CAP-IM Big Bang Entry Directory 2025

ARMOR:

RATING: E UNIVERSE: MCU, high school AU WARNINGS: no archive warnings apply CURRENT FIC LENGTH: 28k ESTIMATED LENGTH: 31k BASIC SUMMARY: Tony's a physics teacher in a rural school when news breaks of his father's death, and now he has to handle the consequence of his father's actions while also trying to get into Steve's pants. DETAILED SYNOPSIS: During his college career, Tony secretly switched his major to education; betting that his Father was too narcissistic to notice. The funny thing, he was right, but his mother passed before Tony could do the dramatic reveal, and after that night Tony never saw his mother or father again. Now 10 years later, Tony's a physics teacher in a prestigious high school with our favorite cast and crew; he's happy, Steve has asked him out, and there's a beautiful future ahead... Until his father passes and leaves him Stark Industries to take over anyway, less it go to Tiberius Stone. Yuck.

Complicated grief mixed with anger and responsibility placed on Tony's shoulders, the budding relationship between them shudders and bends, and adds another thing for Tony to worry about repairing. The fiction follows Tony trying to navigate dealing with grief over his father, handling a company's transition between leaders (and trying to figure out how to not own it at all), while also poorly handling the relationships he's built over the past decade. Moments include: seeing Howard's death on the news, fighting with Steve, Pepper rolling up in heels and demanding he take the company, Thanksgiving (mostly) alone, sex, New York City, Murdock & Nelson, Rhodey's beautiful support, and handling a 10 year old unresolved grief.

TAGS: #Steve/Tony #Tony POV #Minor Background Character Death #High School AU #Depictions of Complicated Grief #We're in Tony's mind, what else is new #hurt/comfort #Older Steve #breaking up and getting back together

VIBES: Bittersweet, swings between happy and sad v quickly, stereotypical Tony self-image issues that spiral a little more each day, Tony and Steve on the same side of the conflict even though they fight and break up for a chunk of the time, those romcoms or sitcom TV episodes that are a thousand times darker than the rest of the series and doing their best to tactfully handle/show serious topics

COLLAB WISHES:  "Very active collaborator! I like hearing thoughts and ideas from artists, and am more than willing to add/shift/change things in the fic to meet your wants. I want you to be passionate about what you're creating :D! I'm pretty much at the end of the fic's rope, and am moving into fixing it up/adding supportive details, anyway, so it'd be really helpful!"

COOL ART OPPORTUNITIES: Fun architectural study of how a high school Fury raised from the brink would look like, multiple Steve and Tony fights to pick from, multiple sex scenes to pick from (though the second is better imo), date night in chilly New York City where they got to the MET and Central Park, many flashbacks to growing up with his mother and father to choose. FIC EXCERPT: Tony’s taking pictures in the prototype manufacturing department when Rhodey enters the room, thanking a young woman- Saige, he believes- who opens the door for him. Tony grins at him from between the giant machinery, the smile only brightening the closer Rhodey gets. The hug is cinematic, two friends separated for too long reunited once more and alone in an empty room filled with half-made experimental weaponry. “God, it’s good to see your handsome face.” He admits as he pulls back, patting Rhodey on the back a couple times before letting go. “I think I also have to go to an actual warehouse, too, ‘cause while this is cool it’s definitely not what I need exactly.” Rhodey hangs by him as Tony moves, working through the parts of the process and what they are doing with it right now, happily making it look like the new CEO of a company giving a tour to a military liaison. “But why, Tony?” He cuts him off during Tony’s ranting about different types of metals, caught up in the semantics of it all, and Tony offers a sheepish grin. “Have you met Pepper Potts yet?” He asks, once more in lieu of an answer. Rhodey gives him a lifted eyebrow, but nods. “Once, a couple weeks before your father passed.” Rhodey says it firmly, and Tony squints just a little at him, back straightening out in thought. “Did you know Tiberius was the back up if I said no?” He asks instead. Rhodey shakes his head, offering his hands up in an offer of peace. “Not exactly, they brought me around to be the one to try to convince you, and… It wasn’t out of my mind that he’d be the type to keep Tiberius sniffing around. I just never asked.” Tony rolls his eyes, shifting to lean against a part and crossing one ankle over the other. “Well, instead of you, it was Pepper to show up at my place of work and demand I sign the paperwork.” He throws his hand in the air with a huff, moving to rubs at the bridge of his nose. “She mentioned candidly that Tiberius was gonna be CEO if I denied, and… Well, I’d hate for him to get any good karma out of this, so…” “You’re taking over.” Rhodey’s getting the lecture voice in gear once more, and while Tony doesn’t want to hear it, he knows it’s inevitable. He also knows this next sentence will make him go from lecture-mode to you’re-an-idiot-mode, so he might as well get it over with. “I’m taking it over and plan to take us out of the weapons business.” Rhodey was never an extreme man. He held himself in high regard, and always keeps himself composed. His ‘yelling’ was never with a raised voice, only a strict and cold tone, and he never lashed out at anyone. Rhodey was always a role model to Tony, ever since they met in that first college course and Rhodey didn’t treat him like anything other than a 16-year-old nuisance. The look on Rhodey’s face is actually angry, and Tony naturally shrinks in on himself a bit, the natural hatred of making his best friend angry. It’s clearly enough of a shift in his body for Rhodey to pull himself back together, and the other man takes a deep breath. The face that he gets is still angry, of course, but at least it’s muted. “The government depends on Stark Industries.” Rhodey starts.

[Read excerpts 2 and 3]

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BAGEL: RATING: E UNIVERSE: MCU WARNINGS: No Archive Warnings Apply CURRENT FIC LENGTH: 15k ESTIMATED FIC LENGTH: 25k BASIC SUMMARY: During a global pandemic, Steve and Tony go from being lockdown roommates to friends with benefits to lovers. DETAILED SYNOPSIS: CEO Steve and Youtuber/part-time R&D at SI Tony become roommates in an upscale New York penthouse. For a few months, they're mostly ships passing in the night before a global pandemic and subsequent year-long lockdown forces them to get to know each other. Within a few weeks, they've gone from being just roommates to friends. Over the first few months, they grow steadily closer, sharing their dreams and fears, culminating when Tony has a panic attack over how long the lockdown will last. Eventually, Steve makes a move and their dynamic adds a fun, new sexual element. In the background, though, Tony is starting to feel a growing sense of anxiety over defining their nebulous relationship on top of what will happen when lockdown ends at the end of the year. Is their closeness only because they're stuck together? Will they fall apart as soon as they're no longer forced to spend all of their time with each other? Not if Steve has his way. For him, falling in love with Tony is as easy as falling asleep. He can be patient for Tony to realize his own emotions. Luckily, he doesn't have to wait too long. After seeing a portrait that Steve has painted of him, Tony realizes that he's in love and, never one to be patient, immediately informs Steve. Good thing Steve loves him too. The fic ends with Steve coming home to Tony filming another video and cheerfully joining him when Tony asks.

TAGS: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst and Fluff, Getting Together, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Joseph Rogers' A+ Parenting, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Friends with Benefits, Explicity Sexual Content, Mentions of Past Grooming, Lingerie, Alternate Universe - Pandemic, Cat DUM-E

VIBES: horny and confused about it, Tony spending most of the entire fic going "What are we?", you know that scene in Titanic where Jack and Rose are living their best sex lives and meanwhile the audience knows the iceberg is coming? this is if that scene was an entire fic but also the iceberg never comes because this universe has a competent government, "You two are dancing in a snowglobe round and round," realizing how the person you're in love with sees you through the medium of art, Dummy is an orange cat which should tell you everything about the humor in this fic

COLLAB WISHES: "Looking for someone who's fairly chill and likes bouncing ideas off of each other but also doesn't mind working independently. Would love someone who doesn't mind drawing porn." COOL ART OPPORTUNITIES: Tony and Steve dancing in a sunken living room surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides, Tony in lingerie the color of Steve's eyes, Dummy the cat falling into a trashcan (I just think this is cute and funny), Tony finding the portrait of himself FIC EXCERPT: Tony pokes his head out the door and spots Steve at the stove, flipping pancakes (he’s shirtless, but also wearing an apron, which is a crime against humanity generally and Tony specifically). Relieved that Steve isn’t looking right at him, he slips out the door, down the hall, and upstairs to his own room as quietly as possible. Given that Steve doesn’t call after him, he’s pretty sure that he succeeds too.

And then he’s free to dig through his drawer of lingerie for the perfect pair of panties to wear underneath Steve’s shirt.

Blue.

He’s feeling blue.

Blue to match Steve’s eyes.

He has a couple different pairs of blue panties, some more comfortable than others (due to the material; obviously, Tony only buys panties tailormade to his body). But he’s hoping that he won’t be wearing these for too long, so he grabs a pair of lace ones that are a little scratchy but have an absolutely gorgeous rosebud pattern on them. He slides them on, quickly brushes his teeth, and clatters back downstairs, no longer worried about making noise.

“Hey,” Steve says lightly, not yet turning from the stove. “I was wondering if you were trying to hide out up there.”

Damn. He did hear him, then.

“No hiding,” Tony says. “Your dick is too great not to hop on multiple times.”

Steve barks out a laugh. “Thank you for the compliment,” he says and finally turns around, mouth parting in surprise as soon as he sees Tony standing there in his shirt and blue lacy panties.

“You like?” Tony asks, swishing the hem of the shirt like it’s a skirt.

“Sweetheart,” Steve breathes, eyes darkening. “Look at you.”

