I don't own Young Avengers

Up, Up and Away

The door leading into the ship's hull slid aside with a gentle hissing sound. The cool night's air rushed through the opening into the temperature-regulated space, eagerly embracing the cloaked young man standing at the entrance. He remained still for a moment before looking over his shoulder. There was no one in sight, his traveling companions all out for the night, and seemingly oblivious to his attempted escapade. That should do, he thought - it wasn't as though he was doing anything forbidden, and if they did end up coming after him? Well, he'd deal with that when it happened, Wiccan concluded and pulled his hood over his head before stepping out into the clearing Noh-Varr's ship was docked in. He'd only be gone for a while, anyway.

Several minutes passed before he decided he was far enough from the ship. Not even fully looking back, he tilted his head over his shoulder and mostly listened. Night birds, crickets, the wind through the treetops. Billy could hear nothing else and he breathed out a sigh of relief before pulling his hood off. Still, he didn't have that much time, he reminded himself and turned to look up. Above him the treetops moved gently in the breeze, occasionally granting him view of the sky. Being as far as they were from any city the darkness was filled with twinkling stars. The corners of his lips twitched upwards as he gave in to the will to see better. Of course, it was but a simple matter. All he had to do was get-

"Up."

It was one of the oddest sensations he ever experienced, the feeling of suddenly having the ground blink out from under his feet. He kept looking up, yet the way his feet hung freely, tilting back and forth as though he was standing on air - for in fact, he was - was telling. It's been a long while since he's done that. He relaxed, somewhat slumped in mid-air rather than standing. The wind pushed his cape against and around him, tugging his hood over his head. Hm, that would take some getting used to, he thought, an amused smile on his lips. He could still see the sky if he looked up, and so he did that from under the hood. For a while he remained unmoving, simply appreciating the view. It lasted until the breeze picked up, making him let out a surprised sound before laughing. Throwing his arm back he turned around, letting the wind push both hood and cape behind him. He squinted his eyes before deciding he won some imaginary contest and then closed them, letting the gust blow past him. It rocked his limbs and made the red fabric dance behind him, but he never actually budged, and the sense of comfort and security that brought with it were uncanny.

~For all the good it ever did you~ a voice whispered in the back of his head, making him unsteady enough for the wind to disrupt his balance. He recovered instantly, however, and remained floating, slightly leaning back, even when the wind had settled down. He forced that thought out of his mind as he stared at the moon, squinting his eyes in an attempt to make out the dark part of its silhouette. Once that train of thought left the station, however, it was hard to stop, and Billy shut his eyes tightly. He inhaled, exhaled - and let himself fall.

The wind whistled in his ears. The cape tangled around him, restraining his arms. He felt the pressure against his back, pushing against him with increasing force that never was enough to stop him. The treetops rose to meet him, as did the ground below, but he never made it. Instead, he simply came to a-

"Stop."

He spun around, flipping out of the cape's constraints a foot above the branches. He stared down at the leaves that fell, slowly, carelessly, swirling down freely and taking the tension away with them. It was the adrenaline rush, Billy knew as he threw his head back. Eyes closed, he wasn't even looking at the sky, he simply laughed. It left him without his permission, bubbling up from deep inside and flowing out to the point he had to hold his stomach. He had no idea why he was laughing, but he had no intention of stopping it. It died down eventually but not for a while, leaving Billy breathless and spent as he floated almost horizontally, staring up. He wiped a tear from his eye before letting out a sigh, one arm dangling to his side in the air. He missed this, he realized. This... having fun with his powers. A part of him insisted he still wasn't allowed this, that he messed up again, that 'fun' wasn't anything he deserved. The rest of him knew that was indeed true - starting tomorrow. As it was, Billy figured he still had a while before anyone would notice and a bit longer still before they started worrying. He could afford some more 'fun' until then.

"Up!"

–

"What. Did you do?" The childlike demigod demanded the following morning, eyes narrowed as he glared at Teddy from his less than impressive height. Confused by the allegations, all Teddy could do was turn to look at Billy who was currently drinking straight out of the coffee jug, much to Kate's dismay. Teddy himself wondered about that, seeing how Billy was running low on sleep, but he was spared answering.

"Fun." Was Billy's eerie, unexplained reply. Before Loki could throw a tantrum about inappropriate activities on the night before a magic lesson, Billy grabbed a bag of chips and the small trickster's hood and dragged him away, not before promising Teddy with a look that he'd tell him later.