A family was something that Steve missed, among other things.
He missed a friend, and a woman, and the comfort of knowing someone had your back. He missed scrambling over grenades and jumping out of planes, and fighting the good fight even if you didn't win. He missed old time radios and dresses that didn't give you too much of a view, and the soft lull of laughter late at night as fireworks dazzled the sky with their light.
But it wasn't gone, no, the Avengers were beginning to show him that.
He could still walk down the street on the Fourth of July and hear the echo of pops and booms and crackles as the stars were, for once, outshone. He could still find a girl wearing modest clothes, and when he walked past one she always gave him a friendly smile. He could still be a soldier and fight for his country, and he could risk his life for those he loved. Radios were just advanced, as Tony had murmured, smiling from across the conference table like he'd just heard the best joke in the world.
And friends-and family-were in no short supply, for the team was everything to him.
Bruce was a firm handshake and close kept smile, a squint of his eyes when he had to strain to read something. Clint was a smirk in the dark and a back to rest against. Thor was loud laughter and hard claps on the back, eyes shining with the thrill of battle. Natasha was a sharp wit and an even sharper smile, a comforting word when he least expected it. Tony was a lowly muttered comment when he thought no one was looking, and a loud insult when he knew people were, but his eyes reflected all of the sincerity hiding there.
Hell, even Loki had a place in Steve's heart. That place had been carved out over a period of time, of course, but it was still there, nonetheless.
Loki had taught him to be stubbornly resilient and to keep an eye out for absolutely anything, because the trickster never let you relax for one minute, not as long as he was playing tricks and pranks on everyone in the tower, but he also showed Steve why it was important to just be, why it was vital to never bottle anything within you for very long.
And so, Steve left all of his wishes and longings on the nightstand every morning when he left his room, right beside a picture of the whole team, smiling faces and exaggerated poses, arms wrapped around each other's shoulders like an unbreakable chain.
He left it all there and faced the day with a new heart, one that threw every emotion out in the open, just like the very last firework soaring up into the midnight sky, bursting into a thousand shimmering colors that reached out and out and out until it was gone, the ghost of light still suspended in the sky long after the show had ceased.
Please R&R! Feedback is always appreciated! ;)
All rights go to their respectful owners.