Broken Rule
Robin’s heart hurts when Natasha sobs. “Oh, my little one.” She whispers, pulling Natasha close. “I’ve got you.”
“I wanna stay here in Ohio with you and Melina and Yelena,” Natasha pressed her face into Robin’s shirt. “I want her to go away.”
“You know that if I had any choice then I’d send her away,” Robin runs her thumb along the nape of the child’s neck.
“But you like her,” Natasha said and Robin frowns.
“What makes you think that?” Robin didn’t like Belka. She sympathized with her but she did not like her.
“You…” Natasha pulls away to look up at Robin. “You treat her like you treat us.”
“Sweetheart, she’d find it suspicious if I treated her differently,” Robin points out and Natasha’s eyes look down at the ground. “I know that you’re upset with the change in our schedule. You’re sad that you can’t ask me for cuddles whenever you want, right?”
Natasha’s cheeks pinken but she doesn’t deny it.
“We have a few minutes to ourselves right now. What do you need from me?” Robin asked her, reaching up to smooth some of her wild red hair back.
Natasha glances up at her before shifting in place. “Can you… do the thing you did when I was sick? The walking back and forth?”
“Of course,” Robin shifts to her feet and picks Natasha up. The child wrapped her arms around Robin’s neck, resting her cheek onto Robin’s shoulder. Just like when Natasha was sick, Robin paces, her hand gently patting Natasha’s back.
Natasha slowly sinks against Robin, curling her fingers into Robin’s shirt. Robin’s relieved that she’d be able to comfort Natasha still.
Robin’s worried about going too far and scaring Natasha. She’s worried that one day she’ll go too far and Natasha won’t want her to hold her anymore.
Robin paces and sways for the next ten minutes until she can’t afford to hold her any longer without arousing suspicion.
Natasha reluctantly lets Robin go before briefly wrapping her arms around Robin’s waist. “Will she go away soon?” She asked, her voice muffled from where she pressed her face into the tall woman's stomach.
“I hope so,” Robin kissed the top of her head before pulling away and unlocking the door.
Belka glances at them when Robin heads downstairs. Robin had plastered a firm look on her face and looks at her.
“Is the glass cleaned up?” Robin questioned and Belka gives a nod, averting her eyes.
“Yes ma’am,” Belka said.
Melina appears and Robin glances at her. Melina's jaw is clenched and she looks like she's ready to fight. She looked at Robin like she did when they first met and Melina thought her to be just another handler.
Her heart drops at the thought that Melina thinks she actually did bring Natasha upstairs to beat her. Melina is clutching Yelena close and won’t set her down when the toddler squirms to try and reach for Robin.
Robin couldn’t tell Melina it was all for show. Robin instead accepts the fact that despite everything Melina thought she would beat Natasha black and blue to suck up to General Dreykov.
“Melina, why don’t you go upstairs with Natasha to oversee her doing schoolwork,” Robin suggests, knowing that Melina would make Natasha strip to search for marks the moment they were alone. “I’ve got Yelena.”
Melina pauses, pulling Yelena closer before reluctantly handing her over under Belka’s watchful eye. “Yes ma’am.”
Robin sets Yelena down onto the living room floor and grabs the wicker basket full of blocks and pulls it over.
Belka watches them, even though she pretends she doesn’t she seems entranced with Yelena.
Robin is struck with the realization that Belka probably hadn’t seen another girl as young as Yelena in a long time. Widows generally started as young as six. First graders. Old enough to read and write and follow instructions. With enough coordination to learn to dance and shoot.
“Mama, spell ‘Lena?” Yelena asked, reaching up one of the blocks.
“You spell it. What comes first?” Robin glances back at Yelena on the carpet. Yelena’s eyes scan the blocks until she can pluck out the letters she wanted.
Y E L A N A
“Close,” Robin taps the first A. “That one is not right. Yelena. Yah-leh-nah.”
Yelena tosses the first A block to the side, staring at the missing gap. She brings her thumb to her mouth to chew on her finger in thought.
Robin watches as Yelena thinks, her eyes flickering between the five blocks in front of her and the stack of unused blocks set to the side.
Yelena pulls her hand out of her mouth to grip one of the other blocks and replaced it.
Y E L E N A
“Good job!” Robin smiles. “How about your sister? Can you do her name? Natasha.”
