It kills me how your mind can make you feel so worthless
Robin knew that Melina was feeling guilty over the events of the past day.
Robin didn’t blame Melina. She might not have guessed the same if she was the one that found Melina with lipstick smeared across her lips but Robin also knew that Melina had been groomed for seduction and didn’t always understand consent and boundaries when it came to intimacy and sex.
Robin probably would have assumed that someone took advantage of Melina at first.
If Rosalie, a soldier from the Red Room, kissed Melina, Robin doesn’t know if Melina would have stopped her.
Instead, Rosalie kissed Robin and got slapped.
Melina tries to pull away from her when they get into bed that night. Robin sets a hand onto her shoulder when Melina turns her back toward her. “I’m not upset with you.”
“I messed up,” Melina shrugs herself out of Robin’s grasp.
“Yeah. You messed up. But you know that you’ve messed up and apologized. I forgive you,” Robin shuffles closer to Melina. “Sweet girl, look at me.”
Melina rolls to lay on her back and peer up at Robin.
“I love you,” Robin said softly, reaching out to cup Melina’s face.
“You keep forgiving me.” Melina said but her body betrays her as she leans into the hand caressing her face. “I don’t deserve it.”
Robin leans down and pressed a gentle kiss to Melina’s forehead. “You deserve so much more than what I can give you.”
“You deserve more than a Widow for a wife,” Melina replies, reaching up to cup the back of Robin’s neck and pulling her head down to press their foreheads together. “I’m sorry.”
“I know. I forgive you,” Robin whispers, gently pressing her lips against Melina’s.
The tension slowly flowed out of Melina’s frame as she moves to wrap her arms around Robin’s neck.
“Can I finally hold you now?” Robin mumbles against Melina’s lips and the Widow laughs softly, rolling them until Robin’s back was against the sheets and Melina was laying on top of Robin.
“Better?” Melina’s hands moved to wrap around Robin’s waist as her head comes to rest against her chest like usual.
“Much,” Robin agrees, her hand coming up to comb her fingers through Melina’s hair. She feels Melina press a few soft kisses against her neck and shivers slightly at the feeling. “Enjoying yourself?”
“Who is she to think she can kiss you?” Melina growls and Robin tilts her head back to give Melina more access to skin. “You’re my wife. My love. Mine.”
“All yours…” Robin breathes out, closing her eyes as she enjoys the feeling of Melina’s lips on her skin. She tangles her fingers into Melina’s hair.
Melina marks Robin’s skin with red marks that would fade to bruises. She tugs Robin’s shirt off when she wanted more skin to mark.
When she finishes her sixth mark, Robin rolls them over so that she’s on top, leaning down to kiss Melina. “I can’t let you have all the fun, can I? My turn…”
“I’m yours, all yours,” Melina breathes out, eagerly helping Robin shed her of her shirt.
Robin kisses Melina’s lips before gently trailing soft kisses down her jaw and neck. She does give Melina one that would be visible while in her uniform at work but saves the rest of the marks for places that could be hidden.
When they finally finish, each has half a dozen hickey’s decorating their skin, proudly claiming each other as theirs.
Melina curls up against Robin, resting her head against the taller woman’s bare shoulder. “I wish that this would never end…” Melina admits in a whisper.
“Me too,” Robin kissed the top of Melina’s head. “I never expected to fall for you.”
“And I you,” Melina smiles softly, her fingers caressing Robin’s side as her fingers trace over various scars. “I heard that I was getting a handler and I expected a man. Then you come in and the push Yelena into your arms and I knew immediately that you weren’t like the others. Instead of pushing her away, you held her close.”
“I tried to tell myself that I could never fall in love. I could never bring someone into the light of the Red Room. I would not let them have someone to hold above my head,” Robin smiles softly down at Melina. “Never once did I think I’d find it in a Widow.”
“I… I don’t know if I can allow them to take our girls,” Melina said quietly, her hand stopping to rest against Robin’s hip. “They can’t go back. Yelena’s only three…”
“I know,” Robin said softly, her fingers trailing along Melina’s spine. “We’ll figure something out. You know Natasha’s turning nine soon. A few days.”
“December 3rd. I remember,” Melina nods her head. “We don’t celebrate birthdays in the Red Room.”
“But we celebrate birthdays here,” Robin replies with a small smile. “Yelena’s is in January, also on the third. Yours is--”
“March seventh,” Melina tilts her head to the side as she peers up at Robin. “When is yours?”
“November 28th,” Robin said and Melina abruptly sits up. “What’s wrong?”
“It was your birthday two days ago and you didn’t say anything?” Melina questioned. “And you just gave me this speech bout how birthdays matter here.”
“Well, I’ve had plenty of birthday parties as a kid. You guys haven’t. It wasn’t really that important,” Robin shrugs a bit sheepishly.
Melina scoffs, slapping Robin’s arm. “It’s the day you came into the world.” Melina retorts before leaning down to press a kiss to Robin’s cheek. “I don’t know where I’d be without you. That sounds like something to celebrate.”
“If you want another date night, you just have to say so,” Robin chuckles, reaching up to brush her fingers over the mark she made on Melina’s neck.
“Fine. I want another date night. No bar this time, I don’t want to deal with drunks,” Melina’s own fingers move to stroke the hickey’s she left on Robin’s collar.
“So needy,” Robin teased, pulling Melina down into another kiss. “We’ll celebrate my birthday this weekend. We can pick some things up for Natasha’s birthday while we’re out.”
Melina’s eyes soften when she looks down at Robin. “You’re perfect.”
“I’m very far from perfect,” Robin pulls Melina close. “But I appreciate that you think so.”
Melina nuzzled against Robin with a soft sigh of content, settling down for bed after the two get dressed.
Natasha wanders in at some point during the night. She eyes the bed for a few moments before her eyes meet Robin’s sleepy gaze.
“Hi, little one,” Robin whispers so she doesn’t wake Melina. “What can I do for you?”
“I… had a dream about Melina…” Natasha whispers back hesitantly. “I needed to see that she was okay…”
Robin lets out a yawn before patting the bed. “Climb up, sweetheart.”
Natasha doesn’t hesitate to clamber up onto the bed carefully, readily falling into the arm to held out toward her.
Robin pulls Natasha close, pressing a kiss to the wild mess of curls on top of the copper-haired child’s head. “Go back to sleep, little one.”
Natasha shifts to get comfortable, her gaze falling onto Melina’s sleeping form before closing her eyes as well.
Robin smiles softly despite the fact she prayed Yelena would never need someone to hold her at night because night terrors gripped her and drained her dry.
They were nearly six months into their assignment and time was going by fast, slipping through Robin’s fingers like sand as the woman desperately tries to keep her little family together and safe.
Robin watches Melina and Natasha sleep for a little while before she herself can’t help but drift off as well.