Author's Note: Hello! Back already for the final installment! Apologies that it's so short, but it's where this story needed to end. This story has taken up a good chunk of my life the past ten months, but I wouldn't have it any other way! I feel like I've learned a lot and improved a lot and I'm excited for my next projects!

In leu of shoutouts to individual reviewers of the last chapter, since it was only posted a few days ago and not everyone has had a chance to read it, I would like to throw a general shoutout to ANYONE who has reviewed ANY chapter in this whole story! I wish I could call each of you out individually for how amazing you are! I have officially gotten over 200 reviews on this story, which is just mindblowing to me! I very much appreciate all the support and encouragement throughout this story, it means the world to me!

If you're interested in more stories from me, I ramble for a little bit about other things I'm working on at the end of the chapter (coughSEQUEL?cough).

Epilogue

As Phil pushed the door open, he immediately spotted the shadowed figure sitting on the ledge surrounding the roof. He paused long enough to catch his breath from the climb, still not quite back to where he had been before he had been shot. Then he carefully made his way over to where the kid sat.

"What are you doing up?" Clint asked, glancing over at him as Phil perched himself on the ledge facing the opposite direction, both feet remaining planted firmly on the roof of the building.

"I could ask you the same thing," Phil pointed out. "Have you been out here all night?"

Clint had disappeared from the infirmary late the night before. This wasn't unusual at this point, over the past week Clint would disappear into the base for hours at a time, something he now had permission to do. It was unusual for him to be gone for the entire night, though Phil had his suspicions as to why tonight was different. In any case, it was just before sunrise when Phil had finally climbed out of his infirmary bed – which he was only still confined to as a precaution at this point – in order to go look for the kid. It didn't take long to track him down as he had been spending a lot of time on the roof lately.

Clint shrugged noncommittedly as he shifted his gaze back to stare off into the distance. Phil took the opportunity to dig in his pocket, pulling out a small item wrapped in a napkin.

"Here," Phil said, holding it out to Clint.

Clint turned back to him, cocking a curious eyebrow before he reached out and took the small parcel. He carefully unwrapped the napkin.

"A cookie?" he said, confused.

"It's all I could find around the infirmary," Phil admitted. "And it was easier than lugging a cake all the way up here anyway." He paused, but Clint didn't seem any less confused. Phil gave him a warm smile. "Happy eighteenth birthday, kid."

Clint's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He considered Phil for a moment – almost as if he were gauging if he were being sincere or not – before shifting his attention back to the cookie. He took an experimental bite and then made a face.

"A sugar cookie?" he asked, sending Phil a playful glare. "Really? Couldn't even snag a chocolate chip one?"

"Believe it or not, there aren't a lot of options in the infirmary in the middle of the night," Phil shot back, rolling his eyes but his smile unwavering.

Clint shrugged, taking another bite. "It's alright. I think I've only been given something on my birthday twice in my whole life."

"Really?" Phil said, vaguely surprised. "Even at the carnival?"

"Birthdays weren't a big deal at the carnival," Clint said, his voice so carefully neutral it was almost clinical. "We were always busy, if we weren't putting on a show we were practicing and if we weren't practicing we were packing up and heading to our next show. Frank didn't have time to keep track of and acknowledge everyone's birthdays. Sometimes people would celebrate for their close friends or family… but I guess I wasn't really close enough to anyone for that."

Sounds like something an older brother should have done, Phil thought bitterly to himself, but was careful not to let his thoughts show in his expression. He was still struggling with the idea that once upon a time Clint looked up to Barney and believed him to be a good older brother.

"Well, then I'm thinking we might need to take a field trip to track down a real birthday cake later," Phil said with a smile.

At that, Clint gave Phil an honest to goodness smile, his eyes suddenly shining with childish excitement for the first time since Phil had met him. It was refreshing to see from this teenager who had seemingly missed out on having a real childhood.

"Chocolate cake?" he asked hopefully.

"I think we can arrange that," Phil assured him, and he couldn't help but grin at the reaction such a simple gesture had earned him.

They lapsed into a companionable silence. Clint finished the cookie before relaxing into the quiet of the morning.

It was only when the sun had fully emerged over the horizon that Phil spoke again.

"How does it feel to finally be a legal adult?" Phil asked.

Clint considered this for a moment before he shrugged one shoulder. "Not so different. It's not like being a minor discouraged the state of Michigan from sending me to big boy jail or the state of Illinois for wanting to try me as an adult for something I didn't do. It is nice to not have to worry about dodging CPS anymore though."

Phil couldn't help but roll his eyes at that. Of course those would be the kind of things that Clint would focus on.

"So, as a legal adult, have you put any thought into what you want to do with your life?" he asked.

"No pressure there," Clint snorted. But after a pause he went on thoughtfully. "I've never put much thought into an actual long-term plan before. I've always just lived day to day and I just thought that's how it would always be for me. Even after years at the carnival, in the back of my mind I was still always waiting for something to happen, something to fall apart and force us to move on." He swallowed. "But last week, after I took out Diaz, when I had every opportunity to get away clean… I was halfway back here before I even really realized where I was going. Whenever I've left a place in the past, I've never once looked back. This was the first time that I looked back… and it was the first time that it felt right to go back."

Phil couldn't help but smile at that, feeling encouraged that Clint already seemed so comfortable here.

"But…" Clint went on, frowning before he looked over and met Phil's gaze. "Living in one place, doing one job… it just sounds like something out of a movie. It's something I never saw for myself, never even really considered. Do you really think I could do this?"

