Before You Begin (basically an author's note): This is one shot that takes place in the universe of my Freedom Fighter book.
We go through the Christmases of Y/N's life since he was first awakened from stasis. It's tough for an out-of-time super soldier to integrate themselves into the new world, but he has people to help him with that...and that includes his coworker and agent, Natasha Romanoff.
Hope y'all enjoy and Happy Holidays!
• • •
2011
THERE WASN'T MUCH in the young man's apartment aside from basic essentials such as a bed, a small sofa, and a television. He still didn't have much money to purchase the extravagant thing...and he was still taken aback by how much prices have inflated.
He stayed at the S.H.I.E.L.D base for a bit after being recruited but ended up moving out to adjust to the new world himself. He still had occasional meetings with Clint and Fury, but mostly kept to himself.
So there he was, spending the 25th of December in his lonely apartment...watching programs on his television. One that kept his attention was the Christmas Day game with the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. He can faintly recall the Knicks from back in the 60s, being one of the teams he rooted for alongside the Dodgers.
The game was entertaining and he liked the diversity in both teams competing. Not just a court full of white guys anymore. And why were players shooting so far from the basket behind that weird line?
There was a break and commercials started to play. Y/N chuckled at the sight of things he had yet to understand and could barely afford. He got up and went to his small kitchen to fix himself something to snack on.
Suddenly, there was a knock on his door. The twenty-three-year-old put down his empty bowl and went to go answer it.
On the other side was a familiar-looking woman. The redhead wore some casual clothing that suited the chilly weather at the moment. It surprised Y/N to see Natasha like that since he'd only seen her a few times since his recruitment and she'd always wear her uniform.
"Uh...Agent Romanoff." Y/N greeted her. "You're here. Why?"
With her usual stoic expression, she replied.
"Fury wanted me to check on you."
Y/N nodded. "Oh, okay. Well, I'm fine. Tell him thanks for caring, I guess."
Natasha nodded back. There was a moment of silence which was awkward for him.
"Okay." She finally responded. "If...everything's fine. Then I'll—"
Her body shifted the other way as she was starting to leave. Out of some weird instinct, Y/N spoke up and stopped her.
"Would—would you like to come in?" He asked.
Natasha turned around and looked at him for a moment. After a brief pause, she accepted. Y/N moved aside and let her in, then closed the door.
"Sorry that I wasn't so inviting at first." The man apologized. "I...uh...I gotta remember my manners."
"Manners or no manners. It would've all been the same to me." She replied.
The redhead looked around his small apartment as she walked in. Y/N went over to his fridge.
"Would you like a drink?" He asked as he opened and looked inside. "I got Miller Lite. Corona. Lots of brands have popped up since I first went under."
"Didn't mark you as an alcoholic." She remarked upon seeing the many different kinds in his fridge.
"Eh, is more so the flavor of them." He walked up and handed her one. "I can't get drunk because of my...situation."
Y/N was only told by Fury that he has some form of the super soldier serum in his system, likely given to him by his captors when he was put under. For Y/N it was a cool fact since now he basically had the abilities of his idol, Captain America.
Natasha simply shrugged and took the bottle. The young man noticed that the game came back on but kept his attention on his new guest.
"Enjoying the holidays?" Natasha asked as she looked around. "Very festive around here."
He noticed her sarcasm and let out a chuckle. "Decorating never came up in my plans. What? Your place all lit up with candy cane-scented candles in every room?"
"Oh, definitely." She replied with even more sarcasm. "With a tree that barely fits in my living room. The music is so loud that my neighbors complain."
Y/N laughed. "Oh, man. Remind me next time to spend my Christmas with you."
"I'm not much of the...frolicking type."
"Well, me neither...I think. Not sure how I was back then." He replied. "So two boring people can surely make things fun."
The two talked for a bit before Natasha said she had to go. She didn't expect to stay for as long as she did.
Once Y/N bid her farewell and closed the door he went toward his couch. Moments later, he got a phone call. Based on the unknown number, he had an inkling of who it was.
