#phlint fanfiction

[juuls]

Juulna’s 2021 Multi-Fandom Fanfiction Rec List - Part Two

(Yes, I realize this is a year late, but this year's been a bit nuts. I still hope you enjoy these fics anyway!)

Based only on what I’ve read with my own eyes this year!

Follow me on my journey into what, at times, was…

…actually rather calming! Perhaps you can find some comfort and entertainment, fluff and angst and romance and friendship, smut and a distinct lack of it, space adventures and fantasy and modern adventures, serial killers and good guys, redemption and reconciliation and learning to become someone completely different — there is so much here I read that stuck with me over the past year, and the 2021 Fanfic Reading Challenge ( @fanfic-reading-challenge ) allowed me a new way to keep track of all of my favourites. So props to that event! Definitely participating again (considering I run the event, yeah, that's probably a given lol, but full disclosure).

Without further ado, here were my 2021 fic favourites!

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six

Fandom: Marvel (Comics & MCU)

Stony, Polyvengers:

you great unfinished symphony (you sent for me) by @ketchupcrisp

The last thing Steve Rogers ever expected to see on a Wednesday afternoon was his (their) dead submissive tumbling out of a portal and practically into Phil’s lap, very much alive and frantic about Soul Stones and timelines and some other version of the team.

Avengers Family:

Of Spectrums and Spoons by @calloftherunningtide

Natasha had been taught to pretend – to act and respond just like she was supposed to act and respond - from an early age.

Things You Learn In the Kitchen at Night by @buzzcat

When Darcy went into the kitchen that night, she didn't expect to meet her platonic soul mate or Tony Stark, let alone have them be one and the same person.

Iron Family (typically very Civil War Team Iron Man):

Second Chances by @izazov

Tony Stark is in love with Steve Rogers. Also, he is dying. There is no direct correlation between those two facts. But there is also the matter of Steve Rogers having no idea about Tony’s feelings.

And all that's best of dark and bright by @kaaterinapetrova

When Steve Rogers leaves her to die in Siberia, Toni Stark hacks her soulmark apart, tears the flesh and veins until she is blinded with pain, and waits to die. Up above, somewhere in the universe, something fractures.

Trigger warning for cutting, suicidal thoughts, breakdown.

Siren by @tsuki-chibi

When the exvengers were granted pardons, they return to the Compound. Steve was prepared to fight an uphill battle, but not for the biggest change of all:a clone of Peggy Carter, who is already at the Compound and acting as the newest Avenger. Determined to see everything go back to the way it was, Steve, Wanda and Clint become obsessed with figuring out a way to upstage the New Avengers and prove that the Accords are unnecessary.

Spoiler: their plan doesn't work.

Basic Rules by @striving-artist

It said something about Toni’s life that she had an established system in case of kidnapping and torture, and while there had been tweaks, it was still basically the same as from when she was a kid.

1. Let them underestimate you. 2. Don’t fight back until you have an exit. 3. Lie from the start. 4. Protect what matters. 5. Assume no one is coming to help.

you want a war? (you don't know what you're asking for) by @dyke-yoonji

“And now? Now you’ve all betrayed,”  Steve flinched at the choice of words, “Stark, and Potts and Rhodes are not going to sit and take it.”

Natasha frowned at the phone. “What does this mean for us?”

Fury laughed - an ugly laugh with no myrth in it. “It means that Potts or Rhodes are the ones who sent me this phone because they wanted me to contact you. They wanted me - and you - to know that they are with Stark, that they are the line of defence between him and us.”   “It means that they just declared war. God have mercy on your souls.”

Tony Stark is Not a Supervillain (But his Poker Group All Are) by DaughteroftheSilverMoon

A superhero walks into a room full of villains- and they play poker and give him a drink. After all, it's the polite thing to do. Only then they get to liking him, and all of a sudden they're slaying dragons for the good guys. It's very disconcerting, but kind of nice.

The Worst Job by @thealextheshipper

Jessica is assigned as the Rogue Avengers Accords delegate upon their return to the US, on the plus side she befriends Tony Stark, on the down side she has to deal with PR nightmare Steve Rogers, and his best friend PR nightmare Clint Barton.

DomesticIronHawk: (Laura/Clint/Tony)

Set On Fire by @allthemarvelousrage

She's not sure if she forgot to take her suppressants, or if something Wanda did screwed with her meds, but her world is on fire for the first time in years, and there's no one to help her through it... until there is.

IronMarvel:

Keep Me in Your Orbit by @moonlitmidnight-1

A post Civil War AU in which Toni knew Carol during the events of Captain Marvel, and was the person she gave the pager to.

IronStrange:

ARC I: An Infinity In The Wings by @bad-days-and-beautiful-nights

Stephen and Toni met just before she's kidnapped. They spent the night together and when she returns, they strike up an easy friendship. Soon enough, Stephen falls in love with her, but by the time he realizes, it's too late. Hoping she never finds out, he gracefully steps back, trusting Captain America to be the right man for his best friend. But when Steve surprises everyone and Toni ends up at death's door for the fourth time, Stephen has to re-evaluate his life's choices.

IronTaser:

Disinformed by Del_Rion

It’s time to come clean about Phil Coulson’s death. Out of all the Avengers, Tony’s reaction is the most surprising, and Phil must investigate it further.

Maria Hill/Sif:

Diplomatic Relations and Intelligence Failures by @scifigrl47

Maria Hill would like a night off, and maybe a date. She's not likely to get either one of them, so she's pretty resigned to long nights of protecting the world from behind the scenes. It's very satisfying, but not quite in the way she's hoping for.

Most people who know Maria are far too intimidated to make a pass. Luckily, the Lady Sif doesn't have that problem.

