#orbingarrow

[nolanfa]

art for Cut the Wire (How to Stop a Civil War) written by youcancallmearrow (art on AO3 here)

----

[Image Description: Animated gif. Stever Rogers and Tony Stark sitting on a roof. Steve asks "what if it was Rhodey?". Tony visualizes Rhodey in the Soldier's Chair (the image appears behind him in a glitchy way with lateral bands shifting sideways), turns to look behind him, and imagines himself (as a red stick figure) jumping from the tower with a big yellow “nope” accompanying him.]

bingo stuff (and slight fic spoilers) below:

Title: Nope - Pairing: Steve / Tony, Tony & Rhodey - Rating: Teen / SFW - Medium: digital art. One animated gif, two still images (sort-of crops of the gif) Prompts: - fill for @steverogersbingo’s prompt “James Rhodes“, - fill for @tonystarkbingo‘s prompt “Tony’s poor life choices“ (because maybe he doesn’t really jump from the Tower’s roof but he does seriously consider it), - fill for @lgbtqbingo‘s prompt “I’m not ready, sorry“ (because Tony’s knee-jerk reaction is that he really isn’t ready to think about what would have happened if Rhodey had been WinterSoldier-ed, and because Steve asking him that is the first step to - make love not war - and end up together in the fic) - fill for @anyfandomgoesbingo‘s prompt “nightmares“ because for Tony, Rhodey being Winter-Soldiered is the stuff of nightmares (and if he did not have nightmares about it before that conversation because he was blocking out that idea he definitely will now).

[kingbirdkathy]

Hi! I love your art so so much!! I found you on ao3 through Clint Barton ships and immediately had to follow you on tumblr — you are so talented and I love every single piece you draw!! Thank you so much for blessing us with your art 💕💕 What are some of your favourite Clint Barton fics? Any ship of him is good, even gen, I just really love your taste!

Thank you!! I'm not so active in marvel fandom now, but yes I have read like thousands of fics of him, so here are some of my fav ones:



GEN：

A Good Feeling by dentalfloss

Dear Clint Barton (circa age 7) by pollyrepeat

late dawns by shatteredhourglass

Phil Coulson is not a crazy cat lady by nyargles

the soles of your shoes are all worn down

Wiping Off the Dust by dentalfloss

The Right Call by thegraytigress

In Visibility by cat_77



Hulkeye:

Anchor Point by anarmydoctor

A Step to the Left by dentalfloss, thoughtreflex (dentalfloss) 

Hawkeye's Revenge by NightWind

Green Looks Better On You by anarchycox

Off The Grid by cakeisnotpie

The Sorites Paradox by quomores

Trust by Neery



Steve/Clint:

A Lifetime Of Dreaming by shatteredhourglass

Disparity by AvaKelly

Ghosts by AvaKelly

Friends Don't Let Friends Wait Too Long by ArtaxLivs

Down Below by ClaraxBarton 



Winterhawk:

something magic, something tragic

Fire in My Soul

keep making trouble (til you find what you love)

by squadrickchestopher (I love her bratty Clint SO much)

I'll Keep You Safe Here With Me. 

The Other Man out of Time

by sara_holmes

Be All You Can Be

Dear Super-Secret Diary

Hydra's Bite

Out On A Limb

The Romance of Bureaucracy

Glitter, G-Strings and Other Mission Hazards 

Living in The Present 

by flawedamythyst

Ronin!Clint

if god is in the lens 

by shatteredhourglass

Silhouette

Sing Me That Old Song Again

The Wolves of Timely

Interruptions

by mariana_oconnor

A pinch of magic and a dash of passing time by hopelessly_me

Attachments by Lissadiane

Coffee Spoons by cakeisnotpie

Gold On Your Fingertips by Kangofu_CB 

It's Dark and There Are Wolves by Lissadiane

Lend An Ear by DustToDust

Moving in Tandem by AHM1121

Nobody Lost, Nobody Found by ClaraxBarton

Once Lost (now found) by Teeelsie 

Starving for the Lightby thepartyresponsible

Sweet Home Was Home by there_must_be_a_lock

With Us (Or Without) by dentalfloss

Your daughters shall be soldiers, Your sons their patron saints  by LittleRedCosette

