Fandom High School

"So, last week sucked in a lot of ways," Clint said in greeting to his students, once everyone sat down. "But, we all made it back in one piece, so it's time for some introspection, because as much as it isn't fun to think about bad times, even bad experiences can be worth something if you learned from them." At least, that's what Clint liked to tell himself when he replayed failures over and over in his head. "I want you to tell me at least one thing you learned last week, whether it was looking before fully opening doors, or a way to get by on the island while everyone else was gone. Oh, and don't worry about your final next week, it's nothing you need to prepare for." He figured he could be nice like that.

This week's class was in a regular classroom and hey, Clint was actually there as a healthy human. "Hey guys. Did you miss me?" he said with a smirk. "You don't have to tell me out loud, I know in your hearts the answer is yes. I wanted to have a kind of discussion today. Let's say, hypothetically speaking, you lived in a world where the general assumption was that you're alone in the universe and then one day, without warning, the sky opened up over a major city and aliens showed up. And not nice aliens either, but mean ones with weird faces who're bent on destroying everything in their path. Aside from the obvious job of taking down said aliens, what are some of the skills that might be needed to keep people safe? Or, you know, put the world back together after the party's over?" For a unique definition of the word "party" of course.

Clint had thought that his immune system would be strong enough to withstand whatever Kitty had, but he'd been very wrong. So, there was a note on the door when Clint's class rolled around:



[Ugh, I blame DST. Sorry folks!]

Today, the class was back in a regular classroom again, and Clint was playing with a stack of papers on his desk as he watched everyone trickle in.

"Hey guys. I know today's the last day before break, so you're all probably a little anxious to get out of here. Today's class will be fairly painless, I promise," he said. "Unless you're planning on buying yourself a tropical island and spending your days living off lottery winnings, you're probably going to have to find something to do for a living, and that means having to deal with people who are in positions of power over you. Even the shadiest non-standard jobs have hierarchies, and no matter what you do, there might come a time when your boss, or your boss's boss--" or the shadowy people who liked to try to tell your boss what to do, not that Clint was going to go there "--will ask you to do something you don't want to do. Now, I'm not talking about coming in on a Saturday when you already had plans. I mean something that goes against your morals, or your gut instinct, and you're going to have to decide whether to follow the rules, or tell your superiors to shove it and do what you think is right. Now, I am living proof that you can tell people to shove it and live to tell the tale. Maybe unpleasantly for a little while, but to me, it's always been worth it. You're going to have to decide if going against what's asked of you is worth it to you, and learn how to say no."

"I have a quiz for you guys--not a real one, more of a personal thing--and then tell me, in whatever you see yourself doing in the future, can you think of anything you might be asked to do that you won't want to do? And do you think you'll be able to make your opinion heard when the time comes?"

When the students arrived in the Danger Shop today, they'd find it set up kind of like a classroom, but with comfy chairs, a television, a DVD player, and no sign of Clint aside from two notes. The note on the board said:

"This movie is a great example of someone improving himself pretty much just to prove that he can. Also, it's a classic that's older than all of you, so enjoy it."

And the note on the DVD said:

"Kate (or someone equally smart): Please make the movie play. I trust you know how a DVD works."

At least he said please?

When the students arrived today, they'd find the Danger Shop set up with a bunch of targets, training dummies, and a pile of moddable weapons.

"It seems like a lot of folks at this school, and in town, come from kind of dangerous places," Clint said. "Honing a skill requires time, which requires staying alive, and that isn't always a luxury. Today, I want to see how well you guys can handle weapons to defend yourselves, and don't worry if the answer is 'not all that well' because everyone's got to start somewhere. If you've already had some training in this area, and you want to spar with each other, go right ahead because you won't really hurt anyone. Supposedly." It wasn't that Clint didn't have faith in technology, but that part of the Danger Shop's settings still had him a little worried.

Clint was still a little nervous about running this class, but he'd spent enough time listening to the radio this week that he at least had an idea of what to do today. So, when the students came into the classroom, he was perched on the desk, looking as relaxed as he could manage.

"Hey guys," he said, once everyone was there. "My name's Clint Barton, and this is Improving Your Skills. If you're in the wrong place... well, feel free to stay 'cause I don't really care about that, and you can call me Mr. Barton if that's more comfortable for you, but I won't mind if you call me Clint either." Really, he felt old enough without all of you helping, thanks.

"Anyone who's been here for more than a few days has probably figured out that this school and this town are filled with people who have special powers," he continued, "and I figure at least some of you come from places where folks running around with abilities is totally normal. Some of you might even have powers of your own. But I think everyone is capable of doing something awesome, and it doesn't have to involve super strength or something supernatural. All it takes is figuring out what you want to get good at, and living long enough to get good at it. So, that's what we're going to be doing in here."

"Now that I've given you my little spiel, I think the custom is that it's your turn to do some talking. I know you're probably all tired of introducing yourselves, but that's what you get for taking a class at the end of the week." He was so polite sometimes, really. "I want to know your names, where you're from, and at least one thing you think you're really good at. If you've got some kind of ability, don't tell me about that, because there's got to be more to you than that. I was told I get to have a TA, so that's going to be Kate Bishop--" Sorry Kate, that was what apparent bow-stealers got. "--but I'll go ahead and start. I'm Clint Barton, I'm from New York, and I can say with zero modesty that I'm the world's greatest marksman. Who wants to go next?"