Yelena and Aleksandra smile when they hear Natasha whistle her half of their call. They whistle their part and Yelena pushes herself upside down on her hands and feet. Natasha joins them in the yard and folds over backwards to mirror her sister.
"We're both upside down." Yelena says. Aleksandra giggles at her twin's statement, shaking her head at their antics.
"And I bet you're gonna fall down first." Natasha tells her.
"No, you will. You can't hold it much longer." She replies.
"Yeah! Lena can do it forever!" Aleks claims. Natasha makes a face at them, and Yelena falls onto her back.
"Told you you'd fall down first." She says.
"You distracted her! Get her!" She yells, and the twins start chasing their older sister. They run around the yard until Yelena falls, scraping her knee.
"Mommy!" She yells, starting to cry. Aleks holds her sister's hand as Natasha pulls her back to her chest, wrapping her arms around her.
"What happened?" Melina asks, kneeling in front of her children.
"She fell on her knee." Natasha explains as Yelena pulls away to move closer to her mom.
"Oh, you bump your knee?" She asks. Yelena nods as Natasha climbs up into the fort. "Kiss it better. There we go." She says, shushing her crying. "Oh, come on, little one. Get up. You're okay. Come on. You're a brave girl. Your pain only makes you stronger. Right, you?" She asks Natasha, who'd now moved to the swings. Aleks jumps onto the one next to her and starts to swing.
"Yeah." She answers her mom.
"Look! Forest stars." Yelena says, pointing to the lightning bugs.
"Yeah. You know what? Those are actually part of the Lampyridae family. And the glow, the glow that you see, that comes from a chemical reaction called bioluminescence." Melina explains, bringing her daughters closer to them. "Come on, time for dinner."
"Mama, can we catch some forest stars after dinner?" Aleks asks as Melina leads her and Yelena towards the house. Natasha stays behind, looking at the glowing bugs.
"Of course." She answers. She spots Natasha still by the forest and calls back to her. "Dinner! Come on, dinner, big girl!"
"I want mac and cheese." Yelena says as they walk towards the kitchen.
"Oh, you want mac and cheese? Okay. Well, I want...caviar and champagne." She replies. "Grab the napkins. You take this. Thank you." She hands the dish to Yelena and turns to Aleks. "Oh, would you grab the ranch dressing for Dad?" She asks as she and Yelena move towards the dining room.
"Green beans are my favorite vegetable." She tells her mother as they start setting the table.
"Daddy!" Aleks yells, dropping the ranch onto the counter and running towards him. He catches her and kisses the top of her head before setting her back down.
"Hey, Dad." Natasha tells him as he walks further into the kitchen.
"Hey, baby." He replies, ruffling her hair before opening the fridge.
"Daddy, I already got your ranch." Aleks says, holding it up to show him before running into the dining room. He grabs a beer and follows her, standing at the window as she settles into her seat.
"Everything okay?" Melina asks him. He sighs and turns to face them.
"How was everybody's day?" He asks in response.
"It was great!" Aleks answers.
"Mommy taught us about lamp bugs." Yelena adds.
"Lamp bugs." He repeats with a chuckle.
YOU ARE READING
The Spring Soldier | Bucky Barnes
FanfictionThe Spring Solider was HYDRAs secret weapon. As the only person able to calm and keep the Winter Soldier under control, she was an important asset. That was until they found out that the two had gotten closer than what was expected or allowed. Alek...