Phlint:

SHIELD Has Paperwork for Everything by @scifigrl47

Clint Barton knows where his loyalties lie, and they have more to do with his handler than his employer. Phil Coulson takes his responsibilities seriously, and a big part of his job is protecting the agent in his care from any threat to his well-being.

At this rate, neither of them is going to get a date. Natasha Romanov has other ideas, and the only side she's on is her own.

Stucky:

Reputation by @cpt-winniethepooh

Captain America is a hero to the nation, but an uncomfortable cage for Steve Rogers. He is confined by his reputation as the boring Avenger, Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes, and has long given up on hope to change his public image.

Then he meets James Barnes, the infamous assassin also known as the Winter Soldier, who recently switched sides and is now working for the US instead of Russia. Barnes is tall, dark and handsome with his man-bun and eyeliner, and everything Steve shouldn’t want but does.

But just as there is more to Steve than Cap, there is more to Barnes than the Soldier - but will they be able to see that and find happiness?

An albumfic about finding love through the noise, set to the tune and narrative of Taylor Swift’s Reputation.

Steve Rogers at 100: Celebrating Captain America on Film by @hellotailor, @alwaysalreadyangry, eleveninches, febricant, @morgan-leigh

“Heil Hydra,” the enemy agent shouts. 

“Heil this, motherfucker,” says Captain America, shooting off a rocket.

Steve and Bucky find out Hollywood has been busy since they went away. A historical survey, including but not limited to: one set of exploded genitals, a brief interlude in France, Mel Gibson and other masterworks of casting, eight Academy awards, several dinosaurs, and something Tony Stark has ominously dubbed “the masterpiece.” Art included.

Steve Rogers and the minefields of social media by @cpt-winniethepooh

Steve gets a Twitter account, then an Instagram one, then he gets Bucky back, too.

ThunderIron:

King Of Hearts, Queen Of . . . Nothing by ThatDamnKennedyKid

He was sure that she didn't remember, not with the way she had cried herself into drunken slumber in his arms. That did not mean he forgot. Not anything - not the painful slurs from her father that lingered in her mind, the barely visible scars across her arms and thighs from jumping into adulthood alone before she was no longer a child, how she had blubbered the name Yinsen over and over again like a regret.

I don't Want the World to See Me by @outercorner

Tony has a secret, one that is harder and harder to keep from observant teammates.

WinterIron:

Lines by @treesramblings

“If you want—and feel free to say no, everyone and their mothers know that I’m the queen of offering too much where I’m not wanted—but, if you want…” Toni hesitates, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth for a moment, and then continues, “well, that’s the longest period of uninterrupted sleep I’ve had since last week, which was also with you, and—twice is a coincidence, but maybe we could test to see, uh, see if it’s a pattern? Only if you want; I’m not trying to guilt you into it. In fact, forget I said anything. This is a horrible idea. I’m just going to leave—”

She’s stopped by his fingers slipping into her palm as he's suddenly standing in front of her. “Okay,” he whispers.

The tension that had built up in her body releases all at once and she looks up into his eyes, the ever present churn of emotion swirling enchantingly, tenderly.

“Okay,” she responds, and his hand glides from hers as he turns away. She aches with the missing weight.

Watercolour Scars by ThatDamnKennedy

Despite fighting against Iron Man, Bucky didn't actually know Tony. Even then, he didn't know how he was the only one starstruck. He couldn't imagine the kind of miracles she must have pulled off before for the team to not even thank her.

Our Shattered Past by Elenduen

Bucky survives the snap, survives to see two-thirds of the universe die, half turning to ash, the others killed because those others turned to ash. He follows Steve back to America and the Avengers compound struggling to try and make sense of everything that has happened. Then Tony Stark returns to earth, broken, sick, desolate. Bucky feels he owes Tony for what he did to his parents, he wants to find a way to make amends and the only way he think to do that is to act as protection for Tony while he slowly recovers from his time in space.

Tony couldn't care less what happens to him now. He failed, Peter is gone, two-thirds of the Universe is gone, why should he care if he lives or dies now? he is determined to help others while he can though and if that means Barnes is following him around then he can help too.

What neither expect is a relationship to blossom between them or the family that blooms out of the ashes of their shattered pasts.

721 Fifth Avenue by Skarla

Tony Stark is a man of many faces; stressed, a little manic, overly fond of smoothies and kinder than anyone Bucky has ever met, although he hides it well. He's not quite sure why no one else is providing the support and companionship that the man is quietly desperate for, but it's no hardship to step up to the plate. He's always had a thing for scrappy underdogs after all.

The Evidence by @striving-artist

Didn’t notice. Right. Sure. Two brilliant minds, two super spies, and a god didn’t notice when the chattiest man they knew stopped making sound. They just seemed happier than before. Brighter and more cheerful than before. They just seemed like they were more comfortable with him around when he was stone silent.

Fuck it.

He knew they noticed.

And he knew they liked him better this way.

ShieldShock:

MARRY, FUCK, KILL by @sevensneakyfoxes

"Actually, you know, I get it. Rogers would be an excellent MARRY choice. You know that he'd never leave the toilet seat up, would never drink the last of the milk, and would clean the rain gutters without prompting," Darcy says. She's never really considered Steve as anything other than Captain America who is impossibly unapproachable; weirdly enough, the things she finds intimidating about him as a person oddly work for her in a domestic setting. "Ugh, plus you just KNOW Barton would be the type of fucker that would eat the last oreo and then shove the empty box back into the cupboard."

"So what's your list then, Darcy?" Jane asks, turning back to look at the mold, which has done exactly fuck all in the last half-hour.

"Don't rush me! I need to make an informed, calculated choice."

Darcy looks down at her pad, then back up at Natasha. She purses her lips in thought. "You've fucked Barnes, right? How dexterous is that metal hand?"

--

The ladies of SHIELD play a mass game of MARRY FUCK KILL, Avengers edition.

