Better Late than Never

"Ow."

The one syllable word was not the only adjective bouncing around Steve's head for the hellish pain rocketing up and down his left side, but it was by far the most decent considering what time it was that morning and his insistence on clean language. The walking bruise stopped trying to fix the already neat bed and gingerly rubbed at the spot on his rib cage that pounded like a professional drummer.

He assumed that he was overworking himself by how much the old injury was throbbing, but he couldn't help rushing even if he wanted to. Steve had been in and out of the med bay and his room in the Avengers Tower since the hospital had let him after his last mission. And quite frankly, he was done with the antiseptic smell, probing doctors, and his throbbing body parts. So when Bruce and the surgeons on the helicarrier said that he was okay enough to do some light exercises, he was more than eager to get out of the building and on the streets!

Don't get him wrong, Steve loved his team. As a matter of fact, there was very little he wouldn't do for the band of misfits that made up the Avengers. However, if you were put on bed rest, twenty-four hour supervision, and had some annoying teammates help you with everything that you were used to doing by yourself…then who wouldn't go crazy!

The super soldier winced, hand never leaving his side, as he sat down on the soft bed.

Who was he kidding, he loved his team. He just couldn't stand to be so dependent on other people to help him with simple things such as bathing and eating. Steve had had enough of that during the Great Depression with his mother, and even more so when Bucky was there to take care of him after they became orphans. Being so weak and needy were the qualities in the sickly Steve Rogers that the super soldier wished to leave in his past. And his recent accumulation of injuries brought all of those memories back for him in full swing.

Steve slowly laid back onto the bed after the pain had become more of a dull roar. He probably wasn't in a good state to go out for a run anyway, but he was determined to do it. He was already in a pair of loose fitting grey sweat pants and a matching baggy hoodie. The running shoes with ankle support felt like feathers on his socked feet despite him having to take twenty minutes to put the stupid things on. But his attire wasn't the thing on the man's mind.

Closing his eyes, Steve began to think about everything that had occurred during his months of recovery. None of which were easy, but he had endured them nonetheless for his team and for himself. He took a deep breath and instantly regretted it when his expanding lungs pushed against his ribs. Pain bounced around his rib cage like tennis balls on a court as the nerves in his chest sent their fiery messages to his brain.

Steve groaned, teeth grinding together, as he took several shallow breathes to quench the agitated fibers in his core. What took several minutes felt like hours as Steve's organs did somersaults inside of him, but eventually the jolts became a burn, and the burning became the familiar throbbing that he was accustomed to by now.

Bring his hands up to cover his face, Steve repressed the urge to sigh in frustration because of predictable outcome from such expression. Once he unclenched his jaw though, he was able to think about how far he had come since arriving at the Tower after his previous mission.

His external injuries alone should have killed or severely cripple any average man, but thanks to Steve's high metabolism and healing properties no one would have ever known he was on Death's door. To prove his point, the only things still evident from the encounter were the healing bruises that were easily hidden underneath his baggy attire and the faint red lines from healing cuts that were stitched. They still made their presence known, but like he mentioned before, it was easy to hide that simple discomfort from the rest of his team. He kept his eyes closed as he used one hand to gingerly run over the parts of his body that were treated the moment he was carried into the Medbay that fateful night. His mind rehearsing the words of Dr. Banner, as he gave Steve the grocery list of injuries he sustained in the hands of the HYDRA wannabes.

With all of the bones he had broken, it was a wonder that they were even able to transport him without his massive form sliding out of Thor's arms like pudding through fingers. He had severe internal bleeding from the shards of shrapnel sticking out of his body like a human pin cushion and many other lacerations from being dragged everywhere he went. He let his fingers slide over the spot where a bullet had passed clean through him on his attempt to escape the Hydra den and almost winced as he remembered how many times he was actually shot during the whole ordeal.

Rogers was lucky, he knew that much. If it weren't for his team, his family, America would be without their 'captain'. But having that title never did matter to him, his main concern was for his team. As long as they were safe the devil himself could do anything he wanted to Steve and the man would suffer through it. They were all he had left. So what would the world be without one man when they still have a slew of heroes to protect them from the dangers of earth?

It isn't one man that makes a team, but a group of people when working together that can help a man.

