Drill
They were lounging around in the Common Room when the siren went off.
Pietro disappeared first. The sandwich he'd been making hovered in the air for an instant before falling onto a plate.
Wanda squeaked and tossed her journal aside. Vision just let go, and his book phased through his lap, before he effortlessly started flying.
"That is—not fair!" panted Wanda, stumbling to her feet and off of the couch.
Vision chuckled, flipping onto his back in midair. "Do try to keep up."
Sam started running before he was even on his feet. Bucky scooted his rook to put Sam's king in check, and took off after him.
Down they charged through the sky-bridge between the Commons and Combat. Wanda swatted at Vision, and he swooped down and ahead, phasing through the far wall. Wanda leaped and skipped, red energy sputtering in her hands, and finally managed to lift herself on magic and fly after him.
That left Bucky and Sam in a dead sprint, like normal people.
"Show-offs," Sam muttered through heavy breaths.
Bucky pushed a little harder, and managed to inch ahead of him.
"Aw, come on!" hollered Sam.
Bucky cackled and plunged ahead.
The great equalizer was the armory. Pietro had already been there—his armor pod was empty, and the weapons gone—and Vision had no need of it, but Wanda, Sam, and Bucky had to halt and suit up.
Bucky knew his pod closet like muscle memory now. Armored jacket, cargo trousers, steel-toe boots, and a dozen knives and half as many guns in the utility belt and hidden holsters.
Sam beat him out of the pods, and blew exhaust in his face as the Falcon wings rocketed off. Bucky yelled obscenities over the roar of the engines. Sam bellowed in laughter.
Ground zero was the Quinjet landing pad. Pietro was already there, running laps around the plane. Vision was far ahead; Sam and Wanda kept pace in the sky; Bucky ran beneath them, slowly but surely overtaking and leaving their shadows behind.
His feet hit the landing pad just as they began to touch down—a thump for Wanda, a louder thump for Sam, and noiseless for Vision. Pietro joined them, hair flying as he skidded to a halt.
Steve stood in the shadow of the Quinjet, in full Captain America regalia. He hit a watch on his wrist.
"Good work, team," he said, and Natasha, beside him, looked pleased as punch. "That's a new record!"
Pietro whooped. Bucky laughed and swung his hand up—Pietro delivered a fierce, slam-dunk high-five—as Wanda cheered and hugged on Vision.
"Ice cream!" roared Pietro.
Bucky laughed. "Yeah, ice cream to celebrate! C'mon, Steve."
Sam gagged melodramatically and leaned his hands onto his knees.
"You all right there, Birdman?" Natasha asked, but there was a sly edge to her tone.
Sam straightened up and pretended to rub a crick in his back. "Man, I'm gettin' too old for this crap."
Bucky snickered, and Steve leaned an elbow on his shoulder with a smile.
Sam eventually won that game of chess.
A/N: ALMOST FORGOT. AGAIN. Anyway, here's our little update, and I hope everyone who celebrates it had a happy Thanksgiving!
Reviews are ice cream.