Author's Note: Hello readers! I live! Welcome to my next Avengers project!

A little background on where the hell this came from: This started off as a response to the Whumptober drabble challenge that went around Tumblr last October. A Tumblr user came up with 31 Whump prompts and challenged fanfic writers to write a drabble each day through the month of October. Well, I learned of this late in the month and didn't decide I wanted to give it a go until November. So, as I was writing Out of the Ashes, I was working on some of these prompts on the side. It was something I was planning to finish up real quick before moving on to a different project.

This has morphed into so much more than just a side project though! I couldn't keep any of the prompts to drabble length, they all creeped up to one shot length. They also helped me work out my characterization and timeline for what will be the universe that my previous story, Out of the Ashes, will live in! So, I've rearranged the prompts to be in chronological order and this has actually turned into a solid follow-up to Out of the Ashes! The format is basically snapshots, each prompt a 1000-3000-word glimpse into a significant event in Clint Barton's life. We will start off with Clint in training for SHIELD with Phil as his handler, partway through we will introduce Natasha and Strike Team Delta, and by the end we will see the entire Avengers team!

Couple quick notes to know going in: As far as canon goes, I pretty much abide by MCU canon up through the first Avengers movie. After that I divert into the headcanon that all the Avengers moved into Stark Tower, rebranded to be Avengers Tower, and run missions as a team. I also mix in some Matt Fraction comic book canon throughout, which you will see come into play a few chapters in -wink wink-

All these stories live within my Out of the Ashes universe, but they also stand of their own if you have not read that story. And for those interested, I'm still planning a more traditional sequel to Out of the Ashes in the hopefully near future!

All 31 prompts for this project have a completed first draft! That means my updating of this story should be very regular. I'm planning weekly updates so that I still have time to proofread stories before posting them. The prompt that inspired each chapter will appear as the chapter title.

And finally, a MASSIVE shoutout to TheRedScreech who has been INVALUABLE with helping me brainstorm for many of these prompts! I am forever in your debt, dear!

And with all that out of the way... here we go!

CHAPTER ONE
SCARS

Phil Coulson checked the volume on his cell phone for the fourth time in the last twenty minutes. As it had been the last three times, he found that the volume of the ringtone was not only perfectly audible, but probably a little excessive considering that the phone was sitting just to the right of the stack of papers in front of him on his desk.

It had been four days since he had gotten a call about his newest recruit. In those four days, there had been no fights, no pranks, and no sudden disappearances. Phil felt cautiously hopeful that things were starting to even out with their newest adjustment to the routine.

Phil leaned back heavily in his chair with a deep sigh, rubbing at his eyes which had developed a dull ache behind them at some point. He had been holed up in his office all morning, trying to get as much paperwork done as he could before lunch. He knew the seemingly endless mounds of papers were Fury's way of making it clear that while he supported Phil's decision to remain on base during the training cycle of this newest band of recruits, he wasn't terribly happy about it. Phil was one of his best when it came to running missions, and having him sidelined for up to a year wasn't ideal in the Director's eyes.

Phil checked his watch to make sure he had time to get this last bit of paperwork done and still make it to the recruits' morning training before they broke for lunch. It was going to be close, but it should be manageable. He focused back down on the stack on his desk, only to be startled out of the task just a couple minutes later when the door opened with more force than was strictly necessary.

He looked up to find Clint Barton stalking into the room, a tray of food pinched in one hand. Phil blinked in surprise. Apparently, not only was Clint already out of morning training but he also had time to go down to the cafeteria, a task he normally didn't do without Phil to watch his back. Phil checked his watch again to make sure he hadn't lost track of time.

"You're early," Phil observed.

"Reynolds told me to head out early," Clint reported.

There was something odd about his tone, something too… clinical. It immediately caused Phil to pay closer attention to Clint's movements as he got up and vacated his seat behind the desk. Clint moved stiffly, his eyes flicking around the room more than usual as he moved to take Phil's seat. He was tense about something.

