I’m new to Stony. What fics are the fandom “classics”

sabrecmc-archive:

Welcome to Stony, Anon!  You’re going to love it.  Without putting down any other ship, we are, of course, THE BEST WITH THE BEST AUTHORS, ARTISTS AND FANS, HOO-YA!

Ahem.

As to your question, here are some of the plethora of great fics that I would personally suggest anyone in the fandom should probably at least try.  I’d also encourage you to check out every other story by these authors.  They are all wonderful.  My list would be your entire dash for the whole day. If anyone else wants to add some personal favorites, feel free to help new fans out with some “must-reads” that you love.

PLEASE REMEMBER COMMENTS AND KUDOS FOR THE KEEPERS OF THE SACRED FLAME!

Resurrection, Reconstruction and Redemption by Elspethdixon and Seanchai:

Doom brings Steve back from the dead. Hijinks ensue, some of which might vaugely be considered plot. (AKA: The One That Started It All)

Relativisitic Heat Conduction by @blossomsinthemist:

Age of Ultron-based, but not entirely canon compliant. Written for the 2013 Cap-Iron Man Reverse Big Bang. Ultron has attacked, obliterating most of the world’s superheroes and resistance in a matter of hours. The remaining heroes band together and share what strength they have to get through it, to survive, and defeat Ultron once and for all. Steve Rogers grieves in the wake of the disaster and the heroes’ defeat, and no one knows if he will be able to provide the leadership they need–but Tony Stark isn’t about to let him slip away that easily.

The Twice-Told Tale by arysteia:

For someone he’d hero-worshipped for so long, Steve Rogers in the flesh is a pretty big disappointment. For one thing, he keeps looking at Tony as though he reminds him of someone else, and even if he never says anything, Tony’s pretty sure it’s his father. A lifetime of not measuring up to Howard’s expectations is more than enough, thank you very much, and he’s certainly not going to make an effort to live up to any of Steve’s. Steve’s pretty clearly failed to live up to his expectations, in any case, and that’s not hypocritical at all.

Living in the Future by Closer:

Eighteen-year-old Tony Stark is the boy genius who woke Captain America, and now he’s stuck with him. That’s not a bad thing, but between Steve’s wide-eyed wonder at the new world and Tony’s little fanboy crush, the awkwardness just keeps happening.

Saving the World (Is Totally a Date) by @wordsplat: Tony discovers Stane’s betrayal while he’s still being held captive. When he escapes, he sets out to ruin Stane as completely and ruthlessly as he can, playing up his PTSD and quitting his job to destroy Stane quietly from the outside. He also picks up a teaching job-all Pepper’s fault-and oh, right, becomes a supervillain. Okay, that one was Tony’s fault, but it was totally an accident.In the meantime, a certain Capsicle is defrosted a year early, and is assigned the task of capturing the notorious Iron Man. It’s not going particularly well, if the embarrassingly high number of times he’s been kidnapped in the past six months is any indication. When SHIELD decides to help him “adjust” by getting him a teaching job, Steve is skeptical; but then there’s Tony, and Steve finds he doesn’t mind the 21st century so much after all.

You’re Not Stubborn (Just Impossible) by @wordsplat:

Steve’s an alpha, Tony’s an omega. Biology should take care of the rest, right? Except, Tony’s not anything like TV taught Steve omegas were–or like anyone else Steve’s ever met, actually–and Steve should really learn to just keep his mouth shut about that. Also, it doesn’t help that Tony’s not too keen on the idea of alphas. Or Steve. Yeah, this bonding thing looked a whole lot easier on TV.

I (created from fantasies) exist solely for you by Mizzy: Six years ago, without the Avengers Initiative there to save the day, scientist Dr. Eric Selvig sacrificed himself to save the world, the almighty demi-god Thor was lost to a terrible storm, and vigilante Iron Man – spotted with a nuclear weapon trying to take advantage of the situation – was forever labelled an enemy of SHIELD.This is a comic book office AU, where Steve is defrosted a year too late, Thor has forgotten who he is, and no one knows Tony is Iron Man.Also includes: office pranks, inappropriate post-it notes, and superheroes who like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain

the reason you ruminate on a shadowy past by Mizzy: So, Captain America effectively manages to cockblock Tony for a year.It’s not Steve’s fault. Well, actually, it is. But he was just proving a point – that if a superhero is gay, how can it be wrong? Steve just picked the wrong superhero to make the point with. Now America will think they’re dating – and Tony’s not going to be the guy to break Captain America’s heart.There’s only one way out. To save face, Steve and Tony have to become fake boyfriends. Steve thinks the “boyfriends” bit will be the hardest to act… but maybe it’s the “fake” part that will be the hardest act of all…

When I Think (Oh, It Terrifies Me) by celli:

Look, some mornings you wake up and little green men are invading New York City; some mornings you wake up and you can hear Captain America’s voice in your head. Tony has been an Avenger long enough that he saves his freakout for important things.