Tony smirks. Oh yeah, he likes it. He places his hands on the counter behind him and jumps up. Steve stalks over to him, and Tony parts his legs readily so he can slot right in between them. Steve’s big hands land on his hips, squeezing gently.

“Morning,” Steve rumbles, bending down to brush his mouth against Tony’s.

“Morning,” he replies, locking his ankles behind Steve’s back. “You weren’t in bed when I woke up.”

“Well, I thought I would come out here and make you breakfast. What are you doing up this early, anyway? You always sleep in for at least another twenty minutes.”

“Alas, you have learned my deep, dark secret,” Tony says, leaning up for another kiss. Steve snorts and kisses the tip of his nose instead. “I like to cuddle in the mornings after sex. Always wakes me up if someone gets out of bed.”

“Hmm,” Steve hums. “That’s good to know.”

Tony can’t stop the small thrill that shoots through him at Steve all but admitting that he wants to do this again. He really likes him, and he’d never had so much fun in bed with someone as he’d had with Steve last night. It would’ve really sucked if Steve had put the kibosh on them so quickly.

“I like you wearing my shirt,” Steve admits, running his finger along the draping neckline.

“You should see what I’m wearing under it,” Tony teases.

“Yeah?” Steve murmurs, his hands sliding down to push the hemline up. “Is that something I should see?”

“Mmhmm.” Tony squirms. Steve’s touch is maddeningly delicate, more focused on the shirt than on him. And as much as he likes the rasp of flannel against his thighs, he’d much rather have Steve’s hands—

“Oh,” Steve whispers, and now, his hands are on Tony’s body, tracing over the lace wrapped around his hips. Tony whimpers, cock stiffening as Steve’s touch comes so close to where he wants it. “Did you pick this out just for me?”

“Mmhmm,” Tony hums again, sliding his hands up Steve’s chest to thumb at his nipples. “Do you like it?”

Steve moans lowly, pushing his chest into Tony’s hands. “Let me take you back to bed and show—”

“Is something burning?” Tony suddenly asks, sniffing the air.

Steve blinks at him for a moment. Then, his eyes widen. “Shit!” he exclaims. “The toast!”

He rushes back to the stove, quickly turning off the burner so the buttered toast doesn’t burn even more. Tony drops his head back and laughs.

“Stop laughing, get over here, and help me!” Steve orders, but he’s laughing too now.

“Not a chance, babe,” Tony tells him. “You made this mess, you clean it up. I’m gonna go take a shower.”

“Tony!” Steve whines.

He hops off the counter and gives Steve a wink. “If you’re quick, you can join me before I’m done.”

He’s completely unsurprised when Steve joins him barely a minute into the water turning on.

[Read excerpts 2 and 3]

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CRIMSON: RATING: M UNIVERSE: MCU WARNINGS: No Archive Warnings Apply CURRENT FIC LENGTH: 16k ESTIMATED FIC LENGTH: 28k BASIC SUMMARY: Tony makes a bet with Pepper that his next relationship will last longer than six months, and of course, he asks Steve to be his (fake) partner, to help his friend out – and to win the bet. DETAILED SYNOPSIS: Tony makes a bet with Pepper that his next relationship will last longer than six months.

Steve has been the victim of many, if not all, gossip magazines. He gets stopped on the street, asked if he wants to date or even marry granddaughters, and who’s the lucky one that gets to be his first kiss since the ‘40s.

Tony sees his perfect partner to win the bet with Pepper, but Steve immediately declines Tony’s offer. But Tony doesn’t have to wait long, after having the worst day – getting a marriage proposal from a stranger, and being filmed and asked too many personal questions about his dating status – Steve comes to Tony on his own.

They agree on six very important rules, and make a plan on how to convince their friends and the world that they’re dating.

Six simple rules: saving the world always comes first, saving lives is more important than their arrangement; they sleep in their own beds; no forced proximity in the tower; only some hand holding at some events, not too much PDA; no kissing on the mouth; no sex – and they’re not allowed to fall in love with each other.

In the next six months they break all six rules, and unknown to each other, they didn’t need this big plan to convince their friends, because everyone, except for these two idiots, already knew how in love they are.

It kills them both to just pretend, but they’re both too competitive to give up. Only a few days before the official six months mark, some reporter records them in private, where they talk about the bet and how the arrangement will be over then. The reporter gives it to the press and it goes viral.

The romantic love story between Captain America and Iron Man – fake!

Being overshadowed with guilt, Steve leaves their arrangement, says he can’t keep lying to the world, but what he means is; he can’t keep lying to Tony – to just pretend. The love he feels is real, and he can’t do it anymore. Tony seems so miserable about it all, looking sad all the time, unknown to Steve it’s because Tony’s sick of pretending as well, he’s been in love with Steve long before the bet as well.

Happy End!

TAGS: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Set Between Movie: The Avengers (2012) and Movie: Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Post-Movie: Iron Man 3 (2013), Post-Movie: Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, POV Tony Stark, POV Steve Rogers, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Idiots in Love, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Eventual Mild Sexual Content, Eventual Happy Ending

VIBES: more like fluff/humour with some angst between it, them being their stubborn selfs, arguing but carrying so deeply, them both working through a lot and being there for each other, lines blurry – what is fake what is real, dialogue heavy, also some canon Fix-It (Steve tells Tony about his parents), also they go on a mission where civilians get kinda hurt, SteveTony being a married couple

COLLAB WISHES: "I’m looking for someone who would be up to some back and forth, but mostly someone chill. We can talk about some ideas, to have the best outcome, but more importantly have fun while doing this collaboration." COOL ART OPPORTUNITIES: Steve and Tony standing in the elevator and Tony doesn’t allow Steve to leave, Tony bringing Steve a bouquet for their first ‘date’, Steve and Tony cuddling on the couch when someone walks in and they forget they’re pretending to be in a relationship, Steve possessively kissing Tony at a gala event, Tony wearing a Captain America Cap and Steve a Iron Man one on one of their ‘fake’ dates FIC EXCERPT: Tony is no better, he too keeps track of who Steve spends his free time with. The only difference is that he asks Steve as a friend, and doesn’t speculate about it on the internet. “So, what else is new?” He smiles at Nat, and sees Steve rolling his eyes. Is that a smirk pulling on his lips? Tony probably just imagined that.

“I’m telling him! If he’d just go out with some kind girl, maybe they’d stopped the whole debate about his first kiss since the ‘40s.” She learns forwards and snatches a green apple, and with a pointed look towards Steve, she bites into it.

“We have to go,” Hill suddenly stands up, StarkPad under her arms and phone against her ear.

Nat grins at them, as if she's looking right through them. “Duty calls!” With that Nat follows her, taking another big bite from the apple.

“There they go, leaving us all alone,” Tony jokes and turns his body towards Steve, giving him his full attention. “Does it feel like in the ‘40s, when all women gushed over their war hero?” “It was a little different then,” he answers and takes a glance at Tony. “You’re familiar with this gossip. How are you handling it?”

“I’m handling it by not looking at it, and doing my own shit. Why? Don’t like the spotlight?” Steve grimaces at that, not meeting Tony’s eyes. “Let’s just say, I prefer being in the news because we saved New York.”

Their eyes meet, and a spark Tony can’t read shines in Steve’s eyes. “Well,” he starts, not knowing how to help his good buddy– wait! That’s just it. “Maybe Nat’s right.”

“I mean, when is she not? But, do enlighten me,” Steve prompts.

He lightens up at that. “Maybe it would help you, if you just dated someone and after a week or two they’ll shut up and leave you alone till you break up!”

Tony’s enthusiasm is not met with the same energy, but he can work with that. Cap is never excited about his ideas, especially the stupid ones. And this one definitely takes the cake for being Tony’s most stupid idea he ever had.

“I don’t want to drag some lady into my dilemma. It’ll die down on its own, hopefully.” He says the ‘hopefully’ so quietly that Tony almost misses it, almost.

“Then not a woman.” Bad idea, really bad idea. Abort. Abort mission!

But it would be a win-win situation, and Tony doesn't have a good record about making smart decisions when it comes to Steve, so he continues, “What if it would be someone willing to fake date you for the public, someone you know.”

Steve raises a questioning eyebrow, but doesn’t say anything. “How about a man, who could also use a fake partner for – let’s say – six months?” He puts on his most charming smile. Little Tony would freak out, knowing he’s asking his life-long crush to fake date himself, because of some stupid bet, and he does it in the boldest way possible.

The other man exhales, and watches Tony closely, with his disappointed Captain America face – not a good sign. “Tony,” Steve says his name carefully. “What did you do?”

“It’s just an idea to help my good buddy Captain America out of his media scandal!” He shrugs, with a bright smile. “The world wants a name and a face to your potential new partner, and no story would sell better than a Captain America and Iron Man love story, and you’d do me a favour.”

“What favour?” Cap is a really hard nut to crack. He always wants to do the right thing, no funny businesses and just the important missions. No time for fun.

Tony looks at his hands, which are drumming on the table they’re sitting on. “I may or may not have made a bet with Pepper that I could make my next relationship last longer than six months. So, the fake relationship would help us both.” He can’t look into Steve’s beautiful face, knowing he either laughs in his face or says it’s utterly stupid. Both justified reaction, but it would hurt Tony’s ego and maybe his heart a little bit, too.

“No.” He says it kindly, but firm and stands up. “I’m not lying to the whole world because of some gossip papers and a bet. I’m sorry, but maybe Clint can be your fake boyfriend.”