Phil's office was simple with a desk, some filing cabinets and a bookcase. The door was situated on the west wall of the room, while there were large windows that stretched the length of the room on the east wall. Clint felt most at ease when he was sitting on the business side of the desk, where he had a clear view of both the door and the windows, as well as a solid wall at his back. Since the cafeteria was still too much activity for his hyperaware mind, Phil and Clint had been eating meals in here for the past two months, Clint taking Phil's seat and Phil pulling up an extra chair to the other side of the desk.

"Why'd he let you go early?" Phil asked as he settled himself in the seat and watched Clint rotate the tray, noticing for the first time he had two meals on it.

On Phil's end of the tray was a turkey sandwich with all his usual fillings. He smiled as he picked up the sandwich, knowing full well that it was what he usually went for on Wednesdays. Clint was nothing if not quietly observant of little details like that.

Clint shrugged one shoulder, not looking at him as he picked halfheartedly at some chips on his side of the tray.

"Said I had done enough for this morning and I could hit lunch early."

"You don't sound happy about that," Phil pointed out carefully.

Clint sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair, his food forgotten for the moment. He crossed his arms over his chest, something Phil noticed that he did when he felt defensive.

"You know, I don't want any special treatment here, right?" There was a note of sharp accusation in his tone.

"I know," Phil told him evenly. "Why do you think you're getting special treatment?"

"He doesn't let anyone else go early," he pointed out indignantly.

"Maybe he thought you needed a break from the group activity?"

Phil knew that the training for that day had been moved to one of the smaller gyms, to leave the larger gym open for one of the higher-level recruit training exercises. A smaller room meant the recruits would have had to stand closer together, something that he suspected had put Clint more on edge.

"That's just it," Clint snapped. "That's what makes it special treatment. I don't need to be fucking babied."

"That's not what's happening here," Phil insisted. "Look, the training program here is brutal, we are fully aware of that, but we are not cruel. We don't throw brand new recruits into the deep end and hope for the best. We'd end up with half as many skilled field agents if we did that. Everybody gets a grace period here and that looks different for each person. Your allowances are just a little more obvious than other people's. But as you're only two months into your training here, there's nothing wrong with that at this point."

"Tell that to the other recruits," Clint mumbled. "Because they look at me like I'm a freak."

"Clint, look at me," Phil demanded and waited until Clint did so. "You are not a freak. All these little quirks are things that we can work around for now because in the field they are habits that are going to keep you alive. Hypervigilance when you're on a mission will be a huge asset. The thing is, in everyday life, it can also be a huge hinderance. So at some point you're going to have to learn how to balance it out. Once you've acclimated more here, I think it'll be easier for us to work through that. You just gotta give it some time for now."

Clint nodded, but didn't look overly comforted. It would take time for him to really grasp the concept that it was okay to accept a little help from time to time.

They ate lunch in companionable silence, Phil allowing Clint the time and space that he needed to decompress from the morning's activities. He could see the knots in Clint's muscles loosening, the tension in his features softening as he leaned back more comfortably in his seat. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he had needed the extra downtime.

Clint had been recruited two months ago on his eighteenth birthday, the youngest recruit in SHIELD's entire history. Despite his age, his skills already far surpassed those of the other recruits of his level. An argument could be made to fast track him through the training program, but Phil knew this was more than just training to be in the field.

Clint was an abused and neglected kid who needed to learn how to interact with the world and the people in it.

Clint had grown up in a world of violence and abandonment. Trust wasn't something that came easily to him and he struggled with the idea that he wasn't always in danger and didn't always have to be hyperaware of his surroundings. For Clint, just learning to exist in the SHIELD training program was already proving to be one of his biggest hurdles, as he needed to learn when to be on alert for enemies and when to let his guard down for people who meant no harm.