Wherein everyone marries Steve, kills Tony, Jane betrays science and Darcy hypothetically turns Thor into a llama.

WinterShock:

Black Holes and Revelations by @amidtheflowers

The Winter Soldier doesn’t like her much. It doesn’t help when they get thrown in a black hole together.

WinterShieldShock:

Upon A Hill, Across a Blue Lake by @i-mushi

Fluffy ABO - Darcy has a few run-ins with the police and a couple Alpha Avengers show up to help. She /really/ should have specified to Jane not to send her crushes when she called for help. Steve/Darcy/Bucky Alpha!Steve, Alpha!Bucky, Omega!Darcy

WinterWidowIronShield:

my body is not their bed by @deathsweetqueen

In 1995, the Engineer and the Winter Soldier escape HYDRA and end up, bleeding, on Peggy Carter's doorstep.

This is their journey after. This is the story of their victory march.

[voldiebuns]

Nerves by reeby10  Word Count: 331 Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Clint Barton/Phil Coulson Characters: Clint Barton, Phil Coulson Additional Tags: POV Clint Barton, Established Relationship, Meeting the Parents, Christmas Summary: Clint comes home with Phil to meet his parents.

[rubickk7]

New Chapter Posted - Stained Glass Windows

Chapter 2 of my current WIP, featuring TattooArtist!Clint and Phil's bisexual awakening is up! I will post weekly up to Chapter 4... because that's all I have written currently. I am working on a few other exchange fics, as well as my next MTH fic, but this one will be finished!

Read Chapter 2: Waves of Perfect Blue here.

[femsanzo291]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Clint Barton & Phil Coulson Characters: Phil Coulson, Clint Barton, Tony Stark, Loki (Marvel), Thor (Marvel), Penny Haywood, James "Bucky" Barnes Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Magic, Deaf Clint Barton, ClintCoulson Appreciation Week 2023, CCAW Series: Part 2 of A Marvelous Hogwarts Summary:

Clint heads off to Hogwarts for the first time and meets Phil Coulson for the first time. New friendships are formed.

[ruquas]

Hoarding my obsession for you - MCU

Fandom; MCU Title; Hoarding my obsession for you Warnings; Author chooses not to use archive warnings Rating; M Pairing, Phil Coulson / Clint Barton Summary; Everyone had their problems, right? Clint was just a bit more... particular with his. Not that it really was a problem for Phil... except that Clint assumed it was AO3 can be found here Written for @winter-angst who was bidding and winning again during last years @marveltrumpshate

[meganmazing]

An All Phlint Rec List!

One guess which pairing I fell head-first into this time...

Need more time? No problem, I’ll give you a hint. It involves SHEILD’s #1 eye in the sky and his long-suffering, slightly anal-retentive handler. The purple Avenger and the dead-not-dead agent. You know them, and if you don’t already love them, these fics will fix that for you. Sorry in advance for how long this is, but there are so many fics and I have too many feelings.

Some of them even feature Pizza Dog, because we are a blessed fandom.

Most of these are rated Explicit, but not all! I even mention a G-rated fic, and I’m proud of me for branching out my recs. I don’t read non-con/dub-con, and I’m not usually into ABO stuff, so you won’t find any of that here, if it’s a concern. Just in case, read the tags! I also don’t read unhappy endings, becasue I’m not about that life.  

Click the bold titles (sometimes the little lines indicating a link aren’t there, but the link still is) and don’t forget to leave kudos/comments on the ones you love, to spread that love to the authors! And as always, there will always be more fics that I love/bookmark/scream about in my bookmarks page on my ao3 account: megamazing

College AU

Launch Your Assault by foxxcub  Words: 30k  Rating: E

Phil Coulson was more than halfway through his six year plan, and everything was chugging along nicely.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t foreseen a cocky junior Art major waltzing into his life, or his floor.

So this is within the same universe as Bulletproof, a stony College AU fic, but I never read that one. Phlint College AU’s I love, but not so much with stony? I have weirdly subjective preferences when it comes to fics.

However, I will rec this one with my dying breath. It is Phil’s POV, and I have such a soft spot for college age Phil now, thanks to this story. As a college student myself, I felt that everything was really realistic and I believed everything. More than that, I want to give both the boys a hug. They need it after this. 

Also, as you’ll see later on in this list, I love the “fuck buddies” trope with hidden feelings that are so not hidden it’s embarrassing. And heartbreaking. As much as I want to hug Phil, I also think he needs a swift kick or seven.  

Safety Not Guaranteed by foxxcub  words: 4k+ (nearly 5k) Rating: M

Phil was informed of the Sigma Iota tradition of White Elephant two weeks before Christmas break. He’d heard of other chapters on campus having holiday parties and had figured the SI’s did the same.

But he was quickly learning the SI’s didn’t do things quite like other fraternities.

Short, sweet, and funny. Of course this would happen to them, within a group of people where blatant, verbal communication is a practically a foreign notion. I laughed, I sympathetically cringed, and there are sexytimes, too. What’s not to love here, really? (Wade has a great cameo, too, so of course this was going on the list)

I'll Learn To Dance If You Promise Not To Laugh by torakowalski  words: 10k+ rating: E

A College AU in which there are long distance relationships, misunderstandings, and no one actually spends any time in college.

The insecurity in this fic kills me in the best way. Clint puts on an act sometimes, acting stronger and suaver than maybe he feels. When your bf is older and cooler and smarter and too good for you, what else can you do? Naturally, that strategy works great until it doesn’t. 

Thor, Darcy, and Jane are wonderful and I just want more of them! I would never have pictured them as Phil’s roommates, but it works so well and watching Clint interact with them is great. 

Everyone deserves a hug: Clint for being a sweet idiot, Phil for being a well-meaning moron, and the roommate squad for putting up with their shit and making it fun.  

