#i went overboard with this one ooops

[ackerfics]

🖇 — A random thought occurred to me: how would TPT!Levi assist the twins in courting someone they like?

hi, 🖇 anon !! i hope you are having an amazing day there owo tpt!levi assisting the twins in their romantic endeavors --- that sounds so fun yet chaotic in my head sksdjk oh lorde, i'll go overboard with this and make some headcanons plus little drabbles here and there --- send help !!!

okay, i'll set this in a timeline where the twins are university students.

do you ever have that relationship with your mother where you seem to pour out your crushes to her without telling your dad because he might hunt down the people of your affections? because i do. and this is the exact scenario with the twins. they confide in you because they think that if levi knows, he won't hunt down their crushes per se but he'll do a background check on them before saying his approval. as much as the twins are adults now, they're still his boys and if he catches one of them crying because of a broken heart ??? the one who broke their precious hearts is on sight.

the only time he gets a gist of the twins falling in love with their significant others, is when you blurt it out one night while preparing for bed.

"starlight is so cute trying to impress his crush. he's stuttering in our video call last night."

i beg you, this man will stop whatever he's doing to give you the most confused face he ever made. but you still continue with your wistful musings.

"even little prince is planning on courting somebody now. it seems like yesterday they're just little kids running around the house." levi is still silent so you turn around after putting your hairbrush on the vanity. "levi?"

"... they have crushes now?"

your laugh answers his question. "they're young adults now. what do you expect, love? they're the same age as you when you first met me." levi grimaces. "oh, don't be grumpy. it's bound to happen. do you want them to stay single all their lives?"

"... no?"

"then help them."

thus, when the twins come home for spring break, levi sits them in the dining table and stares at nothing in particular, which prompted the twins to exchange a concerned glance. (for university!twins; i picture caelum having fluffy hair (like at the beginning of tpt or imagine this hairstyle on him) while altair looks exactly like levi.)

levi clears his throat awkwardly, cursing that you've put him in this role when you could've easily fit in it. he doesn't want to delve into the love lives of his sons because the thought of discussing kisses with them makes him wince in his mind. "okay." that catches the attention of the two boys. (caelum was texting someone while altair was reaching for the grapes displayed in the middle of the table.) "your mother told me you have people you like now." when altair stands up from his seat, levi points a finger at him. "sit down, al, your mother means well. she didn't tell me to embarrass you two."

"but---"

"al, i think dad will eventually know." caelum throws a levelled stare at his brother before glancing at levi. "does this have something to do with what you're about to talk to us?"

levi sighs as if this is a fatal mission. "... yes."

at one point, the twins will ask how he wooed you, to which he confidently answers that it's all about confidence (when in fact, that was the least thing he showed back then). upon sensing the lie, levi goes on with the real story of his past with you during college.

levi will take the 'advice' route in helping the twins court the people they like. as a wise old man (in altair's words that ended with levi threatening to throw him into the woods beside their house), levi lines up the advantages and disadvantages when courting someone. since it took him about his entire college experience in getting to know you better and eventually dating you, levi tells the twins that rushing into the relationship phase is the least thing that they should do. he'll tell them that they shouldn't overwhelm their respective partners with their advances. they have to make sure that they have the consent of their crushes before they decide to court them. once levi lays out everything with reason in front of them, he goes, "the rest is up to you. if you think that the timing for your romantic advances doesn't match up, wait it out. don't ever make them feel suffocated, brats. be patient when it comes to wooing the people that you like."

occasionally, the twins (aka only altair) will call levi instead of you this time, updating him on their progress, to which levi always replies, "i hope you're not focusing on that more than your education, al, because i won't hesitate to cut off your allowance if your priorities aren't kept straight." though, he still wants to know what's happening so he meekly adds, "so, how's your love life?"

caelum on the other hand will call him for more advice, which levi gladly gives.

bonus: if the twins bring their significant others to visit their home, altair will warn you and levi to never say anything out of the line (in other words, anything that can guarantee an embarrassing picture on his s/o's mind) while caelum is chill with it (he likes to have his s/o learn more things about him from his parents). once their significant others take a good look at the people responsible for raising them, they immediately understand where their great genes came from. since i made tpt reader someone so effortlessly gorgeous, the twins are so proud at showing you off, which leads to their partners wondering how to function with such a goddess in their presence.

[slasherholic]

Any new writing 🥲?

HI YES......SOON

[chacerider]

five minutes into vacation, already completely lost

he’s definitely a nogami, that’s for sure

[aliksims]

Surprise! I went slightly overboard again and you get to reap the benefits! I recolored two base game (mac-compatible) basic walls and did a darker recolor of the basic maxis carpet (1) to match. Both walls are sorted together (so “Diamonds” in C-4 is listed right after “Stripes” in Yam and before “Stripes” in C-4).

They come in all 111 colors of the AKS Object Rainbow 3b (2) (the carpet is technically different, darker, versions of the colors, but we’re all going to ignore that little detail (: ). I own exactly none of them. To see what exactly all these colors are, where they are from, and who exactly were the talented artists that created them, please go here (3). (The color files are individually labeled with their original creator, palette, and name, but like usual I’ve probably mangled them beyond recognition by abbreviating everything.)

“Diamonds” Paint with colors individually packaged: http://simfil.es/3016095/

“Diamonds” Paint with colors packaged in 1 package: http://simfil.es/3016096/

“Stripes” Paint with colors individually packaged: http://simfil.es/3016097/

“Stripes” Paint with colors packaged in 1 package: http://simfil.es/3016098/

Darker Basic Maxis Carpet with colors individually packaged: http://simfil.es/3016093/

Darker Basic Maxis Carpet with colors packaged in 1 package: http://simfil.es/3016094/

The preview picture, swatches, and color info are included with both downloads. I own nothing so you can’t sell it. :)

(1): http://aliksims.tumblr.com/post/182255406329/

(2): http://aliksims.tumblr.com/post/189370841371/

(3): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dZBByQl0wWnq0KzoBNurRROeWshYBZ18ZZ5-t_Sx_4A/edit?usp=sharing/

PS: Ooops, scheduled it to drop on the wrong day... ;;>.< Well good thing it’s slightly extra fancy to make up for it! In case you’re wondering, this is Monday’s upload, so to make up for getting it a day early, you’re gonna have to wait a week+1 for the next one. ;;>.>

[daylightsun]

What I Learn from Years of Reading and Collecting Books and Letting Some of Them Go

These past few days, I "KonMari" my room and decided to rearrange my bookshelves. While sorting out all of my belongings, I discovered a box filled with books I manically collected during my college years sitting underneath my bed. After opening it, the books seem to be staring at me while I stare back at them like we are having a confrontation of sorts. For a moment, it made me reflect on my life as a reader and book collector, and this sense of nostalgia hit me.

After snapping out of this nostalgic state, the fact remains that my shelf space and room space are precious and limited, and I only want to fill my life with things that “spark joy” within me. I need to decide which books would stay and which would eventually go to the bin. So in honor of literature month and the books I am about to throw away, I would like to write some piece to honor my journey as a reader and book collector.

Starting Years as a Reader and Book Collector

My fascination with books started early in my childhood. I remember holding my small hardbound fairytale books, a book set with stories like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Three Little Pigs. But it was the illustrations at first that engrossed me. It's like my eyes can't get enough of the colors and drawings. I look at them again and again, committing them in my memory. Then there was my childhood best friend Grimm's book of fairytales. The book was enormous and heavy. It contained more words and the occasional one to two pages of illustrations, like the naked butt of the king in The Emperor's New Clothes, the candy house of the witch in Hansel, and Gretel other beautiful illustrations inside that book.

However, it is in my teenage years that I started to enjoy reading literature, and book reports ignite my interest in book collecting. Books like Ella Enchanted, The Little Prince, and Thieves of Ostia were carried inside our classroom boxes after boxes. A sheer excitement overcame me, forgetting the fear I felt days before asking for extra money to buy something outside the average family expenses, even if it is for school requirements.

