- Robin, I swear, this guy .. he has this power over me. It's like .. he's a wizard, and I'm his mage. I think it's his hair. He has this like .. really beautiful hair, and whenever I see it I get the whoo-whoos.
- But it can also be his eyelashes. He has these really gorgeous eyelashes, and whenever he flutters them, I uh .. I get .. my heart, it sinks to my belly.
- And it can be his eyes as well, because whenever he looks at me with these two depthless wells of blue and turquoise and gray and .. did I mention blue ?? I'm drowning, drowning, like I wasn't the best swimmer on the team in high school ..
- STEVE, STOP.
***
Inspo: New Girl. Re-watching and making everything possible harringrove. Steve and Billy are flatmates, and Steve's suffering
Don't know if you're taking prompts not on the list but what about a WinterIron fic with Steve pining over Tony & being jealous of/passive aggressive towards Bucky
I’m happy to take just regular prompts too :) Featuring, of all people, Wanda. Why? Felt like it lol. I hope this is kind of what you had in mind!!
***
Tony throws his head back and laughs at something Bucky says and Steve knows its stupid but he kind of wants to slap Bucky. He hasn’t done anything wrong but Steve has been half in love with Tony for years. Not that he’s told anyone that, least of all Tony. So when Bucky came to live with him after his military stint went bad Steve thought nothing of it until Tony showed up and found his prosthetic offensive to the eye and to science.
Steve had no idea it was going to lead to Bucky in Tony’s lab all the time for fittings and tests and whatever else they did there so by the time they started dating Steve had been confused on when that started. After that… well he doesn’t mean to but every time Bucky says something or does something with Tony he can feel himself growing distant. Bucky has noticed it too and he’s pretty sure he thinks Steve is having a hard time dealing with his mental problems and honestly that’s not it. He has his own fair share of PTSD to be bothered by Bucky’s.
And that’s another thing. Tony is just fucking great with Bucky’s strange variety of issues so Steve couldn’t even use that as an excuse to break them up. Not that he’d do that. He thinks.
Bucky looks over at him and he’s already looking away at something else, anything else, because he doesn’t want to see what it looks like for his chance to have passed. Because he knows Bucky he knows that he’s frowning, confused as to why Steve is reacting the way he is but he can’t just tell Bucky why. What’s he supposed to say? ‘Hey, I kind of love your boyfriend and it physically hurts to see you two together?’ That’s just cruel.
*
Wanda finds him on the porch looking out over the city- Tony has a beautiful view from his penthouse- and as per Wanda usual she cuts right to the chase. “You need to get over yourself,” she tells him.
He gives her a dirty look, “I’m trying, okay?” he says. Its not really true and they both know it, but Wanda is probably the only one who’d ever call him on it.
“Bullshit you are. You’re over here moping around and leaving Bucky confused and hurt because of your stupid crush on Stark,” she says.
“Do you even know what this is like?” he asks, gesturing at Tony and Bucky in the living room. Tony is tucked into Bucky’s side like he belongs there, one hand on his thigh and its a sweet image. Sickly sweet.
Wanda rolls her eyes, “we all know what unrequited love is like in some way or another. Do you think no one else has liked someone more than they liked you? I get why you feel the way you do but that’s your problem- you shouldn’t be making it Bucky’s problem too,” she says. “He’s confused you know, he has no idea why you, at least in his mind, randomly started to hate him.”
“I don’t hate Bucky,” he says automatically. He doesn’t really know if that’s true but the reaction is natural to him.
“Don’t you?” Wanda asks, giving him a harsh look. “And for stupid reasons too. You’ve known Tony for years, you could have asked him out for any number of them so what right do you really have to be mad at Bucky for acting on his feelings? And they’re good together,” she adds.
Yeah, he knows that- Bucky’s been getting better the last few months they’ve been dating because Tony talked him into going to therapy. Steve’s tried for the last year and a half and fucking Tony manages it in a few hours. “And what happens when he leaves me behind?” Steve asks softly.
Wanda rolls her eyes at that and he resents her reaction. “You’ve been best friends for almost as long as you’ve been alive. He’s not going to leave you behind.”
“Really? Because he’s doing way better with Tony than he ever did with me,” he points out. Now he’s in therapy, and he’s making an effort to stick to a sleep schedule, and he eats better, and its all because of Tony, not him.
Wanda rolls her eyes again and Steve clenches his jaw in annoyance. “You idiot. Bucky is only getting better now because of all the work you did when he got home. You think any of the things Tony is doing now would matter if you didn’t make him feel safe again? If you didn’t reteach him how to live in normal society? The guy used to wake up in the middle of the night screaming clinging to a knife and you were the one who talked him down every time. Whatever Tony is doing now it the easy part- you were the one that did all the hard work. So stop wallowing in your own self pity and talk to your best friend again,” she snaps at him.
He looks over to find Bucky looking his way, Tony leaning into his space whispering something in his ear. He clenches his jaw, looking away again. “How do I explain this to him?” he asks softly.
