Thank you for the reviews! Just to be clear, Steve and Kono aren't together yet, but they will be. I love hearing your thoughts, so tell me anything I can do better!

Steve POV

Steve hung up the phone as he laid back in his bed. Chin and Danny had sounded relieved to hear from him, and he could sense their excitement about him coming home. Kono was a different story, though. It broke Steve's heart to hear her crying. Obviously, she had been worried out of her mind, and Steve felt guilty for putting her through that. Steve never wanted Kono to feel like that again.

Protectiveness flared up in his chest as he thought of Kono crying. He cared about her so much, and couldn't wait to see her tomorrow, so he could hug her and kiss her until the tears went away. Sadly, he knew in reality he would only be able to do one of those things. There was no way Kono felt the same way about him that he did about her. Kono was sweet, adorable, and badass, pretty much perfect. He had a broken past, filled with violence and problems.

Steve's thoughts were interrupted as a nurse came in. "How are you feeling today, Commander? Ready to go home?" Steve ignored the first question, instead answering the second with an enthusiastic, "You bet!" The nurse apparently wasn't going to let that slide. "I also asked how you're feeling." Steve thought about it, and finally gave in, knowing some more medication couldn't hurt too much. He didn't want the team to see him in a lot of pain when he got home.

"Honestly, my back and my shoulder hurt like hell, but pretty much everywhere else is just sore." The nurse seemed satisfied as she pulled some mess out of the drawer next to Steve's bed. "Thank you for telling me. I know you want to keep your head clear, but that doesn't mean you should have to be in pain. This is your last dose before you leave." Steve smiled, relishing in the thought of going home. He had missed everyone so much. His return was long overdue.

Kono POV

Kono was feeling very impatient as she, Chin, and Danny stood on the runway. It was a beautiful day, the sun shining brightly, palm trees swaying in the light breeze. If it was a normal Saturday, Kono would be up on the North Shore, catching some late morning waves, but today was different. Today was so much better. Steve was coming home. The plane had landed only two minutes ago, but that was two minutes too long in Kono's opinion.

After what felt like an eternity, the back hatch of the plane folded down, revealing about two dozen men decked in camo. Kono spotted him immediately, though. Steve. Kono took off at a sprint, not caring about anything else in that moment but seeing him. As she got closer, she could see a giant grin break out across her boss's face. "Steve," Kono breathed, cautiously stopping right in front of him. Kono wanted to wrap him up in a huge hug, but was terrified of hurting him. He had on camo cargo pants, standard military issue, and combat boots, but no shirt, as bandages wrapped around most of his abdomen and right shoulder. He also had a cast in his right arm, and it was in a sling. He had a massive cut running down the left side of his face, which Kono had the sudden urge to kiss and make better. To be honest, he looked like hell, but Kono thought he was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. She had never been happier to see someone in her life.

"Come here," Steve whispered as he pulled Kono to him with his good arm. She had missed him so much. She went to wrap him up, but the second she put a hand on his back, Steve tensed. Kono immediately recoiled, realizing the bandages around Steve's middle must not only be for broken ribs as she had assumed, but a back injury as well. Kono quickly released Steve and was about to say how sorry she was, but was stopped by the look in his eyes. Steve looked like he wanted to apologize, but Kono couldn't imagine why. He hadn't done anything wrong. Kono knew Steve wouldn't listen rationally to her words though, so she just shook her head sadly at him, gingerly gave him a kiss on the cheek, and stepped back so Danny and Chin could have their turns.

Kono watched as the two men carefully gave their best friend a hug. "So Steven, this is what you call fine?" Danny started ranting. Kono smiled and rolled her eyes, though she had been thinking exactly the same thing. "I'm really ok, Danno, just a little sore," Steve said hurriedly, giving Danny pleading eyes. He obviously didn't want to get into what happened. Danny sighed, but Kono knew he loved Steve too much to force him into talking about something that was painful for him. Kono knew that because she felt the same way.

"Ok Steve, let's go home," Chin announced as he picked up Steve's bag and shouldered it, much to Steve's dismay. "Chin, I can carry my own bag." "Really, you think we're going to let you get away with that?" Chin teased as he walked towards the car. Steve sighed playfully, trying to sound frustrated, but the smile plastered on his face gave him away. Kono held the passenger door of the Camaro open as Steve got in, cringing as he winced. "I'm ok Kono, I promise." Kono didn't buy it, and scowled as she walked around the car to climb into the backseat on the other side.

The Camaro may have been a tight fit, but no one wanted to ride in a car away from Steve, so they had all ridden to the airport together. A comfortable silence fell over the car as they drove to Steve's house. Kono smiled to herself, not letting any of her worries get in the way of her happiness. Steve was home.