Dean was just finishing up the lunches for the next day, throwing in an extra pack of goldfish into Clint's and Sam's bags before closing the fridge and cleaning the kitchen.
"Dean, just the man I wanted to see!" Steve called out as he entered the kitchen. "Would you like to spar? I might be a little rusty though, so you'll have to go easy on me," he said with a wink.
The teen flashed his adoptive father a huge smile, then faltered. "Aren't you going back to the hospital tonight to be with Bucky?"
"He told me to leave him be tonight," the Captain chuckled. "He caught a look at one of his nurses and wants to see if he's still the lady's man he used to be. Besides," Steve paused, reaching out to pull Dean in for a hug. "I've missed my family too much."
Dean let himself be pulled in, slowly giving himself into the hug until he was squeezing the man with all the strength he possessed. The two stood in the middle of the empty kitchen in silence as they held each other.
"I missed you so much, sweetheart," Steve whispered. "I didn't think my heart could hurt that much with how much I missed you."
The teen took a shaky breath and squeezed impossibly tighter. "I know the feeling," he whispered back, then pulled away, trying to compose himself. "I'd love to spar with you, I just need to clean this up and get changed. I'll meet you in the gym?"
Steve looked around and saw the makings of sandwiches and snack bags. "Oh, Dean did you make the kid's lunches again? You know you don't have to, I'm back now."
Dean shrugged and continued putting things away. "It's alright, I'm used to it."
"But you shouldn't be, sweetheart," the captain muttered and sighed. "Alright, how about I finish in here, and you can go get changed. Deal?"
The teen nodded and all but ran towards the stairs, with Steve shaking his head with a small smile on his face.
An hour later saw both teen and man covered in sweat and panting side by side on their usual bench in the gym.
"I see Thor taught you a few things," Steve laughed as he threw a bottle of water toward his son.
"I taught him a few things too," Dean laughed in response, before draining over half of the bottle.
The two sat in silence while they caught their breaths.
"Hun," Steve broke the quiet after a time. "Can we talk?" The man could feel Dean tense up beside him, but only waited patiently for a response.
"About?" the teen eventually muttered.
"About you. How you're doing, how you're feeling."
"I'm okay," Dean shrugged and started peeling the label on the bottle in his hands. "Nothing to talk about."
"What about you and Loki? How are you feeling about that?"
Steve was surprised when Dean gave a small smile.
"I don't think you need to worry about us anymore, we uh, we worked out our differences," Dean chuckled.
"What does that mean?" The captain sighed when Dean only gave a shrug in response. "Has he apologized?"
"No, but I don't think he needs to. Look," Dean turned to look his adoptive father in the eye, "we- Loki and I are good now, and, and I don't think that I should say why or how. It's really only between us, ya know?"
Steve nodded slowly, then raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, I know when to butt out," he joked. "But if it ever escalates again, we will be having a heart to heart until one of us has a breakthrough and starts crying."
Dean rested one of his hands on Steve's arm for support as the sound of his laughter filled the otherwise empty gym. "Of course we will, Papa," he said as he composed himself.
The man pulled Dean in for a bone crushing side hug with a huge smile on his face, which only grew when the teen hugged him back just as tightly.
"I love you so much, sweetheart."
Dean simply held on tighter and whispered, "Me too."
"Darling," Steve pulled away just enough to see the boy's face. "Can we talk about the lunches?"
"What about them?" Dean furled his brows in confusion.
"You don't have to make everyone's lunches, hun. If you want to keep making your own, that's perfectly alright, and I really appreciate you stepping up to help while I was gone, but it's not your responsibility to take care of this family. You know that, right?"
The teen huffed and pulled away completely. "Why are you guys so obsessed with the fucking lunches? I'm just trying to take care of my siblings, why is that a bad thing?"
"Sweetheart, it's not a bad thing at all!" Steve was quick to reassure. "We're just trying to make sure that you're doing it for the right reasons, and that you don't fall back into the role of a parent for Sam."
Dean stood up abruptly and started fidgeting. "I'm not. I'm just-just helping out. Like any good brother would."
Steve was quiet for a moment. "Darling, I'm going to give you a hypothetical situation and you're going to honestly tell me what you think you would do and what you think would happen, okay?"
Dean shrugged and nodded, looking everywhere and anywhere that wasn't the army captain.
"Alright. If Tony and I forbid you from helping around the house, if we told you that you weren't allowed to cook or clean for anyone but yourself and every time you saw someone upset or struggling, you're to get us and not directly interfere at all, in any way, what would happen?"
"If you forbid me to talk to Sam?" Dean replied, raising an eyebrow pointedly.
"No, that's not what I said," Steve corrected gently. "I said if you weren't allowed to help. If you only did things or thought about yourself. What do you honestly think would happen?"
The teen looked at his shoes as he scuffed them. "You, uh, well I wouldn't be of any use."
"Why do you need to be of use?"
Dean shrugged. "Because that's all I'm good for? It's my job to look after Sammy. Clint too now. If I can't do that, then…"
"Oh, oh no, my darling," Steve shifted so he was kneeling in front of the teen and placed one hand on Dean's cheek and another started rubbing the boy's arm. "You are so much more than that."
The man thought for a moment, gathering his words.
"Look at me, sweetheart. You are one of the most important people in my life. That is a fact. And it's not because you did a wonderful job in raising Sam, although that's one of the reasons why you're an amazing brother. I love you because of who you are as a person and who you choose to be."
Dean tried to pull his face away, attempting to hide the tears threatening to spill, but Steve only brought his other hand up to grip both sides of the teen's face lightly.
"No. You're going to hear this because it's important and you need someone to tell you the truth. You, Dean Winchester, are so selfless, and kind, and brave. You're strong, and resilient and have so much to offer the world that you haven't even figured out yet, but I can tell that it's there!"
Tears were now tracing their way down the teen's face, Dean's hands resting over Steve's, unsure of if he wanted to push into them, or pull them off.
Steve blinked his own tears away before continuing.
"If everyone were like you, the world would be a much better place. You are going to change the world, Dean, and it's not because you're a good brother, it's because you're a good person."
Dean broke and hitching sobs started forcing their way out of the teen's body. The father immediately pulled him in and held him firmly, feeling the tears wet his neck where Dean hid his face.
"I will always be here to protect you, love you and support you, my darling," Steve whispered as he held his son. "I am so grateful and lucky that I get to have you in my life, and every day, for as long as I live, I will thank God that we found each other."