Steve watched the man who had basically brought them all together with the help of Fury. The breathing tube had slightly disturbed Steve, and he was glad when the nurse took it out, warmly telling Steve that the man should wake up in the next few days.
If he was quicker with a smile after that, no one mentioned anything.
The man was lucky Loki's aim was a little skewered, if the scepter had hit just a few more centimeters (centimeters) to the right, he would've died when Nick Fury told them he did.
Steve was shuffling the trading cards again. They had been cleaned as much as possible, and he had happily signed each and every one of them (73). Steve had found three more in some antique and oddity shops, and signed those, too. He kept them separate, wanting to give them to the man personally.
Steve was starting to doze, his hands going through the motions absent-mindedly, when he heard a small cough. His head snapped up, a grin lighting his face when he saw blue eyes slowly open.
"Hey," he said softly. The man's eyes wandered to his, focusing with slight difficulty. Steve waited until recognition hit. "I watched you while you were sleeping. Hope you don't mind." Steve sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, fighting a blush.
Seconds after waking up from a coma caused by a near-fatal injury, Phil Coulson smiled.
Note: inspired by a comic by blargberries over on DeviantArt. Just gave me some feels, man.