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The Man on the Bridge
Captain America/The Avengers - Bucky/Steve
Steve Rogers turning up at Tony's door in the middle of the night might be a bit out of character, but it's not completely out of the realm of possibility. Stranger things have happened.
Steve Rogers turning up at Tony's door with an amnesiac assassin - who may or may not have some of Tony's personally designed hardware attached where his arm should be - well that's just far too interesting to turn away, even if Tony is trying to avoid all things S.H.I.E.L.D these days.
Words: 107556 complete
Steve Rogers turning up at Tony's door in the middle of the night might be a bit out of character, but it's not completely out of the realm of possibility. Stranger things have happened.
Steve Rogers turning up at Tony's door with an amnesiac assassin - who may or may not have some of Tony's personally designed hardware attached where his arm should be - well that's just far too interesting to turn away, even if Tony is trying to avoid all things S.H.I.E.L.D these days.
Words: 107556 complete
- GenresFan FictionLGBTMarvel
333 pages, ebook
First published June 17, 2014
26 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 8, 2018
4? 5? 4.5 stars? I really can't decide...
Totally captivatig and engrossing read. Very well written. Top notch characterisation - especially Tony.
Although I must admit that, in the beginning, I was a quite bit perplexed by the POV this fanfic is told from - namely Tony. Not at all because of it being Stark per se - hell, give me a funny, snarky, pratt-ish POV any day (or even better: every day) of the year...
But seeing as this is Steve/Bucky slash I was wondering how exactly a setup like that would work. And, amazingly, it did. Given my rating, quite obviously extremely well at that.
This is, however, not your usual fanfic slash. And it's not a romance per se, not really, but kinda. The slash never really happens - there's a tender, blossoming love between Steve and Bucky to be witnessed by Tony, sure. But never anything explicit (it doesn't even happen off-page because of the way the story evolves & because of the plot in general. I'll refrain from spoiler-ing you at this point, though.)
At any rate, please don't let the unusual POV stop you from reading this fantastic fanfic! Trust me, it's totally worth every second of your time: so much suspense and lot's of Avengers-y action that it's almost like watching another The Avengers movie. The book essentially starts right after the events of the 2nd Captain America movie - so it certainly doesn't hurt to have watched that one. Even though this fic also works as a standalone (assuming you've seen CA #2), it's probably best to read the whole series, starting with book #1 (https://archiveofourown.org/series/12...) ^^
I'm very much looking forward to the next installment - because so far this series has been brilliant. I literally couldn't put my kindle down - a reading experience I've rather been missing lately.
The only reason this doesn't get the full 5 stars is because, for me, there was a tad too much angst here and there. Which is due to the plot/story, due to Bucky's past - what with him being - and is, ergo, perfectly reasonable and understandable within the context of the story: Still. A bit less angst/hurt at times would have sufficed imho.
Nevertheless: Fantastic read, all in all.
Totally captivatig and engrossing read. Very well written. Top notch characterisation - especially Tony.
Although I must admit that, in the beginning, I was a quite bit perplexed by the POV this fanfic is told from - namely Tony. Not at all because of it being Stark per se - hell, give me a funny, snarky, pratt-ish POV any day (or even better: every day) of the year...
But seeing as this is Steve/Bucky slash I was wondering how exactly a setup like that would work. And, amazingly, it did. Given my rating, quite obviously extremely well at that.
This is, however, not your usual fanfic slash. And it's not a romance per se, not really, but kinda. The slash never really happens - there's a tender, blossoming love between Steve and Bucky to be witnessed by Tony, sure. But never anything explicit (it doesn't even happen off-page because of the way the story evolves & because of the plot in general. I'll refrain from spoiler-ing you at this point, though.)
At any rate, please don't let the unusual POV stop you from reading this fantastic fanfic! Trust me, it's totally worth every second of your time: so much suspense and lot's of Avengers-y action that it's almost like watching another The Avengers movie. The book essentially starts right after the events of the 2nd Captain America movie - so it certainly doesn't hurt to have watched that one. Even though this fic also works as a standalone (assuming you've seen CA #2), it's probably best to read the whole series, starting with book #1 (https://archiveofourown.org/series/12...) ^^
I'm very much looking forward to the next installment - because so far this series has been brilliant. I literally couldn't put my kindle down - a reading experience I've rather been missing lately.
The only reason this doesn't get the full 5 stars is because, for me, there was a tad too much angst here and there. Which is due to the plot/story, due to Bucky's past - what with him being - and is, ergo, perfectly reasonable and understandable within the context of the story: Still. A bit less angst/hurt at times would have sufficed imho.
Nevertheless: Fantastic read, all in all.
February 20, 2020
I've read and re-read this fic from pretty much the time it was published and my love for it only grows with each re-read.