Steve smiled from his spot in the bed. Despite the past few months resting listening to Tony's constant jabbing, Clint shooting nerf arrows at the walls, and various other little tricks and schemes that the others did. Steve still loved them. Because they made him finally feel like he has a purpose in the world besides serving blindly as a puppet of SHIELD. They made him feel less alone. And they made him saner than he had in years.

Feeling slightly better now that his aches had stopped and his conscious cleared, Steve raised himself off the bed and walked to the door. Only the slightest bit of a limp was evident in the Captain's stride as he made his way to the elevator and went to the lobby of the Avengers Tower.

Today was going to be a good day, and no amount of bruises and scars was going to change that.

****Avengers****

"Sir, Captain Rogers has left the building and is beginning his run."

"Do you have a trace on his signal?"

"Yes."

"Good. Keep up the good work, J. And let us know when he needs help. I don't care if it's because he sprained his ankle or can't flag down the ice cream truck. You tell us, or at least me. Got it?"

"Yes, sir. The Captain will be thoroughly looked after."

Tony briskly nodded his head at the ceiling without looking up. He knew that Jarvis would do his job to the fullest extent of his programming. So satisfied with his work he started to head up the stairs to the main living area. For the past three months everyone was either close to being a wreck or were one and hid it well when they finally tracked down Cap's kidnappers and ran them to the ground. The state that they left Steve in was horrifying to say the least and everyone on the team can honestly say that they had never seen worse. Seeing Steve Rogers, the man who would never hurt a fly unless it hurt someone else out of malice and an intent on revenge, laying as a broken heap in the corner of a concrete box surrounded by a pool of his own blood would have brought any man to his knees. And when they found him like that, most of them did.

So when James had discovered that Steve was in fact alive, despite looking like Chucky fought with a wood chipper, everyone experienced waves of relief and anguish. His recovery was no better for anyone either but the more they watched the man suffer and still try to hide the agony he was in from his teammates only managed to break their hearts even more.

Sure, Steve was a pain in the butt with his lack of understanding of pop culture, technology, and just about everything else in their era, but once those his clear blue eyes opened for the first time in a haze of fever and pain, hearing him scream for his team and for the beating to stop long after being helped, that was the most difficult thing that they ever had to do. As soon as the doctors at SHIELD mentioned the word "home", the Avengers all but carried the whole hospital room back to the tower to watch over Steve. They were not planning on letting him out of their sight then, or ever.

Hence why Tony was actually walking up the stairs instead of taking the elevator to the main living area and why he waited until Cap had left the Tower to do so. He felt bad for arranging a meeting to talk about Steve behind his back, but it was necessary. They needed to know how he ticked, what made him want to stay in the land of the living, and more importantly, what things they could do to make his life that much better.

Tony scrunched his nose up at the thoughts running through his head. If anyone else could read his thoughts then they'd think that Tony did indeed have a heart and that would ruin his reputation. So how in the world could a man technically both older and younger than him make Iron Man feel sympathetic? That he decided was an adventure for another day.

He reached the door as he cleared the last step with a firm stomp. Tony approached the door and placed a sweaty hand on the handle and closed his eyes. He already knew that everyone else was there waiting for him, but the genius still needed time to organize his thoughts one more time before finally letting out a deep sigh and opening the door. His eyes surveyed the room and everyone in it as they did the same to him when he entered.

Natasha and Clint were sitting in the love seat on the left side of the room. Both appeared to be relaxed except for Clint's slightly creased brow and Natasha's usually clear green eyes were now a shade darker than they once were. Bruce was sitting on the floor with his arms wrapped around his knees and back pressed firmly against the arm of the huge leather sofa in the middle of the room. Pepper was behind him rubbing small, slow circles into his back. Faint traces of tear tracks lay on her flushed cheeks. Barnes sat rather stiffly on the opposite side of the couch from Pepper and Bruce and the closest to the other assassins in the room. His long brown hair fell over his eyes, masking his face from the world around him. Then Thor was on Bruce and Pepper's left in the other arm chair made specifically for him. His electric blue eyes cast a storm over the New York skyline from the huge window in front of him.

Tony would have taken the available spot on Pepper's right, but decided against it because of the Winter Soldier being there and the fact that he highly doubted he would be able to sit still during the conversation. So, he stepped into the center of the room and pulled over one of the footrests from the corner by the TV and sat down to face everyone, closing off the unintentional circle they had formed.

