1. Tony Stark
Sam was not prepared for any company. He was definitely not expecting a genius billionaire playboy philanthropist superhero to show up on his doorstep early one morning looking hungover and practically asleep. His first reaction was to close the door and assume he was still too tired to be awake. He was half-way back to his bedroom when the knocking registered and he went back to let Tony Stark inside.
"Thanks, Wilson. Bruce kicked me out of the house this morning because I was trying to provoke the Hulk again, and I didn't really feel like going to a hotel. The press would have a heyday. It was just luck that I remembered Cap and Widow telling us all about how you gave them shelter when Hydra was hunting them. You don't mind, do you?" Tony said in one breath.
"Um," he replied, rubbing his forehead. Yes, he was too tired for this. "Make yourself at home? I'm going back to bed."
When he woke up for the second time, there was a mug of warm coffee on the counter with no note, and no genius in sight. He really hoped it was just a one time thing.
2. Thor
Sam wasn't home when Thor showed up. He'd been leading his therapy session, and had thankfully stopped at the store before going back to his house. The god was waiting on his doorstep looking lost and lonely, a feat that Sam didn't think was possible for him. When he saw Sam, he brightened.
"Son of Wil! I was unsure of the correct action to take when you were not home, so I waited. Was that acceptable?" he asked, looking a bit worried. Sam wasn't really sure what was polite in that instance, either.
"Yeah, sure, big guy. What can I help you with?" he replied.
"The Man of Iron has told me that you have the wings of a falcon? Perhaps we could race! None of my teammates will join me in training today, and I remembered that the good Captain had said you are formidable in the sky," Thor suggested.
Sam was really going to kill Steve for spreading these rumors around. Had he told the whole team about how he'd given them shelter when they needed it? And had he really told Tony Stark, the man he'd stolen the wings from in the first place, that he was the one who'd stolen them?! Yes, Steve Rogers was a dead man.
"I haven't spread those wings in a while. Sure, why not?" he told Thor, as he'd been waiting for an answer and looked ready for a negative. The therapist in Sam couldn't stand to see that look. Thor's entire demeanor changed from sad to overjoyed and excited in seconds.
3. Clint
Sam did not scream like a girl when he walked into his kitchen and saw a stranger sitting on his counter. He did, however, throw the closest object at him, which just so happened to be a knife. He was lucky that this was Clint Barton and not some common burglar, because Clint caught the knife easily and just smirked.
"So Nat tells me you're running a house for wayward agents. Got room for one more for a few days?" he asked calmly, his expression not changing. Sam glared at him.
"Firstly, I don't believe she said that. Because no. Secondly, how the hell did you even get in here?!" Sam demanded angrily.
"Nat gave me a key," Clint said with a shrug. "When SHIELD fell, a lot of secrets came out. I spent some time out in rural Ohio, but I needed to be back in the city in case the Avengers need me. I'm just not ready to go live with Stark, you know?"
"But it's perfectly acceptable for you to stay here with me, a perfect stranger?" Sam asked incredulously. Clint nodded.
"We avians have to stick together, you know," he answered with a grin. Sam just shook his head and went to take his shower. If Clint was anything like Natasha, he wasn't sure his sanity would survive.
Clint stayed for two weeks before Natasha showed up to drag him away. Like Clint, she didn't knock on the door. She just appeared on the couch one morning, scaring the crap out of Sam and making Clint laugh. Sam would deny the girly shriek to his death.
"Clint, when I told you that Sam would be willing to give you a place to stay, I didn't mean for you to move in here permanently. I meant for you to take two days at most to adjust to being back in the city before coming back to SHIELD. What happened to you?" she demanded, staring him down. Clint refused to meet her eyes.
"I wasn't here for the big collapse. I left right after Ultron. What was I supposed to do? Show up at Stark Tower and pray he'd let me stay again?" he shot back.
