This isn't as much a fic rec as an author rec. Velleities' AO3 page is definitely worth a visit.
Some of the highlights include a phone call Winter Soldier recovery fic with a pining but stoic Steve pov and an ending that makes my heart clench.
Or an adorable Shrunkyclunks where Steve finds his place in the future and it's at an oddly experimental restaurant with a very cute waiter.
And even a super cute yet definitely improbable phone swap virtual meet-cute featuring modern veteran Bucky, a modern Steve who is terrible at selling people insurance that they don't need, and more artistic photos of leaves than Bucky feels are strictly necessary.
Coffeeshops: a perfect place to do work, hang out with friends, and maybe fall in love. Below are my Top 5 Favorites:
“The Taste of Ink” (E, 5k) by AidaRonan
It's Valentine's Day and if Bucky has to make another Red Hot Red Velvet frap, he'll personally find Cupid and murder him with his own arrows. It's been six long months since he broke up with his ex when an old familiar face walks into his coffee shop.
And if Bucky still remembers his coffee order after two years, well, it's not at all because he wants every inch of him from his high tops to his tattooed neck.
+ Modern AU. Barista Bucky and artist Steve, who never forgot each other
-☆-
“run your fingers through the knots of my soul” (E, 13k) by caelestys
Sometimes Bucky thinks it would be really cute to meet someone in a coffee shop, like in those silly romantic comedies Clint makes him watch. But there is a reason why meet cutes in cafes don’t happen in real life, and it’s because customers suck.
And besides, love fades.
But coffee? Coffee is forever.
+ Modern AU. Barista Bucky, mutual pining, and long courtships
-☆-
“During Business Hours: A Filthy Coffee Shop AU” (E, 25k) by samanthahirr
Unemployed artist Steve takes a job managing the worst coffee shop in Brooklyn, where the floors are greasy, the coffee beans have expired, the espresso machine’s been sabotaged, and the owners might be Russian Mafia. But the job comes with a few perks, like a generous paycheck, reasonable hours, and one super-hot customer whom Steve can’t resist having dirty, filthy, bad-idea sex with in the bathroom.
Steve is pretty sure this job is going to kill him. But what a way to go....
+ Modern AU. Barista Steve's well-meaning attempts to spruce up a money laundering front
-☆-
“Completely Ordinary” (T, 12k) by AidaRonan
Werewolf Bucky Barnes has been running for years. Ever since Hydra started hunting him, he's been moving from place to place, never calling anywhere home for too long. When he meets Steve Rogers, the owner of Black Magic Coffee in his new temporary hometown of Ordinary, Texas, Bucky finds himself wishing he could actually put down roots.
+ Fantasy AU. Barista Steve, werewolf Bucky, and a community of supernaturals
-☆-
“The Taming of the Brew” (M, 18k) by GoodbyeBlues
When overworked nurse Steve Rogers sets out to get a simple cup of coffee, he somehow finds himself in a curious little shop owned by a captivating, yet slightly confusing young man. Steve soon discovers that his life begins to change for the better when he becomes a frequent customer, but that's got to be because of the delicious beverages, and absolutely not because of... anything else. It couldn't possibly have to do with the beautiful man behind the counter, who whispers secret words into cups of coffee and seems to know Steve better than he knows himself. ...Right?
+ Modern AU. Barista Bucky, nurse Steve, and all the fluff and hijinks you can expect from GoodbyeBlues
-☆-
-☆- Bonus Non-AU freebie! -☆-
“Steve Rogers’ Guide to Approach-With-Caution” (T, 10k) by velleities
Steve might only be pretending to be fine, but he’s pretty sure he isn’t hallucinating the person standing before him, and he’ll be damned if that person, clad in a coffeehouse apron, with a glove covering his left arm, isn’t Bucky.
+ Post WS. Bucky becomes a barista, runs into Steve, and figures out life from there
-☆-
*More coffeeshop stories in the Werewolf Bucky and Sign Language lists
Bucky lives in a sleepy town, shares a house with his should-be-boyfriend Steve, and helps Wanda with her crafts. He likes hanging out with Clint the owner of the animal shelter, and drinking Natasha's delicious coffee at the bakery. But there is something off about this life that Bucky can’t quite place; Tony Stark dislikes him for no apparent reason, his dreams are too strange to understand, and his left arm occasionally glints under the light. A series of strange events clue Bucky in on the fact that maybe their lives aren’t what they seem...
Author: velleities
Pairing: Steve/Bucky
Rating: Mature
Word Count: 31748
He has been strongly advised against picking up calls from blocked numbers. The fall of SHIELD has afforded him many enemies, and blocked numbers can’t be traced. But it’s 3 a.m., the phone is ringing, and Steve is dazed and somewhat spooked.
“Hello?” he mumbles groggily, his voice muffled by the pillow.
“Steve?”
Steve’s eyes snap open. “Bucky?”
Wherein: after the fall of SHIELD and the disappearance of the Winter Soldier, Steve receives an unexpected call from Bucky. It’s the first in a long series of calls that leave Steve longing for more – only, he doesn’t know Bucky’s number, whereabouts or current activities. All he can do is wait, on the other end of the line.
Words: 9385, Chapters: 1/1
Fandoms: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Categories: M/M
Characters: Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes
Relationships: James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers
Additional Tags: Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, POV Steve Rogers, Phone Calls & Telephones, Bucky Discovers This Brave New World, Lots of Food, Lots of Starbucks Coffees, Eventual Christmas Fluff, Tiny bit of Angst, Peggy Dies Earlier than in CW, Happy Ending
My notes:
This is a lovely take on Steve and Bucky reconnecting after DC. I especially liked how the parallel tracks of Steve’s personal progression and their relationship worked, and how they weren’t necessarily at the same place all the time, which made it feel very real
For Steve, getting through each day is a process – one he’s currently failing at spectacularly. Feeling out of place in this brave new world, he hopes to find a home in Bucky, and looks for him with everything he’s got. But Bucky doesn’t want to be found, and when he does touch base with Steve, he never sticks around for long. Bucky has embraced the modern age, leaving Steve lagging behind – or so Steve believes, until Bucky shows him otherwise.
A story in five parts, featuring Hydra goons and post-Ultron Sokovia, a celebration in memory of Jim Morita’s birthday, the isolated country of Latveria, and Dr. Doom’s humanoid robots attempting to take over New York.
Words: 11992, Chapters: 1/1
Fandoms: Captain America (Movies)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Categories: M/M
Characters: James “Bucky” Barnes, Steve Rogers
Relationships: James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers
Additional Tags: Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Canon-Typical Violence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Some drinking and smoking, Minor talk of religion, POV Steve Rogers, Steve Feels, Minor appearances by various Avengers, Pining
My notes:
I especially like the characterization of Steve in this, he follows Bucky’s wishes, but we also get to see the toll that it takes on him, the humanity in him in all its forms, the altruistic part but also the hurting part.
A troubled city-style lumberjack. Sunshine personified in a man. An accidental phone swap. A serendipitous meet-up. Bucky lets out a small scoff. This isn’t the romcom that one looks for, not usually. It is, however, the one that found Steve and Bucky.
Yknow what I love about Tumblr? Is that you can be a ball of emotions, a total wreck, a fangirl and you can be a lot of things all at once and no one would judge you.
