Work Text:
Their brownstone had never been quieter in the span of Steve and (Y/N)’s relationship and eventual marriage, until recently. Steve was gone, hiding out in Wakanda after Berlin, leaving (Y/N) in Brooklyn with no one. All of the others were in hiding, Tony wanted nothing to do with her, and Rhodey was still struggling with his disability. Adjusting to her new lifestyle had been a long, complicated struggle for her. She hadn’t been without Steve for over five years and it seemed like he was never going to get to come home to her.
Steve had always been captivating to her. Before she met him, (Y/N) hadn’t been interested in dating, the men of New York weren’t always the nicest people, but Steve had been different from the start. He made her feel so alive and like she was the only person in the world who mattered. Steve’s mannerisms were always polite and respectful, keeping up the 1940’s ways of dating, and making sure that she was never uncomfortable or unhappy.
They rarely ever had fights in their years together, and most of them were small, petty arguments over ridiculous things. They had never had a major fight except for when Loki took (Y/N) hostage during the Battle of New York. She had learned early on that just because she was the girlfriend of Captain America didn’t mean that she was any more protected than other people, but that she was a good bargaining chip instead. And Steve was notable for going out of his way to protect her from anything and everything.
Despite that, Steve proudly announced their relationship to the world, but they were fortunate enough that they were still able to have some semblance of a more normal life. (Y/N) still had her flower stand in Central Park, but there were always SHIELD agents near by in plain clothes to ensure her safety. They have their brownstone, where they can escape from the world and all the pain and suffering that it puts innocent people through, but most of all, they had each other.
Steve and (Y/N) had always been inseparable. When Steve was home from missions, he dedicated his time to spend with her, because to him, nothing else mattered except her. She was the light of his life, and he was her golden hour, the color of her sky. Every time (Y/N) saw Steve, she felt the same butterflies that he had given her when they first met. While their relationship developed and matured, and as they grew older, the one thing that never changed for her was the feeling of butterflies when she was with Steve.
It pained her that after Berlin, she couldn’t see Steve anymore. With the government hunting him, he was hiding or on the move, unable to come home to her, which is something that she wished and prayed for every night. The feeling of loneliness that filled her when she would walk through their home, seeing the pictures and memories of their “normal” life, wishing that she could have it back.
(Y/N) knew deep down that even though she missed Steve and wished things could be different, she also knew that she wouldn’t want it to be different. Bucky was so important to Steve, and sometimes (Y/N) wondered if Bucky was more important than her to him, but she ignored the feeling, knowing that it was a different kind of love that Steve had for Bucky than his love for her. She was proud of Steve for standing up for what he believed in and that he was steadfast to his best friend, his brother, and his morals, but it hurt to see him betray Tony, someone who saw them as family.
The sun began to set, the dimming sunlight reminding her of time passing as she looked up from the spot she had been staring at, sighing. The days blurred together, the nights seemed endless, and all she could do was think of Steve, missing him and his comforting presence. The burner phone on the coffee table in front of her gave off a loud buzz before sitting in silence, (Y/N) flipping it open to see a text from Steve, saying he was safe in an undisclosed location, and that he loved and missed her to the moon and back. She quickly replied with a loving text before stepping into their bedroom, ready to begin thinking of the way Steve gave her butterflies again.