Natasha/Scarlett one shot 2

Always Next To Me N.R

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"Come on, pick up your legs! You're behind on your pace a little." Nat's voice came out of the speaker in your helmet. Nat was riding her car next to you on the journey up the hill. You were panting heavily as you felt like your legs were being chained with stones. You had to maintain a pace of 48 km/h / 29 miles/h but of course going slower for the section with the incline.

Since you normally participate in a time trial that consists of all kinds of terrains, You had to practice going up the hills, crossing long roads with no building at the side, bringing lots of cross winds which adds a lot of factors to riding.

Currently, you're about 40 mins into riding with at least 20 mins more to go. The average riding time of competitors is about 1 hour but Natasha usually pushes you to do more.

"Come on! We're almost at the peak." She encouraged you further. Nat decided to be a demon today and chose the hill with the steepest and longest incline. You groaned as you made your legs pedal faster with your head down. Once you hit the peak, you were finally able to relax a little, but Nat continued to make sure you were going the hardest you can.

"Keep it up! You have 10 more minutes to go!" She commanded. Honestly, it was also not easy for her to drive and having to check your pace constantly, but she was willing to do anything for you. Thankfully the roads were pretty empty in the morning so the risk of getting into an accident was low.

You kept telling yourself this was for the Olympics and you were going to be able finally win a gold medal on the international stage. When Nat started counting down from 10, you squeezed out every last fiber of energy for the sprint.

When Nat finally counts to zero, you let your legs ride out the final momentum from the intense ride before coming to a full stop. Nat helped you down from your bike before helping you to her car where you can rest and get your breathing under control as she locked the bike on the roof safely.

"You did a great job." Nat praised you as she got to your side and helped you massage your legs to prevent the soreness later. "We don't know the official track yet, but if you keep this up, you'd be able to have a real fighting chance." You didn't have an official coach as you were still trying to qualify for the Olympics, but you were sure that you'd rather continue to have Nat as your coach. "Shall we head back now?"

You pouted knowing what was coming up, but Nat wasn't going to fall for it. "Rest as much as you can now." She kissed your forehead before getting into the driver's seat and heading back to the Avenger's Compound. All the facilities that you could wish for were there and Tony could make it better than any other facilities out there. You want something to change? You got it. You want to add something? You got it.

"I'll get the water and towels, meet you at the training room. Remember to maintain your body temperature." Nat instructed you as she veered off to the kitchen.

Sam was already there training when you got in so you greeted him before moving to the side to stretch. The muscle pain was not a joke after the first intense session with Nat. The very next day you thought you weren't going to be able to move anymore.

"Are you ready?" Nat's voice rang as soon as she opened the door. She also changed into her workout clothes because she would do the exercise with you. Now you can't use the excuse of not knowing how it feels like. "Planks first. Five sets of three minutes, go."

You go into a planking position and Nat starts the timer on her phone in front of you before getting into position herself. You once asked how she never felt any of the repercussions you felt on the next day, but she told you she has been doing this for a very long time since young. She tried researching a lot about competitive cycling and came up with all the training to be done that targets different sections of your body. You could never be more thankful and grateful for her for what she has done for you. "Lift your body up, you're getting lower and lower." You could never escape from her watchful eyes.

When it came to the last set, Sam challenged you to see who could last longer in a plank position. You accepted it because you weren't one to back down from a challenge. The stopwatch had well gone over three minutes but neither of you were backing down. Nat could see that both of you were struggling to maintain the position. Neither one of you was holding the correct position but she didn't want to say anything.

"Just back off Wilson!" You resorted to roasting him, not wanting to be the first to go down.

"How about you admit defeat first!"

Both of you started arguing, but with Nat cheering you on, you emerged victorious. You managed to get bragging rights over the week for winning against Wilson after having done four sets before him.

Nat gave you ten minutes to rest before starting sit ups. Thankfully, this time there were no one who was challenging you and you managed to do five sets of fifty sit ups in peace. However, this was not the end as there was a final exercise to do.

"Come on... you know the rules. Each training ends with a 20 minute sprint on your static bike." Nat was trying to get you to stop lying on the floor and get to the next station. With her strong arm, she pulled you up from the floor and you slowly made your way to the bike. She helped you set up the static bike as you got yourself comfortable on the seats. "Remember, give it your all until the end. I want every single energy out." She switched to serious coach mode and you nodded.

Pressing the start button, you rode the bike to your maximum ability as Natasha got onto the treadmill next to you. She also ran as fast as she could. Both of you were trying to regulate your breathing, not talking much. Looking at the timer, you still had 10 mins remaining when it felt like 20 mins had gone by. But you can't stop when Natasha isn't complaining. You thought about winning as a motivation and all the things you were going to do after.

The last sixty seconds you looked at Natasha and she still looked as pristine when she first started. You on the other hand definitely looked like you had just cycled 100 km / 62 miles. When the timer beeped, you slowed down gradually as Nat hopped onto the side of the treadmill before shutting it off.

"Great. Now we can rest a bit before heading for lunch." You had no energy to reply, to do anything other than sit there knowing that the morning session was finally over. "Come on babe, we can finally shower and cuddle a bit before getting lunch. I'm sure Wanda has saved some for our resident cyclist."

"Carry me?" You barely managed to speak and raise your hands and Nat caught you. "You're the best. The best girlfriend, best coach, best person in the world. Thank you for always being next to me."

"Getting injured by your bike has to be the best thing that has ever happened to me."

Written on 20 May 2023
Posted on 26 Sept 2023