In The Wake of Your Sunrise   by squadrickchestopher



Phil/Clint:

Through the Glass by dentalfloss

You Move Like a Dream I Had by Serenitala



Silverhawk:

Time by DustToDust

All in the Name by DustToDust

Double Stamped by Reiko009



Sam/Clint:

Singing in the Dead of Night by arsenicarcher (Arsenic)

Hope Is a Thing With Feathers by imafriendlydalek, orbingarrow



Steve/Bucky/Clint:

Mokusatsu  by shadesfalcon

Six Feet Underground by shatteredhourglass



All/Clint: Cycle of Disaster by 27dragons

Frank Castle/Clint: Make Your Peace by thepartyresponsible

Jason Todd/Clint: Shatter Together by thepartyresponsible

HunterHawk (Clint Barton and Dean Winchester) by cakeisnotpie

Tommy/Clint: Two Warriors by TheSparrow93

Mob: One Hell of a Show by MillyVeil

[stevetonyweekly]

SteveTony Weekly - October 1st

 Welcome back, and welcome to spooky season! Here’s what I read last week. I’m thinking I might start adding some of my notes/thoughts to the list--what do we think? 

***Marks my recent favorites 

~*~ 

Ser Sellsword and his Prince Troubadour by Areiton

“And you, my love? What would you do, in this life of freedom you dream for us?” 

“A sellsword needs a bard, doesn’t he?” Tony says and grins when Steve laughs. 

***Don't Blame Me by iam93percentstardust

Don't blame me, love made me crazy

If it doesn't, you ain't doin' it right

Lord, save me, my drug is my baby

I'll be usin' for the rest of my life

~

There’s a boy dancing in Steve’s club.

He catches Steve’s eye immediately—how could he miss him with that golden glitter dusting his cheeks and arms and bare stomach catching the light? He’s pretty, the boy is, long legs and sex-tousled hair and plush ass that Steve wants to grab. He glances up at the upper floor, where Steve holds court when he’s here, a slow, wicked smirk spreading across his red, red lips, eyes gleaming with interest and an invitation both. Steve shifts, spreading his legs further apart so the boy can catch a glimpse, limited as it is from the floor, of the bulge in his black slacks.

The boy’s mouth parts, and he runs his hands up his stomach and over his chest, ending at his nipples, and Steve just knows that he’s plucking at the metal rings in them—pure gold, of course. Steve wouldn’t buy anything less for the boy—his boy.

All Better by FestiveFerret, SirSapling 

The first time it happened, Steve almost clocked Tony in the face.

Boss Man by BlossomsintheMist

Tony starts calling Steve "boss," and Steve has all sorts of feelings about it. It ends up coming up in bed. The results open up some new areas in their sexual relationship, and maybe reveal a few things about Tony, and how he feels about Steve.

i am wide eyed with a penchant for running by theappleppielifestyle

Steve compliments him on his arms. On his craftsmanship. On his jokes. He makes the rare innuendo that get the whole team snickering after Steve leaves the room. He tells Tony he values Tony in the team, and as a person, and as a friend. He looks at Tony with big blue eyes and an easy smile that comes far too rarely.

Tony has no goddamn idea what to do with all this affection. He also has no idea how to respond to it.

hooked on you by theappleppielifestyle

"I’m sorry," Steve says miserably, but Tony holds up a hand.

"Whoa, hey, no, not your fault, kid. Um." Tony drops the hand, because Steve had started looking at his wrist, the mapwork of veins. "So what, it’s like, you open your eyes first thing after getting vamped and, boom, Imprint?"

"What?" Steve frowns again. "Tony, no. I’m not a baby duck."

