#shockarrow

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Clint Barton/Darcy Lewis Characters: Darcy Lewis, Clint Barton Additional Tags: Fluff, Fake Relationship, Getting Together, First Kiss, And Then Some, Mild Sexual Content, Thor 2 Spoilers, i guess, If you haven’t seen the trailer Summary:

First: The rules.

1) I’ve heard it said that in Avengers anything that has less than 1000 completed works is considered a rare pair. That seems a little high to me, so I’m going with less than 500 completed works on AO3. I’ll list how many completed fics there are of the pairing.

2) This is not an exhaustive list of every rare pair possible, but it is a start.

3) I’m really only including fics where the rare pair is the main pairing, and not merely an addition to an already-big pairing (e.g. there won’t be Stony fics with happenstance rare pairings).

4) If you like something, write more about it!

5) If you reblog PLEASE add your own recs! Spread the rare pair love!

Now, onto this list!

Phil Coulson/Jarvis (no clue about the ship name, invent your own!) [Two fics]

Electric Feels [Rated M; Series; 12,000 words]

Bet you didn’t know that your OTP is Coulson/Jarvis. Well, it is! Or at least, it will be after reading this. This is a truly fantastic day-in-the-life fic that deals with Coulson’s recovery after The Avengers movie, asexuality, and Jarvis as an honest-to-gosh character without relying on making Jarvis physical or human. The second part of the series is essentially a retelling of the first part, which gives us a glimpse of Tony’s views on this whole thing.

Phil Coulson/Tony Stark (Iron Taser?) [>100 fics]

Disinformed [Rated E; 10,000 words]

Coulson is revealed to be still alive. Everyone reacts as expected, for the most part. When I first read this, I sort of guessed what was going to happen and yet it still took me by surprise how well it was handled. Narrated in Coulson’s dry tone, we nonetheless get to see a lot of great Tony characterization. Tony can be difficult to write, but this author pulls him off. There’s sex, but it feels plot-important, and fits well with Tony’s desperation over the loss of Coulson.

Clint Barton/Darcy Lewis (ShockArrow) [<500, barely made the cutoff]

Lab Rats [Rated T; 2500 words]

Darcy joins SHIELD straight out of college and is immediately put to work acting as a civilian testing equipment. This fic is extremely cute. I honestly didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. We get awkward, normal-to-the-extreme Darcy bumbling around trying to fit in with SHIELD. Through her eyes, we get to see how normal Clint is, too. I greatly enjoyed the fact that Darcy didn’t feel like an author-insert. She felt natural and very well-characterized.

Bruce Banner/Steve Rogers (American Pi) [>100]

every bell that tolls me [Rated E; 20,000 words]

This fic, man. On the list of things I didn’t know I needed: non-sexual dom!Natasha/sub!Bruce, with Bruce dealing with his masochism and need to control the Hulk. The main actual pairing-pairing is Steve/Bruce. The narrative has some great witty one-liners (“Bruce is kind of embarrassed for the AIM guys sometimes.”) but still maintains the seriousness when needed. It can be lighthearted while dealing with some very heavy topics.

Figure Drawing [Rated E; 20,000 words]

Really nice Steve voice. I've never been able to write him, but Thingwithwings captures him perfectly. Really nice moderately slow build. Note that this fic is explicit, but those elements actually make sense. It's a rare gem that fits dom/sub with the character.

displacement [Rated E; 20,000 words]

WOW. This is the fic that got me hooked on Banner/Rogers. They have so much in common that rarely gets explored. This goes about it in a unique way--by swapping their bodies. Steve has to deal with keeping Hulk down, Bruce has to deal with being perfect and allowing himself to get angry. So, so good.

Star Spangled [Rated G; 1100 words]

This is short, so I won't spoil it. I'll just say it doesn't go where you may at first suspect, and it leaves you feeling warm and cold at the same time.

Worth It [Rated E; 15,000 words]

They have so much in common and it's beautiful. <3 I love when they date first, and this does it well. I love Bruce patiently explaining all the references that Steve doesn't get, and the slow build of it all. A definite must.

Bruce Banner/Phil Coulson (Gamma Taser) [<100]

Hello Time Bomb [Rated M; 2400 words]

I'm a sucker for Bruce Banner fics and this captures his fear/rage well. It's brief but it's like tossing their characters against a stark white background, allowing us to see all their colors. Really fabulous.

Bruce Banner/Clint Barton/Phil Coulson (Gamma Taser Arrow?) [<100]

Everything by Sidney Sussex, but in particular these two:

It's a Modern Look (But It's All About Roots) [Rated T; 9500 words]

Spot-on Coulson voice, and the source of much of my headcanons about him. This is an AU in which Bruce Banner is a tailor and Clint his assistant, but Coulson is still working for SHIELD. They come together in unlikely ways.

I'd Ask For Directions If I Knew Where the Hell I Was Going [Rated T; 12000 words]

Again with the spot-on Coulson voice! He's hard to write, especially in an AU. This one is set in a record shop with Coulson as the owner. A really nice gentle build with insights into the other characters as well. 

Bruce Banner/James "Rhodey" Rhodes (uh?) [15 works]

The Opposite of Trouble [Rated E; 28,000 words]

I could ship Bruce with a brick wall, but THIS is so good it makes me want to have this as my OTP. They have such a unique relationship that is (obviously) completely unexplored in MCU!Canon. We get to see them dance around one another in a way that makes sense and is perfectly in character. This fic is also a great study in Rhodey's character. Also check out the fanart at the end.

