Work Text:
The quietness of their brownstone was something unusual for (Y/N) to experience often, because in her years of being married to Steve had always been full of laughter, gentle music, and unspeakable joy. But after Berlin, she knew that nothing was ever going to be the same again. Tony refused to talk to her, Rhodey was struggling, and she had never felt more alone in her life.
She stepped into her shared bedroom with Steve, his nightstand untouched with his sketch book and pencils resting on it, their wedding picture in a black frame, and his untouched side of the bed, his slippers still neatly tucked out of the way. Her side was completely different. Her nightstand was covered in tissues, a picture of Steve and her from the day they bought the brownstone and began their life together, and her StarkPad resting on top.
(Y/N) sat in the bed, slipped off her shoes and placed her purse next to her shoes, and began to stare off at Steve’s side of the bed, her mind filling with memories of her golden hour himself, Steve.
The sun had just risen when (Y/N) reached her florist stand that was nestled along a path in Central Park, and began to set out flowers and bouquets for any customers to purchase. The warm summer air was welcoming as a breeze passed by, her eyes shielded by sunglasses to block the light. One that was done, she began to wipe down the counter and till, waiting for her first customers of the day to come.
Within the hour, her first customers arrived, a lovely older couple who bought a bouquet of tulips, and as she waved goodbye to them, she turned to see a man standing near her stand. He stood looking at the flowers, his golden colored hair messy, and his running shoes led her to believe that he was a jogger who saw her stand while on a run.
He had greeted her, gave her his name, and asked her for coffee when she had a chance, giving her his number before he got distracted by another man and began to jog with him. (Y/N) was awe in the fact that Steve Rogers aka Captain America, asked her to get coffee and gave her his number.
Over the next few weeks, Steve and (Y/N) began to go on dates, each one ending with a gentle kiss on the cheek before Steve left, leaving (Y/N) wanting more, but always respecting Steve’s choice. After Steve asked her to be his girlfriend, (Y/N) had wondered when their relationship would begin to move faster, but never acted on it, going with Steve’s pace.
The slow burn that she felt was something that she loved and felt that it made her relationship with Steve feel so genuine and beautiful. Steve wasn’t like 21st century men, he still held his 1940’s standards for treating girls, and it was something that was different from past relationships. Steve made (Y/N) feel like she was on air and she made Steve feel like the luckiest man in the 21st century. They were America’s sweethearts, their relationship in the spotlight, but despite all of that, they managed to keep their relationship mostly private, cherishing quiet moments in their home and company after long missions, galas, and more.
As she began to come back to reality, (Y/N)’s eyes began to tear up as she thought of the man who was her soulmate, the only man she would ever love that much, and the fact that he wasn’t here with her. The life that she had built with Steve had come crashing down and there was nothing she could do about it. Her husband was a fugitive and she could only speak to him on occasion, their best friends had followed him, and Tony refused to even acknowledge her, even going as far as having her kicked out of the compound when she tried to speak with him.
This slow burn wasn’t one that (Y/N) wanted to experience, but it was one she was living through, because she knew that Steve would be back. Things wouldn’t be normal or just go back to how they were before, but she knew that they could rebuild their life, that Steve still loved and missed her as much as she loved and missed him, and that they would overcome this together.