(more torakowalski fics in the final section, because I’m in love with their work and need to throw more at you)

Other AU

Kindergarten ‘verse by soniclipstick (veriscence)  total words: 38k+ Respective ratings: E, G, and E

Kindergarten teacher Clint Barton has never been in a healthy stable relationship in his life. Hell, mostly he doesn't bother leaving his house unless his best friend drags him out for 'socialising'. He's happy with his life as a hermit; he has a dog, and fifteen sticky tiny humans to teach core skills to. That's more than enough commitment for him

But that's all about to change when the new school year brings along with it some major surprises, such as Phil Coulson, the widowed father of one of his students and owner of the bluest eyes Clint's ever seen.

(summary from the first fic in the series)

I am rec’ing the whole series here, because I want to curl up and live in the world the author created. It has everyone you could think of wanting to see from both general Marvel canon and also Agents of SHIELD. Look, as I’m writing this, I want to go back and re-read the first fic. As the author states in the tags, it’s totally Fraction’s Hawkeye, aka my favorite and the best (soz MCU Clint, you’re cool too, sometimes).

This could have been so stupid. It’s a kindergarten teacher AU, it very easily could have been something I read two paragraphs of and clicked away. But it isn’t. When the author says fluff and angst, they mean it. It hurt my heart and made me giddy by turns. Also, sexytimes. But the feelings! I connected so much with Clint in this, and felt so much for Phil, and the payoff feels so earned by the time it happens.

The supporting cast is phenomenal, and it may be my favorite of this whole list, which is saying a lot because I love them all. Even the smaller cameos were hilarious and made me smile.

EVEN IF YOU READ NO OTHER FIC ON THIS LIST, READ THIS SERIES.

Pre-Avengers (mostly)

Slow and Soft by onthewaters  Words: 23k Rating: E 

When Coulson adds Barton to his team, he expects smartassery. Except there isn't any...

This is it. This is the story I was looking for and craving without even knowing it. That may make zero sense, but I don’t know how else to put it. The writing and the storytelling here are on another level, and I mean that in the best possible way. It shows them getting together - including the beginning of the incredible friendship between the trio (Nat, Clint, and Phil) and Nat and Clint's bond - as well as the most believable/subtle pinning I’ve read in awhile. 

Phil's characterization is the best in this one. It’s his POV, and his personality just shines. This is one of the ones I really treasure, and I won’t apologize for how extra I am about it. 

Operation Snapdragon by Laura Kaye (laurakaye) words: 10k+ rating: E

They’d decided to call it Operation Snapdragon, Jasper had explained, because snapdragons meant “deception” in the language of flowers.

It would be more accurate to call it Operation Rip Out Phil's Heart And Grind It Beneath The Feet Of Mobsters, but apparently there wasn't a flower for that.

The humor is on point, and I am a sucker for pining!Phil and sarcasm. It’s a fake marriage fic, where they’re undercover as a couple. Tell me that doesn’t sound perfect for these two. BUT WAIT, there’s more: they’re already a thing before the fake marriage mission, and Phil has been feeling insecure in the relationship! Voicing concerns in a healthy manner is out of the question, naturally. Idiots.

It takes place over six months, featuring flashbacks to how Phil ended up in a strip club run by the mob, smiling lovingly at his husband while a mobster talks about how great they are together. 

Plenty of miscommunication on par with the trope, and you just want to give Clint a hug, becasue you know what’s going on, but Phil can’t catch a hint. It has art at the end, too, which is adorable.

The Clothes that Make the Man by orderlychaos  words: 17k+ rating: E

There was something comforting in the way Clint could focus on Coulson’s dry, deadpan tone as bullets and explosions sounded around him. Come rain, hail or bursts of experimental weaponry, Agent Coulson would be there, calm and controlled in that damn suit, like the personification of order against chaos.

However, contrary to rumour, Phil Coulson was not born in a suit. This is the story of how Clint Barton glimpsed the man underneath and fell in love.

(Or five times Clint saw Phil outside of a suit and the one time he wore a suit himself).

IT’S A FIVE AND ONE, boys, we’ve made it. This my favorite trope in all of fanfiction history. It’s also pre-avengers for the first half, but then kinda after? Coulson isn’t dead and doesn’t appear to ever have been, but in the later chapters, the Avengers are a thing? I’m not sure about timelines. It’s an AU, and it’s awesome. 

The important part is that there’s Clint POV and insecurity on both sides, as well as really sweet moments and pinning galore. Plus, it’s rated E, so obviously that too. It’s fairly lighthearted in general as well (meaning there are feelings and angst but there aren’t feelings and angst, if you know what I mean), and after some of the angst on this list, lighthearted fics are a gift. 

Coulson Lives - Reunion

Give a Dog a Bone by  Laura Kaye (laurakaye)  Words: 86k+ Rating: E

What do you do when your dead best friend turns up alive after three years? a) yell at him b) hug him c) ignore him to his face while following him around the Tower like a creeper d) maybe fall in love with him a little e) all of the above

Best summary, or best summary? 

This does not have enough kudos or recognition. I know it’s at nearly 960, and that’s a great amount, but it deserves so much more! I still think about this story, and it’s another one I want to re-read soon. 

When I mentioned Pizza Dog, this is one of the ones I had in mind.   

And Kate!!! His friendship with Kate is everything I’ve ever wanted. And his friendship with Tony, and obviously Nat. Basically, I love Clint having friends and getting to be petty becasue holy shit he deserves to be petty after everything SHIELD has put them all through. At the same time, nothing feels like Phil!whump or emotionally beating a character down unnecessarily. 

Clint does everything I want him to, and some stuff I didn’t even know I wanted him to do. There is so much pain, as you’d expect, but there is so much payoff and the balance is perfect. I connect with Clint’s characterization in general, but especially here. Just yes. 

