fictional_fans | Captain America AU: A Fic Rec

cascades. (152138 words) by orange_crushed
Chapters: 32/32
Fandom: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Peggy Carter & Steve Rogers, Peggy Carter/Gabe Jones
Characters: Steve Rogers, Peggy Carter, Howard Stark, Gabe Jones, James "Bucky" Barnes, Jim Morita, Timothy "Dum Dum" Dugan, Winifred Barnes, Heimdall (Marvel)
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe, Canon Divergence - Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Canon-Typical Violence, Self-Esteem Issues, The Tesseract (Marvel), ptsd themes, Weirdness, Watchmen References if You Squint, Steve Comes Back Different, Hospitals, Gore, Medical Procedures, Anxiety, Sexual Content, Explicit Sexual Content, Period Typical Attitudes, Hydra (Marvel), Suicidal Ideation, Implied/Referenced Torture, Past Torture, Self-Harm, References to Period-Typical Homophobia, Surprise Asgard, Not Really Character Death
Summary:

“Holy shit,” Howard says, crackling through the speakers. “You alive in there?” Lying is a sin, of course, but Steve’s not sure what else he can do. He’s already lied to the government and Bucky and God Almighty; and himself, himself most of all. He ought to tell the truth. That he’s not quite what they hoped for. That perhaps they should put him back into the ocean.

“Probably,” he says, instead, listening to Howard’s tinny laughter; and waits for the blast doors to unlock.

[There is now an incredible podfic of this story here, please listen & give quietnight some love.]

This story is epic, powerful and well worth the time to read. Pack sandwiches and drink water.