Thorazine for the Lady, Knives for the Gentleman (http://experimentallycanthropy.tumblr.com/post/22524644684/fic-thorazine-for-the-lady-knives-for-the-gentleman)
by experimentally canthropy

PG-13
no warnings

One of the very first I read, and still the gold standard in my mind. I love the language and the phrasing and how it does so much in so few words. This one just left a burning imprint on my brain in the best possible way.


Edited 2012-06-22 02:19 pm (UTC)

It's silly and a little strange, but:
The Top Five Ways I Did Not Meet Natasha Romanoff (http://hawkscratch.tumblr.com/post/24555281655/the-top-five-ways-i-did-not-meet-natasha-romanoff) on tumblr.

OMG that is hilarious. And awesome. The illustrations are GOLD.

Aw, cute!

LOL'ing forever...

OK so I'm actually reccing you, which I didn't realise until I looked properly but there you go.

Apophasis by workerbee73
R, ~4,400 words, no warnings
Past and present collide in a village outside Novgorod. A story of endings and beginnings. Half "he made a different call", half something else.

Aww, thank you! That was pretty much all the headcanon I'd been collecting (kicked off by the 'Thorazine for the Lady' story I recc'd above) and then poured into a fic so I'd have it all in one place. ;)

Edited 2012-06-22 05:53 pm (UTC)

Can we rec things which have already been posted, like, last night? Cuz I found an absolutely fabulous one last night. :)

Oh totally! Anything that you want to rec-- rec away. :)

(I found a couple in the past few days as well.)

Here's a vid I found only today and I love it to bits. Brilliant storytelling, with using Natasha's talk with Loki as voiceover: Sweet Dreams (http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=PcevlKRgoWQ), Natasha-centric with Natasha/Clint.
Not rated but I'm guessing something like PG-13.


Edited 2012-06-22 05:47 pm (UTC)

I can't hear the audio where I'm at right now, but I love the editing. Can't wait to watch.

Edited 2012-06-22 06:09 pm (UTC)

This is unbelievably good. Love it.

Chess Pieces
(http://tulipfic.livejournal.com/74738.html)by rayruz
Rating: R
Warnings: none

This is not just beta-bee pride talking; I love their first meeting in this story. The exchange of notes, the dancing (they are always dancing in my head, IDEK), the game, the chase. And it goes on to beautifully develop their relationship too. Such good stuff.


***
Indebted
(http://archiveofourown.org/works/440522)by sablier_bloque
Rating: M/NC-17
Warnings: mentions of underage sexual abuse/rape, graphic decriptions of violence

This fic explores the very tricky concept of a younger Nat/older Clint and follows the evolution of their relationship over several years-- and the author does it with thoughtfulness and a lot of care. A really beautiful love story.


***
Biting the Same Bullet (http://starbolin.livejournal.com/9377.html)
by starbolin
Rating: M/NC-17
no warnings

Hot and intense and not at all how I imagined their first meeting would go but wow. Love it.

Edited 2012-06-22 05:54 pm (UTC)

jkashfkjahfeu Indebted is fabulous and ahhhhh instant headcannon. <3

I know! I love it. I love the age dynamic and how it evolves over the course of the story. So well-handled.

Indebted was going to be the one I recced, and I agree with franztastisch: instant head canon. I can't wait to see if she writes more. <3

Oh wow. Oh wow wow wow. Just read that. So unbelievably good. The ending just about killed me.

It was the socks and the whole throwaway line about him being over forty and I just about died. So good.

Edited 2012-06-22 08:15 pm (UTC)

(you are not alone)

Oh that was brilliant, thanks for the rec! :D

Yes!! I second this rec! I absolutely love this fic!

Seconding everything recced so far :D I love Biting The Same Bullet and Indebted is a great look at a younger Natasha meeting Clint, Leon or Hanna style.

I'd like to add the body in the machine by trysts (R, 3780 words) which is wonderful in many, many ways, account rendered by Syria on AO3 (617 words) which is Clint lying about his first meeting with Natasha in the debrief, saying a lot in a small space, and Chrysalis by sugar_fey (R, 1028 words) which has their first meeting as the punch line to Natasha's backstory.

Oh that's right! I forgot about the last line in Chrysalis. Good call.

Blindsided (http://archiveofourown.org/works/439235) by otterosync
Rating: teen and up
Summary: Obviously, she'd lost it. Listening to the man who tried to kill her is already crazy enough, but actually tending to him after causing his somewhat fatal wound is downright bat-shit insane.

Calculated Risks (http://archiveofourown.org/works/437767) by somuchust
Rating: explicit
Warnings/Summary: lies, semi-public sex, attempted murder, rough sex and an invitation. In this order.

I just wanted to say thank you for recc'ing both of these. The first one was such a great imagining of their first meeting and the second... well, the second just melted my brain in the best possible way. :)

Liars and Killers, by Lena Liz Carter (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8149620/1/Liars_And_Killers)

This is a little-known one that I think deserves more recognition, because it's really good. It's a much slower development of their friendship (and, the author promises, eventual romance), and it works well. It's still in progress, and is updated quickly.

Oh, I hadn't seen this one! Thanks for the link! :)