Longing (Steve Rogers x reader)

A grave evening

You had a wonderful day with Clint and Bruce, but you were dead on your feet and just wanted a rest. You couldn't wait to get back and see the progress that Steve and the boys had made on the suite, and silently hoped that maybe a painting or two would be now gracing your walls. You sat in the back seat and watched as the scenery passed you by with all the bright lights and people out walking and partying. You thought about Steve's vow to have a small ranch house and little ones running around and you blushed slightly, only wishing that that particular dream could come true.
"What's on your mind, songbird?" Bruce called back from the passenger seat.
"It's been a wonderful day" you quickly graced him with a smile. He smiled back and nodded a little shyly. You looked down beside you where you had your small bag from the museum, and the larger bag of a large penguin stuffed teddy bear that Bruce and Clint bought you as a surprise. You had spent a little more time than necessary at the penguin exhibit, and didn't realize they had been paying that much attention. You couldn't wait to put it in the living room, and silently hoped that Roxy wouldn't steal it as one of her own toys.
"I sent Laura lots of pictures, she said you looked pretty happy. I'm pretty sure she probably showed it to the kids too. Now I know I'll have to take them to the museum and aquarium sometime soon too" Clint chuckled from the drivers seat. You lowered your window slightly to let in a breeze and gave a delightful shiver in response.
"Next time they should come with us" you chimed quickly.

"No songbird, today was about you" Clint reminded you and made a turn opposite of the compound. You looked around a little confused, and wondered if he was taking a scenic route.
"Where are we going?" you asked.
"One more stop, and then we are going home," Bruce promised. "It's the most important one" he added.
"Well, there's two," Clint reminded him and Bruce nodded in confirmation.
"Two" Bruce agreed.
You continued to watch the scenery, and hummed to the soft music playing in the car as Clint went through traffic with ease. He pulled up in front of a florist shop and parked, while Bruce got out. He hurried into the store and you felt even more confused.
"What's going on?" you asked curiously.
"Just wait" Clint glanced back and gave a quick smile. You tried to relax, but you were overly curious about the situation. They were being very secretive about the last part of the night. You watched the florist door in anticipation and Bruce came out a few minutes later with a bouquet of sunflowers and roses. He quickly got back in the car and put his seatbelt back and and he nodded to Clint who took off into traffic again.
"Who are the flowers for?" you asked.
"Some very special people" Bruce said softly, but you heard him. You went back to looking out the window, and realized that the scenery was getting familiar and you perked up slightly. You became very quiet and nearly held your breath, realizing they knew more about you then you gave them credit for. Clint turned down a long winding driveway and slowed the car down respectively. You felt your eyes well up with tears, but you held them back stubbornly. Once Clint pulled off the side of the driveway/road you inhaled a shuddered breath, and looked across the graveyard to where your parents were buried.
"You didn't go yet this year" Clint said softly as he unbuckled himself, and Bruce followed his lead.
"There didn't seem to be any time" you whispered softly and unbuckled yourself. Clint got out of the car first and he opened your door, holding out a hand for you to take. You slid off your seat and took his hand and he brought you to where Bruce was waiting and they walked on either side of you to your parents graves. You looked at the side by side plots in surprise to see there were flowers here already, and the stone had been taken care of in your absence. There was even a bench added at the end of their plot made of cement with a brass engraved plate that said "In honor of true love". "What in the world?" you asked, wondering who was doing this.
"Tony's been paying to have it cleaned every month plus had the bench added for you, and some of the team members pay the florist to stop by once a month to leave an arrangement for you" Bruce admitted.
"Who?" you asked quickly.
"All of us," Clint shrugged. "Since you joined the team and we found out about your past," he added as though it was common knowledge. "Even Steve has been doing it for over a year" he gave a sly smile. Bruce walked forward and placed the bouquet of flowers down on the ground and took a step back to be standing on the other side of you from Clint.
"Isn't there something you want to say?" Bruce asked.
"Thank you" you said without thinking.
"Not to us, to them" Bruce chuckled.
"Oh... hi mama, hi papa" you said as your eyes started to well up with tears. "I know I said I wasn't sure if I would get to stay with the Avengers team, and I'm sorry I haven't been by. But I stayed with them, and I've been pretty busy. They took me in and made me feel whole again, and I feel like I am getting stronger every day. I still miss you" you said as the tears began to fall down your face. "I miss you a whole lot" you added, your voice breaking. You started to quietly sob and Clint wrapped his arm around you and pulled you in for a hug.
"Hi, I'm Bruce. I kind of adopted your daughter, along with my girlfriend, and one of our best friends Clint. It's an honor to finally meet you. She's one of the bravest women I ever met, and I know you would be very proud of her" Bruce put a hand on your shoulder, looking soberly at the grave stones. "If I could ever have kids, I would hope they would turn out as amazing as your daughter did" he added and looked to Clint to add something because he was starting to get emotional.
"I'm Clint Barton, and it's an honor to finally meet you. I wish we could have met you in person. Your daughter has made such an impact in our lives, and reminds us everyday of how lucky we are to be who and what we are. I'll forever be in your debt and grateful for the opportunity to be in her life. She's met this great guy I'm sure she tells you about in her dreams. The same one she's had a crush on for a long time. Steve Rogers. You'd love him, and he wants to meet you too. I'm pretty sure you'd approve of him if you ever met him. We do, if that counts for anything. Bruce and I talked to our partners about doing this for a while now, taking your daughter out to visit you since she's always so busy with work. I'm glad we finally did" Clint spoke softly, but confidently. You looked over your shoulder to see Bruce was misty eyed. "We are going to give Y/N a few minutes alone with you so she can talk freely, but we will start making sure she gets out here more often" Clint promised. He gave you a kiss on the forehead, and Bruce got you a kiss on your temple and they slowly walked away, leaving you with some privacy. You watched as they went and stood beside the car and were keeping their eyes on you. You took in a few breaths and sat down on the stone bench.
"You always said if you want to make a change in this world, it starts with you. I still believe in that. I still see you in every sunset and sunrise. I got a dog and cat named Roxy and Tom. You would adore them. I wish you could meet them" you whispered to the silent night. "I haven't forgotten everything you taught me. I found a new family that took me in and made me one of their own. They all call me Songbird, Starshine and Punky. And I really did fall in love with Captain America, his name is Steve. I know you would approve of him. He dances with me, just like you two used to dance in the living room. I'll bring him with me next time, I promise" you sobbed as the wind whipped past you. You weren't just crying because you missed your parents. You were crying because you had no idea the team cared this much, and it was a shock that they had brought you here tonight. You wiped your eyes and cheeks, while trying to compose yourself, and you looked down at the two bouquets of flowers resting against the shared gravestone. You felt blessed in that moment. You waited until you stopped crying and stood back up and composed yourself. You turned and saw that neither Bruce or Clint had moved that entire time. They were still watching you closely. You realized you really did have a real family again, and felt yourself smile. You walked back to them and their faces were full of concern.
"Everything okay, starshine?" Bruce asked.
"More than okay. Thank you for this" you nodded as you got closer. They both held out their arms and you went between them for a small group hug.
"Now we will make sure you come out every month" Clint murmured.

