(Sorry--our January 2026 event has officially begun and will continue through ~May 2026. Look for the next event starting Summer 2026!)
Sign-ups for the first official Writer-in-a-Cryofreeze are now open!
Every two weeks, authors will turn in a Bucky-centric fic of 1,000 words or less, written to the same prompt, all of which are posted anonymously for readers to choose their favorite(s)! The authors whose fics received the least number of votes receive their very own Cyrofreeze chamber, and the remaining authors move on to the next round and another Bucky-centric prompt. At the end of the final round, one author remains standing--and the rest remain in their own personal Cryofreeze.
Sound like fun? Wanna see how YOUR fics stack up against the rest? Sign up today!
The Basics:
WHEN: Round 1 starts on 12 January 2026. Each round operates on a two-week basis. When the challenge ends will depend on how many authors sign up.
WHO: WiaC is open to all authors, of all ages. There are no content restrictions (but as this is an all-ages game, authors are responsible for rating their own work and explicit fics may be presented separately).
WHAT: Fics must be under 1,000 words each, must include Bucky Barnes, but otherwise can draw inspiration from any pairing, era, or source material. WinterIron? Go for it. xReader? Please do. Stucky? Absolutely. 616, Rivals, MCU? Love it all!
WHY: The winner gets a pretty graphic to put on their blog or print out and paste on their wall. Frozen authors also get a pretty graphic to put on their blog and print out and paste on their wall, plus their very own Cryofreeze! (Bucky Barnes not included.)
Thank you to everyone who took part in this year’s holiday fic exchange, from writers to beta readers to all you lovely people who leave comments! With an especial shout out to our heroic pinch hitters, Cassie and Caiti <3
All gifts and authors have now been revealed, both on AO3 and on the masterlist (here and on DW). (If any tumblr usernames are incorrect or missing please just let me know any changed you'd like me to make.) You’re now free to post, share, and link to your gifts wherever you like! If you could in some way link back to the exchange or the community, to direct people to all of the other wonderful fics as well, that would be appreciated.
If you feel inspired to fill any other prompts, or create stocking fillers or non-participant fills, please feel free. These just won’t be included as part of the Secret Santa exchange or on the masterlists.
And just to note that this is the first time we’ve run the exchange (mostly) on AO3. Your feedback is very welcome!
From all your be_compromised mods, we hope you have a happy holiday season and wish you all the best for the new year! <3
Beautiful Disasters by Ultra for dreamerfound/fadedwings
Teen and Up (help, understanding, baking); Clint Barton & Natasha Romanoff, Natasha Romanoff/James Barnes, minor Clint Barton/Laura Barton
Summary: When Natasha needs help, she calls Clint for back up, but this isn't quite the mission he was expecting...
Beyond Binary by Chaed for @iriel3000
Mature (sex, post-apocalypse); Clint Barton/Natasha Romanoff
Summary: To Clint, Natasha is everything... she is also the only thing left.
(A closer look behind the scenes of What If…Ultron Won? S01E08)
Catastrophe by @firlalaith for @yourlocalalchemistress
Teen and Up (nudity, shapeshifting); Clint Barton/Natasha Romanoff)
Summary: Clint gets turned into a cat during a mission.
chaotic calls & familiar feelings by @cassiesinsanity for @paperairplanesopenwindows
Teen and Up (mild sexual content); Clint Barton/Natasha Romanoff, Yelena Belova/Kate Bishop
Summary: Clint and Natasha just want to enjoy their retirement. The Team has other ideas, especially when their new archer and spy continue to fight like cats & dogs.
Detour to a Christmas Kiss by @cassiesinsanity for @quidnunc-life
Teen and Up (fluff); Clint Barton/Natasha Romanoff
Summary: Somehow, Clint managed not to stare with his mouth hanging open when Natasha emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a fluffy white robe. Nor did he make a fool of himself when they met in the small sitting room an hour later. He even managed to be the perfect gentleman throughout dinner. No, the problem started when he asked her to dance between dinner and dessert.
I Bet On You by @iriel3000 for @poppypickle
Teen and Up (fluff, protective Natasha, jealous Natasha, bad flirting, attempted seduction, mission fic); Clint Barton/Natasha Romanoff
Summary: Clint and Natasha make a bet about who can seduce the other one first. Early SHIELD.
I think the pie distracted me by maddestofhatters for @heroofshield
Teen and Up; Clint Barton & Natasha Romanoff
Summary: “Nat, I’m serious, when you get back, you have to come here.”
“You don’t even remember the name of the place.” She deadpans.
“So what. I’m telling you, this apple pie is the best I’ve ever had.” To prove his point he shoves a large bite in his mouth. “And last time they kept bringing me slices. I honestly think I ate the whole thing.” He continues with a full mouth.
“Clint, please don’t chew in my ear.” Natasha chastises. “And you don’t think that’s a little weird. A random restaurant giving you a whole free pie?” He hears faint gunshots coming from the other line.
“Are you in the field right now? I thought the job was done?” Clint exclaims, completely ignoring Natasha’s question.
-Clint's convinced he's found the best restaurant ever, Natasha is not so sure
it's not christmas til somebody dies by @quidnunc-life for @cassiesinsanity
Teen and Up (assassination attempts, but like in a flirty way); Clint Barton/Natasha Romanoff
Summary: Natasha takes her target’s choice of bar as a personal affront.
Of course, there aren’t many options to choose from, being as they’re in Washington, DC’s bizarrely small airport, and it’s three days before Christmas, so most of the actually good places to grab a drink are crammed full of harried parents and idiot Hill interns knocking their expensive square-edges suitcases into people.
