The bucket list challenge
Steve and Natasha each create their own bucket list as a form of new year's resolution. As the new year starts, they help the other achieve their goal before the end. But unfortunately – or luckily – they find themselves in the middle of a pandemic and are forced to stay home.
December 30th 2019
"We've been through so much together." Natasha said, her head hanging low as a sigh escaped her lips. She turned her head and glanced at Steve who was sitting beside her with a beer in his hands.
The two friends were alone at the avengers' compound. The big building was now empty, silent and dark. For the past two years the place had become strangely eerie since Thanos' snap. No one lived here anymore apart from Natasha. Everybody else either died or left; Clint went rogue after the snap and despite her skills, she had trouble finding him. You can't find someone who doesn't want to be found.
After discovering she was expecting, Pepper and Tony made the decision to leave New York and live a quiet life away from the city. Thor created a new Asgard on earth where the remaining Asgardians could live. Unfortunately, he quickly let his demons consume him and he fell into the spiral of drinking his problems away. Bruce left to God knows where and the only thing he said was 'I'll be fine don't look for me', which by far, Natasha has not done.
Steve was the only one who constantly went back and forth from his apartment and the compound. The remaining avengers were displayed all over the world to prevent people from falling into chaos.
"Yeah, we did." Steve agreed, nodding his head slowly and took a sip of his beer. He had lost Bucky again, after fighting so many times for his safety. He knew they had to find a way to save everyone, they couldn't lose hope. He couldn't abandon him again, he knew there was something they could do but they had yet to find a lead.
Natasha sipped her own beer and put it aside as she realized something. She looked at Steve with a determined look in her eyes and stood up in front of him. "Maybe it's time for us to get something we're looking forward to."
"I don't want to be in a relationship. Everything is just so..."
"I know," Natasha interrupted and nodded as she smiled down at him. "And neither do I. But I meant something like..." She paused, thinking for a moment. "A bucket list."
"A bucket list?" Steve asked with a confused face.
Natasha pursed her lips and paced in front of him while trying to find the best way to explain to him. "Well, It's a list of all the things you want to do before you die." She explained to which he nodded. "Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, so why don't we make a list of all the things we want to achieve before the new year ends. Let's say... one thing for each month and we can help each other accomplish it."
Steve looked thoughtful, maybe she was right. Maybe it was time to have something that would make him happy for a change. "I don't see any reasons why we can't do that. It should be fun, I'm in."
"Great," Her face beamed at his reply. She held up a finger to tell him to wait for her and walked out of the room. She came back a few minutes later with some paper and some pens. She gave him one set of each and flopped down by his side. "Here, let's do it."
"Now?" He asked with raised eyebrows but started writing down some things on the paper when she nodded. Natasha smiled to herself and began thinking about the things she would like to do. It took them some time – and some google researches – but they managed to find 12 things to do.
Steve looked up from the paper and set his eyes on Natasha, her own eyes were concentrated on her paper and she seemed to be lost in her thoughts. He watched her for a minute, an unknown smile played at the corner of his mouth. He shook his head and cleared his throat to get her attention. "I think I'm finished."
"Alright," Natasha said and set aside her paper and pen. She placed her hand on the closest side of the paper and her body leaned close to his to read over the list. "Let's see." She muttered and let her eyes wander across the paper.
Steve Rogers' Bucket List
1. Spend a whole night painting
2. Go to Disneyland
3. Kiss someone
4. Watch fireworks
5. Ask someone to dance
6. Try Thai Food
7. Go on a date
8. Make Christmas cards
9. Learn how to dance
10. Fall in love
11. Reconnect with someone
12. Watch Netflix
Natasha looked up at him with teasing eyes as she asked. "Watch Netflix? Like all of it?" Her * famous smirk formed on her lips as she watched him struggle to find his words. He looks cute when he's fumbling with his words, she thought.
"Well, there are so many things I still need to watch." He said, flicking his eyes towards her. "Might as well start with that." He managed to say and gave her a small smile with a shrug.
She chuckled and read through his list again. "Wait a minute," She took the paper from his hand and held up the paper to make sure she was seeing things right. "You want to ask someone to dance before learning how?"
"It doesn't have to be in that order." He rolled his eyes at her, even though he knew she was doing this to tease him. Natasha laughed as she handed him back his list and it made him look at her. "And if mine is so hilarious, why don't we check yours?"
"Fine." Natasha stuck out her tongue at him and handed him her list.
"Thank you." He said in a mocking tone before starting to read her twelve tasks.
Natasha's bucket list
1. See a Broadway show
2. Watch the sunrise
3. Cliff jumping
4. Be in a relationship
5. Take a painting class
6. Do something I'm afraid of
7. Make a time capsule
8. Be a matchmaker for Steve
9. Bake Christmas cookies
10. Dance barefoot in the rain
11. Prank someone
12. Cook a Russian dish for everyone
Steve gently slammed the paper against his lap as he gave her a pointed look. "'Be a matchmaker for Steve'." He read out loud before scoffing. "Tell me you're not going to set me up on dates again, I used to hate that."
