god bless the child that's got his own

[unfitforsociety]

Avengers

Many of these have spoilers for the movie and they're not necessarily marked, so caveat lector.

and make it seem effortless by daisysusan
It's nice, though, having him around. He and Tony get along well—and lord knows Tony needs a friend who can keep up with him intellectually that he didn't create for himself out of code—but he's also just a smart, kind, genuinely interesting person whose company Pepper enjoys.

She's not sure how it goes from the three of them watching movies one or twice a month to—whatever it is now, but obviously it does. Quiet, sweet post-movie Tony/Pepper/Bruce.

Any Way I Do by MissJeeves
Natasha heads back to the field, sneaking off to lie to someone or get lies out of someone, or lie about lies, all that fun lying stuff.

Tony sneaks into her bathroom and takes copious advantage of her skincare products. She doesn't pay rent, so technically she owes him. Pepper told everyone the one time he used hers. Thor didn't understand, but Steve, Clint, and Bruce thought it was hilarious and amused themselves impugning his masculinity for the rest of the day.

He finds the object next to the sink: a single gold ring hooked over the tail of tiny silver cat figurine. Weird. Natasha doesn't wear much jewelry unless her cover requires it. Once she tried to garrote Tony with a necklace, though, so he's okay with it. Clint and Natasha secretly get married. Tony is, well, Tony when he finds out. Hilarity ensues.

Avengers Dissemble by spuffyduds
Tiny perfect slice of post-movie heart-clenchiness.

Before The Sun Starts To Burn by listedheart
Highly enjoyable AU noir detective story with Peggy Carter as our fearless detective, Darcy as her snarky assistant, and Steve and Bucky as the last two honest cops in town.

Body to Body by quigonejinn
Steve gets along with skinny artistic kids, having been one himself. Really lovely story of Steve settling into life in the 21 c. after the movie, and maybe striking up a romance with Pepper (and a friendship with Natasha). Also, Steve Rogers: accidental hipster is totally happening here. <3

Bouncing Baby Sniper by vain_glorious
Clint Barton is Peggy Carter's grandson. Full of "Oh, Steve" and a lovely Steve-Natasha relationship.

easy ready willing overtime by lanyon
Bucky and Darcy being all bantery and smoldery at each other! <3

Every Friday After the War by ignipes
"We, uh." The agent pauses and clears his throat. He's young and round-faced and he's doing a terrible job hiding how nervous he is, and Steve fully expects the next thing out of his mouth to be there's more aliens, sir, and this time they've got it in for the Bronx. But what he says is, "We can't find Agent Barton."

"Is that so?" Fury asks mildly.

The agent's face colors in two bright spots on his cheeks. "No, sir. I mean, yes, sir. He's supposed to be under observation, and there's been no perimeter breach that we can detect, but we're still looking, and he kept demanding to be told--"

"I know what he wants to know," Fury says. "Agent Jefferson, if Barton doesn't want to be found, you're sure as hell not going to find him. Go back to whatever you're supposed to be doing. I'll take care of it." Steve and Clint have a conversation in the aftermath of the movie. Oh, my heart.

fade in on a girl by waketosleep
Really good, unsentimental look at Natasha's backstory.

Fifteen Short Stories About Teamwork by BlackEyedGirl
Truthfully, Tony didn't invite any of them here but Bruce, and that was mostly because Bruce had nowhere else to go. The part of it that wasn't about that was because Tony needs company sometimes and needs solitude the rest of the time and Bruce understands both of those things. The others don't, always. Tony might have invited them anyway, because the only other place that Clint and Natasha live is SHIELD and that's too depressing to think about, Steve still doesn't like to spend money on himself so his apartment is barren, and Thor's other residence is in another world altogether.

It probably worked out better this way. If Tony had actually invited them, they most likely wouldn't have come. What it says on the tin. ♥TEAM♥ I especially like all the Natasha bits.

for a moment's rest by seularen
Bruce, discovering that people actually do care about him, post-movie.

