I Thought You Were Different

Miracles

"Captain Rogers!" the nurse called out as she burst through the doors, "we need your assistance immediately!"

"What the hell?" he groaned to himself, leaning down to kiss you before standing. "I'll be right back, doll. Just a minute, okay?"

"Captain..." the nurse urged.

He straightened with a sharp look to her for the audacity to interrupt his time with you. She was either very brave or very stupid, and he had yet to decide which it would be. "Alright, let's go then," he said, pushing past her gruffly and into the hallway. He immediately broke into a run when his mind caught up to what his eyes were seeing.

"Say it again!" Clint barked. "Come on, Stark, just try to say it again!"

Tony coughed under the hold of Barton's knee pressing into his throat and holding him securely to the floor, slapping at his leg but making no progress to get Clint to back off. "Steve...get him...off...of me..."

Cap rushed forward to push Clint back and held his hand out to bring Tony to his feet, watching and waiting as he rubbed his neck when the stinging pain began to finally set in. "What are you two doing?! What the hell happened out here?"

"He tried to kill me," Tony hissed in a graveled and rough voice, "he's completely lost it."

"Tony, if he wanted to kill you, you'd be dead," Steve sighed, turning to Clint with his hands raised to each man to keep them apart. "Okay, let's have it. What could possibly be so goddamn important to pull me away from (Y/N) right now?"

Tony urgently pushed up behind Steve, purposefully keeping him between himself and Clint as if he were his protector. "That's his plan. To get you two apart. The only reason he's been helping her this much is to have her for himself. He hasn't even denied it!"

Steve's head snapped towards Clint, his eyes darkening at the thought that someone might be trying to take you from him. He wasn't sure if he believed what Tony was saying, but with his lack of sleep and his fear of what was happening to you, his thoughts weren't exactly clear. "Barton? Tell me that's not true," Steve said in a hushed tone. "Tell me now."

~~~

Dr. Cho and several nurses came into the room, doing their best to keep their expressions from giving away the drama that was happening only a few feet away. She stood at your side, changing the settings on the cradle that still held you, a smile finally crossing her delicate features as she looked at you. "How do you feel, (Y/N)? The regeneration is complete, so if you still have pain I can treat it now."

"Steve?"

"He's...talking to Mr. Barton and Mr. Stark. He'll be back soon." She lifted the top of the cradle to expose your legs, watching anxiously for any hint of a movement. "(Y/N), before I go on, I need to know if you're having pain."

"No," you lied, "I'm not."

"Okay then, I want you to lift your right leg."

You wished Steve were here for this; to give you strength to try, or to be here for strength when you failed. Closing your eyes, you envisioned your only goal in your mind, seeing yourself walking to him as he waited for you at the end of the aisle. Seeing him smile at the sight of you. You could almost smell the flowers around you and the sounds of your friends as they watched you in awe. The vision of him was so real in your mind that you lost yourself, leaving the pain and frustration behind to envelop within it. You moved to him, closer and closer, one step at a time, reveling in your renewed ability to bring yourself to his side; it was your only place in the world. You could feel his warmth as your hand slid into his, and the softness of his lips when he brought it to them.

"(Y/N)," Helen gasped, grabbing your arm with a shake that broke your concentration. "(Y/N), look! You're moving!"

~~~

"Cap, I swear on my life, that's not what's happening here." Clint now felt threatened by Steve for the first time, raising his hands defensively and taking a small step back. "I would never do that. I'm not that guy."

"Then why is Tony so insistent that you are?"

"Because he's insane?" he snapped, glancing past Steve at his target, but the Captain moved in front of him to block his view. He wanted Clint's undivided attention and wouldn't accept any less.

"Tony, could you excuse us please?"

"But-"

"Go check on (Y/N) for me, alright? You two have already taken me from her for too long, and I don't want her to be alone," Steve interjected. "Tell her I'll be in soon."

The two men glared at each other as Tony passed by; Steve held back a chuckle at the sight, imagining them as two little boys sticking their tongues out at each other to get the last hit in the fight. He wondered how it had come to this, the two of them arguing so violently, and over you. What was it that Tony had seen in Clint, and what was Clint denying so vehemently?

"Steve, we're friends, that's all," Clint began quickly, trying to get his explanation in before Steve could talk, moving to maintain eye contact. "I care about her, yes. And I took it on myself to help her through this. Maybe sometimes I got too close, and I got too personal, but I swear to you, Cap, I'm just here to help her get better."

He looked like he was telling the truth, and Steve wanted to accept it for the words that were spoken; he really did. Maybe Tony was completely wrong and was just misinterpreting your friendship for more. Maybe Steve was being naïve and hearing what he wanted to hear. No matter what Clint had said and no matter how strongly he pushed his side, there was still one question left unanswered.

"Do you love her?"

"I...I don't want to."

Steve sucked in a harsh breath that caught in his chest at the revelation, covering his eyes with his hands to try to rub the burning of fatigue from them. "Dammit, Barton," he groaned quietly, "that's not the answer I wanted."

"I'm never, ever going to do any-"

"You guys! You need to get in here now," Tony called out excitedly from the lab door, standing in place to watch their reactions when they saw you. The tears in Tony's eyes scared Steve for just a moment, causing him to quicken his steps as his anxiety grew, but once his eyes met yours, that all fell away.

"(Y/N)," he whispered in disbelief, "you're walking." Steve's mouth hung agape as he watched the two nurses hold you while you moved slowly but with mostly your own strength, taking cautious steps towards him. He held out his hands to receive you, feeling the sting of tears building in his eyes. "(Y/N)..."

Clint stood silently at Steve's side, watching you with equal shock covering his face and a lump building in his throat. He saw a slight waver in your stance and a minor tremble in the muscles of your thighs, but encouraged you to push yourself further as he always did. "Come on, sweetheart, you're almost there. Don't stop."

With your last step you practically fell into Steve's arms, laughing out loud as he lifted you from the ground and spun you with him. You felt his tears drop onto your skin, his face buried in your neck and breathing you in as he held you. It was if you had been apart for years and had finally found each other again.

"It's a miracle."

"No, Cap," Clint sighed with a shiver that ran down his spine and from his head to his feet as he watched you, "it was all her."