Truth by valtyr:

Captain America takes truth serum. Tony is all over that.

Secrets of a Successful Marriage by valtyr:

Tony Stark lives a double life; he’s secretly the supervillain known as Iron Man. But his loving husband Steve has a few secrets of his own, as Tony is about to discover.

Tomorrow Belongs to Me by valtyr:

Steve wakes up in the 21st Century. He doesn’t think much of it, and it’s dubious about him. He meets a Norse God, joins a superhero team, and feels terribly awkward about the whole monument at Arlington he’s rendered obsolete by not being dead. Meanwhile, Tony is trying to make his mark on history by being the man who finally drove Nick Fury over the edge.

Mr. July by jibrailis:

Tony is the only one who can defend Steve’s virtue. Tony hates his life.

The Last Love Song of Anthony E. Stark by jibrailis:

After contracting an Asgardian virus, Tony starts forgetting things. And people. And Steve.

Average Avengers Local Chapter 7 of New York City by hetrez:

Steve and Tony accidentally start a national do-gooders association and fall in love.

The Winged Soul by @inukagome15:

It wasn’t until he was three that he realized he was different and no one else could see the wings.

slipping through the years by often_adamanta:

The plane crash and subsequent ice might have killed him, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t still around, haunting those he cares about. And since the only person who can see him is Tony Stark, death sure isn’t going to be boring.

The Act of Creation Will Be Your Salvation (series) by @scifigrl47:  When Tony Stark was seventeen years old, he built his first AI. On that day, he ceased to be his father’s creation, and became a creating force in his own right.That one act likely saved his life, and not always in the most obvious ways.

Four (or Five) Reasons for Kidnapping Tony Stark by @scifigrl47:  There are four reasons for kidnapping Tony Stark. Tony’s sick of all of them. Well, there’s potentially a fifth, but it’s highly unlikely that Captain America will suddenly fulfill THAT fantasy. Tony’s deeply disappointed about that.Steve Rogers, as always, is oblivious. At least, that is, until someone who isn’t him kidnaps Tony. Then he’s just pissed.

His Fate Will be Unlearned by @scifigrl47:  Tony Stark spent his childhood making weapons, filling the hole his father left in the world when he succumbed to alcohol, grief, and his own demons. At the age of fifteen, he ran away from home, and made it as far as MIT before all of his responsibilities caught up to him. Now seventeen, he just wants to finish his degree and escape from everything connected to the Stark name.Steve Rogers crashed into the icy North Atlantic in the 1940’s, sacrificing himself to save the world. He never expected to wake up, and now that he has, he’s not sure he’s glad. The US Army has other plans for him, but for now, Steve is slowly learning to live life in the 21st century, and taking classes at Boston College. He’s beginning to suspect that there is no escape.Boston College is on the T’s Green Line. MIT is on the Red. The two lines meet at the Park Street Station, and so will Steve and Tony.

Weighing of the Heart by @scifigrl47:  Steve Rogers hasn’t really had a particularly easy life. He’s struggled along, he’s proud of himself, he’s self-sufficient and capable and he works damn hard. He has friends and a purpose and he’s only a few semesters from graduating college. He’s managed, but his life has been far from easy.That’s mostly because of a slight filing error.The last thing that Steve needed was someone to watch over him. The only thing that his Guardian Angel needs is a second chance to make a first impression.

Semaphore by DevilDoll:

“I’m trying to like you, Tony. You’re just making it very hard.” Steve Rogers/Tony Stark

Love Among the Hydrothermal Vents by DevilDoll:

In which Namor has a thing for Steve, an octopus has a thing for Tony, and Steve and Tony eventually have a thing for each other.

Engaging the Enemy by tsukinofaerii:

Iron Man is one of the more persistent villains that the Ultimates face, with a special fondness for one Captain America. As Steve starts to findout more and more about him, the lines between hero and villain begin to blur. Sometimes, you don’t have to be on the right side of the law to be in the right.

Run Program: DUM-E by (Amuly) @everybodyilovedies:

Taking care of Tony is a lot of work. Especially when you’ve only got one arm. And your code dates back to the 1980s.