At that Tony turns around to look into Steve’s gorgeous face. A small smile lingers in the corner of his mouth, and his eyes look at him with the honesty he carries around. “I get it. But I bet you would’ve thought about that ‘no’ five seconds longer if I was a woman.”

“That’s not true, and you know it, Tony. Love is something very beautiful, and everyone deserves to love whoever they want.” He smiles down on Tony. “And stop betting on stuff, you’ll just lose.”

Tony exhales loudly, his mouth wide open in shock. “That’s just cold– oh, so we’re in familiar territory for you.” Their gaze sparkles, the tension between their eyes distracting them from their conversation for a moment.

“But as I said,” Steve says after he gathers himself. “I can’t lie about that. Not about this. I’m sorry.” Tony watches him leave through the door, and keeps staring at the spot Steve just stood, even though Steve turned the corner minutes ago.

So, that went worse than he thought possible.

[Read excerpt 2]

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DIRECTOR: RATING: E UNIVERSE: MCU WARNINGS: No Archive Warnings Apply CURRENT FIC LENGTH: 20k ESTIMATED FIC LENGTH: 40k BASIC SUMMARY: Iron Man is a villain who has a palladium problem, freshly-out-of-the-ice Captain America gets tasked by SHIELDRA to stop him, and then they get horny about it. DETAILED SYNOPSIS: Story is roughly divided into three parts.

Part 1: Tony is a villain; he went rogue after the events of Iron Man I. He works alone (with only JARVIS’ support) to destroy any SI weapons he can find, killing if necessary. He is also slowly dying, trying/failing to come up with a Palladium alternative. (This part includes a few flashbacks to IM1.)

Captain America is newly defrosted and SHIELD tasks him to stop Tony. They have several fights; Tony thinks Steve is a copycat until he realizes he’s the real Captain America, which drives Tony to obsession due to a mix of childhood hero worship, daddy issues, and sexual attraction. He provokes Steve with sexual passes, until Steve breaks and taunts him to follow through. Tony delivers, pins Steve down. Frottage ensues.

Part 2: Steve is isolated in SHIELD: his STRIKE team is secretly Hydra, Fury tells him off the record to liaise with Tony. Steve can’t stop thinking about sex with Iron Man and wants a repeat. Tony is having a small crisis about it and tells himself it won’t happen again. He kidnaps Steve, wanting to study the shield’s unique metallurgic properties. He gets an accidental blowjob from Steve and sends him away again.

Tony searches for more vibranium, and Steve and him fight and hook up a few times, exploring their dynamic (Tony is dominant, Steve is submissive and a masochist). Nat and Clint make cameos. Tony’s health declines. Tony buys vibranium from Ulysses Klaue and fixes a new arc reactor, and promptly has celebration sex with Steve.

Part 3: Tony is no longer in danger of imminently dying, and focuses on SHIELD’s weird new energy weapons. He discovers they’re weaponizing the Tesseract energy, just as Hydra was in WWII. He’s angry and confronts Steve, who didn’t know. Steve’s ignorance and Tony’s general unease about SHIELD prompt him to infiltrate them properly and he hacks their most secure server.

Just after, he has an intense session with Steve where he seriously hurts him; Steve gets off on it. Trying to distract himself from the implications of this, Tony crunches SHIELD data and learns Pierce was involved in shady shit with Stane, and that Hydra isn’t dead. He angsts about Steve’s possible involvement and has Emotions about the complicated, emotionally fraught sex he is having with Steve.

At their next meeting, Steve wants to talk about their last session, but Tony doesn’t. Tony decides he needs to know, absolutely, if Steve is In with Hydra, and hail hydras him as a test. Steve freaks out and Tony realizes Steve truly didn’t know. Steve goes to Fury AT ONCE. Fury expresses his doubt in Pierce and resolves to try to fix it with Nat and Clint. Steve tells Tony they’ll deal with the Hydra problem internally and kisses Tony for the first time, passionately. END.

Possible epilogue: A few weeks later, Steve, Fury, Nat and Clint are putting their pawns in place to take down Hydra. Steve and Tony fuck gently on a bed for the first time, Tony letting himself be vulnerable and Steve taking the lead.

TAGS: Alternate Universe-Canon Divergence, Villain Tony Stark, Grey Morality, Palladium Poisoning, SHIELDRA, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Hurt Tony Stark, Enemies to Lovers, Enemies With Benefits, Dom/Sub dynamics, Power Dynamics, Dom Tony Stark, Sub Steve Rogers, Sexual Content, Undernegotiated Kink, Rough Sex, S&M Elements, Slight Humiliation Kink, Masochist Steve Rogers, Not Safe Sane and Consensual, Dubious Consent, Bad BDSM etiquette, Explicit Sexual Content, Canon-Typical Violence, Minor Character Death, Character Study, Feelings Realization, Kidnapping, Angst, Introspection, Angst With a Happy Ending

VIBES: This fic mixes angst, horniness, and MCU phase-one type of humour. The vibes are very much "enemies with benefits who end up catching feelings." The entire fic is filled with tension, both of them incapable of being normal about each other. Ill-advised and undernegotiated sex, both of them very into it. Power dynamics galore. Lots of action but also lots of introspection. Both Steve and Tony are lonely and hurting, each in their own way, and their dubious hook-ups are the only real way they can connect to someone. We go into their emotions and psyches. Mostly Tony's, since the fic is mostly in his POV, but some of Steve's too.

COLLAB WISHES: "I would love some kind of back-and-forth. I would love to hear your thoughts on the fic and on certain scenes that you want to draw for. If you get inspired by something, I can potentially change a scene or add things to make it fit with your art! I want to see your WIPs and talk about them with you. I don't expect you to stay in contact constantly, but a check-in at least once every three weeks could be fun! This will probably be more fun for you if you're comfortable drawing porn or suggestive art, and if you're comfortable drawing the iron man suit and/or captain america uniform, since they are mostly in their hero personas in this fic." COOL ART OPPORTUNITIES: If you want to draw dynamic stuff: Probably the sex and/or fight scenes, let's be honest. Iron Man blowing things up and kidnapping Cap. Captain America doing his freaky gymnastic moves in combat and getting close and personal with Iron Man. Several instances of Tony flying with Steve held against him. Mostly-clothed sex. There is often a power dynamic at play, with Steve pinned or restrained in some way. If you lean more towards angst, what about Tony alone in his big workshop, angsting about the palladium poisoning and his scars? Or Steve putting on a brave front but feeling lost and isolated inside? FIC EXCERPT: "Sir, you should seek medical attention."

Tony ignored the nagging. Trying to find an appropriately shady doctor who wouldn't turn him over to the authorities hardly seemed worth the effort.

"I know how to do stitches, Jay. Go back to the simulations."

He bit his lip as he thread the needle through his side. It was ironic, really, that the gash across his hip came from his own damn suit of armour. That was what you got when you encased yourself in sharp interlocking metal plates. When someone got in a good hit, more often than not you got hurt by your own armour.

It didn't help that Tony had been distracted, too busy trying to breathe through a sudden cramp to dodge the incoming tank shell.

The palladium poisoning was starting to seriously make itself known. The markings on his chest were steadily growing outwards from the reactor, and the less cool symptoms were getting worse too. JARVIS had tried to warn Tony against flying out today, but Tony had insisted that his headache wasn't that bad, and that he wouldn't get a chance this good to destroy the last four Jericho Missiles any time soon again. In the end, he had barely managed to blow two of them up before he gave control of the suit to JARVIS and passed out.

His time was running out.

JARVIS was still trying to make the simulations spit out different results, and steadily nagging at Tony to take more lithium dioxide. Dragging out the inevitable. But Tony gratefully took it all. Every day won meant one more weapons cache destroyed.

He shivered. He should have thought to up the temperature by a few degrees before starting medical self-help. A stupid oversight, really. He used to be better at that. When he had other people around to care.

The next stitch stung a little harder. He'd put the needle in too hard. He needed to not sit with his thoughts.

"JARVIS, put on the news."

One of the screens lit up. They were reporting on his latest attack, showing aerial shots of the damaged buildings. There was a tally in the bottom right corner, of how much money Tony had already cost the government.

On Fox News, that tally was accompanied by each lost life that could be pinned on him. He'd stopped counting a while ago. In the face of the hundreds of thousands of people who had gotten killed by Stark weapons, those numbers meant nothing.

The news switched to a press conference held by Hammer Industries, no doubt trying to explain how they managed to lose several millions of dollars worth of weaponry, and how it wouldn't happen again, pinky promise.

Justin Hammer was speaking, spouting his usual bullshit, pretending that he had everything under control. He was flanked by an embarrassingly high number of bodyguards, his PR team, and—

And his military liaison.

Tony stopped stitching.

Rhodey looked as unflappable as he ever did while in public. Back ramrod straight, chin held up, every inch the disciplined and professional soldier. He didn't smile much in public. Used to smile more before Stark Industries imploded.

Rhodey probably hated Justin Hammer just as much as Tony did. Except that would mean that Rhodey was spending his working days miserable, and Tony didn't like to think about that.

Rhodey was still alive. He and Happy had managed to convincingly sever their ties to Tony. They still had careers, and lives. They were better off without him. He hoped they agreed. He didn't want them to feel for him, or have sympathy for him. They should simply forget they were ever friends. Forget all about Tony Stark and let him be consumed by Iron Man.

Tony shivered again. Around him, the machines hummed quietly, the silence only broken by Justin's droning voice in the background. Half of the workshop wasn't even lit up. The armours were all powered down.

It was just JARVIS and him.