Apartment 5A by toraten

An AU in which Steve Rogers edits comic books and Tony Stark is Tony Stark.

Namesake by missbecky

An innocent question leads Steve to look up Edwin Jarvis, the former Stark family butler who gave JARVIS his name, and bring him back to New York to see Tony one last time.

Sexypants by 51stCenturyFox

He doesn’t think he’d run across this person before, but he...is so arrestingly pretty that Steve feels his breath catch, and Stark’s by his side again, nudging his shoulder.

“Oh hey, my hooker pants!” he says, and Steve blinks.

Sleep Protocol by 51stCenturyFox

You might assume that Steve Rogers, a super soldier, wouldn’t have any sleep-related problems, since he is an optimal physical specimen in the bloom of health.

You would be wrong.

But you know, there are certain conditions.

Fake Dating is Worth it for the Cake by Heartithateyou

Tony convinces Steve to pretend to be his fiancee for the wedding cake samples.

Of course it doesn't end the way he thinks it will.

The Love Song of a Pair of Awkward Weirdos by MusicalLuna 

Tony flirts with Steve and then the strangest possible thing happens:

Steve starts to flirt back.

All of My Love is For You by blue_jack

The thing is, Tony totally knows that Steve’s interested.

Burn by orbingarrow

When Steve Rogers burns his dinner and sets off the sprinklers in the ROTC building, Tony Stark saves the day. Except this Tony Stark isn't the famous son of a billionaire, he's just a college Freshman on night maintenance for Work Study.

Or is he?

Featuring Phantom of the Opera references, a Human Centipede of office equipment, and lots and lots of fluff!

One-shot giftfic written for the SteveTonyFest!

Cold Making Warmth by sheafrotherdon 

Steve settles upon the few things he knows for sure: that the days are short, and it's cold, and he doesn't mind looking dumb for making the effort. So screw the protocol, whether it exists or not – he's giving gifts.

For America by autoschediastic

"Tony, for the good of the country, we should get married."

Who's Scruffy Looking? by JenTheSweetie

“I don’t know,” Steve said, after Tony finished a six-minute ode to The Dude’s beard. “I mean, I’m not really a fan of beards.”

Tony gave Steve a look of such horror that Steve almost wondered if he’d misspoken and casually mentioned that he’d been tossing puppies off the top floor of Stark Tower.

“You’re not,” he said, “a fan of beards? I mean – but you like my beard.”

Steve tilted his head. “Uh. No, not really a fan of yours, either.”

Truths, Lies and the Tipping Point by BlackEyedGirl

The news report seems more interested in the argument between the team during the fight than the way they eventually won. And then it gets worse.

Pillow Talk by FestiveFerret

It took Steve a while to realize how often it happened. How many missions or adventures ended with them forced to take refuge for the night in one bed. Sometimes, it was a luxurious king in a fancy hotel room. Sometimes, it was a tiny pup tent in the middle of the woods.

But he and Tony always seemed to end up sharing.

The Trial Run by Annie D (scaramouche)

Tony and Steve pretend to date, and enjoy it far more than they should.

***Slipping off the Page into Your Hands by Sineala

Soulmates have their first words to each other written on their wrists. This should make it easy. For Steve and Tony, it is anything but. Steve's problem is that the future he has awoken into is nothing he was ever expecting: he has a soulmate now. Who might be a robot. And if his soulmate is Iron Man, how can he be so attracted to Tony Stark? It should be impossible. Tony's problem is that he is Iron Man, his soulmate is a man whom he in no way deserves, and he is going to fight everything in his heart and do his best to make sure Steve never, ever finds out the whole truth.

Before I Knew You by somanyfeels (orphan_account)

When Steve came out of the ice, he was stuck in a bed for weeks, unable to move and talk and everyone around him assumed he was unconscious. But he wasn't, he was perfectly aware of everything going on around him, he heard everything the people around him said and very little of it made sense. Until a man came into his room by mistake and kept coming back to visit.