Phil’s journey with the loss of his hand and adjusting to life with a prosthetic is also really cool, and something I hardly ever see. Same goes for Clint’s hearing loss. He isn’t deal, but and is completely capable/confident in himself, but there are struggles at times that make me wonder if the author has personal experience because it’s stuff I recognize from my mom’s experiences.  

doesn't matter if I bleed by t_fic (topaz), topaz, topaz119 (topaz)  Words: 25k+ Rating: E

Clint's never pretended to be deep. He's just the guy who sits back and watches, the guy who makes the shot when he needs to. He's seen a lot of crap in his time, sat through a lot of fucked-up scenes to get to where he needs to be, but this, now--he can't stand another second of it.

This feels like an argument for why the pairing works, and I loved it. It really deep dives into the issues all three of them - Clint, Nat, and Phil - have in a way that feels so real and relatable to me, personally, that it cut me right to the core. I still can't get over the incredible friendship between Clint and Nat in this. I loved every minute, and every win was so, so deserved. I want to curl up and live in the world the author created, tbh. Also, there are sexytimes. Can't forget those.

Tony also has the line early on that nearly made me cry: "Someone has some serious fucking explaining to do, because you," he pokes at Coulson, "we fucking buried you." The scene is already so emotionally charged, and then this and it kills me becasue of all the off-page backstory and emotional weight it gives for the rest of the story.

I’m emo and dramatic about all of these, but I mean it when I say it feels like proof for why Clint and Phil work. Just, yes.

Coulson Lives - some point after the off-page reunion

The Best Bad Ideas by copperbadge words: 17k+  rating: M

When Clint Barton put on the Captain America costume for a mission, he didn't count on Phil Coulson's reaction. Coulson didn't count on Clint crashing his new team to do something about it.

Oh yeah, you read that right. It’s just as funny as it sounds, and all of a sudden you get hit with the angst and it works. Even so, this one is a lot lighter and it’s fun. Cap and Co’s reactions are just as funny, and the gossip sessions between the ensemble are some of my favorite bits. (side note: why have I never considered the badass-ery that would be a Nat and Melinda May friendship?) 

Pine Lake Oasis by infiniteeight  words: 32k+  rating: E

When SHIELD gets intel that an arms dealer might soon be receiving Chitauri technology, Fury sends Clint and Coulson undercover to establish surveillance, ingratiate themselves with the arms dealer and his right hand man, and possibly intercept the sale. The catch? The arms dealer and his lieutenant are apparently posing as a couple, which means the best way for Clint and Coulson to get close is to pose as a couple, too. The longer the op goes on, the more Clint wonders which relationship is more real.

MORE PRETEND MARRIED TROPES! We can never have too many, in my humble opinion. This one is very different from the mobster one, because it’s set in suberbia with plenty of nosy neighbors and also some arms dealers who are also posing as a couple. Frankly, I’m not sure anyone is posing as anything in this fic when it comes to feelings. 

The domesticity in this story is so good and it’s so sad watching them get used to it and hearing Clint think it can’t last...but then! And everything feels earned by the end, instead of just tossed in. You watch them get closer over the course of the story and I love it. 

They’re sassy and sarcastic and funny, and so true to the characters we’ve come to love that it all feels so believable. 

Just torakowalski Fics 

(Yes. I did add a whole section just for one author. If I hadn’t, every category would be overrun, and there are so many good fics out there! But this author gets me, and more importantly, gets Clint and Phil, so it had to be done.)

Been Looking at You Forever  words: 18k+ (closer to 19k)  rating: E

Clint and Phil are friends. Friends who have sex. That’s all there is to it. Honestly. 

Fuckbuddies with a healthy dose of accidental relationship because whoops, who knew “casual” sex with hidden feelings would lead to complications and more feelings?? Set post-Avengers movie, and including all the main faves as side characters. 

Guys, I’ll be real with you for a second. I don’t ship either stucky or Tony/Pepper, and yet this has both as background but blatant relationships. And I still don’t ship them, but I believed it within the story and I wasn’t bothered? If that doesn’t tell you how good of a writer tora is...

I am addicted to the way they write Clint and Phil, and the fact that it doesn’t look like they’ll be writing more for that pairing makes me hold on tighter to the stories we do have. Sure, the premise of this fic is a trope, but the relationships between the characters puts it on another level for me. This one will make you crave more of this trope out of all your fave pairings, trust me.

And All the Clocks Came Back to Life  Words: 4k+ Rating: T

Phil Coulson isn't a big fan of birthdays, but they're better than being dead.

Pizza Dog is a character again, and so is my favorite apartment complex in Marvel Comics continuity. This is the sweetest story (it’s also the shortest one on this list *gasp*) and it doesn’t have anything explicit, which I know some people prefer, but trust me. The way tora writes these boys is so worth the read. I have the warm-fuzzies just thinking about this fic again - I dare you not to feel like smiling with this one. Naturally, there are grounded feels too, and I just want to protect Clint with my whole being. Luckily, I’m pretty sure Coulson does, too. 

Both characterizations are on point.

Keeping the World at Bay  Words: 25k+ Rating: E

Finding out that Phil's alive and working with a new team isn't easy for Clint, and neither is helping Captain America track down the brainwashed Hydra assassin that used to be Bucky Barnes. 

This is another one where I still don’t ship stucky, but god damnit I’m here for everything in this fic. Clint gets to be fucking amazing in this one, both physically and on an emotional connective-ness level. It uses his own neuroses and backlog of problem/coping mechanisms and puts them to use in the best way. You know, if you’ve seen the movie Age of Ultron (meh movie overall but there are elements I adored) that Clint has the potential to fill the mentor position so well. He gets to do that here, or at least begin down that sort of path, and I loved it. 

