#attack goats

Thor’s unmistakable,booming laughter was easily discernable from the other side of the door, as wasa mess of chatter and laughter from his other teammates.  The softer, slower cadence that came when thelaughter subsided, Steve couldn’t place.

When he turned the cornerinto the common area, he nearly dropped his shield.  The faces weren’t the same – lined and aged –but he still knew them.   

“Dum Dum? Monty?”

“’ere he is!” Montygrinned.  “Let’s us have a look atyou.”  

Steve stumbled over in afog. He hadn’t had the time – he’d read the files shortly after the Chitauri,but that had been a few years before.  Hedidn’t think they’d still be alive and he felt something deep within him easeto know that they were.

“Even ages better’n wedid, Monty.”  Dugan was still sportinghis mustache, though it wasn’t as full as it’d once been. 

“How – I didn’t think-“

“-That we’d miss a chanceto warn your new team about your particular brand of shenanigans?”  There was a familiar glint in Monty’s eyes.

“Cap? Shenanigans? I don’t know if those words belong in the samesentence, gentlemen.”  Tony’s grin wasshit-eating.  

“Suppose not.”  Dugan mused. “Unless you count the raid in Al—“

“—No.  That was strategic.”

“The goat was not strategic.”  Monty tipped carefully to his right, stagewhispering to Natasha: “He thought barnyard fauna counted as a sufficientdiversionary device.” 

“It worked!”

“Not the point! Youcouldn’t have guessed that goat was going to head-butt a HYDRA operative.  You got lucky!”  Dugan took a sip of what Steve was reasonablysure was a Hot Toddy.   

“Dernier trained it.”

“He was the explosives expert!”

“-And goatwhisperer.”  Steve set his jaw against alaugh.  

“Wait, I’m confused.  Was there a special ops goat, or wasn’tthere?”  Bruce looked between the threeCommandos curiously and seeming a little hopeful that it was possible to traina goat for such a task.  

Dugan cracked up first,Monty and Steve devolving into helpless laughter not long after.  

“Maybe.”  Came the unified,giggled response.