Worth It
Natasha Romanoff x fem!reader
wc: ~2k
an: i would consider this more of a side shot to best worst decision rather than part 3 but it's fun so enjoy :)
pt. 1 | pt. 2
summary: Melina talks some sense into Natasha.
Yelena wanted to celebrate getting her driver’s license. She always got so excited over the “little things” because she never got to celebrate them growing up. In true Yelena fashion, she threw a small party to celebrate the right way.
It’d been longer than the two of you normally went without seeing each other. Because of this, you were the first person she invited. The happenings of your and Natasha’s divorce had been extremely hard on Yelena. Some days it feels like she’s taking it harder than the children. When she found out, she sobbed into your chest for a half hour at the prospect of not having you in her life anymore. You were the second big sister she never had and when it came to sharing her emotions, she trusted you endlessly.
Tonight, she’d wanted her closest family to be with her to celebrate the fact that she’d learned how to drive! So, you found yourself at her apartment with her, your daughters, Natasha, Melina and Alexei. Yelena and the girls sat on the floor playing Candyland while you got stuck conversing with Alexei.
“So, you would agree that Captain America has noodle arms compared to me?” he flexes his arms trying to trap you into admiring his bicep.
“I-”
“Y/n! Your children are big fat cheaters!” Yelena interrupts the delusion. You sigh thanking your lucky stars for her saving you.
“Getting beat by children that can’t even read yet? Thats tough, Belova,” Natasha cuts in.
“I CAN read Mama!”, Zara defends. “Auntie Lena’s shirt says, “loser”, the child beams.
“It does not!” Yelena gasps. You throw your head back releasing a boisterous laugh. Your five year old looks at you feeling triumphant. You lean forward offering a high five and she excitedly slaps your hand.
“Natasha, can you come help me in the kitchen please?” Melina’s voice cuts in effectively calming everyone down like only she knew how. Natasha rises off of the plush chair adjacent to the couch you’re on. You get a strong whiff of coconut as she passes. You bite your bottom lip as you steal a good look at her perfect ass. You clench your fists at your sides to keep yourself from jumping out ot grab it.
Natasha enters the kitchen finding Melina standing over the stove. “What can I help with?”
“Do you mind chopping those peppers for me, darling?” Natasha nods and starts cutting and they work in tandem in silence except for the noise from their rowdy family in the living room. Natasha is yanked out of her rhythm by a slap to the back of her head. She immediately places a hand on the throbbing spot.
“Um…. what was that for?” she asks very slowly, furrowing her brow at her mother.
“Sorry. I just needed to get that out.” Melina crosses her arms over her chest.
“Why?!”
“Because you’re very stupid and I know I taught you better than that,” Melina blurts out. “So, I needed to make sure that I slapped you at least one good time.”
“Ok, you’re gonna have to give me some context clues here.”
“Those three in there.”
“You mean my divorce” Natasha sighs. She couldn’t go one day without someone reminding her.
“You’re not divorced yet!”
“Well, we’re getting there. Y/n doesn’t want anything to do with me anymore and I don’t blame her. Let’s just call a spade a spade,” he picks the knife up again and continues chopping.
“Since when are you a quitter?”
“Since I was served divorce papers… like real ones.”
“Has legal documentation stopped you from doing anything you didn’t want to do?”
“I mean… no.”
“Well?”
“Well what?” Natasha snaps. She’d hoped to go one night behaving as a normal family. Which was seemingly impossible these days.
“What’s the real reason you’re giving up on your family Natasha?”
Natasha points her finger in her face, “I’m not giving up on my family. I’m simply respecting Y/n’s wishes.”
“Oh Y/n is ready for baby #3 with the looks she’s been giving you!”
“Maybe you’ve mistaken what pure hatred looks like.”
“You’re so dramatic! So, you don’t want your family back?”
“Of course I want my family back.”
“Then why are you so comfortable running?”
Natasha halts her chopping and searches for an answer, “Becuase I don’t deserve them.”
“Natasha.”
“No, I don’t. Not only am I a monster that is fully capable of screwing those kids up. But, I had the perfect little life on a silver platter and I threw it all away. I had my chance time and time again and I blew it. Whatever this is that I feel, I promise you that I deserve it.”
“What is it that you feel, hm?” Somehow, Melina was the first person to have asked Natasha how she’s feeling.
“Disappointed? Sad? I just miss them, I guess.” Her voice is weak and slightly unsteady. She clears her throat hoping Melina missed it, even though she knows she didn’t.
“You know what they say, absence makes the heart grow harder,” she places her hands on Natasha’s shoulders, gently rubbing them.
“I don’t think–”
“Don’t interrupt me while I’m speaking. My point is that obviously this separation has helped you come to your senses. So, get your family back.”
“I don’t think it’s that easy.
“Why isn’t it? You love them, no?”
“Yes.”
“You would kill for them, no?”
“In a heartbeat.”
