Okay then.
When they got to the table, Hudson reached for the map and compass because that was what he did—he led, people followed.
The compass was heavier than it seemed, cold enough that he felt it through his gloves.
Shaw leaned in without being invited, so close Hudson caught the steadiness of his breathing.
"We cut east first." Hudson tapped the map. "Faster terrain."
Shaw studied it for half a second, then shook his head. "Southwest."
Hudson didn’t love being second-guessed, especially not by someone he’d known for approximately four minutes. “East is faster.”
“Early on. We’ll lose it later." Shaw’s eyes stayed on the map. “Southwest.”
Damn it. Hudson scannedthe terrain again, like a second pass might prove the guy wrong. It didn’t. Shaw was right, and the worst part was he couldn't even argue without sounding like an idiot.
“Southwest,” Hudson said reluctantly. “Fine.”
Nodding once, Shaw started walking.
At mile one, Hudson veered left without warning. Shaw didn’t say a word, just adjusted his stride and followed.
“You always let someone else navigate?” Hudson prodded.
Nothing.
“Cool. Great. Love that for us.”
Hudson pushed the pace harder. His lungs burned. Shaw's breathing, on the other hand, didn't change.
At mile two, Hudson cut right, deliberately taking them through rougher terrain. Rocks, uneven ground, patches of ice. Shaw's boots found purchase every time, movements economical, while Hudson felt himself working twice as hard.
"Are you even going to look at the map?" Hudson asked.
“Not everyone has to study the map four times.” Shaw's voice came back level. Not even winded.
Well… he had nothing to say to that.
By mile three, Hudson stopped pretending he wasn't testing boundaries. He cut sharply uphill. Shaw followed without breaking stride, which was genuinely annoying. Hudson doubled back, cutting across their own trail. Shaw tracked the move, registered it, and kept quiet.
Hudson had expected pushback. Some sign that Shaw gave a shit about who was calling the shots. That was how it worked; you tested each other, figured out the hierarchy, moved on. But Shaw didn’t engage, which was somehow worse than if he’dgotten pissed.
By the end of the last mile, Hudson gave it one last shot, determined to get under Shaw’s skin. “Was this as good for you as it was for me?”
Shaw considered it for a second. “No.”
Despite all Hudson’s shenanigans,they finished early.
Master Sergeant Chen paused mid-note and glanced between them, as if he was trying to figure out if they had cheated or if they werethatgood. Hudson took it as a win, because Chen's suspicious face was probably the closest thing to praise they'd get.
Chen nodded and walked away. Hudson rolled his shoulders until something popped, then bent to stretch his hamstrings. He was definitely going to pay for that pace tomorrow.
"So... we made a pretty good team back there.” Hudson straightened and shoved his hand through damp hair. There was no teamwork in what they just did and they both knew it.
"We finished on time."
"Early. We finished early."
