Okay, so, part one: who are Clint Barton and Phil Coulson?
Let me put in a caveat here. I’m going to tell you all about Clint’s canon comic-book background (in the 616 ’verse, which is basically Marvel’s “normal” universe). The cinematic universe is doing things a little differently. In the movie ’verse, it looks like Clint is already a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent when the Avengers form, which is more like one of Marvel’s many alternate timelines. We’re going to have to wait for more films to find out exactly how the cinematic universe is doing Hawkeye’s background, but for now, the stuff I’m writing here is the main comic-book canon, and it’s what almost all of us use for him as it stands.
Clint spent his young childhood growing up with his older brother Barney, an abusive, alcoholic father and a mother who stood by and let her husband do as he liked. Clint, mouthier than Barney and also less able to defend himself, took the brunt of most things. (Let’s just start a tally right now; the first two people Clint loves are his parents, who do this to him. Barney is the third, and we’ll get to him later.)
Both parents were killed in a motor vehicle accident (drunk, obviously) when Clint was maybe somewhere around end-of-elementary-school-aged, and Clint and Barney were sent to an orphanage. They were there for six years, unwanted and un-adopted, before Barney took charge, ran away, and dragged Clint along with him to the circus, of all things. They became labourers, shovelling dung, until one of the acts, the Swordsman (brilliant fencer, brilliant fighter), decided he needed an assistant. He chose Clint, because Barney was too old to train the way he wanted (cue stirrings of resentment).
The Swordsman taught Clint fighting skills and became his first real mentor (so, for those keeping track, the fourth person Clint has ever dared to trust). He also embezzled from the circus and, when Clint caught him and refused to join him in criminal activity, the Swordsman fought him and left him abandoned with both legs broken. (Let me add, here, that Barney visits Clint in the hospital, takes the side of the Swordsman, and tells Clint everything that’s happened is his fault. That’s not even the beginning of how bad it gets with Barney, but so far, we’re at four up, four down.)
Someone else comes to visit Clint in the hospital, too; his name is Trick Shot and he’s a master archery act at the circus. (See where this is going yet?) Trick Shot “adopts” Clint and becomes his second real mentor, teaching him to shoot, teaching him about trick arrows and trick fighting and how to keep himself safe in the real world. Clint learnt well, and quickly, and Trick Shot began taking Clint out with him “in the field,” telling him they were on the side of the law and taking down the Mafia (and so on and so forth) when, really, the opposite was true. Clint found that out while on the job with Trick Shot, when they ran into Barney (now an FBI agent, shh, don’t ask questions about logic) and Clint, before recognizing him, injured him.
Clint, again, refused to participate in a life of crime. Trick Shot admitted to using him, then shot him, injured him and left him for dead. Five up, five down.
So Clint went back to the circus and did his thing, and that’s where he first saw Iron Man and decided that his destiny was to become a costumed hero, too. He developed the persona of Hawkeye and took to the streets, getting rid of criminals – only he was mistaken for a criminal himself, it grew very complex, and he ended up having to defend himself by shooting at (and being shot at by, of course) Iron Man, his hero. (One might argue that that marks number six, but I’ll leave that alone for now, because at this point, it’s basically everyone in the entire world against Clint. We don’t really even need to keep counting.) (And at this point, too, Clint has basically given up on himself as well. He’s just stopped even trying to prove that he’s worth anything to anyone; he just does what he does because of who he is.)
Eventually, Clint rescues a man and his mother from a mugger; the mother thinks Clint is just as bad a criminal, but the man sees that he’s not. That man is Edwin Jarvis, butler to the Avengers, and between them, Jarvis and Clint set up a scenario to prove to the Avengers that Clint is on their side, and to convince Tony to let him join. (Okay, one, it’s totally contrived, but whatever, this is the sixties, man. And two, I’m not entirely sure why it’s Tony they’re convincing, but it worked, so who am I to argue?)
It’s a rocky road, settling into the Avengers, and Clint doesn’t get along with all of them right away. But it’s been a very long time since anyone was even there to try to get along with him, and so no, he doesn’t trust it yet (and he’ll never fully be able to; look at his life and tell me you don’t understand why), and no, he doesn’t really get why they’re willing to put the time in for him. He pushes all their buttons, wraps himself up in sarcasm and smart-assery until it hides everything vulnerable he’s ever had, every insecurity and every moment of self-loathing. But the weird thing for Clint is, that doesn’t seem to stop them including him. Somehow, he’s become a teammate.
So he wonders, what’s the catch? But at the same time, for the first time in decades, he starts to wonder if maybe, maybe just this once, there isn’t a catch.
So yeah, it goes on like that. Awkwardness and uncertainty and slow, careful steps out of a life that’s basically just been a nightmare for Clint up until now. He trips and falls a lot, backtracks, second-guesses himself. He snarks because it’s the only thing that makes him feel safe. He does what he can, and it’s a struggle, but it’s Clint, and Clint may hate himself, but he has never in his life let anything defeat him.
And I’m not even getting into the many, many tragedies of Barney Barton, where he used and abused Clint again and again, and where he finally came back to Clint for a second (millionth) chance with good intentions, only to be killed outright. And where he was resurrected only to kill someone Clint loved, assume that person’s mantle, and attempt to murder Clint while he was blinded. I mean. Clint’s heart just goes on being broken all the goddamn time, and yet look at him.
And Phil Coulson?
Well, most people reckon Phil Coulson grew up your average, all-American kid. Most think he was in the military; some in government; nobody knows, really, where he was before S.H.I.E.L.D. He’s a gloriously blank slate, and it’s gold for fiction writers.
