Steve Rogers/Captain America One Shots

Whisper in the Wind

(Listen to I'm Already There By: Lonestar while you read this one. The emotion, the deep and angsty but absolutely beautiful lyrics lend themselves to this story line, and the melody builds with the feelings I've tried to express in this one shot.)

"You woke before I did again this morning, but I guess there's no real surprise there. You're always up with the sunrise. Though today, was the morning I really wanted to be awake before you, or at least with you, before you left. But I missed you."

The cellphone felt like a boulder weighing him down, as Steve Rogers held the electronic tightly in his hand. And it felt as though it was burning a hole through the very palm of his hand as he clutched it, the message that had been saved inside the small machine, weighing more than anything he had ever witnessed or could ever feel. And as the soft voice fluttered through the speakers out into the open air that surrounded him, it was startling how much power this tiny device held over him. For as Steve listened to the voice on the other end, he could feel all of his strength and all of his stability fading faster with each passing breath. 

"I guess, I just wanted the chance to tell you I love you, face to face before you left. And to tell you to be safe, and to do whatever you have to do out there, but that no matter what, you have to come home to us." A breathy laugh floated through the speaker and Steve's heart lurched at the sensation it had upon his aching heart. "I know you hear it every time you leave, that it's nothing new. I know you're probably tired of my constant worry, but I'll never stop worrying about you Steve Rogers. You may be the amazing Captain America, but that doesn't mean I won't worry whenever you're out there, somewhere, fighting for something. For someone. I'll always worry... when you love someone... worry's just part of the package."

Steve exhaled a heavy breath as he looked up from the phone resting in his hands, and out at the green land that extended out in front of him. The porch steps he rested upon, were shielded enough from the sun that shone through the minimal clouds in the baby blue sky, but there was something about the beauty of this place that sat uneasily in his stomach. It was a beauty he loved, one he had created for the family he built. A hand-crafted house nestled in the most breathtaking patch of land, away from the noise and away from the world that challenged him mission after mission. It was a sanctuary, and he created it for the family he loved. But now, as he sat outside the abandoned structure, with the sun shimmering brightly while the green fields sparkled in the light, the beauty seemed unfair. As though the world around him should be some tragic shade of grey, for it didn't seem right that the life he created for them, could still shine and sparkle without them here. That there could still be color and life, when they weren't here to be apart of it.

A lighthearted sigh passes through the air, "I didn't mean for any of that to be as depressing as it sounded, goodness, maybe it's a good thing I didn't catch you this morning to tell you this in person. I would've brought you down with me." Another spout of laughter that caused Steve's eyes to drop and shut tightly at the constricting in his chest. 

And as the heartwarming voice spoke up again, Steve swore he could feel the smile through the cellphone. "she loved your notes this morning. I really don't know when you find the time to write those and leave them around the house for her to find. But she loves them. The scavenger hunt to find them, the adventure she feels like she's having with her daddy even though he's not home, and the look on her face when she reads those little notes... Steve... I wish you could see the way her eyes light up."

Steve shakes his head as he flicks away a single tear that was beginning to burn a trail down his cheek, the sting still remaining underneath his flesh even as the acidic tear is erased. But he knows it won't be for long, he can feel them like a lump in the back of his throat. Choking him from the inside out with the pain inside himself.