, sunshine,” the guy said, and dashed off. He actually ran pretty fast, Bucky noted. 

Well, stranger things had happened, but Bucky couldn’t remember when. He shook his head and got back to work. He’d almost forgotten about the guy when he came back, wearing black boots and a baseball hat. “Huh, are those mining boots?” 

“Matterhorns,” the man said. “I do a lot of workshop stuff-- rebuilding engines and stuff. Got tired of replacing my boots every three months.”

“Huh, okay, then. I gotta get all these flats off the truck in the next thirty minutes. You know how to operate a hand truck, or you just want to load, an’ I’ll take them down the ramp?”

“I got this,” the man said, and he pulled out a pair of work gloves, and got down to it. Nice. Bucky’d probably get fired if Pierce came out and saw him putting a customer to work, but Pierce didn’t come out of the back office all that often. “My name’s Tony, by the way.”

“Bucky--” Bucky displayed his employee name tag. “Nice to meet you.”

The guy was strong, shifting the plants as if he did more to get those muscles than go to the gym. Gym rats couldn’t pick up shit, they knew how to lift a weight bar, but not how to pick up one side of a washing machine without throwing their back out.

“So, what’s your boggle?” Bucky asked after most of the flats were unloaded. “Bring those with you, I gotta rack ‘em.”

“So, one of my friends got me some plants to liven up my condo,” Tony said. “And-- I’m not so good with plants, and they all died.”

“Happens,” Bucky said, philosophically. “What plants?”

Tony handed him a bunch of plant stake labels. 

“Uh-huh,” Bucky said. “And what did you do with them?”

“Put them in the windowsill and watered them every few days,” Tony said, crossing his heart like Bucky wouldn’t believe him.

“Okay, well, first off, some of these need more light than that, and some need less, and this one doesn’t need to be watered all that often.”

“So, you can help me?”

“Depends,” Bucky said. “If you want replacements so your lady friend won’t sneer at you and you might get laid--”

“Pepper is a friend’s wife,” Tony said, grumpily. “And I don’t date women anyway. I’m a failure as one of those sitcom type gays, though. I don’t keep my house clean, I’m only a snazzy dresser if I have someone else picking out my wardrobe, and I don’t know the first thing about interior decorating. Queer Eye would completely disown me.”

“No, Queer Eye would help you,” Bucky said, grinning. “But I guess we can go with Queer Eye for the Plant Guy. Look, you tell me what kind of lifestyle you’ve got and what you want your plants to do-- not what Pepper thinks you should have, and I’ll help you get all set up, and teach you how to take care of them. I can give you some good website resources, too.”

“Yeah?”

“Sure can,” Bucky said. He waved at the truck driver as Kurt packed up and pulled out. “Look, it’s my break now, come on, we can talk while I eat.”

“Buy you a cup of coffee and a danish?” Tony jerked a thumb at the bakery across the street. “And you can teach me all your planty secrets?”

“Sounds good to me,” Bucky said.

[popculturebuffet]

The Loud House Reviews: The Cow-Pie Kid and Saved by the Spell

Welcome back Loudiacs.. I .. don’t know what the fandom calls themselves. And given I dont’ know anyone personally in the fandom and the going into the tag is like living in a living nightmare.. it’s easier to keep workshopping a name till either someone tells me or I find one that sounds right. Loudites.. there we go that didn’t take long. Point is we’re back in The Loud House, In The Loud House for the first regular coverage, i.e. when I cover a show as It comes out of the season. And I was lucky enough to actually see the episode same day this time and with a promo that at least gives me images to work with, so yeah, i’m pretty pumped. And not just because I can cross this one off because SOMEBODY has a birthday tommorow.. no not me, that was last month. 

There ya go. But yeah the show’s back. I’m excited, your excited, i’m scared because nick dosen’t give a clear schedule out ahead of time so i’m left wondering when one’s going to pop up and when to get it on my schedule now I have one... it’s a good time. Seriously though Nick needs to get their scheduling in order. So i’m happy to be back, your happy to have me here, but probably not happy to have spoilers so let’s take this under the cut and we can talk about cow pies, magic, and ... how this block is weirdly almost all lincoln episodes. 

The Cow-Pie Kid:  Yeah.. this was the only bit from cow pie kid I could find. Tons of stuff to mine from for saved by the spell. Nothing for that one. Weird.  Anyways our story opens with Lynn’s baseball team, who we’ve met before.. and include friends who have played other sports with her and that guy she had a crush on for all of five minutes because the writers kinda forgot L is for Love happened for anyone but Luna and Luann. 

Okay look MOST of the love intrests introduced there were not great and while Lincoln needs one NOW, at the time he really did not as the Ronnie Anne thing had not, and still has not, been properly resolved. Still vastly prefer him with Stella and her with Sid, i’m just saying closure would be nice.  Look i’m getting off topic point is one besides Sam, who was great out of the gate and not just for being gay.. though that was a lot of it, and Benny, whose objectively a really sweet kid and damn likeable. Luaggie shippers feel free to boo me, I understand.. dosen’t change my mind or the fact Poly exists to fix that. I mean why not both I ask you.  Besides them, we had Chazz, a loveable chubby guy who Leni was into and worked at clothing store and knew his fashion stuff. and was charmed by her romantic gesture. He just seemd sweet and it was implied via background stuff they were still dating.. but he hasnt’ shown up since despite her working AT the mall and that being her main arc for the last two seasons. 

Just why? What’s wrong with the chubby fashion boy? Why? Did they decide they had too many romance arcs.. at exactly two? I get focusing on sam, because duh, and because that was awesome.. but you’ve had 2 full seasons since then and again Leni and him now work in the same location if not the same store, which in itself is a plot. I don’t ask much from you show.. well okay I do but let me clarify I don’t ask much from you that you could actually do: I know i’m never getting my a diffrent world style spinoff with lori and bobby. I know Zach is going nowhere and i’m just going to have to get over it, I will not, but I DO know you could include chaz and just won’t. So do that at least. I will put up with several more seasons of Zach if it means this adorable love story continues. It’s even easy enough to pick up this late: they are both stupid. Work with that. Gah... coach if you’d please. 

Thanks coach. Okay so one tangent later we’re back to the episode. Point is her team is loosing even though Lynn’s the captain now, and while she’s perfectly encouraging it’s not winning games. Lynn is understandably dejected in the car not helped by the sports commentor guys from the game... commenting about it on the radio...

I mean.. I get sports can have dry spots and all that but who covers a middle school basketball team on the radio that isn’t the middle school radio station. I mean I genuinely can’t decide which is more sad... a radio personality doing a children’s baseball game on his own show, or having so much trouble getting one that he’s apperaing on the middle school radio show. And I COULD say it’s just a guest spot but he’s talking like he knows what’s going on intmatiley> Did his daughter ask him to? I mean I know radio’s fallen pretty far but I dind’t think it was that much in the basement. Do a podcast at least man. 

Okay before I go on another Tangent point is Lynn feels it’s her fault as Captain.. which granted whoever the coach is should be .. but it genuinely looks like they don’t HAVE a coach. Maybe they had to sack him to pay for the newly refrubished av department? I dunno. Point is she feels bad and Lynn Sr vows to cheer her up.. before stopping for farm fresh eggs. Which.. yeah can’t blame him. He’s a cook, and Liam’s family likely has good prices. He can buy for both home and restraunt at once. I mean he has a van and only one occupant at the moment. Don’t judge him.  But this little detour DOES help Lynn’s mood. Her problem is the team lacks a decent pitcher, since Lynn herself was banned for throwing one at a heckling goat. The Lawsuit is ongoing and that made me laugh a lot. But Lynn finds Happy Gilmore style that Liam.. has a really great arm. Granted instead of actuall balls it’s with cowpies because this series really loves a shit joke, hence the title and the new nickname for liam, the cow pie kid.. but compared to some of the series toilet humor it’s a lot less in your face. But with Liam being so good Lynn can’t help but sign him to the team and Liam being a sweetie pie is happy to agree.  I have.. not hid even for a second how much I liked Liam or wanted him, and Stella, to show up outside of Lincoln episodes more often, or even get his own again. That day.. has come. Not only does LIam now have a roll entirely outside his friend group, but this episode’s about him and Lynn together.. not in that way.. yet. Someday.. Point is my boy is in the spotlight and I could not be happier.   And thankfully.. Lynn’s at her best. What I feared would be an episode about her overtraining him and making him not enjoy the game, htat old chesnut instead.. she just genuinely helps mentor him. She’s tough but fair as she helps him get his aim right as he’s used to firing Cow Pie’s, so the weight distrbution is off. So she helps train him and .. it’s really cute honestly, with her genuinely helping him and showing a softer side and later realizing she had him thinking about it too hard and just having him not think.. and going by instinct naturally works for a carefree and easygoing guy like liam. Wouldn’t be suprised if he went ultra instinct eventually.. but that’s for another episode. They also have a pig pile together.. which sounds bad but is just pigs piling on liam and lynn gladly gets on top of the pigs and god that sounds worse. next scnee. 

So Liam gets ahead and becomes the star pitcher for the zanarkand abes.. I mean the Royal Woods Kangaroos, and they just keep wining and wining and wining. Their like glomgold: all they do is win... but probably with less attempted corpse dancing. Problem is as we see during the montage Liam’s arm is slowly but surley getting cramped and while he wins hte next game.. his arm gives out from noodle arm. The good news is with rest, he can fix it, as her injury prone friend Paula, whose somehow allowed to play with crutches despite ALL the legal and moral issues that raises explains. but they don’t have days to rest it. So insane plans it is!  So Lynn goes to her sisters for herlp..specifically lisa int he hopes her mad science can either fix his pain or turn him into the hulk. Neither happens.. yet. I mean LIam is so sweet if he IS a hulk, we won’t know yet. But the green door will.. it always knows. IT ALWAYS KNOWS.  Lynn bemonas her luck.. before Lucy appears!

I JUST said last month when reviewing 11 louds a leapin that I missed the duo of her and lynn and lo and behold here we are. While we dno’t get much of the two fo them, it is still nice to see Lynn suprised by her scares and Lucy trying to use the dark arts to heal his pain.. which actually works. Lucy’s upgraded from wants to be a witch to full witch. 

So yeah her dark magic works and now Liam is fine just fine as the championship game approaches. Until naturally it isn’t. While Lucy STOPPED the pain, she didn’t make anything better, just numbed it so Liam’s arm’s pretty bad and Lisa suggests there’s a 70 perfecnt chance he’ll wreck it if he does so.. and while Lynn is naturlaly, given one of her main traits is asshole, ready to risk that.. she realizes she can’t. Rusty is on her team following her orders.. and no matter how good a W feels.. she can’t trade in someone’s health for one. Honestly bettter than most sports managers ngl. So Paula subs in and misses, loosing them the game.. but Lynn. takes it in stride, having realized she can win next year and having finally realized what being the leader REALLY means. She can work on paula’s curve, give Liam a break, and win next time... which she’ll have because time dosen’t work normally in this show’s dimension and a solid timeline is just a pipedream, so she probably has another year of being 14 to redo this and has become aware of it. I’m scared and excited for what that means.  Liam celebrates with a pig pile of two and we get a REALLY fucking cute shot of the two being happy and what not before a pig jumps on them still though.. yeah I ship it now. Liam taps into the space where I thought a black void of misery and douchebaggery was but ti turns out is in fact a heart, something few can do with Lynn and Lynn can protect him form bullies and is perfectly suited for his rough hewn farmboy styles. Point is their cut.e And so was this episode. IT was a really nice return to the series and it was again REALLY fucking great to see one of Lincoln’s firend,s and one of the GOOD ones at that, get a starring roll without him. HOpefully this keeps up and hopefully we see more of these two. 

Saved by the Spell:

RUSTY SPOKES IS TRASH (Ring) I don’t have a saved by the spell font that’ll have to do. Point is he is but before we get to Rusty being Rusty, Lincoln is doing magic tricks at the table. 

Point is he’s excited to do it at the talent show. The next day his friends discuss doing something to make them look cool to everyone. WHich.. kids. i’ll level with you. You. are. NERDS. As a massive one in both size and nerdiness myself, there’s nothing wrong with that. 2/3 of you are lovely people. You’ll be fine. But you are geeks, and should be proud of that.. not so proud you evolve into an incel or it’s adjacent form of assholes mind you, but still proud of who you are. You are never going to be that cool by trying to appeal to everyone. Just be yourslef and the cool comes naturaly. Like kool aid, which is naturally made by milking the Kool Aid man. Be you. 

But instead they decide to do a dance routine which..  let’s face it.. is probably just this spread across 6 people...

Point is maybe don’t do that. Also when Clyde does a dorky but endearing dance and says their going to shake their groove things, Rusty pipes in with “But cool”... and while sadly not as glorious as EVERYONE looking enitrely done with him like last time we saw this tool, Clyde clearly still does while the rest of hte Lincrew have no idea what the hell he’s on. I think their just.. numb to his stupidity and ego at this point.  But when Lincoln shows off his magic they all hide him, fearing that magic.. is well for younger kids and this won’t play so well. Which isn’t an invalid fear: this is middle school and from personal experince, middle school can be hell.. and also one of hte best years of my life which shows the vast gulf between the two schools I was in but was also not the point. the point is kids can be cruel and maybe don’t do this. But lincoln gonna do it anyway because he has confidence.. and frankly given there was an ENTIRE episode about being yourself instead of putting on an asshole suit of armor to avoid being hurt, which Lynn finally took off again last episode, he’s right.. but the rest of them all feel THEIR ALL GOING TO LAUGH AT YOU. and since they don’t know if he has latent psychic powers or not can’t risk him getting pigs blood dumped on him so they plan to find some way to trick him out of it.. Clyde of course gets his stomach in nots because he’s not good with schemes or lying ot his best friend, both of which this is and requires. 

Also Stella’s in the lead, as she should be. And she helps as her positive attudie makes what their doing come off as it should: KINDA douchey, but not intentionally so, they just worry about hteir freind getting pummled.. possibly by his own sister but now sh’es possibly with Liam that’s probably not as much of a worry. Or Chandler but frankly he’s going to do that no matter what.. and is probably getting his ass kicked himself by older kids who won’t toldeate his bs, so your clear. But their fears while a bit unfounded are understandable and well inteitoned if misguided, as we don’t know LIncoln’s act at this point or how well it’d go over with a mostly tweenager crowd, who can be the best as we’ve seen in recent tv.. or aboslutel monsters.. same deal. You either get Luz or you get BOscha, the inbetween is rare. 

So cue our usual setup of a bunch of attempts to do something in a row, but like I said while i’m not a fan of reptition if it’s done well enough it works and with it’s rather sizeable supporting cast , LIncoln and Friends episodes usdually do make it work. In this case it does as each of the sensational 6, lincoln and clyde asid,e try their hand at it. Liam, being the golden child, just has the most direct and obvious route: swipe his magic stuff.. and runs off without letting them talk it out but unlike Rusty in the next attempt, his plan was actually viable.. he just gets tangled up in the scarves and taps out.  Rusty is next ....and his idea is to.. show lincoln his killer dance moves to convince him normally. 

Yup pretty much that. And somehow out of the four plans, RUSTY’S is the only one that dosen’t bring up any serious moral quandries. I know i’m shocked too. He just thinks his moves will do it when no they won’t, please stop it hurts to watch and I can’t turn the fuck away. This is my job you redheaded kanker sore! Gah it thankfully ends and is unsurisingly unsuccesful. 

Also unsuprisingly, i’ve been waiting since i got that image to use it on Rusty. And as a third dollop of unsuprise I did not have to force it in any way shape or form. Point is it’s Zach’s turn as during the last two he’s been pushing really hard to use some form of brainwashing on his friend.. yes .. really. 

Thought Rusty would be the first loud house character to get that one but hey if the shoe fits. Seriously I thought rusty was the creep among them but at least you know.. altering someone’s throughts to suit your own isn’t his go to move. Being excetsivly cocky and coming on too strong is but still better to take THAT out of the Zach Morris playbook than “brainwash people into dooing whatever you say because tha’ts not creeptagious.” And unsurpsingly it does not work.. on Lincoln it woroks on Meyrl for some reason. Thankfully it dosen’t though just.. Zach needs no power epsiecally over the mind. 

So UNSUPRSINGLY, Stella has the working plnan.. and also unsuprisingly the last three just did theres by running off, running off and shouting the loudest. Again somehow Rusty is NO LONGER the most obnoxious one of the group. Zach won that title this episode. He’s still the most pathetic.. but i’m the most done with Zach who adds nothing to the dynamic or the planet or anything and I wish would just go away. Your home planet needs you. 

But yeah Stella has the winning idea: pretending to be “Yodel Boy”, a student who was humilated at a talent show last year, proving sh’es not only a decent actress (I mean it’s obvious i’ts stella in a wig, padding and lederhosen, but points for the accent being okay and hey she’s in middle school), but also the smartest of them. Only one of those is a suprise. It works and Lincoln agrees. 

So the night of the talent show they’ve caught him up to speed and prepare to celebrate, only for clyd eto open the wrong locker and reveal the yodel boy suit. WHy it was in there instead of at Stella’s house where this wouldn’t happen?

But yeah the cat’s out of the bag and lincoln leaves, depressed his friends think that little of him and lied to him. Which.. yeah completely fair. They tried talking to him, it did not work.. they shoudl’ve just left it at that. It would’ve SUCKED if he got bullied true, but it was his choice to go out there and take a risk and do what he loves. As someone whose constnatly self concious and had to fight to start writing like i’m doing now, I envy that kind of youthful confidence and thus wholly support him. 

And finally.. so do his friends. Realizing they’ve been kinda crappy, they introduce lincoln instead and work as his assitants.. and.. it works. Stella gets sawn in half, Zach gets astounded by a card trick, and Liam wears a bunny outfit which is just.. precious. Good boy. Best boy. It’s a huge hit.. and we also get to seesome of the new background kids including one with pink hair who looks kinda nb. I’m just saying one of you should take a crack at them, they seem nice. But for now our heroes are haield as heroes, and the other 5 apologize to lincon and they do their now cemented and fucking adorable group hug. Happy ending to a pretty great episode, with decent gags, a good relatable plot, and Rusty being just the right amoutn of obnoxious. Good stuff.  So that does it for this week. If you liked this review like or reblog it, check out my other work and come back later today for some duck content. and every week once the show returns. Until the next rainbow, it’s been a pleasure. 

[tonystarkbingo]

Title Prompt Game - Tags and Summaries

like a warm blanket - suggested by @rebelmeg

@somesortofitalianroast - fluff, snowed in, only one bed

@huntress79 - There's a reason Tony loves being in the workshop - but not the one most think it is. No, it's not that he knows the place blind, or that he loves (even craves) the attention the bots give him - no, it's because it's his safe harbor, the only place where he can really be him, and the one place that is to Tony what a warm blanket on a cold day is to other people.

@darthbloodorange - [Stony] - Steve never liked the cold, ever since he was little. But after the ice? He loathed it. It always brought up feelings and memories he'd rather keep buried. ~ Or the five times Steve struggled to find something to keep him warm at night, and the time he learned he could just use Tony.

@jamesbuckystark - Tony Stark has self-esteem issues. Only the closest of the closest of his friends know this. On his bad days, they cuddle up with him and whisper words of love and encouragement, comforting him like a warm blanket

@psychiccatpanda - [potential ironhusbands] Tony hadn’t worried when Rhodey’d fallen asleep on his shoulder during movie night.  His sour patch had been burning the candle at both ends lately splitting his time between DC and New York.  But then Rhodey had draped an arm over him and now he was stuck there unless he disturbed him.  On the other hand, it wasn’t that bad... it was cozy - like a warm blanket

@rebelmeg - self-esteem issues, sincere compliments, love confessions

@huntress79 - (WinterIron pre-Relationship) If there's one thing Bucky learned about Howard's boy in the first few weeks he was living in the Tower it was Tony's stubbornness, by times as worse as Steve's. So, of course, Bucky watched the genius. And was the first to notice something off - Tony was getting a cold, and he was fighting it. He just didn't expect the former Winter Soldier, of all people, to bring him chicken soup, warm blankets, a cot and a gazillion of other things into the workshop. Huh - who would have guessed that?

@lbibliophile-mcu - [recovering-bucky] Living with Steve was like being wrapped in a warm blanket. Nice on cold evenings, soft and comforting. But sometimes, it can also be confining, smothering. Sometimes, what he needs instead is the freedom of cold air.

Keep reading for more!

Cappuccino, extra shot - suggested by @somesortofitalianroast

@huntress79 - (Road to Stony XD) Despite working as a Barista in a coffee shop, Steve never really liked all the fancy coffees he made for the customers. Until one day, when torrential rain sweeps a new customer into the shop - hot, elegant, smart-mouthed and way above Steve's league. And pretty much the only guy in all of Manhattan to always order the same thing - Cappuccino, with an extra shot of (insert ingredient of choice)...

@darthbloodorange - [Stony] - Tony would never be seen dead walking into a coffee shop. Why would he go for overvalued, overcooked, too sweet coffee when he has the best beans imported and prepared by his very own live-in barista? He has access to the best coffee 24/7. But his barista goes on parental leave, and Tony finds that brewing his own coffee, isn't one of his many talents. So, if he is to get his daily fix, he has to go to a coffee shop. Tony is miserable about the whole situation, that is until he meets an art student called Steve working to pay his way through college.

@psychiccatpanda - (pre-WinterIron) It wasn’t a difficult drink to make.  So why was it that this guy never made his cappuccino right?  Tony frowned into the froth on top.  And part of the fun of going to a coffee shop and buying cappuccino was seeing what kind of foam design you’d get.  This guy - James, according to his name tag - apparently only knew how to make hearts.  Come on.  Tony walked back to the counter to complain again. Behind the counter, Bucky could feel Natasha’s eyes on him like a dagger between his shoulder blades.  He’d done it again, just to talk to his most gorgeous customer... who also thought he was an idiot.

@lbibliophile-mcu - "aw, coffee, no" Clint stares despondently at the paper takeaway cup in his hand, the scalding brown liquid running over his wrist to drip on the floor. When he ordered a cappuccino double shot, this was not what he meant. Another loud gunshot echoes in the street outside. Chugging the remaining elixir, he throws the ruined cup in a bin, wipes his hand on his pants, and grabs his bow. Looks like he has a coffee to avenge.

@rebelmeg -  tags: coffee shops, love at first sight, awkward flirting

Bitch boy - suggested by @phoenixmetaphor3000

@tehroserose - tags: BDSM, humiliation, consensual nonconsent

@somesortofitalianroast - [Tony/Bucky] : au: sex work, au: camboys, au: bdsm

@darthbloodorange - [Stony] - He was Tony Stark's bitch. Everything else didn't matter. Everything else was stripped away by his Master, his Sir. 100 odd years on this earth, and he finally found his place... and it was at his master's feet.

@summerpipedream - "Excuse you??" screeched Tony. He shoved his paper cup, somehow already devoid of the coffee poured in there 5 seconds ago, into Rhodey's hands before he launches himself at the asshole yellling at them. 5 times Tony was called a bitch and the one time he actually did something about it.

@tehroserose Winterironfalcon- Tony was his bitch. And that's the way he liked it. But, still, he was going to take care of his boy, in his way. And Tony had a fantasy. He wanted to be taken by a stranger, a stranger who didn't listen when he said no. Sam wasn't willing to give him to a stranger. But Bucky? Bucky looked at his bitch with longing. And Sam trusted Bucky. And Tony? Tony didn't need to trust Bucky to do anything other than to listen to Sam and his safeword. And Tony liked it that way. (Tag: Porn with feelings, It was just sex, (no it wasn't), established Sam/Tony, pre Sam/Tony/Bucky)

@huntress79 - (Stony secret relationship) Ever since they fought the Chitauri, everyone knows that Tony and Steve barely get along. Sure, they got a bit better after Tony's almost death, but yeah, it could be better. But then, one morning, the Avengers are shocked to hear Tony calling Steve "Bitch" and - even more shocking - Steve replying with "Jerk" What the heck is going on now? (the Bitch-Jerk exchange is borrowed from Supernatural XD)

@darthbloodorange - [Stony] - He hated Alphas so much. He hasn't ever met one that had a single good intention in their life. All they ever did was take and destroy. This he learned first hand when he was 15 in a back ally after saving Dorothy Elliott from a couple of Alphas. It didn't matter that he was an Alpha himself, he was small and Omega enough for them, a "Bitch Boy". Steve Rogers hated Alphas and was sure he always would. But then he met Tony Stark and his whole world changed... (Tags: Implied/Referenced R*pe, Alpha/Alpha Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Tony Stark has a Heart, Falling in Love)

@psychiccatpanda - Tony had been called worse before - much worse.  He'd asked Natasha to be his date for the conference because the Avengers thought he needed a bodyguard for an International Energy Council conference.  At least she didn't look like a bodyguard. Justin Hammer had been trying to get his attention for a day and a half when he'd yelled it loud enough for a ballroom full of people to hear.  He saw red and turned to do something rash (like break Hammer's nose) when he felt a strong hand on his wrist.  Tony twisted around to snap at Nat when she pulled him in for a kiss.  Suddenly, swift and blinding vengeance didn't seem quite so important.

