#theavalonian

[stellahibernis]

Saturday morning fic rec:

Author’s summary:

"Steve Rogers had loved exactly two people in his life: Peggy Carter, and Bucky Barnes."

As the Winter Soldier fades and Bucky Barnes slots himself back into Steve's life, Steve and Bucky have to redefine their friendship in the context of the 21st century. The feelings Steve has always had for his best friends are getting harder and harder to ignore, and Bucky just might have a few secrets left of his own.

But there may be obstacles they hadn't been expecting, as old friends become enemies, and Steve realises he still has a lot to learn about what it means to be Captain America.

Words: 24286, Chapters: 3/3

Fandoms: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: M/M

Characters: Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes, Natalia Romanova, Tony Stark, Sam Wilson (Marvel), Nick Fury, Peggy Carter

Relationships: James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers

Additional Tags: Homophobia, Male Homosexuality, Internalized Homophobia, First Kiss, Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Post-Avengers (2012), Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Bisexuality, Denial of Feelings, Feelings, Coming Out, Love, Declarations Of Love, Flashbacks, Slash, Male Slash

My notes:

I really like the tight time frame of this story, and how it achieves a fairly monumental change of Steve’s perceptions in a very natural way.

[lionheartlibrary]

Author: TheAvalonian

Rating: Mature

Setting: Historical

Word Count: 21k

Summary: Set during World War II. Arthur is sent to the front lines to fight for Britain, while Merlin is left behind, struggling to cope with the absence of his best friend. Seeking to give Arthur some comfort, Merlin begins to send him pieces of a story, which tells of a legendary King and his devoted manservant. Through their letters, Arthur and Merlin grow closer, and perhaps begin to discover feelings that they could not put into words before. But will Arthur make it through the war? And what will happen if he does?

Comment: Just as it did for the author, the idea and inspiration behind this story really moved me; giving comfort to the person you love the only way you know how. Merlin writes Arthur letters to allow him an escape from the hell he is living through, and in the process it allows both of them to come to terms with how they truly feel for one another. The whole story is beautiful, both the happiness and the angst; and I know I won’t be forgetting this story any time soon.

[slashfanfictions]

Author: TheAvalonian Title: Until You Do (I'll Bring You Tea and Honey) Pairing(s): Merlin/Arthur Summary: Everyone keeps assuming that Merlin and Arthur are together, so as a joke, they start pretending it's true. And then, suddenly, it is. Rating: PG-13 Warning(s): -  Word Count: 10,280

[ficklefackle]

List Of Favourite Merlin Fanfics: Something Worth Fighting For

Set during World War II. Arthur is sent to the front lines to fight for Britain, while Merlin is left behind, struggling to cope with the absence of his best friend. Seeking to give Arthur some comfort, Merlin begins to send him pieces of a story, which tells of a legendary King and his devoted manservant.

Through their letters, Arthur and Merlin grow closer, and perhaps begin to discover feelings that they could not put into words before. But will Arthur make it through the war? And what will happen if he does?

"Thus Merlin and Arthur protected each other, side by side, against the world and their many formidable foes."

[lia-s-multi-fandom-fic-recs]

Summary: It is the 57th annual Hunger Games, and Merlin Emrys stands at the Reaping ceremony with Guinevere Smith at his side, unable to hear the roar of the crowd over the ringing in his own ears. Because Merlin is about to face his best friend and twenty-two strangers in a fight to the death, where there can only be one victor.

In a twisted game where death seems the only certainty, Merlin will find himself tested in ways no one could have ever predicted - and may even find himself fighting for more than just his own life as he enters into an unlikely alliance with the Career tribute poised to win it all.

Merlin/Arthur AU, set in the Hunger Games universe.

I breezed through this long, wonderful work in like seven hours of non-stop reading(I was bored with pretty much nothing else to do; okay, there were things I should have been doing, but I didn't suffer any great losses by reading this instead, and I consider it time well-wasted), and it brought me to the edge of my seat by the end. 

The story is complete, exactly ten chapters long, weighing in at 87,263 words, and it's on AO3 (which, bonus, skin!). Obviously if it's on here I recommend it, but still; go read it. It's worth it.

(it's a Hunger Games AU, okay, with all the death and angst that implies. M rating, graphic depictions of violence, the whole nine yards. Tread lightly, guys)