For all my stony babes, I urge you to give it a shot. Just this once, let me peer pressure you.

I am also always here for Clint getting to be pissed off, because HELLO, he’s got a right. And my heart went out to Phil so hard. Guys, it’s a double reunion fic, as well as the first time potential best friends meet, why are you sleeping on this??

Back to The Place You Are  Words: 7k+  Rating: E 

Phil Coulson was sitting two tables over from Clint and wearing his Dress Blues. This was making concentrating on anything else pretty much impossible.

Normally, I am Not A Fan of fics where they are broken up from the get-go. Or maybe I just have to be in the right mood/mind set for that brand of angst. AND YET. This fic.  

It’s Tony and Pepper’s wedding, and naturally Phil has to dress the part right? Clint should have been prepared, but clearly, he was not. This one is pretty much smut with angst and feels, and like Clint, I was not prepared for how much I would love reading it. 

What We've Got Here Is Enough words: 7k+ rating: E

They don’t fuck in the Avengers’ Mansion, that’s rule number one of Having A Secret Relationship With Your Ex-Handler.

This one was great, and involves how the rest of the team finds out about their relationship. Not a ton to say aside from what I’ve already said about how tora writes these two! 

Want more recommendations? Let me know! Maybe I ship what you ship and we can scream about the great fanfic together. 

[beneficialaddiction]

I PASSED!!! I Passed, I Passed, OMGOMGOMG I passed!! It’s DONE!

This means I can keep my license, which means I can keep my job, which means I can keep my house! ... Which also means I can finally start writing FANFICTION again and just generally enjoying life! 

Look out AO3 - BEN IS BACK!!

[mxcat777]

Tac Gear - Phlint

Rating: Teen and up

Warnings: None

Ship: Clint/Phil

Word Count: 2300

Clint had fled HQ as soon as debriefing was done. On the subway home, he went over the last mission’s events and concluded that he was more fucked than he’d initially thought.

The mission had gone south, the intel on their already slippery target turned out to be incorrect and he’d shown up with a shitton of goons around him.

Clint had tried to get a shot on him, but couldn’t find a moment in which he wouldn’t endanger any of the other agents. His orders were to provide cover, not to eliminate the target himself. Now he knew that those orders were probably going out the window sooner rather than later, but for now, the others were counting on him to watch their backs.

“Barton, talk to me.”

The magic words had come through the comms.

“Situation’s fucked up, sir, I could probably get a shot on the target, but-”

He let another arrow fly, and one more goon dropped.

“But that would mean that I’d have to give up providing cover for the others, sir.”

“On my mark, you focus on getting the shot, Barton, there is no way for us to take him out before he flees the scene with all these guards around.”

He’d heard Coulson strapping on gear over the comms. This was one of the (many) reasons Coulson was his favourite handler. He was always ready to join the fight, whereas most others stayed holed up in their vans, at a safe distance from the action.

A moment later, Clint had seen Coulson appear on the scene. He’d taken off his suit jacket and put on some tac gear to protect his chest, but was still wearing his suit pants, dress shirt and tie.

On the subway, Clint closed his eyes and went over that image again.

With a sigh, he opened his eyes and accepted once again that he’d made a grave mistake in falling for his handler, but there was nothing to be done about it. Apparently, it could only get worse.

Coulson had informed the other agents that he’d be providing cover instead of Clint from that point on and Clint had taken out their target. After giving Coulson a “Target down, sir”, he’d gone back to picking off the goons and admiring his handler in action.

Not too long after, most of the goons remaining decided to either run or give up and let themselves be arrested. Once everything was wrapped up, they’d returned to base for debriefing and Coulson hadn’t fucking taken off the damn tac gear. So, Clint suffered through debrief while his mind was very much otherwise occupied. Seriously, Coulson was badass enough as it was, why did he need to look so damn hot in tac gear as well??

Clint got off the subway and walked home. His plans for the evening were a shower, pizza and then put on a shitty movie and fall asleep on the couch.

After his very, very long shower and an enormous pizza, he sat on the couch, but hesitated. He was still thinking about Coulson and, to be honest, he didn’t feel like going to sleep just yet. The op hadn't been very tiring. They’d been on location for two days, but the first day was only for them to settle in. Nothing had happened, and he’d gotten a full night rest.

He made up his mind, got changed, and went out to find a bar. He decided not to go to one of his regular bars, but venture a bit further. Eventually, he found a small place that looked ok to him and went in. He sat himself down at the bar and waved over the bartender.

“A beer, please. Whatever’s good.”

“Coming up.”

A glass was placed in front of him, but the bartender didn’t go back to whatever it was he’d been doing before.

“You don’t look too chipper, something happen?”

Clint sighed. If he could get away with bemoaning his fate anywhere, then it was probably a random bar he’d probably never return to.

“I’m an idiot, ‘s all.”

“How so? You cheat on your girlfriend, or what?”

“Nah, nothing like that, just developed the worst crush on my boss.”

“Ah, she pretty?”

“He’s a badass.”

“A guy?”

“Yeah, that a problem?”

“No, of course not, he not interested?”

“Don’t think so. We have a great working relationship, and maybe he’d even consider us friends. I really don’t wanna fuck that up.”

“I see. Looking for a hookup to take your mind off of him then? Or just here to drown the thoughts out with alcohol?”

“Not getting drunk, don’t worry, tried that before, made it worse. Was wondering if getting my brains fucked out would help. At least temporarily.”

“So a hookup then?”

“Sure. Why’re you asking?”

The bartender smiled.

“We have something of a regular guy. Comes in on most Fridays, picks up someone new every time. We never know for sure if he’s gonna show, but if he gets here, I could point him over to you. You look exactly like his type.”

“His type?”