@darthbloodorange - [Stony] - Steve Rogers loses a bet with Tony, now he was at Tony's every beck and call. Steve and Tony's relationship is strained as it is, he's not sure it'll make it through this. Tony was milking it for what it was worth; making him wear the maid outfit, making him pick up things he dropped, fetching him drinks. Then Tony goes ahead and calls him "bitch boy" He expected to be fuming, insulted, angry, hurt... but Steve finds he actually likes it. Both are shocked. Maybe they'll make it through this feeling closer than ever before.

Make Thyme for what you Love - suggested by @darthbloodorange

@rebelmeg - pepperony, gardening, fluff

@tehroserose - (Steve and Tony friendship fic)- Steve had grown up with the song. A version of the song at least. His mother said it was the only thing the English had given worth a damn. When he heard Scarborough Fair by Simon and Garfunkel, he cried. Tony watched the tough soldier break down. And right then, he knew he was going to make the time to do something he had promised himself he would do. He was going to find a picture of Sarah Rogers.

@psychiccatpanda - (pre-Stuckony) - When he'd told Pepper why he had hired BarRo Gardening and Landscape Service to care for the plants in the Tower, she'd laughed so hard she'd almost fallen out of her desk chair. 'BarRo Gardening and Landscape Service: Lettuce take care of your plants!  Our prices and services can't be beet!  We also offer sage advice on selecting the best plants for any office environment.' "They offer sage advice, Pep!  How am I supposed to resist that?"

@somesortofitalianroast - Bruce wants to start a garden and put beehives on the top of Stark Tower. Tony reluctantly agrees. Bucky thinks it would be a good idea if he helps. The garden starts out small, mostly herbs and a few easier to care for plants, and grows as Bucky grows more confident in his gardening skills.

@huntress79 - (Stuckony modern AU) At first, Tony hadn't understood why both Steve and Bucky handed him a pot with what turned out to be a thyme plant right before shipping out to their last tour. Sure, it had a nice smell, and wasn't that hard to look after (JARVIS turned out to be as diligent as an auxiliary gardener as in everything else). But then, the plants become so much more - for Tony, it's a promise from "his" soldiers to come back to him. For Steve and Bucky, it's proof that Tony takes care of it - and of himself, despite their absence.

@darthbloodorange - [Stony] - Steve was sceptical when Bruce approached him with the idea of 'Therapeutic Gardening', but he trusted the man and went along with it. He admits it was nice to put aside some time for something that wasn't reports, training, team-building, or learning this new world. Something that wasn't work, something that didn't feel like this uphill battle that he had to fight alone. Unlike everything else in his schedule, he didn't have to work himself up to taking care of his plants. It became a thing after missions, for Steve to sit by his plants and water them, to confide in them. He slowly grows his collection over the months. But he starts to notice new plants in his collection, ones he didn't get himself, but he tends to them anyway. ~ Tony has been trying to look after the plants Bruce gave him, really. But will all the work on his plate he often forgets. But he tries. He notices some of his plants going missing. Plants that he was sure weren't dead the last time he checked on them, which might not be saying much... But he's sure someone has been stealing his plants. And he's going to find out who. ~ Bruce loves gardening, there were so many benefits it offered. It became a personal mission of his to get as many people into gardening as he could. However, he understands that maybe gardening wasn't everyone's thing. Bruce understands when Tony can't keep up with the maintenance of his plants. But he wasn't going to sit around and watch them suffer. So he gathers up those of Tony's plants that need a little more love and slips them into Steve's collection. ------------- (Tags: Accidental Matchmaking, Idiots in Love, Gardening, Team as Family)  

Speak of the Devil - suggested by @psychiccatpanda

@somesortofitalianroast - Lucifer crossover : Tony had heard the expression so many times, in multiple languages. “Speak of Devil and he shall appear.” He just never expected it to literally happen.

@rebelmeg - tags: hades and persephone au, greek mythology, merchant of death, unlikely lovers (i'm imagining it pepperony, but it could go a lot of ways)

@tehroserose - Tony was going to kill... well, when he figured out who had left that magical artifact behind, he was going to kill them. Because apparently, and why hadn't Thor been there earlier to tell them this?, the first dead person mentioned in front of the artifact came back. Temporarily, but who knew for how long? And guess what? Steve had mentioned Howard. Actually, Tony wanted to kill Steve for that, except he'd never breathed a word near Steve of what Howard was really like. He hadn't wanted to ruin Howard in Steve's eyes, for Steve's sake. Now Howard was going to ruin himself in those eyes. Tony braced himself as the mean, belittling words that he'd thought he wouldn't have to hear in that voice again came thundering into his ears.

@psychiccatpanda - Tony believed in science not all the hocus pocus the sorority sisters had been whispering about in not-so-hushed tones in the library while he and Rhodey had been trying to study. "I heard if you look in a mirror and say his name three times, he'll appear to kill your worst enemy." Pft - ridiculous.  He'd prove there wasn't anything to that stupid urban legend.

@darthbloodorange - [Pre-Stuckony] - Steve and Tony never talked about Howard. Ever. It was probably one of few things that keep their tenuous friendship moving along smoothly. but then Bucky came into the picture... and seemed to have a lot to say about Howard. Things started to click together, suddenly he was seeing the full picture. Howard always was an ass. Steve wasn't choosing not to talk about him out of respect for Tony, he didn't talk about Howard because the man was unpleasant to talk about. Tony listened, totally enthralled and vindicated, as Bucky regaled him with tailed of his father. About all the times Howard discredited Steve's intelligence in front of high-ranking Military figureheads, pressured him into testing, belittled Steve for his time in the USO, and ignored Bucky existence as he was just "Steve's tiresome tag-along pup" Turns out the three of them had a lot more in common than he'd initially thought. ------------- (Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Give Everyone A Damn Hug, Still Salty at Howard in that CA:FA Deleted Scene)

[ceealaina]

Title: Still Anticipating Love Collaborator Name: ceealaina Card Number: 3088 Link: AO3 Square Filled: Adopted - Cock-Blocking Bots Ship: IronHusbands Rating: Teen Major Tags: 5 + 1, Fluff and Humour, Protective Bots, Love Confessions Gone Wrong Summary: Five (plus one) different times over the years that Rhodey's attempted to show Tony how he feels about him, only to end up foiled by the bots. (But it's hard to really be upset when they just happen to love Tony as much as Rhodey does.) Word Count: 3993

Rhodey drew in slow, deep breaths as he made his way across campus, doing his best to quell the fireworks that seemed to be going off in his stomach. After spending months ignoring his feelings, and then a few more weeks dancing around them, and then a few days finally coming to terms with it, he had decided that this was it. Today was the day that he was going to tell Tony about his feelings for him. 

He almost turned back three different times, his nerves getting the better of him. But somehow he made himself keep going, and before he knew it he was standing in front of the door to Tony’s rented lab space, drawing in one last deep breath for courage. 

“Tones?” he called, stepping through the doorway. “You in here?” 

“Rhodey!” Tony popped up from behind a table, face lit up in manic delight. “Just the man I wanted to see!” He practically bounced across the room, grabbing his arm and getting all up in his space in a way that made Rhodey swallow hard and fight back a shiver. “I did it, honeybear!” 

“Did what?” 

“Just… Just watch, wait.” He pulled Rhodey back closer to the door, and then made a show of clearing his throat. “Dum-E?” he called, and the machine he’d been working on for months lit up. “Come here!” 

Dum-E whirred to life and then, to Rhodey’s surprise, he started rolling across the floor -- in the opposite direction to Tony and Rhodey. 

“Shit, no!” Tony protested, but he was laughing and sounded pleased. “Wrong way, you doofus, over here.” 

There was a pause, and then Dum-E spun on his wheels and started trundling over, going the right way this time. He stilled when he reached them, and Tony threw his arms around the claw neck. 

“Aw yeah,” Tony crooned. “You did it, Dum-E! Who’s my big strong robot, huh?” 

He turned to Rhodey then, his entire face lit up in a bright, beaming smile, looking as happy as he’d ever seen him. Rhodey couldn’t have kept himself from smiling back if he tried, feeling a little weak in the face of it. He could hear his own heartbeat, pounding in his ears, and god, he just loved him so much. 

“I did it, Rhodey,” Tony was saying. “He responds to voice commands. I built a learning, thinking robot. And the wrong direction thing was just a glitch, I swear. He’s gonna get so much better.” 

He was watching Rhodey expectantly, that hopeful look on his face that Rhodey knew meant he just wanted someone to be proud of him, even if he’d never admit that out loud, and Rhodey knew this wasn’t the right time to tell him. Feeling a weird mixture of relief and disappointment, Rhodey beamed back at him. “He’s already perfect, Tones,” he assured him, wrapping him in a hug. Tony immediately melted into it, and Rhodey felt pleasantly warm all over. “He’s amazing.” 

Just like you. 

***

Rhodey was grinning like an idiot as he ran up the front steps to the Stark Mansion, but he didn’t much care. He hadn’t seen Tony since his parents’ funeral just over a year, and he had missed him like crazy. They had talked as often as possible, had even taken to writing letters (despite Tony’s complaints about both being allergic to penmanship, and the speed of the postal service), but it hadn’t been the same. Rhodey had half expected that his crush might fade with some distance between them, but instead he’d missed Tony in a way that he hadn’t ever experienced before, like an aching hole in his chest, and it had only gotten stronger the longer they’d been apart. It was almost embarrassingly sappy, but he figured that was as good an indication as any that it was true love. 

Bouncing impatiently as he waited for someone to answer the door, he fidgeted with the little box in his hands. It was a completely goofy gift -- he’d met a guy who knew a guy who knew a guy and so on until he’d managed to get his hands on a discarded nut from the Voyager 2 spacecraft -- but he knew it was exactly the kind of thing that Tony would nerd out over. He couldn’t wait to see Tony’s face when he opened it. And he was hoping that Tony would recognize it as more than just a piece of metal, would see the intentions behind it and then, when Rhodey told him how he felt, he wouldn’t be completely taken off guard. Because he knew he had to tell him, felt like he might explode if he didn’t. 

The door swung open then, Jarvis welcoming him in with a warm, pleased smile, looking almost relieved. Rhodey did his best to be polite, but he wasn’t sure if he’d succeeded. Jarvis didn’t seem to mind at least, still smiling as he directed him to where Tony was apparently busy in his workshop. Rhodey had only been here a handful of times -- it hadn’t exactly been Tony’s top vacation destination in school -- but he knew the way instinctively, taking the stairs to the basement at a run. 

“Tony?” he called. The lights were dim for some reason, and he blinked as he stumbled into the room before his eyes had properly adjusted. “Guess who’s back, baby?” He waved the little box in his air. “And I brought you prese-ah, fuck!” he hollered as he was suddenly doused in a thick, bubblegum scented foam. “What the fuck?” 

A second later the room was flooded with bright light, nearly blinding Rhodey, and there were footsteps coming toward him. 

“Honeybear?” Tony said, sounding a little shell shocked. “Oh shit, okay. Just… Hang on a second. Don’t open your eyes! And, uh… Try not to breathe too deep either.” 

He was gone before Rhodey could question what the hell that meant. Left sightless, Rhodey listened to the sounds of Tony’s footsteps, disappearing to the far side of the room. There were sounds of scrambling, and then water running, and then he was jogging back over again. Rhodey nearly jumped at the feeling of Tony’s hand, warm against his upper back, and then again when a cool cloth was pressed against his face, sliding carefully over his eyes with painstakingly gentle motions. When they felt clear, and Tony gave him the okay, Rhodey blinked them carefully open. Tony was staring back at him, his own eyes wide and concerned, though that was starting to ease a bit.

“Hey,” he said, his smile uneven. “Sorry about that.” 

Rhodey smiled back, but felt his heart sink. Tony looked terrible; there were dark circles under his eyes, he was way skinnier than Rhodey had remembered him being, and he was pretty sure he could smell alcohol on his breath. None of this had been in Tony’s letters, and Rhodey couldn’t help wondering what else he’d been missing over the past year. Suddenly the relieved look on Jarvis’ face made a bit more sense.

He had a lot of questions he wanted to ask, beginning with, ‘what the actual hell?’ but Tony was watching him nervously, and Rhodey could practically see the anxiety spreading across his face. He sighed, scrubbing a hand through the foam still gathered in his short hair. “What was that?” 

“Oh, uh…” Tony rubbed at the back of his neck, smiling that same crooked smile. “I was working on a new, non-lethal thief deterrent? There’s so much proprietary information here, and Dad had this crazy organization system that I don’t understand, and there are so many people and they all want things…” He scrubbed a hand through his hair, making it stand up wildly. “So I thought, you know, I could train Dum-E? If he sees something he determines as a threat, like a weapon or something, he’s supposed to douse them with this foam that’ll stop them long enough for me to get away or call the police or set off an alarm of whatever. But uh, I’m still working on the formula for the deterrent, and then, you know, it’s Dum-E, so getting him to understand what constitutes a threat is pretty much impossible. Right now it’s just about anything that’s bigger than a wallet. You definitely shouldn’t have been on the list.” His rambling trailed off, still looking nervous but also so relieved to see him that for a moment Rhodey thought he might actually start to cry. 

“Okay,” Rhodey said, offering Tony a smile in return. “Does it have to smell like bubblegum though?” 

Tony gave a startled laugh, and then he was launching himself at Rhodey, wrapping his arms around his neck and practically crawling into his lap, foam and all. Rhodey returned the hug automatically, feeling Tony’s back shudder a little as he pressed his face into his neck. 

“God I missed you, Rhodey,” he whispered, voice cracking. 

Rhodey cast one last glance at the box he’d wrapped so carefully, now lying forgotten on the floor. This wasn’t the day for love confessions. 

He wrapped his arms tighter around Tony’s back instead. “I missed you too, Tones.” 

***

Rhodey frowned as he stepped through the front door of the Malibu mansion, but the lights stayed dim. “Uhh…” He blinked into the dark space. “Hey, J? You offline or something?” 

“I can assure you that I am fully functional, Captain Rhodes,” JARVIS replied. “Welcome back to Malibu,” he added after a beat, and Rhodey’s frown deepened, because he could swear that JARVIS sounded… Colder than usual. 

Telling himself it was his imagination, Rhodey waited a moment. There was no additional commentary from JARVIS, and he sighed. “Could I get some light, maybe?” 

JARVIS didn’t actually respond, but after a few seconds the lights came on, just a little too dim to be quite comfortable. 

“Okayyy,” Rhodey muttered. He shook his head. “Where’s Tony?” 

“Sir is indisposed at the moment, Captain Rhodes.” 

“Indisposed?” Rhodey repeated, taken aback. He’d been talking to Tony less than an hour ago, he’d known he was on his way over, and while it wasn’t exactly uncommon for him to get distracted with something and forget, Rhodey was always given full access to everything. “What do you mean, he’s indisposed? And I’m a Major now, JARVIS, you know that. What the hell is going on?” 

There was another long silence before JARVIS spoke again. “Sir has been encouraging me to consume media and information, to help me better understand the human experience.” 

“Uh huh…” Rhodey knew that; Tony had mentioned as much to Rhodey, talking about how he wanted JARVIS to learn and make his own conclusions independent of what Tony thought or believed. “And?” 

“And I’ve noticed similarities between your own actions and behaviours in certain popular media.” 

Rhodey arched an eyebrow, flopping down on the long sofa and folding his arms over his chest. “I’m not following.” 

“I believe, Major Rhodes, that this is the point in which I ask what, exactly, your intentions are with Sir.” 

Rhodey choked on air. “My intentions?” he repeated incredulously. “Are you threatening me? What the fuck, J? I’ve literally known you since you were born.” And then he clued into what, exactly, JARVIS was saying. “Holy shit,” he hissed, looking around frantically in case Tony had suddenly wandered into earshot. “You… I mean, you can… How… You know??” 

JARVIS sounded confused. “It was a simple matter of observing your behaviours and comparing them to the media for analysis, and then observing the physical changes to your body when in proximity to Sir -- primarily a mildly elevated heart and respiratory rate.” 

“Oh my god,” Rhodey moaned, burying his hands in his face. “How is this my life?” 

“For what it’s worth,” JARVIS offered. “I believe Sir remains unaware of your feelings toward him.” 

“Yeah, no,” Rhodey agreed, still mumbling into his hands. “That is a fact that I am all too aware of.” He heaved in a deep sigh before letting his arms drop back down to his sides. “Okay JARVIS. So first, we’re gonna have to have a talk sometime about monitoring people’s vitals without their knowledge or consent. But, uh, in answer to your first question…” He rubbed at the back of his neck. “Shit, J, you gotta know by now that all I want is for Tony to be happy. That’s all I care about. Everything else is just… Whatever.” 

“And you think that he would be happy with you?” 

“I think that ship has sailed,” Rhodey admitted, feeling a pang in his chest as he finally said the words out loud. “It’s been years. If something was gonna happen… I think we’d have found our way there by now.” 

It was quiet for long enough that Rhodey thought JARVIS had gone into sleep mode, or whatever AIs did in lieu of unconsciousness. He was about to try his luck again at figuring out where Tony was in this ridiculous palace of a home when JARVIS spoke again. 

“Well,” he said, his voice warmer. “I wouldn’t give up hope entirely, Major Rhodes.” 

***

Rhodey and Tony were sprawled in the front seat of one of Tony’s roadsters, two and a half movies deep into their Evil Dead marathon. Like the dork he was, Tony had decided they were going to project the movies onto the wall of his workshop, so they could watch from the car like they were in some kind of 1960s drive-in. 

He hated how much he loved him sometimes. 

RIght now though, he was feeling lazy and satisfied, full on pizza and wings, and just the right side of tipsy on the beer he’d brought, laughing as Tony recited the movie word for word, complete with altering his voice to try and mimic the characters. 

Stretching out his arms and back (and resisting the urge to take advantage of the movement and hook his arm over Tony’s shoulders, because he wasn’t twelve), Rhodey kicked his feet up on the dash, shifting on the seat a little in the process.

“Hey,” Tony protested, not actually sounding that concerned. “That’s a custom dash, asshole. Feet off. Or else.” 

“Oh yeah?” Rhodey snickered. “Or else what?”

He rolled his head to face Tony, eyebrow arched, and then blinked. Tony was much closer than he’d realized. He’d slunk down in the seat, leaving him a few inches lower than Rhodey, and he was looking up at him with lazy, hooded eyes. He was Rhodey’s favourite version of Tony, comfortable, and happy, and beautiful, and his breath caught a little at the sight of him. 

Something changed in Tony’s expression then, his eyes narrowing slightly like he was trying to get a read on Rhodey. Whatever he saw made him swallow, tongue sliding out over his upper lip. Rhodey couldn’t tear his eyes away, only vaguely aware of the fact that he was moving closer and closer to him. Tony didn’t seem to mind, lips parting slightly before he shifted just enough to face him more squarely. Rhodey could feel his heart racing as Tony got closer, eyes dark, and --

There was an almighty crash from the corner. Tony pulled away, whipping his head around to stare over the back of the car, eyes going wide. “U!” he cried, launching himself over the back of the car. Rhodey let his forehead fall against the seat of the car for just a moment before looking up to where U had apparently managed to crash into the wall and tip herself over. 

“Seriously?” he whispered to himself before climbing out of the car to help Tony get her righted. 

***

Rhodey hadn’t been able to get that almost kiss out of his mind. At first he’d thought he’d imagined the moment, that his horniness had taken what was a normal, friendly moment between the two of them and twisted into something more. He didn’t think that was it though. There had been something in Tony’s eyes when he’d leaned toward him, something hopeful and yearning. And then there had been that look he had given him as they’d called it a night, looking, well, sad, like he’d missed an opportunity. 

Rhodey had been so convinced that any romantic feelings on his part were unrequited that he almost wasn’t sure what to do with the idea that they might not be. But he knew, no matter how many times he’d failed before, if there was even a sliver of a chance that Tony felt the same way, he had to at least try and confess his feelings. 

Of course, that didn’t mean that he couldn’t change the circumstances as much as possible. 

Rhodey waited until he knew with absolute certainty that Tony was out of town, settled solidly in Hong Kong for five days worth of meetings with no quick way back to California. Then he headed for the Malibu mansion, waiting for JARVIS to get through his cursory greetings.

“J? I need your help.” 

*

Tony shuffled in the front door, exhausted. It had been a long week of meetings, and things going wrong, and while he wasn’t generally much of a sleeper, all he could think about was crawling into bed and sleeping for the next three days. 

“Hey J,” he mumbled, dropping his briefcase right there inside the door. “‘S good to be home.”

“Welcome back, Sir,” JARVIS replied, his familiar voice soothing something in Tony. “Uh, Sir, if I could direct you to the workshop, your assistance is required.”

Tony couldn’t help his groan. “Come on, J. I left you in charge. Can’t you handle it?”

“Sir, it’s absolutely imperative,” JARVIS told him. There was an almost imperceptible pause before he continued. “DUM-E is a hazard to himself.” 

Cursing under his breath, Tony headed for the stairs, stomping his way down to the ‘shop and then glowering when the lights stayed dark. “JARVIS? What the fuck? Are you malfunctioning or something?” 

Then the lights came on all at once, and Tony found himself blinking at the sight in front of him, wondering if he’d fallen asleep on the flight home and was, in fact, dreaming. “The fuck?” he whispered, a slow smile crawling over his face. 

Rhodey was standing on the far side of the room, lined up beside Dum-E and U, all three of them holding signs. Dum-E’s read ‘WILL YOU,’ U’s said, ‘GO OUT,’ and with a crooked smile, Rhodey was holding up his own sign reading, ‘WITH ME?’ 

Dum-E’s sign was upside down. 

Tony started laughing, couldn’t help himself. “You serious with this, Rhodes?” he asked, not even trying to hide how absolutely delighted he was. “This is some sappy shit, even for you.” 

Rhodey shrugged, unapologetic. “Tony, you have no idea how many times I’ve tried to say something to you, and it seemed like every time your kids got in the way. So I figured… Maybe it would be easier if I got them to literally spell it out.” 

Tony cleared his throat, feeling his throat go tight. “Only you, Rhodes,” he said, his voice rough. 

Rhodey huffed out a laugh, then shifted a little awkwardly, a tinge of nervousness creeping into his smile. “So?” he prompted. “Is that a yes?”

“Are you kidding?” Tony demanded. Without waiting another moment, he strode forward, hauled the sign out of Rhodey’s hands, and wrapped his arms around his neck. Meeting Rhodey’s eyes steadily, he didn’t bother hiding the way his own were tearing up slightly. “Definitely, one hundred percent, a million yeses, would you hurry up and kiss me already cause I’ve been waiting like fifteen years to find out what your mouth tastes like, and -- mmph!” 

Tony made a startled noise as Rhodey cut him off with a kiss. An instant later, he was moaning softly instead, curling his hands tighter over Rhodey’s back as he returned it, slow and soft and perfect. When they pulled back a few moments later, neither one of them could stop grinning at each other. 

“I um…” Rhodey hesitated a moment, twisting his face up like he couldn’t decide if he wanted to tell Tony this or not. “I asked the bots for permission to ask you out? They gave us their blessings, so we’re all good there.” 

Tony couldn’t help laughing, still giggling as he kissed Rhodey again, harder this time. “God, only you,” he muttered. “Nobody else would even think to do anything like that. I love you so much.” 

And probably it was too soon to be saying that, when they hadn’t even been on a single date, but if anything it felt overdue. And judging by the look on Rhodey’s face, he felt the same. 

“I love you too, Tones.”

***BONUS***

Rhodey resisted the urge to yelp as Tony pulled into the garage at a breakneck speed, parking the Audi haphazardly in its spot. “God, c’mere,” he mumbled, grabbing Rhodey by the tie and yanking him across the seat to kiss him, hot and heavy and wanting. “Fuck, you were so hot tonight. Love the way you look in a suit.” 

Fingers scrabbling at Tony’s chest, Rhodey let himself be manhandled, moaning into Tony’s mouth as they made out all hungry and desperate. He yanked at Tony’s shirt, hauling it out of his pants and getting it most of the way unbuttoned before he remembered himself and pulled back so he was breathing hard against his lips instead. 

“No, no wait,” he protested, head tilting automatically as Tony started to bite down his jaw. “Not here, come on. Last time we did this in the car, you bitched for a week straight about the stains on the upholstery.” 

Tony snickered against his neck, the sound turning to a hum as he slid the palm of his hand up Rhodey’s thigh. “I can’t help it if you look incredibly good in my car,” he insisted, pulling back to grin at Rhodey with dark eyes. “Come on, honey. I promise not to bitch you out this time.” He leaned forward to kiss him again, thumbing at Rhodey’s nipple through his dress shirt as he did. For a minute Rhodey almost gave in, distracted by how good Tony felt against his skin.

“No, come on,” he said, reaching his hand down Tony’s open shirt and scratching blunt nails over his abs. “I got plans for you. Wanna take you apart. Take my time, stretch you out on the bed and fucking ruin you.” 