"Is, uhm, i-is everyone ready?" Tony had to clear his throat to chase the crackle away as he watched everyone give various signs of agreement.

"Okay. Let's begin."

*****Avengers*****

Steve rode the elevator on his way up to the main floor. Being too tired to limp up the many flights of stairs and in desperate need of a glass of orange juice, he decided to just take the easy way out.

It was still early, so he expected everyone to still be in bed or at least sitting around the living room doing whatever. Before leaving, he had made sure to tell Jarvis where he was going to be on his run through the city. His muscles ached, but this time it was more from the strain of being used and not from a healing incision. Regardless, Steve liked this feeling better than the one he had before the workout and the city sightseeing was a great remedy for being cooped up in his room for so long.

When the elevator stopped on the 17th floor, he had already made a strategy for how he was planning to make the team breakfast as they slowly trickled into the room. So one could imagine the look on his face when the doors opened to reveal the most heart-warming scene on the planet.

Pepper was yelling at Tony from across the room as a loud clatter was heard in the kitchen, but in-between laughs she casually sipped on an orange mojito. The smile on her lips was one of adornment and sadness as the man in question came out of the kitchen covered in flour. The hooting laughter coming from the same location was distinctly Clint's as he laid over the counter top and tried to calm himself only to end in a fit of giggles. Steve walked out of the elevator and more into the room to see everything more clearly. Bucky and Natasha held a huge metal bowl in their arms that looked like it once contained flour. Thor was placing something that looked suspiciously like poptarts into another bowl of batter, while Bruce went about the kitchen pulling things out of the fridge and placing them wherever they could fit on the island. Tony shook out his hair like a dog covered in water, leaving a cloud of white powder all around him and everything within range. The once tan man looked ashen and more childlike than ever as he pouted over the mess.

"REALLY GUYS! I just got this carpet cleaned last week! And I am not making Dum-E or poor Maria clean this mess!"

Pepper got up and walked toward he lover, she affectionately ruffled his hair to dislodge the excess flour and kissed his cheek. "Don't worry, Tony. I'll make them clear it."

"Hmph, sure you will"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I will, but first you need to finish our muffins and take a shower."

"Fine."

Tony marched off like an angry toddler mumbling something about stupid assassins and flour bombs before disappearing through the corridor to his room. Nat and Bucky cleaned up the mess under Pepper's direction and lightly scolded Clint for not helping Bruce get the other ingredients out of the fridge. The archer pouted, but then marched to the cupboard to get a pan for the pancakes. Natasha was helping Thor mix something that looked a lot like eggs in another large bowl; while Bucky was pulling out other dry ingredients for replace Tony's spilled flour. Bruce came out of the kitchen with a green apple in hand and waved at Steve who still stood by the counter staring in amazement and, dare he say, lovingly at everyone.

The Hulk's calmer half couldn't help the small smirk gracing his lips as he finished chewing his snack and addressed his comrade. "Why don't you go shower to Steve, breakfast will be ready in twenty."

The man out of time vaguely nodded as he too left the living area and walked back to the elevator to shower and change.

By the time he came down, the sofa, coffee table, atamans, and TV dinner stands littered the room, all prepared for food. Pepper and Natasha sat on the couch and waved Steve over to sit between them.

"Don't they need help in the kitchen?"

Natasha and Pepper looked at him as if he grew two heads. "Nope. Why would they?"

Steve's expression matched theirs with panic at their unconcern. "Because Tony's cooking. Don't you guys remember the last time he tried to cook? He almost set off the fire alarm."

Pepper snorted, "That's just because he was being distracted by Bruce."

"WAS NOT! We were talking science! You know I can't resist that! Come on, Pep. I thought you knew me!" The cry came from the very subject of their conversation as he sat on a stool by the counter, sipping a cranberry cocktail with a pineapple wedge on the glass. "And FYI Captain Killjoy, I didn't set off the fire alarms. I was, er, I was making my beautiful masterpiece have a little extra flavor! A little char never hurts anyone!"

"Tony, the whole batch of soufflés were more than charred. In fact, I think that Santa Claus wouldn't even use them for coal in you stocking."

Tony whirled around in the chair, "Shut up Flappy bird and pay attention to the eggs! If you're gonna cook your own relatives then you can say nothing to me about burning a pastry!"

