I love you so
Robin comes too sprawled along the hardwood flooring in her office, her clothes discarded in an uncaring heap on the ground and dried blood on her stomach.
The General is gone along with the soldiers, the only sign he was here was the updated file sitting on her desk. Robin glances at the clock, startled to see that nearly nine hours have passed since she had last looked. It was night by now.
Robin sits up gingerly, pain coursing through her body as she becomes aware of her state of undress. She’s as naked as the day she was born and that worries her.
She can’t remember anything after the sudden burst of pain. Her memory is blank and that frightens her. She can’t remember what he did to her but her current state of undress paints a horrifying picture.
Robin slowly climbs to her feet, sore and aching, and slowly shuffles out of the room and down the hall.
She can’t manage a shower but she does wet a towel down and cleans herself up the best she can before yanking on a new pair of boxers and a tee. She shimmies a pair of sweatpants up her legs before stuffing her feet into her boots and making her way down the street.
It takes a long time but the only thought on Robin’s mind was seeing that General Dreykov indeed hadn’t taken Yelena to start her training.
Robin uses her fist to pound on Rosalie’s door, the time not even occurring to her until she’s greeted with a gun in her face as the door is opened.
“Captain…” Rosalie breathes out, lowering the weapons. “It’s two in the morning.”
“Where are they?” Robin spoke, realizing just how sore her throat was. Did she scream? No, she couldn’t have.
“You look like you’re going to fall over,” Rosalie reaches toward her and Robin flinches away from her touch. “They’re upstairs.”
“Get them,” Robin says as Rosalie steps aside to let her in. “Please.”
Rosalie closes the door behind Robin. “Boss?”
“What?” Robin was tired.
“You smell like sex,” Rosalie replies bluntly and Robin drops her head.
“Yeah…” She whispers. “I know.”
Rosalie doesn’t say another word, moving upstairs. It only takes a few moments before Melina appears at the top of the stairs, quickly descending until she’s standing in front of Robin.
“The children?” Robin whispers, reaching out to cup Melina’s face in her hands.
“Sleeping.” Melina replies, leaning into the touch before clarifying. “Safe.”
Robin slowly pulls Melina into her arms. Melina seems to pick up on the uncharacteristic gentleness that Robin uses.
“What happened?” Melina asked her and Robin clenched her jaw to fight off the tears that immediately spring up at the question. “Robin?”
Robin shakes her head, pulling Melina closer and clinging to her. “I’m sorry.”
Her apology makes Melina go tense. “For what?” She questioned quietly.
“For loving you.” The words don’t come out right. Melina starts to pull away and a jolt of fear shoots through Robin.
“Robin, my love, you’re frightening me,” Melina reaches up to cup Robin’s face just as the tall woman had done to her. “What happened?”
“Rosalie says I smell like sex,” Robin whispers and she can see the way Melina’s eyes darken. “I’m sorry.” She repeats.
“You did what you had to,” Melina tells Robin, even if she’s not quite sure what exactly Robin did yet. “I am not angry with you.”
Robin leans her head down and Melina tilts her head up to meet her halfway. Robin brushes her lips along Melina’s in a soft kiss. “I love you.” She breathes out.
Melina’s fingers run along the damaged skin on her cheek before it moves down to the red marks on her neck from the chain. “I love you too.” She replies with no hesitance.
“Mama!” Robin turns at the sound of Natasha’s voice at the top of the stairs. The girl descends quickly and Robin hoists her up into her arms to cradle her close, ignoring the throbbing in her torso.
“My sweet baby,” Robin murmurs, pressing her lips to Natasha’s wild curls. Natasha winds her arms around Robin’s neck.
“Do you have a date?” Natasha whispers into her ear.
“Our mission is being extended by another year,” Robin tells her and Natasha pulls away enough to stare at her face to discern if she was telling the truth before sinking against her bonelessly in relief at the news.
“Another year?” Melina echoes, stepping closer to Robin.
“Another year,” Robin nods her head, cupping the back of Natasha’s neck and pressing a reassuring kiss to her temple. “Yelena is to start school as well as training.” She starts, continuing to avoid interruptions. “We will be making a brief return during the summer to showcase your skills and how you have developed under my guidance.”
“That’s barely a month away,” Melina points out.
“I know,” Robin says before shaking her head. “Where’s Yelena?”
“Sleeping,” Natasha says, curling her fingers into Robin’s shirt. She stares at the mark on Robin’s cheek before her eyes flicker to look at the red ring from the chain around Robin’s neck. “Where’s the necklace?”
Melina’s eyes snap to Robin’s neck and take in the sight of the missing locket.
“Under the bookshelf in my office,” Robin nuzzles her nose against Natasha’s to take her eyes off of the damaged skin. “Let us go find my other baby, hmm?”
