Mine
Robin tells Melina about the conversation she had with Natasha in the morning. She asks Melina to talk to Natasha about the shoelace handcuffs because she’s never slept with handcuffs on before. She’s never had to break that habit and doesn’t understand what Natasha needs.
Natasha needs Melina at that moment. Melina agrees to talk to Natasha and suggests that Robin and Yelena go down to the park to give them some space.
So Robin bundles Yelena up to take her out in the cold January air in Ohio. There’s frost on the ground and Yelena keeps trying to pull her mittens off so she can run her fingers along the grass and collect the water on her hands.
Yelena’s favorite thing to do on the playground is swing on the swings. She loves when Robin pushes her high and runs under her.
Robin pushes Yelena on the swing and plays with her until she gets a text from Melina letting her know that she can return when she’s ready.
They only head back when Yelena’s face is bright red from the bitter cold and she complains that she’s chilly and wants to be carried back.
Robin thinks she’s healed up enough by now and scoops her cold baby up into her arms and lets out a yelp when Yelena presses her cold nose against her neck. “You’re a little popsicle.”
Yelena looks at her in offense. “Am not!” She protests.
Robin peppers her cold cheeks in kisses. “My little popsicle.”
“Not a popsicle, mama!” Yelena protests. “I’m a girl!”
“Oh, my mistake,” Robin chuckles. “My baby.”
“I’m not a baby anymore. I’m a big girl now,” Yelena informs Robin. “I’m four!” She holds up her mittened hand which hid her fingers proudly displaying her age.
“You’ll always be my little baby,” Robin informs Yelena with a grin. “Natasha’s my baby too.”
Yelena wrinkles her nose. “Nattie’s not a baby either.” She tells Robin as they walk up the driveway to the house.
“You’ll always be mama’s babies,” Robin pressed one last kiss to Yelena’s face before setting her down once they enter the house. She searches through the house for Melina and Natasha and finds them in the garage running through ballet sets.
Yelena runs to get the ballet slippers she got for Christmas and joins them.
Robin heads upstairs to look over some more files that the General sent over. She doesn’t know why he keeps sending her files on the Widows she was tracking for him to impregnate. He had a child, wasn’t that enough for him?
She’s jolted out of her readings by the door to her office opening. Melina closed the door behind her and approached her.
Robin turns, prepared for Melina to settle herself in her lap. Instead, Melina sinks down to her knees beside her.
“Melina?” Robin can’t help but question, wondering if this was like that time when Melina thought she wanted sex. They both agreed not yet but Alejandro had rocked them all.
“I…” Melina peers up at Robin.
Robin twists to face her, reaching out to cup her face. “Talk to me, sweet girl. What’s on your mind?”
“I need you to be my handler instead of my wife,” Melina said quietly, her hands gripping Robin’s shins. “I need you to take control for a little bit.”
Robin’s first thought is to stop her in her tracks. They’d had a hard week and everyone’s emotions are everywhere. But when Robin stops for a moment to think it over, her request makes sense. The whole reason she probably wanted Robin to take control was for her out-of-control emotions.
“I need you to tell me what you need specifically,” Robin would try her best to give Melina what she needed. She’d do anything for Melina.
Melina’s shoulders slump in relief. “I just… let me kneel here with you and order me to do things. Fetch files, write reports-- anything. I just… please?”
Robin bends down to press a kiss to the top of her head. “I’ll try, okay?” She’s not promising anything and she’s still a little unsure of what Melina needed.
Melina nods her head and Robin turns to face her desk again. Melina kneels at her right side, her head bowed and her hands clasped in her lap.
Robin can’t help but set a hand onto her head to try and alleviate the tension in her shoulders. She guides Melina’s head to rest against her leg like she did with Belka.
Slowly, bit by bit, Melina starts to lean against Robin’s legs. Robin passes a handful of files down to her and orders her to sort them by the Widows ages.
Melina quietly shuffles through the files and sorts them as Robin had asked her to.
It was quiet in the room and Robin can hear the occasional giggle coming from Yelena’s room down the hall letting her know that the girls were okay.
Robin strokes Melina’s hair, gently scratching at her scalp and feeling Melina let out a small sigh of content. Melina passes the files back when she finishes and Robin passes her more to sort through.
By the time Robin finishes, Melina is leaning against her leg and has her eyes closed as Robin runs her fingers through her hair.