"Yes!" she snapped. "We've been waiting for you. They all think you don't want to come back at all. I didn't tell them you were here."
"Thanks. Look, you know me. I'm a coward at the best of times," he said quietly. She shook her head and pulled him into a hug. Sam was starting to feel like he shouldn't be there, which was ridiculous since it was his house.
"You are no coward, дурак. You are just lost, which is why I sent you here. Come on, let's go home," she said quietly, pretending his shaking shoulders didn't mean he was crying. It was rare for either of them to show emotions, and it was worrying Sam.
"You're both welcome to stay as long as you need," he offered, frowning slightly. He'd been against it in the beginning, but he'd seen how bad Clint really was. He had one of the worst cases of PTSD that Sam had ever seen, and he wasn't even sure what had caused it to begin with.
"Thanks, Wilson. But she's right. It's time for me to head back to Stark. I had fun, though. We should do it again sometime," Clint replied, giving him a small smile. They were both gone before Sam could really say anything else.
4. Hulk/Bruce Banner
It wasn't until the Hulk showed up at his door that he considered moving. To the Hulk's credit, he was actually pretty calm. There was no smashing, just a huge scowl and sulking. Sam had, once again, not been home. He was pretty sure Hulk hadn't been waiting too long, though, since his house was still standing.
"Um... hi there, Big Guy," he said cautiously, not sure what would set the green giant off. Hulk basically ignored him, but he was blocking the door and didn't seem inclined to move. "Listen, how about I go make us some sandwiches and we can sit out here and watch the cars go by. Sound good?"
Hulk regarded him for a few minutes before finally nodding and moving out of the way. He didn't try to follow him into the house, which Sam was grateful for. His doorway was definitely not big enough. He made the sandwiches quickly, because he knew Hulk wasn't patient, and brought them back out to the porch. Hulk ate both of them in one bite, which he'd kind of expected.
"Want to make a game out of it?" Sam asked casually. Hulk stared down at him incredulously.
"Hulk don't play games. Hulk smash," he reminded him, studying him like he was stupid.
"Everyone likes games sometimes, though. Come on, you won't know until you try. This one is easy, and everything. It's just I Spy. You find an object that you can see from here, and say something like... I spy with my little eye, something blue. Then the other person has to guess what it is you see. If they can't, you win. It goes until you manage to stump the other guy," Sam explained. Hulk thought about it for a minute before nodding.
"Hulk goes first," he said, glaring like he thought Sam would argue. Sam just nodded, holding up his hands in surrender. Hulk actually smiled (which was a scary sight that Sam did not want to experience again). "Hulk spies something green."
Sam looked around, debating just letting him win even though it was obvious he meant the grass since it was the only green thing around. He decided to let the game drag on as long as it took to calm the big guy down.
"Is it the grass?" he asked. Hulk nodded, looking pleased. "Okay. I spy something yellow."
Hulk looked around the house before his eyes lit up and he pointed to the little lawn gnome by the garden. "Mini man's hat!"
"Good job! Your turn," Sam replied, grinning.
"Hulk spies something red," he said, sounding pleased with himself.
The game went on for two hours before Hulk started shrinking. Within ten minutes, an unconscious and very naked Bruce Banner was slumped against Sam's shoulder. Sam carried him into the house and laid him down on the guest bed, leaving clothes for him on top of the dresser. He then went to the living room and used the emergency number Steve had given to him to call Tony and let him know that his husband was safe at his house.
5. Bucky Barnes
After a full year of looking (and having his home be used to house lost superheroes), Steve and Sam gave up on finding Bucky. It was concluded that he was either really dead this time, or he truly wasn't ready to be found. Natasha had stated that he might never want to be found. Sam invited Steve to live with him for a while, since he knew best what he was going through. Steve declined, saying he needed to devote his time to training the new Avengers members.
"I slacked off on that for long enough, Sam. Tony has been on my ass about it, and I'm tired of listening to him complain and joke. Bucky will come to me when he's ready," he said calmly. And then he left, and Sam didn't see him for six months.