“Those are really the only two things you need, Natasha. I’m not understanding?”
Natasha turns to face her mother figure. She tilts her head to the side and slightly looks off to the side, trying to put the ill fitting pieces together.
“Just give it a shot,” Melina says gently swatting Natasha’s arm. “And if you hurt my sweet Y/n again. I will feed you to Alexei and you know exactly which one I’m talking about.”
Yelena comes into the kitchen for a glass of water sensing the tension. Her wide smile quickly drops.
“Whoa who died?” Yelena demands.
“Just trying to talk some sense into your big stupid sister here.”
“She’s very stupid, I agree. What’d she do now?” The blonde swipes a chunk of the peppers that Natasha had been chopping, tossing it into her mouth.
“She’s pretty much decided on letting her very beautiful wife and precious children go.” Yelena gasps and slaps Natasha in the back of the head.
“I swear the next person who slaps me is losing a hand,” she aims the point of the large knife in Yelena’s face.
“I’m sorry but, you have easily become my second favorite sister. I never thought I’d see the day.”
You quickly enter the kitchen with a frown on your face. As soon as the three women’s eyes land on you, their expressions soften. “You guys. What have I told you about leaving me alone with Alexei. It’s really hard being the only one that doesn’t have the balls to be honest with him. I just told him that he looks younger than Steve…. Which is obviously a lie and Steve is like 200.”
Yelena and Melina laugh at your rant. Melina pats you on your shoulder, “Honey, can you help Natasha finish dinner, please? I’ll go knock him down a peg just for you,” she kisses the side of your head and waves for Yelena to follow her back into the living room. Yelena gives Natasha a stern glare and swiftly exits.
You approach Natasha asking, “What can I do?”
“Uh, can you stir that?” She points to the simmering pot on the stove.
“Yeah, of course.”
“I’m sorry you got stuck with him. I think we need to ban him from saying the words Captain and America”, Natasha smirks.
“It’s okay. Just don’t let it happen again. I’ve paid my dues for the next decade,” you shake your head.
Nat freezes thinking about the prospect of the next ten years. Would the two of you be back together in that time? How would you kids feel about her for tearing your family apart? Would she have stepped back from the Avengers? Would you be married to someone else? These thoughts combined made Natasha’s grip the edge of the counter so hard that her knuckles turned white. You turn from stirring the stew and lean your back on the edge of the counter that Natasha’s standing at and you immediately notice her demeanor.
“Hey, you ok?” You place a gentle hand on her shoulder making her flinch.
She meets your gaze with tears in her eyes and bounds forward throwing herself into your arms, burying her face in your neck. You freeze at the unexpected embrace but once you feel her shaky breaths you gently wrap one arm around her, not wanting to squeeze too tight and you place your other hand at the back of her head, gently caressing her soft locks. She hasn’t been this close to you in a very long time. You’re not sure who’s heart is racing faster. “Hey, what’s the matter” you speak loud enough for just her to hear.
“I just really needed a hug.”
“That all?” you feel the movement of her shaking her head. “What else do you need baby?”
“I just need to feel you. I need to know that you don’t hate me even though I feel like you should.”
You hum, taking in exactly what she’s getting at and you mull over your next words before verbalizing them, “I could never hate you. Why should I?”
“I broke my promises to you. Including the one when I said I wouldn’t.”
“Yeah you did. I’m angry at you for that but, I don’t hate you. I don’t think I’m meant to hate you.” At that you feel the hot tears, that she’d been intently guarding, finally spill onto your shoulder.
“I deserve for you to.”
“You don’t.”
“I do!”
“Natasha. Stop it. You were my best friend long before you were anything more to me and I’ll love you until the day I die. That love may change. We’ve seen that happen already. I don’t know what our love will become but, it’s definitely not going anywhere,” she squeezes you impossibly tighter. “I need you to get that through your thick skull okay?” You lightly knock on the side of her head, earning a teary chuckle.
“I love you so much Y/n/n. It scares me sometimes.” She raises her head off of you shoulder and she allows you to wipe her tears. She looks down releasing a thoughtful sigh, “I really want our family back. Whether or not I deserve that is debateable, I guess. But, this life isn’t worth living without my girls,” she takes another deep breath, working overtime to control her emotions. “I don’t expect you to have an answer right now or to make any promises but, I just want you to know that at least.”
You rest your forehead against hers and mindlessly caress her back while she’s still in your arms, “Thank you for telling me that. It is a lot to think about. Maybe we should have a more extensive conversation later? Once we’ve properly celebrated Yelena.”
She finally meets your eyes and you reassure her with a soft smile, “God, she really shouldn’t have been given a license,” Natasha groans.
“Absolutely not,” you laugh.
“You two better not burn that food!”, Melina yells from the living room causing the two of you to jump apart, just barely saving dinner.
Whatever happens between you and Natasha next will be incredibly taxing without a doubt but, Natasha would always be worth it. The possibilities were endless when it came to her.