Wanda shrugs, “I don’t know Steve, but if you seriously throw away a lifelong friendship over a crush you never acted on you’re one cruel son of a bitch,” she tells him. “So go talk to him and deal with this.”
Every year, on the 15th of September, The September Foundation Gala was held and that year Steve attended it but only because he couldn't say no to Tony. Yet, all Steve did was drink in hopes to, somehow, get drunk and forget the sight in front of him: Tony dancing with a beautiful girl and not him. So he drank and drank without succeeding, till Tony was next to him and, like before, Steve couldn't say no to whatever Tony asked of him. That's why he was suddenly in the middle of dancing couples with Tony's hand in his and, dear Lord, loving Tony Stark couldn't be more obvious. Except for Tony, of course.
I was writing this as a Secret Santa for @goldenazk. I was just about finished with it, so I figured I would go ahead and post it anyways. I took the prompt off of fic rec you were looking for - I hope you like it. Mind the cut.
Steve rolled over as he came out of sleep and felt restlessly across the bed. His hand encountered only cool, smooth sheets, and he opened his eyes blearily. His memory fumbled around in the semi-darkness, trying to place exactly where – or more the point when – he was. Not in the tenement, not huddled in a pup tent, not in his SHIELD barracks. He was in his bed at the Tower. It had been his bed for three years, and for several months of those years, he’d shared it with Tony Stark.
It took several seconds to remember that Tony didn’t sleep in his bed anymore. Even though it had been 6 months since the breakup, he still found it hard to grasp on the bad mornings. The haze cleared, and he was settled in the present again, distanced from his dream of Hydra bases, closer to the evening when Tony had smiled his brittle smile and said, “This isn’t going to work for me.”
Almost without his consent, Steve’s hand continued to drift over the sheets, searching for the phantom warmth of Tony’s body. Waking up alone hadn’t meant much when they’d been together. He and Tony kept wildly different sleeping schedules, and it was just as likely to find Tony curled up on a couch still in a business suit as it was to find him naked in bed. It had only been four months, and they’d probably slept in the same bed only a dozen and a half times, but some mornings Steve missed it like breathing.
Giving up the search for something he wasn’t going to find, Steve swung his legs out of bed, stretched, and got up. The world continued to move, and Steve had to move with it, or he’d grow roots into his bed and never leave. He went through his morning routine, though it was still nighttime for most people, and went for his jog. Natasha joined him without a word, and then peeled off when she’d had enough. Sam took her place as the sun was rising, pointedly moving so he was on Steve’s left, and kept pace for about five miles before he also pulled away.
Steve decided to take a lap around the park’s perimeter, and then turned for home. Freshly showered and feeling the exertion of his long run, Steve got dressed for a day in the training gym. He found Tony in the common area with a fresh cup of coffee in hand, and they both paused. They were good, mostly, as long as they weren’t alone. Before that first time they’d fallen into bed together, it had seemed like Steve could talk to Tony about anything. Since the breakup, it had been hard to even look at him. Steve never knew what to do with his hands, or where to look, and Tony seemed so wary all the time.
“Cap,” Tony greeted after an awkward heartbeat or three. His lips parted, and he shifted his weight like he meant to say something else, but then decided against it. He offered Steve a tight smile instead, and took a long drink.
Steve nodded at him in acknowledgement, silently mourning the loss of the easiness they’d had. Tony’s weight shifted restlessly, and then he gave Steve another uncomfortable smile, held his coffee cup up in a mute farewell, and turned to go.
“Tony, wait!” Steve lurched forward a step, and then back. Tony stopped, but he didn’t turn around completely, just looked at Steve over his shoulder. “How are you?” Steve blurted out.
Turning around reluctantly, Tony shrugged. “Fine. You?”
Steve wanted to say, “I miss you.” What he actually said was, “Fine.”
They nodded to each other, bobbing their heads like they were on strings. “Good,” Tony said.
“Good,” Steve echoed.
Tony waited a moment while the silence grew longer and heavier. When Steve didn’t come up with another stall, Tony lifted his free hand in a wave, and turned back around. Steve let him go. Once the door was closed, Steve let out his breath and smacked himself lightly on the forehead.
“How are you?” he sneered at himself. “Smooth, Rogers.”
“It was pretty awkward.”
Steve jumped at the unexpected voice behind him, and turned to find Bruce at the table. Bruce had his shoulders curved in, and his mouth in a crooked line to match his furrowed eyebrows. He tried to smile, but it came out a wince, and then he lifted his hands in an apologetic shrug.
Steve couldn’t blame him. He scratched at the back of his neck in a nervous tick, but he finally managed a smile of his own, and then a laugh. “Sorry.”
“He’s complicated,” Bruce said instead of responding to Steve’s apology. He gestured toward the closed door. “Tony. Complicated. It might actually be his middle name. He’s good, though.”