Tony stared at him, and then, with a high-pitched wheezing noise, started nodding almost frantically. “Yes,” he said quickly. “Yes, please, let’s go.” 

The two of them tumbled out of the car, heading for the stairs, and only made it as far as the closest table before Rhodey had to haul Tony in for another kiss. He pressed him up hard against the metal, shoving a thigh between his legs and grinning against his lips when Tony practically melted against him. Tony’s long fingers grabbed at his shirt, pulling it up to get at the bare skin of his back before sliding them lower, moving beneath the waistband of Rhodey’s dress pants to grope at his ass. Rhodey thrust his hips up against him and then cupped Tony through his pants in retaliation, biting at his lips. 

“Fuck, Tones,” he mumbled. “Driving me crazy.” 

“Can’t help it,” Tony retorted, panting against his lips. “I want you so bad.” 

Rhodey was seriously considering delaying his bedroom plans -- they were both young, they could go again, probably -- unable to move more than a few inches away when all of a sudden there was a sudden shock of cold through his body. Gasping, it took him a second to process what was happening until he looked at Tony and found him just as shell shocked and just as soaking wet, water dripping into his open mouth. As one, they turned to stare at the guilty looking robot holding an empty bucket.

“Dum-E!”

@tonystarkbingo

[kita-lavellan]

2019 Writer’s Round-Up

I was tagged by both @pikapeppa​ and @elveny​ so I figured I’d better put some effort in and try to figure this out. It’s not going to be easy since I have my writings scattered everywhere, including handwritten snippets, but I’ll give it my best shot!

Word Count

I can only really get an approximate number for this since, as I mentioned, my writing is scattered all over. Having said that, I’ve gone through my Googledocs going back to January, checked 4TheWords, double-checked what I’ve posted on AO3, and skimmed my last 3 months of Tumblr Posts, and totally ignored my handwritten stuff (I’m not word-counting that for you :p).

After dividing the word counts from my collaborative Original Fiction pieces by 2, and adding it all together with the help of a spreadsheet...

2019 Total Wordcount: 127,565

Number of Smut Scenes

Three.

A low number for me, but I’ve been writing a lot of original fiction that hasn’t centred around the topic.

New Things I’ve Tried This Year

Science Fiction!

I’m usually a strictly Fantasy writer in my original works, but @skekiss​ challenged me to try my hand at some Sci-Fi, and not only was it surprisingly fun, but it also didn’t turn out terribly, so I might do some more of that next year.

Favourite Thing I’ve Written This Year

My Favourite piece of Original Fiction was that Science Fiction piece my friend challenged me to do. It still doesn’t have a title, but here’s a snippet...

In the year 2421, the colonization of Mars finally became more than a simple societal need to expand, it also became a financially viable option for the over-crowded people of Earth.

The ship, destined to terraform Mars into a planet that humans could not only live on, but thrive upon, was named ‘The Scout’, and set out for the red planet in the year 2436, from a launchpad that had been constructed in international waters.

The Project was funded by nations from across Earth, and ‘The Scout’ was outfitted with the most advanced technology from all of the participating countries.

It was designed to be capable of terraforming Mars into a state that would allow for the development of permanent settlements in a sustainable manner, and construction was completed in under ten years.

The subsequent five years between it’s completed construction and the eventual launch date was spent finding and training a crew of over 3,000 officers, medical staff, scientists, and civilians from all walks of life so that they would be fully prepared for the challenges ahead.

It was a joyous and celebrated day when ‘The Scout’ launched from Earth, it’s state of the art quantum drive meant that travel to Mars would take the ship only sixty days.

Somewhere along their journey between the two planets, ‘The Scout’ encountered the sudden creation of a wormhole close enough to them to disrupt the ship’s controls and, unable to steer away from the pull of the forming singularity, the ship was pulled inside.

By chance, the addition of quantum energy from the ship’s drive core to the forming wormhole stabilised its throat long enough for ‘The Scout’ to emerge from the other side before it collapsed upon itself, stranding ‘The Scout’ and all three thousand souls in an unknown galaxy...

“Kelsey!”

The shout of her name drew her golden-brown eyes from the presentation, complete with an interactive holographic projection, to her employer.

He looked angry, she noticed, which wasn’t surprising really since he’d sent her to get fresh stock from the workshop an hour ago.

“Branner-”

“What do you think you’re doing, girl!?” he snapped as he used his broad shoulders and tall frame to force his way between crowds of early morning shoppers and over to where she was standing.

“Umm…” Kelsey turned her eyes back to the presentation for a moment, the display had continued to explain about ‘The Scout’s’ settlement on an uninhabited planet with permission from the other races of the odd galaxy they’d found themselves in.

The young children were chasing holographic stars and barely paying any attention to their own history, their supervising teacher looked ready to tear her own hair out, and Kelsey turned back to Branner guiltily.

“Nothing?”

He glared at her for a long moment, his own gaze flicking to the presentation and his eyes narrowing.

“Get those ship parts back to the stall, I’ll be along in a minute,” he growled, and Kelsey nodded, moving quickly past him and dodging the smack he aimed at the back of her head with practised ease.

As for fanfiction... I think my Favourite piece of 2019 is probably “Fascinating”. A little Solavellan one-shot I did about my favourite flirt with the bald elf. 

Fascinating can be found here

Favourite Fic I’ve Read This Year

Asking the tough questions now... hmm. I do even less reading than I do writing when my depression flares up, but I’m gonna scour my AO3 for my top 3 of the year...

In no particular order;

1) Begin Again by Anthropasaurus A recent find of mine. There are only two chapters, but AO3 says I’ve visited this fic 7 times, so that should tell you how invested I am already. It looks like it’s going to be interesting and clever, so I’m excited to see where this one goes. Rating: M Pairing: Solas/Lavellan Tropes or Tags: Time-travel, Self Harm/Suicide mention, Angst, Slowburn, Fixit-Fic. Summary: “There’s a small moment, as you’re harvesting a person when you feel their soul almost literally in your hands. All you would need to do is cast your spell right at that moment. We know where my body and Solas were at that time. It’s the only chance we have Dorian.” The years following the Exalted Council had not been kind to Raven or Dorian. Years of thwarting Solas at every turn took everything they and what few allies still survived had. They all knew the end was drawing near and if they didn’t act fast, southern Thedas would fall. But not even Solas could have foreseen what would happen when the Veil fell. Her memories of Redcliffe paled in comparison to the atrocities that now spread across the land. The Evanuris were free and roamed the lands like a plague. Whatever plans Solas had had failed. It had been weeks since she had seen him on the edges of her dreams. She feared the worst.

2) Spark of Hope Series by Elveny I don’t read series often, I like all the story in one place, but Elveny’s Lyssa/Solas story just sucks you in, and you’re clicking “Next Chapter/Next Story” without even realising it until you’ve read the whole thing in one night and are DESPERATELY left wanting for more. *coughs awkwardly* It’s not finished, but there are 147,000 words (approximately) over 5 stories, and a new one coming sometime in 2020, so it’s absolutely worth reading. Rating: E Pairing: Solas/Lavellan Tropes or Tags: Anxiety/Panic Attacks, Emotional Hurt, Break Up, Prequel Story Included. Summary: Everything has gone wrong. Corypheus has opened the orb and the magic did not return to Solas. A giant Breach is throbbing in the air, threatening the whole of Thedas before he is powerful enough to do what he set out to do. Instead of following his plans, he finds himself in Haven, caring for an unconscious elven woman whose palm sizzles with green magic... his magic. He needs to keep her alive if he wants any chance to get it back. But then... she wakes.

3) Elastic Heart by cedarmoons I’ve read this half a dozen times, and the end of the first chapter STILL makes my heart stop >.< This is the fic that convinced me there were actually good Solavellan Writers hiding out there.  I’ve found many since then, but this was my launchpad moment. Rating: E Pairing: Solas/Lavellan Tropes or Tags: None Summary: For the DA Kinkmeme. After making love to Lavellan, Solas accidentally tells her his identity.

Writing Goals for 2020

At least, an easy question! Write More. I’ve had a rough year for writing with many depression flare-ups. I’m hoping that 2020 I can get back to a more regular schedule, starting with a whole day of it on Jan 1st, I’ve cleared my schedule to get some writing time in and have my fingers crossed that it will be a good starting point for the rest of the year.

Thank you’s and Tagging...

Firstly, thank you PikkaPeppa and Elveny for tagging me! I’ve written more this year than I thought I had, and that’s been a lovely surprise, and a bit of a mood boost too. Thank you @skekiss​ for getting me into Tumblr. I’m not sure if I should thank you for this since it’s EATING my life, but regardless, I’ve met some fun people here in the last three months. Also, Thank You to @the-solavellan-archive​ for giving me a place to hang out, and share my Solavellan works, and for welcoming me with open arms ^_^

Now to tag people who may want to take part in this...

@rivainisomniari​, @lyrium-lavellan​, @solas-disapproves​, @cornfedcryptid​, @skekiss​, @faerieavalon​, @ranawaytothedas​

If you feel like doing this and I’ve not tagged you, feel free, and @ me so I can be nosey! :D

[ironforgedrp]

♛   ELLAVIDA WATERS

↳ details; female, 22. (born 484AC) ↳ status; bisexual, unmarried, no children ↳ faceclaim; anya chalotra ↳ hails from; driftmark then casterly rock ↳ loyalty; herself

↳ position; herbalist, apothecary in training, bastard ↳ religion; questioning ↳ spoken languages; common tongue ↳ reason for being in sunspear; searching for work/employment

♛   PERSONALITY

↳ type; ENTJ ↳ alignment; chaotic good ↳ star sign; aries ↳ positives; courageous, determined, confident, thorough, eye for detail, quick witted, opportunistic ↳ negatives; impatient, moody, can be short-tempered, somewhat impulsive, aggressive

♛  BIOGRAPHY

↳ family lineage.

the second son of house velaryon, lord aelyxander, was known for being a womanizer as a young man, and it continued into his marriage. he settled down with a noble woman also from a crownlands house, not a love match but a respectable one made for him by his father, he thought no problem of openly going outside his marital bed.  yes, he had his true born children as was expected and but his wife always knew that lord aelyxander frequented the brothels and had many mistresses throughout his life. it was likely he had many bastards but, with dark hair determinedly dominant and the purple eyes of old valyria so recessive in their hereditary qualities despite the vibrant violet of lord aelyxander own eyes, blood-ties to the whorish lord was a hard thing to prove. before the first true born child had come, a bastard boy was born with the same eyes as his lord father and he was killed in the cradle to ensure no illegitimate heirs. the ones after that, though only one or two more boys (documented) were born with the tell-tale lavender eyes, were sent away to the wall where they would be far enough away as to not bring any threat to the true born heirs. there was only ever a record made of one daughter of lord aelyxander who was born with those hues, and her mother named her ellavida.

ellavida, or vida, wasn’t old enough to hold her head upright when she was identified by the lady velaryon’s many spies by the hue of her gaze. she was allowed to nurse at her mothers breast and stay with the lowborn woman and her half siblings until vida’s third birthday. then, at the order of lady velaryon, she was pulled screaming from her home and shipped to an orphanage, a foundling home, located in the westerlands. lady velaryon didn’t particularly care where the girl was sent, as long as it was out of the crownlands. as the youngest and a female, vida wasn’t a threat to the true born children but her mere presence infuriated lady velaryon and whilst lord aelyxander forbade the murder of any more of his bastards, he was happy enough to have them sent off to any corner of westeros. not far removed from the westerlands capitol of casterly rock, the home of the lannister family, was an orphanage that vida would call ‘home’ for the next twelve years of her life. not all those in the westerlands, she grew to learn, had the yellow hair of their ruling family, but those with black hair. blacker than the blackest night, like vida, were not common. coupled with her lavender eyes, the forcibly-made orphan (though she would not learn the true fate of her mother until after leaving the foundling home), stuck out like weed amongst the flowers. amongst the blond, sand, pale wood coloured heads of the varied girls and boys that found themselves in the orphanage, vida did make a friend. and the little ball of sunshine known as adelayne was near enough to the opposite in appearance of ellavida with her pale hair and light eyes.

just shy of two years younger than vida, they were thick as thieves as children: they and their other rag-tag group of friends that were a mix of children from the home, lowborns, bastards and orphans.  after all what noble would allow their child to play with the urchins of the street?  that didn’t bother her so much, vida never particularly cared about names and titles, and as a young girl she hardly  cared. time passed and years went on, carrying vida into a lanky, skinny, knob-kneed adolescent who had been taken in by a family who ran the local herb stalls and who’s father was the apothecary for the common folk surrounding the westerlands capitol. many of the children of the foundling home found work in  similar ways; taken in as charges families who ran business and needed extra hands, or sometimes they were employed in the ancestral home of the lannisters, like adelayne. motherless, fatherless, nameless, title-less children all usually found a place that was better than nothing at all.  for vida, her master (as she had been told to call him) was a cold and cruel one. he had unreasonably high standards, high expectations for the young girl who knew nothing of herbs, medicine, healing salves or even how to read the written word. she learned at the end of his cane, which he often used to whack her across the back and thighs as punishment so it was near impossible for her to sit or sleep anywhere comfortably. it was a hard life in many ways and save for  the fact that she observed the way her master treated his wife and own children, she may never have know that it was unjust. the apothecary, while a relentless task-master and a judgemental hand that he was no shy of laying on vida when he was angered by her, did teach her some rather valuable things. what herbs to use to help pain, sleep, induce a mothers labour, which ones would help to clot and heal a wound. she learned to read, quickly, as she was withheld food as a bribe for her to not fail, the apothecary did not want a stupid worker who could not read labels and recipes of the medicines he sold. for many years it was a lonely, cold and compassionless environment with the only light coming from the rare times she was able to sneak away and meet with her old friends. infrequent occasions after she reached her mid-teen years, as she was caught once and lashed with a whip for disobeying.

as vida was never allowed in the family home she slept in a run-down, hole-riddled wooden structure akin to a lean-to, she had been tasked with building for herself when she arrived as a preteen.  if you want a roof, make one, she had been told harshly as she was pushed to the pile of roughly hewn wood and broken branches, and though it collapsed one windy autumn and the rain sometimes trickled in it was sturdy enough. she grew quite adept at fixing up her make-shift house with sticks and woven reeds and the occasional slab of bark, and over time she also repurposed the hand-me-down rags given to her as clothing into a threadbare pillow and blankets. leaning against the workshop of her master, it wasn’t much but it was home and it was a sanctuary from the criticism, insults or sometimes stony silence she received from the apothecary.  she’d long since realized that he had barred his own daughters from speaking with the dark-haired throwaway child, and never looked there for support. as far as vida was aware, they had all been forbidden to even speak to her unless it was to give an order and the only physical interaction she had ever had with the apothecary’s wife was when young vida had tripped up on her dress and smashed a mortar and pestle on the stones; his wife favoured a long reed as a punishing tool and it had split the skin on her back. the abuse wasn’t constant and for their own enjoyment, she could tell that much, and they also never allowed her wounds to become infected, but she also always knew that the apothecary, her master, clung rigidly to his heaven-high standards and punished with an iron fist.

vida was tasked one night with scrubbing out the apothecary’s workshop; a bi-monthly task, which was aa medium-sized structure paved with heavy bluestone to keep the temperature cool inside, thick oak walls and a thatched roof. it smelled heavily of herbs and roots, incense, fermented fruits, fragrant oils, charcoal and purified spirits, it was a harsh smell however she was so very used to it that the scent no longer made her nostrils tingle. by her account, it was close to her twentieth name day (or the day she had chosen as her name day as the years slipped by), when the apothecary’s most loyal patron came calling as vida scrubbed the stones. after telling him that her master had closed early so she could clean as she had been instructed, he made the foolish decision to try and lay his hands on vida. his attempt was clumsy, the man triple her own age with grey hair, and she saw it coming before he even entered her personal space. vida had definitely grown quite sensitive to intrusive persons in her years under the heavy hand of the apothecary. there was barely a struggle, barely a confrontation, ultimately it was a strong shove from the bastard-born young girl that sent him toppling to his death on the cold, unforgiving stone. she was in shock initially, standing over the body shaking in cold sweats as she contemplated the various ways she was sure she would be punished for the accidental death. it was likely that she would be tossed to the streets, given to the authorities and thrown in the lannister’s jail… the grey lion of the west, tristifer lannister, was said to be ruthless in his apprehension of criminals, murderers. she was most likely to be hung or drawn on the rack until her body gave out, and vida was not ready to die. knowing the apothecary would not be returning until the next morning, she did what she knew best to do: survive. she could hear the soft whinnying horse outside, she lead it around the back of the workshop so no one would come looking for the steeds now dead rider. it was late afternoon when she slipped into her hut and packed a dress and three faded, broken and leather-strap tied books where she had written out the hundreds recipes and methods the apothecary had demanded she learn by heart, and a long length of fabric that she sometimes used as a shawl into a hemp satchel and returned to the workshop with the doors closed. usually it would take her all night, until the hours of dawn, to clean the whole workshop to the apothecary’s standards. vida gathered every valuable specimen of herbs and roots, samples of animals hair and hide, various ground powders of stone and clay, bone and mineral stones. vida also tucked away a small mortar and pestle as well as a book of poisons, death potions and sleeping draughts that she had been instructed never to read or touch (which she of course had years earlier).

it took very little for her to coax in one of the older pigs inside as dusk settled, but she killed it quickly then allowed the blood to flow despite the regret at having to hurt the animal. vida found every jar or cup or jug of anything she knew would burn fast and hot and smashed them against the walls and tables, even some parts of the thatched roof if her reach was good enough. looting the body of the dead man caused vida to lose her stomach quite violently, but she knew she needed money and at least thicker cloak to keep her warm at night. the sun had set by the time she had done all this, and the fires were dimmed in the apothecary’s home leaving everything quiet. the backed bag was lashed to the saddle of the dead mans horse, the cloak with the bloodied edge torn off was fastened about her thin shoulders with the shawl wrapped around her head, hair and shoulders. she was a ghost, she was a shadow with only a pale face and hands showing. she struck a flint to light the sole candle she was given each moon by her master to find her way at night in the early hours of the morning before the sun. the first fire was started in the dry wood and fabric bed of her hut: a few tears slipped from her eyes as she was forced to set alight her own home that she had painstakingly slaved over and maintained almost lovingly for years. the horse smelled the wisps of smoke on the air and whinnied again, digging in his hoofs into the ground restlessly and despite the tears down her pale cheeks, she grabbed the burning piece of fabric from the packed-earth floor and tossed it into the workshop. it took moments for the hungry fire to find accelerants and then the fire seemed to jump around the room quicker and quicker. in the light of the fire she could see the body of the dead man, the shape of the pig she had killed, and she simply closed her tear-filled, cursed, violet eyes as she pulled the door closed on the budding inferno and walked away.

by the time the smoke and flame roused the apothecary and his family, and the surrounding farmers and families, she had ridden deep into the north of the westerlands and when the fire finally was quashed the hunks of charred flesh we determined to be the wealthy patron and the apothecary’s dark-haired assistant. the horse? run off into the woods after being scared by the blaze, and the cause? the stupid bastard girl, obviously. overnight, as far as the common folk surrounding casterly rock were concerned, ellavida waters had gone up in a puff of smoke and eaten by fire. she was quickly forgotten. for two days she rode nearly due north, before finding a spot to camp safely and allow her new steed to rest. she named the grey horse adrestia, found water and food for the steed and herself, and then cried herself to sleep that night. her travels took her into the riverlands, where she found work with herbalists, septas, wealthier common folk of the tully region and her life became much less complicated, and much less cruel. the next months of her life were spent pouring over the books she had taken with her, perfecting and tweaking recipes to be more effective. vida’s healing salve brought her a steady clientele, work was not hard to find for someone with such knowledge and no one in the riverlands questioned or offered a second look to a simple healer with a bastard name, lavender eyes or no.

vida knew she could not sit idle in the riverlands once they turned against the iron throne. she knew what happened to young women in war, and even if she was spared that kind of brutality, she was also a herbalist with known skill. vida did not want to find herself a healer on a battlefield soaked in blood, indentured to some new king in a pointless war because she simply resided in the wrong spot. she would not, could not, go to the crownlands with the eyes of old valyria still shining bright in her face, the same could be said for the westerlands as it would not do for a dead girl to come back to life. the iron islands was not somewhere she was interested in, with the lack of access to supplies, and she had no interest in snow and sleet. vida needed a new place, with many different faces and a port so one day she could leave westeros in her past, and there was truthfully only one left. she’d heard the tales, seen the preparations, and with so many crowds it would be easy to both come and go, easy for her to remove herself if needed. and so she turned her gaze to dorne.

↳ personality.

vida is a complicated young woman, she was brought up under the hand of a punishing master with the knowledge that she was a cast off bastard child, and these two things have obviously shaped her. as much as the trauma she endured hardened her, it also did not manage to shut off the goodness inside her. she considers herself very much like the nature she was taught to respect and do her best to understand: she weathers the storms that beat at her but she still manages to withstand and continue to grow.

vida has done her best to keep the hate and anger from her heart, she saw what hate did to the apothecary she slaved under for most of her life. he hated harder than anyone she had ever seen, he had hated her in a way, and it seemed exhausting. spending most of her life in a homemade cage, but though whipped and shouted at she is not quite the abused animal she could have become. for vida it was easier to internalise her anger, channel it into something that would make her feel almost superior. she’d never known a life where she was worth anything to anyone, and she’d not started out life intending to be an apothecary or healing woman, but finding a way to craft the perfect remedy for a problem put before her was something calming to vida’s scarred psyche. she has ultimately become both a product and a victim of her environment, though she prefers to ignore the latter.

↳ the splitting of the kingdoms.

while she had no interest in putting herself in the middle of anything, after hearing of all the fighting and the impending sense of a war vida could no longer sit idly by. the riverlands had turned against the throne, as had the reach, the stormlands and the vale… so they were not safe. vida already knew the sting of a whip of a master, and she would rather flee to the furthest corners of westeros than find herself in that position again should the worst happen. she has never been to dorne before, so it is very much uncharted territory for her and given her limited understanding of the politics of the nobles and ruling class she doesn’t have too much of an opinion. and honestly even if she did, she would keep it to herself.

♛   STATUS:  TAKEN.

[cami-chats]

Title: The Butcher, The Baker, The Candlestick Maker-- Only Not the First and Third Ones

Link: AO3

Square Filled: Character Is A Baker

Ship: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark/Steve Rogers

Rating: Mature

Major Tags: Mention of a lesbian trying to force herself to be with a man

Summary: Pepper meets a gorgeous baker, now she just has to convince Tony to give a new relationship a try.

Word Count: 2231

Created for @mcukinkbingo

Full text also below

The first time Pepper saw him, she didn't give him more than a cursory glance. She hoped it didn't come off as rude, but the truth was that was was trying to make a purchase while talking on the phone, so there was only so polite she could have come across as. Honestly she was so frazzled that she didn't even think about how the blond haired, blue eyed man with muscles stretching his shirt was basically the human form of an all-american apple pie until she was back at the Tower, setting down the box of muffins on the conference table.

Huh. He was... not bad. She'd drop by again when she had a chance and see if he was there. If he wasn't, she'd keep trying until he was, and if he was, she'd try to feel him out for the basics. Namely how much of a judgmental asshole he was, but sometimes that was hard to find out from small talk.

She saw Mister Certifiably Gorgeous the next time she went in, but it was rather busy for her to do any kind of vetting. She left a big tip, tried to make her thanks as genuine as possible, and didn't even think about distracting him. She did find out that his name was Steve though, so she left feeling triumphant. The little flutter in her stomach let her know that she needed to tell Tony about him, so she made a mental note to talk to him before they went to bed that night.

With the minor explosion in R&D that day though, she forgot until they were at the brushing-teeth phase of the night, which was a little later than she preferred to have these talks. Pepper knew that Tony didn't mind, so she didn't put it off any longer. "I met somebody."

"Yeah?" Tony swished some mouthwash then spit it out, making a face at the spearmint taste instead of peppermint like he preferred. "Man or woman?"

"Man. His name's Steve, he works at that new bakery on the corner."

"Is he interested?"

"Well..."

Tony looked at her, then chuckled. "You didn't tell him, did you."

"I didn't have a chance," she said defensively. "We haven't even talked outside of customer-employee conversations."

"And you're telling me about him because?" Tony asked, looking a little confused. It wasn't an unfair emotion considering the fact that they usually had a little more attraction from the third person than this, but Pepper was a little offended all the same.

"He's really gorgeous, Tony."

He laughed again, moving towards their room and pulling back the blanket. "Well why don't you flirt a little and see how it goes."

"You don't want to meet him?"

Tony shrugged, his shoulders slightly tense.

Pepper softened, walking to him and setting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry about Wanda, but they won't all be like that." Wanda had been a lesbian that was half in love with Pepper, and thought that she'd be able to stand Tony as part of the deal as long as she got to be with Pepper. Needless to say pretending to be bisexual hadn't ended well for any of them, especially when she insisted she was okay to have sex with Tony. It was... one of the worst break up's they'd ever had, and it had only ended a month and a half ago.