Admiring the Scenery by Annie D (scaramouche)

Steve’s used to people checking him out, but when Tony does it, it feels… different.

***Tabula Rasa by Sineala 

Sometimes superheroes save the world. And sometimes they're too late.

Captain America's longtime villain Superia had a plan for revenge. She stopped the Avengers from ever finding Steve in the ice, tore the Avengers apart, and turned the world into her own personal authoritarian dystopia. A team made up of Captains America from across the multiverse came to set things right: they united all the remaining superheroes, took down Superia, and made sure the world would find Steve again.

Tony spent Superia's hellish reign as her prisoner, a suicidally-depressed disembodied brain trapped in a jar for years on end, begging the Avengers to kill him and put him out of his misery. The Captain America Corps instead gives him his freedom, a brand-new body, and even the Avengers -- including his very own Captain America. But Tony's not entirely sure he wants to be here. He's walking wounded, and he thinks some wounds are too deep to heal. He thinks there's no chance the Avengers will ever be what they could have been. He thinks there's no way Steve will ever be the friend and partner he could have been on so many other worlds.

Luckily for Tony, Steve happens to disagree with that.

[buckyismybicycle]

fic rec: bucky x steve

The Company You Keep by orbingarrow (51K, Winter Soldier, healing/recovery)

Summary: Hurt, hungry, and on the run, the Winter Soldier doesn’t have a lot of safe options to go to for help. Figuring that any friend of Captain Steve Rogers is unlikely to be HYDRA, Bucky takes a chance and reaches out to the first Avenger he can find.

It works out better than anyone could have expected. Eventually. 

Clint and Bruce friendships that Bucky deserves!

[wintersolderawesomness]

Spot saving the day in orbingarrow's

[avengersbeyondstark]

The Company You Keep

by orbingarrow

G, 51k, Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes, Complete

Summary: Hurt, hungry, and on the run, the Winter Soldier doesn’t have a lot of safe options to go to for help. Figuring that any friend of Captain Steve Rogers is unlikely to be HYDRA, Bucky takes a chance and reaches out to the first Avenger he can find. It works out better than anyone could have expected. Eventually.

My thoughts: Ohhhh, this one took me a while to finish, but in the end it was so wonderfully worth it. A recently post-TWS James manages to track down an off the grid Bruce Banner for help, and an unlikely alliance and friendship forms between this odd duo. Bruce’s compassion and utter refusal to see James as anything less than a human being is so heartwarming, and seeing James slowly beginning to trust Bruce and coming to terms with his personhood again is absolutely lovely. I hope you guys love it too.

Science Bros, Slow Build, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Bruce Is a Good Bro, Clint Is a Good Bro, Basically All the Good Bros, Hurt/Comfort, Except The Hurt is Past Hurt, Because No One is Going to Hurt Bucky Again Or Hulk Smash, Bucky Barnes Defense Squad, Complete, Happy Ending, Domestic Avengers

(Please feel free to REBLOG as a signal boost for this author and this story if you enjoyed it!)

[boompowkablam]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark Characters: Tony Stark, James "Bucky" Barnes, Peter Parker, Clint Barton Additional Tags: Mutual Pining, Fluff, Light Angst, Jarvis (Iron Man movies) Lives, Happy Ending, Winteriron Holiday Exchange, seriously so fluffy, taco tuesday, The Winter Soldier and Bucky Share a Body But Are Two Separate People, Clint Barton Is a Good Bro, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, He Totally Gets One, Not friends to friends to lovers, Podfic & Podficced Works, Podfic Length: 45-60 Minutes, Audio Format: MP3, Cover Art Summary:

This is a podfic of Orbingarrow's Story.

It had been an adventure, navigating the sweetly apologetic Bucky Barnes, who haunted the tower most days, and the the Winter Soldier, who occasionally inhabited Barnes’s body. The Winter Soldier was not apologetic; he was scary. And he was currently chilling out, uninvited, in Tony's lab.

