Second Nature
Morning, noon, and night
Aqualad
Like most mornings, Kaldur got up early to go for a swim. He dove from the pier into the ocean, extending his webbed hands and opening his gills. Swimming was easy and enjoyable, as well as good exercise, but he regretted that he couldn't swim farther out, there wasn't much life in the shallow waters. Nevertheless, he was lucky he resided near the ocean, he couldn't stay on land forever.
.
That afternoon Kaldur was glad that he had the opportunity to train with Robin. He enjoyed sparring with all his teammates but when he sparred with Robin he was able to use his water swords. With anyone else he focused on hand-to-hand combat but Robin had a means of blocking his swords, something that the others didn't.
He grinned at Robin, removing his water bearers from their holder and forming his swords. He did so without thinking, it had become instinctive to harden the water into whichever shape suited his current needs and took almost no time at all.
Robin grinned in return, pulling out his own weapons.
They studied each other for a moment, testing who would attack first, and then Kaldur leapt, swinging his swords at the smaller boy. Robin ducked and blocked, extending his leg to sweep Kaldur off his feet. As soon as he hit the ground Kaldur rolled, leaping back to his feet quickly.
The fight continued, his weapons shifting as he needed them to, changing without thought as he tried to strike the nimble acrobat. Eventually the fight ended but to Kaldur it didn't matter if he had won or lost. To him it was about the training and the exercise, as well as his companionship with Robin.
.
Kaldur dove fluidly into the water for the second time that day, heading straight for Artemis and the creature that had pulled her under. He hacked at the creature, startling it enough so it released Artemis. She kicked off, using the creature as a foothold, and headed for the surface. Kaldur paused for but a second to check in with her mentally before resuming his underwater battle. The creature was strong but stupid and Kaldur soon broke the surface himself, switching instantaneously from gills to lungs.
Artemis
She sat up abruptly, reaching behind her back to pull out an arrow and nocking in her bow. Wildly she looked around before she blinked, the bow and arrow vanishing along with the comforting weight of the quiver on her back. Just a nightmare she realized. I'm still safe, at home, and that most certainly did not happen. She got out of bed, relieved, and got ready for the day.
.
They were practicing archery that afternoon in gym class and Artemis couldn't have been happier. One of the perks of transferring to an elite school - any sport you can think of as well as decent equipment. She took the already strung bow offered by the teacher and frowned at it. Without even thinking about it she fiddled with the string, adjusting it to the proper length automatically.
"Miss Crock? What are you doing?"
The teacher's voice cut through her concentration and she looked up, startled to find herself in her high school gym and not at home or in the Mountain.
"Sorry," she found herself apologizing, "I wanted to see if I could do it." So much for appearing to be completely clueless.
"These are dangerous weapons, not toys Miss Crock," the teacher scolded her. "If I see anything like that again you will not be participating in this unit, am I understood?"
She silently scoffed at the teacher but answered in the affirmative. For the rest of the class she ignored the badly strung bow, she ignored the unbalanced arrows, instead choosing to spend her time pretending she didn't know how to nock an arrow and imagining how easily she could beat her classmates.
.
That night at the Mountain Artemis let loose arrow after arrow, hitting the moving targets with ease. In a final fluid move she grabbed one last arrow, letting it fly into the target in a matter of seconds. She stopped, chest heaving as she caught her breath, exhausted, but with a smile on her face. She wasn't just a girl who was good at archery, she was an archer - it was part of her. She wouldn't be herself without a bow nearby.
Kid Flash
Wally dashed around the house hurridly, not wanting to be late for school. Late for school meant afterschool detention and today was Friday, there was no way he was staying after. He heard his mom telling him to slow down before he hurt himself or broke something but Wally only laughed. He had run on far more dangerous ground than this and he had no intention of tripping now – not when the fate of his afternoon was at stake. He slowed to a halt in front of his mom, flashing her a smile. "Time to go!"
.
School passed slowly for someone who was one of the fastest people alive but eventually it did end. Wally wished nothing more than to rush out of there but he had his secret identity to consider. Instead he plodded along beside his classmates, searching for his mom's car. When he saw his uncle's car instead he grinned. The Flash didn't drive often but if he was picking Wally up – and was actually on time – that meant there was a mission. And on missions he could run. He hopped in the car eagerly. "Where to?"
Flash sent him a grin. "Mountain for debriefing first. We're ditching the car at my house, running's faster."
He drove quickly but it was still slow for the two speedsters. As soon as they arrived and changed they were off, speeding to the nearest Zeta tube within Star City. They could have ran the whole way but time was of the essence and they weren't as fast as teleportation. Nevertheless they relished in the opportunity to run. Neither of them had been born with their abilities but they had certainly grown to love them. It had become second nature to run, speeding up their molecules and breezing through a city that looked like someone had hit the pause button.
.
That evening after the mission everybody lounged around the table, eating a late dinner. They were all pleased with their success and it clearly showed. Currently they were laughing at the amount of food Wally had consumed, but he just shrugged and grinned. "I can't help it." He grabbed another helping. "Running takes a lot out of you." He looked over his smiling teammates. Yes, running took a lot out of him, but he wouldn't give it up for the world.