"I know," Tony said. "It's just. Ugh I don't know."

"You're scared," Pepper supplied.

"No I'm not."

Pepper didn't say anything, knowing that the lie made him feel less vulnerable while at the same time knowing that Pepper wasn't fooled by it. She kissed the back of his head. "I'll see if he's interested and keep you posted, okay?"

He nodded, turning his head for a proper kiss.

She hummed, leaning into him.

"Pep, we just got clean."

She raised an eyebrow. "Your point being?"

Tony laughed again, and she loved the way it lit up his eyes. "Nothing," he said, shaking his head.

"That's what I thought."

*

Pepper flirted the next time she went in, and the time after that Steve flirted back.

"Hey Pepper!" he said, grinning widely as he walked out of a back room, his apron dusted with either flour or powdered sugar, she didn't know which.

"Hi Steve," she said, smiling back just as big.

Sam, the man who had been preparing to take her order, looked between them. "I guess you'd rather take care of her Steve?"

"Yeah." Steve walked up to the register as Sam moved to the side, still smiling at her. "I was hoping you'd come in today, it's been a while."

"Two days."

"A very long two days," he said, pulling a solemn face as he talked before smiling again.

Pepper swallowed, willing her tingles to calm down a little before she got so wound up that she accosted Tony in his workshop for an afternoon quickie. "What were you doing back there?" she asked, glancing at his spotted apron.

He glanced down too, like he needed to double check that there was a reason she looked there as she asked. "Cake order for tomorrow."

"You bake?" she asked, surprised.

Steve blinked, the expression of a man that was so used to people knowing he did that he'd forgotten it wasn't stamped on his forehead for new people to see. "Yeah," he said, laughing a little. "There's me, a night baker, and a couple part time bakers to cover our off days."

"I'm surprised you even have days off," she said. "I feel like you're here every single time I come in."

"Well I try," he said, smile turning shy. "Did you uh, need to order still?"

"Oh! Yes." In all honesty, she'd forgotten that she had come here to get food, caught up as she was in talking to him. "What hasn't been selling today?"

"You want to buy our least popular products?" he asked, a faint, disbelieving look on his face.

She narrowed her eyes at him, personally offended somehow. "Steven," she said, unconsciously folding her arms over her chest as she looked sternly at him. "If you are trying to convince me that buying food you made would be a mistake, we're going to have a problem."

Someone that Pepper only recognized in passing around the store snorted as he walked by. "You haven't been on a date yet, an' she's already settin' you straight." He pat Steve's shoulder, leaning in to say something that she couldn't catch. Whatever it was made Steve blush harder though, so perhaps she didn't want to hear it.

"Go away punk," Steve said, shoving playfully at him. "Sorry about him," he said bashfully, smoothing the front of his apron for something to do with his hands. He glanced at the door his friend had gone through, then turned back to her. "So uh, you can definitely say no and we can forget all about it, but would you maybe um- want to go on a date with me sometime?"

Pepper blushed lightly, a dusting of pink across her cheeks. She wanted to say yes so badly, but going on a first date with someone and then explaining the situation was so much worse than explaining it beforehand. "Ah. It's... complicated."

"Oh." Steve's smile was fading now, and she hated it. He looked like a golden retriever that was just told it wasn't allowed to be pet. "Sorry uh." He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "So what can I get for you?"

"Steve. When I said it's complicated, I didn't mean 'I'm taken so back off', I meant it takes some time to explain and most people aren't okay with it."

"So you're... poly?" he asked tentatively, probably afraid that he was wrong and she'd get upset.

She smiled though, relieved. "Yes. And we date as a pair, so I didn't want to agree to anything without him. If you're still interested, we can all meet up when you're free. If you're not, no harm done." She reached into her pocket for a card and a pen. "Take some time to think about it," she said, scrawling her personal number on the back, "and get back to me." She held it up, holding her breath until he took it from her.

He nodded, tucking it into his back pocket, obviously taking her seriously.

"Great," she said, unable to keep the relief from her voice. "Take some time to think it over, there's no pressure." She smiled reassuringly and left. It wasn't until the door was closing behind her that she paused, realizing that she hadn't bought anything. It would probably be more embarrassing to turn back now than to deal with it later, so she kept walking.

Of course that was the moment that Tony texted her, asking if they had anything with cherries and if they did would she please get him five. She took a deep breath, bracing herself as she turned around and walked back in.

Steve was shocked to see her again, and she waved sheepishly. "Tony's craving cherries," she explained, going back up to the counter. "Do you have anything like that?"

*

"I talked to Steve," Pepper said, sliding Tony the pastries.

He shoved a whole one in his mouth before he responded. "How'd he take it?"

"He needs some time to think. I gave him my number but," she shrugged. There was nothing they could do but wait-- or so Pepper constantly had to remind him so that he didn't gift people with Ferrari's at every turn.

Before she could worry too much about future bakery purchases, Steve texted her that night.

It's Steve (from the bakery). Can I meet your partner before I agree to anything?

Absolutely. We'll drop by tomorrow? At 3?

Sounds good. See you then.

*

"Okay Tony what are we not going to do?" Pepper asked as they walked to the bakery.

"Pepper," he whined. She shot him a sharp look, and he rolled his eyes. She was always so uptight about new people and he wished there was some way he could force her to relax a little. Tony heaved a sigh before dutifully repeating, "We are not going to proposition him or otherwise try to scare him off, and I'm not allowed to casually hand him a hundred dollars."

"You're not allowed to hand him any money. Leave all exchanges of paper-- monetary or not-- to me. He's going to think he can hand you things otherwise, and you'll pretend to be okay and then you'll panic when we get back to the tower. Hands to yourself for the good of mankind."

"I don't think the good of mankind hinges on whether or not I panic."

"I disagree."

They were still bickering goodnaturedly as they walked into the bakery, and Pepper had to poke him hard in the arm to get his attention. "What?" he asked, rubbing his arm with a betrayed look on his face.

She nodded at something, and Tony turned to look.

Then he froze. "Wow." He was pretty sure there were Greek statues that looked exactly like this man, only not quite as pretty. Steve-- because that must have been who it was-- was certainly more attractive than any slab of marble could be, no matter how nicely it was carved. "Do you think he takes steroids?" Tony asked under his breath. "There's no way those muscles are natural."

Pepper looked at him disbelievingly. "People say the same about your ass."

"They say I take steroids to get it that way?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Not the time Tony."

"You always say that."

"That's because it's always true."

"You're so mean to me."

"Only as mean as you are to me," she said, shooting him a saccharine smile.

"Am I interrupting something?" Steve said, standing a few feet away as he looked between the two of them, looking like he was legitimately concerned that they were having a fight and not just arguing for the fun of it.

"No," they said in unison, and it sounded like the truth instead of when most couples said that as a complete and utter lie.

"You must be Steve," Tony said, grinning at him.

"I must be." Tony knew there was every reason for him to look nervous, but he still had to swallow down the urge to tease him about it. "And you're Pepper's boyfriend?"

"I prefer partner."

Steve winced. "Right, sorry."

Tony waved the apology off. "It's fine. I'm Tony, by the way." He fake glared at Pepper. "I guess someone hasn't been talking your ear off about me as much as she's been doing it to me about you."

"I have to talk about you all day, I didn't feel the need to inflict you on Steve."

"You're inflicting me on him now," Tony grumbled.

Steve looked like he was starting to have doubts, so Tony tried to dial it down a little.

*

How they ended up getting a date after that, Tony had no idea.

*

How they ended up spending morning-afters with Steve making muffins in their kitchen, neither Pepper nor Tony knew, but they were going to enjoy the hell out of it. Especially since sometimes Steve would bake shirtless and they'd get to see the hickies they left from the night before on him.

[marionbagenwell]

The latest additions projects happen contribute draft

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[tisfan]

Discover your Soul

Title: Discover your Soul Collaborator: @tisfan Link: AO3 Square Filled: I3 -- Character is a Soldier Ship: Tony/Bucky Rating: teen Major Tags: soulmate AU, red string AU, fix it fic, not Civil War compliant Summary: Magic exists. Ask anyone with a soul mate string and they’ll tell you.

Curses exist, too. Word Count: 2,220 Created for @mcukinkbingo

Before you find your soul mate, you must first discover your soul. – Charles F. Glassman

Magic exists.

Ask anyone with a soul mate string and they’ll tell you. Magic moved the world to give them their perfect match, their mate, the person for whom they will live and die, the person that completes them and fills them up with love.

Curses exist, too.

Ask Maria Stark, whose only son was brought in to the world, barely breathing. Anthony Edward Stark almost died in his first few minutes, choking and spluttering. He uttered one mournful wail, not a baby’s indignation of leaving the womb and entering the cold, cruel world, but an old soul’s dismay.

His string, bound to him as such things were, was broken.

Less than a foot below his hand, his string ended in a puff of broken threads.

And it was bleeding.

No one had ever seen such a thing before. On the rare, and tragic states of soulmates having died before they could meet, the string was still there, indicating the broken bond, but it was black and ashy. The remaining partner would wrap it around their finger as they aged and it would slowly shrivel up and die. In some cases, a new string formed later, as their mate was reborn in a younger body.

This one, Tony’s string, bleed. Constantly, at first.

The hospital kept the baby in the infant care ward for almost a month. The blood loss affected the baby; he was weak and small and didn’t cry.

Eventually, they let him go home with his parents.

The wound clotted, but it never closed, never scarred over. The string remained brilliant red, tracing the line from the heart directly out through his finger, just like it was supposed to. It didn’t always bleed, as he got older, but if he was sad, or upset, sometimes the cut would reopen and he’d find himself with blood on his jeans, or on his desk, or eventually in his workshop.

Tony never took very good care of his hands. What was the point? People always looked at him, looked down at that loose, dangling thread, and viewed him as some sort of pariah.

Someone, maybe, whose soulmate had rejected him, sight unseen? No one knew, and the speculation was wild and varied.

Hard to maintain friendships, when people wondered. Harder, when his father was ashamed of the bleeding string, and the fact that everyone knew about it.

Tony decided he didn’t care and he made friends with the robots he built from kits and from people he met on the internet, where no one knew about his famous father or his infamous bleeding soul string.

The first time he kissed a classmate, the string practically hemorrhaged, spraying the unfortunate crush with blood.

Tony didn’t get a lot of kisses, after that story spread around.

He changed schools constantly to get away from rumors and speculations.

It didn’t help.

(more below the cut)

The first person he met who didn’t care was an upperclassman, his first year at MIT, named James Rhodes.

Rhodes and Tony.

Who became Rhodey and Tones, swapping the last letters of their names in an affectionate gesture that warmed Tony profoundly. He’d never really known the affection of friends, so he cherished the one he’d made.

The string never bled when Rhodey was around, either.

“Maybe something’s just wrong with your mate,” Rhodey speculated, and his speculation wasn’t cruel or unkind, just curious. And in some manner, reassuring. “Maybe they’re sick, or they get hurt a lot. It ain’t like this sort of thing is well studied, or nothin’. It’s all about faith and fate, and those things don’t hold up under a microscope.”

Tony wondered what his string looked like under a microscope.

Nothing, as it turned out. The string didn’t exist in the same time/space as things like photography and microanalysis, and Tony ended up getting a second master’s thesis out of speculative fate physics, while he was putting in the effort for mechanical engineering anyway.

Tony combined the two projects for his first doctorate, theoretical fate physics, and actually invented an entirely new manner of photogenesis that captured the essences of fate strings. Just after his nineteenth birthday, Tony made the front cover of Time magazine for the first verifiable picture of a fate string.

He looked, he decided, like a baby in the picture and he started frantically cultivating a beard.

Beards were wise, right? Inscrutable. Certainly not an object of pity.

Also, hot. Beards were hot.

Later, much, much later, Tony will remember the only time his fate string didn’t hurt. It wasn’t a bad pain so much as just a constant ache. If he wasn’t paying attention, he’d find himself rubbing at his finger, massaging the joint. He stopped doing that after he developed a flesh colored band to hide the string and control the bleeding.

Mostly.

And then, not quite a week before Christmas, his hand stopped hurting.

He didn’t know what to do with that information. It had never not ached before. Sometimes he could ignore it, but whenever he was paying attention, the pain was right there.

And suddenly it wasn’t.

He ripped the band off to study the pathetic length of psychic ribbon. It was throbbing; the end curling like a snake. Twitching.

The end swelled, like it was filling with blood, and then dropped, added another ten, twelve, inches to the length, until it was resting on the ground, straining.

What the hell?

He watched it, fascinated. Petted the string, poked at it. Took a photograph with his special camera.

Four hours later, the police came to tell him his parents were dead.

Six hours after that, the string bled feverishly, a stomach-turning spray of arterial blood. Tony cleaned it up, wrapped his finger. Pretended it hadn’t happened.

What the hell was a mate supposed to do for him now, anyway?

Coincidence, he told himself with a shiver.

Mourning, terrified, alone, he deleted the picture.

The Soldier sat in the chair.

He didn’t struggle. He never struggled anymore.

The string was wrapped around his wrist, several times. It had leaked out of the metal arm shortly after the Soldier had been awakened from cryo.

He didn’t try to hide it. He never tried to hide things anymore.

“Good job, soldier,” his handler said.

The soldier didn’t answer, he just waited.

“Keep him up a few weeks, I want him around for the testing.”

“You got it, sir,” one of the techs said.

“And cauterize that thing, before it bleeds everywhere.”

There was pain, when they burned the string. There was always pain. But the Soldier didn’t care about that.

Tony’s string started growing again, in the year after the Fall of SHIELD.

He couldn’t figure out why.

His own ground breaking research aside, no one still really studied the fate threads, or soul mates, or the properties therin. He was, his critics said sometimes, killing the magic.

“Magic that can’t withstand a little examination might deserve to be killed,” he snarled in response to that.

It still didn’t lead to another person, trailing along behind him for several yards like a sad kite. Useless, and he was tripping over it. There was, however, too much on Iron Man’s docket for him to actually get really into detail with his soul string. He wrapped it tightly around his wrist and ignored it as best he could.

First, arrangements had to be made for world security. Without SHIELD, without Nick Fury, there was a lot of burdens falling around, uncaught.

Then there was Ultron.

And Sokovia.

And…

The string kept growing. Twined around Tony’s wrist, up to his elbow, he ended up bundling it around his chest just to keep it out of the way.

Why was it so damn disorderly, too? Other people’s strings sort of melted away into some ethereal plane when they weren’t directly connected to the soulmate. They didn’t tumble all over the floor like a sulky yo-yo.

In fact, most people’s strings were well nigh invisible unless the person was within grabbing distance of their mates. Or, at least, from an outsider’s appearance. For each individual, they could see their string, winding off into the distance, in the direction of their other half.

Nice thought, Tony snorted, tucking an extra bit of loop into his pocket.

Secretary Ross was breathing down Tony’s neck and while he was beginning to wonder if he could, actually, strangle the man to death it it, he decided not to risk it. Not today.

“Of course you can quote me,” Tony raged into the phone. “I’m saying it, aren’t I? There will be consequences.”

God damn it, Steve.

That had been a refrain for a while now, and Tony was tired of it.

Having to send out his best friend to arrest his old man’s best friend? Officially, Tony didn’t have anything like that sort of authority, which is why Rhodey was doing it. And because Tony really, really didn’t want to arrest Steve. Things were going to shit without it.

There was something oddly compelling about the video feed.

Cap’s old friend, Barnes, having done a stint in the Russian military, or whatever. Gorgeous, sulky, long tangled hair and unshaven face, he stared up at the hidden camera like he knew it was there.

“This is what I was saying about making it worse, Steve,” Nat was complaining to Cap as they were being processed.

“At least he’s alive,” Steve said, staring back at his old friend. “What’s going to happen to him now?”

“We’ll get him help, of course,” Tony said, because that was only fair. “He’s… uh. He’s bleeding.”

There was a wet, smacking sound from under Tony’s clothing, like he’d stepped on a ziplock bag and blown the seal.

A rush of heat and wet seeped down his side.

Son of a bitch, so am I.

Tony bunched his fist up, as if he could stop his fate string from bleeding from sheer force of will. Why now, he wondered. Totally, epically bad timing.

The string was squirming, writhing, wriggling against him like it was trying to get away.

Barnes’ gaze went from the camera, over to where he couldn’t possibly see Tony trying to tip his body away so that no one noticed the wet spot on his pants, or the way blood was gushing into his shoe.

Fuck. I need to get out of here.

“I need to get out of here,” Barnes echoed, his voice a dark tremor against the air. Tony whirled, took a few steps, heedless of the bloody footprint he was leaving behind.

Look at him, trapped like an animal, Tony thought, his chest squeezing in sudden sympathy. Barnes wasn’t struggling with the restraints, but he was leaning in Tony’s direction, like steel drawn to a powerful magnet.

“Trapped, like an animal,” Barnes agreed.

Can you hear me?

There was blood pooling at the base of the restraint room, brilliant and red. Someone should die from that much blood loss.

“I hear you.”

Holy fuck.

“Stark, what are you doing--”

Tony took another few steps, then another, and his string unraveled from his belly, slithered out from under the hem of his shirt.

Touched that pool of blood under Barnes.

The world exploded in light.

The Soldier was on guard.

No one had told him that, no one had given him orders. They didn’t need to. He knew it, bone deep, blood deep.

The puddle had turned into coils and coils of string, tangling between him and the man. From the line in his heart, through the artificial arm, down his wires and servos, out the finger, and into knots and tangles, draped all over him, and then reaching for… Tony.

He’d broken out of the holding cell; nothing like that could contain him for long unless he wanted to be contained. Tony, Tony, Tony. Tony was clinging to him, sobbing with broken-hearted relief.

The Soldier knew something about that, too.

“What’s going to happen now?”

That was Steve. The Soldier knew him. A little.

Not like he knew the sobbing man in his arms. That song, he’d been denied well and too long.

Tony wiped his face, presenting his red rimmed eyes unashamed.

“I expect I’m going to be writing a new paper of fate strings physics,” Tony said.

“I meant, to Bucky.”

The Soldier bared his teeth at that name; Bucky came with knives and poisons. That name was pain. It wasn’t… safe to say.

Bucky? Tony’s voice was in his head.

It was. Who he was.

“We’ll figure it out, Cap,” Tony said. “By the book.”

“I don’t think you’re gonna like that book, Tony,” Steve said.

“Well, I’ve rewritten the book before,” Tony said. “With less solid information to go on. So… sit back, and watch me work. Don’t worry. I’ll…”

Tony stared at Bucky, his entire heart in his eyes. “I’ll take care of him.”

“And what about you?”

Bucky didn’t have to say anything. He pulled Tony closer and glared. Unarmed, held at gunpoint, the Soldier radiated threat and everyone took a hesitant step back. Message received.

“I think we got it, snowflake,” Tony said. “You can just… relax now. We’re going to fix this mess.”

“I know.”

[ceealaina]

Title: That’s What Friends Are For Collaborator Name: ceealaina Card Number: 3088 Link: AO3 Square Filled: R3 - Old Team Ship: IronHusbands Rating: Teen Major Tags: None Summary: The Tony Stark Protection Squad,” he told her, like that was a thing. “It’s really just me and Colonel Rhodes -- and well, you now, I guess -- the people who actually care about Tony’s well-being. The people he actually likes, doesn’t play pretend with.”

Pepper had rolled her eyes at him and then yelped when he’d tossed a lemon at her and things had gone back to normal. But she couldn’t really deny that he was wrong. Word Count: 1733

Pepper had known Tony for eight months and six days before she ever even met James Rhodes. 

She’d heard about him, of course. She’d lost count of the number of times she’d walked in on Tony’s phone conversations with the other man, Tony using them as an excuse to avoid paperwork. She’d hummed sympathetically when Tony whined about how much he missed him, and had listened to probably a thousand stories about their time at MIT while trying incredibly hard not to laugh at the really wild ones, because she had figured out pretty early on that it would only encourage Tony to try and outdo himself. 

She had wondered about their relationship, in the beginning. The first time she’d heard him refer to Rhodes as Honeybear, she’d stopped and blinked at him. But Tony hadn’t even looked up, and if he wasn’t phased then she refused to be. And then, as time went on and Pepper started to understand Tony better, she realized that the nicknames and affection were just how he showed his feelings for the people he really trusted, so she stopped reading into it. 

Even though she felt a little like she knew him already, actually meeting James Rhodes was nothing short of a relief. It was early in December, and Tony had not been in a good place. He was drinking even more than usual, being downright obstinate with the board members, and Pepper was left trying to contend with all of that while Stane was up her ass about Tony’s behavior, still furious over the admittedly ridiculously high security clearance that Tony had given her without a word to anyone. 

She’d been ready to tear her hair out, trying to convince him to get off the couch, and put on clothes that weren’t his boxers and a torn up t-shirt so they could go into SI and at least make an appearance and pretend to have his shit together. Tony had actually pulled a pillow over his face so he wouldn’t have to listen to her, and Pepper was very seriously considering smothering him with it when someone had cleared their throat behind her. She’d turned to find an amused looking man watching their exchange, lips quirked in a faint smile. 

“You must be the famous Miss Potts,” he said, holding out his hand to her, somehow settling Pepper’s frayed nerves with nothing more than a warm voice and a bright smile.

“I am,” she agreed, taking his hand, and before he could introduce himself, Tony was sitting up so fast he looked like he’d made himself a little dizzy with it. 

“Honeybear?” he croaked out incredulously, and the newcomer’s smile grew even larger. 

“Hey Tones,” he replied, voice soft before he turned his attention back to Pepper. “James Rhodes, but please. Call me Jim,” he told her, steering her towards the kitchen. “This is... sort of a bad time of year for Tony,” he added, lowering his voice slightly. “And you look like you could use a break. Why don’t you grab yourself a glass of wine? I’ll handle Tony for you.” 

And sure enough, thirty minutes later Tony was heading into the kitchen freshly showered and shaved in a fitted suit, ready with a kiss on the cheek and a soft apology for Pepper. 

It would be a few more years before she would realize exactly why this was such a hard time of year for Tony, but as far as she was concerned, Rhodey was literally magic. 

Rhodey was clearly a permanent fixture in Tony’s life, one of the handful of people that he trusted unequivocally. But it took her by surprise when she realized that she had become a part of that group too, without ever even noticing. She hadn’t realized at first how distant he kept everyone, how fake most of his interactions really were, until he wasn’t doing it with her anymore. She couldn’t actually remember what she’d been doing when she had first noticed. It hadn’t been anything special -- an errand she’d run, or a phone call she’d taken care of so that he wouldn’t have to -- but Tony had looked so relieved. “Thanks Ms Potts,” he had told her, and his voice was teasing but there was something real in it too, genuine appreciation. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.” And then he’d grinned at her, wide and open and genuine, so different from the press smiles that he always offered up. It was, frankly, beautiful, almost took her breath away, and Pepper was caught off guard by how much it affected her, had wandered into the kitchen without even really knowing why. 

“Ohhh.” Happy was there, and he huffed out a laugh at the sight of her. “One of us now, huh?” 

Pepper shook herself out of her daze, arching an eyebrow at him. “One of who?” 

“The Tony Stark Protection Squad,” he told her, like that was a thing. “It’s really just me and Rhodes -- and well, you now, I guess -- the people who actually care about Tony’s well-being. The people he actually likes, doesn’t play pretend with.”

Pepper had rolled her eyes at him and then yelped when he’d tossed a lemon at her and things had gone back to normal. But she couldn’t really deny that he was wrong. 

It also didn’t escape her notice that he hadn’t included Obie in that very short list. 

And as the four of them grew into more and more of a team, she could see why. There was something about Obadiah Stane that she couldn’t quite trust. She couldn’t put her finger on what it was, exactly. He was always pleasant and professional with her, but it was just a little too professional, a little too practiced. And the few times she’d seen him lose his temper over a business deal gone wrong, or some other problem, watched him yell, and throw things, and throw a full on tantrum, she couldn’t help thinking that was the real Obie. 

The way he was with Tony set her on edge too. Tony seemed to trust his godfather completely (the father, Rhodey had confided in her one night over too much wine, that Tony had never really had himself). But the way Obie spoke to him, the borderline manipulation, the “Tony m’boys”... it just didn’t sit right.

She knew she wasn’t the only one. Happy was always perfectly polite and respectful, but it didn’t have the same familiarity that he used with the rest of them. And more than once she’d caught him rolling his eyes or making an exaggerated face when he turned away from Obadiah -- or pretending not to understand and even ignoring his requests altogether, if it went against what Tony wanted. 

Rhodey, on the other hand, Rhodey hated Obie. Sure, he hid it well when actually interacting with him, but once she knew to look for it, Pepper didn’t miss the way he tensed up when Obie entered the room, the way he was almost too formal. How every few seconds his gaze would flick over to Tony, checking in and making sure he was okay. The more she got to know him better, the more easily she could see how much he absolutely despised the other man. He only put up with him for Tony’s sake, and even then, it was probably only because he knew enough to realize that Tony wouldn’t be able to hear a word against him. 