I did not grow up in an environment that encourages me to read books outside the typical academic obligations. It is usual for Southeast Asian households to be thrifty, so buying books for leisure is a luxury. Moreover, since it does not involve cleaning and moving around the house, reading for my parents is a lazy activity. Not to mention what damage it can do to your eyesight, they would add. However, I continued to read in secret and went against the general expectations.

I have read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince while holding a flashlight while everyone in the house is sleeping at night so no one could scold me. I read with my friends at school. We exchanged novels, particularly stories about young adults. I bought my first novel, L. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables, in a book fair inside my school using my savings. And even after my childhood best friend, who was four years older than me, went away to college, I marched to their house and borrowed books from her mother like Louisa Alcott's Little Women.

Reading helped me to cope with my deep-seated feeling of isolation and loneliness because of being an adopted child. I found out pieces of the truth through indirect hints and silent whispers between adults and childish banter between cousins. So I was left alone on my own devices to understand and stitch the truth. But in reading, I started to find solace and identity with the people I meet in stories. Books became for me houses I visit to explore and get to know the people living inside. And sometimes, I leave too early out of boredom or just out of an inability to comprehend the house. But sometimes, even after the visit, a piece of my heart stayed inside those pages. When I read, I have companions, and when I buy a book, I have something of my own.

Moreover, in books, I found girls like me, like Anne in Anne of Green Gables or Mary in The Secret Garden. Orphaned and neglected at a very young age and adopted, they were able to find acceptance and love. In those stories, they eventually mattered and belonged to the people around them. And in my heart, I wanted the same assurance these characters have that I am going to be OK despite my "oddness."

Not encouraged to read, buy books for my leisure, and being an adopted child in her young adolescent years made me want to form a personal path of rebellion. I decided to be a bookworm and persist in reading and building my book collection even if I am discouraged! Talk about being brave and revolutionary. Though I developed a deep affection for reading and books by this time, this "rebellious" way serves another personal purpose, and that is instead of being single out because ofbeing an adopted child, I can be single out because of my "bookish-ness." This identity gave me a powerful feeling of being significantly different from the crowd. I am somehow special but without the burden and constantly feeling the need to fight the pity of the people around me.

College Years

When I went to college, I develop an unhealthy impulse of excessively buying booksbut not reading them. There is a Japanese term for this impulsive behavior called "tsundoku." My obsession with buying books can be attributed to two main culprits. First, I started to attend and participate actively in church, and second, the store Book Sale.

In our church, we have a statement I wrote in the tablet of my heart with great faithfulness and love. It goes this way "Great leaders read books," which is a remarkable statement unless someone went overboard with trying to read books by purchasing them. This someone is, of course, is me. Ooops.

On multiple days within a week, I would visit and sit on the SM Baguio's Book Salefloor, hunting and obsessing over books. I would gladly move stacks upon stacks of books desperately looking for a purchase treasure. And most of us know, books are sold at Book Sale at a meager price. It became a standard for me to go home to my boarding house with three to five books. And oh boy, the stacks of books in my room just grew and grew. By the end of my seven years in college, the heaviest of my baggage is the one enormous box where I managed to fit all the books I have acquired.

Even though my college years were a time of my compulsive and unhealthy behaviors in reading and book buying, these were also the years I familiarized myself with what types of storytelling I would enjoy and who are my favorite authors. Neil Gaiman and Haruki Murakami cast their spell on me, and I would read again and again stories like The Little Prince, Memoirs of A Geisha, and The Last Time I Saw Mother.

But what I am most thankful for reading around this time is the opportunity it gave me to connect to other people through knowledge sharing. When I read an excellent book that gave me a lot of insight, there is an internal urge to pass it to someone else or talk about it with a friend. So I either talk about it or give the book. Giving that well-written book will sting a bit. Still, the disappointment of not having someone to undergo the experience of reading it is more painful than letting it go because I've discovered that there are types of books that cannot stay only in one pair of hands but have to travel to the next pair to be held and read. Some stories and books are personal to me, and they will stay on my shelves as long as they can, but there is another type of book that the knowledge they contain needs to be passed on and shared.

Working Years

Buying books using the allowance from your parents are far easier than using your own hard-earned money. Being a young professional and just started to manage my finances made the reality of my unhealthy addiction hit hard. I can not longer afford to go to book shops without thoroughly thinking if the book I am picking is something I should buy. "Adulting" has forced maturity in me.

Putting some healthy breaks on my general attitude towards reading and book collecting is just one part of the exciting times ahead of me as a bibliophile. Going back to my hometown and having more personal freedom have opened the doors to uncharted territories. As a reader and book collector, I've been officially and finally introduced to book fairs and Philippine Literature.

When I talk about book fairs that I participate in this time, these are the mega fairs that involve many publishing houses. Book fairs with book launching, book signing, live-reading, and writers' meet and greet events. The Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) and Big Bad Wolf are an example of these fairs. The experience was exhilarating and magical, and I would like to think that every reader and book collector would agree that book fairs are sort of heaven or nirvana on earth.

But so far, the greatest book fair I get to experience must also be the most challenging endeavor I undertook professionally, the Frankfurt Book Fair 2019. Imanaged to be a part of the team that organized the delegation that represented the Philippines in the largest international book fair. FBF is annually held during October in Frankfurt, Germany, with participants worldwide and boost to be the most extensive platform for digital and printed content. So even though I did not personally go to Frankfurt, being part of this massive event as a production assistant and being part of the early planning stages to post-prod was a dream come true. Seeing over 500 books published by the leading publishing houses in the country and written by Filipino authors showcased in the entire world in a beautifully designed stand made me very happy and proud.

Working in a government agency that primarily serves the Philippine publishing industry also gave me a closer look into the local literature. Unfortunately, I did not grow up reading books written by Filipino writers. Aside from the usual piece of local literature my Filipino textbooks in high school and college courses offered, Philippine literature did not become part of my early reading and book collection. But my ignorance of Filipino authors and literature ended when  I worked at NBDB and when a friend lent me Philippine literature books. As I started to read the literary works of Eliza Victoria, Nick Joaquin, Luis Joaquin M. Katigbak, and other amazing Filipino authors, I felt both shame and relief. I finally got to experience my national consciousness and Filipino identity through literature by Filipino authors for Filipinos.

But my bad habits in college still are present and had managed to erode my psyche. Surrounded by so many book-related things, I got back to the same dangerous pattern. I acquired more books but have no diligence and genuine interest in reading. In the process, I become a hoarder like the Businessman from The Little Prince, who cannot stop owning and counting every star he sees in the sky but never understood its value. After all, what is a book without its reader?

And as a result, something bad happened. The words in the pages started to leave me, I slowly lost the ability to build worlds in my head, and my insatiable thirst for knowledge had dwindled. Then one day, I lost all of my interest in books. For one and a half years, I would not touch any books on my bookshelves and stop actively reading and looking for books to buy. I had enough.

                                                           *** Going back to the present time and Marie Kondo, she mentioned in her best-selling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (and yes, I have the book), that the KonMari method encourages only to keep around thirty books. Thirty books seem to be awfully few, and how can a person who loves reading and collecting books find the courage to let go.

But as the book explained, you need to ask oneself the fundamental question of the KonMari method, "does this spark joy?". Does this book spark joy? Have I read this, and if I happened to have, does it aroused my intellect? And I have asked these hard questions to every book in my belongings.

It is almost four years after my time at the university. I am currently in a work-from-home setup which is a very fortunate situation while in the middle of a global pandemic. And yes, I am about to throw books, a lot of them, which you might think is a waste, but deep down, I know I will never reread these, nor will I ever start to read them again.

Honestly, I cannot remember the exact day I pick up a book on my shelf and read again, nor the reason behind it. But having the courage to declutter and purge my book collection, I realized a few months ago that I started again to read and purchase books, but this time there is an effort to be mindful with every reading and purchase made. This subtle change in behavior gave my reading and collecting a better sense of purpose and direction.