“Are you alright?” Robin checks in when she finished her work.
“Mmhmm,” Melina hums before peering up at Robin. “Thank you. I just… needed to not think.”
“Did everything go alright with Natasha?” Robin questioned, twisting in her chair so she can face Melina. Melina rests her head against Robin’s thigh.
“I know how she felt. Alejandro being here made her feel like she was in the Red Room. The handcuffs made her feel safe,” Melina said quietly. “I was too busy to realize she didn’t feel safe.”
“I’m not blameless either,” Robin shakes her head. “I didn’t realize it either.”
Melina was quiet for a few moments. “I’m not a good mother.”
“Don’t you say that,” Robin immediately chides, and Melina curls in on herself. “Come here.” She pats her lap, needing to speak with Melina face to face.
Melina rises to her feet and straddled Robin. Robin immediately reached a hand up to cup her face.
“Look at me,” Robin orders softly and Melina’s eyes hesitantly meet hers. “Nobody is a perfect mother but you come pretty damned close. We have no idea what we’re doing and we are going to make mistakes. That can’t be helped, okay?”
Melina leans into the touch with a soft sigh. “I’m a Widow. Widows aren’t meant to be mothers.”
Robin pulls Melina’s forehead against hers. “Just because they took your uterus doesn’t mean that they took your ability to be a mother.”
“Love is for children,” Melina recites obediently.
“And you love yours very much,” Robin said, cupping the back of Melina’s neck, her thumb running along the fine hairs there. “I love you too.”
“You’re not just my wife, you’re my handler,” Melina pulls away slightly to look at Robin. “And I need you to be both sometimes. I need you to be okay with that.”
“I will be whatever you need me to be,” Robin said. She had to be their handler first, a mother and wife last. “I appreciate you telling me what you needed.”
“Natasha’s talk…” She starts before shaking her head. “I needed--”
“I know,” Robin hopes that Natasha wasn’t as distressed as Melina. “You were such a good girl for me.”
Melina smiles slightly at the praise. “I want to be yours no matter what.”
“You are mine,” Robin grips her hand and runs her fingers over the rings there. “In all aspects. Wife. Widow.”
Melina leans forward and kisses Robin fiercely. “Tell me again.” She demands.
“Mine.” Robin pulls Melina closer, mumbling against her lips. She moves to kiss Melina’s jaw and then her neck. Melina’s fingers slide into her hair, tugging her head closer. “Not Alejandro’s. Not General Dreykov’s. Mine.”
Melina shivers slightly. “All yours.” She agrees, gently tugging at Robin’s hair.
The feeling is different than Yelena or General Dreykov doing it. Melina was soft and gentle.
“Mark me,” Melina whispers, tilting her head back to bare her neck for Robin. “I want to know I’m yours, not theirs.”
Robin gently sucks at the pulse point on Melina’s neck until the skin is red.
Melina then pushes Robin back in her office chair and undoes the first few buttons on her shirt. She leans forward to mark Robin in the same place. Robin feels Melina’s lips against her throat, her fingers curled into the collar of Robin’s shirt.
Melina continues to mark Robin possessively. Robin has to stop Melina before things continue too far. As much as she was ready to take the next step, the girls could knock on the door at any moment and Robin didn’t want to get interrupted.
Melina stops on her own when she starts to kiss down Robin’s chest and sees the white bandage taped over the healing stitches in her side. Her fingers gently brush over the bandage, watching for Robin’s reaction.
“It wasn’t your fault,” Robin said softly, griping Melina’s hand.
“So you say,” Melina lets out a sigh and leans down to press a kiss to the bandage on Robin’s abdomen. “I’m sorry.”
Robin has seen Melina torture a man and scream at a woman. She has also seen her snuggle Yelena close and patiently show Natasha more sets when doing ballet.
This side of Melina, the soft insecure side, is one that only Robin gets to see. Melina trusts Robin enough to show both sides.
“There’s nothing to apologize for,” Robin repeats, pulling Melina into another kiss. “You hear me?”
“I hear you, my love,” Melina replies softly and then leans against Robin to just soak up the warmth and comfort offered to her. “I’m so incredibly lucky to have you.”
Robin smiles, tucking a strand of loose hair behind Melina’s ear. “I love you, sweet girl.”
Melina’s fingers run along the marks she left on Robin’s neck and chest as she lets out a hum. “I love you too.”