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At first, he laughs it off. It can’t be true. Phil’s fine, he’ll pop back up in a week or two with a wry smile and a “You really believed them?” rolling off his tongue. Fury had lied to him once about this, what would stop him from doing it again?
He takes to sleeping on Coulson’s couch every night, just to be a pain in the ass when the other man returns. He eats his food before it goes bad, keeps the place clean, just how he’d want it kept. Clint can be a pain, but he isn’t a complete ass.
After a month with no return, he starts to sleep in Phil’s bed.
After three, he moves his stuff in and starts paying rent at Phil’s, his own being sublet until the lease is up.
After six, he gets into a fight with Tony over the apartment and punches him out. He’s off the Avengers for a week.
After nine, he resigns from SHIELD. Steve won’t let him stop being an Avenger.
After a year, he quits the Avengers the only way he knows how.
Eight people attend his funeral. Director Nicholas Fury, Assistant Director Maria Hill, Captain Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Dr Bruce Banner, Thor Odinson, Agent Natasha Romanov and… retired Agent Philip J. Coulson.