Yelena sweeps her arm to the side to brush aside her name and make room. She saves the A and moves it into place.
N A T A H S C H A
Robin moves the incorrect blocks out of place. “Try again. Natasha. Nah-tah-sha.”
Yelena lets out a grunt, bringing her thumb back to her lips as she stares at the blocks in front of her again.
Robin watches as Yelena finally picks a few new blocks.
N A T A H S H A
“There’s an extra H. Take the wrong one away,” Robin prompts and Yelena lets out a frustrated huff, reaching out to swipe away the blocks. Robin grips her wrist to stop her. “No. You can’t destroy things when you get angry. Look at me.”
Yelena tugs on the grip Robin had on her hand before looking up at Robin.
“Deep breath,” Robin coaxed and Yelena lets out a huff as she draws in a lungful of air, blowing it out. “Good. You’re almost there. Try again.”
Robin lets her wrist go and Yelena twists to look at the blocks in front of her again.
Yelena finally spells the name right and is rewarded with Robin tickling her stomach. Yelena lets out a squeal of laughter, squirming away from Robin’s fingers. “That tickles, mama!”
Robin wasn’t oblivious to the flinch that Belka gave at Yelena’s giggles.
Melina eventually returns downstairs with Natasha. She looked considerably calmer.
Dinner was quiet once again. Everyone ate obediently and waited for Robin to dismiss them from the table.
Robin is exhausted by the time everyone is in bed. She can’t be bothered to change into pajamas, opting to just strip and flop into bed.
She’s asleep before Melina joins her.
She wakes up when Melina finally joins her in bed, her fingers gently brushing over Robin’s hair. She froze when she saw Robin awake.
“Hey…” Robin greets, closing her eyes to enjoy the touch.
“I’m sorry,” Melina said quietly and her tone makes Robin open her eyes again. “I assumed the worst of you.”
Robin propped herself up on an arm. “It’s okay.”
“It’s not. I can’t believe I thought you beat her…” Melina said quietly. “You took her upstairs and you screamed at her and there was thudding and I thought--”
Robin pushed herself up the rest of the way. “I would have thought the same thing. I’m not upset that you thought the worse.”
“I’m sorry…” Melina breathes out and doesn’t protest when Robin wraps her arms around her. Melina leans into her, wrapping her arms around her tightly.
Robin strokes her hair, kissing her temple. “I know that you’re stressed out. It’s okay. We’ll get through this.” Robin nuzzles her nose against Melina’s cheek.
Melina pulls back enough so that she can kiss Robin, sliding her fingers into Robin’s hair to pull her closer.
Robin sinks into the kiss, letting her eyes flutter shut at the feeling. She loved kissing Melina. It was like nothing but them existed at the moment. Like time stood still just for the two of them.
“We were interrupted earlier. Remind me that I’m yours,” Melina mumbles against Robin’s lips before pulling away and tugging her shirt off. “Please--”
Robin leans forward and pressed her lips to Melina’s shoulder. She sucks at the skin until she leaves behind a red-purple mark before kissing over it.
“More…” Melina breathes out. “Lower.”
Robin moves and pressed her lips against Melina’s ribs just under her breasts to leave another hickey. Melina lets out a soft whimper and Robin glances up at her.
“That feels-- that feels really good…” Melina whispers. “Please, my love, more.”
Robin obliges, sucking and kissing bare patches of creamy skin soft beneath her lips. Melina threads her fingers into Robin’s hair but doesn’t yank. She knows that Robin doesn’t like having her hair pulled on.
Robin finally finishes her dozenth hickey when Melina pushed her away to lay on the bed and straddles her.
Robin looks up at her, her hands settling on her hips. “We don’t have to go any further, sweet girl. You only give as much as you want.”
“I want this,” Melina leans down to kiss Robin before returning the favor, laying a trail of kisses against Robin’s collar.
She finally reaches the waistband of the boxers that Robin wore but Robin finally stopped her. “I’m not ready for that.”
Melina immediately backs off, moving to lay next to Robin. “I want to do it. Sometime before we go back. I want to remember this with you.”
“We have seven months at least. A year was the minimum amount we were staying,” Robin wraps her am around Melina as the woman rests her head onto Robin’s bare chest. “But I want that too.”
Robin went and fell in love with someone she can never have. She broke the first rule she had.
Robin doesn’t regret it, though. She wouldn’t give anything to change it.