Monster under the bed
Robin plans on talking with Natasha next but her plans are derailed when Melina pulls her aside.
“What is this?” Melina demands, the box of the morning after pill in her hand.
Robin sighs slightly. “It’s the box to the morning after pill I took.” She states.
Melina searches Robin’s face before stepping forward and hugging her tightly. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Robin doesn’t hesitate to hug her back. “I didn’t want to think about it… I don’t even know for sure if he did anything.” The fact that she can’t remember bothers her the most. It wouldn’t be below him for him to utilize the fear of the unknown to keep her in line.
“You don’t have to carry this burden by yourself,” Melina reaches up to cup Robin’s face gently.
“I know,” Robin lets out a sigh, leaning into Melina’s touch. One of Melina’s hand's cards through her short dark hair. “You are a godsend, sweet girl.”
“No,” Melina shakes her head. “I’m just your wife,” She gently scratches at Robin’s scalp, something she knows the tall woman likes, especially after just waking up in the morning. It relaxes her.
“And what a hell of a wife you are,” Robin murmurs, a small smile on her lips that falls slightly. “Are you upset with me for hiding it?”
“Just worried,” Melina says. Robin knows that if it had been Melina then she would have told Robin not too long afterward. Robin was not only her handler but her wife and could procure whatever she needed.
Robin didn’t have a handler to turn to that had to know these things. It was different for her. She needed a morning-after pill, she still had her uterus.
“I love you,” Robin hums, tilting her head down to give Melina more access to her head. The Widow chuckles softly at the action, her fingers playing with Robin’s hair.
“I love you too,” Melina leans up to press her lips to Robin’s forehead.
Robin takes a few moments. “I have to take a pregnancy test in two weeks to ensure that it worked…” She whispers quietly. Melina’s hand froze in her hair. “Would you be okay staying with me for that?”
“Of course,” Melina recovers quickly. “I’m here.”
Robin doesn’t realize how much she needed to hear those two words. She droops into Melina slightly, letting out a shaking breath. “Is Natasha okay?” She changes the subject, not wanting to dwell on that.
“You should talk to her,” Melina says, gently guiding Robin’s head to rest on her shoulder. “She knows that Yelena has to start training soon and she’s worried about how you’re going to teach her.”
“She’s worried I’m going to beat Yelena.” Robin surmised with a soft sigh, closing her eyes to enjoy the feeling of Melina’s fingers in her hair.
“I know that you believe in privacy when punishing us but I think maybe Natasha needs to stand in the room when Yelena gets punished,” Melina suggests. “I think she needs to see it with her own eyes.”
Robin was quiet for a few moments. “Thank you for the suggestion. I just… I don’t want to think about punishing Yelena at the moment.”
Melina drops the subject with no questions asked. She hums the same song that Robin does when comforting their daughters. It was a song of comfort, used to help them feel safe soothed. Robin had sung it many times before but yet had she heard Melina sing it.
Robin listens, gently swaying side to side with Melina as the Widow hums the melody quietly just for Robin to hear.
Robin could stay there forever in that moment. She would never get tired of the sound of Melina’s voice, soft and sweet. But she needed to talk with Natasha sooner rather than later and an unattended four-year-old was bound to get into trouble without supervision.
Melina had said that Natasha was in her room but when Robin breaks apart to go and talk with her, the room is empty. Robin checks the master bedroom, Yelena’s room, and her office, before moving back to Natasha’s room and checking the hiding spots.
Robin comes face to face with Natasha when she’s on her hands and knees checking under the bed. The copper-haired girl is curled up into a tight ball, the Ninja Turtle action figure Elliot had given her was clutched tightly in her hand.
Bright green eyes meet Robin’s warm brown ones and Robin’s face softens at the unsure look on the child’s face. “Room for one more?” Robin questioned, laying on her stomach and slowly scooting her way under the bed.
Natasha doesn’t stop her, watching quietly as Robin squeezes under the bed.
“It’s nice and dark and tight under here,” Robin comments, slowly reaching her hand out toward Natasha and setting it between them. “You must feel pretty safe under here.”
Natasha nods slowly, still not replying to Robin. Robin doesn’t mind, continuing on. “Do you want to talk about the future now or later? Now?”
Natasha shakes her head and Robin is grateful that she’s at least still responding.
“That’s okay. We can do it later. Is it okay if I touch you?” Robin hadn’t moved the hand she set between them. Natasha nods and Robin slowly move her hand toward her face. She smoothes back the wild red hair that was sticking up from static and the work it took to shuffle under the bed. Natasha leans into the touch, closing her eyes as Robin’s hand finally rested on her cheek.
Robin focused on Natasha’s face, her thumb gently rubbing back and forth on the girl’s cheek. Natasha glances away but still leans into the touch. “Are you scared?” Robin questioned although she knows Natasha’s immediate response.
Sure enough, Natasha opens her mouth. “Widow’s don’t get scared.” She says but it’s quiet, not the usual fierceness that she usually used to try and convince that she really wasn’t frightened. Robin waits a few moments, watching as Natasha lets out a soft sigh. “I’m sorry, mama.”
