Chapter Text
When Alexei signed up for the “Ohio Mission,” as it was nicknamed, he didn’t expect it ever to be more than a job. After all, he is a career man, a military man; he gets his assignments and completes them with all that he has. He always preferred the front lines of combat or espionage (when he was feeling bored). So, he never planned to even sign up for Ohio, but once he learned that he might get kudos from his boss, General Dreykov, he had to volunteer.
The mission was, by all accounts, simple. Join the small town of Chesapeake Valley, Ohio, without suspicion, and gain intel and infiltrate SHEILD’s North Institute, a few miles away from the town. Alexei quickly learned that he was likely the last member of the fake family to be assigned, as Melina Vostokoff was first chosen to play Michelle Sutton, who would be his wife, Alex Sutton’s wife.
He had seen the scientist in passing as he walked the halls of the Red Room or heard her speak during meetings. He typically would turn his brain off at the beginning of any scientific lecture, but Melina was different, or she appeared to be. She knew how to captivate her audience, whoever that may be, with a natural confidence, intelligence, and showmanship. It is because of this that Alexei realized how damn smart she really was. He was certainly intimidated by her when he learned they would be partners for the mission, but she didn’t seem to care too much about him, which he found fascinating.
After becoming the Red Guardian and earning the public’s love and admiration in Soviet Russia, he couldn’t walk down the street without being recognized. And yeah, he loved it. He loved being someone who could be loved, someone who was called a hero and an inspiration to all. Someone who was mass-manufactured into plastic toy figures, which is the highest level of praise if you think about it.
So when Dr. Melina Vosokoff didn’t give two shits about him when they met, yes, he was perhaps even more intrigued by the woman he would be fake-married to for a few years.
The final two members of the Sutton family were two future Red Room assassins, Natalia "Natasha" Romanoff and Yelena Belova. Yelena was only 3 years old when she was assigned, so she would naturally believe in their faux family. However, little Natasha was 8 and had already begun her training. She knew Russian and English, how to wound her opponent with a throwing knife successfully, and how to perform a simple pirouette. She knew their family would be fake and understood she had to keep up their facade. It was quite impressive how intelligent the young girl was, how she could comprehend the intricacies of espionage. Alexei could tell she would be one of the greatest widows to come from the Red Room.
In the summer of 1992, Alex, Michelle, Natalie, and Lena Sutton moved into 2143 Bell Road. Alexei and a group of Red Room employees, disguised as movers, did the majority of the work moving in all of their furniture from various stores. All of which was subtly altered to look used and worn in: shallow cat scratches, sunken-in couch cushions, and chipped wood varnish on desks.
Alexei and another man carried their coffee table into the living room. With a grunt, they set the table down, and the other man quickly turned back to the front door to continue working. Alexei began to follow him till he heard the soft giggles coming from the stairs leading to the upper level.
He walked up the stairs, hearing small creaks on various steps, then turned right and slowly walked down the hallway. The upper level is primarily a hallway with the master bedroom on the far left, with the attached bathroom. Whereas on the right of the stairs are two bedrooms, which are separated by the hallway, and a bathroom on the far end.
“Where do you want to put this one, dear?” He heard Melina say, he peeked his head into the nearest bedroom and saw little Yelena pulling toys out of cardboard boxes and Melina sitting on the floor holding a fabric princess doll.
Yelena toddled over and held the doll in her hands, walking over to her pink quilted bed, saying, “Here!” Yelena turned back and noticed Alexei quietly standing outside. Her face lit up, “Hi!” she giggled, then ran up to him before hugging his leg.
He stood in an awestruck silence for a beat before squatting down to meet her level, “Hello, little one,” he said softly. His eyes flicked back toward the doll that was now sitting on her bed, before looking back to the little girl who was staring at every feature of his face. “I like your doll, it is very pretty,” Alexei said in an attempt to break the silence. Yelena made an excited gasp before running over toward another box, digging through what he assumed was endless dolls and toys. He stood up and walked inside the room, and joined Melina on the ground, sitting crisscrossed. She gave him a small nod and smile.
Yelena ran back with another fabric doll, except this one was a mermaid with a green tail. She held it up, and he broke out his acting chops to act like it was his favorite thing in the world, “Wow, I think I like this one even more!” Yelena smiled then exclaimed, “You take this!” She placed the doll in his hands before running back to another box.
Alexei carefully held the doll in his hands, chuckling at how large it looked in Yelena’s hands but how small it looked in his own. “I’m going to go check on Natasha.” Alexei broke out of his revere and looked to the women raising next to him. “Are you able to watch her?” She asked. He felt his mouth go dry for a moment before replying, “Of course.” She smiled, then briskly walked out and into the other room down the hall.