My life is composed of limited time, meaning I can only read books that much. But I've been in a relationship with books for many years now. Collecting books became a form of personal art, and reading stories helped me become a better person. It healed me, became a catalyst to learn a couple of life lessons, and taught me to give. And I do not see myself stopping at any point in my life. So might as well keep and read books that only truly capture my spirit, challenges me, and, if I was lucky, changes me. Because that is the thing about it, books are powerful.

[esteliel]

So I went to see the new cast again tonight - I’d seen earlier this week that they got Lee van Geleen back as emergency cover Javert because ??? (I assume Thaxton is sick and they haven’t had time to rehearse the new covers? Who knows.)

Anyway, I didn’t dare to hope that he might still be on tonight, but he was! I’d managed to catch Shaq three times last cast, but never Lee, so I was super pleased. :D

I found myself really enjoying his Javert. A solid performance overall - every now and then, I was hoping for a bit more nuanced acting, but in general, enjoyable, he didn’t go completely overboard with his suicide like Thaxton, and I really loved the Confrontation. It’s been a while since I’ve heard someone sing “chaaaaaaiiiiiiiin” with so much strength and hold it for so long.

Dean was still so good, OMG I’m so happy we’ve got a strong Valjean this year. He’s definitely someone who can and does act, which makes such a difference. It’s just genuinely enjoyable to watch him on stage and observe all these small choices he makes, the little reactions to things even during Bring Him Home, when so many Valjeans choose to just stiffly sit there and concentrate on singing it as if it were a studio recording. He never does that; he’s genuinely worried about Marius during this song, he reacts to things like Marius moving, there’s this whole range of emotion he’s feeling, and that’s genuinely so rare for a BHH!

On the downside, he’s not as strong a singer as many others I’ve heard, at least when it comes to his high notes. He’s fine during most of BHH because he sings much of it as it should be, soft and gentle, a prayer - but he doesn’t manage to make those final notes soar in the way others can. On the other hand, unlike during the first show, today he held his final note the way it should be.

But honestly, this is a minor quibble, because I’ll happily take one moment of less vocal power over Valjeans with no emotional range. I’ve suffered through too many vacant-faced BHHs already.

Adam was doing Brujon instead of Claquesous, and I have no idea if that has to do with whatever cover/swing situation they’ve got going on this week, or if it was the same on Monday? I guess I was too distracted by everyone being new because I honestly don’t remember (and I even failed to notice that with Amara, the London Cosette costumes changed, ahaha). [Or maybe I should just check the cast list because he is in fact Brujon now!]

Lee flubbed one of his lines during Fantine’s Arrest - he sang “She will rest assured, monsieur, that she will answer to the court,” and he and Bamatabois were just silently laughing at each other for a moment.

Mme T failed to properly help Eponine up onto the table during her “you look very well in that little blue hat” scene which was adorable, because it turned into “you look very well in that little blue hat ooops!” :D

OMG and the Gavroche today managed to completely tangle himself up in his bag when he tried to take it off to throw the ammunition to the barricade, so instead of throwing it forward, it fell down behind his back. I’ve seen many Gavroches not managing to get the bag across the barricade, but never a death that seemed quite so useless with the bag going into the wrong direction, ahaha.

Amara’s Cosette is still SO lovely, I’m SO HAPPY! She’s such a good Cosette; her singing is lovely and she plays her with SUCH youthful energy and innocence, it’s truly a delight to watch her almost bounce through the Rue Plumet garden during In My Life. She’s full of emotion and energy and comes across as so fresh, it’s wonderful.

I know I said on Monday that Marius doesn’t do that much for me, but I actually enjoyed him a lot more today! He’s adorable - his Marius isn’t awkward at all, but he’s very much an overexcited puppy whenever he’s around Cosette, and they’ve got lovely chemistry together.

And I actually quite like Grantaire, who’s a bit low-key and not a loud and obnoxious drunkard, which makes him more enjoyable to me. During Drink With me, after his verse, he’s the one who pulls Enjolras into a hug, who pulls away after a few seconds and wanders off, and Grantaire returns to sitting down by Marius’ side. Then Marius starts in on his verse, “Do I care if I should die now she goes across the sea?”, and Grantaire raises his head to give him this disbelieving look. Then Marus goes “Life without Cosette means nothing at all” and Grantaire just raises his arms in utter disgust and gets up and walks away from him (and steals a wine bottle from the barricade girls).

I usually don’t care about Grantaires but that was unexpectedly delightful to me.

ALSO after Valjean was released from Toulon and he grabbed his coat and tried to put it on, he put his arm through the wrong hole first. So for half a minute he just stood there singing and struggling with his coat, which ended up sort of hanging like a cloak upside down across his back before he took it off again and managed to put it on correctly.

Such a good show tonight. Such a good new cast. I can’t wait for Bradley Jaden to join them next month; dreams really do come true! <3

[httpsung]

i see the stars in your eyes

pairing: reader x sungjin

genre: fluff, fantasy

word count: 2,485

note: dedicating this fic to the lovely @daysixdreams, happy birthday! this is an odd fic but I hope it’s enjoyable nonetheless!

“Sungjin no!”

That was all you ever screamed for the last month thanks to the visitor that occupied your home. He wasn’t a close relative or a family friend visiting for a while, he was an odd intruder who you couldn’t get rid of no matter how hard you tried. Sungjin, as he called himself, was not your normal twenty-something looking guy, in fact, he was impossibly much older than that and you still didn’t understand how. Then again, you were still at a lost about a lot of things when it came to him.

“Ooops…” He knew he was in trouble as he stared at you with a head of messy hair, a result of sleeping, and the tip of his index finger glowing, proof of the act he just committed. Sungjin flashed you a nervous smile with a hint of innocence, completely ignoring the smoking television next to him. You had warned him earlier that the TV wasn’t broken it was just switched off and like always Sungjin resulted to using his magical abilities to fix something that didn’t need to be fixed. This time he went overboard and short circuited your favorite household object, leaving you with mixed emotions, anger, and defeat.

“I’ll fix it Y/n!” Sungjin spoke hurriedly as he moved in front of the television set. There was a slight breeze in the air of your home, the sleeves of his oversized shirt swaying as well as his fringe. He closed his eyes to concentrate and you could feel your heart drop to the pit of your stomach. Sungjin could possibly blow the place up on accident if he wasn’t careful and then what would you do? Nothing, you’d be dead.

“Sungjin just— “It was too late, he was already emitting a soft glow from the palms of his hands which soon covered the TV and had your wide eyes that were staring in fear, soften at the realization that nothing drastic was going to happen. The television popped on with a children’s cartoon and Sungjin turned to look at you with a proud grin.

“Okaeeey, how was that?” He asked dropping his hands to his side.

“Amazing…” You gave him a content sigh, relieved you didn’t die. Sometimes his magic turned out to be just right.

“Ama...zing…?” Sungjin looked to the ceiling, trying to process the word in his mind. You could tell his thoughts were working quickly to embed it into his mental notes.

“Ahhh, that’s a good word, right?” His eyes met yours and his lips curved into a smile that had your heart beating a little more swiftly. You cleared your throat and nodded your head, breaking eye contact with him before your chest exploded.

“Yeah, that’s a good word Sungjin.” You turned to walk into the kitchen to continue with your usual morning routine, which wasn’t quite usual anymore since he crashed landed into your life.

--

Before you knew a being like Sungjin existed, life was nothing but a boring rinse and repeat cycle and you were the dull bag of laundry that had to suffer through it. There was no light to brighten your days and hardly any friends to keep you sane. It was just you alone with heavy workloads of school and a part time job you didn’t particularly care for. Nothing bad had really happened during your time living, but there was nothing extraordinary or good to bestow upon you and you accepted that it was meant to be that way forever.

That was until you saw the brightest flash of light one late evening as you were walking home from work. Your surroundings fell silent, everything was extremely still making the empty streets appear even eerier. You were concerned that the flash of light came from your apartment building which you could see very well in the distance and within seconds the air became normal again.