[Read excerpt 2]

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ETERNAL: RATING: E UNIVERSE: MCU, AU WARNINGS: Choose Not To Warn CURRENT FIC LENGTH: 120k ESTIMATED FIC LENGTH: 130k BASIC SUMMARY: Steve and Tony find themselves in an arranged marriage; can love be born out of endurance? DETAILED SYNOPSIS: AU - Steve - Prince of The Plains, a people connected to nature and the First Mother married the Iron King -- Tony Stark. The marriage is for the benefit of their kingdoms. Steve's people are fertile and bountiful, and Steve is expected provide an heir. (There will be no graphic Mpreg in the fic -- it is only a notion.)

Steve is hopeful, naïve and optimist, he thinks that even though they do not know each other well, love can bloom when given effort, care and attention. But he does not expect to find the Iron King to live up to his name.

Tony is cold and distant, he did not want to marry Steve but had no option.

In the first months of their marriage Tony treats Steve with disdain, he comes to lay with Steve only because he wants Steve to catch and become with child.

Sex between them is cold, and painful for Steve because Tony does not care for him, and makes no effort. Steve is sexually inexperienced and this causes him a lot of pain. On occasions Tony will use rough sex as punishment, or be rough on purpose, take Steve barely prepped and one on occasion on only spit. It gets better towards the second half of the fic.

Steve is lonely and sad in the first chapters as he is alone, in a strange land, the Iron Court is full of pomp and strictness, and he misses the freedom of home. He makes effort to spend time with Tony -- he tries to grow their bond because he knows what without a bond, without love and stability, there will be no children. But Tony isn't interested in him, he is upset that he needed to have a marriage like this, and is too self-centered to think of Steve.

Steve begins to give up on Tony - he starts to find life on his own, he makes friends and tries to live the best he can -- he comes to a resentful acceptance of his loveless bond, but he wants children because it will be something he can love, someone for him. Steve is a master herbalist, all the people of the Plains are, so he spends a lot of time in the forest, looking for herbs, learning and documenting.

A sickness hits and the kingdom is thrown into disarray.

Steve steps in to take care of the kingdom, he is able to show how capable he is -- and Tony is vulnerable and desperate as his people die and he is helpless. During this time, he watches Steve- -- watches him take command, protect their people and he is stunned and this changes him, changes something in him.

During the plague, their relationship is still strained as Tony does not know how to communicate, he is feeling scared and angry. He takes out a lot of his anger on Steve, who just takes and moves on, he had a plague to cure and he is at this point resigned to Tony's rough treatment.

Steve's health begins to break down, as he becomes fatigued from Tony's roughness and the onslaught of the plague. After one heartbreaking day, things begin to change. Tony's behavior improves, he tried to care for Steve the ways he can, brings him tea, makes sure he eats, but Steve is suspicious of him, because he as never shown kindness.

Then Steve gets sick, he catches the plague and it is then Tony must choose what he will do and if he will let Steve slip away or care for him. And he cares for him, Steve improves and Tony is simply a different man. But Steve is tense and angry, because he doesn't understand why Tony has become nice all of the sudden and how long it will last.

Steve finally breaks one day and confronts Tony on why he is being nice and Tony explains himself, the abuse, his parents and tells Steve he is going try to be better. he will try.

The fic has a happy ending.

TAGS: AU - Kingdoms. King Tony. Prince Steve. Arranged marriage. Happy Ending. Rough Sex. Painful Sex. Bottom Steve. Mentions of Mpreg. Explicit Sex. Lack of Communication. Tony Stark being an asshole. Dubious consent. Extremely Dubious Consent

VIBES: Arranged marriage, Fantasy, Unhappy Relationship, Happy Ending.

The fic starts as heavy and sad, Tony is abusive and Steve is hurt. It grows through the fic and Steve begins to change, his hurt changes to resentment and resignation, depression and acceptance. The conflict is that Tony did not want this marriage, he is a product of abuse and an unhappy union, he doesn't know who to communicate and did not give Steve a chance to show him who he is. The emotional mood ranges from, sadness, anger, heartbreak to hope and happiness.

COLLAB WISHES: "Medium amount, I'm very aware this is a REALLY long fic and it will already require a lot of time and effort from the artist. I would like to be an open channel of communication and be here to talk if they want to bounce ideas around." COOL ART OPPORTUNITIES: The scene of Steve leaving the Plains is beautiful if you like scenery. The scene of them getting married. Steve's herb room, or him camping in the Ironwoods with his horse. FIC EXCERPT: The worship hall seems like a beast opening its maul and swallowing him whole. It is, without exaggeration, the grandest and the most ostentatious space Steve has ever stepped into. The floors gleam with golden inlay, catching the light like a river of molten sunlight beneath his boots. The walls rise impossibly high, latticed with black iron, their surfaces draped in banners embroidered with metallic red and gold threads that simmer in the weak sunlight. Above him, the ceiling is the sky remade in crystal, constellations glittering and hung to spill over them like glittering waterfall of light.

Steve’s breath catches in his chest. All of this, all of this is so different, so alien from his world. In the Plains, their sacred places, the Moonwell and the Mother's hearth, are built to be part of the land, open beams, natural fibers, the ground bare and in one with the earth. A place of sunlight and wind. Here, there is no wind, there is no sunlight. The air is heavy here, with the scent of perfumes and the faint tang of metal, and the light above them drowns out the warmth of the sunbeams from the window. Steve feels the handmade softness of his wood-silk tunic like brand against the jeweled excess around him.

The nobles are dressed in various tones of rich colors, from deep ocean blues to bright emerald silks, they are all dressed and laden in rare gems.

Even the servants are perfectly dressed, in perfectly white uniforms threaded with deep red metal thread.

And then his gaze lands on the man at the altar. And his chest clenches in a mixture of fear and excitement. 

The Iron King. Anthony Stark.

He is the image of courtly perfection, dressed in a deep gold tunic and matching trousers, red embroidery curling over the fabric like sunlight catching the sunlight. A heavy golden crown rests on his dark hair, encrusted with red diamond the size of small bird’s eggs. Steve wonders, for a fleeting moment, how much that must weigh. A mantle of wine-red velvet spills over his shoulders, it looks rich enough to drown in. And for that moment, Steve feels like he is drowning, in all that is around him. All the excess, all those smells, the colors. He pulls his wits back, to focus on his soon-to-be husband. His face is handsome, but his expression carefully polite and neutral. Steve gives him a small tentative smile, though nothing is returned. Steve wonders if the king is as nervous as he is.

Steve swallows hard, his heart is his throat. 

The bonding, or as the Iron Folk call it, a wedding. Happens in a blur for Steve. The words wash over him, some of them he understands, some he does not. But it’s all stiff and unfamiliar. The court watches, a wall of expectation, his mother’s proud smile is the only thing that keeps him grounded.

Then the Worship man calls for their hands. Steve lifts his right hand, and the Iron King meets it. And all Steve feels is cold. Not that the man’s skin is cold. No, but the way it lies, gloved against his skin. Unyielding and almost like a stone. As a braided cord of gleaming metal winds cover their joined fingers, Steve’s flesh and blood hand against the black leather clad hand of his bonded, Steve’s skin prickles as the coldness seeps into him, spreading up his arm, into his chest. 

It’s all done before he can take a steadying breath. 

The crowd cheers. If it can be called that, polite, controlled and in a blink of an eye, they are seated at the high table for the feast. 

[Read excerpts 2 and 3]

---

FUTURIST: RATING: E UNIVERSE: 616 WARNINGS: No Archive Warnings Apply CURRENT FIC LENGTH: 17k ESTIMATED FIC LENGTH: 25k BASIC SUMMARY: Canon divergent AU of Iron Man (2023) #1 where instead of Tony breaking every one of his bones and recovering basically alone, Steve is right there with him, every step of the way. DETAILED SYNOPSIS: This fic is told in two of Steve's perspectives:

The first perspective takes place in the current moment, where Steve goes to visit Tony, realizes that the injuries he has sustained are far worse than any of their close friends know or understand, and takes care of him over the course of a couple of months.

The second perspective is a past conversation had between Steve and Sam at a bar just before Steve went to see Tony in the hospital, explaining to Sam that he intends to confess his love to Tony and discussing what that might look like.

Over the course of these two months, Steve remembers this conversation as it hits the beats of what is going on between them: being in love, what that's looked like for them over the years, the exhaustion of being superheroes, caring for each other, what the future looks like, and what they want from each other.

The culmination of these months is the day Tony gets his casts off. Being weak, Tony needs Steve's help to give him a proper bath. This quickly becomes a love confession, body worship in the flavor of cleaning Tony off, and a helping hand. After the bath, they have even more sex featuring disability-friendly sex, featuring Tony's boots and splints and a marriage proposal that isn't actually too fast at all, because they've loved each other for fifteen years!

TAGS: Hurt/comfort, love confessions, canon divergence, Tony Breaks All His Limbs in Iron Man (2023) #1 and for Some Reason Nobody Talks About It, bathing, major injury, hospitals, referenced character death (don't worry he's alive he just died and had to be resuscitated), handjobs, blowjobs, anal, lots of come, marathon sex

VIBES: romance IS hurt/comfort, falling into bed together after 15 years of knowing each other, big sighs, getting right into the deep end, the sex being really good right off the bat so much so that you can't stop, maybe some CSS formatting meta-narrative fun for memory sequences

COLLAB WISHES: "My fic is close to done, but I love being part of an artistic collab process and enjoy an honest back-and-forth collab! There is a lot of sex in my fic and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ntb6DX2-jU0 is my musical inspo for the fic, so if that's up your alley, we could be a good fit!" COOL ART OPPORTUNITIES: Steve lying his head on Tony's hospital bed where he's laid up. Tony playing Animal Crossing with one hand while all of his limbs are still in casts. Bathtime! Steve giving Tony a soapy bath and handjob. weak/frail Tony all set up in the definition of pillow princess sitting up so he can suck Steve's dick. Tony rutting against Steve's thigh for a third orgasm while Steve jerks off for his second of the night. Anal scene with Tony in his boots and wrist splints. Marriage proposal! FIC EXCERPT: Why would Jocasta say that he was going to be fine if he was in this condition?