“Leave,” Tony said, because Tony was either a dead man or not, and there wasn’t much he could do about it before coffee.

“Or you could give me permission to be here,” the Winter Soldier suggested.

“I don’t let strangers poke around my stuff,” Tony grumbled, as he walked past the Soldier to take a seat at his workbench.

“Easily solved,” the Soldier deflected. “Get to know me.”

-

This is what happens when Tony does.

[zainniko]

Request by @orbingarrow 🖤

[winterironholidayexchange]

Guardian Angel by EchoSiriusRumme for orbingarrow The Asset is sent undercover as a MIT student to kill Tony for HYDRA, but after a week without a peep from his target, the Asset needs to switch gears.  What starts as snacks to keep Tony from perishing before the mission can be completed, slowly turns into something more.

[unsettledreads]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Iron Man - All Media Types, Captain America - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark Characters: Steve Rogers, Tony Stark Additional Tags: unapologetic fluff, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Author knows nothing about art history, Or astronomy, But Tony does so it's cool, Insecure Tony Stark, Steve's got a crush Summary:

TITLE: How to Make Friends - T. Stark. - Age 6

OBSERVATION: People do not want to be friends with a know-it-all HYPOTHESIS: If I act less smart I will make friends. PREDICTION: If I let Jimmy Francis thinks he's smarter than me he will be my friend. EXPERIMENT: Gave wrong answer in class when Jimmy had his hand raised too and it was an easy question so he got it right. RESULT: Jimmy Francis sat with me at lunch after I got the answer wrong and he got it right. CONCLUSION: Hypothesis confirmed. I will make friends if I'm not so smart.

ADDITIONAL RESULT: Jimmy Francis ate the cookie Jarvis packed me. CONCLUSION 2: Jimmy Francis is a dick.

----

35+ years have passed and Tony's still waiting to be proven wrong.

[trashcanakin]

WinterHawk moodboard for @orbingarrow 🖤 | Co-Assassins

[nolanfa]

Sketch for a fanart for a still ongoing fic with very good Bruce&Tony: Cut the wire (how to stop a civil war) by orbingarrow. In which it’s not Clint’s fault, Bucky is still not a real boy and Bruce sees green.

[marsmaywander]

Rocket Science

Art I made for a Winteriron Reverse Bang event, paired up with the lovely @orbingarrow. Thanks again for being amazing to work with. I love the story you wrote for my sketch so much!

Everyone, go check it out on AO3!

Title: Rocket Science Author: @orbingarrow Artist: @marsmaywander Pairing: Tony Stark/Bucky Barnes Rating: G Warnings: None Summary: Sleep-deprived and under-caffeinated, grad student Tony falls asleep in a conveniently empty classroom and wakes up in the middle of Bruce’s Physics 101 course. After seeing a groggy Tony fumble a simple question, actual-student Bucky offers to tutor him. In a moment of “oh no; he’s cute” panic, Tony takes him up on it. Now, in addition to his already complicated life, Tony has to figure out the answer to the incredibly messy question: “How do you look like you’re failing the class, when you literally wrote the book?”

[stevetonyweekly]

SteveTony Weekly - November 13th

Welcome back! I'm very late and I apologize for that--this weekend has been pretty busy and I forgot to plan ahead for the rec list.

***Marks my recent favorites 

~*~ 

Resolved by FestiveFerret

Okay. He just had to approach it like a mission. Objective: Kiss Tony Stark at midnight.

Safe & Sound by Captain_Panda

Tasked with retrieving missing aliens from another world, Steve and Tony must do the unthinkable:

Pose as a couple.

Always Yours by FestiveFerret

Tony rubbed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, trying to imagine he was scratching the itch on his upper thigh instead. He subtly shifted his weight from left to right, keeping his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. It was hot in full plate mail, but these sorts of political meetings always called for a complete display of power, which included Tony's fanciest armour.

