The 'fun' in fun fair
They go to the fair on a weekend. Saturday afternoon when it was only just a little chilly out, the girls got dressed to go to the fair.
None of them had ever been before. Not even Robin, who usually had the most experiences of them.
“Get a coat, Natasha,” Robin said. “Not the thin one either, it’s gonna get cold when it gets late.”
Natasha climbs the stairs again to fetch her coat.
Robin pulls shoes onto Yelena’s feet before pulling her own boots on.
Natasha descends with her blue jacket on, fumbling to do up the buttons with her cast.
“Come here,” Robin kneels in front of Natasha and does the buttons up for her. “Get your shoes on. I’ll help you tie them.”
Natasha tugs her shoes on as Melina finally appears and reaches out to take Yelena from Robin so Robin can tie Natasha’s shoes.
Natasha steadies herself on Robin’s shoulders, something she hadn’t done at the beginning in fear of touching Robin. She eagerly leans against the taller woman now.
“All done,” Robin kissed the tip of Natasha’s nose as she stands. “Everybody has shoes and a coat?”
Robin grabs the car keys and they head out to the car.
Elliot and his parents, Maxine and Joel, were waiting for them just outside.
“We’ve already got tickets,” Joel smiles, waving a handful of the tickets as Elliot eagerly wraps his arms around Natasha in greeting.
“Ah, thank you. How much do I owe you?” Robin question, reaching for her wallet.
“Don’t worry about it,” Joel waves his hand. “Elliot’s been having a hard time making friends. Seeing him happy is enough for me.”
Robin glances over at the boy that’s skipping beside Natasha as he walks, chattering on excitedly about the cartoons that had played that morning.
“Thank you,” Robin smiles at him. Joel worked close with Melina but knew sensitive information that they needed. So Robin chats up Maxine so Joel and Melina can talk.
Maxine tells Robin that Elliot was their only child and that they had lost a few babies before him. They treated Elliot like he was their precious joy but didn’t let him be a brat.
“I need to ask… and I don’t mean to overstep,” Maxine starts as they wait in line for the carousel. “Are they yours?”
Robin knows what Maxine means immediately. Two women cannot create biological children.
“Natasha is adopted,” Robin tells her. “We didn’t think we’d be able to have a child of our own. But Yelena is mine.”
Maxine smiles. “We thought about adopting. We were ready to foster to adopt before I got lucky. I can’t imagine having two daughters. My one son is a handful enough.”
Robin stands with Maxine as Melina and Joel take the children on the carousel. “I’ve very lucky to have them.”
Maxine smiles at her. “Do you worry about your wife when she’s at work?”
“Of course I do,” Robin gives a polite smile to Maxine. “Their kind of work is dangerous.”
Maxine lets out a breath of air. “It is. I know that they’re only scientists but still. You understand.”
“I do. I worry about my wife each time she leaves the house,” Robin said sincerely. “I worry that one day she won’t return home.”
Maxine sets a hand onto Robin’s shoulder. “I understand what you mean. I’ll give you my number, I’ll lend an ear if you need it.”
Robin smiles despite the pit in her gut as she glances at the carousel to see Natasha and Elliot chatting from their places on their horses.
These poor people had no idea that their son was being followed. That his teacher was a soldier for the Red Room. That Robin could be ordered to kidnap or kill Elliot and she’d have no choice but to comply.
Melina passes Yelena over to Robin when the ride ends and Yelena wraps her arms around Robin’s neck, her fingers curling into Robin’s hair and giving it a small tug as she squirmed excitedly.
Robin pressed a kiss to her cheek. “You have fun?”
Yelena nods her head with a grin.
The two families head over to a mirror maze next.
“I bet me and Tasha can make it out before you adults,” Elliot tells his mother with a grin.
“Oh?” Maxine chuckles. “And what do you get if you win?”
Elliot glances at Natasha before grinning. “Cotton candy!”
“And if you lose?” Joel chuckles.
“We won’t,” Elliot said, bouncing on his feet.
“Hmm…” Maxine pretends to tap her chin in thought. “Alright. Ready? Get set? Go!”
Elliot grabs Natasha’s hand and the two disappear into the mirror maze, the sounds of laughter following them.
The four adults stroll after them a few moments later at a much more sedated pace. Yelena was fascinated with her reflections and wiggles until Robin sets her down. Yelena keeps bumping into mirrors with a laugh. Robin can see Maxine and Joel watching her with soft smiles.
All was going well until Yelena takes a turn too sharp and ran face-first into a mirror. She lets out a stifled cry as she fell over.
“Aw, my poor little one,” Robin scoops Yelena back up. “Let mama see.”
Yelena had been startled more than anything. Nothing was bleeding and the only sign Yelena had run into a mirror was a small red mark on her forehead which Robin kissed.
“I’ll go wait at the exit for the kids,” Robin tells the others as Yelena sniffles in her arms. She leaves Melina with them and ducks around to the beginning and heads to wait at the exit.
It doesn’t take long before two giggling children stumble out, Elliot slamming into Robin because he had been looking behind him at Natasha.