He sends a quick message off to a few people. This doesn’t make any sense.

Stepping closer, he grabs the chart off from the end of the bed. Most of it makes as much sense as Tony sitting here with every limb broken and nobody by his side.

There’s so much that isn’t fine.

[“How you gonna do it, then?” “Haven’t thought that far ahead.” “Maybe you should. Steve, think about it. This is Tony we’re talking about. He’s a romantic. He does wining and dining and big trips to remote islands.” “Extravagance isn’t everything.”]

Bruised kidneys, internal bleeding, head wounds, contusions everywhere.

Iron Man doesn’t get this hurt from falling from the sky. His armor makes sure of it.

How did this happen?

Voices outside.

“I don’t give a good goddamn about how much money Stark gives to this hospital, Nadine. It’s money. We need it. We get it. We spend it. People live. He gets the same quality of care as everyone else.”

It’s only because his hearing is so good that he hears it, but he doesn’t like what he’s hearing.

“Doctor Camden.”

“I don’t wanna to hear it! I don’t.”

“Doctor Ca—”

“Nadine, I’m serious, don’t mess with me today. I had a really crappy night and—”

“Zoe, Captain America is here.”

Silence.

The door opens.

“Hi! I’m Doctor Camden,” says a short, stout woman with bleached blonde hair and an accent that tells him nothing. She reaches out her hand, he takes it, shakes, then goes back to looking at the chart. “Ah, if I may? I can update you on his condition.”

He flips to the next page.

“You’re giving him morphine.”

[“But he is someone who, when he cares for you, he goes all out.” “Believe me, I know, Sam.” “You ever notice that the women he dates never do much for him back?”]

“That’s... standard for after having major surgery. May I?” She puts her hand on the chart and takes it from him, eyes moving quick over the pages. “I’m not seeing an allergy listed anywhere. Is there something else—”

“He’s an addict.”

She pauses. “Oh, I see. Well, we are aware of Mister Stark’s struggle with alcoholism—”

“He was addicted to morphine.”

Another pause.

“I see. We don’t seem to have that on file. We’ll get him set up on... actually... there’s a new drug that’s been approved by the FDA. Non-opioid. I’ll get someone started on checking if his insurance will—”

“I’ll pay for it, if they don’t.” Tony doesn’t deserve to be addicted against his will. The doctor gives him a tight-lipped smile. “Can you... please tell me what his situation is.”

[“Yeah, I’ve noticed. I think it’s the money.” “Tony’s always been drawn to cash crazy chicks.” “That’s a gross way to refer to women, Captain America.” “Ooo, shit, now I’m in trouble! You know I’m right.” “You’re right, but you could be more respectful. Some of those women are very smart.” “Some.”]

He’d died.

Tony had died twice on the operating table.

Not the first time Tony has died. It comes with the job. Steve and Tony and many of their friends have died in the line of duty, some of them several times over.

Things just aren’t adding up. Jocasta is saying she wasn’t aware of his heart stopping either time, Pepper isn’t answering his calls.

Was there really nobody here when he came in?

He texts Bucky and Natasha, then Sam, and Clint for extra measure. A few hours later, they all manage to come to one solid conclusion: everyone thought someone else was taking care of it. Tony had slipped through the cracks.

[“There’s a reason you brought this up to me before you did it.” “Because you’re my friend and one of my closest confidantes. I know I can trust you with how I feel about Tony.” “Steve, buddy, the whole superhero community knows how you feel about Tony.” “I- th- hey! That’s not—” “I’m dead serious, man. You two have had this thing going on since before I met you. It’s like... I dunno, it’s like this whole intense undercurrent to everything you do, like you’re thinking about what the other is gonna think or do or say in reaction to a decision you make. Sometimes it’s like the whole world revolves around it.”]

Steve doesn’t leave Tony’s side much after that. He orders food to the room, takes a shower in the attached bathroom, stretches out on the grey-green recliner and naps with his arms crossed. He’s never needed much sleep, anyways.

The thoughts that run through his head are completely improper. Tony’s bruised and battered, but somehow just as gorgeous as he always has been. Steve would never do anything untoward, though four nights later, he wakes up from a dream about running his hands through the portion of hair that doesn’t have stitches under it and leaning down to press a sweet kiss to Tony’s lips, waking Tony from his slumber like a fairytale.

[“Is it really that obvious? What I feel?” “I think so.” “Gosh.”]

[Read excerpts 2 and 3]

---

GAUNTLET: RATING: M UNIVERSE: MCU WARNINGS: Graphic Violence CURRENT FIC LENGTH: 56k ESTIMATED FIC LENGTH: 90k BASIC SUMMARY: Steampunk AU: The Avengers are racing against the Mechanic’s invisible clock to wipe out Hydra before the Mechanic wipes out everything! DETAILED SYNOPSIS: New (and Old) York is under the control of the Head Families, most of them comprised of Hydra and the people willing to work with them. The Avengers are working to end their reign of terror in the boroughs while keeping their younger, less abled members safe; they each have their own jobs and motivations.

14yo Peter has just lost his uncle in a factory accident and can no longer afford school or work. Still learning to navigate the dystopian landscape, he threatens to join another faction, leading Steve and the Avengers to let him join to keep him out of trouble.

To keep Peter busy, Steve assigns him the task of finding the elusive and possibly mythical mechanic, who has blown up 3 Hydra warehouses, thinking the mechanic might be not be a person but a cover for a particularly violent anti-Hydra faction. Peter finds evidence to the contrary, pointing toward the mysterious Stark family, a Head Family thought to be wiped out. Peter makes the (foolish) decision to go to Old Manhattan and check out their old family mansions. There, he’s rescued by Loki in disguise and led to the fabled Mechanic, who has arm and eye prosthetics and who is mean and manic in turns.

Steve learns of Peter’s trek into Manhattan and goes after him accompanied by a friend of the Mechanic, uneasy after learning that the younger members of the Head families are actually against Hydra and have been using the spectre of Howard Stark’s ghost to keep Hydra on edge.

Upon reaching the Mechanic’s toy shop, Steve gets in a gun fight with the Mechanic. After they fight, the Mechanic, who calls himself Tony, decides Steve is fine and extends a breakfast invite to him and Peter. The Mechanic demands help finding the arc reactor blueprints, hoping to keep the blueprints out of Stane’s hands for fear he will become too powerful for Hydra and the Avengers.

They take advantage of each other’s skillsets: Steve asks Tony to work on Bucky’s prosthetics, enhance Natasha’s widow bites, and more. Tony wants to teach Peter his prosthetics knowledge. They hate each other a little bit and respect each other a lot. Finally, they retrieve the arc reactor blueprints from Stane and get them to Tony. Loki appears at the next Avengers meeting, terrified by the thing Tony has managed to create from the blueprints and his plans to blow up Old Manhattan. [possible christian imagery about God wiping out all life to start over]

Steve tries to reason with Tony and learns he’s the presumed-dead Anthony Stark, who vowed to avenge his family when he was sentenced to death, and who now, doesn’t care who dies as long as every single member of Hydra is wiped out. Steve learns of Tony’s harrowing past and realizes Tony never intended to live through the destruction he has been planning. Steveconvinces Tony to give the Avengers time to evacuate civilians.

Steve barely drags Tony out of the explosion, and limps back home to Brooklyn (the New and Old doesn’t seem so important anymore). The Old Families are dead or destroyed irreparably. There’s nothing to do except rebuild. And he figures Tony’s pretty good at rebuilding things.

TAGS: Alternate Universe: Steampunk, Assumed Character Death, Mental Health Issues, Hurt/Comfort, Violence, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Permanent Injury, Prosthetics(?), POV Multiple, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Torture, Murder, Oh My God What’s Happened to Tony?

VIBES: Steampunk moving slowly and then abruptly into solarpunk; coming of age; tiptoeing around the terrible things that have happened to Tony (or Steve trampling over them); an undercurrent of impotent rage whenever Tony is on-screen; the click of a vintage wind-up toy running throughout the background until it explodes apart under the stress of the key winding it too tightly

COLLAB WISHES: "Someone willing to work with a total newbie to find a workable investment with lots of communication if possible (communication can taper off once a groove is reached probably)" COOL ART OPPORTUNITIES: Peter finding the Stark Family crest; any part of the scene where Tony holds a gun to Steve’s head/shoots at him; Natasha and Clint drugging and stealing from the Stanes; Bucky picking a bullet out of Steve and stitching him back up; Steve trying to convince fully-manic Tony to please not kill everyone; Loki winding up one of the clockwork toys for an audience of children outside the shop; various clockwork toys, the workshop, and mannequins about to become explosives FIC EXCERPTS: Serrure noticed one of the children hovering at the window staring at him as he placed a new set of frogs in the display. He didn’t react immediately, focused on making sure the toys were turned just so, but he was aware, taking stock with his peripheral gaze. The child’s eyes weren’t suspicious, though, merely wide with curiosity, focused on the little metal toys between his fingers. Serrure found himself relaxing, just a little.