Part two: why them? Why them, together?
Because they need each other.
Pure and simple.
Because Clint is so broken, and he needs to be treated so carefully with anything emotional, and the rest of the Avengers are great – they’re great teammates, they’re great friends, they’re great at just surrounding Clint and including him. They fight with him and argue with him and beat him down when he needs it, and they stand behind him when he needs that instead. They’re brothers. But Clint can only handle so much of that.
Phil is calm and quiet; he’s Clint’s port in a storm. He can be trusted with secrets (has half of Clint’s already, maybe more); he can be trusted to move carefully and watch his words and gestures. He doesn’t push too hard or want too much or force Clint into situations he can’t handle. Phil is all deft touch and taciturnity, and he can understand what Clint can’t say. He makes Clint feel safe, and wanted, and like maybe it’s okay to take his armour off, one tiny piece at a time, because Phil hasn’t run or hurt him yet, and even though Clint’s not sure he can believe it just yet, maybe there’s a chance Phil won’t do any of those things. Maybe it’s not just going to keep happening to Clint every time. He’s still with the Avengers, right? so maybe there are happinesses even Clint can be allowed to have.
And Clint, well. Phil thought he was fine before he met Clint, because he’d learnt to get used to what he had. But this is something different; Clint doesn’t treat him like a secretary, or a particularly annoying mosquito. Clint doesn’t look down at him for what he does or for the fact that he doesn’t have superhuman powers. Phil never noticed, because he’d gotten so used to it, but before Clint, his life was lonely, grey, monotonous despite new villains and disasters every day. Clint is sunlight and laughter and quick, teasing gestures; he’s ridiculous and perfect and he trusts Phil, he trusts Phil with his life and with his secrets, and no one’s ever seen that much in Phil before; no one’s ever valued Phil that much.
Clint feels privileged to have Phil, like he’s been given something beautiful and fragile, and if he makes one wrong move, he might drop it and see it break and shatter.
Clint’s not going to let that happen.
Phil feels privileged to have Clint, honoured to be the one who can see the cracks in his armour, thrilled to be the one Clint wants to make laugh.
They’re a little strange together, a little broken, a little incompatible, almost. Clint is a troublemaker; Phil toes every line. Phil values equanimity; Clint thrives on breaking it.
If they weren’t so off-angle to one another, they’d be good.
They are, so they’re perfect.
Aaand, let’s see, what’s next, part three: gateway stuff to read.
I haven’t included warnings here because the authors have been really good about it. Nothing here carries serious warnings; there’s light (safe, sane, consensual and very much desired) BDSM in the “No Straight Lines” ’verse, but that’s about it.
eleanor_lavish, “I’ve Got Your Words in Me”: http://archiveofourown.org/works/268312
Ghostrunner, “I Trust You to Kill Me”: http://archiveofourown.org/works/286050
sirona, “A Matter of Proportions”: http://archiveofourown.org/works/290320
torakowalski, “They Always Said We Were the Lucky Ones”: http://archiveofourown.org/works/318364
Ghostie, “Confiteo”: http://archiveofourown.org/works/213763
james, the “Your Breath and Mine” mini-series: http://archiveofourown.org/series/14754
Windswept, “Triskelion”: http://windswept-fic.livejournal.com/43500.html
Flatbear, “Eight Lovers”: http://archiveofourown.org/works/255623
dizmo, “Mirror, Mirror”: http://archiveofourown.org/works/295408
Dazzledfirestar, “Orders”: http://dazzledfirestar.livejournal.com/148132.html
AlchemyAlice, “Stockholm Syndrome and other drugs”: http://archiveofourown.org/works/289452
Lanyon, “For a Smile”: http://archiveofourown.org/works/314087
“and i can only hope you’ve got it aimed at me”: http://archiveofourown.org/works/316168
“i’ve got your blood under my fingernails”: http://archiveofourown.org/series/15075
And basically everything ever written by gqgqqt, Shirozora, lucdarling, dizmo, Windswept, ellievolia, sirona, lanyon, pollyrepeat, james and… well, everyone whose names are on that reclist. I’m sorry. I suck so hard at recs.
Uh, here’s a mini-reclist I put together for FYC/C that has a bunch of other ones on it: http://fuckyeahclintcoulson.tumblr.com/post/13927830025/fic-reclist
AND ART. HERE, HAVE SOME AMAZING ART:
http://archiveofourown.org/users/huzzah/
http://gilesfarnaby.tumblr.com/
And if you get into it, I can’t wait to rec you some really, really good stuff (like some of the greatest AUs in the history of the world, and so on and so forth). But they’re not really gateway fic, so… yeah.
(Also, I write stuff at http://archiveofourown.org/users/sidneysussex/, if you like.)
And part four is the best. COME HANG OUT WITH US.
We have an AIM blast chat. IT IS THE GREATEST THING EVER. THE. GREATEST. Here: http://fuckyeahclintcoulson.tumblr.com/post/18262612878/clint-coulson-chat-group-signal-boost
There’s the Tumblr Clint/Coulson fuckyeah (http://fuckyeahclintcoulson.tumblr.com/), the C/C LiveJournal community (http://clintcoulson.livejournal.com/), the C/C prompting meme (http://cc-feelsmeme.livejournal.com/) and C/C bingo (http://ccbingo.livejournal.com/), too, but nothing rivals the blast chat. Seriously. Like, it’s worth getting an AIM account just for that.