around the wrists, over the knuckles, laced between the pinky, the ring, the middle, and the pointer, and back around. the meticulous ritual always proved to center carol, whether she was prepping for a fight or had wandered to a gym deserted to sweat out her stress. this proved the latter where the clock inched past midnight, the SHIELD issue gymnasium devoid of its usual buzz. in many ways, carol was thankful for the solace, resigned to thoughts that would overwhelm her before her muscles fatigued.

she clacked her tongue against the bottom of her mouth, the wet splat echoing in the great chamber where she stood center ring. a bag wouldn’t busy her might like a spar would, she decided, stretching in place to see who on her roster she could convince to meet her here in the middle of the night when the wheezed groan of double doors caught her attention. without pausing, carol started forward, leaning expectantly against the ropes, a grin already plastered on her face as she called out to the unsuspecting agent.           ❛   hey !  i need a sparring partner.   ❜