After they finished lunch, Phil walked with Clint down to the training gym for his next round of lessons. For the first six weeks, Phil had been present for every single one of Clint's training exercises. He didn't intervene unless absolutely necessary. He was mostly just there to provide Clint with a familiar presence in the room. He kept any interference to a minimum and only really jumped in to break up a fight.

Most of his time was spent talking with trainers after the recruits were dismissed, to make suggestions on how to better handle Clint's quirks. The biggest issue that Phil had needed to get the trainers to understand initially was Clint's hearing loss. A childhood injury had permanently damaged Clint's hearing. While most of the time he could hear pretty well, if there was a lot of background noise he had to rely a lot on lip reading.

Two weeks ago, Phil had taken his first step back, sending Clint on his own to his morning training exercises, knowing that he couldn't be Clint's safety net forever. It had been a rough transition, but with four days of no incidents, Phil was hopeful that things were finally evening out.

This afternoon was hand to hand combat. Clint particularly excelled at this exercise, but it also had the potential to turn dangerous quickly, so it was a lesson that Phil was going to stick around for. As Clint went to join the rest of the recruits, Phil headed over to the small set of plastic bleachers that sat at one end of the room. As the class got started, Phil pulled out the paperwork he had brought with him to work on, glancing up between tasks to make sure everything was still going smoothly.

Class was almost half over when it happened.

"Barton, you gotta focus!"

Phil's eyes shot up at the command, immediately going to the middle of the room. His blood pressure lowered as he saw a fairly tame scene. Clint was sparring one of the other recruits, a guy a few years older than him named Davis, going through a particularly difficult take-down maneuver. It should have been well within Clint's abilities, but as Phil watched, the kid stumbled with his footing, allowing Davis to break the hold at the last second. They reset, Davis saying something to Clint, but Clint's eyes weren't on him. With the background noise in the room, Clint's eyes should have been pinned to anyone speaking to him in order to get what they were saying.

Something was very wrong.

Phil stood up, watching as the two attempted the maneuver again, only to have Clint miss the step once again. Now that he was looking closer, Phil could see why. Clint's eyes weren't on the match; they kept darting up to the windows that were set three stories up near the ceiling and the beams and vents overhead. Even as they reset, Clint was shifting uneasily, something that was very unlike him – unless he felt he was in danger.

From months of studying Clint's behaviors, Phil was able to recognize the look in his eyes. He was looking for an escape route. And the sealed windows and beams in the ceiling would be a doable – albeit challenging – escape route in an emergency considering Clint's acrobatic abilities, but they were not ideal.

"Pay attention, Barton! Anticipate your opponent's movements!"

Phil followed the sound of Reynolds' barked commands to the only set of doors to the gym and immediately saw the problem. Reynolds had moved over to the door, apparently talking to another one of the trainers who had stopped by. The two were standing in the doorway, blocking the only easy escape route out of the room.

This went unnoticed by most people, but to Clint, this was something he was fundamentally unable to ignore.

As Phil headed across the gym, the other trainer was disappearing out into the hallway, but Reynolds remained hovering in the doorway. Phil glanced over at Clint and saw that he and Davis were resetting their stances after another failed attempt. Phil reached Reynolds just as the man was opening his mouth to call out another critique. Before he could, Phil grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away from the door.

"What the hell, Coulson?" Reynolds demanded, bewildered.

"Watch," Phil said simply, nodding toward the recruits once Reynolds was a safe several feet away from the door.

Clint's eyes darted to the two of them and there was instant relief in his features. He focused back on Davis just as he was advancing, and a few seconds later, Clint perfectly executed the take down. He even had enough control to keep Davis from hitting the mat too hard. That in itself was an accomplishment for Clint.

"Okay, what just happened?" Reynolds asked Phil so only the two of them could hear.

"Don't block the only exit route when Barton's in the room," Phil told him bluntly. "Makes it impossible for him to focus."

Reynolds glanced over at the door he had previously been standing in front of, realization sparking in his eyes. "Got it," he said with a small smile. "I'll add it to the list."