“Sorry!” Elliot laughs. “Where are my parents? Did we lose?”
“Nope. You two won, I’m just here with Yelena,” Robin smiles at the sight of the grin on Natasha’s face as she contains her giggles. “Did you two have fun?”
Elliot nods his head with a laugh. Natasha nods her head as well, glancing up at Robin unsurely. Like she wasn’t sure if she was allowed to be having fun.
“I believe you two were promised cotton candy as a job well done,” Robin said. “Why don’t we go get some, I bet the adults inside got lost.”
Elliot giggles. “My mommy has a bad sense of direction.” He whispers to Natasha not too quietly.
“Yeah, well, my mommy has a good sense of direction,” Natasha boasts to him as the two follow Robin toward the concession stands nearby. Robin buys them a bag of blue and pink cotton candy to share.
Elliot immediately takes a piece of pink cotton candy and shoved it into his mouth with a hum.
“What is it?” Natasha asked, poking the soft spun sugar.
“It’s like eating a cloud,” Elliot said. “It disappears in your mouth. It’s really good.” Elliot licks a piece to show Natasha how it melts.
Natasha wrinkles her nose but takes a piece of blue cotton candy and hesitantly touched her tongue to it.
Robin gets to watch Natasha’s face as she tries her first piece of cotton candy. “Well? You like it?”
Natasha stares at her sticky fingers for a moment before nodding and taking another piece.
Yelena sucks on the pieces that Robin gives her, turning her lips a blue and staining her fingers sugary pink-purple.
It takes fifteen minutes for Melina, Maxine, and Joel to find their way out of the maze. Joel and Melina were close and although Robin knew that they were only discussing the project at SHIELD, a surge of jealousy hits her.
That was her wife. Her love. Hers.
“Mommy!” Elliot greets them, holding up a handful of blue cotton candy before pushing it into his mouth as a greeting.
Maxine approached them with a smile. “I can see that you won. What do you say to Mrs. Robin?”
Elliot cranes his head up to look at Robin with a smile, his lips tinged blue with dye. “Thank you, Mrs. Robin.”
“Of course,” Robin can’t help but wonder what would change if she was put in charge of boys instead of girls. It wouldn’t matter, Robin wouldn’t change it for anything.
The two families head over to the games after that. Natasha was excellent at dart throwing and easily won Elliot a stuffed monkey he had his eye on.
Elliot uses a squirt gun to fill a balloon and won Natasha a stuffed bear. Natasha then wins another monkey for Yelena with a ring toss game.
Elliot was in awe of Natasha’s skills. He gets excited and keeps dragging her from game to game.
Once Robin and Maxine are carrying multiple stuffed animals, they finally draw a line of no more prizes.
Elliot drags them toward the rides as the crowds dwindle down as it gets colder as the evening approaches.
The kids visibly start to get tired as the sun goes down. They finally end the day with one last ride on the ferris wheel. Elliot and Natasha ride together. Joel and Maxine decide to ride together. Robin, Melina, and Yelena ride together.
Yelena curls up in Robin’s arms, gazing out over the town as she quietly sucks on her sticky thumb. Melina leans against Robin, cuddling under her arm as she stares up at the sky.
“Today was nice,” Melina said softly as Robin rests her cheek on the top of her head.
“It was,” Robin murmurs, glancing up at the stars that start to poke out in the sky as night descends. “I love you.”
Melina tilts her head up and kissed Robin softly. “I love you too.”
They might go back to the Red Room in a year but they’ll have these memories to hold close to keep them going.
They pause at the top of the ferris wheel and they sit in comfortable silence. Yelena falls asleep, warmly tucked up against Robin, the monkey Natasha won her clutched close even in slumber.
They finally get off and Robin sees Joel pick his sleepy son up as he sways on his feet.
Natasha rubs at her eyes, trying to push sleep away. Robin passes Yelena to Melina and reached toward Natasha. “Come here, sweetheart.”
Natasha glances at Elliot half asleep in his father’s arms before raising her arms up to let Robin carry her as well.
It doesn’t take long for Natasha to fall asleep slumped against Robin as the two families head to their cars.
“Thank you for coming with us,” Maxine smiles as they stop in front of their own car first. “I know that Elliot certainly enjoyed himself.”
“It was a pleasure,” Robin smiles. “I wouldn’t mind going out again. Perhaps to the zoo next time.”
Joel buckles his sleepy son into the car and they bid their goodbyes before Robin and her girls continue on to their own car.
They buckle the girls in and settle the prizes won in the back. The girls don’t wake up when they arrive home and Robin decides to just let Natasha sleep in her clothes, pulling her shoes off and tucking her in along with the stuffed bear Elliot won for her.
Robin knows that one day she will look back on this memory with fondness and will hold it close. She’ll look back on it when days get hard and when she cannot comply with what General Dreykov needs.
Robin will give her little family all of the happy memories she can because she knows that one day they’ll all go back to the Red Room.
But she can be a fool and cling to the sliver of hope that their mission in Ohio will run longer than a year.