Fic Rec: Completely Stuffed (MCU, Clint/Coulson) / Appropriate Boundaries (XMFC, Charles/Erik)

This story is the start of a delightful AU series (which is 100K in total, but written as 15 nicely sized stand-alone stories) where Clint is an Avenger and Phil is the principal of a high school. Of course, he's still Phil Coulson, so he's far more competent than anyone would expect at first glance and he's willing to defend his students with the impromptu use of a fire extinguisher if needed. He also has a cat called Mittens II (because Mittens I is the name of his taser).

The first story is short and delightful, but I really like this Clint and Phil. There's a lovely humour and maturity to them. It's great to see them finding a way to fit into each other's lives when they're both busy with demanding jobs, and it's a really delightful little series.

Completely Stuffed (807 words) by tawg
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Avengers (2012)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Clint Barton/Phil Coulson
Additional Tags: AU - civilian Phil, undead animal horde, tw: violence against reanimated dead animals, tw: violence against museum exhibits, Flirting, First Meeting, civilian!Coulson is still a BAMF, Phil Coulson's taser, Avenger Clint, Principal Coulson
Series: Part 1 of The Dangers of Dating a High School Principal
Summary:

Clint has never been a fan of museums, especially not museums where the exhibits are trying to kill him. But he will admit, it's not a bad place to meet people.

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This is a modern non-powered AU, Charles/Erik, but I found the approach to Charles and the loss of using his legs very refreshing. Clearly, someone has done a good deal of research because while I intellectually know some of this stuff, it's great to see it used so naturally in a story. To give a huge insight into the difficulties of being in a wheelchair (back pain, which I wouldn't have thought of; callouses on his hands; navigating a wheelchair in the snow; managing bathroom trips) and the differences in Charles' new normal. It worked for me.

Plus, it had one of my favourite things ever. That thing where someone's issues and history dovetail neatly into someone else's. That's not always a positive thing, sometimes it's downright unhealthy (like, say, Harlequinn/Joker -- issues dovetailing in a bad way), but when you can see how someone's past shapes their present choices, how they've developed their value system, why certain things are important to them and other things terrify them, oh, I love that done well. Show me why these two people in particular work well together, show me how they fit together and support each other and why that spark between them could grow into so much more, and I'm a very happy reader.


Appropriate Boundaries (33346 words) by Yahtzee
Chapters: 7/7
Fandom: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom, X-Men (Movies), X-Men - All Media Types
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier, Hank McCoy/Mystique
Characters: Charles Xavier, Erik Lehnsherr, Moira MacTaggert, Sean Cassidy, Raven Darkholme, Hank McCoy
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Canon Disabled Character, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Massage, Sexual Tension, Fluff and Angst, First Kiss, First Time, Wheelchairs
Summary:

Charles has been having serious problems with back cramps in the year and a half since he's been in a wheelchair. His doctor prescribes massage therapy. But when Charles meets his masseur, Erik, in some ways they begin to heal each other. So how do you cross the boundaries between professional touch -- and the personal?