Four Times It Was Bruce's Fault and One Time It Was Tony's by mara
Everybody who's dealt with Bruce Banner for more than five minutes and isn't a moron knows that Bruce is a genius. Y'know, really really really goddamn smart. Almost as smart as Tony. And once they've been around a while, they figure out that Bruce is quietly a super funny guy.

But what most people don't realize about Bruce is that he's absolutely fucking devious. Tony loves that about him. Most of the time. Exactly what it says on the tin. SCIENCE BROS ARE THE BEST BROS. This is adorable and hilarious.

Frankie Says Relax by kellifer_fic
Steve hires Darcy to help answer his fanmail and her involvement with the Avengers kind of snowballs from there. Adorable, with bonus Clint/Darcy.

fubar by waldorph
Sometimes, to cry, to scream, you need to stand in the middle of a thunderstorm and let the rain mix with your tears and the thunder mute your voice. And sometimes, to shake apart, you need to live in an apartment that stays only barely above freezing.

Here, in this small apartment, he can sit by the fire and shiver in the cold. He can shake apart and hold up his frostbitten fingers as proof that he's not trembling.

She just packs extra layers and drinks a lot of coffee. When he wants to know why there's never any coffee when he looks she tells him it will stunt his growth. Natasha takes Clint to Russia to mourn and heal after the movie. Nicely sharp yet empathetic Natasha POV.

Godspeed, Tony Stark by lordessrenegade
"Something tells me that ten year old me wouldn't think that was a very good excuse."

"Ten year old you didn't save the world today." Bruce smiled, looking at Tony out of the corner of his eye. "I'm not saying he never did, because it wouldn't surprise me in the least. But today? He doesn't get an opinion." Tony & Bruce, geeking out over Tony's little trip at the end of the movie. Oh, heart.

got fourteen angels by recessional
Clint and Natasha deal (or not) with what happened in the movie. Lovely. And the sequel: far from here we are all right. In which Natasha recruits Betty Ross as a way of neutralizing the hulk.

The Hammer and The Ice by grav_ity
Short, highly stylized AU in which Jane is the one Loki commandeers instead of Erik. Lovely.

He shall, from time to time… by laylee
Bucky's having a hard time sticking to one language and he's afraid it means he could just revert back to being Winter Soldier at any moment. Steve and Natasha try to help in their own ways.

help I'm alive (my heart keeps beating) by latenightcuppa
"I thought it would be different. Berlin, I mean. I thought that it would be so different that I wouldn't find my way."

"1961 was the first time I was here," Natasha says. "It's remade itself many times over since then but there's still so much of the Berlin I used to know that I never get lost."

"You don't strike me as the kind of woman who gets lost all that often, Natasha," Steve says.

She laughs. "You'd be surprised," she says, and they both know she's not quite talking about geography. Steve and Natasha share a lovely, quiet moment.

the hip and the dead by hollimichele
Steve Rogers: accidental hipster taken to its logical, and wistfully funny conclusion. <3 <3 <3

In Colder Weather by zeen
"...You realize that in this universe, time-travel is entirely possible, right?"

Tony's being sarcastic again, and Steve knows, now, that the best way to deal with Tony's moods is to smile and nod, and wait until it passes.

"Hey," Tony says, in a softer voice. "You could see her again."

Steve opens his mouth to say no, it would be irresponsible (irresistible) to do anything like that, but then the alert goes off and soon the New York skyline is choked with fast-falling alien debris, like snow but far more horrible, and there's no time left for wistfulness. Steve manages to finally make his date with Peggy. *sobs*

It Starts Out Like an A-Word (As Anyone Can See) by Amy
But the superheroes aren't there for the letter of the day- or the number, either, since there aren't twelve of them. They're just visiting to help everyone fix the buildings on Sesame Street after the big incident last week, because everyone knows that if you shared in making the mess you should share in cleaning it up, even if it was an accident.

