Not how Widows train
Saturday eventually rolls around and Robin is both dreading and looking forward to it. She was going to watch Melina and Natasha train and take notes with the hopes that it was satisfactory for General Dreykov.
The garage is big and nearly empty, gym mats rolled out and ready, perfect for training. There is a playpen tucked in the corner for Yelena along with a chair for Robin to sit and observe. There are targets and boxing tape and a punching bag along with a few weapons locked in a locker.
Natasha hesitantly steps onto the mat after Melina, glancing up at her. They’re both wearing black shorts and tanktops. They stop in front of Robin, waiting for instructions.
Robin had only ever seen the aftermath of training other than a few sneak peeks when passing the rooms. She doesn’t know what to expect. “Show me what you usually do.”
Natasha looks up at Melina like a lost duckling, unsure of what Robin actually wants her to do.
Upon seeing them still standing there, Robin clarifies. “Ballet. Run through a set.”
Melina doesn’t hesitate to take position and Natasha quickly scurries to mimic her. Robin watches the whole thing entranced as the two girls fall through sets of ballet moves with a grace and poise that she didn’t know someone could emit.
Melina leads and Natasha follows a fraction of a second later. The younger girl stumbles over landing some of the leaps and misplaces her feet with complicated footing, shooting Robin a fearful glance with each mistake she made.
They end with their arms poised above their head, Natasha’s chest heaving far more than Melina’s.
Yelena watched the whole thing with awe, letting out excited gasps from where she had been sorting blocks in her playpen by color and letter.
Robin takes notes. She acknowledges that Natasha was not perfect but only because it was already known that she was a child and still learning. She sees the Widows shift curiously as she writes.
“That was very good, girls,” Robin glances up at them, watching as they stand stiffly. “Stretch it out. I don’t want muscle cramps later.”
Yelena shifts restlessly, trying to stack her blocks into stairs to climb out of the playpen as the two Widows stretch.
“Mama…” Yelena grunts with a huff, halfway out of her prison as she reaches her arms up toward Robin when she can’t get the last bit of leverage. “Hug?”
Robin sets her clipboard down with a laugh, reaching out and lifting the rest of the toddler out of the playpen, and sets her down in her lap. “You wanna be mama’s helper?”
Yelena bobs her head in a nod, snuggling back against Robin as she gets comfy.
“Mommy and Natasha are going to play a game,” Robin said, watching as the two Widows perk up at her words. “There is a big target in here and some throwing knives. We’re gonna see how many times they can hit the red circle in the center.”
“Game!” Yelena echoes with a chirp.
“So you need to pick someone to cheer on. Are you gonna cheer for your mommy or for your big sister?” Robin questioned, tickling Yelena and enjoys the way she giggles before turning to Melina. “Set up the target, please.”
“Big sister,” Yelena whispers her answer to Robin before grinning. “She’s gonna win!”
“Then I’ll cheer for your mommy and we’ll see,” Robin peppers Yelena’s face in kisses, loving the way that the toddler squeals and squirms in delight.
Melina threw knives like she danced. She almost never missed, even while throwing them standing, jumping, leaping, flipping, twisting, and many other ways.
Then Natasha hesitantly steps up, takes the knives with practiced ease, and throws the first one.
Natasha could throw knives perfectly while stationary but once she started moving then her aim wavered.
Yelena lets out joyous shrieks and claps each time that Natasha nails the board, whether she hits the circle or not. “Big sister! Natty!” She bounces on Robin’s lap.
Then Natasha misplaces her foot and slips while trying to flip and throw the knife. Robin’s heart lurches when she sees the knife moving right toward her and ducks sideway. It would have hit her in the face had it not been for Melina snatching it out of the air with her bare hand.
Melina didn’t even flinch when blood drips down her hand and splatters onto the ground.
“Natasha--” Robin doesn’t want the girls to witness Melina bleed. She spots Natasha flinch at the call of her name. “Take your little sister and go play, please. I’m going to patch Melina up.”
Natasha doesn’t protest the order to play with Yelena as she usually did. She accepts the toddler with no complaints and all but flees from the room.
“I’m fine,” Melina comments when Robin sets the blade aside and inspects the slice across her palm.
“You’re lucky that this won’t need stitches,” Robin said before glancing up at Melina. “Thank you for saving my face.” She kissed her cheek.
“I couldn’t let a beauty such as yours be tarnished by a mere blade,” Melina replies with the slight quirk of her lips and Robin will deny the blush that spreads across her face.
The pair head up to Robin’s office where her supplies are. Robin delicately patches Melina’s hand up, planting a soft kiss to the bandage when she finished.
“You’re turning soft,” Melina comments, and Robin bristles at the accusation. “I didn’t say that was a bad thing.”
“I can’t let myself go soft,” Robin replies quietly with a brutal honesty that she wishes she didn’t need to have. “Because if I go soft then all of us are going to get hurt.”