He flipped one of the tin keys that wound the toys over his fingers, watching as the boy’s eyes darted down to the quick movement, lips parting in awe as the metal danced back and forth over his knuckles. The children in this area were so easily amused. Serrure pressed the end of the key into the hole at the base of a frog and turned, releasing the toy so it could hop across the display. Through the glass, he could hear the children begin to hoot and cheer, noses pressed flat to the surface as their dancing eyes watched the frog hop-hop-hop, awed sounds dropping from gap-toothed smiles. Serrure couldn’t help but wonder, for a moment, whether or not he’d ever felt even close to the same amount of sheer joy.

“You’re pushing yourself,” the Toy Maker said, voice low with warning.

Serrure waited a beat, watching as the frog’s jumps slowed to a stop so he could place it where he had before. “Wasn’t it you who said that I needed to learn my limits?” he finally asked, turning to glance over his shoulder at him.

The Toy Maker was clearly unimpressed by his argument. “You were just cleared to walk.”

“The toys were finished and ready for display,” Serrure answered, slowly standing up straight. The copper cogs along his back clicked and whirred as his vertebrae shifted, and he paused on a particularly loud click, too afraid to force it. He was also afraid to ask for help after all that had been given to him already. He didn’t want to admit the Toy Maker had been right, either, that he’d been pushing himself too hard. He wasn’t the first person to have brass drilled directly into his bones, but it was the first time for him.

The Toy Maker circled him without a word, sliding his magnifying goggles down as he moved. Serrure listened to the clink and scratch of tinkering behind him, the dull pressure of the metal in his body pressing against dulled nerves as he grit his teeth. The muscles around the locked vertebra began to tense; they would begin spasming soon, and then he’d have to start his recovery from scratch. Perhaps there had been some merit to the ‘go slower than you think you’ll need’ he’d been warned with. Then there was a brief pause, the click of something being reinserted, and Serurre couldn’t help the sigh that came from deep in his belly as the cogs whirred again, finally allowing him to stand straight.

“One of the cog’s teeth bent out of shape,” the Toy Maker said, one hand running the length of the brass implant. “Copper was what I had on hand, but I see now that it wasn’t meant for this sort of work. I’ll replace the cogs once I have a suitable substitute.” He stepped around him, smile crooked in a way that pulled at the scarring around his eye. “And see to it that we can get a shirt. I’m sure I’ll have mothers coming by complaining about my hired help only wearing an apron soon.”

Serurre tipped his head forward in acknowledgement even as he began carefully walking over to the stool behind the counter. His breath came a little heavier, but he didn’t want to admit that he’d overexerted himself. All he’d done was bent to set up a display of clockwork frog toys. It shouldn’t have been so exhausting. He had things he needed to do. He needed to tell his brother the things he’d learned while undercover in one of the Big Houses. Something big was coming. Something worse than factory accidents and abuse in debtors prisons. War zeppelins were on the horizon, and Hydra intended to send them toward their homeland. Asgard needed to prepare.

The Toy Maker stared at him for another long moment, frowning when he received no scathing response. Then he stood up straighter, and even though he was still shorter than Serurre where he was perched upon his stool, his gaze conveyed a weight that he’d never seen on his usually jovial face before. “Serurre, the only reason you are alive right now is because Hydra believes that no one can get to the bottom of the Pit to rescue you. Your spine was effectively shattered. You would have died.”

“…Yes,” Serurre agreed. He swallowed thickly, turning his eyes on the floor. He could still remember the sound of agony from others who had shared his fate, bodies twisted at odd angles in the dark shadows of the pit that forced heart-shivering moans from their lungs. He thought the ones who died as soon as they hit the ground were luckier. “I should have,” he added, glancing up at the Toy Maker from under his lashes.

He still didn’t know how the Toy Maker had made it into the Pit. All he remembered was a hand covering his mouth with a cloth that smelled of lavender and cinnamon to cover the acrid scent of chloroform as the Toy Maker’s gentle voice whispered, “shhh. I will fix you.” Sometimes he thought he remembered other voices murmuring gentle words before the pained moans of his compatriots ended sharply, but he couldn’t tell if that was a nightmare his mind had concocted or not. Sometimes he hoped it was.

[Read excerpts 2 and 3]

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HELLFIRE: RATING: T UNIVERSE: 616 WARNINGS: No Archive Warnings Apply CURRENT FIC LENGTH: 15k ESTIMATED FIC LENGTH: 22k BASIC SUMMARY: Steve moves to Asgard following a personal crisis. Tony goes looking for him and discovers that maybe part of the crisis was a misunderstanding, that both their feelings run deeper than they thought, and that all their big battles are won side by side, together. DETAILED SYNOPSIS: Steve is ambush-interviewed by two student journalists who don’t know Steve is Captain America, and make fun of him. While the video goes viral, Tony and Steve spend a lot of time together. Tony teases Steve about the interview and Steve feels fond about Tony and misses being on a team with him, as they are currently on different teams.

Later, Steve questions what's going on in his life talking with Jan, and Steve admits that his relationship with Sharon isn't what he wants. Steve continues to question his purpose, as working and living again in the mansion with the Emergency Response Avengers is good, but not fulfilling for Steve who longs to do more. He gets a lot of offers, like from the Taskmaster who wants to open a crossfit gym with Steve, but nothing feels right and he has a standing offer from Thor to move to Asgard.

Suddenly, a huge heroic event calls in all Avengers members, even reserve members. The Avengers win the day and they go back to Mansion to celebrate. Steve ends up doing the paperwork for the fight while the Avengers have a party downstairs. The pizza is late, so Tony, who usually brings Steve pizza special as he does the paperwork, doesn't have time to bring pizza up to Steve. Steve finishes paperwork, feeling hurt, comes down and finds everyone having a good time without him, and feels crushed. He leaves. Questioning everything, Steve decides to take up Thor's offer to move to Asgard, breaks up with Sharon permanently, packs up all of his stuff, and goes.

Jan, Carol and Clint ambush Tony and tell him that he has to find and fix Steve; no one knows where Steve went. Sam and Bucky blame the current Avengers for making Steve feel unwanted. Tony finds out that Steve went to Asgard, talks to Thor, and gets directions to the small village that Steve is in charge of. Here, Steve has really improved things for the village-folk. He is already loved and admired and even getting marriage proposals from other Asgardians. Tony stays for a short time, filling in as the village blacksmith. When the village has a great victory over the village-menacing trolls, a celebration happens. Steve and Tony flirt and finally talk. Love confessions turn into sleeping together, but regardless, Steve can't bring himself to go back to earth.

Tony goes back home, listless and awkward with friends, and goes on leave from Carol's Avengers. But when back in New York, Tony realizes that he really needs Steve back home or needs to go home to Steve, right as heroic crisis strikes the city. The Avengers call in everyone, especially Steve.

But, in Asgard, Thor has summoned Steve to his court to reward Steve for good Asgardian work with a title and a permanent place. Steve hesitates. He misses Tony terribly. Then, they get the Avenger’s alert from Earth and join the fight.

The various Avengers teams fight the Big Bad, winning in the end because of Steve. When he sees Tony, Steve misses Tony so much that he decides against returning to Asgard even though Tony says he is willing to move for Steve. They decide that being together is the most important part. Tony quits his Avengers team and moves in with Steve. Steve works on figuring out his purpose on Earth with Tony.

TAGS: 616 canon divergent, mutual pining, midlife crises, angst and humor, personal growth, misunderstandings, Steve Rogers needs a hug, original Avengers, friends, getting together, emotional hurt/comfort

VIBES: modern rom/com but involving super heroes, people in their early 30s figuring out how they really want to spend the rest of their lives (urban superheroes living in a superhero world with superhero friends); the main friends are based around the original avengers team, so many dinner dates and tender yearning

COLLAB WISHES: "I'm good with any level collab; am open to changing things in the story in order to facilitate art!" COOL ART OPPORTUNITIES: Steve and Tony cuddling up in Steve's room in an Asgard village, Steve being interviewed by student journalists, Steve arriving in the middle of the Avengers party in his uniform to get pizza and feeling used and rejected, Steve and Tony having dinner together and hanging out in New York, big superhero battles! FIC EXCERPT: If you asked people what Captain America did during the day, the answer probably would be fighting bad guy and/or working out, maybe riding a cool motorcycle. The reality was less interesting. What Steve actually was do lunch. All lot. With lots of people. It was going to be tricky to fit Clint into the schedule in less than two weeks. Steve sipped his coffee and contemplated schedule tetris to fit Clint in.

Good thing Tony only meet for dinner. Not that Steve would ever change a lunch date with Tony or a dinner date either. If only they were real dates …

“Excuse me?” a guy asked Steve.

Steve looked up from his phone at a scruffy guy with a microphone, with an guy with a camera standing slightly behind him. Reporters. He resisted the sigh. “Yes?”

He motioned for Steve to stand up and Steve obliged. “Okay. Just a short person-on-the-street interview. If-you-don’t-say-anything-then-you-consent-to-being-filmed,” the guy rushed. He waited a nano-second for Steve to bail. He leaned the microphone towards Steve who barely had time to close his phone screen down. “Native New Yorker or a transplant?”

Oh. The interviewer had no idea who Steve was. Steve glanced at the cameraman, who also had not clocked Steve either.

“Native,” Steve replied brightly. He couldn’t see any press pass or indication of what station they were representing. At least they weren’t Bugle guys.

“What is a hidden gem people need to see when they visit New York?”

