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Tony’s jaw dropped, “You want us to run three miles in under 20 minutes? The average person runs it in 30 minutes!”
Agent Coulson wrote something down on his clipboard before he clicked his pen and looked up with a smirk.
“Well, it’s a good thing everybody here is above average. Right, Stark?” Agent Coulson said mockingly, patting Tony’s head before walking away.
Tony glared at him until he got lost in the crowd of the other rookies getting ready to run.
Tony was still considered a rookie, access level one, which was absolute shit because he could do more than level five agents could in his sleep . Only reason why he was still considered a rookie was because he was the youngest even though he was the smartest.
“The least he could do was take us somewhere with leveled ground. Like really, what is this?If I twist an ankle I better be moved up at least to level 3 or I’m suing.” Tony muttered to himself while he tied his shoes.
Instead of running their miles on a track they had to run it through a forest with many nature elements messing up their times amongst other things. When last year rookies ran through the forest, two people broke their wrist from trying to catch themselves and five others got lost because there was no way you can tell where you were going.
The only instruction they were giving were ‘run straight and make your time’. Did he mention it was in the dark?
“Everybody is making packs so they won’t get lost. Wanna be in mine?”
Tony looked up to see a blond wiggling his eyebrows at him with a smirk.
“Depends, who else is in your pack?”
“Just me-myself and-I, Bambi.”
“Yeah, I’m going to have to pass.” Tony rolled his eyes at the blond before turning back to tie his other shoe.
“Oh C’mon, you don’t even know me. I could be the best level one rookie at getting through this forest, in history.” Blondie teased Tony.
“Exactly you could be an axe murderer waiting to get people alone so you can kill them and say they got lost in the woods.” Tony squinted his eyes at him.
“You know, you’re right I spend my free time running on a treadmill with an axe in one hand and my other hand reached out ready to grab.” Blondie said scarastially with a huff of laughter and rolled his eyes.
“Really?” Tony said with mock shock face.
“Yep, figured it would be easier to lure my victims in the woods instead of waiting for them to stumble in drunk.”
“Mhm, I guess we could be partners but, fair warning? If you trip and fall, you’re taking that journey down by yourself.” Tony said looking him up and down.
If blondie killed him Tony hoped that it was in the beginning of the run because if he didn’t kill him these miles were.
Blondie laughed and held his hands out to Tony, “Deal, come on, we’re about to start.”
Tony let himself be pulled up and they started walking to the starting line.
“Hey, did you bring any water? I didn’t know we were going to run miles today.” Tony said rolling his eyes.
Agent Coulson was one of the worst agents to be assigned to train the rookies. He was the type to tell everybody things last minute because they were suppose to be ‘prepared for anything that could happen.’ He was already passing out shorts and a shirt for the rookies to change into by the time Tony showed up.
Blondie opened his mouth to answer but before he could respond Agent Coulson pushed the horn and everybody was running to make the time.
Tony and Blondie took off with the crowd.
“Everybody’s going to start breaking off in groups soon depending on how fast they’re going. We should try to stay with the middle group,” Blondie huffed out to Tony during every exhale trying not mess up his breathing pattern.
Tony, who was already out of breath and trying to keep up with Blondie, could only nod his head while trying to watch where he was stepping.
Slowly groups started to form as people set into their own pace.
Blondie and Tony were in the back of the middle group as Tony started to move slower and slower with Blondie trying to push him to keep running.
“C’mon man, we gotta stay up there or we aren’t going to make the time. I’m not doing those bullshit 500 push-ups.” Blondie said keeping a hand on Tony’s back making sure they kept the same pace.
Tony felt like his lungs were about to explode. His mouth was open while he was running so now his tongue and throat was dry. The shoes he was wearing was hurting his feet since they had zero cushion.
“Just go, Blondie. You can run faster I’ll just stay back here with them.” Tony wheezed out jerking a hand out to the group of three running behind them at a pace, all five of them knew wasn’t going to make the time.
Blondie looked back at them and raised an eyebrow, “Yeah, that’s not going to happen. We’re halfway there, you can’t stop now.”
“I need some water my throat feels like it’s on fire.”
“Swallow your saliva and keep it pushing.”