Clint threw a hot piece of egg at him, which hit the millionaire in the middle of him forehead. Tony got up from the stool and ran into the kitchen making Clint squeal as the two started a mini food fight. Bruce continued to flip his pancakes, occasionally moving closer to the stove to prevent form being knocked over and Thor just watched and started to caste bets with Bucky as to who would win. Steve looked back at the two women on the couch with a look that screamed "I told you so", but they simply patted the space they made for him in between them.

Shaking his head while smiling, Steve slowly walked and limped to the soft cushions and eased himself down with a small wince. He felt the eyes on him, but appreciated the fact that no one said anything as he got settled. Once the two grown man children stopped playing around, the food began to come out of the kitchen. Bruce carried in the large platter of pancakes with Bucky juggling the butter, syrup, jam and a bowl of fruit in his mechanical arm, while his flesh one held the jug of orange juice. Thor brought in at least four boxes worth of poptarts and the eggs that he and Natasha made earlier. Clint balanced a tray of Belgium waffles on his head and carried whipped cream and cream cheese in both hands. Tony soon joined them empty-handed, but the smell of blueberry muffins wafting from the oven was enough to say that he didn't forget his part in the meal.

Everyone situated themselves around their Captain to ensure that they were all within easy reach. The women on his left and right. Clint sat on the arm of couch by Natasha, Tony sat in front of Pepper on a foot rest, Thor and Bruce leaned against the coffee table, leaving room for Bucky to sit in the available space against the couch between Nat and Clint.

Once situated, each got a plate and started to dish out their food. They all watched Steve—as secretly as possible—plate various items, making sure that he got enough to eat before they all dug in. Ten minutes into the meal, Tony went back to kitchen to get the blueberry muffins out of the oven.

"See, not burnt." He looked ridiculous with his 'I LOVE IRONMAN' apron Pepper bought him as he held the hot pan of scrumptious muffins and a wooden spoon in his grip.

Clint shot a grubby hand out to retrieve a muffin, "Finally! The good—OW! The heck was that for!" He archer rubbed his offended limb as Tony waved his wooden spoon like a disappointed grandmother. "Nah-uh, you ain't gettin' none of the goodies yet!"

Everyone laughed at the little scene before them as Tony passed out his muffins while maintaining a straight faced glare at Clint.

They all admired Tony's warm, buttery blueberry muffins as he waited for their approval.

Bruce was the first to voice his opinion, "Wow Tony, despite being late. You really do deliver." The scientist closed his eyes and savored how the food almost melted in his mouth.

"Better late than never, Brucie, I would have been done earlier had it not been for the frozen army man and the bug." Tony glared at the two culprits, who looked at each other and shrugged before finishing their muffins.

Thor bellowed out how he wished to take "these mini fruit cakes back to Asgard" for his mother to try. And everyone watched as Bucky subtly stretched out his legs and eat his food more comfortably. Finally starting to get used to the team. Tony and Bruce talked science. And the girls made plans for a shopping trip for Steve and Bucky, who both cringed at the idea. By the time breakfast was over, it was well near noon. So with full bellies and still aching hearts, they helped each other clean the mess—with the exception of Steve of course because both Natasha and Bucky had threatened to tie him down if he moved from the couch—and settled in for a movie.

As Steve was engulfed by his friends on the couch during Finding Nemo, so were his thoughts on their very dysfunctional but very unique family. He knew that while he was gone they would talk about him. They had been doing it for a while now, but he sensed that they needed that time to figure out whatever it was that they needed to say to one another. Hence why he "went out for a jog" in the first place. Jarvis offered to tell him what they said, but Steve refused. He wanted to see what they had planned for himself, it was the least he could do.

He zoned back into the movie when the father and son clown fish finally found each other around the end. The fish had many things in common with his teammates. They struggled to fit in. They suffered from loss. And in the end, they also found each other through the ties that only a family can make. The only difference between the movie and their reality however, was that the Nemo, Marlin, and Dory had a home to go back to. While they had to make their own with each other.

So for Steve, a boy who was once an orphan and lost everyone he knew at one time, this was a dream come true. Even as he watched Tony make fun of Dory with Pepper massaging his head, Bruce lay on his belly like a child watching the film, Thor's ever innocent questions about how the fish could talk, Clint laying his head in Natasha's lap eating popcorn, and the slight chill of Bucky's arm against his leg, he'd take them just as they were.

And there would be no question about it.