You made it to the front door of your home, nothing was out of the ordinary and you wondered if exhaustion from the long day had made you a little delirious. Yeah, the flash of light wasn’t real, you were just sleepy.

Once you were inside you turned on the kitchen light and grabbed a drink from the fridge. You downed the beverage quickly, releasing a relaxed sigh before making your way to your bedroom. When you opened the door, your eyes caught something you weren’t expecting, causing you to slam it hard in a panic. What the hell?

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath. The attractive guy you saw sitting naked in the center of your bed wasn’t real. There was no way he could be real.

After opening your eyes again with a pounding heart, you slowly opened your bedroom door, swallowing the lump that formed in your throat at the sight before you. There he sat with a smile on his face, beautifully illuminated in the dark by the moonlight peering through your window.

“I’ve found you, my husband.” He beamed and you didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the confusion of his words.

“You mean wife...” You said calmly before your body shifted into a defensive position.

He stared at you quizzically, tilting his head a little.

“Wife? My planet said you would be my husband...” He seemed oddly disappointed and you wondered why you felt the need to correct him instead of screaming and shouting for him to get out of your place before you called the police.

You spent the next five minutes teaching the naked intruder the meaning of husband and wife before proceeding with threatening to call the cops in which he had no idea what they were either. That’s when you knew something was wrong and that he had to be out of his mind or better yet out of this world. He had to be an,

“Alien…” 

There was no other word you could use to describe him and his reply proved that you were correct, though it was hard to believe such individuals existed, especially in human skin.

“You can call me Sungjin. I’m the prince of the planet Nohwa, located behind Mars and I’m here to make you my husb- I mean wife.”

He was so confident he had you slipping to the floor in laughter. It was a mix of fear and excitement you felt that night and you were sure it was all the beginning of a dream you’d awake from the next morning.

Too bad you were wrong.

“Can we mate now?” His words sent a flustered shudder down your spine and you immediately reacted throwing a fork at his face which he froze in mid-air. Those words still threw you off each time and slowly Sungjin was learning that they shouldn’t be said. Your answer would always be no.

In a way he couldn’t help it, he was sent to your planet for this very reason, to mate.

Sungjin was an alien prince from a fading kingdom and the only way to keep it thriving was to reproduce with someone from earth and ding ding ding! You were chosen to be the lucky sacrifice to eventually bear his children. You, who hadn’t graduated college or been in relationship before, it was funny how your boring life had come to this.

“Sorry.” Sungjin reached out to grab the floating fork, placing it on the kitchen table.

“It’s hard to process that you humans need love to reproduce.” He rubbed the back of his head, rocking back and forth on the heels of his feet as he watched you from behind.

“Exactly.” You muttered. Sungjin had begun to learn what emotions were while he was here. It was your goal to teach him a lot of things, from what was right and wrong, good and bad. You couldn’t teach him how to love when you didn’t know where to start yourself.

You proceeded to make breakfast for the two of you, keeping in mind what Sungjin liked. Surprisingly enough his taste for breakfast wasn’t too off from yours. The first time you made him foods such as eggs and waffles came to the forefront of your mind. A light laugh slipped at the sight of him devouring everything as if he hadn’t eaten in all the long years he lived, two hundred and forty-five to be exact. You had to physically show him how to use a fork instead of shoving the entire plate into his face.

“Eggs!” You heard his voice perk up and suddenly you felt him standing close behind you, his scent was a sweet aroma that filled your nostrils. Sungjin hovered over your shoulder, you didn’t have to look at him to know his big bright eyes were staring down at the sizzling pan curiously.

“Yes, eggs.” You nodded feeling as though something was missing from this moment. When you dug deep into your mind and realized what it was, your cheeks grew warm. The thought was that it would be nice to have his arms wrapped comfortably around your waist and you began to curse yourself for even thinking such a thing.

“Um... would you like to try Sungjin?” You offered, turning around and pushing him in front of you, placing the fork in his hand.

“Are you sure?” He asked happily, and immediately you felt a bit of regret imagining the stove setting ablaze over eggs he tried to cook.

“Sure…” You spoke through gritted teeth and grabbed his hand, guiding him carefully on how to scramble.

“Just like this.”

You moved Sungjin’s hand in a circular motion in the frying pan, the eggs becoming solid.

“Woah…” He was amazed, almost like a child and you couldn’t help but smile at his reaction to cooking something for the first time. You had to admit he was quite cute sometimes.

You left him that afternoon making him promise not to leave your apartment to explore or follow you to college. Though he had been with you for some time, you still hadn’t developed a backup plan on what to do if he somehow destroyed something in public.

Positivity followed you out the door that day, but negativity returned home with you.

It was one thing after the other. You learned in one class you weren’t doing so well right before midterms and in another you failed an important test with no guarantee of a retake. At work customers being customers, stressed you out over the smallest things, your emotions painting themselves all over your features. Your lack of enthusiasm while working earned you a warning from your boss that ‘you should be more professional’ which further ruined your mood.

When you arrived home after your difficult day you had hoped the ill feelings would wash away, but instead, there was chaos. Your tiny apartment looked as though a tornado had hit it. There were concoctions of food everywhere, plates broken and a strange liquid all over the floor.

“Sungjin!” You yelled for the millionth time, watching him peek his head from behind a dirty wall.

“Ah… I tried to make you dinner.” He smiled that typical smile of his, one that feigned innocence but this time it didn’t matter where he was from, what he was, all your feelings had come to a head making you explode.

“Get out! Get out of here now!” You exhaled all the frustrations you had been keeping to yourself for quite some time and it almost brought you to tears.

“But— “Sungjin had finally shown a look of worry and he really needed to be before you threw anything close by at him.

“Just go!” You glared at him, watching him shrink back and disappear behind the wall again. You tried to make your way through the mess on the floor, stopping mid-way to cover your face and scream into your hands. When you removed them the mess was gone, everything was clean and back to normal which meant the alien prince fixed everything he’d broken once again.

“Sungjin…” You spoke his name a lot calmer, tone still a bit stressed. When he didn’t answer you searched around the apartment to find he was truly gone.

What a way to make yourself feel worse.

The morning came and you ate breakfast alone, it was the first time in a long time you hadn’t finished your meal, thanks to the empty seat in front of you.

It was wrong of you to take your anger out on Sungjin, especially when he was trying to do something nice for you.

Still, you didn’t think this one incident out of many would run him off completely.

The day went on, colorless and cloudy, your mind wondering where the prince who had inhabited your home disappeared to. Maybe he returned to his planet after realizing he didn’t want to be yelled at for the rest of his life.

There was a sharp twinge in your chest at the thought of him not ever coming back. It hurt a little more than you liked and if it were to constantly haunt your thoughts you were sure you’d cry.

It rained that evening before you could make it home and you didn’t complain about how you forgotten your umbrella, feeling deserving of the downpour that drenched your defeated form. You kept your eyes glued to the sidewalk, keeping a song playing in your mind to keep the hopelessness at bay.

The rain stopped suddenly, the transition from heavy to light rain nonexistent and that’s when you realized it the was the work of alien magic. You lifted your gaze to see Sungjin standing in front of you with a gentle smile, holding out your umbrella over your head.

He had frozen time for a split second to cover you and then the rain resumed. He wore his favorite purple sweater you picked out for him a week ago, sweater paws reaching to carefully wipe the water droplets from your cheeks.

“I thought you really left me and went back to Nohwa.” A small smile of relief broke out onto your face.

“I can’t go back not until I have you as my wife…” He smiled.

“I’m sorry for getting so angry…” You apologized and he shook his head.

“It’s okay.” He dropped his hand from your face, standing there awkwardly.

“Sungjin… why did you choose me?” It might have been the oddest time to question him in the pouring rain, but he was here and you were happy he came for you, so was it so wrong to seek confirmation on why he picked you of all people?

“Well besides the fact that our wavelengths are the most compatible...” Sungjin took a step closer to you, gazing deeply into your eyes, the warmest chuckle slipping past his lips.

