~Wow I have already gotten a lot of great reviews for this fanfic, I really didn't expect that. Yay, a lot of people got my DC and Green Arrow reference! (You guys get mega cookies of whatever is your preference!) And I now pass out all the brownies to those who got the chairs (some of you even listed them in order, awesome!). I have tried to keep the people as true to their characters as possible though it may deviate slightly since 1) this is an AU and 2) I have decided that there will be at least one slash pair, but I won't tell you who it is yet ;P Anyway without further ado, here it is!
"This class will prepare you for what is out there in the world. Those of you who can tell when to lie, when to be truthful, when to tell a half-truth, who to be friends with, who you can afford to make an enemy out of, and how to fight for others as well as for yourself will excel in life. In other words, this class will prepare those of you who are interested in working for intel in the military. Now, why is this class in a normal university and not in a military academy? Because some of you are paying for your education through the military and when you join up after you have finished your civilian education I want you to at least have a foundation in the basics and not have to start at the beginning. We don't want to waste the military's precious time now do we?"
The class was dead silent. Their teacher, who had an eye patch over his left eye and wore a long black leather coat, was pacing in the front of the small classroom.
"I am Professor Fury, and you will address me as such at all times. Likewise we will be calling each other by our last names with a Mr. or Ms. in front, no exceptions! You do not get to be an actual agent until you graduate at the military academy. Any questions?"
No one spoke, and then a single hand went into the air. Fury consulted his list of students that also showed where they sat in the classroom.
"Yes, Mr. Barton?"
Clint leaned back in his chair, "Do we get to practice kicking the crap out of each other for the fighting part, or is it just going to be stupid theory stuff?"
Fury gave a wry smile.
"It looks like someone is a little eager to show off students. What makes you hate theory so much Mr. Barton?"
"Theory isn't always going to help us. You learn from experience. It's like with shooting an arrow. You can explain to someone how to draw the string back, and where to aim, but they won't get it or be able to do it until they try and fail. So are we going to get some experience or just guess the whole time?"
Fury looked at Barton carefully. He was a little rude and not very respectful of authority, but he was sharp and his questions were good ones. His practicality and bluntness would make him a good agent.
"You will get the opportunity to try, Mr. Barton, and you will fail. Many times. However, you might be good enough to have some success, and that will show if you can learn and have what it takes to be an agent."
The rest of the class was taking notes to finish the introduction, with the promise that they would begin doing some hands-on work later that week. Clint felt excited. His skills were perfect for becoming an agent, and it was the only job that sounded fun and right for him. It was also an added bonus that the military would pay for some of the tuition but it was the least they could do since he would be giving them his whole life when he joined. They would probably give him aliases and other spy stuff.
He did not have another class until later that afternoon, so he decided to head back to the dorm and get started on his homework for his SHEILD class. He opened the door to find that nobody was there and settled down onto the small couch that was now his. He spread out his notes and books, and began to type up the answers to the questions on his laptop. He had been going at it for half an hour when the door burst open to reveal Tony and Thor.
"Well met, Clint Barton. How does your day fair?" asked Thor
"Uh, it goeth well friend Thor." Replied Clint with a small smile (he really couldn't help but mock Thor a bit, I mean really who talks like that anymore?)
"Dude, the big guy, and I were going to go grab some grub. Wanna come?" asked Tony
"These 'burgers' are quite delightful. Bread, meat, and other delicious toppings go well mashed together!" said Thor enthusiastically
"Sure, I could use a hamburger right now." Said Clint, shrugging, as he closed his laptop.
"Excellent! Grab some money and whatever other things you take with you when you go out, as long as it is not something that could be construed as a weapon." Said Tony cheerfully as he grabbed his strange looking cell phone from a bowl near the door
Clint raised his eyebrow at that.
