Superfamily One Shots

Welcome Home

The elevator was a lot sleeker than the one in his apartment. Steve tipped his head back against the glass as the he shot toward the penthouse at a dizzying speed. After a much needed road trip to see the America he was protecting, Steve decided to take Stark up on his offer of living in Avengers tower.

Sure, the tech sent shivers down his spine and the man who designed them had a way of getting under his skin, but Steve knew he could sacrifice comfort in the name of teamwork and if everyone was living here now then so was he.

The doors slid open and Steve stepped out onto the polished black marble floor. There was a banner strung up that read "Welcome Home Cap" in red, white, and blue with stars painted across the bottom. Across the black marble bar hung red stars from a garland. All five of the other Avengers were milling about. The first to notice him was Natasha who smiled up at him.

"Fancy seeing you here Steve," she smirked standing beside him to survey the room from his perspective. She placed a gentle hand on his arm that was both comforting and assessing. While her smile was disarming, Steve clocked her watching his reactions closely.

"Really? At a homecoming party for me?" Steve tossed his head back with a laugh gaining the attention of the other Avengers. "I actually wasn't planning on showing up."

"Awe Cap," Barton sidled up to his other side with a wide grin, "Tony put so much effort into this party, you're going to break the poor man's heart."

"Shut up Clint," the genius piped up from where he had appeared beside Natasha. Not his last name or a ridiculous nickname like Legolas or Hunger Games but Clint. While the words were sharp they held no bite and by the relaxed tilt of Stark's shoulders Steve knew that in the month he'd been gone, the team had bonded.

Without him. He was still Cap. Still Rogers. Still on the outside in this new world he had been thrust into when he woke up. He shifted uncomfortably as Thor clapped him on the back.

That's when he noticed another thing. He ignored Banner who had made his way over to greet him and squinted at Stark who had shrunk a solid four inches in the past month.

"Rogers?" Barton's voice drew him out of his thoughts and he looked up to find all of the Avengers staring at him expectantly. He clutched the book tucked under his arm tightly taking a startled step back under the scrutiny. "Is there a reason why you're looking at Tony like a piece of meat?"

"I wasn't," Steve denied vehemently his free hand automatically flying up as he took another step back. He could feel the blush steadily rising to his cheeks and he desperately tried to force it back down.

"It's okay Capsicle," Stark shrugged stuffing his hands into the pockets of his worn jeans and taking an uncomfortable step back, "everyone finds themself taken with my beauty at some point."

Steve rolls his eyes indignation rising up in him at the brunet's blatant narcissism, "Stark, I distinctly remember you being taller."

Indignation flashed across his face almost too fast for Steve to catch before it was masked with a grin too big to be genuine. That was when the smaller man laughed throwing his head back. He held up a socked foot as explanation before losing his balance and grabbing on to Natasha who steadied him gently. "I've got no shoes to help me out," he managed out between wheezes.

Everyone in their little circle shook their head at Steve chuckling. Even Natasha cracked a genuine smile.

"Can't go toe to toe with the world when you're a squirt," Stark explained when he'd gotten back his composure. He grabbed Steve by the upper arm in a gentle but firm hold before leading him away from the entryway. "Come on, it's time we finally had a real team dinner."

They made their way over to the communal kitchen where a large wooden table took up most of the room. Steve was offered the seat at the head of the table and Stark took the seat on his right. The rest of the team found their seats as Barton set the food on the table and Thor enthusiastically passed around cutlery.

"What's that?" Stark nodded at the thick leather bound book Steve had set at the table with a raised eyebrow.

"Just a scrapbook," Steve responded running his fingers over the square cover, he had bought it on his way over to the party. His mother had always wanted to scrapbook but never had the time or money to spare. Years of backpay left him well off and he had wanted to scrapbook his adventures with the Avengers as a homage to his mother. "I was hoping to get into it."

Stark nodded eying it as Thor and Barton took their seats. "Jarvis have some scrapbooking materials ordered please," the billionaire directed at his phone which lit up with the request.

"You don't have to-" as soon as the words left Steve's mouth he knew that Stark would refuse and sure enough the smaller man had taken to ignoring Steve as he tapped away at his phone.

"Wow," Barton surveyed the room with a smile, "Cap's first dinner home, we should take a picture to commemorate the event." He pulled out his cell phone and everyone on the team leaned in as the archer took the shot.

When they all settled back down Steve smiled at all of his friends. "Thank you for inviting us all to live with you Tony. I'm sorry it took me so long to accept your invitation."

"Of course Cap, what else would I do with your empty floor?" Stark shot him a grin before shovelling some food in his mouth. Steve kept the frown off his face but he couldn't understand why he would brush off such a huge event.

"I think this calls for a midgardian toast," Thor gently clinked his fork against his glass and Barton hid a snicker. "Captain, it is good to have you among our ranks again. I am excited for us all to have you with us." He lifted his glass higher with a hearty chuckle, "to new memories!"

Everyone raised their glasses in assent and Steve didn't care if he couldn't get drunk, he'd always toast to a new family. To finally belonging in this place so different from his home in the 1940s. To hopefully getting along with the abrasive Stark. To fitting in the mismatched puzzle that the Avengers were as a team.

"Alright Cap," Barton drew everyone's attention as he set down his cutlery. "Here's how things work around here, you get the floor directly under the penthouse, you're on dish duty every other night with Tony until you decide to pick up a breakfast shift. Team dinners are mandatory on Thursday nights but we generally eat together every night, Tuesday movie nights are optional but be there or be square." Barton droned on explaining the well oiled machine that was Avengers tower as Stark shot him a tentative smile and Natasha patted him on the shoulder gently.

At the head of the table Steve surveyed his team feeling pride and satisfaction swell up in his chest. For the first time since waking up from the ice, he felt like he had a family. And he did.