Miss Martian
M'gann got out of bed, easily shape shifting from her Earthly pajamas into her usual attire. She floated out to the kitchen without thinking about it, her feet never touching the ground until she reached the fridge. As she landed on the ground she reached out with her mind, attempting to wake the only other permanent resident of Mt. Justice. While she was doing so she also began to prepare breakfast, ingredients flying through the air to land on the counter. Soon the pancakes were sizzling in the pan and Conner was walking sleepily into the room – and all before she had moved from her spot near the fridge.
.
By the time the afternoon had arrived the rest of the team had assembled. They gathered for their briefing and as soon as they were done M'gann went to ready the ship. She felt her mind link with the only thing from Mars she had and she smiled as the ship woke up. It shifted into its usual appearance and the team filed in, M'gann taking her place at the controls. She converted the ship to camoflauge mode as easily as she shifted herself and they were off, flying out of the Mountain unseen. As they spotted their destination a missle shot up from the building, arcing toward them. M'gann concentrated and the missile shot upward, exploding high above them. Several missiles followed the first and M'gann knew she couldn't deflect them all and maintain control of the ship. Hold on guys she voiced through the telepathic link. The swerved and dodged, executing rolls midair to avoid the dangerous rockets. Eventually all the missiles had been dodged and M'gann righted the ship, setting it down gently near the building they needed to infiltrate. Of course, she made sure to land far enough away where the ship wouldn't be discovered. Some of her teammates were queasy from the ride but M'gann just smiled.
.
Time for dinner! M'gann called out telepathically to her teammates. After the mission everyone had crashed at the mountain, exhausted, and had all decided to stay for the night. She grinned as they all replied. When she had first come to Earth her telepathic abilities had been frowned upon but now not a day went by where she didn't use them. When the team got together they were automatically linked, M'gann didn't even have to think about it.
Robin
Dick leapt from bed nimbly, quickly getting ready for the day. He headed down the hallway, leaping onto the staircase railing with ease, his socks providing the perfect material to slide down it like a surfer – the challenge of keeping his balance not a challenge at all to an acrobat such as him. Upon reaching the end he jumped up, doing a summersault in midair and landing lightly on the rug with a laugh.
.
Given that it was the weekend Batman had allowed Dick to spend the day at the mountain with the provision that that night they would be patrolling Gotham together. He had happily agreed, always glad to spend time with his teammates but also eager to jump around on Gotham's rooftops. He found his friends in the kitchen and, instead of walking around the counter like most people would, easily leapt over it, landing lightly as always. After the customary greetings had been finished he grinned mischievously. Feeling slightly childish and in a good mood he challenged them to a game of tag, dancing nimbly out of the way when Wally readily accepted. Before anyone else could react Wally tapped Conner on the shoulder and ran off, vanishing in a blur. The game was on. Dick snagged a cookie off the plate on the table and disappeared back over the counter, letting loose his signature cackle. What happened next was a whirlwind of activity, laughter, and just plain fun. He spent the afternoon leaping from hiding spot to hiding spot, chasing down his friends, and dodging their attacks. He leapt and tumbled, using cartwheels and handsprings to get away without even thinking about it, stretching his body in ways most people couldn't as they played.
.
That night Dick threw punches left and right, taking on the thugs beside his mentor. He placed his hands on a man's shoulders, using his own momentum to leap into the air, forcing the man down. He twisted in midair, landing a kick on another man as gravity forced him down again. He danced seamlessly around the thugs, taking them down one or two at a time. He was impossible to get a hold of, few men landing hits on his nimble form. He laughed as he danced, just another day in the life of Richard Grayson.
Superboy
Conner walked to school alone that morning – M'gann had left early for a cheerleading practice. He didn't mind though, he was the silent type and the quiet walk before spending the day surrounded by loud teenagers was more than welcome. He stopped on the sidewalk as he came by a tree that must have fallen during the storm last night. After making sure no one was around he picked it up, rotating it so that it was parallel to the sidewalk. He could have stepped over it but someone had to move it eventually. Besides, it had been jutting out into the street somewhat.
.
As Conner walked home from school that day – this time with M'gann at his side – he heard the screech of tires making a sharp turn at a fast speed and turned to see a little girl playing in the street. Without even thinking about it he leapt, landing by her side with barely a moment's notice. As the car barreled toward them he leapt again, holding the girl tightly and landing them safely on the other side of the road. Her mother ran out of a nearby house - where she had been watching her daughter through the window - terrified and worried, but Conner paid her no mind. The car hadn't stopped and Conner was angry, preparing to make another leap. Before he could take action he was brought out of his concentration by the little girl, who had latched onto his leg. As the frantic mother approached his anger evaporated and he tried to convince the crying girl to let go. She only did when her mother knelt down beside her, scooping her up with relief. As the mother babbled her thanks he was aware of M'gann coming up behind him, slipping her hand into his. He smiled, perhaps he could tell Robin the license plate number.
.
That night on their mission he leapt into the air with ease, slamming back down on his opponent. He wasn't as fast as Wally, nor was he as nimble as Robin, but he didn't need to be. He felt the hits a lot less, especially with normal thugs like these. As he received a mental order from Kaldur he smiled, leaping over the whirling mass of bodies easily. Smirking he knocked out the two thugs guarding the door and kicked it open as though it were made of cardboard. Piece of cake.
Authors Note: This was just a short fic inspired by one line in my story "Outsiders Looking In", when Batman contemplates the teams' abilities. I would love it if you could tell me which one was your favorite/least favorite and which one was most in character/least in character. Thanks for reading!