"What? Come on," She laughed grabbing her beer and sipping some of it. "You met lots of great women. Dare to tell me one thing wrong about them?"
"They weren't the one." He quickly dismissed and stood up to go grab another beer. Years ago, Natasha had set him up on a couple of dates which all ended up terribly. Either they would do anything to leave as soon as possible, or they would just try to get him in their beds. He would always tell Natasha that he wasn't ready to date so he could get her off his back. Eventually, she had stopped due to all the drama revolving around Bucky.
"Uh-huh." She said with a nod and gave him a determined look. "But I'll find you the one, you can be sure of that."
Steve walked back to where she was with a new beer in his hands. "What about you?" He asked her as he sat down beside her. "When are you going to find the one and fall in love? You never speak about those things for yourself and don't you dare say that you are unlovable, cause I'm ready to prove you otherwise."
Natasha's mouth opened to speak but not a word came out of it. She let out a sigh and grabbed Steve's list a she raised from the couch. "Love is for children, Rogers." She reminded him and walked over to the wall where the noticeboard was hung. She removed two pins from it and used them to hold up their lists. "There, we can check them out every months."
"You know, I heard you said that to Loki years ago." He told her as he walked up to where she was. She looked at him with a what's-your-point expression and he put his hand on her shoulder. "After all we went through, you can't say love was never a part of it."
"What are you saying?" She asked, her voice soft and low. Natasha drowned in the blue of his eyes that were compelling her to get lost in them. His eyes alone could make her heart beat faster.
"That no matter where we were, no matter who we were with, we still loved each other, as a family." He said, a smile forming on his lips. "Now I don't think we're children, we're far from it. Especially me." He self-burned himself making her chuckle. "But I know in my long, endless life that love isn't only for children."
Natasha's smile grew two sizes at least when she heard his self-deprecating jokes. "Okay, are you done, Cupid?" She asked with sarcasm and stole his beer from him. Ignoring Steve's complaints, she started drinking the beer and grabbed her phone. She searched for a number generator on google and clicked on it. "Alright," She started, putting her phone back in her pocket. "Fate has spoken and on the 14ths of every month, we'll do one wish. With some exceptions, of course."
"Sounds good to me." Steve said and grabbed back his beer before fleeing the living room.
"Jackass! That was mine!"
December 31st 2019, 11:56pm
"Natasha, come on! The fireworks are about to start!" Steve yelled from the balcony to the redhead who was inside doing God knows what.
"Dear God, would you relax?" She chastised as she walked out on the balcony with his sweatshirt on her body. "We still have some minutes left. Besides Tony is here, I wouldn't be surprised if the show was five minutes late." She chuckled to herself and briefly viewed the sight of the ocean before them before looking back at him. "What? Do I have something on my face?"
Steve was staring at her with a frown and she couldn't figure out why. "Is that my shirt?" He asked her, looking at her upper body swimming in the significantly big shirt. "Why are you wearing my shirt?"
"Because it's too damn cold outside and you're making me watch the fireworks from the balcony." She pointed out and wrapped her hands around her body. "I may have a serum close to yours but it doesn't include resistance to the cold." She rubbed her hands up and down her body to try to get some warmth. "And I come from Russia, so that says a lot."
Steve blinked, his eyes fixated on the sweatshirt. "Still doesn't explain why it's my shirt you're wearing." He insisted but let it go when she gave him a glare. "So, I guess I can rule out one of the wishes tonight. I wanted to watch fireworks and we're getting fireworks for the new year. Isn't that fabulous?"
"I suppose, even though it's kind of cheating since it's not the new year yet." Natasha said with a soft laugh and released a loud breath, jumping up and down to keep her body warm. "Damn Stark, couldn't he have built the facility in Florida or something? I'm fucking freezing out there."
Steve laughed and removed his jacket before handing it out to her. "Here, take it." He held it out so she could slid her arms in the sleeves and arranged it around the collar so she wouldn't be uncomfortable.
"Thank you." She said, wrapping the jacket around her body.
Steve looked at her with a small smile on his lips. Natasha looked really cute balled up in his clothes, her hair flying out with the light winter wind and the tip of her nose turning red. His eyes roaming over her back and forth to capture every little detail of her face. This could easily be turned into a painting.
A loud booming sound interrupted his thoughts as he turned his head up in the sky to watch the fireworks that had begun. He was in awe and it was only the beginning. Steve loved fireworks, every year his family would join Bucky's and they would watch the fireworks together.
Natasha looked at Steve and saw the way his eyes shone into the night as he took in the sight of the popping and colorful bonfire in the sky. He looked like a child and her heart could have melted right there. A smile was plastered on his lips as he was swept away by the show. Natasha bit her lips to hold back her amused smile and returned to watching the fireworks.