Robin moves to take a step up the stairs, adjusting Natasha in her grip.
Yelena was fast asleep and the sight of her safe and sound eases something in Robin’s chest. She approaches the bed and gently sets Natasha down although the child was not very willing to let go. Robin gently scoops her sleeping daughter up, cradling her close and pressing her nose against the top of her head.
The next year was going to be rough, not only on Yelena but on Robin as well. She was going to have to train the child to learn to handle weapons and start her education on reading body language.
“Mama, you’re bleeding,” Robin’s eldest daughter gasps out quietly. Robin glances down at her shirt before realizing that Natasha meant her face.
Melina didn’t miss the gaze and Robin knew for a fact that the woman would pull her aside later and demand to see the injuries.
“I’m okay,” Robin reaches up to wipe at her cheek, staring down at the smear of red against her skin.
Robin draws Yelena closer to her, not even realizing the protective stance she was taking with the sight of the blood. Melina nears her, slowly reaching out to take the hand she was staring at.
“It’s okay,” Melina tells her softly and Robin’s eyes flicker up to look at her. “You’re okay. We’re safe. You did your job.”
Robin lets out a small sigh, relinquishing her hold on Yelena when Melina reaches for her. Melina pulls the sleeping girl away and tucks her back into bed before reaching out to take Robin’s wrist again. “Let’s clean you up.”
Robin doesn’t resist her tugging toward the bathroom. “Yelena’s not used to swats.” She finds herself saying.
“I know,” Melina says softly, dampening a cloth to wipe at Robin’s cheek, her other hand holding Robin’s head still.
“If I have to train her as a Widow then I have to start--” Robin swallows hard. Natasha never fought against Robin giving her swats. Robin had learned that swats were how you punished Widows.
Yelena had only ever been given time-outs. If Robin started swatting her then she was going to fight back.
“She’s four.” Robin continues, shivering at the feeling of the cool cloth swiping against her damaged skin. “She’s too little.”
“Natasha started training even younger,” Melina replies just as quietly, her hand moving toward the hem of Robin’s shirt. Robin tilts her head back as Melina pushes the shirt up to peer at the damage the knife had left behind.
“It’s only surface wounds. Looks worse than it is,” Robin says quietly when Melina stares a little too long. “It’s okay.”
“It’s not.” Melina’s voice was quiet but harsh. “None of this is even remotely okay.”
Robin reaches out to gently cradle one side of Melina’s face. “Perhaps not.” She conceded, gently dragging Melina’s head up to peer at her. “But I have you. I have our girls. This is worth it. You are worth it.”
“I’m really not,” Melina insists, moving to try and pull away. “I am not worth all the shit you’ve gone through. I am not worth all the bloodshed and damage you’ve taken.” She reaches out to run her hand over Robin’s scarred torso. “You’re running out of undamaged skin.”
Robin suddenly feels self-conscious, reaching out to gently grip Melina’s wrist. “I will do anything for you.” She says and it’s the truth. “I love you.”
“You shouldn’t!” Melina repeats harshly. “I am a Widow. I have red in my ledger and a body count higher than both of our ages combined.”
“You don’t get to tell me who I love,” Robin pulls Melina’s hand up to her lips, pressing a soft kiss to the palm of the hand that has ended many lives. “We’re surviving, sweet girl.” Her fingers slide over the ring on her hand. “You’re not hard to love.”
Melina swallows hard, shaking her head. “You don’t know what I’ve done.”
“You don’t know what I’ve done,” Robin counters before she runs her thumb along the ring she had given to Melina for Christmas. “My name wasn’t always Robin.”
“I know that,” Melina says, a slight crinkle in her brow in confusion.
“I was born with the name Cassandra Andromache,” Robin continues, glancing up from the ring. “My mother called me Cass but my father would call me Sandy Andy. The one thing I wanted more than anything was to start my own family. I always promised to give my mother seven grandchildren. She’d always laugh at me for it and tell me that I was enough for her.”
Melina listens quietly, her thumb running over Robin’s ring in turn.
“If I could do this whole thing over again and stop my father from spiraling and keep him the same man that called me his little Sandy Andy, stop him from making a deal with the Red Room, keep my mother alive… I wouldn’t do it,” Robin tells Melina, leaning her head forward to press their foreheads together. “Because I got you and I got two daughters.”
“You could have had a normal wife. Normal children.” Melina protests, her voice cracking. “Why me?”
“You’re perfect to me,” Robin breathes out. “And I will continue to remind you until the end of time. I had once thought that I would never be able to love someone, that General Dreykov had taken away any chance I had.”
Melina tenses up at the General’s name before she reaches up to loop her arms around Robin’s neck and tugs her down into a kiss. “I love you.” She mumbles out against Robin’s lips.
The kiss is sweet and gentle, something so desperately needed in their rocky and rough life at the moment.