Blondie jerked Tony out of the way from a mudslide that everybody was slipping into. The people in the front was already pushing themselves up to take the lead again.
“Fuck, you have good eyes.” Tony rushed out in one breath, his eyes glued to the mudslide that he didn’t see.
Blondie laughed, “So I’ve been told. The week before I was with Agent K and he had us look over pictures from crime scenes to try and find any missing clues.This Russian chick and I were the only ones who got it correctly.”
Tony hummed trying to save his breath while Blondie seems to have plenty to spare.
Blondie kept seeing things that the others couldn’t so while they started to push ahead of everybody, people started to get into more and more obstacles.
Blondie saw the tree stump in the middle of the leaves while everybody tripped over it.
Blondie saw the low tree branch while everybody else got their hair stuck to it.
Blondie saw the pot-holes in the ground while everybody else got their foot caught and tripped face first.
“Oh my god, I’m going to die I need to stop. Blondie, please.” Tony begged after they broke away from everybody else.
“No can do, buddy.”
“We’re already ahead of everybody else.”
“We’ll stay ahead if we keep this pace.”
“We’re almost there, we can take a little break.”
“Nope, even though we’re first, we’ll still be ten minutes behind required time.”
Tony huffed and tried to keep up with him.
By this time blondie moved his hand from Tony’s back to his arm to pull him out of the way of the forest elements.
Both of their shirts were covered in sweat and while Tony’s hair was getting stuck to his face, Blondie was getting sweat in his eyes.
“The fuck are you doing?” Tony yelped when Blondie started to pick up the pace keeping his hand wrapped around Tony’s arm.
“We’re almost there. You can rest when we get there.”
“Let me go. Finish by yourself.” Tony hissed trying to pull his arm out of Blondie’s grip weakly.
Blondie ignored him and kept going faster and faster pulling Tony with him. Just when Tony felt like he was going to pass out they broke out of the Forest and into an empty parking lot.
“26:48.”
Blondie turned towards Agent Coulson who had a timer in one had and his clipboard in the other. Tony had one of his arms over Blondie’s shoulder and Blondie’s arm around his waist keeping him up.
“You’re done for the night. I’ll see you two tomorrow.” Agent said with a smirk talking to both of them but only looking at Tony. He walked away and towards where some other rookies started to break into the parking lot.
“Hey, you still with me? I think he gave us a break because we finished first even though we didn’t make the time.” Blondie said shaking Tony by the waist and slapping his face softly.
“Water.” Tony whispered with his eyes closed and his head resting against Blondie’s shoulder.
Blondie laughed and started walking.
“Clint.”
“That brand sounds like something with a lot of lead in it but, I’m willing to drink anything at this point.”
Blondie chuckled softly, “My name, not a brand of water. You’ll be getting Aquafina, so don’t worry.”
“Oh. Tony.” Tony pointed himself while he said his name.
“Well, Tony better get used to running because I overheard Agent Coulson telling the other rookies we’re doing this every Thursday night.” Clint said while looking around to see which way to turn.
“Oh, god. Kill me now.” Tony whined, there was no way he was going to be able to do this again.
“Good thing you have me and my good eyes .”Clint said turning his head towards Tony with a grin.
Tony huffed, “If I die next Thursday it’s on your hands.”
Clint laughed, “I’ll take my chances, now where’s the liquor store? I was kinda just wondering around waiting for you to catch your breath.”
Tony rolled his eyes and pointed to the left.
“There’s a CVS over there, next to McDonalds.”
“Gotcha.”
Slowly they both started walking to the left; mouths dry, shirts wet, and calves on fire.
Tony stumbled and almost fell.
“Climb on my back, I don’t need people coming to your rescue because they think I drugged you.” Clint said bending in front of Tony with his arms behind him to help Tony climb on.
Tony hesitated. They just got done running three miles and Clint can’t be doing any better than him. Then again Clint forced him to practically sprint the last 100 meters on weak legs.
Tony climbed on.
“Onward, my noble steed.” Tony said with a laugh of relief now that his legs finally got a break.
Clint hitched Tony higher up his back and started walking to CVS where the must needed water was sitting just waiting to be drunk.