“I can see the stars in your eyes, and they’re beautiful.”

[fakesurprise]

The Figurehead

“Captain.”

“Jamie. This is our family boat: you don’t need to call my captain.”

“I know.” My son hesitates. This was meant to be a bonding experience, suggested by two therapists and my ex. “What about Admiral?”

“Pardon?”

“The – the figurehead said an admiral is in charge of boats.”

“What’s rule one?”

Jamie blinks a few times. “Dad, you have a lot of rule one’s.”

“For a boat: you do not do drugs before getting on board.”

He stiffens. Jamie has always thought he was good at hiding his anger, but his body gives away what even his eyes hide. “I didn’t. Come to the front. Please,” he adds.

I do. The boat is a twelve-footer, third hand but it works. We’ve put a lot of effort into it. More than we have in other things, if I’m being honest. Greg insisted I keep the boat during the divorce, saying I’d loved it more than him. I don’t know he was wrong.

The figurehead is one of those cheap generic Starbucks knock-offs. Or it was. Somehow there is an eleven year old boy as part of the boat. He grins up at me. “Hi!”

“Jamie.”

“Dad,” he says in the same tone.

I look down. “I’m not an admiral. I’m barely even a captain.”

“Oh! That’s okay: I’m not sure how jaysome I’ll be at being a figurehead,” the boy says happily.

I walk back. Jamie follows. He’s walking as unsteadily as I feel. I sit down. “That’s not possible.”

Jamie nods. He pulls one of his rare smiles out of hiding. “A new rule one?”

I laugh, as much from shock as the joke. “Probably several others. I’m sorry.” Jamie nods. “Keep an eye on things. The boat might not – be normal.”

I head back up to the front. The figurehead is singing a sea shanty, I think. ‘The wheels on the boat go round and round’ is not something I’ve heard sung about boats before. but I’m not about to anger whatever this is.

“Hello. My name is Paul. Technically I’m the captain of the Katrina. Jamie insisted on the name when he was twelve. Greg and I couldn’t bring ourselves to say no.”

“My name is Jay,” the boy says proudly.

“Can I ask what you’re doing?”

“I’m trying not to have an adventure even if that’s really hard you know!”

“I think this counts as an adventure for us,” I say weakly.

“Oh, wow! You mean I can do an adventure without even doing one?!”

“Uh, yes.”

“That is pretty jaysome only uhm I’m kinda needing a distraction from the weirdy bindings you have with your son, so! if you talk to him and fix them that might help a lot with making sure I don’t do an ooops?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Well, he wants to say stuff he thinks you don’t want to hear, so he’s pretty confusled,” the figurehead says. “I am really good at sensing bindings, and fixing them without asking would be being rude!”

I walk back. Jamie looks up from the controls. “Everything seems normal,” he says.

“I know. Aside from Jay. He – said you might have something to tell me?”

He doesn’t look away, but there is fear in his eyes. Like when I caught him lying about plagiarizing a test when he was thirteen. “I aced my last history exam,” he says, filling the silence too quickly.

“I know. Greg texted me about me. I know everything has been – hard. Greg and I breaking up, your living with him because of his collection of game systems –.”

“Dad!”

“There was another reason?”

“He has the bigger home, it’s closer to school, and he makes more so there’s no alimony or anything. I didn’t want my dad’s fighting because of me, even if everything went –.” He falls silent.

“I know. But I knew all that already, son. I don’t think Jay wants us to talk about things I already know. And as captain, I can have you thrown overboard.”

“You can?”

“We don’t have a plank to walk, but I’m sure I could improvise something. Or ask our figurehead to be a plank, but I’m trying not to think about that. I think this isn’t about Greg and me, is it? We’re all trying to move on. Some things – sometimes –.” I shake my head. “You know that you’ve taken this better than my mother did, son?”

Jamie stares at me. “What?”

“‘You were married to a doctor. You never leave a doctor!’,” and then she hung up on me. She at least remembered to call back and ask about you later.”

That wins the hint of a smile. “I was going to ask. But when you and dad – Greg –  dad. When you adopted me, it was...” He trails off. “I’ve never been ashamed of having two days, but I’ve always been scared. Like a figurehead might be, to just – just be?”

I sit down slowly. I’m not sure what Jamie is saying, but I’m not sure he knows either. “The only way you could disappoint me or Greg is if you were a serial killer. We decided that early on.” Jamie just stares. “I can add a few other things to the list, post-Trump, but –.” That doesn’t win anything.

“Son. Talk to me. Please,” I add softly.

“I told you about – about Hideo. And Emily.”

I nod. I never met them, but Jamie had pictures on his phone.

“Emily isn’t. I mean, she’s a friend. but Hideo is – more. I told you and dad I was bi, but I’m gay.”

“And you thought we’d be angry?”

“People might. That – that you adopted me, and – I thought you might be worried.” He falls silent, saying nothing else.

“Son. We’d never – we’re happy with who you are. Does Greg know?”

Jamie shakes his head. “He thought I was worried about school. And I am, but it’s not – it doesn’t feel important.”

I take the tiller, turning back toward the shore. “We’re going to his place, and you can tell him. And if he’s angry, you’re moving in with me.”

“Dad?”

“If I’m not in jail, because I will punch him if he is.”

Jamie lets out a startled laugh at that, more from how serious I am than anything else. Greg and I couldn’t make it last, not right now, but the last thing I will let us do is somehow ruin our son’s life.

“The bindings are totally okay,” And Jay is in front of us, not part of the boat. Still eleven, not wet from the water and with a joy like nothing else. He grins, and Jamie returns it in surprise.

“You have a really jaysome grin you know, so hiding doesn’t help it,” Jay says happily to Jamies, and then says: “And! I bet I can help you too, but it might be better if you help yourself because I kinda got bored and there is an adventure happening and maybe some word worms are kinda eating your boat.”

“Oh.” I speed up toward the dock, trying not to think about it.

“Dad?” Jamie says.

“It’s just a boat. We can always move on from things,” I say.

My son stares at me like he’s never seen me before. I have no idea if this is good. I have no idea if this is bad.

Sometime in that moment, Jay vanishes entirely. The boat is starting to sink by the time we reach the dock, but somehow I feel like I’m free for the first time in months.

I hug my son, and he returns it tightly. whispering that he’s sorry. I let silence speak for me. Sometimes that’s the best thing you can do.

[cap-ironman]

2016 Cap-Ironman Holiday Exchange Creator Reveals and Masterpost!

It's time for the creator reveals for the 2016 Cap-Iron Man Holiday Exchange! Here is the full masterlist of the event--all 89 fanworks created for it! Thank you all for participating :)