Tony flicked his eyes to each of the hall's five entrances in turn, checking for anything unusual, but there was no movement besides the Duke's hand gestures as he droned on and on about water management. Tony drew his gaze back to the man he was charged with protecting and caught King Steven muffling a yawn with one hand. It was a good thing Tony's face was covered by his helmet or his delighted grin would be visible to all. He had no idea how Steve kept his poker face through all of this.

Tony's thigh continued to itch.

A Diamond Where The Star Would Be by msermesth

Steve works up the courage to return something to Tony.

a love like an old home by Rowantreeisme

Iron Man goes missing. Tony Stark hasn't been heard from in days.

A package shows up at the mansion's doorstep.

Inside it, there's a videotape with Avalon written on the side and a note stuck to the top that says, "watch me first."

We Built Our Own by KandiSheek

Tony honestly didn't expect to wake up again after saving the love of his life in the Red Zone. But when he does, Steve is there. And he has an important question.

try a little tenderness by parkrstark 

Steve wasn’t right for Tony. He wasn’t enough for him, Steve knew this since he had fallen in love with him in middle school. But no matter how helplessly in love with Tony he was, he never considered himself a jealous person.

Not until he met Tiberius Stone. 

turn up the faders by orphan_account

It starts not long after you wake up. You feel it under your skin like needles, like someone is setting fire to your flesh, your nerves, your blood.

Lie de Thé (Memory Serves Me) by docdracula

There is a man.

And

You love him.

How could you not?

his type by storiesfortravellers

Steve's de-serumed and worries that Tony doesn't find him attractive any more.

With an appearance by Tony's porn collection.

Good Enough by nowalee

Watching Tony flirt with yet another person is maybe making Steve a little bit jealous. Or a lot. Luckily, Natasha is there to give him some harsh truths and offer advice.

Or, Steve is jealous, Tony is insecure, and Natasha is done with them.

Worth It by AshitaNewssnoopy

When Steve said he wanted to court Tony, he assumed that he just meant that he wanted to take thing slow. And that was fine by Tony. No really, he could do this thing if that's what Steve needed (shut up, Pepper; he so could). Because Steve was worth the wait.

But then the gifts started coming and the letters popped up and there were chaste kisses and romance and...and what is even with this? Just when did his life turn into a romance novel?

Even Iron Bends by MusicalLuna 

Steve's been in Washington over a week.

Tony Stark Defense Squad (Steve's Had Enough) by orbingarrow

The Avengers are called in by the government to "discuss" recent events, but it turns into a game of Let's Bash Tony and Steve is so not cool with that.

Or, the one where Steve Rogers makes himself the President of the Tony Stark Defense Squad. Matching t-shirts to come later.

The Fear of Consequences by drifloon

It really isn't a problem. Then one day, Tony looks at Steve and thinks, shit. It might be mutual.

driving with my eyes closed by nanasekei

Steve deals with discomfort after losing the serum. Tony helps.

Oversight by ShyOwl

It really wasn’t Steve’s fault that no one knew he was an omega.

They say love is pain, well darling, let's hurt tonight by Moonlight511

Basically just Steve and Tony being insecure before finally talking to each other..

I'll Give You Gifts Until You Know My Name by Amuly

Mr. Stark is an extravagant gift-giver: he has the money for it, after all. As Iron Man, Tony has the opportunity to gift Steve even more presents that, while less expensive, are more heartfelt. Having a secret identity means Tony gets to have his cake and eat it too when it comes to showering Steve with presents.

Until Steve starts developing feelings for his armored companion, and all the benefits of living a double life are turned on their head for Tony Stark.