Phil snorted a laugh. It seemed all the trainers were in on the running joke of having a list of Clint's quirks.

"I appreciate your patience," Phil said lowly as Clint ran through the take-down with Davis a few more times. "He's adjusting well, but some of these habits will take time for him to get a better handle on."

"You don't have to defend him to us, Coulson," Reynolds said, giving Phil a knowing look. "We've all got colleagues who we've had to watch deal with the effects of PTSD. Some of us even have lingering symptoms ourselves from our time in the field. Hell, it's good for the recruits to see what some of the effects are so they'll be able to recognize the signs in their own colleagues someday. After all, it's an occupational hazard given what we do. It's just a damn shame that Barton has had to deal with these kinds of scars so young."

Phil couldn't help but blink in surprise. It was the first time he really considered just how understanding the trainers would be to Clint's situation. Reynolds must have registered the surprise, because he smiled as he went on.

"You know, you should stop in the trainers' lounge sometime," he said conversationally. "I think you might find something interesting in there." Before Phil could question him further, Reynolds was already turning and striding back to the group of recruits. "All right, Bittner and Peters, you're up next! Let's see what you got!"

Phil was left to mull that over curiously for the rest of the exercise. It wasn't until the end of the day when Clint headed back to the recruit dorm that Phil got the chance to make the trip.

The trainers' lounge was a small room nestled in amongst the training gyms, a place for the various SHIELD trainers could go to take some down time between exercises. It was a well-worn room with a few stained couches, an older television set and a frayed pool table. All the trainers were retired field agents and despite all the new technology throughout the base, this particular group enjoyed the old-school feel to their space.

The room was empty as Phil entered. He glanced around, looking for anything out of the ordinary. At first, nothing caught his eye. He walked further into the room, taking in the details of his surroundings. It was a little eerie with the room being so quiet, and he was contemplating leaving, when it caught his eye.

A large cork board was bolted to the far wall of the room with different-sized papers pinned all over it, every kind of handwriting represented. As he moved closer, he saw that they were notes written about the recruits, ranging from things they did well to things they needed to work on, and even who was getting on the trainers' nerves. Phil chuckled a little as he saw the name of a familiar recruit from Clint's class who often let his ego get the best of him, and that he had several notes from different trainers with ideas on how to knock him down a few pegs.

As Phil scanned over the notes, Clint's name jumped out at him. Phil couldn't say he was surprised to see that Clint's name occupied the largest piece of paper pinned to the board, a full sheet of computer paper. There were several different handwriting styles congregated on the page, indicating that several different trainers had contributed. He stepped closer so that he could read it and was honestly surprised by what he found:

The Do's and Don't's for C. Barton

Do not walk/stand behind him

Do not initiate any kind of physical contact without permission

Allow him breaks and space from group activities

If there is a lot of noise in the area, make sure your mouth is clearly visible to allow for lip-reading

Give him visual cues when a sparring session should end

Phil Coulson should ALWAYS be present during training in the shooting range

ALWAYS be aware of what he is doing. If he is bored, he will entertain himself in ways that are not always SHIELD-approved

If you cannot find him, look up

NEVER enter into any kind of bet with him that involves throwing or shooting things. You WILL lose.

Reprimands should not be accompanied by quick or angry hand motions

Have patience if he asks you to repeat something. Do not make a big deal out of it.

Scrawled at the very bottom of the list was Reynolds' handwriting, obviously the newest edition:

Do not block exits while he is in the room

Phil had to admit it was damn impressive that the list was already so extensive after only two months of Clint's training. It spoke to just how observant the trainers were when it came to their recruits. It also spoke to how much the trainers cared about their recruits, something Phil hadn't seen firsthand until now.

He smiled as he turned and headed back out of the room, feeling the weight on his shoulders lighten a bit. Clint was going to do just fine here.

NEXT WEEK'S PROMPT:
SLEEP DEPRIVATION