"That would be good" you said, your words muffled in their jackets.
"Come on, Nat's waiting for tea" Bruce patted you softly on the back.
"And Laura is waiting for the last update, which I'll give in person if you are going to be okay?" Clint asked as you pulled back.
"Today was perfect, I couldn't ask for a better second family" you beamed.
"Alright, let's go home" Bruce seemed pleased. Clint opened the back door for you and you got back into the back seat again. He waited for you to buckle in before he closed the door again.

Getting back to the compound, Clint grabbed his packages and gave you a quick kiss on the forehead before leaving, and Bruce insisted on walking you back to your room. You stopped by the mirror that was at the front door and saw your makeup was all gone and your face was slightly red, but you didn't have the energy to try to fix the black smears of mascara and eyeliner on your face. Bruce offered his arm and you took it while he escorted you back upstairs.
"Now you should be prepared, Nat will want her nightly tea. She knew where we were taking you" Bruce warned you as you walked up the steps.
"Don't worry papa Bruce, I won't stand you two up. I just need to wash the last of my makeup off my face and change" you gave him a quick smile.
"We probably should have warned Steve, I didn't think about that" he hummed to himself.
"I'll explain it to him," you promised.
"Don't forget to give him the keychain, I know he'll like it" he grinned.
"Oh I won't. I got us matching ones to go for our room keys" you giggled. "I know it's silly, but I wanted to make sure..." you trailed off as you got closer to your door.
"It's a cute couple thing," Bruce shrugged.
"Nat is going to love the charm bracelet" you threw him a sly smile.
"She doesn't wear them often, but I started her a collection ever since we started dating. She's got a jewelry box full of them" he admitted.
"I'll have to bug her to let me see it sometime" you wiggled your eyebrows at him.

"I'm sure she would be more than happy to show you" Bruce stopped in front of your suite door where you could hear Steve, Bucky and Sam speaking joyfully inside the room.
 "Thank you papa Bruce" you gave him a quick hug.
 "Anything for you, Starshine. I meant what I said to your parents" he whispered, kissing you on top of your head. "Now don't forget us for tea" he added before pulling away. "I love you" he smiled and made his way down the hall to his own suite.