Swallowing hard, Steve said, “I know he is. I need to hit the training gym. Text me if you need anything.” Rather than waiting for any further uncomfortable conversation, Steve retreated from the room with a quick salute. He and Tony hadn’t gotten to the point of discussing their relationship with anyone else, but they lived in a tour full of smart people who were all trained, in one way or another, to observe people. He’d be more surprised if any of his teammates didn’t know about his and Tony’s fling and subsequent breakup, but none of them had mentioned it. Steve wasn’t sure what anyone thought about it, and he wasn’t sure he really wanted to know. The one person whose opinion he cared about didn’t seem inclined to share.
The hell of it was that Steve still didn’t understand what he’d done wrong. He’d thought they’d been doing well – they worked well in the field, they communicated well off the well of the field, and they enjoyed each other’s company. Or at least Steve had been enjoying Tony’s company. For all he knew, Tony had been silently dreading being anywhere near him. He couldn’t guess at what he’d missed, and on the bad nights, he spent hours rehashing their conversations, the dinner’s they’d spent together, the evenings in his bed. He had an eidetic memory, but it didn’t work like instant replay on interactions. He found himself wondering if he really remembered a smile and a laugh, or if they had been strained. Had Tony wanted it when they’d had sex, or had it been forced?
“Cap, you joining us anytime today?”
Steve looked up to realize that he’d made it to the training gym without noticing, and he had no idea how long he’d been standing in the doorway while Sam, Clint, and Natasha waited.
Get it together, he told himself, and then did his best to put Tony out of his head so he could he make it through the day.
~*~
Steve sat unhappily in the recliner with his ankle propped up on a pillow, and a bag of ice wrapped around it. He glared and awkwardly batted away projectiles while Sam threw bits of carrots and cheese at him. One moment of inattention, and Sam had dumped him like a green newbie. Steve had landed badly on the ankle, and Sam and Clint had both taken great delight in carrying him back to the common room over his strident protests that he could walk. Once they’d set him down, he’d tried to get back up, but quickly found himself swaddled in a blanket, and propped up on ice.
“This is not necessary,” Steve complained, trying to get up again, but Natasha had somehow knotted him into the blanket so that his elbows were held close to his sides and his hands were up uselessly by his neck. He wasn’t going to get on his feet without ripping it. “C’mon, you guys, I need a shower.”
“We’re making you soup,” Natasha said with a wicked smile in her voice.
“Yeah, Mamma Cap. Soup,” Sam said, throwing another carrot at him.
Steve caught it and popped it into his mouth. He bit down on it loudly and chewed with his mouth open, just to be obnoxious. He got a chunk of cheese to the face for his troubles, and his arms were too encumbered to catch it. He glared at Clint, who just flicked another cube at him.
He’d made the rookie mistake, so Steve put up with the razzing with as much good grace as he could muster.
“Sparring is not practice for real life, Steve,” Sam explained solemnly while he scraped the cut veggies into the pot. “It’s important to pay attention, and treat it like it’s a real fight. You hear me?”
Steve rolled his eyes hard and squirmed in his blanket cocoon, but Natasha’s twists were frustratingly effective.
“Hey, are you listening, Captain?” Sam called.
“I’m listening!” Steve grumbled.
“Good, because out there, a stumble like that, and you’d’ve lost your head. You know that, right?” He dragged a finger across his throat. “Six inches right off the top.”
Steve dropped his head back against the cushion and let Sam have the moment. He could just about recite the speech, he’d given it to others often enough, but it wasn’t the first time he’d had it directed at him. Peggy had delivered it to him the first time after landing him square on his back while he’d been entranced by the swirl of her hair in the sunlight.
Clint joined in on The Speech, and Steve put up with it until Clint came over with the bow of soup and the spoon already held out.
“No!” Steve shouted. “No, that’s enough! You’ve had your fun!”
“Oh, this is happening,” Clint said, grin stretching his face. “This is so happening.”
“What’s happening?”
“Tony, thank God,” Steve breathed. His heart fluttered under his breastbone, and he twisted to look around Clint’s side to see Tony standing in the doorway, blinking at the strange scene, his tie draped over his neck and first button undone. “Help,” Steve mouthed.
“Riiiight. This is new,” Tony said, tilting his head one way, and then the other. He looked around with exaggerated scrutiny. “Are we in a reality show and no one told me?”
“Cap screwed up in training,” Clint explained.
“Bad,” Sam added. “We’re taking care of our injured teammate.” He gestured to Steve’s injured ankle.
“Did you give him the ‘not a trial run for the real world’ speech?” Tony asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Yup.”
“Twice, basically,” Clint added.
“And I see he’s being iced,” Tony said, gesturing to the recliner where the ice bag had been taped around Steve’s ankle.
“Dad is about to spoil our fun,” Clint said with a heavy sigh, but he set the bowl of soup on the coffee table and Steve was saved the indignity of being spoon fed vegetable soup, though he did have to admit that it smelled fantastic. Steve watched the three of them collect their own bowls, and thought of his Commandos. It was the kind of good-natured hazing that he would have been subjected to at their hands, and that he’d watched from a distance when it was one of the men, only stepping in if it started to go too far in order to give the hapless subject a break. It made him homesick like he hadn’t been in a long time.