Melina frowns, reaching her good hand up to cup her face. “You’re soft when you need to be.”
Robin doesn’t know what Melina is trying to tell her. She isn’t a mind reader or an assassin trained in body language and facial expressions.
Melina looks like she doesn’t quite know what she wants to tell her either, reaching out to wrap her arms around Robin instead. “I like it when you hold me.”
The statement startles Robin because it’s blatant honesty from Melina. “Oh?” She wraps her arms around Melina.
“I’m always a second thought. Nobody holds me,” Melina murmurs, resting her head onto Robin’s shoulder. “You’re not selfish like the others.”
Robin sways them in place slightly. “I can be very selfish.”
“Not when it comes to me. To the girls. You give us so much that you didn’t have to,” Melina inhales sharply before sinking into Robin’s hold. “Anybody else would have bedded me already.”
“I’m not anybody else. I’m just… General Dreykov’s doctor,” Robin replies quietly with a shrug.
“No,” Melina pulls away briefly to look up at Robin. “You… are my wife.” She gives a genuine smile that leaves Robin a puddle of goo because she’d do anything to see Melina smile like that again.
When Robin checks in on the girls, Natasha is laying on her stomach on the floor of Yelena’s nursery as she teaches the girl how to spell her name with blocks.
“Y-E-L-E-N-A-” Natasha murmurs, tapping each block with each letter before swiping her hand and ruining the stack. “Your turn.”
Yelena’s quick fingers stack the blocks again. “Yelena!” She giggles before knocking the tower over with a shriek. “Big sister!”
Natasha starts again. “N-A-T-A-S-H-A”
Yelena builds a tower for Natasha’s name before rebuilding the tower with her own.
“You girls having fun?” Robin pipes up, announcing her presence before she startled them. She watched them jump, still surprised by her. Natasha immediately climbs to her feet like she was afraid that she was caught doing something wrong.
“Spell. Spell mama!” Yelena holds up the first block toward Robin, the letter M printed neatly on it in red.
“Mama. M-A-M-A.” Robin replies, moving into the room.
“Is… is Melina okay?” Natasha hesitantly questioned, shifting slightly on her feet.
“She’s fine. You barely even scratched her,” Robin reaches out to comb her fingers through Natasha’s hair. Natasha flinches under the touch.
“I… messed up a lot today…” Natasha nervously fidgets with the hem of her shirt. “Do I get swats?”
Robin shakes her head. “I don’t have a baseline to compare it to. No swats. You made a mistake. It happens.”
“Not to me. Not to Widows. Mistakes are unacceptable,” Natasha shakes her head, looking up at Robin.
“The rules here are different, remember?” Robin reminds her gently. “I’m not the Red Room.”
“But you work for them,” Natasha mumbles, glancing down. “I’m sorry for playing.”
Robin blinks in surprise. “What? Oh, I don’t mind you playing. I encourage you to play with your sister. I’m not gonna get mad if you play with toys.” Robin probably should have told Natasha that earlier but she didn’t know that she needed to tell her that in the first place.
“Really?” Natasha squints up at her suspiciously. Robin doesn’t blame her. She’s giving Natasha all of these choices and freedoms that she hasn’t had before.
Robin shrugs, kneeling next to Yelena to pick up one of the dolls. “I wish I had toys like these when I was a kid.” She turns the doll over in her hands before holding it up to Yelena.
Yelena reaches out to wrap her arms around the doll in a hug and Robin glances at Natasha. “It’s okay to play. Come here.”
Natasha moves toward her, getting down onto her knees next to Robin. Robin picks up another one of the dolls and holds it out to Natasha. “Go on. Take it.”
Natasha hesitantly reaches out to take the doll like it would burn her. Her fingers comb through the yarn hair idly.
Robin reaches out to run her fingers over Yelena’s hair. “You girls can play, okay? If you need me then I’m going to be in my office finishing up reports about today’s training session.”
“Okay, mama!” Yelena chirps, already building a castle out of blocks for her dolls.
Natasha slowly nods her head when Robin glances at her.
Robin heads into her office, glancing over the notes she took for the day. She’d have to ask General Dreykov about their previous training schedules and results. Melina knocks on her door and enters her office.
“Did you need something?” Robin asked and Melina moves toward her. For a moment, Robin was worried that events would repeat themselves and Melina would try and pull her further than comfortable into intimacy. Instead, Melina settles herself onto Robin’s lap.
“Can I sit here?” Melina asked even though she had already settled herself against Robin.
Robin doesn’t laugh because she doesn’t want to spook Melina. “Of course, sweet girl.” She kissed Melina’s temple. Melina lets out a hum, leaning into Robin’s touch.
Robin gets some sense of what Melina is doing. She’s absorbing all the kind touches and cuddles she can because the mission will be done before they know it and they’ll be broken up once again and Robin will likely only see them once or twice more after they’ve gone back.
So Robin indulges because she needs the kind touches and cuddles too.