The Academy

Chapter 12

One month later

"Fury is going to kill us," Skye tried to reason with the assassin duo as they grinned at her. She shook her head, "you can't possibly be serious."

Clint pointed at his face, which was dead pan. "Does it look like I'm joking?"

Skye ran a hand through her hair and grabbed a sweatshirt to throw on over her tank top. "Fine, you win. Let's do this," she said begrudgingly. "When's he coming back?"

"Tomorrow," Nat explained as she hacked the keypad to get into Fury's office, "he's finishing work at the Hub and then he's coming back here for two days before heading to the Communications Academy to oversee something."

Clint handed her a packet of light colored powder and then handed Skye one as well. They made their way into his office and managed to get the powder on almost everything in there. They shut the door once they were done and Skye threw out her latex gloves that she had been wearing. "Oh, he is gonna be so ticked when he finds out that his entire office is covered in itching powder."

Clint and Nat fist bumped each other. "It'll be great."

"Couldn't he fire you guys?" Skye asked curiously, "in fact, why hasn't he already?"

"Because when we're not being ordered to take a break, Ward and the two of us are the best agents out there," Clint explained. "He can get angry, but he can't fire us. We're untouchable."

"Think again," Fury appeared behind Clint with an icer. Clint ducked before his angry (and itchy) boss could shoot him.

"I thought you weren't coming back until tomorrow!"

"Well you thought wrong," Fury frowned angrily as Skye and Natasha ran off. He put the gun back in its holster and looked at Clint who was trying his hardest not to laugh, "I can't fire you, but you're sure as hell not untouchable. I'm still your boss."

"Don't suppose I could persuade you to give us a different punishment?" Clint paled as he realized all of the sudden what Fury was talking about.

"Nope," Fury shook his head, "you got yourself into this mess, you get to pay for it. You and Natasha."

Clint sighed as he stood up. "Yes, sir."

Clint trudged off to find Nat and Skye and once he found them, he repeated the conversation to Nat.

She glared. "That better not be what I think it is."

"It is," Clint sulked, "I hate it. Why do we have to do it?"

"Do what?" Skye piped up, wanting to know what the two assassins had to do as their punishment.

"Fury's making us lead the stupid survival training this year," Nat groaned. "At least it's in six months so I have time to collect my sanity," that comment made a small chuckle escape Clint's lips and Nat glared at him. He quickly sobered up and she continued talking. "Survival training is when someone takes out the newbies for a week in the woods and teaches them how to survive if a mission goes south." She grabbed her car keys and held on to them tightly.

"What are you about to do?" Skye asked cautiously, noticing the tight grip that Nat had on the keys.

"Why?"

Skye shrugged, "you're giving off the impression that you want to murder everyone you look at and I know that you could do it with just those car keys," she explained.

Nat smiled and shrugged. "I could, but I won't." She started walking down the hall and reached the glass doors that led to the parking garage for S.H.I.E.L.D personnel. She looked over her shoulder at Clint and Skye. "I'm either going to go commit a heinous crime or I'm buying a freaking large tub of ice cream. I'll decide in the car," she climbed into the car and drove off.

Skye looked over at Clint and he shrugged. "She'll probably do both," he remarked casually as they walked back to Skye's room to wait for her.

She returned around half an hour later with three tubs of rocky road ice cream. Without a word, she plopped down on the couch and started eating out of one.

"I really hate survival training," she explained, "but I really love ice cream."

______________________

"I call," Ward said from across the table in the lounge on the Bus as he looked at May. He shoved his poker chips to the center of the table and May smirked.

"Show your cards," Coulson piped up as he watched the game with interest since it was declared right after Fury called with orders.

May flashed her cards and smirked as Ward went pale. She had a royal flush. Ward swore and Coulson laughed, patting him on the back. "Maybe you'll beat her next year, Ward."

Ward glared at her as he stood up to go beat up the punching bag. He growled under his breath, "I hate helping lead survival training."