Sam paused next to Tony, who was still looking on in indulgent bemusement, and clapped him once on the shoulder. “Good luck.”
Tony arched an eyebrow at him, but Sam left without another word, just barely making it into the hall before the door closed. Silence fell on the common room, leaving Steve acutely aware of being trapped in the blankets. He twisted and tried to get his elbow untangled.
“Are you actually hurt?” Tony asked after a long moment. When Steve looked up, Tony pointed at his leg.
“Twisted it,” Steve admitted, trying to squirm out of the cocoon. “It’s fine.”
He heard footsteps and looked up as Tony crossed around behind him. Steve leaned forward, letting Tony work at the knots in the blankets. Tony didn’t speak, but he made huffy noises of annoyance while he tugged at the blanket. This was obviously not the first time that Natasha had tied someone up with a blanket. Steve was curious about where the experience had come from, but also immediately decided that he didn’t want to know.
The blanket finally loosened around Steve’s shoulders, and he was able to get his arms straight up in the air. He stretched gratefully as the blanket puddled around his hips, still tied about him like a tight skirt, but at least he could move more than his wrists.
“Thanks.”
Tony hummed in agreement, and then disappeared into the kitchen. Before Steve could figure out what to say, he returned with his own bowl of soup and dropped down to the couch. He blew at the steam wisping off the top and swirled his spoon through the liquid, but he didn’t eat any. Steve ended up caught in indecision, as trapped as he was when he’d been wrapped up in the blanket. He wanted to get up and leave the uncomfortable silence, and he wanted to go sit next to Tony on the couch, and he wanted to just go back to the way things had been before. If he just turned on the T.V. and pulled up some episode of How It’s Made, Tony might relax enough to make commentary, or design a new machine to improve their processes just because it hurt his heart to see the inefficiency.
“We’ve never…” Tony started. His spoon clinked against the side of the bowl. “I’ve never started a conversation about.” He let the bowl rest on his lap and made a loose gesture between them. “Us. I thought that it would just go away, and it seems like… maybe it’s not?”
Steve bit into his lip to stop himself from blurting out any number off snap responses. What did Tony expect to ‘go away,’ in the first place? The awkwardness? Their relationship altogether? Did he expect Steve to just forget it, or pretend it had never happened? Maybe he meant Steve’s feelings, and maybe Steve’s feelings had been the problem from the beginning.
“Not sure what you want me to say,” he said finally.
Tony shrugged. His heel tapped restlessly on the carpet, making his spoon rattle in the soup bowl, and he rubbed the edge of his middle finger over the pad of his thumb in a nervous tick. “I just want to know if we’re okay? We’re teammates, and ‘leadership,’ whatever that means. We need to be okay, and I keep waiting for us to just be okay again.”
“Tony… We’re fine. As teammates, and ‘leadership’ we’re fine,” Steve said, curving his fingers by his ears and mimicking Tony’s tone. The team still called them ‘mom and dad’ most of the time, but then they’d started that long before he and Tony had ended up in bed. “As for ‘us’… I don’t know. I don’t even know why we broke up, so it’s hard to be okay about it.” When Tony didn’t respond, Steve gently prodded, “Why did we break up?”
Unexpectedly, Tony laughed. Steve tried not to be offended – it seemed like Tony was laughing at himself more than Steve, but the sound still grated across his nerves and stabbed through his chest. Tony dragged his hand down his face.
“We broke up to avoid this,” Tony said through his laughter.
Steve scowled. “You broke up with me.”
“To avoid this,” Tony repeated. He made a wide gesture to the room in the general.
“Don’t say ‘we’ then when I didn’t have a choice. Maybe if you’d told me what you were worried about, we could have worked through it together.” He tried to be understanding, as a general practice, but he hated things being decided for him. “Is there something else? Is that you letting me down easy?”
Tony laughed again. “I tired to ghost you six months ago when we live in the same tower. I don’t think that counts as easy in anyone’s book.”
Steve felt heat flushing angrily up his neck and over his cheeks. “Then why are you bothering to talk to me now?”
“I miss you. I made a big mistake, and I want you back.”
The bubble of anger building in Steve’s throat popped. It made an audible whistling sound as it escaped through his teeth. He clamped down on it and just stared at Tony, aware of the way his chest was heaving, and his skin was just flushing hotter. He wanted to know what right Tony had to miss him, and what Tony was trying to achieve by telling him in the first place. He breathed heavily in and out through his nose.
“Goddamnit, Tony,” he hissed. “I miss you too. And I’m really fucking mad at you right now. Don’t you ever do this to me again.”
Tony went very still, his eyes wide, chin pulled back. “What?”
Glaring at him, Steve swiped his soup off the coffee table, and repeated, “Don’t ever do this to me again. I get to make my own decisions.” He locked eyes with Tony. “Promise me.”
“I…” Tony floundered for several seconds.
Steve took a sip from his soup while Tony gaped at him like a landed fish. It tasted as good as it smelled, even though it was going cold. He took another spoonful to give them both a chance to think, and then just tipped the bowl up to drink out of it. When he encountered the chunks of vegetables, he chewed on them deliberately to distract himself from the thoughts running circles around his brain.