Ooops? by Themisto for monkiainen (MCU, Art) NSFW - Steve and Tony accidentally time travel in the future and.... Never Eye To Eye by vorkosigan for mrsgingles (MCU, 26,503 Words) After the Civil War, the Avengers were back together. How is everything going, Tony? Pepper had asked in her email. It's fine (Tony had written back). I'm fighting with Steve all the time. Everything is going to hell. I'm okay (you know I'm always okay). (Or: How Tony and Steve learned to be a bit gentler with each other) Le Ciel Attendra by antigrav_vector for gottalovev (MCU, 8,317 Words) The 3rd war against the Chitauri is well underway and Captain Steve Rogers is not overly pleased when Governor Fury throws a wrench into the works. He and his team are a well-oiled machine and they don't need anyone else working with them. Not to mention that now is possibly the worst possible time to start breaking in new team members. When Steve meets said team members, it gets even worse. absence makes the heart by fantalaimon for adarksweetness (chayaasi) (Marvel, 4,835 Words) “One night,” Tony says, and just flies himself bodily into one of the canary yellow beekeepers like a red and gold battering ram. “I ask for one measly night. One single goddamn night with my boyfriend—” “Oh, is the boyfriend label on now?” Clint asks over the comms. When The Machines Take Over by monkiainen for MusicalLuna (MCU, 2,287 Words) In a world where some people have the names of their soulmates written on their forearms, Steve is terrified of ever meeting his. There is something really wrong about him, he thinks. A Shortcut to Happiness by Fluffypanda for AetherSprite (MCU, 1,921 Words) Tony teaches Steve to dance. Accidential Romance by navaan for Steel_Wings (616, 2,247 Words) Tony doesn’t know much of anything anymore, but some things seem obvious I don't think you want me by afincf_tirwer for MissRomanceJunkie (MCU, 2,808 Words) When Steve becomes jealous at a charity ball what does this mean for his and Tony's relationship? Will it develop further or will it crumble around them? A Tree in Rockefeller Center [ART] by MassiveSpaceWren for MiniRaven (MCU, Art) ART for the fic "A Tree in Rockefeller Center" by Miniraven! "Steve is a tree spirit of a hundred year old pine tree and Tony Stark is a teenager studying at MIT. Tony feels that there’s something more to their relationship besides a strong friendship between a human and a tree spirit, but Steve won’t cross the line. Might have something to do with the fact that Steve’s the Rockefeller Christmas tree and is going to be cut up for parts come mid-January to be used to build houses for the poor. Yeah... Merry fucking Christmas to you too universe. Now if only Tony could do something to change the tides of fate…" A Little Travel is Good for the Soul by cptxrogers for Cap Iron Man Community (MCU/AA, 1,498 Words) Tony was not expecting angry, argumentative versions of himself and Steve to appear in his living room one day. But now they're here, he's sure that he and Steve can help them work through their issues together. MCU Steve and Tony travel to the Avengers Assemble universe and meet their counterparts. Elevator Going Down by cptxrogers for Cap Iron Man Community (Heroes United, 1,390 Words) An alternative version of that elevator scene from Iron Man and Captain America: Heroes United. The Collection by Sineala for jiokra (Marvel 616, 4723 words) In the early days of the Avengers, Steve finds out about Tony's Captain America memorabilia collection -- and much, much later, Tony tries to give a piece of it back to him. Sick Day by kikijpn1121 for Notoyax17 (MCU, art) Steve needs to make Tony stay in the bed. Really. Minutes to Midnight by Woad for laireshi (Marvel 616, 3257 words) The Illuminati wipe Tony's memories instead of Steve's. Wished On The Moon For You by jiokra for Captain_Al (Marvel 616, 4301 words) Since the CPR incident in the Red Zone, Steve and Tony have been avoiding each other. The Avengers hope to rectify the situation by booking them a cabin in the wilderness, a couple's retreat since it's cheaper. They've been successfully avoiding each other despite the cramped corners until Steve's werewolf form seeks Tony out on the night of a full moon. Object Permanence by Arukou for Meatball42 (MCU, 6248 words) Natasha and Steve have been good together, but Natasha knows there are better matches out there than her, and she also knows that Steve's had a crush on Tony for longer than they've been sleeping together. It's for the best, really, that she bring them together. Cap's Challenge by Mushroom for kikijpn1121 (EMH, comic) EMH: Possessive Steve Half Doomed and Semi-Sweet by mitochondrials for alphatabris (MCU, 1811 words) Cooperate Meetings are one thing (insert, Hell). A scheduled Meeting with Nick Fury, director of Tony Stark's least favorite cooperation of Spies? Talk about taking a left turn. Octopus's Garden by antigrav_vector for Cap-Iron Man Community (Marvel Noir, 7838 words) Tony's on the hunt for some treasure he's heard can be found on the sea floor in the reasonably shallow waters of the Caribbean. It's high summer, and the waters are warm. A squall blows up, thanks to the hurricane far to the south, and suddenly they're in trouble. Pepper and Jarvis manage to get away in the boat, but Tony's thrown overboard by a wave that hits them, broadside. It knocks him unconscious. When he wakes -- and he's amazed that he does -- he gets the surprise of a lifetime. Tony Stark and the Artifact of the Hawai'ian Archipelago by antigrav_vector for Cap-Iron Man Community (Marvel Noir, 18979 words) Tony's on a solo flight, scouting out the area around the atolls in the mid Pacific on a mission from Fury to try to find an artifact that no one can describe. Hell, there's not even really a consensus on what it can do. But Fury wants to get his hands on it if he can. Tony manages to get there, but then his plane sinks. Yes, sinks. He'd anchored it off the island's shoreline, since the island itself had no room for a runway, being rather too tiny. And now he's stranded. Luckily he no longer needs to recharge the repulsor pump every few days. Giving in to the need, Tony scouts the island. He finds very little that will help him. There are no animals here but small songbirds, so he'll have to find a way to catch fish to eat until Pepper and Jarvis can come get him... The Stolen Child by Wolviecat for antigrav_vector (MCU, comic) The elves of the old country are keeping a close eye on those who came from their land. And not in a good way. During the years, there were moments where they came for Steve, to take him into the land of undiing... Past Imperfect by Neverever for Fluffypanda (MCU, 7625 words) Present day Tony tells Steve that Steve wouldn't like the college version of Tony. An alternative Steve, living in a dystopian future, is sent back to the past to stop the death of a young Tony Stark at MIT. He doesn't know what he's going to find but he's going to try his best to save Tony. Balancing Instincts by Xennie_B for ChibiSquirt (MCU, 7846 words) A/B/O fic: When Steve gets hit with a weapon and its effects cause his dynamic to change, Tony is unsure how their relationship is going to continue. 2016 Captain America / Iron Man Holiday Exchange - gift fic. It's Not A Birdbath (it's a Jacuzzi, dammit) by AngeNoir for SarkaS (AvAc, 4955 words) Steve wasn't... exactly in the best place when he woke up and found himself a) in the future, b) without any of his friends, and c) with a mission immediately placed in front of him, with no respite ahead. Then Tony tries talking to him, and Steve didn't want to hear it. Then Steve started listening, and started wanting to hear more. Steve doesn't realize how much he'd come to rely on it until it was no longer there. Then he's got to figure out what the hell went wrong, and how to fix it. At least Bucky can help. (He hopes.) Compilation Error by laireshi for ranoutofrun (Marvel 616, 6009 words) The first time Tony Stark kills Steve Rogers is an accident. Fanart: Homecoming Kings by imdamuffins (AU, art) Some high school first kisses~ in times like these by faite for Cap Iron Man Community (Marvel 1872, comic) Sheriff Rogers is constantly looking out for Mister Stark. (A short, text-less comic.) (It's Got to Be) All the Way by erde for Cap Iron Man Community (AA (cartoon), 3078 words) Steve and Tony are all about life in the fast lane. That not only applies to flying suits of armor and riding motorcycles, but also to falling into relationships, apparently. Good Vibrations by cptxrogers for Cap Iron Man Community (MCU, 1783 words) Steve never could turn down a bet. Especially when it's made by Tony. Even when it involves his team, a SHIELD briefing, and a vibrator up his ass. On My Honor, I Will Try by ChibiSquirt for Arukou (MCU, 11,353 Words) Steve never knew of his mixed heritage until Strange told him, and he didn't know what to think when he found out. But it did sort of explain some things... Together by thudworm