Bruce Banner/James "Bucky" Barnes (Gamma Winter) [10 works]

He's Imagining How Well You'd Fit Within His Skin [Rated T; 6800 words]

Another one that makes an absurd amount of sense. Bucky, alone in a bunker, gains a tag along who cannot be killed.

James "Bucky" Barnes/Howard Stark (???) [41 works]

Ain't No Good Thing Ever Dies [Rated M; 15,000 words]

A sublime character study and peek into the harried mind of Howard Stark. We see his obsession after the war. I won't spoil it, but I consider everything in this story to be canon and no one can tell me otherwise.

Bruce Banner/Erik Selvig

Dance, Bruce! [Rated T; 1800 words]

It's dusk in New York City and Darcy's standing at the tippy top of Stark Tower with Clint at her back and the blinding liquid gold sun setting over the Hudson River, coloring the streaks of spun-sugar clouds overhead fiery shades of magenta and peach. Stark Tower may not be the tallest building in New York, but it's nothing to sneeze at and the wind is a bitch up so high. It's whipping past hard enough to make her eyes water and even with her hair pulled back into a sloppy bun, she's still getting strands in her eyes and mouth. But the sunset is one of the more spectacular ones Darcy's ever seen and Clint's hand on her shoulder feels like a fire-brand.

He leans forward so his chest presses against her back, warming her even through the layers of clothing she's wearing and Darcy lets her eyes flutter shut when he runs his fingers along her hairline, smoothing the loose hairs out of her eyes, because he can't see her do it.

She tries to stifle the shiver that goes up her spine, but between Clint's fingers and the chill of the wind, it's a losing battle. "You cold?" Clint says in her ear and she shivers again.

"...maybe," she mutters. His replying smirk is so smug as to be tangible and she rolls her eyes, but doesn't bother resisting when he wraps his arms around her and pulls her back, flush against his body. Darcy bites her lip at the feel of his shoulders bracketing her ears, the lean hard planes of him against her back, and the roughness of his jaw against her neck and ear. Her cheeks are still burning from the wind, but she is not complaining, nope, not a single complaint.

Then there's a soft rustling noise from over Clint's shoulder. His wings curl forward around them until she can see the sunset peeking through the feathers, but the broad feathered expanse of them blocks out the rushing wind, surrounding her in warmth and a muted kind of quiet.

"Better?" Clint asks and Darcy's not sure anyone except maybe Natasha or Phil would hear the genuine note of anxiety under all of his macho smugness. Even after this long, he's still so ridiculously insecure. She turns in his arms and loops her arms up and around his neck, standing on her tiptoes to do so.

Clint huffs in amusement and his eyes slide to meet hers, hesitant. Darcy shakes her head. "You are the most perfectly ridiculous man ever," Darcy announces, and then kisses the shit out of him.

The noise he makes when her lips hit his is startled, which, hey, point for Darcy because that's not easy to do. Then he makes a small, breathier noise when she darts her tongue around the delicate line around his mouth where in meets out and his arms tighten around her. One hand cups her ass and hoists her up onto the cement edge all around the edge of the roof and a little thrill of fear zings through Darcy. The hand she's got wound into Clint's hair tightens and he breathes out sharp through his nose. Then its his tongue in her mouth and Darcy's the one making needy, encouraging noises.

"I love you, you idiot," she pants when Clint drags his mouth away from her lips and nuzzles into the crook of her neck. Her breath catches when he presses it to her throat, wet and hot and— "Okay, okay, seriously are we going to do this, like, right here?" she demands and then whimpers when he moves to the other side of her neck, callused fingers tracing over her collarbone, so light it makes her tingle all over. "Oh my god, Clint—"

"Well, that's handy," comes Tony's voice and Clint's open-mouthed kisses slow, but don't stop.

"You asshole!" Darcy hisses, punching Clint's shoulder. He grins into her skin and she punches him again. "Oh my god, you absolute jerk!"

She hears Tony shift his weight and then he drawls, "So, Steve sent me to call you to dinner. I can tell him you're otherwise engaged, if you like."

Darcy shoves open a space between the gigantic feathers of Clint's right wing and glares. Tony's got a hip cocked, his hands in his pockets and he looks utterly unimpressed by her annoyed expression. Yeah, she's probably not that intimidating with Clint still attached to her neck and her face all flushed from ridiculously hot making out. "Did you want an invite, or what?" she shoots at him.

Probably not the right thing to say to Tony Stark in retrospect because he seems to take that as an invitation and gives her a lazy grin, his eyes going dark and smoldery and he has really got to stop doing that he has a wife. "And make your boy toy feel bad?" he says.

Clint finally straightens up, and his wings flare back, leaving Darcy exposed to the cold all over again. She shivers and wraps her arms around herself. "Jesus, yes, we're coming," Clint snaps.

"Not yet you aren't," Tony says cheerfully and then flees before Clint can find something to hurl at his head.

Clint sighs and mutters something extremely uncomplimentary about Tony's parentage. At Darcy's back, the sun has gone down completely and the sky overhead is a dark misty blue. It's definitely cold now and she leans into Clint's chest, pouting. "Carry me," she orders him and Clint snorts. He kisses both her cheeks and then, much to her satisfaction, obliges, and hoists her into his arms. She wraps her legs around his hips, her arms around his neck and then kind of...rolls against him. Clint makes a satisfyingly strangled sort of noise, his hands clenching around her thighs.

"Maybe we can just grab some food and go," he suggests, breathlessly.

Darcy grins. "You read my mind."

--

a future-drabble for my fic unmade anew written for samurljackson​