i inhale your presence still

X-Men First Class

The Emperor's New Clothes by ignipes
It's remarkably difficult to entice new soldiers to their just and righteous cause of mutant supremacy when the only thing the potential recruits can think throughout the course of the conversation is, "I'm just not sure I can follow somebody who wears a silly cape – oh, shit, I hope the telepath didn't hear that." Hee! Emma and Raven conspire to get Erik to make less ridiculous sartorial choices.

Synthesis (Scenes from an AU) by starlady
Lovely, understated AU in which Magneto comes back to Westchester to help run the school. Thinking that there's no problem with the Professor and Magneto being together, and saying so, quickly becomes a kind of litmus test: at the school, among mutants, "normal," human social rules don't apply. The Professor would hate that line of thinking, of course, but few of the new pupils--who seem, as Erik says to Charles many times, to get younger and softer as the years pass--have the temerity to say so right off the bat, particularly not to their older classmates, who are almost always the first people like them that they've ever known. Those who keep that thought to themselves, or who do have problems with two men being, for all intents and purposes, married, generally decide that there are bigger things to worry about by graduation.

Time to Grow by zarah5
Really wonderful AU in which Charles and Erik slowly find some middle ground between them.

Try, Try Again by [anonymous]
Erik is forced to relive the day on the beach over and over until he gets it right. I do love a good Groundhog day story.

~*~

you say you want your love to work out right

Crossovers

Thor/Iron Man

Just Temporary, Ma'am by sutlers

"You're my date?"

"It's not a date," Clint said carefully, as if he'd been coached.

"Uh-huh."

"It's a morale-boosting experience," he added, making Darcy pause where she was scooping her bag off the floor to stare at him. There was the beginning of a shit-eating grin flirting around the corners of his mouth.

"That makes it sound like you're being whored out to me," she said finally.

"All undercover SHIELD operatives receive extensive rentboy training."

"Are you expected to spend a lot of time lying back and thinking of America?"

"That's more Steve's style."

"Yeah, all right, I'm not touching that one," Darcy said, shouldering her bag. She took another look at Clint and decided she probably wouldn't mind if he were being whored out to her, hypothetically: after a college career dating three economics majors, an engineer, and a future master of public policy, his biceps looked pretty good. So did his ass. But that wasn't the point.

fake dating + Darcy = AWESOME

~*~

Pushing Daisies/The Middleman

Kiki's Confitures by innie_darling
Pitch-perfect Pushing Daisies story with a cameo by a Middleman character. Funny, sweet, and full of heart. Plus luscious descriptions of pie and ice cream.

~*~

and the moon in their tousled hair

Community

Fundamentals of Chemistry by fearlessfan
Really quiet and lovely s1 Troy/Annie.

~*~

Discworld

One Sister Have I in Our House by astro_knight
Really lovely look at Esme Weatherwax at various points in her life (and death).

~*~

Leverage

It's a Long Way to Zanzibar by facetofcathy
Eliot takes a road trip with Parker and Hardison and tries to figure out where he fits in with them. Good Eliot voice, unsentimental but yearning.

~*~

can we get through the night without mentioning family?

Fringe

Devil in the Details by ziparumpazoo
Olivia and Peter go lingerie shopping. Hot! She searches back through borrowed memories. Her alternate was bold, showy sometimes, and proud of the fact, but Olivia is certain that she’s never done this. That's what makes it appealing.

Locutionary Acts by dotfic
Astrid starts hearing things in the lab, and wonders if she's having a breakdown. So. Adorable.

Volatility by ziparumpazoo
They're as alone as can be with a couple dozen cops, paramedics, and CDC personnel milling around on the other side of a three-sheet curtain of cloudy PVC. Peter and Olivia in a hazmat shower. Short, sharp and hot.

~*~

the crumbling difference between wrong and right

DCU

In Between Be and Begin by Merelymine
Ridiculously hot Tim/Kon first time reunionating porn, set right after Tim sees Kon alive again for the first time. (there's one bit where Kon calls Tim "baby" that I find jarring, but that probably wouldn't bother most people.)

My Girls by Caers
Lovely AU in which Tim doesn't become Robin, but is eventually recruited by Oracle anyway. (Tim is MtF)

Nobody's Child by [anonymous]
Superboy gets de-aged to 5 years old and Batman makes Clark babysit him while he's little, and Clark has to stop being a jerk, cowboy up and deal. Plus, Lois and Martha and Jonathan are AWESOME and tiny!Superboy is the cutest thing ever. Oh, my heart. I loved this so much. (YJ animated)

Perennial by glymr
AU where Tim's family moves to Smallville when he's a kid, so he never becomes Robin; instead, he helps out at the Kent farm, and becomes friends - and then falls in love - with Kon when he ends up living there. I really enjoyed this, especially Tim's relationship with Ma and Pa Kent. (The chapter index on LJ/DW has been locked down but the complete story is available on the author's website - you just have to change the chapter # in the URL)

Seducere by salmon_pink
Batgirl meets Batwoman. Hotness ensues. I really like Steph's voice here, and her breathless thoughts about Kate.

Subtext in Triptych by iesika
Tim, Kon, and Cassie, dealing (or not) with their issues upon Kon's return. Deliciously angsty but hopeful that they'll figure it all out in the end.

~*~