Crave

Chapter Five-A Bet

I'm down the driveway within five minutes and in the city within thirty. The chill of the open air is welcome on my sweat slicked skin and the familiarity of this city calms me. Nothing in Hydra ever looked like this. Passing the coffee shop Natasha and I were in the other day nearly brings a smile to my face, but soon I feel the sadness catching up to me and I have to run again. With the sun no doubt getting ready to rise, I decide to head back to the facility. My first stop is that gorgeous gym. Luckily, I'm first. Since I still have energy, my fists curl and I start with the punching bags. Bare skin hits the dark navy of the bag and it's a damn satisfying feeling. When my knuckles are raw I walk away towards the shooting range. All concrete and targets, it's not exceedingly impressive. At least, not until I see the wall covered in knives and guns. A low whistle slips from my lips and I back up a little to pick my poison.

I choose six knives to start with. Pure black and double edged that comes to a sharp tip. Laying them out in the farthest stall, I smile. This station has foam at the far end and a target already painted into it. I twirl a knife in my hand before tossing them all in quick succession. Two in the heart, two in the head, two in the crotch.

"Not bad." I spin to face the soft voice and find Natasha waiting there for me. "Rough morning?" My eyes follow hers to my raw fists.

"You could say that." I allow and slip into the danger zone to retrieve the knives. After I return and place them in their proper place, I walk out with Natasha.

She pauses and I take the moment to notice she's in workout clothes herself; black yoga pants and a white tank-top. "Actually, I was feeling like a workout. Care to go a round with me?" She moves onto the padded floor and raises an eyebrow as a challenge. The corner of my mouth lifts and I take down my hair, then redo it into a tight ponytail.

"I'm flattered." I incline my head towards her and step onto the softer floor as well. As she cracks her knuckles I crack my neck and we both grin at the sounds. "Ready?" She hums the affirmative and we both crouch slightly. Right now, I have the advantage. I know what she can do and she only has an idea of what I can do. This can also be a disadvantage if she decides to test me by going all out.

That is exactly what she does.

For a few minutes we throw and dodge punches to feel each other out. Reaction times, where the eyes go, retaliation times. My only warning that Natasha's about to change things up is a small upturning of the left side of her mouth. I press forward and as I step she hooks my ankle with her foot and tugs forward while shoving my chest back. Midfall I manage to pull my hands back and use them to flip back onto my feet, but Natasha is only just getting started. My foot shoots out to kick and she easily intercepts it, catching it with a hand and tossing it. I use this as leverage to spin and jump, kicking at her with more force. She ducks with a wide grin on her face and slides under me. As soon as both my feet are back on the ground her hands are around my throat. Feeling her body close behind me, I grab her wrists and flip us both. The breath is knocked out of her long enough for me to loose her hands. I elbow her ribs to prolong my advantage before rolling off her and standing. I lift a foot to knock her out, but she once again catches it and extends her arms to throw me off balance. My hands catch myself and I roll before hearing the thud of her fist hitting the pad where I just was.

We both stand and huff at seeing the grin on the other. "So how is this going to go, Natasha? Until one of us is unconscious?" I offer and she barks a laugh.

"How about first blood drawn?" She suggests and I nod, happy to have had the respite. "Unless, of course, you give in." I snort.

"Unlikely."

I slide towards her legs and she easily somersaults over me. We spin to face the other and limbs shoot out towards each other's face. The nose is the easiest target and we both realize we're aiming for the same body part at the same time. We both smirk. I duck an incoming punch and she snatches a handful of my hair, snapping my head back.