“Bucky slow down,” Steve whines, chasing after his best friend.
“No, we’re going to be late.”
Steve sighs, “All of this just for a girl.”
Bucky stops running and Steve bumps into him, “She’s not a girl Steve, she’s the girl. She’s perfect and wonderful and amazing and beautiful.”
Bucky has such a loving expression on his face. The two were racing to get to a ballet show, a ballet show starring the one and only Natasha Romanoff, the love of Bucky’s life. He’s been to every show and he wasn’t about to start missing them now just because Steve is slow.
This show is special though, and not just because it’s the winter show. Bucky is going to finally ask Natasha out, after three years of pining. They’ve been on a few dates but nothing too serious. This time it will be serious, Natasha will become his girlfriend and eventually they’ll get married and have ten kids.
Maybe that’s wishful thinking, but it’s got Bucky this far.
The two boys reach the entrance of the performance hall, hand in their tickets that Natasha got for them, and make their way in just as the curtains open. There’s two seats at the very back but Bucky doesn’t care, he’s here.
Natasha steps out on stage, beautiful as ever, and as music begins to play she raises her arms. Bucky watches her as if it’s his first time. She continues to amaze him each time, the graceful leaping across the stage, the spinning, the leaning, the bending, it’s all mesmerising to see.
Eight woman come out on stage behind Natasha and match her dance. They stand in a line and fall in sync, like one stretched person.
Arabesque, echappé, assemblé, penché.
Nat can do it all, she has people begging for her to be in their show and in their dance company. Nat is loyal, and stays where she always has.
The show ends and Bucky and Steve stand up to clap and cheer for Natasha. Natasha sees them and laughs, the rich, snobby audience don’t find it as amusing, turning around to give the two dirty looks.
Bucky and Steve make their way backstage, the crew recognising them well enough to let them past.
“You were amazing, as always,” Bucky says as he goes over to give Natasha a hug.
“Thank you for coming. You don’t have to come to every show you know.”
Bucky nods, “I want to, I've been coming for three years can’t stop now.”
Natasha turns to Steve who is awkwardly standing behind Bucky unsure of what to do.
“How’s my best friend been treating you?” Natasha asks him.
Steve smiles, “Good, we’re good. We actually have a date in a few minutes so I better get going. It’s always a pleasure watching you dance.”
Steve goes over to give Natasha and Bucky a hug before leaving to meet with Tony.
When Bucky and Natasha first met Steve wasn’t there. But afterwards she was all Bucky could talk about so Steve just had to meet her. Natasha thought it would a great idea to introduce Steve to her best friend, Tony Stark. She was a famous ballet dancer, he was a billionaire philanthropist, they were bound to meet. They went on one date and decided they were better off as friends. Natasha thought Tony was perfect for Steve and it turns out she was right, as per usual. The next time Bucky dragged Steve to one of Natasha’s performances Tony was there. The two hit it off and the rest was history, if only it was that easy for Bucky.
Natasha turns to Bucky, “So James what do you have planned tonight for us?”
“You hungry?”
“Starving,” Natasha responds as she begins stripping out of her ballet outfit and into more comfortable clothes, Bucky passing her the clothes over the dressing room door.
The two head off towards a fast food restaurant for burgers after Natasha gets changed.
It’s getting close to Christmas and Bucky is hoping he’ll have a girlfriend for this one. The two usually spend it together with Tony and Steve anyway but it will be nice to not be single this time.
They reach the restaurant and are guided into a small booth and given two menus.
“What are you thinking about getting?” Bucky asks while eyeing his own menu.
Natasha looks over the menu for a second before replying, “Everything.”
Bucky looks at her questionly, “I have thirty dollars.”
“First of all you don’t have to pay, and second of all I’m joking. I just want a cheeseburger and fries.”
“Of course I have to pay, what kind of gentleman would I be if I asked a lady on a date and didn’t pay,” Bucky fake scoffs.
Natasha chuckles, “And they say chivalry is dead.”
A waitress comes over and takes their order, returning shortly with drinks.
“Nat I know this isn’t the best setting or time but I’m tired of waiting. We’ve known each other for three years, our best friends are dating, we’ve been on a few dates ourselves, and I would just like to ask if you will be my girlfriend?” Bucky blurts out hurriedly, staring at Natasha.
Natasha looks him and smiles, “No.”
Bucky frowns and looks down, and Natasha starts speaking again, “James, I’m kidding. I’ve been waiting for you to ask for so long that I was about to ask you out myself.”
Bucky looks up at Natasha once again, “You’re an evil woman Natasha Romanoff.”
“And you’re a slow man James Barnes.”
Their food arrives and they wolf it down.
“You know you almost broke my heart there,” Bucky mentions as they finish their food.
Natasha grabs his hand, “I didn’t mean to.”
“I wanted to ask you out before but every time I would get nervous and chicken out. You’re brilliant and beautiful and famous and kind of scary. I’m just a poor kid from Brooklyn. Why would you be interested in me?”
Natasha sighs, “You’re brilliant too, and famous people are snobs, the ones in the ballet business anyway. I like getting out and coming to a fast food place with just a poor kid from Brooklyn. It beats hanging out with rich old people from Manhattan.”
Bucky smiles at her, “That’s the nicest thing anyone has said to me in a long time.”
It starts to snow outside as Bucky and Natasha begin their trek home. Not heavily, just beautiful.
Bucky looks at Natasha’s rosy red cheeks and snowflake cladded red hair and falls in love even more. It may be too early or say the L word but it doesn’t stop Bucky from thinking it.
Every show Bucky goes to support Natasha, he loves watching the nine ladies dancing.