America Isn’t Chicken by (Amuly) @everybodyilovedies:  After a Civil War, death, rebirth, a takeover by Osborn, brain deletion, and the fall of Asgard, Steve and Tony might just be starting to get back on solid ground with one another. Things aren’t perfect, not yet, but they can be in the same room as each other without resorting to violence, and they’ve even managed to share a smile or two.
Seems like the perfect time, then, for Tony to try and fuck it all up with a stupid game of gay chicken.Meanwhile, as if he didn’t have enough to worry about, Tony realizes some kind of supervillainous trouble is brewing when increasingly advanced armors start popping up all over Manhattan, looking strangely reminiscent of his tech. On the other side of the world, Steve gets news that Zola is on the move in Russia, with some sort of nefarious plan at work.Which will ruin them first? Will it be this unknown armored villain who is after Tony’s tech? Or will it be Zola unleashing his mysterious plan on the world? Or will Steve and Tony prove to be their own worst enemies, destroying the tentative truce they managed to forge with their own stubbornness?

Sins of Omission by @kiyaar (WiP): A Post-Civil War, Pre-Secret Invasion AU where Steve is dead, Tony’s a mess, and everything sucks.In which Tony deals poorly with Steve’s death, falls off the wagon, sees ghosts, and misses a lot.Oh, and the Skrulls are about to invade.

Nostalgia by @some-blue-jack (WiP):

“Fuck my life. Why me?” Tony asked.

In the Stillness of Remembering by @elise509:

Steve Rogers is a reminder of a past that Tony Stark would rather forget. But when Steve’s own ghosts suddenly become the present, Tony finds he and Steve need each other to face the future.

Say When by ann2who @stark-spangled-lovers:  ** Iron Man 2 AU ⎪Undercover AU **** Can be read as a stand alone! **Book 1 of the Say When series. An alternate version of Iron Man 2. What if Steve was unfrozen early? What if instead of Natasha, Steve got assigned to help Tony while the genius was slowly dying of palladium poisoning? What if he never revealed his identity to him until the very moment the Avengers first came together, forming a team?

Slipping Off the Page Into Your Hands by @sineala:

Soulmates have their first words to each other written on their wrists. This should make it easy. For Steve and Tony, it is anything but. Steve’s problem is that the future he has awoken into is nothing he was ever expecting: he has a soulmate now. Who might be a robot. And if his soulmate is Iron Man, how can he be so attracted to Tony Stark? It should be impossible. Tony’s problem is that he is Iron Man, his soulmate is a man whom he in no way deserves, and he is going to fight everything in his heart and do his best to make sure Steve never, ever finds out the whole truth.

Think of This As Solving Problems (The Never Should Have Occurred) by @sineala:

No one knows Tony is Iron Man. Then Tony gets amnesia, and literally no one knows Tony is Iron Man.

Bond Has it Covered by sara_holmes:

Tony thought they had trouble getting along when they were dealing with a major global crisis. Apparently that had nothing on how they fell apart when they weren’t distracted by smashing aliens.

As Sharp As Any Thorn by RurouniHime:

It’s four days to Christmas, there’s a city in shambles, and the nation is in mourning because of the actions of a single man.

How to Excel at Supervillainy (and Lose Your Heart to America) by Zekkass:

And that’s how Tony’s supervillainy hobby got way way way complicated.

And I’d Buy a Big House Where We Both Could Live by shinkonokokoro: Missing: Tony Stark, billionaire businessman, heir to Stark Industries, reward: noneOnly Steve didn’t know that when he picked up the waterlogged unconscious man from the bank of a river.

Deep In the Heart of Me by Finely Honed: There were days when the realization that he was someone’s father made Steve’s head hurt, but mostly he was grateful that he could trust his instincts, because apparently Peter was what had been missing from his life. Yes, he still had lingering, unresolved issues from his time in the Army, and sure, he had what Bucky annoyingly referred to as a criminally untapped ass, and no life outside of work and Peter, but Steve was okay with how his life had turned out because of trusting his instincts.Unfortunately, those same instincts had straight up betrayed him by going absolutely haywire upon being exposed to Tony Stark.Veteran single dad Steve runs a tattoo shop. For his 40th birthday, Pepper arranges for Tony to get that tattoo he always wanted, and he winds up with the mother of all crushes instead. Jumping out of airplanes is one thing, but falling in love is something else entirely. Steve struggles with the idea of actually letting someone into his life. Tony is left trying to keep his heart from being broken while Steve figures things out.

Welcome new (and returning) Stony shippers!  If you are wondering where to start, here’s a list of what I consider to be fandom classics that most of us have read at some point.  Enjoy!