“Paley Park.”

“Why?”

“It has a waterfall in New York. It’s not a far walk from here – 5th to East 53rd Street.” Steve waved in the general direction.

“Favorite Tourist Place?”

“Ellis Island. Lots of history and you can spend a lot of time there.” Steve wondered how long the interview was going to be.

“Name your favorite superhero headquarters?”

Steve looked over at the cameraman, who was only looking through the lens of his camera. They really didn’t know, did they? “Avengers Mansion.” He was always honest, the Mansion had always been his favorite.

Then the reporter asked, “So you’re an Avengers fan, name any Avengers.”

Steve actually froze. He of course knew all the current members but the first names that swam up in his brain were. Iron Man. Wasp. Thor. Ant-Man. The original team. But he didn’t want to offend anyone by leaving off their names. “Which team?”

The interviewer laughed. “Right. Any team you want to name.”

“First team – Iron Man, Wasp, Ant-man, Thor and Captain America,” Steve rattled off. Politic to stick with that line-up. Maybe a bit nostalgic. “Can’t go wrong with the classics,” he added with one of his brightest PR smiles.

“Thanks,” the reporter said. “Check out my Instagram reel in an hour or two for the interview.”

Steve blinked a couple of times as the reporter folded up his microphone and turned away. Then he heard the cameraman say quietly to the reporter as they walked away, “Okay, that's enough middle aged guys, now. They're always happy to yap on and on and just hog the video. Thank god we didn’t ask about WWII. We need to see if we can't find some women to balance it out. Then we can hand in the assignment. Hey – look – let's try that group of girls over there, they look touristy.”