The day after Steve left, Sam woke up to noises in his kitchen. Assuming it was just Clint, he rolled over to go back to sleep. The knock on his bedroom door alerted him to the fact that it most definitely was not Clint or Natasha. He opened his door to find Bucky Barnes staring at the ground with a lost look on his face.
"I've seen the others come here when they don't know where else to go. Is that open to anyone who needs help?" he asked quietly.
"It is if you have no intention of killing me," Sam stated, smiling. Bucky's first genuine smile took his breath away.
"No. I'm done with that. But... if it's okay with you, can we not tell Steve that I'm here yet? I want to get better before I see him. I know you do therapy, and I was hoping you could help me," he replied.
"I can certainly try. I've been working with Clint on his PTSD, I can help you with yours, too," Sam nodded. How hard could it be?
It took two weeks to condition Bucky to not hide when he had flashbacks, three more to get him used to touch, and five after that to get him talking about what he went through. Once he started talking, he didn't seem able to stop. He was still adamant that Steve not find out, but it was unavoidable for either Clint or Natasha to see him there eventually. They just let themselves in, like the spies they were. And if one of them knew something, the other would very quickly find out. Sam learned that the hard way, when he opened up to Natasha about being in love with the friend that died in the war, only to have Clint hug him and talk about how he and Natasha had loved Coulson before he died the next time he saw him.
It was Clint who saw him first. It only happened because they both got up at stupid'o'clock in the morning, and Sam was a normal guy who liked to sleep in. He woke up when the shouting started.
"HOW DID YOU EVEN GET IN HERE? I SWEAR TO GOD, IF YOU KILLED SAM, I WILL FUCKING SHOOT YOU!" Clint was shouting when Sam ran into the kitchen. He calmed down slightly when he saw Sam was fine, but he didn't move his bow down from Bucky's face. Bucky seemed to be relatively calm, and had his hands raised calmly.
"Clint, it's okay. I invited him in. He's been here for a few months, and I've been helping him. Put the bow down and we can talk like grown-ups," Sam said, stepping between the two of them. Clint immediately lowered the bow so that he wasn't aiming at Sam, but he was scowling.
"The guy's a murderer, Sam. How can you trust him? How did you even find him?" he demanded. Sam didn't dare turn around to look at Bucky, though he could imagine the look on his face.
"He came to me for help, just like you did last year. I wasn't about to turn him away, and he's gotten better. You can't tell me this is a bad thing. You also can't tell anyone else," Sam replied.
"What the hell?! Of course I'm going to tell the others! You've got a MURDERER living in your house! For all I know, he's threatened someone you love and you have to defend him now!" Clint protested. If Sam wasn't so tired, he probably would have been laughing at that point.
"Put the bow away. Call Natasha, since I know you're going to tell her no matter what, and go sit on the couch. Don't even think about calling the others, because I know things you don't ever want to tell them, and I will use that knowledge if necessary," Sam replied, moving to make coffee.
He was thankful that Clint just listened, having a hurried phone conversation in Russian with Natasha before sulking on the couch. He took the offered coffee, but glared down at it like he thought it might be poisoned. They didn't have to wait long for Natasha to show up, and the atmosphere was too tense.
"Could you both relax? If he wanted to kill me, he'd have done it in the months he's been living here. Nobody is in any danger in my house. That means Bucky, too, Clint. Don't think I haven't seen you staring at your bow the whole time you've been sitting there," Sam snapped.
"You're housing the Winter Soldier, and asking us to keep it secret," Clint spat, glaring at Sam now. Sam just nodded, keeping his face straight as Natasha hit Clint's arm (hard, from the looks of it).
"He's got a reason, I'm sure. I'd be fascinated to hear it," she said quietly, studying them both.
"Thank you," Sam replied, giving her a small smile. He looked over to Bucky to give the explanation, since he was pretty sure she didn't want to hear it from him.