[ishipallthings]

hi!! i love your blog! i was wondering if you know a stony fic with artist!steve who finds an old essay tony wrote on the painting, potato eaters by van gogh, and, when steve confronts tony abt it, tony explains that he wrote it bc even though they’re poor theyre having a meal as a family?? ahah this is rlly specific but i’ve been looking for it forever. thanks!! 💞

Hey nonnie! Thank you for the sweet message :)

As a matter of fact, I do know that fic, it’s Piece of Work by @orbingarrow and it’s wonderful :D

[hddnone]

Sam and Rhodey- AU. Our friends are flirting at a bar, and we’re the wingmen so we’re talking and oh god— where did our friends go???

Rhodey rolls his eyes as Tony slides up next to the guy - Mr.Tall, Dark, and Scowly - and waves at the bartender for another round.

Another roundfor himself. Rhodey gives two minutes before Mr. Scowlychases Tony away, and while Tony will need another drink before scouting outthe next target, Rhodey will need another drink to deal with that.

Tony had beenthe one to drag Rhodey to the bar under the clause to find someone for Rhodey, but Rhodey doesn’t mind. Rhodey likes to find people at his ownpace, and Tony’s picks always have a touch more dramatic flair than Rhodeylikes for himself.

“Let me guess,the other one is yours,” a man says, sliding onto the stool next to him andnodding over to where Tony is chatting the guy (who now scowls less, at least.It must be going well).

“Oh no. Youtoo?” Rhodey asks, and gestures for the bartender to refill his new friend’sglass as well.

“Yup, me too.Had to drag his ass out of his apartment, but look at him now. Baby bird isgetting his wings back,” the man teases. The man’s grin is soft, though, andfond in a way that Rhodey recognizes keenly from his friendship with Tony.Rhodey trusts his ability to read people, and he decides that he likes thisman.

“James Rhodes,”he says, holding a hand out for introduction. “Call me Rhodey.”

“Sam Wilson,”Sam replies with a smile, taking Rhodey’s hand. “Most people just call me by myfirst name.”

Sam’s friendturns out to be James Barnes (who goes by Bucky, but Sam wants to know what isso wrong with the name James?). They spend a few minutes talking shit abouttheir friend and what Bucky and Tony get up to, but then the conversationshifts to themselves. Rhodey is pleased with his character assessment when allSam does is raise his eyebrows and snort when Rhodey tells him that Bucky ischatting up Tony Stark, before he asks Rhodey what he’s doing inBrooklyn.

“Slumming it,”is Rhodey’s response, enjoying the way that Sam squawks in protest.

Turns out thatthey both have the Air Force in common, though Rhodey is only on leave whileSam left the pararescue service after his co-pilot went down. It’s a bit of aheavy topic for a first meeting, so they swerve away to finding out if theyhave friends in common or have been stationed together. Rhodey outranks Sam bylike a lot, and Sam tosses “Another drink for the Lieutenant Colonel over here,please!” at the bartender that Sam pays for himself.

“You too, man,”Rhodey says, signaling for another drink for Sam. “Didn’t you learn anything inservice? Have to outdrink your superiors!”

They swap a fewmore military stories and talk about Sam’s job at the VA. They talk about whatBrooklyn used to be, about how Sam is handling the move from D.C., about placesthey’ve been and places they want to go.

Then thebartender is calling last call, and Rhodey looks down at his watch.

“Oh, wow. Damn,look at the time,” Sam says, pulling out his phone.

Rhodey looksaround for Tony, frowning when he doesn’t see Tony or Sam’s friend Bucky.Rhodey checks his phone, and sees a text.

Nice catch,buddy. Use protection and get his number! I’ll distract the friend. Work yourmagic. XOXO

Rhodey shakeshis head at Tony’s text. Rhodey looks up to see Sam realizing that they’ve beenditched.

“Got time forone last round?” Rhodey asks, wrapping his fingers around his almost-finishedglass of beer so he doesn’t give away his nervous tick by tapping them on thetable.

Sam smiles, wideand easy. “Yeah, I got the time. Got to admit though, I’m hoping I at least gotyour number, too.”

Rhodey grins ashe waves for one last round. “The number you have. If there’s anything else youwant, you better bring your A-game.”