But even if Tony didn’t recognize it himself, he was different with the three of them. He was more easy going, more relaxed. He smiled more, and it was his real smile, every time. He was still a snarky asshole, because that was just Tony, but it was so clearly from a place of love and affection that more often than not it made Pepper go all soft and warm inside. Some days it felt like it was really just the four of them -- plus JARVIS, of course -- against the world.

But of all of them, Rhodey clearly held the top spot in Tony’s eyes. Really, Pepper should have seen it sooner. Tony lit up whenever Rhodey came into the room, and Rhodey’s was the only opinion he really listened to. He had twelve thousand nicknames for him, and seemed to be constantly showing off for him. He even had Pepper schedule all his suit fittings for when Rhodey was in town, because he “needed his opinion.” 

And yet, despite all that, she hadn’t put it together. And so, when Rhodey had come back from a few months away, and Pepper had popped into the workshop to drop off some paperwork that Tony absolutely had to sign, she nearly had a heart attack when she found Rhodey sprawled back in a leather desk chair, Tony straddling his lap with the two of them lazily making out and rocking together. 

“Holy shit!” she blurted out before she could stop herself, spilling the files all over the floor in a rare show of fluster. There was a long, drawn out pause, both men freezing for a long minute. 

Rhodey was the first to recover, giving her a smile that was somewhere between sheepish and smug. “Hey Pep.” 

This made Tony snort, and he waggled his eyebrows at her. “Can I help you with something, Ms Potts?” 

“Uhh…” Uncharacteristically thrown, Pepper scrambled for an answer. “I just had some paperwork for you to sign. but it can wait. I’ll come back later. Let you two get… Reacquainted.” She almost started laughing at that, and made a quick turn for the stairs before she lost her composure completely, catching a glimpse through the glass of Tony burying his face in Rhodey’s chest as he laughed hysterically. 

Happy was in the living room, sipping a cup of coffee, and he arched an eyebrow when Pepper made it to the top of the stairs and lost it completely, holding on to the wall she was laughing so hard. 

“You alright?” 

“They, uh…” Pepper covered her hand with her mouth, trying to get control of herself. “I mean, Jim and Tony, they’re um…”

“Ohh…” Happy’s expression cleared as he clued in, and he grinned at her. “You didn’t know about that? I expected more from you, Pepper. That’s been a thing forever.” He gave her a wink. “Welcome to the team.”

@tonystarkbingo

[ceealaina]

Title: Standing Face to Face Collaborator Name: ceealaina Card Number: 3088 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S3 - Anger Issues Ship: Gen Rating: Teen Major Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Civil War Fix-It, Making Up Summary: When Tony gets an emergency call from Nat after the events of Civil War, he doesn't hesitate to drop everything to help.

... He's never trusting Natasha again. Word Count: 2792

Tony trudged into the workshop, exhausted after another round of Accords meetings. He was done with the entire world -- except for Rhodey, who was beautiful and wonderful and had never betrayed him -- and this close to calling the whole thing quits. He was ready to lose himself in some War Machine upgrades, let that numb his mind for a bit, when his eyes fell on the flashing light on the landline tucked in the corner. 

“Shit,” he hissed, exhaustion suddenly gone. “Friday, baby? Stealth mode, please.” 

“You got it, boss,” she told him, the windows already going opaque. 

The thing was, the tale of the Avengers breakup had been slightly exaggerated. Sure, Steve and his gang of merry assholes were, technically, on the run and, even more technically, no longer classified as Avengers. But they were still out there, actively fighting crime to their heart’s content. Which Tony knew, because he had regular check-ins with them to see if things were okay and to keep them apprised of the Accords situation. He was their ‘in case of aliens’ emergency back up, he sent updates for all their equipment, and once a week -- give or take -- he and Rogers would get into a yelling match over the phone, and usually end up hanging up on each other. They were still his team, and Tony would do anything required to help them (the fact that anyone anywhere thought Steve was capable of breaking into the Raft, without leaving a trace, on his own, was frankly insulting) but he was also about ready to dropkick Captain Asshole off a very tall building. 

But regardless of his personal feelings for Steve, if the emergency line was ringing, he was going to answer it. 

Natasha’s voice was ruhed and harried, sounding like she was trying to keep from being heard. “Tony? Budapest. Right away,” she told him. There was a burst of static, and she gave him a set of coordinates, and then the line went dead. 

“Shit,” Tony muttered, already suiting up. “Friday? Cancel… Everything.” 

“On it, boss,” she reported as he took off into the sky. 

***

The coordinates that Natasha had given him took Tony to some hole-in-the-wall local bar so far on the outskirts of town that he didn’t know if it could really be considered Budapest anymore. He hesitated for the briefest of seconds, but he knew better than to think Natasha might have made a mistake. She hadn’t given him a stealth warning so, still fully wrapped in the armour, he stepped through the front door. 

The bar was dimly lit, a few tables scattered around the room, all sitting empty. There were only two occupants inside: The bartender, who didn’t look up, and a drunken patron half-slumped over the bar, who did. 

“Ayyy!” he cried, holding up his stein and sloshing beer over the counter. “Iron Man!” A moment later he was slumped over the bar again. 

Tony popped his faceplate up, blinking incredulously at the scene before him. “Uh… Okay.” 

The door to a back room opened then, and Clint sauntered out, a beer bottle in hand. “Bout time you got here,” he drawled, and Tony stared back at him. 

“Some emergency, Barton.” 

Clint shrugged, not even looking embarrassed. “Had to get you here somehow,” he replied, and before Tony could ask why, he was opening the door again to stick his head back into the room behind him. “Hey guys!” he hollered. “He’s here!” 

Tony stared as Nat filed out through the door, followed by an extremely put-out looking Sam and then, finally, Steve. Tony took a tiny bit of solace in the fact that apparently Steve hadn’t been told what was going on either. He stopped at the sight of Tony, taking up the entire doorway, and his eyes narrowed. 

“What’s he doing here?” 

Tony resisted the urge to stick his tongue out at him. “Yes. What am I doing here?” he asked instead, feeling increasingly more bewildered. It wasn’t a feeling he was used to, and he didn’t like it. The last time he had been this confused was when Rhodey had kissed him back in college, and while that had turned out pretty fantastic, he wasn’t holding the same hope here. 

Natasha and Clint shared one of those freaky spy twin stares, having an entire conversation without words, but it was Natasha who finally spoke. “So the thing is, Clint and I and… Well everyone, really. We’re sick of your shit.” 

Beside her, Clint nodded sagely, folding his arms across his chest in that way that he thought was supposed to be impressive (it was, the man had biceps for days, but Tony wasn’t going to tell him that). “The two of you,” he said, gesturing between Tony and Steve. “You can’t go five minutes without having a screaming fest. It’s fucking annoying.” 

“So you’re going to sit here, with Sam, and have couples therapy until you work out your anger issues with each other,” Natasha continued.  

Sam drew in a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I feel obliged to mention for the millionth time that I’m not actually a therapist. What the fuck even?” 

“You’re the closest thing we have!” Natasha and Clint replied in unison. It sounded like a well-worn argument. 

“And I don’t have anger issues,” Steve mumbled, sounding petulant. The four of them turned to stare at him incredulously and he shifted a little uncomfortably, not meeting anyone’s eyes. “Okay, maybe I have a bit of a temper,” he admitted. “But I don’t see how this is going to help anything.” 

“Not to mention the potential security risk,” Tony added, with a pointed look at the bar. 

“Yes!” Steve practically shouted, clearly looking for an excuse to get out of this. “Exactly.” 

“Don’t worry about them,” Natasha said, waving off their concerns. “They don’t speak English.” 

“And see?” Clint added. “You’re getting along better already.” 

Tony rolled his eyes. “This is bullshit, and I can’t believe you hauled me all the way out here for this. I’ve got forty million actual things to do, so... I’m going. It’s been, uh… Great catching up?”

“Uh-uh.” All of a sudden Nat was holding a gun in each hand. “We’re serious about this, Tony. You’re gonna fix this thing between you.” 

Tony blinked at her. “Are you… Are you threatening me?” 

Natasha just shrugged, arching a brow at him. And the thing was, Tony was pretty sure she wouldn’t really shoot him, but he couldn’t say it with 100% certainty -- he was still wearing the armor. He met her gaze for a long moment, trying to call her bluff, but she didn’t flinch and Tony sighed, feeling his entire body sag. 

“Fiiiiine,” he said, dragging the word out to about five times the length so that she’d know how displeased he was. Pointedly not removing the suit, he stomped over the bar. For a long minute, nobody joined him. Then, after some loud whispering that he ignored in favour of trying to piece together enough Hungarian to get a scotch from the bartender, Steve came over and slumped down on a stool beside him. He didn’t speak, or look at him, leaving it to Tony to start the conversation. Tony kind of regretted putting the faceplate up, because Steve would definitely notice if he made a face at him. “So, uh… Where’s the rest of your motley crew? Simon, or Sean, or whatever his name was. The shrink ‘n gro guy?” 

Steve gave him an unimpressed stare. “I know you know his name is Scott. Just like I know you know that he made a deal with the Feds, and that he’s under house arrest stateside.” He turned away again, and Tony rolled his eyes at the sticky bartop. 

“Excuse me for making conversation,” he muttered. “And, uh, what about Wanda?” 

When he looked at him again, Steve’s gaze had hardened, his expression unreadable. “I’m not telling you where Wanda is.” 

“Jesus Christ,” Tony muttered. “What, you think I’m asking so I can call up Ross and sell her out? Really, Rogers? The back-up, and the checkins, and making myself available to you all the goddamn time is just so that I can fuck you all over at the first available opportunity? Fuck you. I’m the one out there trying to get things fixed so you idiots can finally come home!” 

“Oh yeah,” Steve scoffed. “How altruistic of you. Like how locking Wanda up in the first place was for her sake, not yours, right?” 

“It was!” Tony insisted. “I had her staying on the compound, Steve. You know, the giant ass place where we all chose to live? The one with walking trails and an Olympic size pool and six different gourmet kitchens in addition to the private quarters that are bigger than most NYC apartments? It wasn’t exactly a 6x8 cell.” 

“It doesn’t matter! You can’t just lock people up. People deserve freedom, Tony!” 

“Oh my god. I wasn’t locking her up, I was keeping her from being locked up. They wanted to take her in for questioning, Steve. Do you know what happens when people like Ross take people like Wanda in for questioning? They disappear. Keeping her on the compound meant they couldn’t just waltz in and take her. Not to mention what could happen with random people on the street. She’s misunderstood Steve, I get that. But when people misunderstand things, they tend to fear them. And they can react to fear in pretty violent ways.” 

“I think Wanda can handle herself.” 

Tony scoffed. “Yeah, I saw how well she handled herself in Lagos. You really want a repeat of that in upstate New York?” 

Steve opened his mouth, clearly ready to lay into him, but before he could there was a sharp whistle from across the room. They both whipped around to see Natasha, Sam, and Clint glaring at them pointedly. 

“This!” Clint said. “This is exactly what we’re talking about! Come on, you two were really good friends. I get this is a big disagreement, but...” He gestured between himself and Natasha. “Look, Tasha and I were on opposite sides of the Accords. You don’t see us going at each other’s throats every time we look at each other. We’re still friends! Don’t you want that back?”

Tony felt himself deflate a little. He chanced a glance over at Steve out of the corner of his eyes and found him looking equally subdued. Neither of them actually said anything, but Clint got a smug, self-satisfed look on his face anyway. 

“That’s what I thought,” he told them.

“Okay, so.” Natasha planted a hand in the middle of Sam’s back and shoved him hard, getting a yelp out of him as he stumbled over toward the bar. “Sam’s gonna stay here and... guide you, while the two of you sit here until you get all your shit talked out.” 

“I’m really not qualified for this!” Sam informed them again. 

“And Nat and I’ll be waiting right outside the door until you do,” Clint added, with a look that suggested they’d be doing more guarding more than waiting. 

So, with Sam as mediator, they talked. It didn’t start out well, the two of them doing more screaming than talking, every topic veering into anger. Sam had to interrupt them every five minutes to try and get them to refocus, grumbling the whole time about how he wasn’t getting paid enough for this shit. Once, Clint and Nat had stuck their heads back in, presumably to make sure they didn’t actually kill each other. Tony had been screaming about how if Steve thought Tony had been acting selfishly, he’d better look in a mirror, or was he trying to claim that not telling Tony that his parents had been murdered was really for his benefit. But Steve hadn’t yelled back, and Tony had gotten his breathing and heart rate under control -- without kicking Steve’s chair out from under him, as tempting as it was -- and they had left again. 

And eventually, things had shifted. Tony was still mad, but he could understand some of the fear and reasoning that had led to Steve being so against the Accords, and Steve had admitted that while he still didn’t agree with them, he could see how some oversight was virtually inevitable, and that he probably should have had more faith in Tony, and the possibility of a middle ground. He’d admitted that it hadn’t just been the Accords, that between that, and Lagos, and then Peggy dying, he’d felt like the ground was falling out beneath him and hadn’t reacted well, and Tony had admitted that he could have done more to see where he was coming from -- he wasn’t exactly unfamiliar with the sensation of the ground falling out beneath him himself. 

“Shit,” Tony mumbled, rubbing at his eyes as he looked around the bar for what felt like the first time in hours. He didn’t actually remember when he’d stepped out of the Iron Man suit, but he was sitting on the barstool beside Steve in a business suit, Iron Man standing guard in the corner. There was no sign of the bartender or the other patron. “How long have we been here.” He frowned. “And where the hell did Sam go?” 

“I think he gave up and called it quits around the time I called you a hack,” Steve offered. His voice was dry, but he offered Tony a crooked grin, and Tony felt a pang; it had been a long time since he had seen Steve smile like that and he’d missed it. 

He sighed, fiddling with a bare spot on the counter. “I didn’t want to kill Barnes,” he admitted quietly. “Not really. I know it wasn’t his fault. I just… Seeing my mom killed like that? It brought everything all back, and I just saw red. I wanted him to hurt as much as I was.” He gave Steve a wry look. “Not very superhero-y of me, huh?” 

“Yes. Because I’m known for my even-temper and measured responses,” Steve deadpanned. “I get it, Tony. I probably would have done the same. I didn’t want to hurt you either, for what it’s worth. I just wanted to get Bucky out of there. I was scared I was going to lose him again, and you were a little terrifying. I don’t know if you know this, but you’re kind of a badass.” 

Tony rolled his eyes. “You trying to flatter me, Rogers?” 

“I’m just saying, it did take two fully grown super soldiers to even slow you down.” He grinned, then sobered again. “But what you said back there? You were right, Tony. You were my friend. I should have had respect for that too.” 

“Ye-ah…” Tony shrugged. “I get it though. If our places were switched, and that were Rhodey? Full offense, Steve, but I would lay you out to save him.” 

Steve gave him another soft smile. “I don’t doubt it.” 

Tony’s phone gave a loud jangle then, buzzing harshly against the counter, and he and Steve both startled, jolted from the hazy peace they’d fallen into. WIth a rueful smile, Tony picked the phone up and grimaced at the message waiting for him. 

“Shit,” he muttered, rubbing a hand over his eyes. He looked over at Steve, an apology on his face. “I gotta get going. Ross has decided to come by in a couple hours, and if I’m not there he’s going to start trying to look into where I am…” 

“Yeah, yeah, no,” Steve said quickly. “I understand.” He hesitated a moment, chewing at his lip. “I haven’t said thank you, Tony. All of this, dealing with Ross, and the Accords, and trying to bring us home…? I appreciate it, I really do. I know it’s a lot, and it’s all on you, and I know I’m terrible at showing it, but I do appreciate it. Thank you, Tony.” 

Tony smiled softly. “Thank you,” he answered, nodding his head back toward the front door. “For keeping them safe.” 

Steve snorted. “Because Nat needs so much looking after?” he teased, earning a soft chuckle from Tony. 

“I missed this,” he told him. “I mean, not the screaming and the yelling and the wanting to murder each other, obviously, that’s all horrible. But…” He gestured between them, not having the words but knowing Steve would get it anyway. “This. I’ve missed this.” 

“Yeah. Me too.” Steve rubbed at the back of his neck. “Maybe we could do it again sometime?” 

Tony grinned, stepping back into the Iron Man suit. “Find me somewhere with a decent scotch, and you’ve got yourself a deal, Steve.”

@tonystarkbingo

[tonystarkbingo]

Our first roundup for Round Three of the TSB!  This is for the first 12 days, and there are SO MANY FILLS!  It’s awesome!

Title: Adventures of Tiny Dragon Tony and His Treasure (Loki) Collaborator: BennyBatch Link: AO3 Square Filled: T4 - intimacy without sex Ship: FrostIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: none Summary: Tony and Loki ring in the new year. Word Count: 25,717

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Title: The Ghost and The Machine - Chapter 17: I Can Live With This Collaborator: rebelmeg Link: AO3 Square Filled: A5 - ghosts Ship: Tony & Bucky Rating: Teen Major Tags: cliffhanger Summary: Bucky leaves the hospital, does some recovering at home, then goes back to work with Tony in tow. And sees something very unexpected. Word Count: 33,789

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Title: Rise Unwilling and Slow Collaborator: used_songs Link: AO3 Square Filled: S1 - Fireplace Ship: none Rating: Teen Major Tags: implied/referenced child abuse, alcoholism/alcohol abuse Summary: Tony is called home from college to play the dutiful son. Word Count: 944

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Title: Ghost and the Machine - Angst with a Happy/Hopeful Ending Collaborator: rebelmeg Link: AO3 Square Filled: T2 - Angst Ship: Tony & Bucky Rating: Teen Major Tags: angst with a happy ending Summary: The angst ending to The Ghost and The Machine! Word Count: 2821

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Title: Ghost and the Machine - Ouch Ending Collaborator: rebelmeg Link: AO3 Square Filled: R3 - It wasn't worth it Ship: Tony & Bucky Rating: Teen Major Tags: major character death, heavy angst Summary: The ouch ending to The Ghost and The Machine! Word Count: 1352

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Title: Unintended Consequences Collaborator: dracusfyre Link: AO3 Square Filled: K2 - Writing Format: Drabble Ship: Tony Stark & Loki Rating: G Major Tags: none Summary: Tony finds out that Godhood is relative.  Word Count: 100

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Title: Always a Moment  Collaborator: tisfan Link: AO3 Square Filled: T5 - Last Chance Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen  Major Tags: prisoners together, Winter Soldier!Bucky, hopeful ending Summary: Tony is captured by Hydra, who try to get him to create weapons for them. When he keeps refusing, they throw him in a cell with the Winter Soldier--hoping some time with the Asset will scare him into cooperating, but also accepting that the Soldier might just kill him. Like a snake befriending the mouse given as a meal, the Soldier instead takes Tony as a (consensual) snuggle buddy, becoming fiercely protective of him. Eventually, the two find a way to escape Word Count: 1690

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Title: Two MIT Students in Search of a Comet Collaborator: newnewyorker93 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: R4 - Going on Vacation Together Ship: Tony & Rhodey Rating: G Major Tags: none Summary: The last appearance of Halley’s Comet was in 1985/1986, aka perfectly timed for MIT-era space nerds Tony Stark & James Rhodes to load up their car with junk food and go on an epic road trip to get the best view of it… Word Count: 

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Title: A Hard Day’s Night Collaborator: rebel-author-chick Link: Tumblr Square Filled: A3 - Free Ship: Tony Stark/Reader Rating: G Major Tags: fluff Summary: Tony helps you relax after a hard day of work. Word Count: 879

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Title: Riding the Unicorn Collaborator: Gavilan Link: AO3 Square Filled: R1 - Watching Helplessly Ship: Clint/Natasha/Tony Rating: Explicit  Major Tags: Dom/sub-overtones, begging, pwp, threesome Summary: “He’s making a lot of noise, isn’t he?” Clint remarked, sounding almost casual. “He is,” Nat agreed. “Why, wanna do something about it?” Tony could hear the smile in Clint’s voice as he replied, “Y’know, I rather think I do.” Word Count: 3658

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Title: Occupational Hazard Collaborator: chel Link: Tumblr Square Filled: T4 - Occupational Hazard Ship: Tony Stark/Tony DiNozzo Rating: G Major Tags: NCIS Summary: "So, Mr. DiNozzo, is it?”  “It’s actually Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, thank you Mr. Stark.” “Dr. Stark.”  Word Count: 

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Title: Who’s Gonna Pick You Up? Collaborator: ceealaina Link: AO3 Square Filled: T4 - First Date Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: Alternate Universe - No Powers Summary: In a world where Tony is less playboy and more awkward nerd, he’s mostly bored and lonely now that he’s graduated from MIT and Rhodey’s off on his Air Force adventures. Agreeing to a blind date with Ty Stone doesn’t turn out to be his best plan, but luckily Nat’s there to save to day. (And even more luckily, she’s got a cute brother and Tony is just his type.) Word Count: 5200

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Title: Blood Will Tell - 1/10 Collaborator: thewaythatwerust Link: AO3 Square Filled: T2 - Myths and Legends Ship: Eventual Stuckony Rating: Mature Major Tags: Vampires, Werewolves, Alternate Universe - Fantasy,  Summary: His short nails rake over the frozen rock, leaving gouging trails in their wake. He can’t interfere. Shifted, lupans are strong enough to be a problem in a fang to fur fight one-on-one, but three-on-one, in daylight, the odds are dramatically in their favor. Word Count: 2717

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Title: A Human Convention Collaborator: politzania Link: AO3 Square Filled: A2 - Writing Format: Drabble Ship: None Rating: G Major Tags: Drabble, Reflection, Inner Dialogue Summary: JARVIS reflects on a human convention. Word Count: 100

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Title: Breathe Collaborator: hddnone Link: AO3 Square Filled: A3 - Free Square Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: none Summary: Bucky needed feedback about his missions. He needed to know how he did. He needed to know how to keep improving. He needed to know, above all, that he could trust his mind and instincts still in the heat of the battle. He needed to know that he could still do good things. But more than that, he needed all those things from someone who would be honest. Someone who wouldn’t shy away from a critique or confrontation. Bucky found all those things down in the workshop with Tony.  Word Count: 2032

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Title: So Just Let Us Be Three Collaborator: SierraNovembr Link: AO3 Square Filled: R2 - Kink: Anal Sex Ship: Steve/Tony/Sam Rating: Explicit Major Tags: explicit sexual content, Threesome Summary: Tony had been growing steadily closer to Steve and Sam, who are in a happy, good relationship. No matter how much he wanted more, he’d blown his chance with Steve years ago. If he can’t stop himself from finding excuses to linger with them even though he knows they’re settled together, out of his reach, that’s his own problem. Right? Word Count: 2474

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Title: Something Afoot in Frisco Collaborator: Politzania Link: AO3 Square Filled: T2 - Convenience Store Ship: Tony & Eddie|Venom Rating: Teen Major Tags: canon-typical violence Summary: Tony Stark is cutting loose after his first business trip to San Francisco, but after his date goes sideways, he ends up in a neighborhood bodega. The night gets weirder from there. Word Count: 1115

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Title: Blood Will Tell - Chapter 2: ⭑ TONY ⭑ Collaborator: thewaythatwerust Link: AO3 Square Filled: K2 - Amnesia Ship: Stuckony Rating: Mature Major Tags: A moment of descriptive gore/horror Summary: So focused on keeping the contents of his stomach inside his stomach, Tony hadn’t heard Bruce approaching him. “You know, when Clint came barrelling into the clinic this morning, rambling about a horror show, I thought it was his regular hyperbole. But seeing this… Tony, how are you even alive right now?”  Tony rubs his fingers over the dressing covering the wound at his temple. He shakes his head. “I don’t know. Believe me, I wish I could remember what went down, but it’s just… blank.” Word Count: 4493

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Title: All I Needed Was The Last Thing I Wanted Collaborator: martianwahtney Link: AO3 Square Filled: R4- Meet Ugly Ship: Anthony DiNozzo/Tony Stark Rating: Gen Major Tags: none Summary: “You decided to move your buddy’s car as a prank, but you got the wrong car and now I think you’re breaking into my car, what the hell is wrong with you” or where DiNozzo finds Tony Stark trying to break into his car and things devolve from there Word Count: 1060

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Title: AU: Adventurer/Explorer  Collaborator: lronhusbands Link: Tumblr Square Filled: R2 - AU: Adventurer/Explorer Ship: Tony/Rhodey Rating: Gen Major Tags: none Summary: moodboard

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Title: Art Format: Line Art Collaborator: Trashcanakin Link: Tumblr Square Filled: A4 - Art Format: Line Art Ship: none Rating: Gen Major Tags: art Summary: [Fanart] Winter Soldier Tony Stark

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Title: Ghost of Unprotected Sex Past Chapter 1 - Three Things Collaborator: shakespeareanqueer Link: Tumblr Square Filled: A3 - free space Ship: Tony/Reader Rating: Mature Major Tags: Cursing, crying, mention of illness and injury, mention of break up, mention of sex and birth control Summary: You show up to Tony’s NYC mansion with some unexpected news. Word Count: 1887

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Title: I Hear You Call My Name Collaborator: tisfan Link: AO3 Square Filled: S1 - Kink: Sex Magic Ship: IronStrange Rating: Explicit Major Tags: explicit sexual content, PWP Summary: Stephen needs a little extra oomph for a spell. Tony really needs to get laid more than once every two months… Word Count: 2240

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Title: Bog Boyfriends (in charcoal & colored pencil) Collaborator: newnewyorker93 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: A1 - old married couple Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: art Summary: Everyone on the TSB discord was having so much fun with the Tony-and-Bucky-as-bog-boyfriends idea I couldn’t resist joining in with my version! The glowy green on both of them is some sort of magic that healed them after they each crashed in the bog & keeps them alive as long as they stay there. And Tony is a lil bat creature bc I wanted him to be something that could fly; a bat seemed appropriate :)

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Title: Every Surface in the House, AKA: Permanently Damaged Platypus Collaborator: rebelmeg Link: AO3 Square Filled: T5 - Writing format: documentation/epistolary fic Ship: Pepperony, JARVIS & FRIDAY Rating: Teen Major Tags: implied sexual content, AI feels Summary: Rhodey is scandalized, Tony is only slightly ashamed, Pepper isn't done with Tony, JARVIS is fond, FRIDAY is amused, and Natasha enjoyed the retelling. Word Count: 956

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Title: We're gonna dance in my living room slave to the way you move Collaborator: cutebutpsyco Link: AO3 Square Filled: T3 - carnival Ship: IronStrange Rating: Teen Major Tags: mentions of eating disorder, alcohol and drug abuse and death. Summary: “I… Fuck... “ He whispered.  “You’d like to dine and wine and take him out on a date, don’t you?” He could tell she was smiling and didn’t like that at all. “I think he likes you, but you’ll need him to trust you before even trying. Or he’ll run away. And then I’ll personally kill you.”  Tony laughed. “How did you make him trust you?”  “No, you won’t have the get out of jail card this soon, Stark.” Word Count: 6597

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Title: That’s What Friends Are For Collaborator: ceealaina Link: AO3 Square Filled: R3 - Old Team Ship: IronHusbands Rating: Teen Major Tags: none Summary: The Tony Stark Protection Squad,” he told her, like that was a thing. “It’s really just me and Colonel Rhodes – and well, you now, I guess – the people who actually care about Tony’s well-being. The people he actually likes, doesn’t play pretend with.”