"Hello?" He answered.
"L/N." Fury replied. "Where are you at the moment?"
"At home."
"Have you heard from Agent Romanoff?"
"Yes. She was just here. Uh...thanks for having her check up on me, by the way."
There was a brief pause as Fury was confused on the other. He let out a scoff.
"I didn't send her anywhere."
2013
THE VENUE WAS filled with people from all walks of life. Chatter from the occupants and the holiday music coming from the stereo system filled the room.
Y/N was a table serving food to the people. The event was orchestrated by the Department of Veteran Affairs and was open to the homeless, veterans, and others. They made sure nobody was alone that Christmas...which was also the case for the young super soldier.
He served some potatoes to an elderly man. Based on the patches on his coat Y/N could tell he was once a marine.
"Thank you for your service, sir." Y/N made sure to say.
He nodded. "Thank you too, son. Semper Fi."
Y/N reciprocated the motto Marines often said. From there, he moved on to a homeless woman. He served her the food.
"Merry Christmas, ma'am." Y/N said with a smile.
She reached over and held his hand that was holding the ladle. He was caught off guard by the act.
"Merry Christmas. You are a hero, sir. Thank you for the countless lives you saved."
Y/N smiled, recalling the Battle of New York over a year ago. People knew he was Avenger and worked for the government in a way.
"It's what we do." He simply replied. "It's what I do. So I'm able to see beautiful smiles like yours every day."
The woman smiled back and nodded before going down the rest of the table. After some time, someone else came to take over for him while the soldier went off to walk around and make sure everything was going well.
As he was wandering around, he heard a familiar voice behind him.
"Someone's nicely dressed."
He turned around and immediately realized it was Natasha. Y/N chuckled and went up to her.
"Can't be around these lovely folks in my uniform. I had to be...a little more festive."
And he had a point. The vibrant colors of his polo shirt and sweater were vastly different than his dark Freedom Fighter attire.
"I gotta say...it suits you." She remarked. "You look like someone out of those Christmas TV specials."
"Please." He replied with a chuckle. "So what are you doing here?"
"I heard you were here. And I wanted to see what this event was all about."
"Ah. So you decided to spend a Christmas with me?"
She scoffed. "Yeah, sure. A Christmas with you."
"I've waited for this day. My God." He joked. "For a while, I thought you hated the holidays."
They laughed. He started walking and the redhead followed.
"Why is that?" She asked.
"Last year Clint invited you over to his place. I went but you never came. I heard you chose to file some dossiers that night instead."
"Work comes first." Natasha said with a shrug.
"That ain't a way to live." Y/N said. "That's why I'm glad you're here now."
As they were talking, Y/N was serving himself a plate with the food they were giving. Once he was done he turned around and handed it to her.
Natasha raised a brow. "What's—?"
"Bon Appétit." He said. "You should have some. It's good."
"I'm not really hu—"
"Come on. I'm going to serve myself some too. Don't make me eat alone."
Natasha looked at her plate for a moment. She wasn't planning on staying long, only wanting to see what Y/N was up to and what the event was about. Ultimately, she decided otherwise.
"Fine." She replied. "As long as you promise me that you didn't cook this."
He scoffed. "I'm not a bad cook. Come on."
As they talked, Y/N heard his name called. He looked over and saw one of the event organizers waving him down.
"Just find a table and I'll see you in a bit." He started walking away. "We can talk about how much you hate Christmas."
She chuckled. "Don't take too long."
Y/N went over to the organizer, who stood beside another man. He started to introduce him.
"Lieutenant, this is Sergeant Samuel Wilson. He works for Veterans Affairs and helped organize this event."
He nodded and greeted the other man. "Nice to meet you, Sergeant Wilson."
The fellow soldier shook Y/N's hand. "Please, my father used to go by Wilson. Call me Sam."
"I understand. So no need to call me L/N either, it's Y/N."