Also, to be fair, it’s not as though the corrupt senator she’s here to eliminate knows that this drink will be his last.
Lost in Shadows by @caiti-creative-corner for Chaed
Teen and Up (drugs, spiked drinks); Clint Barton/Natasha Romanoff
Summary: Clint planned to spend his evening sprawled on the couch, a game on the television, and maybe some pizza and beer to finish off the stereotypical guy’s night at home theme. That was his plan . . . that was not how his night ended up going.
Mission: Home for Christmas by @caiti-creative-corner for @inkvoices
Teen and Up (Christmas fluff); Clint Barton/Natasha Romanoff/Kate Bishop, Barney Barton/Laura Barton
Summary: Clint doesn't think he can make it home for the holidays, but his family and friends decided to do something about that. In other words, what happens when the strays he's collected over the years decide to save him this time around?
Our Flag Means Death & Guns by @heroofshield for @alphaflyer
Gen (pirate AU); Clint Barton/Natasha Romanoff
Summary: On the high seas, Clint Barton and Natasha Romanov are an odd pair. But so is the crew of the Revenge.
Retreat by @alphaflyer for endlesstwanted
Teen and Up (romantic fluff); Clint Barton/Natasha Romanoff
Summary: Avenging takes its toll. Everybody is tuckered out and cranky; all Clint and Natasha want is a hot tub. Thor has a better answer: A field trip to Asgard.
the comfort that comes by @cloud--atlas for @caiti-creative-corner
Teen and Up (werewolf AU, naked cuddling, non-sexual intimacy, possessive behaviour, fluff); Clint Barton/Natasha Romanoff
Summary: It hadn’t actually been Clint’s mission that had been the long one. He’d only been away for four days. An Avengers call out; Doctor Doom in Hungary with Doombots and giant wasps and perhaps also sharks with lasers? She’s not entirely sure. As soon as Bruce had told her that the team had it under control, she had, uncharacteristically, stopped paying attention. In her defence, she’d been undercover in Madam Masque’s ludicrous crime syndicate for almost eighteen months with only Sharon and Sam as her non-villainous contacts and she’d really, really needed to just… watch cat videos and not think about anything important for at least three days. She’d missed Christmas – twice! She deserved cat videos.
She’d also needed to see Clint something fierce because it had been eighteen months – but… Doctor Doom. Giant Wasps. Sharks with lasers. And that’s fine! Stopping Doctor Doom is important. She gets that, she does. But… she’d wanted cuddles, okay? She’d really, really wanted cuddles.
the pull of the tide by @yourlocalalchemistress for @firlalaith
Teen and Up (choose not to warn); Clint Barton/Natasha Romanoff, Kate Bishop/America Chavez, Steve Rogers/James Barnes, Tony Stark/Pepper Potts
Summary: as a graduate student, clint met natasha on an island research station on the great barrier reef. when he catches a familiar flash of red hair almost a decade later, he feels bewilderment, nostalgia, and...is that hope? clintasha coral researcher/dolphin whisperer AU.
Tumblr Dashed by @paperairplanesopenwindows for @cloud--atlas
Mature (epistolary, celebrity AU, mentions of RPF shipping); Clint Barton/Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton/Natasha Romanoff/James Barnes, Clint Barton/James Barnes
Summary: An archive of tumblr posts after the cult classic television show Avengers (2001-2004) finally became available on Netflix.
Two Hours And A Half by endlesstwanted for Ultra
Teen and Up (non-sexual intimacy); Clint Barton/Natasha Romanoff
Summary: Two times Natasha walked away from Clint, and one time she stayed by his side.
We’ll Go Dancing With Your Shadows by @poppypickle for maddestofhatters
Teen and Up (karaoke); Clint Barton/Natasha Romanoff
Summary: “You should come out with us.”
Natasha is halfway out the door of the firing range when Barton says it. It sounds casual, like he’s tossing out an idea that just occurred to him. But there’s something in his tone – some vague undercurrent of purpose – that makes her feel certain this idea did not just occur to him. So she stops short and turns around slowly, one foot still inside the room and one foot out the door.
“Where’s out? And who’s us?”
Or, Clint helps Natasha adjust during her early SHIELD days.
Windows to the Soul by @inkvoices for @lostemotion
Teen and Up (magical realism, Red Room); Clint Barton/Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton/Natasha Romanoff/James Barnes
Summary:They say that the eyes are windows to the soul. Most people, when they look into someone else’s eyes, can see at least what’s at the surface level.
Natasha learns that she might be turned into her worst fear - a soulless nightmare like the Winter Soldier - and chooses to run. Clint reads her soul on a rooftop in Berlin, sees the worst of her, and doesn't judge her for it.
Nixie’s Poly AU Challenge: Day Twenty Two, Clint x Natasha x Bucky - Circus AU.
“Shouldn’t you be getting ready for tonight performance?” Bucky leans up against the doorway of Natasha’s trailer, grinning as he watches the woman continue her stretches out in the small patch of grass she’d claim as her space.
“I go on for the second show. Steve and Tony want to the twins out during tonight first performance.” Straightening up, Natasha turned to smirk up at Bucky. “Shouldn’t you be pulling Clint away from the animals and getting him ready for tonight?”
Chuckling, Bucky pushed himself out of the trailer and moved to sit down on the steps, stretching his long legs out before him. “He’s currently Stevie’s problem.” At Natasha’s questioning look, he flicked his eyes around making sure they were alone. “Pretty boy walked in on him and Tony, so he’s hiding up in the rafters. Told Stevie it was his problem to make sure Clint came down and got ready.”