“Okay,” Tony said once Steve had drained the bowl. “Okay. I promise.”
Looking up cautiously, Steve repeated, “Okay?”
Tony nodded. Steve realized for the first time that he was shaking faintly, and the smile flickering on his lips looked equal parts terrified and hopeful. “Okay Are we....?”
“On?” Steve suggested, trying not to laugh. He bit at the inside of his lip. “We need to talk more. But yes.”Setting his bowl down, Steve stood up and shimmied out of his blanket skirt. He sat down cautiously at Tony’s side, and held his hand out.
Tony hesitated a second before surrendering his own hand. “This might go very badly,” he said hoarsely.
“Can’t go worse than the last six months.”
Tony winced, but then nodded. He squeezed Steve’s hand tightly. A smile broke across his face like a sunrise, making Steve realize that it had been a very long time since he’d seen Tony really smile. When Tony leaned forward, Steve met him halfway for a gentle kiss that made Steve shiver.
“Maybe we can take this somewhere else?” Steve asked quietly. “To talk,” he clarified, and then raised his voice, “Where we aren’t being evesdropped on.”
There was a curse from the other side of the door, a flurry of whispers and thumps, and then silence again.
“You know they haven’t actually left. They just want us to think they have,” Tony said, smile growing even larger.
Steve gave him a smile to match, and felt the distant hurt and anger simmering down in the face of his radiant joy. “Thank you for rescuing me. From the soup.”
“Anytime,” Tony said with a laugh. He leaned forward to press their foreheads together. “Though you looked pretty adorable caught in the blanket. Maybe I’ll get Natasha to teach me.”
Hiking an eyebrow, Steve replied, “Maybe I’ll get Natasha to teach me.”
Tony’s eyes widened in alarm. “I would not look cute in a blanket cocoon.”
Steve begged to differ. He made a humming noise, tilting his head side-to-side skeptically. “If that’s what it takes to keep you in bed…”
“Cocoon not necessary. All you have to do is ask.”
This is for the anon who wanted pining Steve, thank you for the ask, I LOVE pining Steve <3 Some of this crosses over into mutual pining, but I’ve tried to focus on Steve - mutual pining will be another list :)
Remember to leave kudos and comments for your hard-working authors!
MCU
the very heart of it by schweet_heart: “Hey Soldier,” he mumbles, unable to muster the energy to sound annoyed. “I see you drew the short straw.”
Five times Steve woke Tony, and one time Tony woke him.
Apple Bottom Jeans (And Other Love Songs) by gyzym: Or, how Steve Rogers--kind of--learns to dance.
Steve Rogers' Guide to Recognizing Your Saints by Amuly (@everybodyilovedies): Mary was for mothers. Christopher was for travelers. Michael was for soldiers. Steve carried his saints with him from his life to this new, shining future.
Steve Rogers Is A Slut For Art (And Tony Stark) by itsallAvengers (@itsallavengers): So what, Steve wants to draw Stark. He gets that all the time. And usually, once he's completed his sketch, he moves on. But for some reason, he just can't seem to get Stark right. And everyone knows Steve is a perfectionist- he won't sit still until he can draw that man's face with his eyes closed. And in order to do that, he's gotta go see him again, right? Except it kind of escalates from there.
Harlem Shake (I Won't Dance, Don't Ask Me) by theladyingrey42: It's only by chance that Steve happens to head down to Tony's workshop on the day they're filming the video.
Healing Hearts by FestiveFerret (@festiveferret): "Steve was tired."
Photo Quest by adarksweetness (chayaasi) (@maniibear): Steve loses a wallet, where he keeps a secret picture of Tony. His team of heroes is of no help, but hey, Thor's roommate Daryl has some strangely insightful advice about ham.
Escape (The Piña Colada Fic) by Wordsplat (@wordsplat): Tony's looking for an escape; it's closer to home than he would've thought.
Steve Rogers, Nurse McSexy by Wordsplat (@wordsplat): Tony does not handle his morphine well, and Steve has been pining way too long for this shit.
Appreciation by Wordsplat (@wordsplat): Steve has cultivated a wealth of appreciation for Tony's many different looks, but he does have a favorite.
That Damn Tank Top by inukagome15 (@inukagome15): He’d never seen Tony like this – so stripped down of his usual armors and completely in his element. Or, Steve sees Tony in his tank top when he's in his workshop and likes it. A lot.
all i ever want to be is somebody to you by theappleppielifestyle (@theappleppielifestyle): It's not like Steve went out of his way to be stupidly, pathetically, embarrassingly in love with Tony.It just- it turned out impossible to not be, after a while.
Rush Over Me by MusicalLuna (@musicalluna): Steve falls in love, which is a terrible thing to do.
take me out (and let me hold you tight) by MusicalLuna (@musicalluna): Steve daydreams about holding Tony's hand, and Halloween might just be the best chance he's got for making dreams reality.
i'm hella bi (but you're hella drunk) by MusicalLuna (@musicalluna): Steve pines. Tony gets drunk. Tony kisses Steve. Steve almost, almost does something he should not.