Pepper had rolled her eyes at him and then yelped when he’d tossed a lemon at her and things had gone back to normal. But she couldn’t really deny that he was wrong. Word Count: 1733

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Title: Marvel Universe Online - Chapter 1  Collaborator:  Eirlyssa Link: AO3 Square Filled: R2 -  Online Interactions Ship: WinterIron  Rating: Teen  Major Tags: None  Summary: Bucky and his friends all play the same online game, where they met the one missing member of their group - Iron. They might not know one another in real life, but their friendship is definitely real. Except they might be closer than they think.   Word Count: 2308

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Title: Want Collaborator: alwaysabrighterdarkness Link: AO3 Square Filled: S3 - Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: None Summary: “No,” Tony managed to say finally, dark eyes still locked on icy ones. “That’s not…That’s not what I’m wanting to say.   You don’t have to go.  I’d rather you didn’t.  Go that is.”“Then what is you want, Tony?” he asked seriously, brows furrowed slightly in frustration. “I get that you’re still angry and I don’t blame you.  But I’m not gonna keep giving myself whiplash tryin’ to keep up with you.” Word Count: 3039

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Title: IronMachine is Born Collaborator: Tonks Link: AO3 Square Filled: S1 - Fusion Ship: Tony & Rhodey Rating: G Major Tags: none Summary: Clint walks in on something he never knew he needed in his life. Word Count: 100

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Title: Dillan Collaborator: Lacrimula Falsa Link: AO3 Square Filled: Adopted 1 - Afterlife/Ascension Ship:  None Rating: Teen Major Tags: Major Character Death Summary: Turns out they don’t send the Grim Reaper to take you to the afterlife. Word Count: 765

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Title: Bids Collaborator: alwaysabrighterdarkness Link: AO3 Square Filled: A2 - Terrible Choices Ship: Stony Rating: Teen Major Tags: None Summary: Natasha is tired of watching them dance around one another while accomplishing absolutely nothing.  When the Maria Stark Foundation hosts a Charity Auction, she takes the opportunity to make her own plans.  Word Count: 3423

[tonystarkbingo]

Week 30 Roundup!  THIS IS OUR FINAL ROUNDUP!  Our Second Round of the Tony Stark Bingo has officially concluded, and here are the last of the amazing creations that our spectacular participants have made.  (There are DOZENS, so pace yourself!)

Title: Welcome to the Pride Collaborator: MagicaDraconia16 Link: AO3 Square Filled: S5 - Shapeshifters Ship: Pepperony, FrostPepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: shapeshifter AU, humor, implied/referenced brainwashing Summary: Escaping from Thor before he's taken back to Asgard after the Invasion of New York, Loki decides that a night following Tony Stark and his girl friday - what is her name?! - will be a lot more exciting than watching the Avengers have movie night. He didn't expect just how right he was. Word Count: 2710

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Title: I fall in love (everyday with someone new) - Chapter 35: Cinderella Story (A4) Collaborator: scriptatur Link: AO3 Square Filled: A4 - Cinderella Story Ship: Stuckony, Tony/Rhodey,Pepper Rating: Gen Major Tags: polyamory, Endgame fix-it Summary: "Waking was- surprising. He woke up slowly, like drifting through mist or sirup or- something. He was kind of confused, if he is being perfectly honest. Confused about his own metaphor, a bit, but mainly confused by the fact that he was, well, waking up. That was not something he’d expected to do, after all." When Tony Stark wakes up after the final battle against Thanos, he decides that there will be nothing more that stands between himself and happiness. He goes home with Pepper and Morgan and it doesn't take long for Steve and Bucky (and other (ex-)avengers) to follow. Basically, this is the fix-it that I needed. It's very self indulgent and mostly fluff. Word Count: 22,928

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Title: Not Science Unless You Write It Down Collaborator: AoifeLaufeyson Link: AO3 Square Filled: A3 - free space Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: pre-relationship, fluff Summary: Just a few hundred words of pre-relationship cuteness between my boys. Word Count: 883

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Title: The Lost Twin Collaborator: camichats Link: AO3 Square Filled: R3 - (Picture of young Tony next to a woman with short hair) Ship: IronWitch Rating: Teen Major Tags: time travel, family secrets, twins Summary: Wanda gets shunted back in time for a little bit and learns that Tony has a twin sister she's never heard about. Turns out there's a reason for that. Word Count: 1023

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Title: Songs in the Key of Stark Collaborator: Politzania Link: Tumblr Square Filled: A3 - free space Ship: assorted Rating: Gen Major Tags: playlist Summary: So, for the Free square of my @tonystarkbingo​ card, I’ve put together a playlist of the songs that have inspired and/or provided titles for various fics of my that feature Tony in a lead role.  I’ve linked to  YouTube vids, some of which are the official music videos, others are fan-created.  I’m also providing links to the fics themselves, grouped by pairing with a quick blurb about the fic and a rating.

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Title: Reminder Collaborator: Iron_Eirlyssa (Eirlyssa) Link: AO3 Square Filled: R3 - Wingfic Ship: none Rating: Gen Major Tags: drabble, tattoos, Tony needs a hug Summary: Tony has a tattoo to help him get through the rough moments. Drabble. Word Count: 100

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Title: The Bun and the Bear Collaborator: romancebyfaye Link: Tumblr Square Filled: R4 - Interspecies Ship: IronHusbands Rating: Gen Major Tags: moodboard Summary: They told them it would never work. A kodiak bear and a domestic dwarf flop ear rabbit? Preadators and prey just don’t go together. Especialy when the differences in their shifted form is so drastically huge. But Tony has never fit any mold someone tried to force him into, and Rhodey is certainly not some growling beast ruled by instinct. And, as every naysayer is going to learn, love is not defined by the skin you wear.

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Title: What Time Can't Drive Out Collaborator: deathofthestars Link: AO3 Square Filled: T2 - Apology Ship: Stony Rating: Teen Major Tags: medieval AU, implied mpreg, kid Peter, post split, getting back together Summary: Its been two years since King Anthony last saw his husband, Sir Steven Rogers, when suddenly the man appears in the middle of court. Could Steve's return spell a second chance for them or is there another reason for this impromptu visit? Word Count: 2181

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Title: Broken Parts, On The Mend Collaborator: rebelmeg Link: AO3 Square Filled: S4 - comics image of Tony fixing Bucky's metal arm Ship: Bucky & Tony Rating: Teen Major Tags: developing friendship, Bucky recovering, Tony has a heart, Winter Soldier Summary: Tony has Shuri's best assurances that Bucky can no longer be triggered into the Asset by the control words, but there is no guarantee that the Winter Soldier isn't still lurking somewhere in Bucky's head. All that aside, there's something up with the guy's new arm, and if they could get to the point of trusting each other, maybe Tony could help. Thanks to Shuri's hard work, Bucky's mind is his own again. As he tries to become his own person again, in the new and foreign setting of the Avengers Compound, he ends up learning a lot. And finding a lot in common with the one person he never would have expected. Word Count: 7204

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Title: Fractures beyond the looking glass - Chapter 2: ii. Collaborator: justanotherpipedream Link: AO3 Square Filled: K2 - Quarantined! Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: Victorian AU, canon typical violence, gothic romance, supernatural elements, dreams and nightmares Summary: The world spun round and round, the trees blurring past him as Bucky skidded to a stop at the bottom of the hill. He laid on the ground with a gasp, gritting his teeth as his ankle continued to throb with a dull but insistent pain. For minutes or hours, Bucky couldn’t tell, he hobbled as best he could trying to find the familiar path back to the village. However, the impressive outline of Stark Manor had Bucky pausing at the edge of the trees. Everyone in the village knew of the rumours surrounding the estate. These days, people wondered if the infamous Lord Stark still lived there, or if he was merely a ghost story, haunting the halls of the vast manor on the edge of the woods. Word Count: 2923

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Title: indeed a beautiful thing - Chapter 2 Collaborator: Fluffypanda, justanotherpipedream Link: AO3 Square Filled: For Panda, A4 - AU:Fantasy World Ship: Stony Rating: Teen Major Tags: fantasy AU, fusion AU, anthropomorphic, plot twists, bandits and outlaws, swordfighting Summary: Rebellion is brewing in Velmar and Captain Steven Mouser has been sent to the city of Iron Landing to investigate. He is to secure the cooperation of Lord Stark if he is ever to find the elusive leader of the rebellion, but there is more to both of them than meets the eye. Word Count: 2364

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Title: R3- No powers AU Collaborator: thudworm Link: AO3 Square Filled: R3 - No powers AU Ship: IronShieldHawk Rating: Teen Major Tags: deaf characters, polyamory, Tony feels Summary:At first, Tony didn’t realise there even was a problem. He always preferred to have his music loud, so the workshop was designed with surround sound in mind. Even though he tended to tune it out anyway when lost in the depths of an engineering binge. It was only when the need for food and other bodily functions overrode his ability to focus that Tony noticed something was wrong. Initially, it seemed like the problem was with JARVIS’ speakers. He was in the elevator, returning to the penthouse, when he noticed he was hearing much less sound on the right side as JARVIS lectured him about the benefits of a proper sleep cycle, or something.

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Title: Soft And Sweet (And That's Enough) Collaborator: Gothic_Lolita Link: AO3 Square Filled: K2 - Asexuality Ship: WinterIron Rating: Mature Major Tags: asexual Bucky, protective Tony, established relationship, bonding, panic attack, emotional hurt/comfort  Summary: Bucky loved Tony more than anything in the world. And when he opens up to Tony, he learns he can love Tony even more. Word Count: 760

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Title: Falling through time Collaborator: Menatiera Link: Tumblr Square Filled: T5 - Time travel Ship: Stuckony Rating: Teen Major Tags: Moodboard + plot summary, time travel Summary: Strange sends Tony and Steve through time, it goes sideways, Bucky gets involved. Happy ending.  

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Title: In Love With Wolves Collaborator: camichats Link: AO3 Square Filled: S4 - Wolf Ship: IronWidow Rating: Gen Major Tags: established relationship, Avengers family, magic, wolves, fluff Summary: Natasha gets turned into a wolf, and Tony still thinks she's the best. Both literal and figurative fluff ensue. Word Count: 655

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Title: Fractures beyond the looking glass - Chapter 3: iii. Collaborator: justanotherpipedream Link: AO3 Square Filled: R3 - Secret Siblings (Especially Evil Twins) Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: Victorian AU, canon typical violence, gothic romance, supernatural elements, dreams and nightmares Summary: The world spun round and round, the trees blurring past him as Bucky skidded to a stop at the bottom of the hill. He laid on the ground with a gasp, gritting his teeth as his ankle continued to throb with a dull but insistent pain. For minutes or hours, Bucky couldn’t tell, he hobbled as best he could trying to find the familiar path back to the village. However, the impressive outline of Stark Manor had Bucky pausing at the edge of the trees. Everyone in the village knew of the rumours surrounding the estate. These days, people wondered if the infamous Lord Stark still lived there, or if he was merely a ghost story, haunting the halls of the vast manor on the edge of the woods. Word Count: 4367

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Title: Iron heart, iron love Collaborator: Menatiera Link: Tumblr Square Filled: K4 - Riri Williams Ship: none Rating: Gen Major Tags: moodboard and summary Summary: After a battle, Tony Stark is in medical-induced coma until his body recovers from the shock he survived. Tony was prepared for something similar to happen, so in the meantime his downloaded consciousness helps the new generation of young superheroes to adjust to their new life. Orchestrating meetings between them and giving useful (or not so useful) advices both about growing up and superheroing. One of Tony’s favorite is, unsurprisingly, the young and brilliant engineer Riri Williams, who built her own suit of armor.

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Title: Bad Blood Collaborator: Iron_Eirlyssa (Eirlyssa) Link: AO3 Square Filled: S4 - Doppelgangers, Evil Twins Ship: none Rating: Teen Major Tags: Howard’s A+ parenting, introspective, waiting for the other shoe to drop Summary: When Gregory appeared, claiming to be the son of Howard Stark, Tony couldn't help but think this would not be going anywhere good. And as it turned out, he was right. Word Count: 1515

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Title: Field Of Study Collaborator: camichats Link: AO3 Square Filled: T2 - Backstory Ship: Science Boyfriends Rating: Mature Major Tags: Sexual content, perceived unwanted sexual advances (mild), mentions of past abuse, fear of abuse Summary: Bruce is the Hulk, and Tony thought he was keeping a different anger-related issue secret. They break up but get back together when Tony learns the truth. Word Count: 3035

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Title: He loves me, he loves me not Collaborator: lbibliophile-mcu Link: Tumblr Square Filled: S3 - [image of the ‘Proof Tony Stark has a heart’ plaque’] Ship: Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: art Summary: Pepper Potts knew she was falling in love with her boss, and tried to find subtle ways to show it. What she didn’t know, was if he liked her back…

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Title: indeed a beautiful thing - Chapter 4 Collaborators: Fluffypanda, justanotherpipedream Link: AO3 Squares Filled: K2 - Victorious (Panda) and S3 - Steve/Tony (Summer) Ship: Stony Rating: Teen Major Tags: fantasy AU, fusion AU, anthropomorphic, plot twists, bandits and outlaws, swordfighting Summary: Rebellion is brewing in Velmar and Captain Steven Mouser has been sent to the city of Iron Landing to investigate. He is to secure the cooperation of Lord Stark if he is ever to find the elusive leader of the rebellion, but there is more to both of them than meets the eye. Word Count: 5990

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Title: Steamships, Cyborgs, and Self-Determination: A Steampunk Story - Chapter 3 Collaborator: JacarandaBanyan Link: AO3 Square Filled: K3 - Anger Issues Ship: Stuckony Rating: Not Rated Major Tags: developing relationships, steampunk AU, comic book science, angst with a happy ending, mild gore, body horror, cyborgs Summary: The Cyborg Assassin formally known as Bucky Barnes is sent on a double assassination mission. His Targets: Anthony E Stark, brilliant inventor and scientist, and Steve Rogers, subversive artist. Word Count: 8037

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Title: Ain't That a Kick in the Head - Chapter 1: Thermodynamic - What Now? Collaborator: Faustess Link: AO3 Square Filled: T4 - Maria Hill Ship: Bucky & Tony, Bucky/Maria Hill Rating: Mature Major Tags: dad Bucky, deaged Tony, BAMF Maria, protective Bucky, Tony needs a hug, enemies to friends, pre-relationship Summary: Maria Hill reviewed the footage of the mission, trying to pinpoint where it’d gone wrong. She knew now, of course… that the lab had been trapped, but she hadn’t known then. AIM had created perfect setup to put Tony Stark out of commission, cause a panic with Stark Industries shareholders, and lower the public’s confidence in the Avengers. A three-year-old Tony Stark has just become Maria Hill's next issue to deal with... and the fact that the kid latched on Bucky Barnes and she has things to consider like creating the most stable environment possible for the boy until he goes back to normal. Word Count: 9897

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Title: Ain't That a Kick in the Head - Chapter 2: Oops... I Did It Again Collaborator: Faustess Link: AO3 Square Filled: T3 – Found Family Ship: Bucky & Tony, Bucky/Maria Hill Rating: Mature Major Tags: dad Bucky, deaged Tony, BAMF Maria, protective Bucky, Tony needs a hug, enemies to friends, pre-relationship Summary: Five times Bucky and Maria accidentally kiss - and one time when it's not an accident. Word Count: 9897

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Title: Realizations Collaborator: ethereal-lullabies Link: Tumblr Square Filled: K4 - Identity Crisis Ship: Erik Killmonger/Tony Stark Rating: Teen Major Tags: genderfluid Tony, Erik didn’t die, identity crisis, supportive boyfriend Erik, Erik ends up living in Wakanda helping when he can, good guy Erik Summary: none

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Title: Ain't That a Kick in the Head - Chapter 3: Only a Sergeant When I’m Wearing the Hat Collaborator: Faustess Link: AO3 Square Filled: K2 - pizza/takeout  Ship: Bucky & Tony, Bucky/Maria Hill Rating: Mature Major Tags: dad Bucky, deaged Tony, BAMF Maria, protective Bucky, Tony needs a hug, enemies to friends, pre-relationship Summary: Tiny!Tony turns ten! The pizza arrived, the cupcakes Bucky had made the day before were delicious, and the kids played Minecraft and built box forts in the backyard in preparation for the biggest Nerf gun fire-fight Maria had ever witnessed. But what happens after the party? Word Count: 9897

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Title: (Not So) Similar Conditions Collaborator: Gavilan Link: AO3 Square Filled: S4 - Sharing a Bed Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: college AU, bedsharing, first kiss, first date, cuddling, oblivious Tony, awkwardness, fluff Summary: Tony and Bucky share a bed at a conference. It takes six months and some very different conference bed sharing with Rhodey for Tony to figure out exactly why cuddling with Bucky felt so awkward. Word Count: 5519

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Title: the ultimate power couple Collaborator: hereandnowwearealive Link: Tumblr Square Filled: A3 - free space Ship: Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: art Summary: Iron Man and Rescue art

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Title: Clint Really Should Have Known Better Collaborator: deathofthestars Link: AO3 Square Filled: A3 - Free Square Ship: Stony Rating: Team Major Tags: King Steve, Queen Tony, gag gift Summary: Clint gave Steve and Tony a gag gift that is really backfiring. Word Count: 765

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Title: Catch & Release - Chapter 2 Collaborator: MarvelousMenagerie (HiddenOne) Link: AO3 Square Filled: R4 (picture prompt, Tony + tentacles) Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: mershark Bucky, fishing, octomer Steve, canon typical violence Summary: Neither Tony or Ty like fishing in the first place, so why are they even out here? “But I mean… it’s a shark, not a fish. Don’t you put those back?” Tony presses. Ty snorts. “Put it back, Tony? Come on.” Word Count: 3544

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Title: Soar in the sky (with me) - Chapter 3: Your noncompliance will be rewarded Collaborator: Menatiera Link: AO3 Square Filled: R1 - Shared trauma Ship: WinterIron Rating: Mature Major Tags: soulmate AU, wing AU, Winter Soldier, angst with a happy ending, hurt/comfort, getting together Summary: "The Asset was suddenly entirely sure that the kid was like him. He couldn’t track down the origin of that thought, or the base of this feeling of similarity, but ultimately it didn’t matter. It was instinct like battle-readiness, like the anticipation of the next move of an opponent before his conscious brain could catch on." *** "He didn't move for a moment, too surprised. This position was too sudden and too much - the closeness wouldn't have been a problem for him, Tony was used to his private space being invaded, but the fucking wing outstretched over him made it into a nest, caring and intimate. Tony was used to sudden closeness, had been in just enough parties with drunk university students, even if this environment wasn't where he would've expected something like that. What was truly shocking, though, was the lack of visceral reaction from him." They have met more than once. It wasn't their fault that it took decades for them to come around, though. Word Count: 5018

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Title: Guide Me Home (Guard My Heart) moodboard Collaborator: eirlyssa Link: Tumblr Square Filled: K5 - AU: Sentinel/Guide Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: moodboard Summary: A moodboard based off my WinterIron Sentinel/Guide story, Guide Me Home (Guard My Heart).

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Title: Ain't That a Kick in the Head - Chapter 4: The Real Perpetrator Is Getting Away, Old Man! Collaborator: Faustess Link: AO3 Square Filled: A5 – Innocent until proven guilty Ship: Bucky & Tony, Bucky/Maria Hill Rating: Mature Major Tags: dad Bucky, deaged Tony, BAMF Maria, protective Bucky, Tony needs a hug, enemies to friends, pre-relationship Summary: A teenage Tony and Harley Keener should've been back from the store over an hour ago. Bucky's worried and Maria's annoyed she can't finish her candied sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner. What really happened to those marshmallows? Word Count: 11,743

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Title: indeed a beautiful thing - Chapter 5 Collaborator: Fluffypanda, justanotherpipedream Link: AO3 Square Filled: A2 - Identity Porn (Summer) + S3 - On opposing sides (Panda) Ship: Stony Rating: Teen Major Tags: fantasy AU, fusion AU, anthropomorphic, plot twists, bandits and outlaws, swordfighting Summary: Rebellion is brewing in Velmar and Captain Steven Mouser has been sent to the city of Iron Landing to investigate. He is to secure the cooperation of Lord Stark if he is ever to find the elusive leader of the rebellion, but there is more to both of them than meets the eye. Word Count: 9085

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Title: Fractures beyond the looking glass - Chapter 4: iv. Collaborator: justanotherpipedream Link: AO3 Square Filled: A4 - Revenge Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: Victorian AU, canon typical violence, gothic romance, supernatural elements, dreams and nightmares Summary: The world spun round and round, the trees blurring past him as Bucky skidded to a stop at the bottom of the hill. He laid on the ground with a gasp, gritting his teeth as his ankle continued to throb with a dull but insistent pain. For minutes or hours, Bucky couldn’t tell, he hobbled as best he could trying to find the familiar path back to the village. However, the impressive outline of Stark Manor had Bucky pausing at the edge of the trees. Everyone in the village knew of the rumours surrounding the estate. These days, people wondered if the infamous Lord Stark still lived there, or if he was merely a ghost story, haunting the halls of the vast manor on the edge of the woods. Word Count: 5939

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Title: After a long day Collaborator: littlecrazyfangirl_98 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A1 - Intimacy without sex Ship: ThunderIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: fluff, bathing/washing, nonsexual intimacy Summary: After a meeting that went longer than expected,Tony comes home exhausted. His boyfriend already awaits him and helps Tony relax with a nice bath. Word Count: 539

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Title: To Wed the Dragon Collaborator: Politzania Link: AO3 Square Filled: K5 - Forced Marriage Ship: IronStrange Rating: Teen Major Tags: fantasy AU, forced marriage, dragon AU, shapeshifter AU, curses Summary: Every spring equinox, the dragon that lives in the mountains north of the kingdom demands its tribute: a quarter-tithe of goods and a consort. Antony Stark has been chosen, and neither he nor the mysterious manservant of the dragon could foresee what the summer will bring. Word Count: 2243

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Title: Fylgja Collaborator: thudworm Link: AO3 Square Filled: K4 - AU: Angels & Demons Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: Angels & Demons AU, Hydra, Tesseract Summary: In Norse mythology, a fylgja (plural fylgjur) is a supernatural being or spirit which accompanies a person in connection to their fate or fortune. Or, Shoulder angels and demons are rare- they exist to work with those who have an important choice to make, one which will have an impact on many people. Word Count: 9761

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Title: Recover Collaborator: Iron_Eirlyssa (Eirlyssa) Link: AO3 Square Filled: K3 - Howard Stark Ship: Tony and Howard Rating: Gen Major Tags: drabble, Howard’s A+ Parenting, healing Summary: Tony muses about Howard, and the things he learned from him - for the better and for the worse. Drabble. Word Count: 100

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Title: At the meeting  Collaborator: littlecrazyfangirl_98  Link: AO3 Square Filled: T1 - Kink: Vibrators  Ship: IronStrange  Rating: Mature Major Tags: explicit sexual content, D/s undertones Summary: Tony can't concentrate at the meeting. Stephen is to blame.  Word Count: 640

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Title: Drip by Drip Collaborator: ShippersList  Link: AO3 Square Filled: S4 - Character death  Ship: Stony  Rating: Teen Major Tags: canon divergence, 5 things, slice of life, chosen family, getting together Summary: Steve’s road to Tony through five cups of coffee. 

