Marvel Women One Shots

A breath of fresh air - Kate Bishop

    Kate charged at me. I just jumped out of the way, intending to dodge but I didn't account for how long her arms actually were. I thought I had jumped away far enough but Kate caught my side, holding me in place while she tried to send me to the ground.

    I countered, twisting out of her grip and pushing her away from me.    

    She turned around, sporting a mischievous smirk, shaking out her arms slightly while apparently sizing me up.

    "Come on Kit Kat, I thought you were going to kick my ass?" I taunted, trying to rile her up as we circled each other, figuring out our next moves.

    "Alight. I won't take it easy with you." She lunged forward, dishing out a combo of punches and swings, all thrown with the intention of grounding me, not actually knocking me out.

    I dodged the first two, blocked the second few, but Kate caught me by surprise when she kicked upwards, hitting me square in the breastbone. I stumbled backwards, holding my chest. Trying to catch my breath, I felt my lungs wheeze slightly. She didn't exactly knock the wind out of me, but for some reason I was losing my breath.

    Coughing slightly, I quickly recovered and went on the offensive. I threw out a kick, which Kate dodged almost effortlessly. I whirled around again, trying to catch her by surprise with another kick. But her lifetime of martial arts prepared her for that as she dodged my sudden second kick.

Another wheeze left my lungs at the physical exertion, this one a bit more violent then the last. I had small feeling growing in the back of my mind that something was off with me, but I was to absorbed with sparring practice to really give it much deep thought.

Future me, however, will wish I had.

Then Kate tried something bold. While I was recoiling from my attacks, she threw out a series of punches, catching me off guard. But I quickly used her momentum against her, catching one of Kate's punches and turning her around into a headlock.

    "I should have seen that one coming." Kate gasped, pulling on my arm that was around her neck.

    She threw her arms up, loosening my grip on her just enough for her to slip out of the lock. Then she whirled around, grabbed onto my shoulders and kneed me in the chest a bit too hard.

    "Oh my god! That was a bit much." she exclaimed, watching me crumple to my hands and knees as I gasped for air.

    It felt like I couldn't breath, like the wind had been permanently knocked out of me and I couldn't get it back.

    I began to spiral into a coughing fit, wheezing for my lungs to expand and work properly, but they seemed to be constricting, unable to grasp at the air I was trying to suck in.

    "Hey, you alright?" Kate crouched down to my level and was trying to examine my sudden coughing fit.

    "Can't...breathe." I wheezed, my throat turning painfully dry and my head starting to pound slightly.

    "Oh god..." her voice wavered slightly with nerves at the unknown situation.

    I was barely aware of Kate looping an arm around me and helping up. I was more preoccupied with trying to not gag and throw up from coughing so much.

    The trek to the infirmary seemed to take forever. But of course the sudden brain fog that settled at the lack of air and my lungs constricting as a tight pain began to rise in my chest didn't help my comprehension of the situation.

    I just needed air.

    I needed to breathe.

    But I couldn't, and I was starting to panic.