Passions and Loathings

A friend is searching:

I'm trying to find a Sentinel AU in which Jim and Blair first meet while Blair is working as an elf for a mall Santa. Jim is grounded by Blair's voice, even though Jim has no clue about the Sentinel stuff yet, and is also charmed by a story about a magic feather that Blair invents on the spot to calm an anxious child.

It sounds cute, but I've only read Sentinel XO fics. Anyone recognize it? It sounds very cute!

I have seen The Nutcracker more in the last few years than the entirety of my life before the pandemic, I think. I've become closer to a friend who goes every year without fail. (I may need to break away from this, 'cuz it's enjoyable, but I don't actually need to see the same show Every Single Year.)

I have idle thoughts about a Nutcracker AU because my mind tends to drift off and fanfic everything.

Like... Victorian America and a big house and a party, like the ballet. Only the kid isn't a young girl and the daughter of the house, but Steve Rogers and he's the orphaned son of the nurse who saved the lady of the manor. So the family feels responsible for him, but also, he's so scrawny and sick, they figure they're helping him spend his last few years peacefully.

And the nutcracker isn't the treasured gift but sorta an 'oops, we need a present for this kid.' Steve doesn't realize this, he's ecstatic, admiring the painting of the object. He's artistic and appreciates fine woodworking. He goes to bed with his nutcracker clasped to his breast. It's Victorian times, so he wears a white nightgown that hangs to the middle of his calves. He dreams that the nutcracker comes alive. Picture Bucky with the white ballet tights clinging to the sculpted muscles of his thighs, wearing a blue-gray satiny shirt that matches his eyes with silver epaulets on the shoulders, the Winter Soldier nutcracker.

The two dance around the living room, by the huge Christmas tree festooned with sparkly ornaments, the only light the moonlight shining in. Steve feels so wonderful, as he leaps into his nutcracker's arms and is caught and swung around. His white nightgown floats around his thin legs, catching on his partner's tights.

Different possible endings: the Mouse King or a sorcerer? Transform Steve into a nutcracker, tall and proud. In the morning, the family find both nutcrackers and are perplexed, did Steve steal one from somewhere else? If so, why did he leave both? Did he run away? They place the nutcrackers together on the fireplace mantle and eventually forget about the orphaned child that they didn't really want, but every Christmas Eve (full moon?), the nutcrackers come alive and Steven and Bucky dance around and have adventures with the fairies. That feels sorta old-fashioned fairy tale ending, mysterious and romantic but a little sad.

Or Bucky transforms into a person, and in the morning, Steve wakes, wondering why he's so warm, and rolls over to see Bucky cuddled in bed with him. He invents a story about a strange, lost boy, and the family is a little 'sigh, another one?' but accept him. And the two grow up and are happy together for the rest of their lives.

New cat is suddenly molesting me as I try to type this, I think she wants dinner early.