Not just a river in Egypt (Tony is most certainly not in denial) by theoddoodisnude: "I am," Steve cuts off, equal parts amused and frustrated and concerned. "In love. With you. Tony, I'm in love with you."
a superhero and an idiot walk into a bar by eleadore: It’s not that he and Tony don’t get along. It’s more that Tony got so drunk on New Year’s Eve that he kissed Steve full on the mouth in front of everyone and called him Shirley and then laughed until he passed out.
Falling Into You by sabrecmc (@sabrecmc): Tony and Steve end up as fuck buddies after the events of The Winter Soldier until Steve calls it off. When Loki's spell wipes all of Steve's memories since the last time Loki was in town, Tony decides it will be so much easier to just not tell Steve they had something of a relationship. Spoiler: It isn't. Or, how Steve fell in love with Tony and forgot about it, and how Tony fell in love with Steve and realized it.
For a Certain Definition of Happiness by Neverever (@captainneverever): Steve Rogers should be happy - he has a job leading the new team of Avengers, friends, and a steady girlfriend. He works well with Tony Stark, who has retired as Iron Man and provides financial backing and technical support for the team. Steve's life becomes complicated when the Avengers encounter a mysterious supervillain crimewave, Helmut Zemo wants to legislate the Avengers out of existence, and his relationship with Sharon begins to fall apart. Then, after the death of a close friend, Steve begins to question if he is truly happy.
And, worse, why can't he get Tony off his mind?
Ain't No Drinking Man by archwrites (Arch): Steve’s skinny and asthmatic again, thanks to AIM. On the plus side, he can get drunk for the first time in seventy years. On the minus side, he kissed Tony, and now he’s skinny, asthmatic, and pining for his best friend. The first two conditions may be curable. The third is giving him some trouble.
By Its Cover by EClairedeLoon: The men and women Tony dated were young and beautiful and grew up in this modern world. Steve was still just that skinny kid from Brooklyn that didn't get asked to the Sadie Hawkins dance and never had hopes of going steady. Only now, he was just as awkward, twice as big, and painfully out of date. In which Thor is wise, Steve is wrong, and Tony is more than he seems.
The Tchotchke Cha Cha by Arukou (@arukou-arukou): What started off as one impulse buy souvenir snowballs into a constant flow of knickknacks from all over the world, and Steve is starting to wonder if it's more than just Tony being nice.
Breakfast is the Most Important Meal by CherryIce: In which Steve is kind of a fossil but his squishy parts and feelings are still intact, Bruce hates blueberries, there's a mysterious banging coming from Tony's lab in the basement, and Emma Frost is not actually a stripper.
Something Red, White and Blue by Traincat (@traincat): Steve Rogers is always the groomsman and never the groom. Tony Stark hates feelings and ancient alien prophecies. Or, five weddings Captain America attended, and one he crashed. Not necessarily in that order.
The Last Love Song of Anthony E. Stark by jibrailis: After contracting an Asgardian virus, Tony starts forgetting things. And people. And Steve.
Love among the Hydrothermal Vents by DevilDoll: In which Namor has a thing for Steve, an octopus has a thing for Tony, and Steve and Tony eventually have a thing for each other.
I don't want you (to smile to anybody) by Mizzy (@mizzy2k): Tony Stark doesn’t do commitment. So Steve finds it weird – but not impossible – to deal with Tony suddenly bringing home dates that look like him.Until one of Tony’s one-night-stands, who could be a double for Steve, turns out to be not quite as disposable as the rest of Tony’s conquests – and Steve’s repressed crush on Tony starts to become problematic...
the entire and perpetual sea by jelliebean: Steve was surprised by how domestic his day had been. How sweet Tony was to him. It was as if he’d been dropped in the middle of a relationship that had been going for years, and it felt. Well, it felt like home. The casual way Tony would bump into him and smile. The way it felt natural to pull him into a hug, kiss his hair.
Steve is granted a day to express his love. But all days end.
A Minor Incident by missbecky (@missbeckywrites): Steve drags Tony along with him when he makes an impulsive decision to chase after Hydra. Things go downhill from there, and Steve discovers a new mission for himself. (series)
Wants And Needs (Or: Please Let Me Fuck You) by infinite_wonders: In which there is sex pollen, Tony is needy and horny, and Steve is more than happy to be ridden like a fucking bronco. Except, it takes a while because Steve’s got Morals and Scruples.
AUs
If At First by kellifer_fic: Where Tony is stupid and Steve has been waiting for a long time. (Try, Try Again)
Bulletproof by foxxcub: At age fifteen, Steve Rogers had been in love with Tony Stark.By age twenty, he’d (mostly) gotten over it. And then he promptly became Tony Stark's fuck buddy.