"Clint, I have never met anyone more suited for this life," Phil told him evenly. "You can make a real difference in the world if you stay here. I won't lie to you, it won't be easy, and it will often be an uphill battle to overcome what you've been through. But I will tell you this: if you do decide to stick it out here, I've already informed Fury that I will be your handler. That means I'll be there to help you through the training program and when you're ready to be a field agent I'll be the one to assign your missions and help you carry them out."

Clint stared at him in surprise.

"It's ultimately your decision," Phil went on. "If you don't think this is for you, I will drive you out of here myself, I will even help you land on your feet with a place to stay and job prospects. This is a life that you have to choose for yourself, it has to feel right to you. But, if you do choose it, I just want you to know that you won't walk this path alone."

"You'd… you'd do that for me?" Clint said. There was a measure of doubt in his tone.

"Damn right, I would," Phil said. "I brought you in to this and I'm willing to see you through it for as long as you need me to. We'd make a hell of a team, Barton. If you're up for it."

Clint smirked but he was shaking his head, snorting a self-deprecating laugh. "I just don't get it. I don't get why you'd wanna do that for me."

"Because you are a good person, Clint Barton," Phil told him seriously. "And its way past time that you caught a break in life." He paused. "You don't have to believe it right now, but just know that I do. I believe you are worth more than the life of a random drifter. You have so much potential and you can do so much more with your life. And the fact that you are still here means that some part of you knows that too, even if you're afraid to admit that to yourself."

"Why would I be afraid?" Clint asked defensively, his shoulders stiffening.

"Because if you admit an attachment to this place or a desire for this life, it means that you have something to lose," Phil explained. "And so far in your life, you've experienced nothing but loss. So, I get it, kid. I get why it's hard for you. And it's why I want to stick with you. Not because I have to, but because I care about what happens to you. Everyone deserves to have stability in their lives. Including you."

Clint took a deep breath, looking down at his hands resting in his lap.

"What if I let you down?" he asked quietly. "What if you do all this for me and I still fail?"

Phil reached over and put a gentle hand on Clint's shoulder, bringing his attention back to him.

"You won't," Phil said evenly, meeting his gaze. "I will push you, but I'll never expect anything from you that's beyond your abilities."

Clint looked at him, taking a moment to really read him. Phil held his gaze evenly as he willed the kid to see the truth in his words. Finally, Clint gave him a tentative smile.

"I mean… I guess all my stuff is here anyway," he said with a shrug, causing Phil to drop his hand back down.

Phil snorted a laugh at that. "All your stuff? You mean your bow, quiver, and the clothes on your back? Yeah, I can imagine how much of a pain it would be to have to pack all that up."

"I'd also like to finish reading that Catcher in the Rye book," he went on as if Phil hadn't spoken, his small smile growing as his eyes sparked with honest to goodness laughter. "So maybe I could hang around for a bit. You know, 'till you get sick of me."

"Well, that's not going to happen anytime soon, kid," Phil said lightly, though there was a spark of the promise the words held in his gaze.

Clint nodded, the smile remaining on his face. Phil could almost see the invisible weight lifting off him as he accepted that he could stop running, stop living his life one day at a time. He gazed around the compound and Phil could sense the relief in the idea that he could call this place home.

"Alright, kid," Phil said with a smile. "Here is it. Now that you're a legal adult, I can officially offer this to you. I'd like to offer you a chance to be an operative with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division." He held out his hand. "What do you say?"

Clint gave him a mischievous grin as leaned back so that he could reach out and firmly shake his hand.

"Let's give 'em hell, Phil."

END

Author's Note: Thank you so much to everyone for reading this story! I'd love to hear your final thoughts! And if you're interested in more Clint Barton centric stories, definitely follow me because I have several coming down the pipeline! If you're interested in reading about those see below. If not, please know that I've very much appreciated all the love and support on this story! Until next time!

Future Stories

Out of the Ashes Sequel: Yes! This is not the end of this storyline! I've already started working on the sequel to this story, set several years down the road where Clint and Phil are field agents working missions. I'm about 6000 words into it, but I really want to flesh it out more before I start posting it so hopefully there won't be long waits between chapters. My working title is Walk Through Fire but that's subject to change. It may take a few months before I get to a point where I'm ready to start posting it but know that it is definitely coming!

Whumptober Challenge: So, this challenge went around Tumblr last October with 31 Whump prompts, and you were supposed to write a short drabble or one shot every day for the month. Wellll, a one shot a day is a little much for my hectic schedule, so I've been working on the prompts sporadically and out of order on the side since then. I've currently got 11 of the prompts completed, 8 in progress, 6 with ideas, and 6 that I'm still staring blankly at. They are all Clint Barton centric, some with Phil, some with Natasha and some with all the rest of the Avengers. I'm hoping to get all 31 prompts finished before I start posting them, which will hopefully be within the next couple weeks now that I have time to focus on them!

Avengers High School AU: I'm not quite sure what possessed me with this one because I'm normally not one for wildly different AUs, but this idea was just demanding to be written. It's an AU where the Avengers are all teenagers within the foster care system, taken in by Phil who is a foster parent. The story starts out with Steve, Tony, Thor and Bruce all already living with Phil when he takes in a young Clint just out of juvie. No idea when this one will be posted, but if there's interest in it let me know and I'll see what I can do to finish it within my lifetime! ;)

Post CA: Civil War AU: So, this is a short novella that I had been hoping to post before Infinity War came out and completely disproved it, but we all see how that turned out! So now it's an AU! It takes place after Steve frees his team from the raft prison after Civil War and focuses on the consequences it has on those now fugitives with families, especially Clint's family. This is another one where I have no idea when I'll finish it, but if you're interested in it definitely let me know and I'll definitely work harder to get it done!