Word Count: 2109

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Title: The stranger addition - Chapter 4 Collaborator: Menatiera Link: AO3 Square Filled: S3 - Kink: begging Ship: Stuckony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: explicit sexual content, BDSM, no powers AU, first meeting, Tony POV Summary: “Doll,” Bucky orders quietly. Tony opens his eyes to see Steve reaching for him, stretching his amazing muscles to reach the restraints on his right wrist. It takes a while - Tony writhes with impatience the whole time, and Bucky chuckles, the sound vibrating through Tony’s dick still in his mouth - but then Tony’s hand is free from the bond. Word Count: 8765

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Title: Beside And Below You Collaborator: camichats Link: AO3 Square Filled: T5 - Kink: Concubine Ship: IronWinter Rating: Teen Major Tags: royalty AU, established relationship, comfort, jewelry, insecurity Summary: Tony gave Winter a necklace, and he's a little confused as to why Winter isn't wearing it when he comes to his room that night. Word Count: 602

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Title: Take me to the magic of the moment - Chapter 5: Epilogue Collaborator: Menatiera Link: AO3 Square Filled: T3 - Happily ever after Ship: WinterIron Rating: Explicit Major Tags: mild dub-con, explicit sexual content, BDSM, fantasy/magic AU, getting together, happy ending Summary: Sneak peaks of what happened afterwards. Word Count: 14,322

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Title: Prince Anthony, First of His Name, Protector of the Kingdom, Creator of Miracles, the Iron Knight. Collaborator: Menatiera Link: Tumblr Square Filled: A4 - Royalty Ship: none Rating: Gen Major Tags: moodboard, royalty AU Summary: Moodboard of Tony Stark as a prince of a medieval kingdom.

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Title: Hot Summer Day Collaborator: camichats Link: AO3 Square Filled: K3 - Heat Fic Ship: IronWidow Rating: Gen Major Tags: established relationship, fluff Summary: Nat wanted to come to the fair, but it's hot outside. Word Count: 521

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Title: you’re blind, i see (but i’m free) Collaborator: cvdmus Square: S1 — waking up married Rating: teen and up Warnings: none Pairing: Tony Stark/Peter Parker Summary: Tony wakes up and finds himself married to Peter Parker. Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20449346  Word Count: 3020

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Title: Popsicle Collaborator: littlecrazyfangirl_98 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A4 - Popsicle Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: preslash, Tony is a tease Summary: Tony eats a popsicle. Bucky gets frustrated. Word Count: 258

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Title: Gave You My Heart - Chapter 2: Know I've Made It Home Collaborator: Iron_Eirlyssa (Eirlyssa) Link: AO3 Square Filled: K4 - Tension Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: Hanahaki disease, hurt Tony Summary: The five times Tony developed Hanahaki disease, because as much as he wanted to, he just couldn't stop loving the wrong people. (When the Rogues come back, they're in for a surprise.) Word Count: 9355

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Title: A New Life Collaborator: tuesday Link: AO3 Square Filled: R4 - Nebula Ship: Tony & Nebula Rating: Teen Major Tags: background character death, missing scene Summary: When the Avengers, Nebula, and Rocket return to Earth, Tony is still in his sick bed. Word Count:604

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Title: K3- Peter Parker/Spider-Man Collaborator: Thudworm Link: A03 Square: K3- Peter Parker/Spider-Man Rating: Gen Pairing: Tony Stark & Peter Parker Warning: N/A Summary: Small snippet of Civil War, if Tony’s identity as Iron Man was a secret from everyone. Word Count: 628 ----------------------------------

Title: Gave You My Heart - Chapter 3: Open Up My Eyes Collaborator: Iron_Eirlyssa (Eirlyssa) Link: AO3 Square Filled: R1 - [picture of Iron Man and Captain America fighting] Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: Hanahaki disease, hurt Tony Summary: In which Tony experiences the less fortunate aftereffects of Hanahaki disease when having a talk with the rogues. Word Count: 9355

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Title: Tale As Old As Time Collaborator: Iron_Eirlyssa (Eirlyssa) Link: AO3 Square Filled: K1 - Magic for the Tony Stark Bingo Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: hurt Tony, protective Bucky, magic AU, fairytale AU, Howard’s A+ parenting, safe haven, misunderstandings Summary: Once upon a time... A young prince, an elaborate spell, and a soldier who just wanted to help his friend and ended up in a fairytale he never could've imagined. Word Count: 2622

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Title: Taking the First Step Collaborator: Judy_The_Dreamer Link: AO3 Square Filled: A5 - Kink: Dom/sub Ship: Stony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: prelude to kink, D/s undertones, getting together, emotional hurt/comfort, sexual content Summary: While going through Tony's closet, Steve discovers a special trunk he wasn't prepared for. It turns out to be the answer to all his prayers. Word Count: 2314

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Title: Galaxy Tony Collaborator: Menatiera Link: Tumblr Square Filled: R5 - Galaxy Ship: none Rating: Gen Major Tags: art Summary: Watercolor galaxy silhouette of Iron Man with the white negative of Tony Stark in front of it, quote added digitally over the picture.

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Title: The Pit-falls of Vampirehood, starring James Barnes and his Major Crush on Steve Rogers - Chapter 6: Family Bonds Collaborator: Judy_The_Dreamer Link: AO3 Square Filled: A2 - Interspecies Ship: Stucky Rating: Explicit Major Tags: explicit sexual content, vampire/werewolf college AU, fluff, meet cute, getting together Summary: Steve and Tony have a talk about love and murder. Word Count: 18,225

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Collaborator: lbibliophile-mcu Link: Tumblr Square Filled: A5 - image of bruised Tony in the F1 racing suit Ship: none Rating: Gen Major Tags: gifset Summary: Tony is Done with villains interrupting his days off.

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Title: Holding Out for a Hero Collaborator: mariana_oconnor Link: AO3 Square Filled: K4 - Kink: orgasm denial/edging Ship: Stony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: explicit sexual content, internalized homophobia, light D/s, Tony has a heart Summary: The serum did a lot of things to Steve, but one thing he hates about it is how sensitive it made him, too sensitive. After it contributes to the end of his relationship with Jan, Tony offers to help him out. Word Count: 36,418

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Title: No Shit There I was, Undercover in a Gay Bar... Collaborator: LBibliophile Link: AO3 Square Filled: S5 - Undercover in a gay bar Ship: WinterHawk Rating: Gen Major Tags: preslash, identity porn, deaf Clint Summary: No shit there I was, undercover in a gay bar... and you'll never guess who I ran into and how. Word Count: 1233

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Title: Never Let Me Go - Chapter 3: All This Devotion Collaborator: Iron_Eirlyssa (Eirlyssa) Link: AO3 Square Filled: T3 - Wake up! Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: developing relationship, asexual Tony and Bucky, cuddles, panic attacks Summary: As they continue meeting up at night, Tony and Bucky grow closer. Then they find out that they can actually sleep when they're together, and really, what else is there to do but cuddle as they finally find some peace? Word Count: 6884

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Title: Already a sinner, and I'm an overachiever - Chapter 1 Collaborator: Menatiera Link: AO3 Square Filled: S4 - kink: collars Ship: Stuckony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: explicit sexual content, established threesome, Extremis, D/s Summary: "Extremis and his arm - that for a long while was a combination solely for Tony's and Bucky's pleasure. He shared Tony in almost every aspect, but this, this was private, this was theirs… His greedy mind recoiled from the idea of sharing until only recently.Lately, Bucky feels that he might be ready to share Tony completely with Steve. They are all together in this relationship after all, but Bucky held back this piece of him from Steve, afraid that Steve wouldn't be able to accept that submissiveness. Just like with Tony, it took Bucky time and effort to work through his fears, but now he’s ready to make that leap of faith. Especially if he doesn't have to do it alone this time.  ---  Bucky is finally ready to be submissive in front of Steve. Turns out, Bucky wasn't the only one who held back a piece of himself. Tony finally gets to enjoy being in control of both of his boyfriends at the same time, instead of just separately. Word Count: 7649

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Title: Ghosts of the Past Collaborator: mariana_oconnor Link: AO3 Square Filled: T4 - panel from the Winter Soldier comics of Tony working on Bucky's arm Ship: Tony & Bucky Rating: Gen Major Tags: Leverage fusion AU, hacker Tony Summary: Tony doesn't know why he didn't see this coming. Looking back it seems inevitable that they would end up going after Stane, that's what their little group does isn't it? They pick up where the law leaves off, and Obadiah Stane is rotten to his core. There's just one problem, no one knows that Tony Edwards is actually Tony Stark, presumed dead two decades ago. Word Count: 1640

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Title: Already a sinner, and I'm an overachiever - Chapter 2 Collaborator: Menatiera Link: AO3 Square Filled: K5 - costume porn Ship: Stuckony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: explicit sexual content, established threesome, Extremis, D/s Summary: Steve, Tony and Bucky are all kinky in their own ways. In addition, Steve Rogers Also Thinks Extremis Is Hot. (Apparently.) Word Count: 7649

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Title: The Weight of Knowing Collaborator: ShippersList Link: AO3 Square Filled: R4 - prison Ship: Tony Stark & Avengers Team Rating: Teen Major Tags: gaslighting, character death, open ending, emotional manipulation Summary: How would your life look like if your worst nightmare came true? Tony Stark is about to find out. Word Count: 2917

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Collaborator: Thudworm Link: Tumblr Square Filled: A2 - image of the scene from IM1 where Tony is pointing the repulsor at his reflection Ship: none Rating: Gen Major Tags: craft Summary: Iron Man gloves

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Title: Sentinel Collaborator: justanotherpipedream Link: AO3 Squares Filled: Chapter 1 -  A5: Image [Silver haired Tony] Chapter 2 - T3: Writing Format - Missing Scene/Epilogue/Coda Chapter 3 - S4: Fluff Chapter 4 - T5: Body Swap Ship: Tony & Nebula Rating: Gen Major Tags: drabbles, missing scene, fluff, hurt/comfort Summary: After Tony and Nebula return to Earth, Nebula keeps an eye on her new friend. Word Count: 400

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Title: If Only I Could Feel You Collaborator: deathofthestars Link: AO3 Square Filled: S5 - I hate magic Ship: Stuckony Rating: Teen Major Tags: magic, battle, injury, ghosts, angst Summary: When a fight with Loki end with Tony being seriously injured Steve and Bucky are left reeling. Word Count: 539

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Title: Soar in the sky (with me) - Chapter 5: Run boy run Collaborator: Menatiera Link: AO3 Square Filled: K3 - Afghanistan trip gone wrong (again) Ship: WinterIron Rating: Mature Major Tags: soulmate AU, wing AU, Winter Soldier, angst with a happy ending, hurt/comfort, getting together Summary: "The Asset was suddenly entirely sure that the kid was like him. He couldn’t track down the origin of that thought, or the base of this feeling of similarity, but ultimately it didn’t matter. It was instinct like battle-readiness, like the anticipation of the next move of an opponent before his conscious brain could catch on." *** "He didn't move for a moment, too surprised. This position was too sudden and too much - the closeness wouldn't have been a problem for him, Tony was used to his private space being invaded, but the fucking wing outstretched over him made it into a nest, caring and intimate. Tony was used to sudden closeness, had been in just enough parties with drunk university students, even if this environment wasn't where he would've expected something like that. What was truly shocking, though, was the lack of visceral reaction from him." They have met more than once. It wasn't their fault that it took decades for them to come around, though. Word Count: 12,254

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Title: A different take on the Iron Fam Collaborator: Menatiera Link: Tumblr Square Filled: R2 - [image: Tony & Nat at IM2 party] Ship: Tony & Natasha, BuckyNat Rating: Teen Major Tags: moodboard, plot summary, mention of abuse Summary: Moodboard + summary. Natasha as Tony’s little sister, getting together with Bucky.

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Title: Younger but just as in love Collaborator: camichats Link: AO3 Square Filled: K1-Teenage Tony Ship: IronHusbands Rating: Gen Major Tags: deaging, established relationship, Avengers Family, married couple Summary: Tony gets de-aged, and they're all unreasonably surprised that the best way to keep him in control is to bring in Rhodey. Word Count: 826

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Title: About A Little Boy That Lived In A Blue World - Chapter 5: Candlelight Collaborator: camichats Link: AO3 Square Filled: A5 - Kink: Candles Ship: FrostIron Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Arranged marriage, first kiss, first time, explicit sexual content, past abuse, misunderstandings, getting together Summary: Loki doesn't really have experience with candles, so he orders a couple to try them out. Word Count: 11,537

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Title: Never Promised You A Rose Collaborator: MagicaDraconia16 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K4 - AU: Flower Shop Ship: Tony & Stephen Rating: Gen Major Tags: humor, flowershop AU Summary: Stephen Strange has had to buy numerous bunches of apology flowers because - according to Christine - he just can't help being an asshole to her. He knows what she likes. At least, he does . . . right up until this annoying flower shop owner tells him differently. Word Count: 1008

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Title: Preying On You Tonight Collaborator: Gothic_Lolita Link: AO3 Square Filled: K4 - Animals Ship: WinterIron Rating: Mature Major Tags: modern setting AU, past sexual abuse, protective Tony, mildly dark Tony, flirting, first meeting Summary: Tony was almost ready to go home after an uneventful night at the bar. But luckily, he stayed long enough to swoop in and save a damsel in distress, just in time. He also got to flirt with the damsel too, but that wasn't as important. Word Count: 630

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Title: In The Woods Collaborator: Lacrimula_Falsa Link: AO3 Square Filled: S2 - AU: Fantasy World Ship: none Rating: Gen Major Tags: drabble, fantasy AU, dragons, harpies, implied relationship Summary: A dragon and a harpy went to look for a shield. Word Count: 100

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Title: Scaredy Cat Collaborator: Lacrimula_Falsa Link: AO3 Square Filled: S1 - Bathing / showering together Ship: Stony Rating: Teen Major Tags: holidays, fluff, laughter, dorks in love Summary: Tony and Steve go midnight “swimming”. Word Count: 1393

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Title: No Pets Allowed Collaborator: Cinnamon_Anemone Link: AO3 Square Filled: A1 - Adopting A Pet Ship: Bucky & Tony Rating: Gen Major Tags: accidental pet fic, Tony has a heart Summary: Tony Stark is not a cat person. Word Count: 768

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Collaborator: snarkysnartes Link: Tumblr Square Filled: K1 - AU: artist/muse Ship: Stony Rating: Gen Major Tags: moodboard Summary: The second that Tony moved in Steve had found that his inspiration sky rocketed. When they were going out, ofcourse he had a few bursts of inspiration there and Steve managed to draw something after months. However, once Tony was fully in his home, walking around and cooking him breakfast Steve found himself drawing a lot more than he usually did. The first time, the first actual picture had been done on accident. Tony was telling a story and Steve just began … well, sketching. After that, Steve didn’t put the pen down.

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Title: Trouble With A Capital T (And That Stands For "Tiny") - Chapter 1: Honey, we shrunk the genius Collaborator: Cinnamon_Anemone Link: AO3 Square Filled: A2 - De-Aged!Tony Ship: minor Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: deaging, actual good dad Howard, protective Bucky, kid Tony, AI Tony Summary: Tony is five. Panic ensues. Word Count: 14,568

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Title: Out for a Swim Collaborator: romancebyfaye Link: Tumblr Square Filled: K5 - merpeople Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: art Summary: Tony spots something interesting while out Bucky, his octo-mer boyfriend.

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Title: 01000001 Tales of Siberian Nights - Chapter 1 Collaborator: ceealaina, feyrelay Link: AO3 Square Filled: For Cee, A5 - holiday fic Ship: pre-WinterIron Rating: Mature Major Tags: canonical character death, Howard’s A+ parenting, implied/referenced brainwashing, Bucky needs a hug, 5 + 1, silver fox Summary: Or, alternatively, Five Times The Winter Soldier Glitched Out, and One Time Bucky Barnes Understood Perfectly.  A 'Maria Lives' AU told in vignettes. Word Count: 8416

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Title: It's Not Gay If It's A Cover For My Secret Identity (yes it is) Collaborator: Cinnamon_Anemone Link: AO3 Square Filled: A5 - Pretend Couple Ship: Gene Khan/Tony Stark Rating: Gen Major Tags: fake/pretend relationship, identity porn, Tony is an idiot, teenage drama, puppy love Summary: What do you do when you’re secretly a teenage superhero and you’re worried your best friend’s mom is going to figure it out and ground you? Start fake-dating your supervillain archnemesis/high school crush and use him as your cover story, obviously. (For the record, I really, really wanted to make the title of this fic "YOU ARE BEING SUMMoned TO ROACH PROM." Not sure if that would have been better or worse.) Word Count: 1635

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Title: 01000001 Tales of Siberian Nights - Chapter 2 Collaborator: ceealaina, feyrelay Link: AO3 Square Filled: for Fey, A5 - FRIDAY Ship: pre-WinterIron Rating: Mature Major Tags: canonical character death, Howard’s A+ parenting, implied/referenced brainwashing, Bucky needs a hug, 5 + 1, silver fox Summary: Or, alternatively, Five Times The Winter Soldier Glitched Out, and One Time Bucky Barnes Understood Perfectly.  A 'Maria Lives' AU told in vignettes. Word Count: 8416

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Title: Trouble With A Capital T (And That Stands For "Tiny") - Chapter 2: Time travel: not even once Collaborator: Cinnamon_Anemone Link: AO3 Square Filled: A4 - Plot Twist Ship: minor Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: accidental pet fic, Tony has a heart deaging, actual good dad Howard, protective Bucky, kid Tony, AI Tony Summary: Introducing Pepper, Rhodey, Stephen, Howard, and a very special surprise. Word Count: 14,568

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Title: 01000001 Tales of Siberian Nights - Chapter 4 Collaborator: ceealaina, feyrelay Link: AO3 Square Filled: for Fey, K3 - Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier Ship: pre-WinterIron Rating: Mature Major Tags: canonical character death, Howard’s A+ parenting, implied/referenced brainwashing, Bucky needs a hug, 5 + 1, silver fox Summary: Or, alternatively, Five Times The Winter Soldier Glitched Out, and One Time Bucky Barnes Understood Perfectly.  A 'Maria Lives' AU told in vignettes. Word Count: 8416

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Title: Inappropriate Suggestion [!Art] Collaborator: DarthBloodOrange (DepressingGreenie) Link: AO3 Square Filled: A5 - crack Ship: Stony Rating: Teen Major Tags: art, slime monster Summary: Steve and Tony had just finished fighting a giant slime creature. Tony has some ideas for the post-mission celebration.

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Title: 01000001 Tales of Siberian Nights - Chapter 5 Collaborator: ceealaina, feyrelay Link: AO3 Square Filled: for Cee, R2 - Missing You Ship: pre-WinterIron Rating: Mature Major Tags: canonical character death, Howard’s A+ parenting, implied/referenced brainwashing, Bucky needs a hug, 5 + 1, silver fox Summary: Or, alternatively, Five Times The Winter Soldier Glitched Out, and One Time Bucky Barnes Understood Perfectly.  A 'Maria Lives' AU told in vignettes. Word Count: 8416

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Title: Confessions [!Art] Collaborator: DarthBloodOrange (DepressingGreenie) Link: AO3 Square Filled: K2 - gossip press Ship: Stony Rating: Gen Major Tags: art, relationship reveal Summary: Tony decides to confirm the rumours that have been circulating in the press about his relationship with Steve. Yes, they are dating, and he loves his Steve very much.

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Title: 01000001 Tales of Siberian Nights - Chapter 6 Collaborator: ceealaina, feyrelay Link: AO3 Square Filled: for Fey,  A2 - AU: Sci-Fi/Futuristic  Ship: pre-WinterIron Rating: Mature Major Tags: canonical character death, Howard’s A+ parenting, implied/referenced brainwashing, Bucky needs a hug, 5 + 1, silver fox Summary: Or, alternatively, Five Times The Winter Soldier Glitched Out, and One Time Bucky Barnes Understood Perfectly.  A 'Maria Lives' AU told in vignettes. Word Count: 8416

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Title: Trouble With A Capital T (And That Stands For "Tiny") - Chapter 3: Iron Man: now available on Google Cloud! Collaborator: Cinnamon_Anemone Link: AO3 Square Filled: A3 - free space Ship: minor Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: deaging, actual good dad Howard, protective Bucky, kid Tony, AI Tony Summary: Tony is not a secret lovechild, but he is a computer program, and also there are two of him. Wait, what? Word Count: 14,568

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Title: A Walk Through The Fields [!Art] Collaborator: DarthBloodOrange (DepressingGreenie) Link: AO3 Square Filled: S3 - Fantasy AU Ship: Stony Rating: Gen Major Tags: art, dwarf Tony, elf Steve, established relationship Summary: Steve and Tony talk a walk together though the nearby flower fields.

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Title: Pining Paintings Collaborator: JacarandaBanyan Link: AO3 Square Filled: K2 - Picture of Tony on a magazine cover Ship: Stony Rating: Gen Major Tags: pining, artist Steve, tabloids, Skrulls Summary: Come on, Steve thought, how hard does it have to be to find a picture of Tony that hasn’t been photoshopped to the moon and back? He glared at the magazine rack as though he could peal back the layers of digital editing with nothing but the heat of his disapproval. The kicker was that Tony was already gorgeous and photogenic as hell. When natural perfection landed in your lap like that, you didn’t mess with it. But beggars can't be choosers, so he picked one of the less egregious examples off the rack and got into line for the register to pay for it. Bright yellow front running along the bottom promised more photos inside. Perhaps there’d be one or two that had escaped the airbrush. Steve pines so hard for Tony while he's away that he stalls the Kree Supreme Intelligence Word Count: 4735

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Title: He Did Okay [!Art] Collaborator: DarthBloodOrange (DepressingGreenie) Link: AO3 Square Filled: A4 - all's well that ends well Ship: none Rating: Gen Major Tags: art Summary: One of my favourite MCU Tony moments.