The other man left them so they could talk. With the brief conversation they had, Y/N learned that Sam was in the Air Force and was pararescue, serving two tours in Afghanistan. Sam got to know more about Y/N too aside from what he's seen on the internet.
"Again, I appreciate you for taking the time to do this." Sam said.
"The pleasure is all mine. These people...they need to know that they're not alone. Some people don't understand the hardships they've gone through or are currently in."
Sam nodded. He crossed his arms and looked around.
"So this is how you're spending your Christmas?" He asked.
"Pretty much." He replied with a shrug. "Not alone though."
"You got a plus one?"
"I guess you could say that. Just now too." He looked through the crowd and pointed at Natasha at the table. "There's my friend."
She caught the attention of Sam. He let out an oooooh and nudged the man.
"And she's eating all alone right now?"
"Well, I was going—"
"Don't let me intrude. Go on."
Y/N chuckled at Sam's statement. He listened and went over to reunite with Natasha, leaving Sam standing there with a grin on his face.
2015
THE LOUNGE WAS decorated for the holidays. Tony Stark basically made it a rule for the work environment to be lively and exciting despite him rarely visiting.
Y/N had woken up early and went into the room to get a drink of water. He was in pajama pants and a black t-shirt but had forgotten the slippers in his room.
Taking a sip from his cup, he looked across the island and at the Christmas tree. Despite it being Christmas morning, there weren't any presents under the tree. They weren't all grinches though, as there were cards on the branches that team members and employees at the compound gifted each other.
He walked over to the tree. Y/N saw cards addressed from Steve to Sam, from Pietro to Wanda, from even Vision to Banner. He wasn't sure if the synthezoid understood how the exchange could work...since Banner wasn't around at the moment. But it was the thought that counted.
Y/N also saw one addressed to him from Natasha. He smiled and took it from the branch. The soldier contemplated whether to open it now or wait for a time when the team would all be at the lounge.
He was so entranced that he didn't notice the presence behind him. Arms wrapped around his neck and he was hugged.
"You're up already?" Natasha asked.
He softly chuckled. "I got up to get some water."
"And instead of coming straight back to me, you check to see if you have any gifts under the tree?"
He shrugged. The man looked ahead at the tree and started to think.
"You know...looking at this now, I have a faint memory of having a tree lit up like this when I was a kid. Not sure if it was with my mom or my other parents...but either way it's a good memory."
All Natasha could do was smile as she kept hugging him from behind.
"And you? You had anything like this?" He asked.
The redhead didn't know how to answer. She recalled having celebrations like this...but they were all fake just so her folks could keep the guise of being a real family.
Y/N had yet to know this. Her silence let him know that the question likely made her remember her undesired past. He shifted around and caressed her shoulders.
"I gotta be honest..." He moved on from his previous question. "Out of all the Christmas I've had so far since waking up...this is the best."
"Why?" She asked.
"Because I got to wake up beside a beautiful woman." He smiled and held her chin up. "It's another Christmas with you."
She smiled. They were both happy and their relationship was going well since they finally took that step up earlier that year.
Natasha leaned in and kissed him. They parted after a moment and she noticed the envelope in his hand.
"You saw my letter to you?" She asked with a grin.
"I was about to read it." He replied.
"You should just read it now."
"Why?"
"Because you should."
Y/N chuckled. "What? You don't want the others to hear the mushy side of you?"
"Exactly."
The man smirked and looked at the envelope. After thinking for a moment, he decided what he wanted to do.
"Nah. I'll just wait until everyone else is awake."
"No." She firmly grasped his arm. "Just read it now."
"Ow." He felt the pressure on his arm. "Come on, save that for the foreplay."
Y/N smirked and tried walking away, but Natasha swiftly maneuvered him onto the sofa nearby. She straddled him and the man still had the letter in hand.
"You read that to me now...with no one else listening...we won't have to save it."
He knew she was referring to his foreplay joke moments ago. With the strong woman above pinning him down, he was happy to oblige.
"Okay."
That was all he could say as Natasha started to kiss him again. He dropped the letter and his hands started to roam around her back.
