*shrug* well, I have Natasha as being the same age as Scarlett, with Clint being ten years older than her - knocking a few years of Jeremy's age, mostly to give him longer in the field, & he DOES look quite a bit younger than he is. He really did look in his late twenties, in my eyes, right up until the Hurt Locker (which was what, three years ago?). Hell, when I saw Avengers, I picked him as 35, tops, & I nearly dropped when I found out how old he really was!
So at the time of Avengers, she's 28 & he's 37/38. Exactly how long they've been together, as work-partners & life-partners, varies for me from story to story. But it's usually between five to ten years.
At least, I get the impression from them that they've been together for a fairly long time, as these things go - there's a sense of casual familiarity between them that you just don't get without a decent amount of history (as in 'time' not 'experience', I mean); in fact, Jeremy manages to give the impression of having the same with Phil Coulson in about two lines in Thor.
In my head!canon, I have Natasha leaving the Red Room at late teens (although in one of my stories it was even earlier), & joining SHIELD soon after that. It's not just a cliche that cream rises to the top; the best are always in demand. When you're as good as Natasha is, word of you gets around quickly. SHIELD would keep an eagle eye out for talent like her. I really don't think she was freelance for more than three years.
I will admit, though, that in forming my opinion of this, I've been heavily influenced by another fandom. Has anyone ever seen or heard of 'Full Metal Panic!'? It's a series of japanese light novels & short stories, that were adapted for anime & manga. One of the two main characters, Sousuke Sagara, actually has a fairly similar background to Natasha's. (it might not be a complete coincidence, either; the authour is a major pop-culture fan, of both East and West)
At the age of 3, Sousuke was taken into the KGB Nozh (knife) program, which trained children as spies (often as sleepers). When he was seven, Sousuke was sent to Afghanistan to assasinate a leader of the Muhadjeen rebels against Soviet control. He failed, but the leader was impressed enough that he not only spared Sousuke's life, but more or less adopted him. Sousuke stayed a member of the Muhadjeen until he was twelve, when his nemesis Gauron wiped out the encampment. Sousuke became a freelance mercenary after that, & at the age of 15/16 signed an exclusive contract with the 'mercenaries for justice' group Mithril (the equivalent of SHIELD in the FMP! universe), despite the fact that according to the FMP! official fanbook, Mithril doesn't take applicants younger than 21. By the time the series opens, Sousuke is a highly-regarded member of a Special Response Team... at the age of 16.
(I'm currently I'm working on a fusion fanfic, "War Child" where the Muhadjeen find Tony after he escapes the Ten Rings in the IM suit 1.0, & Sousuke instead leaves Afghanistan as Tony's adopted son. Just in case anyone's interested.)
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So at the time of Avengers, she's 28 & he's 37/38. Exactly how long they've been together, as work-partners & life-partners, varies for me from story to story. But it's usually between five to ten years.
At least, I get the impression from them that they've been together for a fairly long time, as these things go - there's a sense of casual familiarity between them that you just don't get without a decent amount of history (as in 'time' not 'experience', I mean); in fact, Jeremy manages to give the impression of having the same with Phil Coulson in about two lines in Thor.
In my head!canon, I have Natasha leaving the Red Room at late teens (although in one of my stories it was even earlier), & joining SHIELD soon after that. It's not just a cliche that cream rises to the top; the best are always in demand. When you're as good as Natasha is, word of you gets around quickly. SHIELD would keep an eagle eye out for talent like her. I really don't think she was freelance for more than three years.
I will admit, though, that in forming my opinion of this, I've been heavily influenced by another fandom. Has anyone ever seen or heard of 'Full Metal Panic!'? It's a series of japanese light novels & short stories, that were adapted for anime & manga. One of the two main characters, Sousuke Sagara, actually has a fairly similar background to Natasha's. (it might not be a complete coincidence, either; the authour is a major pop-culture fan, of both East and West)
At the age of 3, Sousuke was taken into the KGB Nozh (knife) program, which trained children as spies (often as sleepers). When he was seven, Sousuke was sent to Afghanistan to assasinate a leader of the Muhadjeen rebels against Soviet control. He failed, but the leader was impressed enough that he not only spared Sousuke's life, but more or less adopted him. Sousuke stayed a member of the Muhadjeen until he was twelve, when his nemesis Gauron wiped out the encampment. Sousuke became a freelance mercenary after that, & at the age of 15/16 signed an exclusive contract with the 'mercenaries for justice' group Mithril (the equivalent of SHIELD in the FMP! universe), despite the fact that according to the FMP! official fanbook, Mithril doesn't take applicants younger than 21. By the time the series opens, Sousuke is a highly-regarded member of a Special Response Team... at the age of 16.
(I'm currently I'm working on a fusion fanfic, "War Child" where the Muhadjeen find Tony after he escapes the Ten Rings in the IM suit 1.0, & Sousuke instead leaves Afghanistan as Tony's adopted son. Just in case anyone's interested.)