Oh, student reporters, that was what that was. From Empire State. Well that explained the lack of logos and the very basic interview questions. But Steve was not middle-aged. He was only in his early 30s, that was not middle age at all. And he never went on and on about WWII.

~~~~~

Tony was the first to call him about the video after it was published: “How did you manage to keep a straight face?”

---

INCURSION: RATING: E UNIVERSE: MCU WARNINGS: No Archive Warnings Apply CURRENT FIC LENGTH: 35K ESTIMATED FIC LENGTH: 50K BASIC SUMMARY: Rock star AU: Steve, a closeted rising folk singer, meets mega rock star Tony Stark and promptly falls for him, but a misunderstanding have them break up until public confession through dramatic love songs eventually brings them back together DETAILED SYNOPSIS: Tony is a 31yo flamboyant rock icon (think Prince, but leather, lace and irreverent rock & roll and never love songs), in a band he formed at MIT. Steve is a 31yo rising folk singer and a military vet. He’s also in the closet, dealing with anxiety and internalized homophobia which takes the form of the nagging voice of his dead father, who was a violent, homophobic alcoholic. Tony takes an interest in Steve and they connect during a music festival: Steve assists with a soundcheck, they jam with their bands backstage, and eventually perform one of Steve’s songs, a duet, during Tony’s show. It’s a huge hit. They start spending time in Tony’s mansion and studio to collaborate. Steve pines. During Tony’s world tour afterparty, Steve gets drunk and tries to kiss Tony, who pushes him back. The humiliation and the alcohol makes Steve sick, and he’s sure he’s ruined everything. But no, Tony calls him the next day and they bond at Tony’s race track – it turns out Steve is a speed junky on his Hayabusa motorcycle and Tony finances an F1 team. They finally sleep together.  They make music and have sex (phone sex when Steve is touring). Steve is still working on his internalized homophobia. He loves Tony, but believes it’s probably unrequited. Tony gives him a love song for his LP through an alias and sings longing blues standards when they’re together, both of which Steve seriously downplays. Peggy, Steve’s ex, comes to visit one day, and Steve ushers Tony out of his apartment in a panic. He goes to Tony later, but sees him with a woman and thinks Tony jumped into bed with anyone else at the first opportunity. Maybe Tony was cheating all along and Steve was nothing special. The “break up" is harsh – Steve lashes out, leaves to tour Europe and blocks Tony everywhere. Steve takes steps towards accepting his queerness, and eventually goes to therapy (offscreen). He reads about how Tony is sleeping around/spiraling and feels relieved he escaped his thrall. 

Weeks/months later, at an awards show, Steve realizes the woman he saw with Tony was his agent, Pepper, who is clearly mad at Steve. Tony sings a heartfelt love song that is so clearly about them – and how he doesn’t love ‘you’ anymore – that Steve feels terrible. He got it all wrong and it sounds like he broke Tony’s heart. 

Steve apologizes but Tony doesn’t seem to care: Steve blew his chance, Tony has moved on and even seems to have a girlfriend. Steve comes out in interviews and writes songs about his regret, knowing he can’t ask to be back in Tony’s life. Tony confronts him eventually, admitting he still has feelings, too, but needs time. Eventually they get back together.

TAGS: alternate universe, rock star Tony, folk singer Steve, pansexual Tony, gay Steve, internalized homophobia, anxiety, excessive drinking, sick from alcohol, mutual pining, jealous Steve, speeding, misunderstandings, breaking up, love confession through songs, getting back together, happy ending, explicit sex, blowjobs, anal sex, phone/video sex, the characters switch top/bottom dynamics

VIBES: Steve has issues and he knows it; he falls in lust with Tony and in love very soon after; Tony is assumed in in his Rock Star Persona™ – and likes playing with gender expression, but he mostly hides his romantic side; Tony the musician is a talented guitarist and more; he's also still very much an engineer, with JARVIS now used for music; mutual pining and obliviousness; Tony does the most dramatic scene in front of the world when he finally expresses his feelings and broken heart; they are both idiots but finally get it right

COLLAB WISHES: I love exchanges with artists, and will be a cheerleader and hype person during the process (as little or as much as the person wants!). I am open to tweaking details of the story, like costumes or settings, to make it more fun for the artist. COOL ART OPPORTUNITIES: Both Steve and Tony doing shows, including one duet on stage (Steve is basic shirt and jeans for looks, but Tony has a series of costume: sleeveless corset and leather pants; shirtless and leather pants; a booty shorts, crop top and high boots combo; white lace and silk costume… more could be added! Also in his 'regular' clothes for his dramatic song). Both of them playing guitar while at home, for Tony sometimes in bed. Sex and cuddling scenes. Steve racing his sports motorcycle, or the both of them riding together on it. FIC EXCERPT: Along the way to their dressing room, passing the bar and the food counters, they're met with enthusiastic high fives and pats on the back by artists and the behind the scene people both. It's as if Steve is walking on clouds, surfing on the adrenaline of their set and he believes his smile might get permanently stuck to his face.

Once they are in their little tent, lit by stings of fairy lights, Steve turns towards Nat and Scott and a whoop of joy bursts out of his chest as he pumps a fist in the air. They all burst out laughing and next they're hugging each other.

"Oh my god, that was amazing!" Scott exclaims. "Did you see that crowd?"

"I know, right? I know they weren't all here for us—" Steve is cut-off by Nat, who pushes on his chest playfully.

"That blonde in the first row was here for you for sure!"

It makes Steve snort-laugh; he knows exactly who Nat is talking about. Her "Steve Rogers, will you marry me?" sign wasn't ambiguous, that's true. He can't believe things like that are happening to him now. A year and a half ago, he was just a regular joe, fresh out of the Special Forces and self-publishing his first song on the net just for fun.

The flap of their tent opens as Sam and Joaquin step in, just as hyped as they are.

"Congratulations guys!" Sam exclaims, clasping Steve's hand and bringing him into a hug. "I knew you'd crush this!"

To be honest, when Sam, newly minted as Steve's agent, had told Steve they'd gotten this festival's offer six months ago, he'd been terrified. He's so glad they decided to come.

Joaquin has his phone out, recording or taking pictures, as always. The constant scrutiny used to get on Steve's nerves, but Joaquin is a great social media manager. He has earned Steve's trust and never published any content that isn't stage pics or vids without checking with Sam or the group first.

"They've told us the crowd was at 50 thousand people when you began your set!" Joaquin says. "And they loved you! I have insane pics, it's hard not to publish them all at once. Instagram is on fire."

"Wow, 50 K!" Scott fetches a six-pack of beer from the mini-fridge and starts distributing them. "People kept coming in, too!"

"Yeah, it's probably going up to 80 K for ((add artist here))!"

Steve downs a few swallows as they take that in. Eighty thousand people. He's not sure he's ever been in such a big crowd before, and certainly not in front of it. Steve was so nervous when he got on the stage that he thought he would be sick, but once the music kicked in everything went well. Scott and Nat had his back, and the crowd was so welcoming.

"They knew the words," Steve marvels out loud. He expected it for the covers of Born to Run and Like a Rolling Stone that he used to fill the fifty minutes he was allocated as an opening act. Getting approval for those was exciting enough. But for his own songs? A few that were released not even three months ago? It was a surprise.

Joaquin grins. "I told you the fans were buzzing. A lot traveled to come and see you."

A blond woman in a black tank top and jeans enters the tent as Joaquin is talking, drawing their attention. She has her phone up, recording, and Steve bristles at the intrusion.

"Knock, knock!" she says playfully. "Sorry to barge in, but my boss is a diva and he demands to talk to Steve."

Sam's smiling, head tilted, but Steve knows he's working on staying polite, as they all are. "Okay… And you are?"

She grins back, unapologetic. "Carol Danvers. Personal assistant slash security slash whatever is needed. Romanov knows me, yeah?" Nat nods, just as Carol shoves her phone at Steve, who grabs it by reflex. "There you go."

He's about to protest but he looks down at the screen and blinks. The guy on the screen has tousled black hair, big doe eyes, and a million-dollar smile.

He's absolutely gorgeous and immediately the devil on Steve's shoulder that sounds like his violently homophobic father barks Get a grip.

"Hi Steve! Forgive Carol, she has no manners. But I have to give it to her, she gets the job done."

Steve blinks again, and almost drops the phone when realization hits him like a two by four between the eyes. It is Tony Fucking Stark, the biggest rock star on the planet.

"Oh. Hello. Erm. Hi," he stupidly adds and the mortification makes his cheek heat up. "Mister Stark, it's an honor."

"Tony St-?" Scott all but squeaks before Nat puts her hand over his mouth, shushing him.

"Call me Tony, please," he says with a chuckle and Jesus, and if Steve's knees almost go weak, no one has to know, not even his father that is surely roasting in hell. Still, no one should have the right to be that sexy. "I loved your set! I'm really bummed I couldn't be there to see it in person."

"You watched our set?" Steve is going from one shocking revelation to the next. Tony Stark saw them play?

"Yeah, I asked Carol to livestream it for me. I'm on my way from Germany."

True, Tony Stark is the headliner for tomorrow's show, the biggest name of Quebec's festival this year. But the notion that he wanted to see Steve play? He can barely wrap his head around it.

"I'm thrilled you liked it, thank you so much."

Tony nods. "It was great. Hey, are you guys still there tomorrow? I'd love to meet you."

"Yes," Steve blurts out.

[Read excerpts 2 and 3]

---

JOCASTA: RATING: M UNIVERSE: AA, MCU WARNINGS: No Archive Warnings Apply CURRENT FIC LENGTH: 26k ESTIMATED FIC LENGTH: 45k BASIC SUMMARY: MCU Tony begins dreaming of himself in a happier, softer universe, with a Steve that loves him, and the longer he spends dreaming, the more it seems like the dream world is actually the real world where he belongs, instead of his own. DETAILED SYNOPSIS: Post-Infinity War, Post-canon AA

AA Tony and MCU Tony are two of the same. They share the same consciousness, but their lives are insurmountably different -- these two timelines are split and the AA universe is good and the MCU one is the nightmare. Both Tonys see their own universes as real and the other as dreams/nightmares; so whenever AA Tony wakes up, MCU Tony is asleep, and vice versa.

Normally, these universes are never ever supposed to interact, but after AA Tony’s longer and longer bouts of passing out, his Steve starts to get worried, and looks into what's happening. He figures out that both universes rely on Tony to exist and both will eventually break apart or cease to exist if he doesn't stick to one or the other.

Throughout all of this, MCU Tony starts to dream more and spend more time with AA Steve, and Tony very openly rejects and hates his original MCU universe and all the ill-will and horrors that exist for him there. AA Steve and MCU Tony in his dreams get closer and closer. Tony is shamefully in love with him. And Steve, likewise, loves him. He tries to save Tony from these nightmares in any way possible, so enters into Other-Tony's world by magical means.

They meet up joyfully, but MCU Steve confronts them as they are making out. AA Steve is afraid his other self will try to take Tony away and keep him from the other universe, thus destroying the AA universe, so he angrily takes Tony back to the original AA universe, fighting the Avengers off while protecting Tony. But without Tony in MCU, the universe starts to collapse.

MCU Avengers try to get their Tony back so their don’t disappear forever -- but they fail because Tony chooses to stay with AA Steve, making the entire universe fall apart. Afterwards, Tony breaths a sigh of relief and lives happily and peacefully in AA, no longer split between worlds, loved and safe.

TAGS: avengers assemble/marvel cinematic universe cross, mulitversal travel, post-canon fuckery, canon divergence - post-infinity war, , not team cap friendly, (aa) steve rogers loves tony stark, dreams, mulitversal dreams, (AA) established relationship, (MCU) toxic relationship, pov switching, angst with a happy ending, Tony Stark-Centric, Tony angst, Tony needs a hug, not mcu steve friendly, other avengers, somewhat of a fix-it

VIBES: doubtful happiness, multiversal parallels, decisions, love reflected by it's absence, large amounts of tony thinking about literally everything and especially steve, split themes, quick and snappy to long inner monologues, there's a lot of sappiness between aa stevetony and aa steve and mcu tony, lots of visceral hatred in mcu tony's heart, god bless, AA tony really fun and positive, has a good outlook on life., MCU tony sort of shitty, everything sucks and you're here along for the ride with tony and his crippling depression world, the realization that everything is fucked beyond belief so you give it up for a better life and happiness with people who actually love you, fellas is it gay to cheat on your ex-crush with the better version of him from your dreamworld, god they're so gay, aa stevetony being the greatest couple of all time as usual, mcu stevetony... not so much, tony is going through it, it's ok, steve will save him., mcu "i hate everything" tony, and aa "it'll all be ok!" tony, aa steve is the greatest husband of all time, he might kill mcu steve on sight though

COLLAB WISHES: "i'm okay with any sort of communication! just as long as we are both on the same page every step of the way. someone who knows a lot about aa & the mcu and can draw them both canon-accurately so they're individually different and identifiable would be fabulous" COOL ART OPPORTUNITIES: there's many dramatic points where tony passes out, mcu tony/aa steve kissing/cuddling spending time together, some cool parallels with both universes, when aa steve and mcu tony finally meet, aa steve being protective of his tonys (some of this can be up to artist interpretation!) FIC EXCERPT: Steve looked down at him, his face turning into a fake-frown, hiding something malicious. “Why are you acting as if I’ve done something wrong to you, Tony?” Steve asked, confusion on his face. Tony hated it. “I am trying to help this team, and you? you’re being difficult.”

Oh, Steven Grant Fucking Rogers and his stubbornness over not violating the fucking geneva conventions is not getting on his ass for being “Stubborn.” Tony was going to lose it. Genuinely, he will. If this wasn’t the point of no return, then he doesn’t know what is. Is it death? Freedom? Steve recognizing his mistakes instead of having an olympic sized stick up his ass all the time? Tony honestly felt vindicated, He really was just a dick the entire time.

Tony snapped, grinning at him, manic, downright exhausted. “Steve, you and your murder-bestie left me to fucking die in Siberia and you want me to trust you when you say you’re trying to HELP ME?????” Tony tried his best to make his face look like that of a deranged man, because that, in this moment, is what he truly, honestly felt like.

Steve had never wanted to help. Maybe this was just one of his father’s tricks all along. The whole abusive father who’s far from the grave ol’ manipulation. Tony just wanted to scream, because the fact that it honestly wouldn’t even be farfetched scared him more than dying ever could.

“I just want to talk to you, Tony.” He said. Tony just looked up at him, disbelieving. It’s a lie. “Why do you only want to communicate when you’ve made it clear you only come to me to complain?” Tony asked. Steve always complained. When was the last time they talked as coworkers? Colleagues? In any semblance of normal conversation besides berating him?

Steve bit his lip, averting his gaze to the dreary, grey cloudy world outside. He looked hurt. Good. Tony thought. Take the man down a peg.

Tony had thought about the times before Ultron when he, Steve and Thor were joking in the elevator. It was such a short time compared to then and now that Tony had to wonder what changed so quickly that they’d stop being that way in the first place.

Tony knew the answer was obvious, Ultron. But now, Tony looked back to the past and wondered if they were even friends.

Tony just scoffs at Steve, no longer surprised by his response. “Typical.”

“I hate you.” Tony spat. Steve’s eyes flicked back at him in surprise, but Tony just looked at him, manic and desperate so he’d be sure to believe it. He ruffled his messy hair, combing it back into place between his frantic fingers. It really only made it messier.

A part of him wanted to prove to Steve that he actually cared. The other part of him wanted to run away into other-Steve’s arms.

Steve spoke again, small. “That’s not true,” Tony just rolled his eyes. He honestly didn’t even know what he expected. An apology? What was this, a damn youtube drama? Steve wouldn’t even apologize if the world depended on it.

“I hate you. You know why I hate you, Steve? Because you do this bullshit and then have to make me think about letting the man who left me to die stay in my own fucking house and then you know what i do? I choose to let him and his friends live here because if i don’t you guys don’t have any fucking where to go and i’d hate myself more if you didn’t have some place to stay so GOD FORBID–” Tony sobbed, a hiccup coming up from his throat. Tony didn’t even know he started crying. Tony hated himself for doing it. His other side didn’t because it proved something.

Tony just looked down at the floor rubbing his eyes, trying not to sob again. “Steve, every time we have an argument, I consider kicking everyone out. You are usually the main reason. I don’t keep you all here because I have to, I do it because I still care about this team. I trust everywhere here enough to stay. Your behavior puts everyone else at risk. It’s funny, none of you seem to care about that. Or me, for that matter. Have you ever thought about that, Steve? The fact that your teammates could be homeless because you don’t care?” Tony asked, staring at him dead in the eyes. He blinked his tears away, not wanting to start a crying fit.

Steve looked at him, somber and defeated. He averts his eyes and says nothing.

Ignorance is bliss, Tony supposes.

Tony walks to the other side of the kitchen and opens the microwave door, slamming it and grabbing his leftovers. He puts his soda can in his arms and leaves in silence, choosing to eat his second lunch alone in his room.

Whenever Tony closed his eyes, he hated remembering how different this all went in his dreams. Always, there’s a longing to fix what has already been broken – but Tony looked past it and saw there was nothing to fix. He couldn’t mend this.

In the end, Tony just cried himself to sleep. In the other world, he always could.

[Read excerpts 2 and 3]