The redhead's lips parted from him and she sat up to take off her shirt. But before she can do so, he saw someone walking into the lounge.
It was Steve Rogers. He had a mug in hand that he intended to fill with coffee. The two other adults stopped and halted their passionate moment upon noticing his presence.
"Uh...hey, Rogers." Y/N said as he was still laying down.
"Son." He simply greeted, then looked at Natasha. "Romanoff."
"Good morning." She nonchalantly replied, beginning to move off of Y/N.
He nodded and went over to the kitchen. He began to pour himself coffee and the two wondered if he was going to remark on the awkward moment.
He did.
"You two..." He shook his head and chuckled. "And on Christ's birthday too?"
2017
THEY HAD BEEN on the run for over a year. The rogue Avengers were still seen as fugitives and were still being actively searched for by the United Nations.
Still, that didn't deter Y/N from making the most of his time...especially with Natasha. They have grown stronger and stronger together ever since their experience taking down the Red Room.
The two were in Russia. The Secret Avengers had stopped there to take down a group who were dealing Chitauri tech. Once that was done, they laid low until it was time to move on to the next mission.
Y/N wanted to spend the holiday with his girlfriend. There was one place he knew that would look nice that night so he chose to take Natasha there. Once they were close, the Russian native knew where they were going.
All of Moscow's Red Square was lit up with lights. Ornaments hung from branches of trees and the cathedral was also decorated. The two stood amongst the many that were strolling around the area.
The duo didn't have to worry about being recognized or spotted, as they wore winter clothing that matched many others. Besides, passerbys paid no attention to them anyway.
"This is prettier than I imagined." Natasha said.
Y/N looked at her. "Than you imagined? I thought you'd been here before."
She shook her head. "I've only seen this in pictures...movies...on the news. Never in person. My time training was mostly spent in Byelorussia. Belarus. I've been assigned to missions in Moscow but never got to see this."
Y/N listened to his lover. He nodded and looked up at the lit-up cathedral.
"It is beautiful." He turned to her again. "But not as beautiful as you."
She chuckled at his remark. "That was cheesy."
He laughed too. "But that's what you like about me."
"That was something straight out of those Hallmark movies."
"Which is all they fucking play on the TV back in the hotel." He said. "And in Russian too. Thankfully I'm able to underhand almost every language."
There was a moment of silence as they kept looking at the lights. He turned to her again and spoke again.
"огни не такие красивые, как ты (The lights are not as beautiful as you)."
"Cheesy line in Russian now?" Natasha snickered.
"Like those Hallmark movies."
They laughed together. He put his arm around her and they quickly kissed. They cherished the moment they had together.
"Things might not be ideal. Our situation might suck." He began to say, mentioning their fugitive status. "But at least I get to spend another Christmas with you."
All Natasha could do was smile. She leaned in and kissed her lover again, this time lasting longer than the last. They parted soon after.
"Not as cheesy as the last one." Natasha remarked with a smirk. "But bonus points for the originality."
Y/N smiled and let out a laugh. The two then walked along the path and gazed upon more of the lights.
2020
LIFE SHOULDN'T HAVE been like it was now. It was only two years ago that all seemed lost and that there would be nothing to be happy about. But that was seemingly not the case.
The lounge was decorated, this time on the compound's occupants' own accord since it was just them living there. The tree was lit and there were some Christmas lights hung by the ceiling of the room.
Unlike years before, there were gifts under the tree to go along with cards on the branches. Y/N had his arms crossed as he looked at them with a smile.
James Rhodes walked up to Y/N and pat his shoulder. The man held a mug of hot chocolate as he softly smiled.
"They came out good." Rhodey replied.
"You think so?" Y/N asked. "I had to go on YouTube and look up how to wrap them well."
"They're good." Rhodey chuckled and pointed at the man's head. "See? That copy and paste feature you got can be useful outside of fighting."
Y/N laughed. Moments later, Pietro dashed through the doorway before calling out to someone in the hallway.
"You gotta be faster than that, Mags!"