Yelena began to place all her dolls on the floor near the box. Alexei stood and joined her nearby, mermaid doll still in hand. “Which is your favorite, Yelena?” Her face went serious for a moment as she looked at her lineup of dolls before muttering, “Ummm…I like her!” She grabbed a doll with dark red yarn hair, a blue dress, and a white apron with small blue dots on it. “Me too,” he replied. Yelena smiled, grabbed the doll from his hand, and placed it with the others.
Her room was painted a soft yellow, her bed is an off-white wood frame with a pink quilt comforter. Her dresser and night table are also made of white wood, and on top of the dresser is a teal CD radio with small flower stickers. He got up and found an ABBA CD already inside. He hit play, and “Super Trooper” began playing. He heard Yelena squeal, behead him, and run towards him, grabbing his large hands and starting jumping up and down and dancing. He chuckled at the sight and spun her around, which earned him a high-pitched laugh.
His eyes glued to the small blonde dancer, he didn’t notice Melina & Natasha watching them from the doorway. As he and Yelena sang and danced till the song ended.
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Dinner that night consisted of pizza from Vinny’s Pizza in town, which was delivered to the house. Melina was able to get the TV working, and everyone ate their pizza in front of the TV while watching The Simpsons.
They didn’t talk much during dinner, except for the occasional comment or joke during a commercial break. Alexei wanted to break the silence, but Melina had told him not to come on too strong with the girls. Especially Natasha, “She knows we aren’t her family, but we need to make sure she is comfortable.” She had told him earlier that day. “Give her plenty of space and let her come to us. Yelena, on the other hand, doesn’t know any better, but she is young, and change can be overwhelming.”
Alexei understood; he wasn’t their dad, but he had to act like it. He had a great father, so he will simply act as he did. He would be serious, protective, and no-nonsense.
“Dad?” Alexei stopped dead in his tracks. He stood at the top of the stairs, on his way to get ready for bed, when he heard Natasha.
“Or…Alexei?” He hears her mutter. She is standing tight to the doorframe of her room, in a long nightdress and flannel pajama pants. His brain stops working for a moment; this must be his ‘I’m a dad now’ moment.
“Uh, Dad is good. What do you need?” He asks her, walking closer. “Nothing, I just want to thank you for trying to be... a dad, I guess.” She doesn’t look him in the eye when she speaks, but she stands tall and speaks bluntly.
He clears his throat, “Of course, it is…my job, you know.” She nods, looking up at him. “Good night.” She says, halfway closing her door. “Good night, Natasha,” Alexei says with a gentle smile. She smiles back and finally closes the door.
He lets out a breath and rubs his neck. He turns back and sees Melina leaning against the stair railing. Alexei slightly jumps in surprise, “Боже мой!” (“Oh my god!”) Melina brings a hand to her mouth to cover her smirk as her eyes smile to a crease. “Quite the spy you are, да?” (“Yes?”) She brings her pointer finger to her lips, saying, “Shhh, she might hear you.” She points over to Yelena’s room, whose door is slightly cracked open. His eyes go wide, and he quietly peeks his head inside.
He is able to see her curled up in bed, fast asleep, clutching a stuffed animal bunny with long floppy ears. Her room was illuminated by her ballerina night light. He lets out an exhale, softly closes the door, and turns to Melina, who has a smug eyebrow raised.
“She’s asleep.” He states bluntly, walking down the hall. She walks beside him, and he suddenly realizes that they will be sharing the master bedroom. He stops at the door, and she looks to him in question. “I can sleep on the couch if you would like. I would wake up before the girls would know.” He offers. She studies him thoroughly, eyes revealing nothing. “Don’t be ridiculous. That couch would not fit you.” She states with a smirk. He rolls his eyes and opens the door for her. She chuckles at her own joke and walks in.
They get ready separately, one brushes their teeth in the bathroom while the other changes in the bedroom. Melina is ready before him, and he walks out of the bathroom to see her placing the long decorative pillows in the middle of the bed.
She is wearing a green striped button-up shirt and matching pants with her dark hair twisted into a braid. “This is our boundary line. Neither of us will cross it at night or at any time of day. Is that clear?” She states as though it is a scientific fact.
“Yeah, fine by me. Just don’t come to me if you get chilly.” He teases as he settles into bed. She throws her eye mask at him, and he simply laughs and throws it back. She turns off the lamp and settles in.
The room settles in a peaceful silence till Alexei softly tells her, “Good night” in a singsong voice. She snorts and says, “замолчи..” (“Shut up.”)
He chuckles and turns away from her and lets sleep take him, not allowing him to see the small smile forming on Melina’s face as she burrows into her pillow for the night.