"Why the weird rule?" he asked as he grabbed his wallet, phone, and keys
"Apparently, carrying Mjolnir into establishments of food with me is not allowed." Said Thor in a grumpy voice
"What's a Mjolnir?" asked Clint
"My hammer." Replied Thor simply as he lifted up the strange looking hammer that Clint had seen him carrying the first time he had met him
"Look Mr. Viking, most people don't carry heavy objects that are used for smashing things into places like Burger King." Said Tony in a long suffering voice that suggested that he had explained this many times before
"Are we going to eat burgers or not?" said Thor in a voice that was clearly a 'we-are-no-longer-going-to-talk-about-this
They all left the dorm, with Clint locking the door behind them, and set off down the sidewalk towards the student parking lot. They got in Tony's very expensive looking car and drove off. Clint was sure that they were going at least ten miles over the speed limit, however he could not tell for sure since he was sitting in the back. The song 'Iron Man' was blasting loudly from Tony's radio, with Tony singing along in an equally loud and yet somehow good-sounding voice. Clint noticed that Black Sabbath was just one of many hard rock Cds that littered the floor of his car, and it did not surprise Clint in the slightest. They arrived at Burger King in just a few minutes thanks to Tony's driving, and proceeded to indulge in a massive feast of greasy but delicious fast food. Clint never thought that a human being could eat over ten burgers plus fries, and drink two extra-large cokes but Thor did it. Tony ate less than Clint did, and Clint only had two burgers some onion rings, and a medium sprite. When asked, Tony merely replied that he was starting an interesting project that involved a whole bunch of sciency words that Clint would never understand and that Tony tended to eat and sleep less when involved in a project. They talked as Thor finished his large meal, and Clint learned a lot about his new roommates in that time. Tony may be rich, but he had the intelligence and skills to outshine his inherited money. Not only that, but he seemed to have issues with his father, and his joking around seemed to be his way of handling the situation he was born in. Thor's father was the most powerful man in Norway, or in all of the Nordic lands for that matter, and his name was Odin. His mother Frigga, was kind but always calling Thor to see how he was doing (Clint actually heard a conversation between the two at the restaurant even though he could not understand the Nordic they were speaking); Thor also had a younger brother named Loki (their family must have a Norse god naming tradition thing) and he had just started at the University this year.
Clint told them about his home life, how he and his family got along okay, and his biggest passion which was archery. Though Tony knew nothing about it, and Thor only knew a little bit more than Tony, they still listened with interest as Clint talked about his special bow and arrows that he made himself, and the tournaments he had won when he was younger. It was with a stronger bond, and full stomachs, that the three got back into Tony's car and headed back to the Avenger's Mansion. They entered the living room, laughing together, when they heard a loud roar and the sound of something glass smashing. They all froze in their tracks.
"Oh dear." Said Thor in apprehension
"Oh shit!" said Tony as he began to race up the stairs
Thor and Clint followed close behind. They got to the landing and Tony yanked open the first door on the left. Bruce was inside, shaking with rage, and he proceeded to swipe his arms across one of his desks, knocking everything onto the floor. Well, at least Clint knew what the noise was now. He could only just stand there as he saw what he thought was the most calm and level-headed of the group effectively go crazy.
"Bruce, buddy. You know I love it when you get all angry and turn into an enormous green rage monster but I don't think you want to have to replace all of that, do you? Now what's the problem buddy?" said Tony, who was holding out his hands in a calming and placating gesture
Clint frowned at Tony's interesting choice of words, though now that he thought about it, Bruce did seem to be turning a little green with rage instead or red. Maybe it was just those weird gamma rays that he messed around with all the time. Bruce jerked around and glared at Tony, breathing heavily, before taking deep breaths in a visible effort to calm himself.
"That's it, friend Bruce. Tell us what is troubling you." Said Thor
"That-that-IDIOT!" snarled Bruce, who looked like he was going to lose it again
"Idiot? You're not talking about me are you?" asked Tony, smirking slightly
Bruce shook his head.
"Then which one? We know a lot of idiots." Said Tony
"That moron in my nuclear physics class!" snapped Bruce, "Emil Blonsky! We were discussing radiation, specifically gamma, and had to write our own theories about it. I had this really good one too, and then Blonsky somehow got a hold of my laptop when I wasn't looking and completely ruined my paper! It's going to take forever to fix it and I got in trouble for yelling at Blonsky for doing it! That stupid little-"
Bruce proceeded to rant incoherently, while Thor and Clint looked on in sympathy. Clint looked over at Tony who was not looking at Bruce and was smirking about something.
"What are you smirking at?" asked Clint
Bruce whipped around to glare at Tony who held his hands up in surrender.
"Calm down buddy, I wasn't smirking at what happened to you. I was smirking because I just got this awesome idea."
"What idea?" asked Clint cautiously (you usually had to be cautious when Tony was announcing an idea)
"We get revenge on Blonsky, without him being able to prove that we did anything!" said Tony, punching his fist into the air
Clint grinned.
"That actually sounds brilliant." He said
"I agree, we must punish him for the dishonor he has brought upon our friend." Said Thor as he clapped a hand on Bruce's shoulder
"Alright, sounds good to me. But let's be careful how we do this." Bruce had clearly calmed down more since his outburst
An evil grin split Clint's face.
"Oh, I think I know just exactly how to get our revenge." He said as he rubbed his hands together
Tony fist pumped the air, Thor took a battle stance and nodded with enthusiasm, and Bruce shrugged, though his eyes gleamed with excitement.
~And there it is! Not too long a wait I hope. Anyway, Natasha should be in the next one! (Yay for badass Russian women!) I will let you guess as to what idea Clint has for revenge. Hopefully the next chapter will be posted soon but my exams are soon and it might take a while. I hope you liked it and I will try to get the next one out as soon as possible. Until then, Avengers Disassemble!
Misto~
