Natasha Romanoff Oneshots

"I Love You,"

Description: Natasha Romanoff was sent on a mission when she was seven-years-old to act as a "family." At first, she thinks of it as only a mission—a means to an end. But after certain interactions with her "sister," "mother," and "father," she begins to see it as more than that.

Ships: Referenced Melina x Alexei

Major Characters: Natasha, Yelena, Melina, Alexei

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Don't ask questions—that was rule number one.

No objects of sentimental value—number two.

Quickly followed by don't get attached.

Never speak out of turn.

Others were added later, as an almost afterthought. These were such:

Weapons must be hidden where Yelena can't find them.

Don't look too smart in school.

But most important of all, and the one Natasha was constantly reminded of, even though she said it in her head every morning when she woke up and every night before bed, was: know it's all a mission.

These rules, among others, were the way order was kept in the house. And although she had been taught these her entire life—way before the mission started, even—Natasha still forced herself to remember all of them. Even the unspoken ones were stuck in her brain, like when Melina asked her to make dinner and Alexei didn't like it. His face had curled up in disgust at the American meal and only Melina's hand on his shoulder and her head nod towards Yelena, who was digging in, stopped him from lashing out. After that, Natasha added no American things to her list.

Natasha lived by rules—had her whole life. Alexei lived by rules. Melina did not live by rules. She wanted new things around the house. A Christmas tree two weeks after the mission started in late November. A bike for Natasha when neither adult could drive her to school. Cupcakes when Yelena's birthday rolled around.

Alexei did not like this. He became angry when she dragged the tree inside. He said bikes were for normal American kids. He stormed off when Yelena blew out the candles.

Natasha wasn't sure what to think. On one hand, it was kind of nice how Melina was really stepping into her role as mother, on the other, this was not how they'd been trained to do things.

She chose to focus on the second thought. She stayed wary; did not stray beyond the yellow caution tape.

But Melina made it harder and harder for Natasha to stay as she had always been. It was like the woman was a completely different person than she had been when the mission first start.

There was another part of the mission, though, that Natasha had never anticipated; she had not expected these emotions. Natasha had been raised to hate feelings and to never show or even have them. But that got harder and harder as the mission went on. Yelena was just so cute—the way she squealed when she finally finished a puzzle; how her favorite thing in the world was Natasha's face, and she could not resist grabbing at it with her tiny toddler hands. Natasha loved the way Yelena laughed and babbled even though she had nothing to say. Natasha loved Yelena's innocence.

"I love you," Yelena whispered to Natasha a month in when Natasha was putting her to bed since she was the only one the toddler calmed around.

Natasha had glanced around nervously, checking if Melina and Alexei were anywhere nearby. She reached her hand over and smoothed Yelena's hair back gently. "You can't say that, Yelena. They take love and they twist it until it becomes hatred. Then they take that hatred and they mold it into a weapon."