for Xennie_B (MCU, 4,283 Words) Prompt: Howard was a good dad to Tony and is still alive when he finds Steve in the Ice only 50 years after he went down. Twenty-ish Tony and Steve fall for each other to Howard's surprise and amusement. weigh the heart, tip the scales by carzla for kaesaria (MCU, 14,003 Words) It was the first time they’d seen each other since Siberia. It was probably one of the worst possible ways to have an unscheduled reunion. It was also about to get worse. A lot worse. Home Is Where the Steve Is by AetherSprite for vorkosigan (MCU, 5.161 Words) Tony gets stranded in Siberia and only one person can help him. New World Intervals by Muccamukk for vibraniumstark (616, 4,935 Words) In the wake of Disassembled, a science experiment gone wrong casts our heroes across space-time, where Tony discovers that Steve is both the first and the last person he wants to be stuck on an alien planet with. Unknown Caller (do not engage) by gottalovev for MassiveSpaceWren (MCU, 13,416 Words) Steve had one job: exchange a couple of texts with a guy who thought he had Natasha's number, and let him down gently. It ends up being a lot more complicated than that. Like A Melody Stuck In My Head by SarkaS for mitochondrials (MCU/AA, 3,973 Words) Pepper has a birthday wish. Steve is in love. Natasha is amused. And Tony is simply awesome because hey, it's Tony. for what it's worth by faite for Cap Iron Man Community (AA, Comic) Steve and Tony crash-land onto a remote island in the midst of an argument. But they'd rather get out of there and make up already. (Comic) Not in the fine print by daisybelle for Mushroom (MCU, 3745 words) Steve visits Tony in Stark Industries with a bouquet and an invitation to a lunch date. Story/fanart in POV of a Stark Industries Employee looking at their relationship. The End is Where We Begin by Veldeia for Muccamukk (Next Avengers, 19944 words) Tony has spent twelve years raising the Avengers' children alone, under Ultron's shadow, thinking everyone else is dead. After finally defeating Ultron, they discover that the Avengers aren't dead after all, but were kept in stasis all along. So, Tony has to reconnect with his partners, Steve and Natasha, after all these years, while Steve has to come to terms with how everything has changed, starting from his son, who is now a teenager instead of a toddler. baby doll I recognize you're a hideous thing inside by grue for Sineala (Marvel 616, 4526 words) "It's probably a prank," Tony says. He's got his suit on and is taking scans, he doesn't really think this is a prank, but the dear Captain looks like he's going to sneeze blood in his fury so downplaying is the way to go. "It's a threat," Steve says. He's got that glare dialled up to eleven. Tony is pretty happy that it's not directed at him this time. save the date [illustration] by mrsgingles for daisybelle (MCU, art) Tony and Steve are having a date at the market. Nat and Clint have (secretely) set themselves the task of taking as many sappy photos as they possibly can and making sure nobody, neither an overeager Captain America fan nor a certain Dr. Doom, would interrupt the couple in their soulful intense gazing into each other's eyes. Connection by MissRomanceJunkie for AngeNoir (MCU, 11592 words) Steve’s not your typical Guide and Guide rights have come a long way since Dr. Erskine had to sneak him into the Rebirth program. True Sentinels are rare, but Anthony Stark is definitely one, and no one feels safe around a potentially violent hedonist like Stark. Only sometimes, Steve thinks the isolation is wearing on Tony, since even Bruce, with his Other Guy, isn’t quite easy around someone who can sense every emotion in the air that someone else is feeling. Slowly, Steve decides to do something to break that isolation. Adaptive Immunity by captainshellhead, vibraniumstark for Veldeia (Marvel 616, 3867 words) Tony programs Extremis to act as his immune system, and it works a little too well. Dreamin' Each Night of His Charms by windscryer for morphia (MCU, 1687 words) There are wet dreams and then there are warm, hard, cuddly dreams that make you feel like the Alpha you can't stop thinking about is actually there in bed with you. Wait, hold on. Man of Iron - The Changeling Prince by justanotherpipedream for Cap Iron Man Community (AU, 6152 words) Captain Steve Rogers first wandered into Stark's Emporium to get a potion to help his ailing mother. He didn't realize that it was run by the infamous Man of Iron, the former head inventor of the King's court. With mechanical wings (and a mechanical heart), Tony recruits the Captain to help him seek ingredients in the south forest - where the unprepared perish and rich men hire caravans to protect them from the creatures within. One Winter Day by adarksweetness for miramare (Avengers Academy, 2,596 Words]) It's winter at Avengers Academy. There are Frost Giants outside the walls, Asgardians on campus, and Steve can't stop thinking about Tony's blacksmith outfit. That One Word by inukagome15 for fandomfrolics (616, 1,753 Words) There's a certain word Steve's been careful not to say, namely because he knows Tony has certain feelings about it. And that's fine. Isn't it? Trust Me, I Got You by fynndin for Ivorysilk (MCU, Art & 3073 Words) N/A Presenting Iron "Man" by Lets_call_me_Lily for lazywriter7 (Noir, Art) My Cap-Ironman Holiday Exhange fill for this year, featuring a grumpy female Tony Stark glowering at Steve, who's not in the frame :) Searching by fandomfrolics for Lets_call_me_Lily (616, 2,232 Words) Tony is doing all he can to help Steve find his recently-returned-from-the-dead friend Bucky Barnes. Everyone seems to notice but Steve. Canon divergence from Captain America Vol 5 #14. sit with me (and look up at the stars) by MusicalLuna for fantalaimon (MCU, 1,363 Words) Natasha wants to protect her friends from the things that haunt them--that can be difficult when they decide to face their demons head-on. Before the clock strikes 12 by ranoutofrun for Neurotoxia (Noir, Comic) As the hands of a clock face meet together briefly, so do they record the passage of time. And yet being those hands on a clock, they themselves are the keepers of time but aren't themselves immune to its effects. All clocks meet and all clocks stop. But time marches forward, ever onward, ever faster. In The Cards by dapperanachronism for grue (MCU, 6135 Words) By this point Tony really should have been used to the more bizarre twists and turns his life had taken -- especially since setting up a high profile superhero crash pad. But it turns out there are things that still manage to catch even him off guard and leave him floundering. Meanwhile the way he feels every time Steve looks at him, when his chest goes all warm and fluttery, well that certainly isn't making any of this any easier. Feel Like a Puzzle (Can't Find Your Missing Piece) by MassiveSpaceWren for Cap Iron Man Community (616, 7,824 Words) After the Civil War, after Steve’s death, after Tony deleted his brain and the Siege on Asgard ended, things were finally looking up for Tony. He couldn’t believe his luck when Steve not only wanted their friendship back, but also asked him on a date. Things weren't quite as rosy as they seemed, though, and soon Tony found himself dealing with villains and teammates alike while trying to figure out how to continue after forgetting the last year of his life. My Heart Belongs to Another by Veldeia for Cap Iron Man Community (MCU/Once Upon a Time(tv), 17,175 Words) Long ago, young, drunk and desperate, Tony made a deal with a fairy tale creature: his heart for someone else's life. When said creature shows up to collect his prize years later, things turn out more complicated than either of them expects, and unless Tony's true love can find the arc reactor that's now his heart, he won't have long to live. Crossover with Once Upon a Time, but can be read without any knowledge of the show. Ferrum Hiemem by KagekaNecavi for TheOneWhoWantsForgotten (Avengers Academy, 3,287 Words) In an alternate timeline where James Rhodes is Captain America, Steve Rogers is Iron Man, and Bucky Barnes is War Machine, Tony Stark is the one who fell off the train in the mountains and became the Winter Soldier. Fortunately for him one thing that is common across nearly every timeline is the friendship, love, and support the Avengers have for each other. Tony Stark and the Dime a Dozen Spell by Lilian_Cho for thudworm (MCU, 8,492 Words) “Thor, look out!” The moment Tony saw the spell take form, he barreled towards his teammate to intercept the flash of purple light. Too late did he remember that: 1) if there was a team member that didn't need his protection, it was Thor a.k.a. the near-invincible alien god, and 2) the Iron Man suit provided zero defense against magic. “Oh, crap,” was Tony’s succinct observation before he was completely engulfed in sparkly purple light. From the Bronx to Bangkok by Captain_Al for navaan (616, 5,578 Words) They’re just