The characters are all written on point. No one is side-lined or made to appear as unimportant or are simply there just because it's expected that they are, but they don't end up doing anything. Everyone has a role to play and has time in the spotlight. The relationships (pre-existing or new) that are formed and developed over the course of this fic is beautiful and heartfelt. You can feel as you read just how much these people care for one another, even when they are trying to hide it behind walls and/or snark.
The writing is delightful and witty. The dialogue flows naturally and the amount of sass and snark that is cramped into this fic is hilarious and unforced. The description of events, locations and battles are amazingly detailed without being overly wordy and complex.
This fic will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions, you will laugh, you will cry, you will want to throttle several people because of the horrid things they have done, and you definitely want to give the characters many, many hugs as you wrap them in blankets as you give them hot chocolates to drink.
It's a masterpiece of fanfiction writing and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read a high-quality Avengers fic. Even if you're not a Stucky fan, there is enough humour, action and the presences of other characters that you won't be overwhelmed by Stucky feels. But in saying that, all the Stucky scenes are beautifully written and heartfelt (this is the fic that actually made me go 'yeah, you know what, I ship these two.) and even though you are reading their scenes from Tony's POV, you still feel so much in regards to these two and you just want them to be happy and safe together.
Read this fic, you will not regret it.
The characters are all written on point. No one is side-lined or made to appear as unimportant or are simply there just because it's expected that they are, but they don't end up doing anything. Everyone has a role to play and has time in the spotlight. The relationships (pre-existing or new) that are formed and developed over the course of this fic is beautiful and heartfelt. You can feel as you read just how much these people care for one another, even when they are trying to hide it behind walls and/or snark.
The writing is delightful and witty. The dialogue flows naturally and the amount of sass and snark that is cramped into this fic is hilarious and unforced. The description of events, locations and battles are amazingly detailed without being overly wordy and complex.
This fic will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions, you will laugh, you will cry, you will want to throttle several people because of the horrid things they have done, and you definitely want to give the characters many, many hugs as you wrap them in blankets as you give them hot chocolates to drink.
It's a masterpiece of fanfiction writing and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read a high-quality Avengers fic. Even if you're not a Stucky fan, there is enough humour, action and the presences of other characters that you won't be overwhelmed by Stucky feels. But in saying that, all the Stucky scenes are beautifully written and heartfelt (this is the fic that actually made me go 'yeah, you know what, I ship these two.) and even though you are reading their scenes from Tony's POV, you still feel so much in regards to these two and you just want them to be happy and safe together.
Read this fic, you will not regret it.
October 2, 2020
The Benchmark. The fic that made me like Tony Stark.
February 20, 2025
darf euer 14 jähriger sohn nach langem goodreads hiatus die ganzen fanfics nachträglich eintragen?
THIS WAS SOOOO SO SO SO GOOD every single character was perfectly characterized and the fact that it was written from tony's pov? loved every second of it and now everytime I hear miss gracie abrams sing "I was brave when I kissed you in london" I can't help but think of this masterpiece😔😔😔😭😭😭
THIS WAS SOOOO SO SO SO GOOD every single character was perfectly characterized and the fact that it was written from tony's pov? loved every second of it and now everytime I hear miss gracie abrams sing "I was brave when I kissed you in london" I can't help but think of this masterpiece😔😔😔😭😭😭
June 4, 2016
Yay, finally finished this epic read, so many words. I nearly gave it up but it did improve in the second half. This is Steve and Bucky's story told from Tony's pov. Don't expect sex, all we get is a kiss or two. The author does get Tony's inner voice and humour just right but I did skim some sections.
"Don't get shot?" Sam suggested.
"Don't start a war?" Bruce added.
"Don't get in my way." Barnes warned them.
"Christ, you're terrifying." Tony shudders.
"Don't get shot?" Sam suggested.
"Don't start a war?" Bruce added.
"Don't get in my way." Barnes warned them.
"Christ, you're terrifying." Tony shudders.
November 22, 2023
i am crying my eyes out, this was everything and more. so so good, the best fanfic i've ever fucking read (and the only one i read twice)
April 30, 2016
Really good writing, liked the story very much. :)
December 29, 2024
This ripped me open, and left me crying so many times. Absolutely devastatingly gorgeous.
January 2, 2025
Wtf man. Must my life be made completely of pain and suffering? Is misery all that is intended for me in life? Not even the fics I read are happy anymore. Good book. Sad me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 28, 2025
I’m finished! My god that was delight. I love these two like something integral to life itself and Tony’s POV was incredible and made me adore him as well.
October 29, 2021
3,5 stars. The writing is wonderful, but the inside of Tony's head is not a place I want to be when the story is so firmly focused away from him dealing with things for his own sake. We don't really get to see him fully work through what it means to be a Stark in the face of all of the new evidence coming to light. Perhaps that is something that would be found in the promised sequel, but this series seems to have been abandoned and we may never find out if Tony can prioritise his own psychological needs now that Bucky and Steve are becoming more functional and independent.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews