Beads of sweat trickled from Krissy’s forehead down to her cheek as she continued to hit the punching bag in front of her. She furrowed her eyebrows as her hazel-green eyes concentrated on each punch. Her knuckles were beginning to ache because of their bareness, but she didn’t care, she was angry and needed a distraction or some sort to get her rage out. And coming to the gym at 8 pm on a Saturday night seems like a better idea than sitting alone in her apartment breaking plates.
“Since when did gymnastic requires beating the crap out of a punching bag?” a male voice spoke, causing her to tear her gaze to the gym entrance behind her.
A boy with dark brown hair and pale skin entered, eyeing Krissy as he made his way to the wrestling mats in the center of the large room.
“Since I lost to a cheating team.” She replied bluntly and hit hard on the punching bag again.
The boy chuckled and placed his bag-pack on a bench at the side. “What happened?”
“They thought that pouring grease on the bars would make them get a higher score.” Krissy said, her tone was fierce and her whole body tensed up at the memory.
“Well, they did win.” The boy stated which made him receive a glare from her. He let out another chuckle at her expression; he found her anger to be quite amusing.
She then returned her attention to the punching bag. “What are you doing here, Aaron?”
“Came here to do some training before the big fight.” Aaron smirked. “I’ve got bets on the line if I don’t win.”
Krissy huffed at his words. She’d always found betting to be wrong and are for complete idiots. But since she and Aaron have been friends since middle school, she’d make an exception for him.
“You wanna help?” the boy asked, stepping onto the mat and getting into fighting stance.
She gave one last hard punch at the bag before turning to face him. “Sorry, but fighting you would be a stupid idea.”
“And why is that? You’re scared of getting hit in the face?” Aaron asked, a sly smirk on his face. “Cause I’ll go easy on you if you are.”
Krissy walked over to a nearby bench and picked up her dufflebag. “No, it’s just a ridiculous idea to fight you. And helping you win your bets just isn’t one of my intentions.” She then turned her back to him and began walking away.
“Hey!” Aaron suddenly called out.
She stopped in her tracks and turned her head around slightly, just enough to see him from the corner of her eye. She raised a questioning eyebrow at him.
“Are you free tomorrow night?” he asked, his gaze fixed on her.
The corners of Krissy’s lips tug up vaguely, and she replies, “Well, are you betting tomorrow night?”
Aaron smiled back. “That depends if you’re free.”
“Maybe.” And with that, she left without another word.
***
Krissy turned on the tap to the shower and stood perfectly still as she allow the warm water to run down her body. She let out a sigh of contentment as the water hit her face, washing away all the impurities and her rage. She’d always feel calmer after a shower, it’s always been the perfect place for her to think.
When she was done, she switched off the tap and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around herself. She then reached into her duffle bag and pulled out a black tank top and a pair of grey yoga pants. She decided to put them on in the shower, even though there wasn’t anyone there except for her, but she still couldn’t shake off the thought that her privacy might somehow be invaded.
She walked into the locker room and placed in her combination. Her hand reached for her elastic and pulled it off, releasing her blonde hair from the bun.
“Seems like your team did well in the competition,” A voice suddenly spoke from behind. “Even though you didn’t win.”
Krissy’s eyes widened, she recognizes that voice instantly. She jerked her head towards the direction of it. A lock of red hair could be seen in the corner of the room.
“Natasha…?” she asked aloud, squinting her eyes.
The redhead then stepped into the light, a small smile on her face. “Hello, Krissy.”
“What are you doing here?” her eyes never left hers.
Natasha’s smile faded. “S.H.I.E.L.D wants you.”
“What? No.” Krissy said, her voice firm.
“Well, you don’t really have a choice.” The redhead said, her arms crossed. “Considering the fact that your Agent Barton’s replacement.”
Krissy’s eyes widened at the mentioned of Clint Barton. “What happened to Clint?”
“He’s in a coma.” Natasha replied simply, her gaze fixated on the blonde.
“But why am I his replacement? Out of all people?” Krissy asked, her voice louder than it should be.