the same as they were before, except sometimes, when they’re both free, they spend the night together. Steve hasn’t regretted it, the kiss that followed the look, until today. nose boop by miramare for Maya_Desires (Avengers Academy, Comic) CapWolf can't stop scenting Tony. Tony is confused and scared. Stranger Than Fiction by Maya_Desires for a_sparrows_fall (Avengers Assembled, 3,196 Words) Nothing is too hard or difficult for Auror Tony Stark, an excellent certified genius wizard of the time. Whoever said working there would be easy for him hadn't informed him about Steve Rogers. Now the whole precinct must suffer through the extra dose of warm fluffy UST. (It's winter. We can use the warmth! It's all fluffy.) Threshold Consciousness by magicasen for Woad (616, 14,423 Words) Tony's acting strangely—short, snappish, and dangerously distracted. Steve needs to figure out what's bothering his friend, and he'll do anything to help—up to and including (literally) falling into bed with him. Twice as Nice by kaesaria for carzla (MCU, 1,770 Words) “So... there are two of you now.” Tony doesn’t sound all that concerned about it. More intrigued than anything else, dark eyes sliding deliberately up Steve’s body and down—the other Steve’s, which is kind of alarming. And confusing. Written in response to Carlza's prompt for the Cap-IM Holiday Exchange. Mutually Assured Infatuation by Meatball42 for dapperanachronism (MCU, 3,033 Words) When Steve gifts Tony a teddy bear to help him get better after he’s injured on a mission, Tony decides he can’t let it stand. Lead and I'll Follow by Woad for Cap Iron Man Community (Noir, 2,380 Words) Under orders, Captain Rogers prepares for a gala by taking dance lessons. He's not sure how Fury persuaded Adventurer Tony Stark to give said lessons, though. For comm prompt: For one night, Steve and Tony try to forget there's a war going on as they slow dance, alone in a cozy room. Strategic Reinforcement by antigrav_vector for Cap Iron Man Community (MCU, 3,819 Words) Tony is working late again, and Steve is tired of waiting. Going down to the workshop reveals something astonishing, and what else is a man to do when presented with something like that, except reward his boyfriend? All Down But Nine by Fluffypanda for Cap Iron Man Community (1872, 1,513 Words) In which there is a saloon brawl and Tony misses the obvious. Sotto Voce by Woad for Cap Iron Man Community (Ultimates, 3,465 Words) Tony's motto is better to give than to receive. With Steve, that's a must. bleeding in and out like it's breathing by Neurotoxia for viennasunrise (MCU, 3847 words) panic attack (ˈpænɪk əˈtæk; noun): A sudden overwhelming feeling of acute and disabling anxiety. Stark men don’t have ‘panic attacks’, and certainly not over something as insignificant as Steve being late. Greatness Comes in Tiny Packages by TheOneWhoWantsForgotten for Themisto (MCU, 4957 words) No one ever said being Iron Man's bodyguard was going to be easy, but Steve had kind of hoped it wouldn't involve this particular piece of paperwork. He wasn't ready to be a husband. Gifts of the Season by Ivorysilk for inukagome15 (MCU, 5244 words) With seemingly endless deadlines and evening events, Tony is getting more and more tired and sick as the holidays approach--but Steve has his own crazy schedule to manage. With Christmas only a few days away, will Tony ever get a few moments together with him? You Know Where To Find Me by a_sparrows_fall for magicasen (Marvel 616, 31306 words) After an Avengers mission goes awry, Steve takes a leave of absence from the team, and he and Tony part on bad terms. But then Steve gets turned into a werewolf, and he finds his shapeshifting linked to his feelings about Tony, who’s had a terrible accident. If Steve never sees Tony again, will he be stuck in wolf form forever? A closely-canon compliant 616 Capwolf story. It's still me. by a_sparrows_fall for magicasen (Marvel 616, art) Steve as a wolf, in his proper Cap uniform. :) Smells like "I love you" by MiniRaven for afincf_tirwer (MCU, 10650 words) Steve is having a hard time coming to terms with parts of the future. More precisely, he's having problems coming to terms with his relationship with Tony Stark on and off the field. He visits Peggy for a little advice, but gets a little more than he barged for when he walks in the room. ÄPPLARÖ by Veldeia for windscryer (MCU, 2085 words) Letting Thor take charge of organizing the party was definitely a bad move, but there's no going back now: Tony and Steve must face a challenge unlike anything either of them have ever met. No one dies and furniture is… assembled. (And disassembled.) Even Though We Know Love's Landscape by lazywriter7 for fynndin (MCU, 7918 words) "But at the core, he’s the same brand of poor little rich guy that dot the shadowed corners of every charity gala, every award function. Sure, maybe it comes in a ‘genius billionaire playboy philanthropist’ package…but his mettle is common iron. A drop of sea water, a dash of air, and he’d rust right through. She, on the other hand, is made of better stuff." In which Tony compares people to weird things, Steph recites poetry and two dorks fall in love. (Not So) Big Fan by Woad for Cap Iron Man Community (Marvel Ultimates/Marvel Tsum Tsums, art) Ults Steve meets Iron Man the Tsum Tsum. never the same love twice by laireshi for Cap Iron Man Community (Marvel 616, 656 words) Steve never quite stops falling in love with Tony. Trying to find the in-betweens by gottalovev for MassiveSpaceWren (MCU, 4338 words) The Avengers might be broken up, but Steve can't stand idly by while someone is publicly threatening Tony's life. The Monsters Are Here (The Monsters Are Me) by Essie for KagekaNecavi (Marvel 616, 4513 words) Ten years after the final incursion, Tony Stark is Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Doom is trying to enslave the world and Steve Rogers just wants to be left alone. Intrepid Hearts by Neverever for Lilian_Cho (Marvel 616, 4506 words) Tony hangs around the mansion more after Steve is seriously hurt in an explosion caused by Iron Man. Steve likes Tony but doesn't know why Tony is upset all the time. Maybe Iron Man is the problem. Love's old song will be new by gottalovev for MassiveSpaceWren (Marvel Noir, 5808 words) Tony's plan for the evening was to have a drink with Rhodes before starting a new adventure. He wasn't counting on a gorgeous soldier catching his eye always meet your heroes by navaan for Wolviecat (Iron Man: Armored Adventures, 2791 words) Iron Man is a beloved hero, but even he is amazed when Captain America appears back on the scene. One Last Second Chance by Muccamukk for imdamuffins (Marvel 57289, 6405 words) Tony Stark, second newest engineer at Rhodes Labs International, is just trying to rebuild from the ruins of his failed company, vanished fortune, and struggles with alcoholism. His goals include keeping his head down, avoiding stress and convincing Dr. Rhodes to let him build a really cool robot, so why does the universe keep throwing Avengers in his path? Honeymoon Hell by KagekaNecavi for Neverever (Avengers Assemble, 5822 words) After the wedding it takes Steve and Tony a while to get around to going on their honeymoon. When they arrive at their first destination they find out that their luggage is literally on the other side of the country. Things only get worse from there. full of broken thoughts (i cannot repair) by vejiicakes for Themisto (MCU, art) After Steve's fall from the HYDRA train mission and being remade as the Winter Soldier, he isn't sure who he's become. Decades later and a million miles away, he might be able to start again... Track-Team Coach Rogers by morphia for Agent C (MCU, 11241 Words) When Tony, single dad of sporty teen Liberty, decides he wants to start dating again, he finds it is not as simple to outsmart a teenager as he'd hoped. Things get even more complicated when the guy he's after turns out to be none other than her track team coach, and her first crush. Steve Rogers and the Pureblood Heir by Lenalena for Cap Iron Man Community (AU, 14319 words) Hogwarts AU; Tony and Steve are in rival houses and have always butted heads. Then one Christmas they find themselves at Hogwarts together during the Holidays while the rest of their friends go home. Broken Mirrors by laireshi for Cap Iron Man Community (Marvel 616/MCU, 3488 words) “He hid some things from me,” Tony says, then shrugs. “It’s fine. I hid some things from him, too. Don’t you know this story?” 616 Steve meets MCU Tony. Last Train Home by erde for Cap Iron Man Community (MCU, 10949 words) Steve writes letters to Tony that he never sends. By the time he hands them to their rightful owner, Tony has had a brush with death, has retired as a superhero, and now has a small town workshop of his very own. But it's okay, Steve has gone into retirement too. All the works are in the AO3 collection. Thank you again, 2016 Cap-Iron Man Holiday Exchange mods Laire, Salma, Tea, Teyke