"I don't want Steve to know where I am until I'm completely certain I won't hurt him," Bucky admitted. "He was my last mission as the Soldier, and I'm not convinced the conditioning just went away when I got my memories back. I spent most of my normal life protecting that punk, I'm not about to let myself hurt him. And you know as well as I do that if he knew where I was, he couldn't make himself stay away. I watching him try to track me down for months before he finally gave up. Thanks for that, Natalia, by the way. Sam thinks that I'm ready, but I want to be... I just want to be sure. I don't want to disappoint him again. I don't want to be the Winter Soldier, I want to be James Buchanan Barnes, Bucky."
It was silent while the spies thought it over, until Clint stood and walked out of the house, leaving his bow behind. Natasha rolled her eyes and stood to follow him, grabbing it as she passed.
"Your secret is safe with us, for now," she called over her shoulder.
6. Steve Rogers
Sam knew that Clint and Natasha had kept the secret because nobody showed up at his house for three more months. He and Bucky spent every day talking and working through his issues, getting him to accept that he could never been the same Bucky that he had been before the accident, but he also didn't have to be the Winter Soldier anymore. He started making decisions completely for himself, without any input. He left the house occasionally to pick up food when they were out, or to just see what Brooklyn had turned into.
They'd been keeping an eye on Avengers news, paying attention to attacks that happened close to them and trying to predict when a random Avenger would show up on Sam's doorstep. But when it actually happened, it wasn't in the aftermath of an attack. It was just an ordinary Tuesday, and Sam had been in the kitchen making popcorn for the movie he'd convinced Bucky to watch with him that night when the knock on the door came.
It was too late for Bucky to hide or leave, because the door was pretty much made of glass and he'd automatically gone to see if it was Clint. (The two of them had bonded almost instantly, when Clint finally decided to give him a chance. They were almost inseparable when Clint could get away to visit on his own, and Bucky looked forward to those days more than he'd admit to.) Steve saw Bucky before he could hide around the corner, and the poor door didn't stand a chance.
"Bucky! I've been looking for you everywhere! How long have you been here?" Steve exclaimed, pulling the shocked man into a tight hug. Sam came running as soon as he'd heard the door shatter, and stood staring in the doorway.
"Uh, Steve? You might not want to do that," he said cautiously. He might as well have been talking to a wall though, because he was fairly certain that Steve was focused entirely on Bucky and not hearing him at all. He watched Bucky mouth 'It's okay' over Steve's shoulder, and decided to leave them to it when he saw Bucky finally reciprocate the hug.
Steve made his way into the kitchen half an hour later, looking sheepish. "I'm really sorry about your door. I'll replace it, promise. Although I was coming to invite you to the tower. Again."
Instead of shooting him down automatically, as he'd been doing for over a year, Sam stopped and took a second to think about it. Clearly, all of the heroes needed his guidance and therapy. It'd be easier for everyone, himself included, if he were closer. Living in the tower would make his life more interesting, too.
"Okay. You've convinced me. But I'm not going anywhere until Bucky feels ready to move, too. I'm not leaving him here on his own, even if I think he could probably handle it now. It's up to him when this happens," Sam replied, catching Steve off-guard.
"Really? You mean it?" he asked, grinning. Sam nodded. "I can't wait to tell Tony! He's been designing your rooms since that time you let him stay here when Bruce kicked him out."
"Somehow that doesn't surprise me. He does realize that means he'll have to find somewhere else to go when that happens, right?" Sam replied, amused.
"He's given up trying to force the Hulk out. Seems Bruce remembered playing a game while he was the Hulk, and it made him want to experiment and see what else he could remember when Hulk actually stays calm and focused. They've been working on it for a month and a half now, with no injuries to speak of. Thanks to you, of course," Steve told him, serious.
"Whoa, seriously? I was just trying to distract him so he wouldn't smash my house," Sam admitted.
