Billy choked on a sudden wave of water, the solitude he'd found floating on his back in the water completely destroyed by the loudest splash he's heard in a while. He was of the opinion that anyone who dove off the cliff had to be insane, but usually they had the decency to call out some kind of warning before they did.
Still sputtering, Billy was ready to call out to whomever had jumped - but they hadn't broken the surface yet, and all he could see was red and grey under the waves.
This is far from Thor's most comfortable habitat. He's graceless in the water, moving instinctually rather than giving the matter any thought. Despite the weight still tugging at his neck, his shoulders, it doesn't occur to him to unhook his cape, and whatever ground he gains by kicking his legs, he loses just as quickly, not quite sinking, but not getting any closer to the surface, either. Trying to move laterally instead, he makes more progress, however, and eventually, his efforts find him hitting a rock with the back of his hand. Wedging both sets of his fingers into a crack in what he realizes belatedly is part of a larger formation, he relies on his strength rather than his ability to swim, physically hauling himself out of the water. When at last he breaks the surface, his forearms supporting his weight on the rock's edge, he sucks in a gasping breath, his mane of blond hair slicked back against his head, his blue eyes wide in his confusion
( ... )
"Little bit," Billy replied, stunned at the vision in front of him.
With Iron Man and Captain America here, it was no question that Thor would soon follow, Billy had once thought, but thinking it and experiencing it were two totally different things.
As was having a one-on-one conversation with the guy he'd kind of admired since he was a little kid. He thought back, as he pushed dripping wet hair out of his eyes, to his costume folded neatly in a drawer in his room, his red cape and spandex so similar to the man in front of him.
"I'm fine," he said, then his eyes widened. "And you're - do you need help?"
Because he could totally help Thor, who probably outweighed Billy twice over.
"Help? No," says Thor breathlessly, sounding amused at the prospect. Finding a foothold underneath in the water to use as leverage, he helps himself out of the water in a slow, if powerful, movement. His knee lands hard on the rock's edge, but he pays it no mind, too grateful to be out of the water for any pain to register. Dripping everywhere, he clambers to his feet, holding one hand outstretched to summon Mjolnir once more, but he's met with no success. Confusion registers on his features, and he looks over again to the boy.
"There's no magic," he said as he pulled himself out of the water, having swam over when Thor was doing the same. "No power. We're in a -- some sort of dimension, all our powers are nullified the moment we arrive."
He felt silly and small in nothing but his red swim trunks, hair dripping down his back as he looked up at Thor. "My name's Billy -- Wiccan, one of the Young Avengers," he added, hoping that this Thor would follow in Cap's suit and not Stark's.
That answers a few of his questions, though not, precisely, the one he asked. Still, he's not about to begrudge the boy for being eager, though the news, Thor thinks, could be better. After having so soon regained his powers, to be cast down once more into a place where he's robbed of his strength seems a cruelty; perhaps he hadn't learned his lesson, after all. The name the boy, Billy, gives is an unfamiliar one, but its meaning is clear enough.
"A fellow warrior?" Thor surmises, giving the boy an appraising look.
"You could say that," Billy replied, unable to keep from grinning widely up at Thor. There was a shade of disappointment in it, knowing he'd found another Avenger who wasn't one of his own. "I've usually got magic backing me up," he added, looking down at himself, aware of the image he made.
He looked around, darting over to pick up his towel when he spotted it. Holding it out as he turned, Billy realized it would probably do nothing to help water logged armor and that cloak. "Can you take that cloak off, or the armor? You're going to cook if you keep it on for too long, and we've got a bit of a walk to the compound. I can answer any questions you have, too."
Still sputtering, Billy was ready to call out to whomever had jumped - but they hadn't broken the surface yet, and all he could see was red and grey under the waves.
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With Iron Man and Captain America here, it was no question that Thor would soon follow, Billy had once thought, but thinking it and experiencing it were two totally different things.
As was having a one-on-one conversation with the guy he'd kind of admired since he was a little kid. He thought back, as he pushed dripping wet hair out of his eyes, to his costume folded neatly in a drawer in his room, his red cape and spandex so similar to the man in front of him.
"I'm fine," he said, then his eyes widened. "And you're - do you need help?"
Because he could totally help Thor, who probably outweighed Billy twice over.
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"What is this place?"
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He felt silly and small in nothing but his red swim trunks, hair dripping down his back as he looked up at Thor. "My name's Billy -- Wiccan, one of the Young Avengers," he added, hoping that this Thor would follow in Cap's suit and not Stark's.
Reply
"A fellow warrior?" Thor surmises, giving the boy an appraising look.
Reply
He looked around, darting over to pick up his towel when he spotted it. Holding it out as he turned, Billy realized it would probably do nothing to help water logged armor and that cloak. "Can you take that cloak off, or the armor? You're going to cook if you keep it on for too long, and we've got a bit of a walk to the compound. I can answer any questions you have, too."
Reply
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