BLACK & RED | NATASHA ROMANOFF X READER | MARVEL

21

Days and weeks blended together in a monotonous, endless cycle. I was still stuck in the medbay, my days filled with hours of solitude and boredom, but surely I felt better. Every morning, Nat would come in and check on me. I really did love her, even though she knew I was upset and felt useless, she still came.

I was lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, when the door opened and Nat entered, followed by the medical staff. I immediately noticed that something was different this morning - Tasha looked... excited, even hopeful.

"Miss Solokov, we've got some news," the doctor said as he put his clipboard down.

I sat up a little, my curiosity piqued. "What kind of news?" I asked, my voice still weak.

Natasha smiled, her eyes gleaming as she took a seat on the bed, placing a hand on my leg. "The medical staff has cleared you for light activity," she said.

"She's right," the doctor agreed, running some bloodwork, "We're going to start with some physical therapy, and if all goes well, you'll be able to rejoin the team very soon."

I felt a flicker of hope in my chest. It felt like forever since I had been active, since I had been useful. "Really?" I asked, my voice betraying my excitement.

Natasha nodded, her smile widening. "Really." She leaned in for a kiss and I returned it.

The medical staff stepped forward, their voices professional and efficient. "We're going to begin with some basic exercises today. We'll focus on rebuilding your strength and mobility. It's important to not overtax yourself, but we do want you to push yourself a bit."

I nodded. "I'm ready."

The next few days were a blur of physical therapy exercises, each one more challenging than the last. But at least I could move around the compound by myself now. My body protested, sore and weak, but I gritted my teeth and kept going.

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We had moved on from physical therapy to light training, and today it was basic combat drills. Natasha stood across from me, her eyes focused and determined.

Nat and I were in the open training room, going through some light training exercises. She was going easy on me, probably to avoid straining my recovering body, but I was grateful for the chance to get back into the swing of things.

"How's this feel?" Nat asked, watching me as I completed a few basic kicks.

"Not too bad," I panted, wiping the sweat from my brow. "A little bit sore, but nothing too severe."

Nat nodded, a small smile on her face. "You're doing great."

As we continued our training, my strength was improving but my coordination was still off. During one particular exercise, my foot caught, causing me to lose my balance. I stumbled forward, my body falling towards Nat.

She tried to catch me, her arms reaching out, but we both ended up on the ground in a heap. We lay there for a moment, our bodies entangled and our breaths coming out in short gasps as we both laughed.

"Shit, sorry." I mumbled through a smile, looking down at her.

Before I could get up, she smiled up at me,"No need to apologize. I can think of worse things than having a pretty girl land on top of me."

My heart skipped a beat as she pulled me down to her and pressed a soft, lingering kiss against my lips. It was surely unexpected, but not unwelcome. I found myself responding to it, my hand coming up to cup her cheek, my fingers tangling in the soft strands of her hair.