“Blond, kinda tall, very fit, it looks like. For some reason, he likes good arms, and you, my friend, have the best arms I have seen in a long time.”

“Thanks.”

“So, permission to set you up?”

“Knock yourself out.”

-----------------------------------------

Phil was working on the paperwork that came with the last op. The target had known they were coming, which meant a leak somewhere. Their source had to be reevaluated, and that was always a pain.

He heard a knock on the door and the director entered. Phil looked up. Fury stood in front of him with an eyebrow raised.

“Yes?”

“You should go home, Cheese. The paperwork will still be here when you come back.”

“The intel-”

He was cut off.

“Yeah, we know that, but most of what you’re doing here isn’t your fucking job. Get all the info to the people who get paid to do this shit and go home, damn it.”

Phil opened his mouth to protest, but Nick glared at him.

“Fine.”

Nick nodded and disappeared with a swoosh from his coat. Knowing that Nick would come to check whether he’d actually gone home in about ten minutes, he started saving his work and forwarding the information to the analysts to go nuts over. With that, he turned off his computer and gathered his things.

When he arrived home, he washed up, changed out of his suit and grabbed something to eat from his kitchen. Then, he left his house and started up Lola. Sunglasses in place, he turned on the radio and drove to his favourite bar.

When he came through the door, Thomas waved him over to the side of the bar closest to the door. Curious, he walked up to him.

“Evening, Thomas.”

“Evening, evening, how’s it going?”

“Fine, I got kicked out of my office by my boss, but other than that everything’s good.”

“Well, I’m sure he had his reasons, don’t overwork yourself, ok?”

“I hear that a lot.”

“Then I’m sure you need to hear it. Anyway, you looking for another blond guy to pick up?”

“They aren’t all-”

“Yeah, they are, you have an obvious type, this guy dropped in, ticks all your boxes, looking for a hookup to take his mind off of his boss.”

“His boss?”

“Yeah, apparently he’s crushing on the guy, but he doesn’t want to mess up their working relationship.”

Phil smiled. That sounded very familiar, although in his situation the roles were reversed.

“Well, who’d I be to deny helping a guy out? He’s here?”

“Yeah, he’s over there, the one with the purple shirt.”

Phil turned to the left and froze. There, on a bar stool, in his favourite shirt, lost in thought and nursing a beer, sat Clint Barton. Phil’s mind backtracked and replayed the conversation. Thomas was right, he had a type, and Clint did tick all the boxes, but that was less a coincidence and more the cause of said type.

He took a breath and stepped away from the bar.

------------------

“So, what is this Thomas tells me about bosses and crushes?”

Clint froze. A voice somewhere in his mind - sounding suspiciously like Natasha - screamed at him for losing track of his surroundings. Slowly, he turned around on his barstool.

There stood, in black jeans, a dark blue t-shirt and a fucking leather jacket - Clint was going to implode right then and there, this was too fucking much - one eyebrow raised and smirking, Agent Phil Coulson. Clint wanted to die.

“I sincerely hope you weren’t talking about Fury, because that would make this a little awkward.”

Clint’s mind was still trying to catch up and the only thing he could blurt out was:

“You’re the guy who picks up someone new every Friday?!”

“If I hear only the slightest rumour about this among the junior agents, I will end you.”

“Does that mean the senior agents are fair game, sir?”

Clint mentally punched himself in the face. Now was not exactly the time for their banter. He turned half away again.

“What’d he tell you?”

“Thomas told me he had a guy sitting at the bar, exactly my type, who needed to take his mind off the boss he was crushing on.”

“I’m exactly your type…?” Clint looked back up to him with an eyebrow raised.

“My type is exactly you.”

Clint’s mind shut down.

“What.”

Eloquent, Barton, very eloquent.

“He also told me that this guy didn’t want to make a move because he didn’t want to mess up their working relationship. I have to say, that sounded very familiar. I just thought I’d found myself in a case with the roles reversed. It was certainly a surprise to learn it was the same case.”

Coulson sat down on the stool Clint was facing, still smirking (damn him), but he looked a bit nervous as well.

Clint took a deep breath. If Coulson could take a risk, then so could he, right?

“So what now, sir? You gonna take me home?”

“If I do that, I certainly hope you’ll call me Phil.”

Now Clint smirked too.

“I think I can do that, Phil.”

Phil’s smirk turned into a smile. He reached out with the arm he had resting on the bar and layed his hand over Clint’s wrist. Leaning in slightly, he asked:

“May I?”

Clint smiled and leaned in.

“That’s a way too fucking polite way to ask someone who you’re gonna pick up from a bar and is obviously into you if you can kiss them.”

Phil raised an eyebrow.

“Part of my charm.”

And he closed the gap.

--------------------

Clint deepened the kiss almost immediately. Phil got the message and teased Clint's upper lip with his tongue. Clint opened up hungrily to allow him to explore his mouth. Phil moved his hand to the back of Clint’s head, fingers combing through the short hair and he got an arm over his shoulder in return.

When they broke the kiss for breath, Phil held his head against Clint’s. He stole another quick kiss and whispered:

“Finish your beer, then we’ll get out of here. Lola’s parked just around the corner.”

Clint’s eyes flew open.

“I get a ride in Lola?”

Clint immediately turned to his abandoned beer. Phil smiled and sat up straight as well.

“I gotta say, man, that’s a new record.”

Clint looked quizically at Thomas.

“Usually he takes about ten minutes to talk, previous record was 7:34, I wasn’t looking at my watch, so I don’t know the exact second, but that wasn’t even three minutes.”

Clint turned to Phil, eyebrows raised.

“You keep track of how long it takes you to convince someone to come home with you?”

“Thomas does. Also, I’m afraid we’re not counting this one, we already knew each other.”

“You did?”

Phil pointed to himself.

“The boss.”

And then to Clint.