“You never need to apologize for what you’re feeling,” Robin reassures the girl, shuffling just a little closer to her.
“I… I am scared,” Natasha admits, slowly shuffling toward Robin as well before repeating herself. “Mama, I’m scared.”
“I know, baby,” Robin pressed a kiss to the top of Natasha’s head. “What scares you the most out of everything?”
Robin can feel her heart sink when Natasha is quiet, obviously trying to decide between what was apparently a lot of things that she was scared of.
“You.” She finally says although her close proximity betrays her words.
“Me?” Robin repeats with a frown. “What about me scares you?”
Natasha shakes her head. “You don’t scare me--” She quickly disputes. “You-- I’m scared of what happens to you.”
That makes more sense. “I’m still right here despite everything.”
“But you won’t always be here,” Natasha says. “During this last year, you kept leaving to go to the Red Room or getting hurt. One day, you’re going to leave and you won’t come back.”
Robin hates that she can’t promise that she’ll return home at the end of the day. But she can promise something else. “I promise to try my hardest to make my way back home to you every single time that I leave.”
Natasha seemed mollified at that.
“Are you ready to come out from under the bed?” Robin questioned and Natasha gives a slow nod. Robin shuffles out from under the bed and reaches out to help Natasha out as soon as she appears.
Natasha wraps her arms around Robin’s neck, pressing her face against the crook of Robin’s neck. Robin takes a seat against the bed, leaning against the frame. “You’re my sweet little cuddle bug today, hmm?”
Natasha had gone quiet again, something that Robin didn’t like. Natasha was her feisty little redhead and whenever she withdrew it took a lot to get to the root of the problem and figure out how to solve it.
At least Natasha wasn’t pushing away her touch, Robin supposed. The fact she was still seeking out comfort was a good sign.
“Why do you love me?” Natasha murmurs the question into Robin’s collar.
“You and Yelena are just asking the hard-hitting questions today, huh?” Robin adjusts Natasha in her lap so she can look down at her. “When you were first given to me to be my fake daughter, I tried so hard not to love you. I tried to keep my distance and play my role. Things… things just happened. Somewhere along the way, the lines blurred and I realized that I cared a great deal for you and that my feelings weren’t just one of a handler and their asset. I think I realized my feelings for Yelena first. I’ve never been a mom before, I didn’t know what I was feeling was.”
“I’ve never been somebody’s daughter before,” Natasha counters, her fingers playing with the collar of Robin’s shirt. “I had to call you mama for my role but then I kept slipping up and calling you mama when I didn’t have to.” She then sighs. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“I love you because you’re my daughter. My baby,” Robin kisses the top of her head. “I love you because I’m your mama.”
The grip Natasha has on Robin’s shirt tightens briefly.
The door to the bedroom opens and Yelena darts inside, wasting no time in throwing herself onto Robin and by extension Natasha. “Mommy says it’s dinner time!” She cries out with a grin.
Robin lets out a soft laugh, pressing a kiss to Yelena’s cheek. “Such a good helper you are.” She replies as Yelena nuzzles into the both of them. “Shall we go see what mommy made?”
Yelena gets a smirk on her face. “I know what it is.” She declares, turning toward Natasha. “And we don’t even got any vegetables.”
Natasha raised an eyebrow. “No vegetables?” She echoes Yelena.
Robin doesn’t have the heart to tell them that it was probably a vegetable sauce that Melina made to go over noodles. “Right. Shall we go see what mommy made?” Robin questioned, patting Yelena’s back to get the girl to climb off of her. Yelena huffs and pulls away so that Natasha can stand up.
Robin stands, stretching out from being cramped under the bed before she scoops Yelena up over her shoulder, enjoying the way the girl shrieks with giggles. She then does the same with Natasha, the girl letting out a startled yelp before glancing at Yelena hanging over Robin’s shoulder as well and letting out a laugh.
It takes Robin a little bit of time to carry them out of the bedroom and down the stairs, bouncing them to elicit giggles that warmed her heart.
Robin sets them down in the kitchen. “Your children.” She announced to Melina, gesturing to the two red-faced giggling children. “Have arrived.”
“I could hear you coming down the stairs,” Melina chuckles, stepping forward to kiss Robin.
“Ew.” Yelena comments, sticking her tongue out at the kiss.
Robin raised an eyebrow. “Ew?” She repeats. “I’ll show you ‘ew’.” Robin scoops her up again, peppering her face in kisses before depositing her into her chair. Yelena squeals, wiping at her face after Robin finished.
Robin turns toward Natasha. “What do you think?”
Natasha bites her lower lip, glancing at Yelena before replying. “Ew?”
Robin wastes no time in scooping her up to plant kisses all over her face as well before depositing her into the chair next to Yelena.
Natasha grins, reaching out to poke Yelena’s shoulder as Melina and Robin take their seats.
Yelena clears her plate, blissfully unaware of the amount of vegetables in the sauce. Robin can see that Natasha knows though. Natasha always knows what’s in her food.
Natasha grins as she watches Yelena eat, hiding behind a forkful of noodles and sauce. She doesn’t breathe a word about it.