MCU Rec: Almost by celeste9

[purplecat]

I'm a big fan of Clint and Natasha as best friends and this story captures really well the sense that they are almost, but not quite lovers.

Almost (4160 words) by celeste9
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Captain America (Movies)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov, Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov
Characters: Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton, Steve Rogers
Additional Tags: Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Banter, Flirting, Cuddling & Snuggling, Sharing a Bed, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort
Summary:

Their relationship is a complicated series of almosts, but never actually is.

Culture Rec from Previous Journal (for Reference)

[purplecat]

Fandom: The Culture
Rating: Mature
Characters/Pairings: Original Characters
Length: 17,117 words





What is this?: This is an original short story set in Iain M. Banks' Culture universe. I actually forgot, halfway through this, that I wasn't reading one of Banks' own stories. I think it captures his universe really well - the vast potential of the technology, his own rather ambivalent attitude to his utopia, the potential for bickering, lots of silly spaceship names...

In this story a group of Culture ships and their crews encounter a threat in a solar system whose worlds are not members, or even aware, of the Culture. As the situation becomes increasingly desperate all those involved become locked in a debate about who has the right to choose whether a population is rescued or not. That makes the story sound very dry, but everyone/thing involved is a distinct character and the stakes are grippingly high.

Faster by Kastaka