You Never Forget Your First by cvsossong: Three years ago, Steve had an unforgettable first night with his long- time crush, Tony Stark. Expecting to never see him again, Steve joins the Army, buffs up, and heads off to college to finish his education. Unfortunately, things get turned around when Steve finds himself a part of Tony's group after their friends start hooking up. Even more unfortunate is that Tony seems to have no memory of their night together. And all this before they become fuck buddies. Steve's life is really a mess.
Issues by so_shhy: In which Steve has a crippling crush on Tony Stark, Tony is oblivious and obnoxious, and Bucky expresses his disapproval via passive-aggressive comics.
Steve Rogers' Life Is Not A Romance Movie (He Wouldn't Get The References, Anyway) by someonelsesheart: Steve hasn't always had this ridiculous crush on Tony Stark. (Or, the one where Steve is his polite old self and doesn't really hate Tony Stark (unfortunately), Tony is a child prodigy and apparently a cab driver now, too, and high school is still high school, even when you are the son of a billionaire.)
Run by itsallAvengers (@itsallavengers): Steve took a long breath, shutting his eyes and putting two fingers up the bridge of his nose.
“So you’re telling me… you decided it would be a good idea… to start a fight when you were outnumbered… twenty to one?” he asked shortly. Tony grinned then, and nodded his head.
Looking for Heaven by foxxcub: When young Lord Anthony Stark learns Steven Rogers has enlisted in the army, he thinks he's seen the last of his tiny, headstrong, haughty stable boy. But four years later, Lord Stark gets an unexpected visit from Steve, whose mother has fallen gravely ill and into financial ruin. Even more unexpected, Steve agrees to a shocking proposal: they will marry, giving Steve the necessary funds to save his mother, and Tony the much-needed reprieve from harassing would-be suitors. It is a business arrangement, nothing more. But as time goes on and circumstances arise, Tony begins to learn that keeping his heart away from his husband is easier said than done.
The Captain and the Prince by Penumbren: Steve has had a crush on Tony for years. Captain Rogers heads up the castle guard when Prince Anthony returns from his studies abroad. What's a poor captain of the guard to do when his past crashes into his present?
616 + Other Universes
I Get By (With a Little Help from My Friends) by captainshellhead, vibraniumstark (@captainshellhead): Steve has a crush on Tony, and he's not entirely sure what to do about it. The team helps, because they've had enough.
Cutting In by captainshellhead, vibraniumstark (@captainshellhead): Steve is nervously making his way through the gala's stock of Champagne. Tony is none the wiser.
An Ideal Perspective by magicasen (@einheriar): Steve gets back into professional art under a new pseudonym. Guess who his biggest fan is.
You and Me and Him by navaan (@naavan): If you live in the same house, it’s really hard to keep your secrets. Especially if you are good friends. He doesn’t mean to watch as closely as he does, but it’s obvious to Steve that Tony and Iron Man are in a relationship. Right?
Your Hand in Mine by navaan (@naavan): Steve tries to find his place in this world. But it's hard if you're in love with someone who you don't really know outside of their secret identity.
Requited by pensversusswords (@pensversusswords): Sometimes, Steve Rogers just can't keep a secret--even when it's his own.
Logical Fallacies by laireshi (@laireshi): “I thought you were dating Clint,” Steve said, and Tony dropped the screwdriver.
In Every Way That Matters by Sineala (@sineala): There are bright things about the future, and Steve's friendship with Iron Man is one of the brightest. So what if he doesn't know who the man under the mask is? That's not going to stop Steve from wanting his friendship, or even from wanting something more.
Get Some Now by Sineala (@sineala): Avengers Mansion has a mysterious feline infestation. Meanwhile, Steve just can't figure out how to ask Tony out on a date. And the thirteen teleporting cats sure aren't helping matters any.
Plus One by Sineala (@sineala): Tony wants Steve to accompany him to a gala. They're not together. Tony doesn't seem to think this is a problem, but he doesn't know about Steve's feelings for him. And Steve's certainly not going to tell him.
The Nucleus Burning Inside of the Cell by Sineala (@sineala): Steve's had a hopeless crush on Natasha Stark for years, but the rumors in the headlines about their passionate romance are just that: rumors. He knows he'd never really have a chance with her. But when the rumors become harder to ignore, the only way out is to give in, and Steve and Natasha must pretend to be in a relationship. The press is happy, their teammates are thrilled for them... and it's going to kill Steve.
Bold by @snoozingcat: No one could ever say Tasha Stark wasn’t bold. In dress, in philosophy, in person. She was colorful, and bold, and bright, and asking her to dance was impossible.
Take My Breath Away by pensversusswords (@pensversusswords): In which Steve Rogers has been in love with Natasha Stark for years, and managed to keep it a secret for almost just as long. Almost.
Say It (Movietone News remix) by a_sparrows_fall (@asparrowsfall): Steve and the other Invaders are stationed at headquarters just outside of London, where they run into Tony Stark—the Tony Stark of Marvels magazine. Steve struggles to express how he feels.
Bright Eyes by copperbadge (@copperbadge): Steve might have a fixation on Tony’s minor mutation.