Pietro chuckled and walked inside the lounge. The seven-year-old girl ran into the room seconds later.
"That's not fair, Uncle Petro." She whined. "I'm not super fast."
"Don't doubt yourself, miláčik (darling)." The silver-haired man replied.
Maggie's downed demeanor was short-lived upon seeing the gifts under the tree. She ran to them and was in awe.
"Wow!"
Moments later, the rest came in. Steve walked inside with Yelena and Natasha, the latter carrying her one-year-old son, Nikolai.
"Merry Christmas!" Y/N cheerfully exclaimed.
The two sisters were more in awe than the girl before. The sight of the Christmas tree and the gifts brought back fond memories of their time in Ohio...especially Yelena.
"Wow..." Yelena walked up and clasped her hands. "This is crazy."
"Felt like going all out this year. Last time was...meh...but that wasn't going to be the case this time." Y/N said.
Natasha went up to the tree and looked at it, gazing down at the gifts as well. She saw them marked with names that included hers and her children's.
Tears started to well up in her eyes. She never thought in her lifetime that she'd be able to see that. This Christmas wasn't fake like the ones in her childhood...this one was real, and she was getting to experience it with her real family.
Y/N saw her lover in her current emotional state. He walked up to her and caressed her shoulders, looking at her and his son that she had in her arms.
"You like it?" He asked softly and with a smile.
She sniffled and nodded her head. "It's amazing. All of it is."
Y/N reached over and wiped some of the wetness on her cheek. He kissed her in the same spot and held her close.
To do what he did was always his plan. He knew about the fake Christmases Natasha and Yelena had with empty wrapped boxes and fake trees that were all for pictures to be used as a guise of being a normal American family. He wanted them to finally experience what they should have growing up.
Although they were moving on from what happened with Thanos, the ones they lost were still remembered. Pictures of Sam, Bucky, Wanda, T'Challa, Shuri, Peter, and others were on the tree, and Y/N made sure to write a note to each one of them.
Pietro bent down and picked up one of the gifts. He handed the small box to Yelena.
"Merry Christmas." He said with a smile.
The act came as a surprise. This was also the first time someone had given her a real Christmas gift.
"Really?" She asked.
"Of course." He replied with a small laugh. "Trust me. It's not a rock in there or something."
She looked down at the gift before quickly hugging Pietro. The silver-haired speedster was taken aback by the action but reciprocated the embrace.
Rhodey looked at the tree and noticed an envelope addressed to him. It was from Tony. The man grabbed and opened it, seeing a brief note to him along with $500.
The man chuckled. Steve came over and looked over his shoulder.
"Pretty generous of Tony." He remarked.
Rhodey showed him the note and spoke.
"Back in college, the dumbass got in a fender bender and I spotted him because he didn't have his wallet that day." He looked at the check, smiling as he thought back at the younger days with Tony. "He said he'd pay me back one day. Finally did."
Steve nodded. Maggie suddenly called out to him holding a present.
"Grandpa? Is this for me?"
He knelt beside her. "Of course it is, sweetheart. I told Santa exactly what you wanted and he brought it here."
"Is it the doll that has red hair just like me?"
"You'll just have to open it and see. Come on."
Maggie smiled and started to open it with Steve and Rhodes watching.
The festivities went on in the lounge as they opened gifts and listened to music. Natasha stood by the tree, still admiring it with a big smile on her face. Y/N walked up and put his arm around her.
"Pietro picked the tree out. So you could thank him for that." He remarked.
She looked to her left and saw the rest of them. Yelena had Nikolai on her lap as she and Pietro played with him. Steve and Rhodey were talking and Maggie was playing with her toys.
Y/N was looking at them too. As she had her eyes on the family, the soldier took out a small case he had in his pocket. He held it in his right hand and thought about what he was about to say.
"Days like these are what I live for. There was a time when I thought we would have none of this...but I was wrong. It became possible."
"It sure did." Natasha said with eyes still on her children.
"And I want this to be possible every year for the rest of my life."