“The type.”

Thomas stared at him. Then looked at Clint. And then back at Phil. Then he burst out laughing.

“Well, I get to put Accidental Matchmaker on my CV, and you both can stop pining. Now get out of my bar and go fuck each other!”

Thomas kept laughing and walked away, shaking his head.

Clint turned to Phil with his trademark devious smirk in place.

“That does sound like an awesome plan.”

“It does, doesn’t it?”

Phil grabbed the front of Clint’s shirt, pulled him in for another hard kiss, and stood up, pulling Clint along out of the bar.

-------------------

The drive to Phil’s apartment was a silent one, but it wasn’t an awkward silence. Clint took in the sight of a confident, but for once relaxed Phil and concluded he was just as badass and hot if not more than usual.

After Lola pulled into a parking spot in front of a nice, warmly coloured apartment complex, Clint leaned in for another kiss. When he pulled back, Phil looked at him, one amused eyebrow raised. Clint raised one in return.

“Couldn’t help myself.”

Phil raised his other eyebrow.

“What? I’ve endured you being hot while all badass in suits and/or tac gear, now you’re being hot in casual attire and I’m actually allowed to kiss you. I’m going to take advantage of that.”

“You do not have the right to complain about me looking good in tac gear. I rarely wear it. You wear it all the damn time and I am absolutely convinced someone tailored yours for their own gain, with the way your ass looks in it.”

Yeah, Clint had no idea how to respond to that what with the current state of his brain being a puddle of goo, so he just kissed Phil again.

==============

Thank you for reading! I'm planning on writing a second chapter, where they go inside and things progress, but I can't seem to decide what type of smut I want to write. Ideas? Requests? Please?

[disruptedvice]

You ever start shipping something just because the fan works are so good

literally. no other reason. you read one fic, and that fic leads to another, and before you know it you're three miles down a hole and still digging

[selahseftali]

Here’s a sweet, little Phlint companion piece for the Big Eden Stucky AU:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29503932

Clint Barton knows he’s always been a bit of a walking disaster— first as a high school dropout with ADHD and a foster kid known for getting into fist fights then as a veteran with PTSD.

He knows what people see when they look at him with his arms covered in tattoos, jeans perpetually ripped and a coffee stain or two on his shirt, not to mention his impressive string of crash and burn relationships. He’s mostly good for a casual hook up that sometimes turns into more and usually ends in disaster.

And he’s okay with it, mostly. He likes his life. He has his own business and a tight knit circle of friends who are as much as family.

Then one day, he walks into a small bookstore on his lunch break and sees HIM, Phil Coulson, with his black framed glasses and his tailored suits and his kind eyes and his college degrees.

And for a moment, Clint thinks to himself, “Maybe this guy is just what I need.”

[voldiebuns]

Just In Time for Christmas by reeby10 Word Count: 380 Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Clint Barton/Phil Coulson Characters: Clint Barton, Phil Coulson Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Married Clint Barton/Phil Coulson, POV Clint Barton, Christmas Summary:Clint got back from his mission late. But at least he’d made it back today at all.

[rubickk7]

New Fic/WIP - Stained Glass Windows

I started posting up a new WIP today. Explicit Clint/Coulson. Please check it out here.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about myself over the past two months,” Phil said. “Reflecting. I’ve done a lot of reading. Research. About sexuality. Specifically sexual identity crises in middle-aged men.”

“And what did all your ‘research’ lead you to?” Clint asked, swiping his fingers over Phil’s skin, enjoying the little sparks that traveled through his body with every touch.

“More confusion. A lot of things I thought were black and white just—aren’t.”

“Yeah,” Clint agreed. “Lots of gray in there.”

“Lots of color,” Phil said, his bright blue eyes staring right into Clint’s.

~~~

Clint is a gay, nearly-deaf veteran/ex-carnie that owns a tattoo shop with his best friend. Phil is a dedicated SHIELD agent that keeps to himself and is mostly satisfied with the life he leads. He’s also totally straight.

Or at least, he thought he was.

[ardentwench]

That frustrating moment when you read a nice long fanfic that’s so good with it’s plot and character growth and world building that not even half way through you end up wishing for fanfiction of the fic itself.

[fic-rec-time]

An Eyeless Face 

by Not_You

Marvel Cinematic Universe/Complete/Chapters: 1   Words: 1,766

Written for a very special prompt on Avengerkink that I'm going to bother to quote in full:

Clint is called Hawkeye, and that's truer than most people know. You see, Clint is special. He has a whole collection of eyes for every occasion. Hawk eyes for accuracy, infrared eyes for tracking people at night, cat eyes for seeing in dim light, even a set of plain old human eyes he uses for nights out on the town. Somewhere in his room/nest is a shelf full of different eyes he uses, though he usually keeps a few sets on him, just in case. In truth, Clint is actually blind; he has no eyes of his own, just uses the various sets that he has. (Whether his ability to change out his eyes is science or magic or some kind of tech is up to you, dear author.)

Please show me the team's reaction when they find out! Are they intrigued? Disgusted? Just plain weirded out?

(Coulson finds out, and years later, so does the team.)

//

A super interesting little fic

[quartzcelticas]

Hi All,

In response to the Australian Fires, I am offering stories.

For every $1 donated to one of the organisations in the link below, I will write 500 words for any Marvel Prompt/Ship you want with a few exceptsion. I won’t do Starker, Dub/con, Dom/Sub, or ABO. I am happy to do rare-pairs.

https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2019/11/how-to-donate-bush-fire/

To take part, just email me the receipt and your prompt.

If you can’t help, please reblog and let others know.

Ed: I have set up an email for this, contact me at quartzcelticas@gmail.com

[beneficialaddiction]

Sword and Skill - Ch 29

The final chapter, and a happily ever after.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18676501/chapters/79062187