Elmo saw them on TV, and they're just like he expected. All of them are brave and strong and nice- well, most of them are nice, at least- and they really do wear their costumes even when they're just walking around helping, which Elmo will point out the next time Oscar asks why Grover is wearing a cape if he isn't even leaving Sesame Street. OH MY HEART. The Avengers visit Sesame Street. <3 <3 <3

It's Not Official Until It's Facebook Official by redbrunja
Adorable Clint/Darcy from his POV. (really needs a good beta, though)

Knit 1, Purl 2, Save The World (Again) by katemonkey
The Avengers stitch and bitch. Adorable. <3

Life Outside that Will Persist in Entering by mumblemutter
Tony and Pepper slowly introduce Bruce into their relationship. Oh heart.

Luceat by dsudis
Steve puts his artistic skills to good use post-movie (spoilers, obv.). Oh, heart.

Memorabilia by smilebackwards
Steve feels bad about what happened to Coulson's cards, so he tries to replicate the set. Aw, Steve. This is lovely.

Moving The Furniture by copperbadge
Steve's not looking for a commitment. Natasha is happy to oblige. Really lovely first time for him with her.

Power by AccursedSpatula
Steve likes to be held down and manhandled during sex, but since the serum, he's been stronger than everyone he meets. Except Thor. Who, once he figures out what Steve wants, is happy to oblige him. Ridiculously hot. Oh, Steve.

Practical Mathematics by Grey_Bard
"I'm sorry, for some reason I wasn't expecting a definition of inexperience that included your girlfriend, your 'best friend' and eight chorus girls at once," Tony cracked. Steve's got a very conditional definition of virginity. Even Tony's a little scandalized. Hilarious. Also, Steve/the USO ladies FTW.

R&R by goseaward
Adorable Bruce & Tony: SCIENCE BROS story in which there are lasers, water balloons and all manner of science geekery and team bonding. <3

A Reasonable Conclusion by thebratqueen
When Bruce asks to see the arc reactor, he doesn't expect Tony to strip off his shirt and proposition him. Oh, Tony. Oh, Bruce. This is hilarious and lovely.

Resurgam by lanyon
Steve wants to deliver Coulson's signed cards to the cellist. The others humor him. Steve's loneliness and grief is palpable here, and achingly lovely, with the ghosts of Bucky and Peggy and everything he's lost permeating everything. And then the ending! Steve has NO IDEA what's coming, but hopefully it will eventually be something good. You know, after the deprogramming etc.

Sketches by spockside
"I used to mess around, drawing," he told her. "Now that I have a little time in between invasions, I thought I might take it up again."

"That is - really good," said Pepper, leaning over to examine the sketch more closely.

"I hear you know something about art."

"Something," she said absently. "Mostly modern art. Did you study anywhere?"

"Nope," Steve said. "I got books from the library, mostly."

"You know, you could probably take classes, if you're interested."

Steve was definitely interested. Adorable! Steve asks each of the Avengers to pose nude for him so he can ace his art class. And the ending made me so happy! *heart*

The Sky and Everything Beneath It by jibrailis
Steve goes on a road trip and the Avengers eventually become a team. Oh Steve. Oh my heart. *sniffle*

Stress Testing by icarus_chained
Because Tony was an engineer, wasn't he, the way Bruce was a scientist, and that was the way his mind worked. And people mightn't see it, might only see the swagger and the charm, insouciant and challenging, the way everyone looked at Bruce and saw the Hulk, but that wasn't what they were. That wasn't them. Bruce figures some things out about Tony. Quiet, feels true.

Subject to Change by Pervyficgirl
Natasha was entirely too old for crushes.

But she did enjoy watching Steve work, and it was a skill set that she was treated to far more often than she had been before the invasion. Because before the invasion, he'd stayed in his S.H.I.E.L.D. funded apartment and pounded away at the punching bags, growing angrier and angrier that they wouldn't punch him back.