Natasha finally turned to Y/N but noticed he wasn't at eye level with her anymore. She looked down and noticed that he was on his knees. He had the small case opened and it displayed a ring.
He continued. "I want to spend more Christmases with you. As my wife."
The redhead was in awe and outright speechless. Again, it was another thing she thought would never happen to her. A great, respectful, and honest man...proposing to a woman who grew up believing she wasn't loved and would never be.
"Will you marry me, Natasha?" He finally asked.
The others finally noticed what was happening. Yelena gasped at the sight and Rhodey arched a brow, mouthing a wow.
For what seemed to be an eternity for Y/N, the redhead finally reacted. She nodded her head frantically and spoke with a sob.
"Yes...yes, Моя любовь (my love). I will."
Y/N smiled and took out the ring. He was practically shaking as he slipped it on her. The man quickly got up afterward and embraced Natasha, kissing her deeply.
The others reacted by applauding and cheering. Maggie did not know what was going on and was only disgusted by seeing he parents kissing.
"Yuck!"
2023
THE SUPER SOLDIER dropped down from the rooftop and landed on the lawn. He looked up and admired the work he did with the lights. He needed no ladder for the feat thanks to his enhanced agility.
A car rolled up to the driveway of his Jersey City home and upon turning around he noticed it was Natasha, Maggie, and Nikolai. They had returned from their shopping trip.
"Dad!" Nikolai called out and ran to him. "Look at what Sam got me!"
"Oh, you ran into Sam at the mall?" Y/N questioned.
Natasha answered for him. "He was in town, surprisingly. Ended up getting Nik a gift before the gift."
Sam was going to pay a visit on Christmas in a few days so he was going to bring his gifts to the children then. Nikola got pretty lucky this time.
"Cool. What did he get you?"
Nikolai took out an action figure from the bag. Upon looking at it, Y/N chuckled and let out a sigh.
"Wow...a Falcon action figure." The man droned.
"With lights and everything!" Nikolai exclaimed.
Y/N pat his head before the boy ran to the door. Maggie greeted him next as he walked by.
"Hey, dad."
"Hey, honey."
Natasha made her way inside and Y/N followed. He closed the door as they started settling into the living room.
"What were you doing up on the roof just now?" She asked as he was putting away some things.
"Flagging down some aliens. I think I saw some Chitauri in a spaceship." Y/N joked.
"Haha."
Y/N chuckled. "One of the lights went out so I fixed it. I don't want Santa to think we ain't jolly enough."
"Right, dad. We don't want him to miss the house when he flies over New York." Maggie went along with the story before sitting on the couch with her phone.
Y/N looked at Natasha and whispered. "Is she just going along with it or does she still believe in...?"
Natasha chuckled at his question before going over to the sofa. There, Maggie was still on her phone while Nikolai was playing with his new toy.
"How about we watch a movie?" She asked them.
"Movie night!" Nikolai exclaimed.
Maggie was cool with that. "As long as it's not Frozen again. Nikolai has seen that film enough times."
"Go get your blankets so you can be cozy." Natasha said.
The siblings started making their way to their rooms. Nikolai teased her sister by singing a song from the aforementioned movie.
"Let it go! Let it—"
Maggie walked faster. "Ugh! Stop it!"
Natasha took off her jacket before laying on the couch. Y/N joined her moments later and grabbed the remote.
"No Frozen, right?" He asked. "I don't want Maggie to hate us."
Natasha chuckled. "No, let's find something new."
Y/N nodded and started searching. Natasha nestled her head on his shoulder and placed her hand on his chest.
"What's got you all cuddly?" He asked.
There was a moment of silence before she answered. The answer was rather simple.
"Just happy. It's another Christmas with you."
Y/N smiled. That single line brought back flashes of the past Christmases he experienced since he woke up from stasis. They were all memorable...and they all involved Natasha. And just recently...it involved his children and others that he now considered family.
The man kissed the top of her head and rubbed her shoulder, keeping her close.
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
Fin