“My thoughts exactly.” Natasha murmured. “According to Fury, Agent Barton was the one who assigned you to take his place in emergencies.”
“What? That doesn’t make sense!” the blonde shouted this time, her breathing faster and so was her heartbeat. She had to calm down, she knew that she have to. “Th-this has got to be a mistake.”
Natasha didn’t reply and Krissy turned on her heel, heading to the door. “I’m leaving.”
But before she could even lay a step outside of the room, someone stood in front of her, blocking her way. Her eyes met a broad chest and she looked up to see a man in a helmet. His facial features looked somewhat familiar but she just couldn’t place her finger on it, nor does she care about that right now. All she wanted to do was go home.
Her eyes darted over to Natasha. “Who’s this? Your boyfriend?”
Natasha didn’t comment and the man in front took off his helmet to reveal his full-self. Krissy’s stared at him for a second, she remembered seeing his face on TV, posters and at the Smithsonian when she went on a field trip a few months ago.
“Captain Rogers…” she murmured and Steve gave her a light nod and smile.
She then snapped out of her trance and said, “It’s an honor to meet you, but I really have to go.”
“No, you don’t.” Natasha spoke up, slowly walking to her. “Fury wants me to bring you in by tomorrow, and I’m going to finish my mission.”
Krissy felt her cheeks burn with anger as she stared at the redhead straight in the eye. “And what makes you so sure about that?”
Natasha’s brows arched and she took a step closer to her, breathing in her personal space. “Just because you’d grown a few inches doesn’t mean it makes you any less of a weakling than you were years ago.”
Krissy’s lips pressed into a hard line as she shot daggers down at her. She was about 3-4 inches taller than her, but Natasha still seemed to intimidate her no matter what height she is.
“I’m leaving.” She said, her teeth clenched and so were her fists.
“Well, that’s not going to happen.” Natasha grabbed her arm and pull her around, her other hand wrapped around her neck.
Krissy began to choke, her arms flailing around as she tried to get out of her grasp.
“It’ll only get tighter if you struggle.” The redhead warned.
Thinking quickly, the blonde grabbed her shoulders and threw her forward, but Natasha was able to land on the ground perfectly unlike when she was training with Steve earlier that day.
Although the pressure on her neck has ceased, Krissy knew that it’s not over. Natasha is determined to complete her task and bring her back to S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters, but she can’t let that happen. She charged forward and threw punches at the Black Widow. Natasha was able to block out each one of her attempts to knock her out, she then kicked her in the stomach, causing her to fall back onto the ground.
Natasha walked to Krissy’s side, looking down at her from her position. Her stomach aches from the kick but she’s not going to give up, not yet anyway. She reached her arms out and grabbed the redhead’s ankles, twisting them. Pain shot up Natasha’s legs and she clenched her teeth but made no sound.
Krissy took this as an opportunity to get back on her feet. She threw another punch at her, and this time, she actually hit her. She was about to add another kick along with her punch on Natasha’s shoulder when she suddenly felt strong arms grip her waist. She didn’t have to turn around to know who it was; she quickly stomped on his foot, causing him to let out a groan. He released her and she fell onto the floor.
She got up swiftly and head for the door once again, and she almost got out, but a force pushed her to the side and against the wall. Her right cheek pressed onto the cold, hard wall of the locker room. Then an aching pain shot up her left arm and in less than seconds, her eyes shut closed and she collapses onto the ground, unconscious.
Steve stared down at the girl with sympathy before lifting his gaze to meet Natasha’s.
“Trichloromethane shots, works every time.” The redhead smirked. “Now pick her up, the jet isn’t going to wait for us any longer.”
Steve sighed and bent down to lift the unconscious girl up into his arms. He placed one of her arms over his neck to make it easier for him to carry her to the roof of the building. He then followed after Natasha as she walked out of the entrance of the locker room.
“Did you really have to inject her?” Steve asked, his eyebrows furrowed as he gave her a look that the shot may not have been necessary.
But she ignored his sympathetic expression. “Didn’t need to, but that takes the fun out of the whole mission.”