Jan Van Crime! by MemoryDragon (@memorydragon): Jan is upset about the new Ant-Man movie that she doesn't feature in, and she plans to become a Super Villainess to make herself more relevant. It also means making a new outfit, which she is super excited for. Carol and Tony want to help cheer her up, while T'Challa agrees that diversity in movies and merchandise is a worthy cause.
Steve would be all on board as well, but turning to super-villainy is not the answer. Neither is Tony being Jan's love interest. Definitely not Tony being Jan's love interest. Both are valid points of concern.
The More Things Change by cookinguptales: Steve's not entirely sure how seduction works nowadays, but he's learned from the best.
Heart Burn by nightwalker (@onemuseleft): There was a dragon and now Tony's mostly naked and it's all Reed Richards' fault.
The Jar by Sineala (@sineala): The Avengers are ridiculously competitive people, and what starts out as a silly late-night team discussion quickly becomes a contest: their names. Not the code names -- the nicknames. Who can go the longest without using them? They pledge to spend a week not nicknaming each other, and they'll pay up every time they mess up. This hits Tony the hardest, and not just financially. Tony's got a lot of nicknames for everyone, but most of all for Steve -- and when Tony can't use the names he's already got, the names he uses reveal feelings he had no idea he had.
All the times Steve nearly kissed Tony by cptxrogers (@cptxrogers): Steve has got used to pining after Tony. Tony is just so soft and warm and lovely, and Steve can't help wondering what it might be like to kiss him. But that's not going to happen. Because it's not like Tony would want to kiss Steve... right?
Mission: Improbable by cptxrogers (@cptxrogers): Tony is called on to investigate strange events which have been occurring in the upper echelons of society recently. There's just one small issue - he needs Steve to pose as his date for the evening.
I did a quick drabble for @krusca who shares wonderful art with us and deserves nice things.
“We should get married,” Steve said, wearing a wide, goofy grin as he leaned his elbows on the table and wiped his hands with the napkin Tony had thrown his way.
“Because I make a mean manicotti?” Tony asked. The espresso machine was brewing, making a low, whistling sound that made Clint cough something that sounded an awful lot like Pavlov whenever he heard it.
“Because we’d be good together,” Steve replied, still beaming at Tony, who couldn’t help but return the smile, shaking his head as he did. “We are good together.”
“What with all of our shared life experiences?” Tony retorted with a low huff of disbelief, then made a happy, humming noise when the espresso machine clicked off. “Come on, old man. The park thing with the flowers? That was Lang’s idea, wasn’t it?”
“He wasn’t supposed to actually be on the flowers,” Steve muttered.
“That whole post-battle thing with the fire hydrant going off and it was all wet and very Notebook-y and, don’t get me wrong, I was this close to offering to build you the house of your dreams, but, you know, one of these days, some tabloid or gossip rag’s going to hear you, take you seriously and then you’ll have to make an honest man out of me,” Tony warned with what he meant as a leer, though his face felt tight, unnatural, like it didn’t quite want to follow through on what his brain was telling it to do and ended up caught halfway to something else entirely.
“I’m trying,” Steve told him, the grin dropping off his face. It was theoretically possible he was actually listening to what Tony was saying, Tony figured, in the flash of seconds before the beatific smile was back, this time more practiced, though, the kind of smile that held a giant you-can-all-kiss-my-ass behind it. Tony thought it might be his favorite. Not that he…cataloged Steve’s smiles. Which would be weird. And was something he was definitely not doing. “Maybe they will hear. I wouldn’t care.”
“Flattered as I am,” Tony began, taking a sip of his espresso and letting it roll around his tongue before swallowing. Something flickered across Steve’s face, and he dropped his eyes down to his empty plate for a moment before raising them back to Tony. “We can’t have your reputation suffering by association, Cap. Besides, I did defiling an American icon when I was sixteen and got to third base with Sandra Boswell on top of Dad’s roadster. Please don’t look for deeper meaning in that. It was close and wipeable.”
“Why would my reputation suffer?” Steve asked. “You’re a great catch. Smart. Funny. Handsome. Look at all you’ve done, not just for us, but with the Maria Stark Foundation. That thing at MIT. The clean energy, intellicrops, the—“
“Pepper send you the PR brochure?” Tony snorted.
“You’re a good man, Tony. Sorry. I don’t mean to…make you uncomfortable,” Steve replied, a bit haltingly, frowning around the words.
“Ah, Cap, don’t do that. With the…the kicked puppy face thing. You’re killing me,” Tony said as lightly as he could manage. His chest was tight and his stomach was doing that swooping thing it did whenever Steve complimented him, which, come to think of it, was a lot lately. Guy probably had it on one of his to-do lists. Say Something Nice About Tony. Check. “Wanna watch a movie? Nothing romantic. You might get ideas,” Tony laughed, coughing and wiping a hand over his mouth as he did because it sounded wrong. Less like a laugh and more like…something that wasn’t a laugh at all. “Something really disturbing and deeply unsettling, like, I don’t know, Alien or the one where the woman wants to screw the animated bee.”
“Okay, Tony,” Steve said, the smile back, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes, Tony noticed.