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Title: S3- Future Fic Collaborator: thudworm Link: AO3 Square Filled: S5 - Future Fic Ship: Stony Rating: Teen Major Tags: Endgame, time travel Summary: It's becoming very clear to Tony that something strange is going on. Loki managed to escape with the tesseract, someone messed with the arc reactor, and Steve has some concerning information to share. Alt-2012 Avengers timeline fic. Word Count: 3515

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Title: Your Rescuer for This Evening Collaborator: mariana_oconnor Link: AO3 Square Filled: R1 - Clint Barton/Hawkeye Ship: Indries Moomji/Tony, IronHawk Rating: Teen Major Tags: bad date, rescue mission, meet-cute Summary: The restaurant's discrete, the food is expensive and Tony's date is getting later by the minute. When a stranger sits down at his table, things get a lot more interesting. Word Count: 1665

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Title: Insight offered (and sorely needed) Collaborator: ShippersList Link: AO3 Square Filled: K4 - Amnesia Ship: Stony Rating: Teen Major Tags: domestic Avengers, character injury, temporary amnesia, oblivious Tony, getting together Summary: Clint always said he sees better from a distance. Does amnesia count? Word Count: 1353

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Title: E.D.I.T.H. Collaborator: celtic7irish Link: AO3 Square Filled: S3 - Afterlife/Ascension Ship: MIT Bros Rating: Gen Major Tags: post-Endgame, not a fixit, ghost Tony Summary: “Dammit, Tony,” Rhodey muttered, “what the hell were you thinking?” “I was thinking that I shouldn’t have listened to the wizard,” Tony spoke up from where he was walking next to Rhodey, his footsteps eerily silent. “There’s always another option. I just didn’t have time to find it.” Word Count: 2734

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Title: The Cat Crept In Collaborator: Lacrimula_Falsa Link: AO3 Square Filled: A4 - Cat!Tony Ship: Steve & Tony Rating: Teen Major Tags: fantasy AU, witchcraft AU, magic AU, familiars, fluff and humor Summary: There where two things that had always made Tony's existence needlessly difficult: his big heart and his insatiable curiosity. Never had that been more apparent than when he not only became but stayed the familiar of an unbelievably incompetent witch. Word Count: 2161

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Title: Bubbles Collaborator: mariana_oconnor Link: AO3 Square Filled: K1 - Bathing/Showering together Ship: Stuckony Rating: Teen Major Tags: bubble bath, no sex, nonsexual intimacy, fluff Summary: It's been a hell of a day, Tony, Steve and Bucky take a bath together to unwind. Word Count: 863

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Title: Z-z-z Collaborator: Lacrimula_Falsa Link: AO3 Square Filled: T2 - Sharing A Bed Ship: Stuckony Rating: Gen Major Tags: drabble, fluff Summary: Tony's secret superpower is being an adorable sleeper. Word Count: 100

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Title: Cherry For Two (And Something New) Collaborator: Lacrimula_Falsa Link: AO3 Square Filled: A3 - free square Ship: Steve & Tony Rating: Teen Major Tags: Wreck It Ralph fusion Summary: Power-ups and nostalgia. And something new and shiny. Word Count: 638

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Title: Let The Present Wash Away Memories of the Past Collaborator: celtic7irish Link: AO3 Square Filled: T3 - Flashbacks Ship: Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: flashbacks, past character death, Tony feels Summary: Watching the coming storm, Tony finds himself trapped in memories of the past. Lucky for him, he's surrounded by those that love him. Word Count: 859

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Title: Everything and Nothing Collaborator: lbibliophile-mcu Link: Tumblr Square Filled: T1 - Jealousy Ship: none Rating: Teen Major Tags: drabble Word Count: 100

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Title: Pilot and Mechanic Collaborator: MagpieWords Link: AO3 Square Filled: S1 - a still from the MCU of Tony sitting underneath the torso of the armor while he works on it. Ship: IronHusbands Rating: Teen Major Tags: IM1, physical health issues, fluff Summary: The slow kiss jolted apart and Tony gave a manic grin.  “You.”  “Me?”  "You’re a pilot and you’re the only person I trust with my tech. You’re perfect.” Word Count: 7508

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Title: Wrong About You Collaborator: MagpieWords Link: AO3 Square Filled: T3 - Missing Scene Ship: Tony & Natasha Rating: Gen Major Tags: BroTP, missing scene, beginning of a friendship, Avengers Tower Summary: Missing scene for how Tony Stark goes from being spied on by Natalie Rushman to being teammates with Natasha Romanoff Word Count: 951

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Title: Ain't That a Kick in the Head - Chapter 7: You Never Can Tell Collaborator: Faustess Link: AO3 Square Filled: T1 – Marriage Ship: Bucky & Tony, Bucky/Maria Hill Rating: Mature Major Tags: dad Bucky, deaged Tony, BAMF Maria, protective Bucky, Tony needs a hug, enemies to friends, pre-relationship Summary: Nearly six months later...  Tony wasn’t hiding. Of course, he hadn’t spoken to Bucky since last December and hadn’t talked to Maria since February. It had been months and the humid heat of this mid-August evening didn’t help his nerves at all. How do you apologize for being such a jerk to the people who raised you? Word Count: 16,459

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Title: Trust Me, I've Tried Collaborator: MagpieWords Link: AO3 Square Filled: R5 - Prison Ship: Tony & Natasha Rating: Not Rated Major Tags: Endgame compliant, major character death, purgatory, PTSD, coping, alcohol, afterlife Summary: Hell wasn’t a cave in the desert. It wasn’t a wormhole in space. No, hell would have been this massive, empty house, all by himself. “We never stood a chance.” Word Count: 3000

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Title: Villain Meatloaf Collaborator: Lacrimula_Falsa Link: AO3 Square Filled: T1 - Interrupted by SuperVillains Ship: Stony Rating: Teen Major Tags: drabble, weddings, supervillain Summary: Bad timing, Victor. Word Count: 100

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Title: My Own Brew Collaborator: celtic7irish Link: AO3 Square Filled: A3 - free space Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: coffee shop AU, college AU, pre-relationship, Sam and Rhodey are good bros Summary: “Rhodey,” Tony whined, glaring up at the shop sign, “why are we here again?” His friend grinned at him. “Because this place has the best coffee in town,” he told Tony, for probably the sixth time in the last ten minutes. And yet it didn’t seem to be dampening his cheer in the least. “No,” Tony protested. “No. Jumpstart has the best coffee. I should know.”Rhodey grinned. “Trust me,” he countered, and Tony rolled his eyes, but acquiesced. Besides, they were already here. “Fine. But you’re paying,” he told Rhodey, who just chuckled. “Always do!” Word Count: 1005

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Title: Where The Masks Don’t Matter Collaborator: MagpieWords Link: AO3 Square Filled: T5 - KINK:Dom/sub Ship: Stuckony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Genderswap, BDSM, explicit sexual content Summary: “How ya doin’, genius?” She was supposed to be halfway to a bruised ass and an orgasm by now. “I’m bored. What else have you got for me?” Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes give Toni Stark exactly what she asks for. Word Count: 5562

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Title: Make Some Noise Collaborator: MagpieWords Link: AO3 Square Filled: S5 - KINK:Hatesex Ship: WinterIron Rating: Explicit Major Tags: rockstar AU, hate sex, explicit sexual content Summary: Bucky could happily perform at this festival forever- if only the EDM group across the way would stop stealing his music. If Iron Man wont stop when Bucky asks nicely, he'll have to deal with the problem a little less nicely. Word Count: 5516

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Title: Talk to the Hand Collaborator: bag_of_catZY (catZY) Link: AO3 Square Filled: R1 - [image of Tony Stark from Iron Man 1 in a tank top with his armored glove up] Ship: none Rating: Gen Major Tags: art Summary: When cornered by a Hydra agent, Tony knows just what to say...

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Title: Fight Me Collaborator: bag_of_catZY (catZY) Link: AO3 Square Filled: S4 - [image of Earth's Mightiest Heroes boxing scene between Steve and Tony] Ship: Stony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: ABO, non-traditional, explicit sexual content Summary: Tony has an unusual idea of foreplay for heat sex. Steve's nothing if not adaptable. Word Count: 2899

[tisfan]

What Happens at the Beach House, Part IV

Title: Falling for Your Boyfriend, Idiot Creator: @tisfan Link: AO3 Square Filled: O5 - Romantic Gestures Ship: Tony Stark/Bucky Barnes Rating: teen Major Tags: eavesdropping, Howard Stark’s A+ parenting, romantic gestures, romance Summary: Well, no one said Howard was going to be at the beach house. Tony hears a little more than he was intended to… and maybe, just maybe, what happens at the beach house is going to go home with them. Word Count: 2,308 Created for @mcukinkbingo

A/n - title from one of the quotes in What Happens in Vegas, which is a truly horrible movie, and this is mostly in no way based on that film. Also this author would like to confess to watching entirely too many bad romcoms. But I think everyone knew that already.

What Happens at the Beach House | Stays at the Beach House | Rules of the Road | Falling for Your Boyfriend, Idiot

Bucky was gone by the time Tony got out of the shower -- and maybe he’d lingered there for a while, hiding under the running water until even his mother’s water heater had given up the ghost and started to cool off. The last day at his mom’s beach house, they were going to be packing up and Happy would drive them back to campus, Tony supposed, after lunch.

It wasn’t normal that Bucky was gone already. He’d always waited for Tony before, even on the days when Tony was determined to sleep through lunch, Bucky would pull out a book and read, or watch videos on his phone.

Yeah, okay, so Tony might have been getting a little tired of the act. It was harder and harder to remember as the days went by that he was going to have to give this up once they got back to school.

It wouldn’t matter. A little distance at the end of vacation, Mom would think it was just vacation ending blues. She used to tell him when he was younger that she felt the same way. Howard was different, she would say, away from the business, away from his workshop and office. And that she was always a little sad to leave.

Tony had always thought she was full of it; even when he was too young to recognize what, exactly, she was full of. Howard wasn’t any different on vacation than he was at home. He was always obsessive, greedy, needy, jealous bastard. Just, on vacation, he was focused on Mom, and at home, he was focused on work.

If Tony was screwing up, then he moved from last on Howard’s priority list to somewhere in the top 10, but never higher than five, Tony had decided.

Even a colossal Tony screw up never rated of any more concern than that.

Tony had long ago decided that if the house was on fire, Howard wouldn’t remember he had a son until it was too late to rescue him.

Thinking about Howard always turned Tony’s stomach. He’d have skipped breakfast entirely, except he knew if he didn’t get his morning coffee, he’d have a terrible headache in an hour or so.

Bucky might be done with breakfast already and they could spend the day avoiding each other. Probably. Maybe.

That turned Tony’s stomach too, and he started wondering if the headache was worth it. If he didn’t have to see Bucky, then he didn’t have to see Bucky ignoring him.

Tony decided that coffee was the thing; he’d at least grab a cup.

His brain pinging back and forth between Howard and Bucky, and both people ignoring him, he almost walked right past Howard’s study -- even at the beach house, they had an office for Howard -- without noticing there were voices from within.

Almost.

He paused, because--

(more under the cut)

“... funny that I never heard a peep about you until he came into a fortune,” Howard said.

Tony’s stomach dropped and took up refuge somewhere around his toes. Howard was here? No one had told him that Howard was expected. He leaned closer to the door, eyes narrowed.

“Did he?” That was Bucky, his voice not quite casual. “Good for him.”

“Mmmm,” Howard hummed thoughtfully. “How did you two meet?”

“Couple years ago,” Bucky said -- and that wasn’t right, they’d only met last year, during a class, “I was running the projector for a moviefest the science fiction club was hosting. Tony was there, I think he came to see Flash Gordon or something, but he fell asleep. I didn’t even know he was there, but when I was cleaning and packing up, I dropped the projector. Woke him up cussing because I’d broken it, and I didn’t have the money to replace it. Tony barely opened his eyes, got up, fixed the projector -- you know he carries a screwdriver around with him everywhere he goes? -- and wandered off before I could even say thank you. I didn’t know his name for another month, I think?”

Tony barely remembered that; he sort of remembered the film festival, but not doing repairs to an ancient projector, or talking with Bucky. Huh.

“Anyway, I guess we were introduced to each other, we were lab partners for Pym’s molecular bio class,. We were friends for a while; he helps me out with my car. I’ve been coaching him with his language and literature classes.” Bucky chuckled. “He, uh, he reads really fast, but he doesn’t always grasp metaphors and stuff. Makes writing lit papers difficult. He’s so cute, you know, he’ll pace around the room and be like, ‘no, the curtains are just blue, it doesn’t have to mean anything!’”

Now that, Tony remembered. The only reason he’d passed second year comp at all was because Bucky talked him through, silver-spoon feeding him, all the Christianity references in Villette. There were a lot.

“Helps you with your car? Makes the payments?”

“Huh? No,” Bucky said. “I own that car. She’s just, you know, kinda old. Tony likes playing with the engine anyway, so he’s been helping me with maintenance and stuff. You know the dealership wanted two grand to replace the sway bar? Tony did it in twenty minutes with a ten dollar part. And he’s fast. I told him he should try to get a spot on a NASCAR driver’s pit crew. He’d be a natural.”

Tony had to clap his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. That would piss Howard off to no end, really. Bad enough Tony wasn’t majoring in business, wasn’t going to the school Howard wanted, was instead wrapped up in studying mechanical engineering, but not to go into the business at all, to be a dirty, grimy mechanic? Howard would chew nails and spit staples before he’d let that happen.

Bucky was a pretty good driver; Tony wondered if they could run away together and live off the winnings from track races.

Not, he thought, shaking himself all over, that Bucky wanted to run off with Tony to begin with.

And what the hell was Howard grilling him about anyway. Why the fuck was Howard even here?

His parents weren’t quite divorced yet; they’d seperated about six months ago, but Howard kept trying… Tony was pretty sure he was going to wear Mom out eventually. Maria Stark had about as much backbone as an earthworm, and Howard was pretty stubborn when he wanted something.

Tony had inherited all that stubbornness, and some of the backbone issue. He had a hard time standing up to Howard, even when he really, really wanted something.

“Would you be interested in a new car?” Howard speculated.

“Not really,” Bucky said. “I, uh, my insurance premiums are only like seventy dollars a month right now. If I gotta put collision and the value of a new car on top of that, no thank you. I’m making do, and Tony’s keeping her running.”

“Something could be arranged to take care of that,” Howard suggested. “You like race cars? Chevy’s got a really nice Corvette this year, we could cover the insurance for a few years, at least until it drops a bracket.”

Tony could almost see the dubious expression on Bucky’s face. “What are you getting at?”

“Look, I’ll square with you, kid,” and there came Howard’s showman’s voice, the I’m going to talk you into anything tones. “Tony’s being a thorn in my side. I built up Stark Industries from an idea in a garage, and I need him to stop messing around and put in some work so we don’t lose the company. This… engineering and fixing cars stuff, that’s just a distraction. Just… like you are a distraction.”

“I’m not quite following you, Mr. Stark,” Bucky said, but he sounded suspicious, like maybe he did.

Tony was half tempted to barrel in there before Howard could say something irrevocable. Or before Bucky could.

The rest of him wondered, exactly, what Howard thought he was doing.

And what Bucky was going to do about it.

“All of this,” Howard said. “This is what he needs to be thinking about, what he needs to be doing. And right now, everything’s going his way. He’s got school that he’s frittering time away with, and a boyfriend and all that.”

“And you, what? Aim t’ make him unhappy enough to do what you want?” Bucky sounded very unimpressed. “You know I don’t see him giving up on school just because we’re not dating anymore. He throws himself into work when he’s unhappy. You should see him every time he comes back to school after break. He’ll do it just to spite you.”

“Yeah, I think I know my son a little better than you do.”

Do not, do not, do not, Tony thought, like a recalcitrant toddler. That was one of Howard’s biggest problems. He didn’t know his family at all. He barely understood his wife, he had no idea what his son was like.

“I’m still waiting for what your proposal is,” Bucky said. “Because this conversation is going around in circles. You wanna just lay it on the table?”

“I’d like you to break things off with Tony,” Howard said.

“This may well be the first time I got a you’re no good for him talk from someone’s parents,” Bucky said, thoughtfully. “So, hit me with what’s in it for me.”

“I understand what you think you’re getting out of Tony,” Howard said.

“No, sir, I really don’t think you do,” Bucky said.

“You think he’s a meal ticket, that he’s a steady rush of wine and dine,” Howard carried on, as if he hadn’t heard Bucky at all. “And you know and I know that college relationships don’t last. You’re a man of the real world, Barnes. Not like Tony, with his head in the clouds. So, let me just skip to the good part. I will cut you a check for fifty thousand dollars.”

Tony almost fell over; he had to cling to the doorframe as his knees went weak.

“Why does this sound like a proposal you’ve made before,” Bucky wondered. “Did you offer that girl a similar deal? Because Sunset dropped Tony like he was a hot brick.”

“Bain was reasonable,” Howard said. “Think what it could mean, Barnes, starting out your career without debt.”

Tony considered bursting in, now. Howard had paid Sunset to dump him? Painfully, letting Tony catch her with another guy? That was… that was fucking low, and Tony wasn’t sure why the hell he was surprised. Not that Sunset was the kind of person that Tony wanted to be with, if she could be paid off so easily.

“I think you don’t know the first thing about Tony,” Bucky was saying, and Tony dragged his attention back to his eavesdropping. “I think you don’t appreciate what you’ve got. Tony has money, but you know what? I don’t care about that. I care that he’s smart. I care that he’s clever. I care that his face lights up when he’s discussing engineering, and how he believes that the rules of physics don’t necessarily apply to him. I love the way his eyes crinkle up when he’s happy. And I don’t think there’s enough money in the world to break his heart for you.”

“It won’t last,” Howard said. “I’ve watched him be unable to maintain friendships. He forgets that the real world exists. He forgets to shower, wears dirty clothes, forgets to eat or sleep. He gets lost in his workshop, and then by the time he remembers that other people are real, they’re gone. You’ll end up without him, no matter what. I’m just offering to make it nice and convenient, and on your own timetable. With a sizeable incentive.”

“I think you’re a bastard,” Bucky said. “And now I won’t do it just to goddamn spite you.”

“You’re being foolish,” Howard snarled, all the charm dropping out of his voice.

“Maybe so,” Bucky said. “But being in love makes fools of all of us, doesn’t it, Mr. Stark?”

Tony let his hand drop off the door, backed up a few steps.

It didn’t make sense.

Why wouldn’t Bucky just take the money? He and Tony weren’t actually dating, the money was just a bonus on what was going to happen as soon as they got back to school anyway.

Bucky’d sounded very sincere.

Being in love makes fools of us all…

Tony stopped dead in the hallway.

What?

Bucky slammed the door to Howard’s study open, ready to storm out of the room, then, “Take your hands off me,” he snapped angrily. “I said-- oh, Tony.”

Whatever Howard was ready to say was bitten off behind his teeth as he followed Bucky out into the hall and saw Tony standing there, probably looking like an idiot, gawking.

“Oh, hey, Bucky,” Tony said, wildly, trying to sound nonchalant and probably missing the mark by a mile. “I was looking for you, did you want to, you know, go for a walk, since we’re leaving right after lunch and this’ll be the last opportunity?”

“Yeah, baby,” Bucky said, still glaring at Howard. “That sounds like it’d be great. Let’s go that.”

He was at Tony’s side in a moment, gripping Tony’s arm a little harder than he probably meant to, fingers digging into Tony’s bicep in a painful clench.

“Hi, Dad,” Tony said, waving. “Bye, Dad.”

Howard just stood there, fist clenched.

Probably Howard didn’t think it was worth the effort to assault someone who wasn’t a family member. Although he might reconsider it. Howard had really good lawyers.

“Let’s go,” Bucky said under his breath, not looking back. His shoulders were stiff and Tony was getting a sore jaw, listening to the way Bucky was clenching his teeth.

“Yeah, let’s… let’s do that.” 

[cami-chats]

Double The Steve, Double The Fun

Title: Double The Steve, Double The Fun

Link: AO3 (full text also below)

Square Filled: Pre-Serum Steve/Post-Serum Steve/Tony Stark

Ship: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark/Steve Rogers

Rating: Mature

Major Tags: None

Summary: Of all things Steve expected to happen in his life, being jealous of himself wasn’t one of them. 

Word Count: 1563

Created for @mcukinkbingo​

Full Text under the read more

There were a few things Steve was sure of: he was in love with Tony, Tony was a good person, and it was ridiculous to be jealous in a relationship where you trusted the other person. The issue with the last point is that he and Tony weren't together, and therefore Tony could flirt to his heart's content and even sleep with other people, and he was never once breaking a promise to Steve in the process.

Steve was sure of a couple other things of course, like that Jurassic Park was a great movie but he preferred Timeline-- much to Tony's chagrin-- and most recently, he became sure that it was one hundred percent, absolutely, completely absurd to be jealous of himself.

A pre-serum Steve Rogers dropped into their lives though-- either Doom or Richard's fault, Steve could never tell-- and Tony was positively fawning over him. The only other time Steve had seen him make heart eyes at someone was when he was dating Pepper, and he sure as hell was making them at the other Steve right now. Everyone had taken to calling his pre-serum self 'Stevie', which made it a little confusing for Bucky since he called him that regularly, but it was easier for everyone else.

Also, he hadn't realized it at the time he was living it, but he was a little shit when he was pre-serum. All bossy and trying to prove himself-- which he remembered-- and egging on Steve. He was flirting with Tony, and when Tony would turn his back, he'd make eye contact with Steve and wink. He pretended it didn't get to him, but he was pretty sure he wasn't fooling anyone. He might have fooled Bruce, but only because Bruce wasn't paying enough attention to care. He could ignore it-- in a roundabout way where he was only pretending to ignore it and was actually obsessing over it-- until one day where he walked into the living room and saw Stevie straddling Tony on the couch, arms over his shoulders. Tony's hands were on Stevie's thighs even as he said, "I'm interested, but I don't think Steve would like us doing this."

"Do you do everythin' he tells you to?"

Tony snorted. "Hardly."

"Then why is this any different?"

"You're..." Tony's head hit the back of the couch with a groan. "This is far too complicated."

"We're different people. That's what all of you have been sayin' all day for the past week."

"Speaking of, shouldn't you have issues with two men being together?"

Stevie rolled his eyes. "Do you not talk to your Steve at all?"

"I thought you were two different people?" Tony pointed out.

"We are, but he used to be me. You don't stop liking men. Come to think of it, why hasn't he tried to take you on a date? You don't stop liking men, and you sure as hell don't stop liking you."

"As flattering as this is," Tony said drily, "Cap hasn't showed the slightest interest in me. I think you're cuter than anyone else I've ever seen, but as Steve has told me time and again, not everyone thinks that way. You like me because I like you, and you don't have other options. Cap has plenty."

"Hm yes, that explains why he glares at me all the time," Stevie said sarcastically.

"He doesn't glare at you," Tony argued.

"Yes he does." Stevie made a face as he thought of something, suddenly looking uncomfortable. "You only like me because of him, don't you."

If Stevie or Steve were expecting that to make Tony freeze, they were disappointed. Tony rolled his eyes, pulling Stevie closer. "Good to know you're just as dumb as he is."

"Shut up," Stevie mumbled, grabbing Tony's face and kissing him. It was a little messy and not at all skilled, but endlessly enthusiastic.

Steve had been frozen in the doorway this entire time, watching the scene unfold. But when Tony started kissing him back, he turned on his heel and left. He never should have stayed as long as he did, and it was pointless besides. Woohoo, Tony liked pre-serum him but not present him, throw a party. At least Tony ignored Stevie all-but telling him that Steve was in love with him. That was good.

~~~

The next time Steve saw both of them was in the workshop. He'd gone down to spend some time with Tony, maybe sketch a little, and play fetch with DUM-E if the bot wasn't busy with something else. He stopped cold in the doorway when he saw Stevie sitting on the couch. It wasn't in the exact spot where Steve set up shop, but he still didn't like it.

Tony glanced up and beamed at him. "Cap! What are you doing here?"

"Do I need a reason now?"

"Guess not," Tony said with a shrug, still smiling at him. He turned back to his work.

Stevie scooted a little to the side even though it wasn't necessary. Steve appreciated the gesture and gave him a small smile. Stevie was holding a book, but Steve recognized the restless twitching of his hands.

Steve held out his sketchpad and pencil. "You want to draw?"

Stevie reached out for them automatically, then pulled his hands back in. "Weren't you gonna draw?"

"I've got another one down here somewhere."

"I think DUM-E stole it," Tony chimed in. "You might have to sweet talk him to get it back."

"I could always give him a lighter."

Tony swiveled around to stare at him, eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't dare."

"You only told me not to give him a fire extinguisher."

"I don' think startin' a fire's any better," Stevie said, flipping quickly through the sketches to find a blank page.

"DUM-E with a fire extinguisher has bad history for Tony, it's not about the destructive capability."

"Well in that case..."

"No," Tony said sternly, pointing at the pair of them with the end of a screwdriver. "You are not allowed to team up."

"Aw but we've got so much in common," Stevie said, a sly little smirk on his face.

"We're the same person," Steve said, giving him a confused look.

"Oh didn't Tony tell you?" Stevie had his 'my wide eyes totally make me appear innocent' look on full force. "I'm from an alternate dimension, not the past."

Steve blinked once, then nodded. "That makes a lot of sense, actually."

"Really?" Tony asked incredulously.

He shrugged. "Me and Bucky thought we were remembering a few things wrong." Unprompted, DUM-E wheeled up to the couch and handed him the stolen sketchbook. "Thanks buddy." Steve pat him on the claw with a smile.

"You want to know what my idea is?" Stevie asked once DUM-E rolled away again.

"Stevie," Tony said. It sounded like they'd already talked about it and Tony had said it was a bad idea, but here Stevie was, bringing it up anyways.

"Just cause you thin' he won't be into it doesn't mean anythin'."

"Won't be into what?" Steve asked, more than a little worried about what the answer would be.

"A threesome."

"What." Steve glanced at Tony for help, but he had given up, face buried in his hands while his elbows rested on the table in front of him.

"Aw c'mon Cap, think about it. When are you ever gonna get a chance to see two of yourself fuckin' Tony?"

"Uhh, Tony?" he ventured, voice tight and perhaps squeaking on his name. "A little help here?"

"Stevie," Tony said, not moving an inch, "I don't think Steve's interested in anything in that offer."

"You're quick to assume," Stevie said. He sounded extremely self-assured, and while Steve might have turned him down just to be contrary, Tony hadn't said anything about not being interested in it himself and this wasn't the kind of opportunity that would come around twice.

"Okay," he blurted.

"Really?" Stevie asked, excited. Tony's head jerked, and he stared at Steve disbelievingly.

"Are you serious?"

He swallowed thickly. More than a little nervous but undoubtedly eager. "Yeah. I mean, why not, right?"

"My thoughts exactly," Stevie said, putting his hand on Steve's knee and moving it up slowly when he didn't flinch or otherwise look uncomfortable. "You might wanna come over here Tony, or you'll risk missin' out."

~~~

Despite what Stevie had said about Tony missing out if he didn't get a move on, they had made it all the way up to Tony's massive bed and spent most of their time there. Stevie was bossy as fuck, talking where Steve himself could now manhandle. For his part, Tony listened. Steve didn't know what to do with that, but it made him feel lightheaded when Stevie told him to do something and Tony didn't hesitate, even for a second.

Should he feel weird about having sex with a pre-serum version of himself? Probably. Did he? Not in the slightest.

Stevie was in their universe to stay apparently, and that one night between the three of them turned into another, and another, and eventually into dating. A couple months later, and Steve was forced to alter the list of things he knew to be a bit more inclusive. Tony was a good person, Steve was in love with him, he was also in love with Stevie, and the world was really fucking weird.