Steve noticed some movement beside him and turned his head to see Natasha try to wrap his jacket closer to her body. He silently chuckled and walked behind her. "What are you doing?" She asked, trying to turn back but Steve wrapped his arms around her and prevented her from doing so. "God, it's like you're a walking around heating device." She commented, feeling his warmth engulf her body.
"Shut up and enjoy the show." Steve amusingly said right next to her ear. Natasha rolled her eyes but settled comfortably in his arms and the both of them watched the fireworks.
The show lasted 25 minutes at least. Stark always loved going big for events like these, especially since Thanos' snap to commemorate the people they have lost. Once it was over, Steve and Natasha clapped and cheered along with the people who came to the compound to watch the show. "It was great, wasn't it?" Steve beamed, wrapping his arms around Natasha again.
"Yeah, it was." She agreed but quickly removed herself from his hold and practically ran inside. Steve chuckled and went back inside to find Natasha sitting in front of the fireplace with her legs raised up and her arms wrapped around them.
"Do you want some hot chocolate?" Steve asked, closing the door of the balcony and enjoying the warmth coming from the fireplace.
"Yes, please." She nodded her head eagerly as she looked back at him.
Steve laughed and walked to the kitchen. He made hot chocolate with marshmallows in it for the both of them and grabbed a few snacks. He put everything on a tray and walked back to the living room. He set the tray on the coffee table before walking towards the noticeboard and ruling out 'Watch fireworks' with a pen. He walked back to the fireplace and sat down on the floor beside Natasha. He grabbed his own hot chocolate and sipped it silently as they both watched the fire.
"Should we play cards?" Natasha suggested, removing Steve's jacket and setting it on the couch. When he nodded, she stood up and grabbed her cards set from the living room table. Meanwhile, Steve grabbed some pillows and comforters from the couch and set them on the floor.
Natasha came back and flopped herself down on the floor as she freed the cards from their box. Steve added three logs in the fireplace and turned to Natasha who was preparing the cards. "What game are we playing?"
"La bataille." She told him with the hint of a French accent. "Do you know it?"
"I must've of already played, although I don't remember." Steve said and quickly added when Natasha smirked. "Yeah, yeah, that's cause I'm so old."
Natasha held out her tongue at him and laughed. "It's one of the easiest game, I swear. We both have our own little decks and we have to drawn out one card each without looking at them. The one who has the highest card wins." She explained. "And if by any chance, we draw the same cards, we have to battle, like this." She picked two queens and set them face up before adding another card, this time face down. She then added another card, this time face up. "Now the highest wins."
"I think I got it." Steve said, trying to remember everything she said. "Wait. When we battle, why is the middle card face down?"
Natasha shrugged as she mixed the cards together. "I don't know, the thrill of the fight?" She chuckled, shaking her head. "It's a French game."
"Duly noted." He nodded his head and grabbed his own little deck once she separated the cards. "Let's do this, I'm gonna beat your ass."
She burst out in laughter, grasping her belly as she laughed. "Language, Captain!" She said, making Steve roll his eyes. "We'll never let this go." She reminded him and put down her first card to begin the game.
The two friends played the game for over an hour, both winning repeatedly. Laughter and competition were the highlights of the game. After a while, they got bored of it and decided on watching a TV show together.
"I can't believe you still haven't seen Once upon a time. It's iconic." Natasha argued, putting the show on her laptop. "You're gonna love it. What's not to like anyway? Fairy tales characters stuck in a modern town!"
Steve laughed and settled against one of the big pillows. "I can't escape this, can I?"
"Nope." She shook her head, putting the laptop between the two of them. "You just sit back and enjoy, darling."
A sigh escaped his lips as they started watching. Twenty minutes into the first episode, Natasha was already stone cold asleep. Steve looked at her with are-you-serious expression. He lightly rolled his eyes and pulled a comforter over body.
It was around 2:30am, he decided it was time to sleep. Letting the TV show roll, he fell asleep facing Natasha.
The sound of laughter woke Steve up in startle. He blinked a couple of times before realizing he had moved during the night and had wrapped his arm around Natasha. He looked down at her sleeping form, she looked peaceful. Her head laid against his shoulder and her hair were plastered on the pillow. He quickly turned his head towards the laptop when the sound of laughter came again. With his half-closed eyes, he watched the screen and frowned. "Why is that guy covered in dirt?" He asked lowly to himself. "Well, I'll be sleeping while you make that deal, dude." He talked to the character on the screen and closed the laptop with his feet and pushed it aside.
He glanced back at Natasha who slept like a baby and he wondered how she could be so comfortable when they were sleeping on the floor. A soft smile came across his lips as his hand came up to her face and brushed off some strands of hair. He caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers, the touch gentle and loving at the same time. "Happy New Year, Natasha." He whispered softly and tenderly kissed the top of her head. "May you find love."