Ships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, James "Rhodey" Rhodes/Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers/Sam Wilson, Steve Rogers/various OCs, background Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Major Tags: Major Character Death, Explicit Sexual Content, Historical Accuracy, Period-Typical Homophobia, Period-Typical Racism, Body Dysphoria, Slurs, Politics (1940s-Present), Child Experimentation (vague), Polyamory, Pre- and Post-Serum Steve, Found Family (twice)
Steve Rogers isn't a self-made man.
Or, how a tough little Brooklyn fairy got turned into Captain America, and then turned back.
Without trying to give too many spoilers:
Despite the laundry list of negative tags above, this is a shockingly emotional and identity-positive story about Steve Rogers' life as an LGBT+ person, starting in the 1940s before the war and continuing until long after he's out of the ice. The author was incredibly thorough about researching the underground queer community of the period and has a knack for illustrative writing; the reader can easily see this hidden world laid under the stereotypical 1940s image.
There's a lot of dysphoric episodes described within the fic, so if that bothers you, please don't read this. That said, Steve's struggle with himself and his body, both pre- and post-serum, is one of the best and most emotional parts of this fic. I found it to be really well described, especially as a function of how other people's view affected him.
Overall, I would say give this a read; it's very long but definitely worth it, especially if you've questioned your sexuality or gender before. If the fic itself doesn't interest you but the themes do, you might check out the research bibliography the author compiled in the final chapter. It's full of interesting novels and references you might enjoy!