It was almost hard to believe that, with the amount of enthusiasm he put into a good sparring match. So much so that it was easy not to be resentful when he grinned at her after their match without so much as a slight increase in breathing rate. Natasha and her various lunch dates. I liked this post-movie look at her and the others, and especially her burgeoning relationship with Steve.

suffer a sea change by ignipes
Bruce and Tony have a surprisingly heartfelt conversation during a barbecue. Plus, excellent thumbnail characterizations of everyone else. I draw a million sparkly hearts around this story.

To Be Modified As Necessary by ignipes
"My point is," Steve says, "we have a grand total of ten dead parents between us, and somehow all of us manage to fight evil every day without once being tempted to dress up like a bat."

Tony picks up the soldering iron again. "I'm not sure you're in any position to mock anybody else's costume choices," he says. "You never know--"

Then he stops, narrows his eyes, and looks at Steve carefully. Teaminess! That is by turns hilarious and heartbreaking.

Tromso? by seren_ccd
Short, sweet post-movie Darcy/Coulson.

the way out is through by Nokomis
"You should fight Nat, then," Clint pants. He doesn't have superhuman stamina, and the sparring has lasted long enough that he's lying on his back on the mats, staring at the rafters. "She could teach your bullies a thing or two about how to fight dirty."

Steve gives her that wholesome, all-American grin that was plastered on trading cards and recruiting posters. "I don't doubt it. You kind of remind me of my girl, you know."

Natasha raises an eyebrow, and Clint snorts. "You've never known any girls like her, I promise."

"Peggy Carter," Steve says dreamily. "She once shot at me. Claimed it was to test my shield, but we both knew better than that." Natasha and Clint try to fit themselves into the Avengers. Lovely.

well, let the drum beat drop by jonesandashes & pollyrepeat
The less said about awkward team dinner number five, the better. Suffice it to say, it involves a puff pastry danish, a dark alley in Prague, three wisdom teeth and a toe bone, Spanish assassins, a plaster bull, a real live bull, Nazi treasure, awkward, stilted bonding over tragic pasts while trapped in a drain pipe, and sixteen hours Tony will never get back and does not want to think about, thankyouverymuch. And a whole lot of drinking?

Just, like. Not enough. Just really not enough drinking. Hee! This is adorable. Awkward Avengers mealtime rituals.

When She Walks, The Revolution's Coming by liseuse
aka, that time Natasha went undercover as the lead singer in a punk band.

While All the World's Asleep by lordessrenegade
Pepper and Coulson don't go directly to LGA after that scene in the movie. She and Tony help him unwind first. Lovely and snarky and believable.

With Eyes Open by sinuous_curve
Thor smoothes his hand up Steve's side and plants his palm on Steve's shoulder. Steve shivers, a little. He's so strong now, ever since Erskine's serum, but he's nothing compared to Thor. Not big, not strong, not sure, and it probably says something about him that he's missed being the little guy, a little bit. hot, sweet Steve/Thor.

the world will be alright by siehn
Sweetly schmoopy Steve/Bucky.

you need a rock not a rolling stone by topaz
Really excellent Darcy/Clint that takes its time hooking them up and allows Darcy's relationships with the other Avengers to grow organically; I especially like her friendship with Steve and Pepper, and Clint's with Natasha and Coulson.

You're just another entry in the ledger, but you get the most ink by seriousfic
"What are you doing here, Widow?" he called out to the shadows.

The shadows answered "I don't sleep."

He knew. Mother Russia's idea. She didn't get tired. Didn't sweat. Didn't age. Could quote the Communist Manifesto in its entirety. All that, and people had still had to line up for bread.

"So you decided to watch me sleep."

"You're not sleeping," she retorted. Natasha watches over Clint in the days following the events of the movie.

~*~