"You're pretty good at distractions and knowing exactly what people need. How are you not an Avenger? I've seen those wings you stash in your closet. You'd be perfect for them," Bucky said from the door way. Sam smiled sheepishly.
"It's one thing to have the wings, and another entirely to use them to save the world. I only used them for hero-related stuff once, and that was the day I stole them. Actually, that's one very good reason not to move in with Tony Stark," he replied, biting his lip. The last thing he needed was for the billionaire to take the wings back and kick him out after he moved all of his stuff in.
"Nah, I told Tony about that ages ago. He keeps telling me to make you bring them to his lab so he can improve them for you. He honestly doesn't care that you have them," Steve assured him calmly.
"Gee, thanks. What else have you been telling them all this time?" Sam asked, turning to glare at Steve. It lacked heat, though, and Steve just smirked at him.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Steve asked. "Oh, and by the way? I'm going to be staying here with you until you move into the tower. That's what I actually came over for today."
"Told you he's a punk," Bucky called out from the other room. How did this become his life?
7. Pietro and Wanda Maximoff
He'd been living with the Avengers for six months before the incident. Ultron was long gone, the new Avengers were fully trained, and Steve and Bucky were engaged. (Don't ask him how that whole thing started, because he has no idea. He could only guess that they'd been together in the war, and it carried over once Bucky was back to as normal as he'd get.) He'd also accepted the invitation to join the Avengers team, even though he was completely sure that he wasn't qualified.
He'd gotten to know the others pretty well, spending time with each of them individually. Well, all but the Maximoffs, who kept to themselves and didn't join in any of the bonding activities. Sam didn't see them outside of the training room until they rushed out of the elevator onto his floor at one in the morning, Pietro practically carrying Wanda as she shrieked and clawed at his arms to get away.
"Please, you must help her! She has night terrors, but usually I can wake her. Tonight she is unresponsive," Pietro explained in a rush, laying her on the couch as soon as Sam stood.
"Night terrors? Are they always this bad? I mean, besides the unresponsiveness, of course," Sam asked, grabbing a small penlight from his coffee table and checking her pupils. "Definitely sleeping."
"They do not often result in screaming," Pietro replied, wringing his hands nervously. "Can you help her?"
"I should be able to. I'm going to need you to get a glass of water and some pills from the bathroom. Think you can manage that while I wake her up?" Sam nodded, kneeling on the floor in front of the couch.
By the time Pietro got back (less than two minutes later, thanks to his speed, as he didn't know where anything was here), Sam had Wanda sitting up and holding her head as she cried. She was awake and shaking.
"She's fine, just shaken up. Go ahead and give her the pills and water while I change into something more comfortable, and then we can all talk. Okay?" Sam asked. Pietro nodded, his focus on his sister as she took the pills slowly, still shaking.
Their story came out piece by piece, mostly through Pietro as Wanda was still recovering. It didn't take Sam long to see that most of the problem was that they were living with the man that was responsible (indirectly) for the destruction of their lives. They didn't feel safe by themselves, and they had nowhere else to go. He didn't even hesitate to offer them rooms on his floor, where they wouldn't be alone with their thoughts.
"Each of the old Avengers spent time at my old house, working through their issues. I don't have it anymore, since I moved here, but you're welcome to stay in the guest rooms that Tony so thoughtfully provided even though I have no one to invite here. I think I can help you adjust, and you both need at least one friend besides each other. At least think about it, okay?" he offered, smiling gently.
They stared at each other, conversing silently. Then Pietro turned back and nodded in acceptance.
Clint helped them move their things, and they didn't mention it to anyone else. Everyone knew, of course. They just wisely chose not to comment on it. (Sam was pretty sure Bucky had threatened every single one of them until they agreed to not bring it up, which he was grateful for.) At first, the two of them shared a room. As the weeks passed, Wanda slowly adjusted to having someone else to rely on, and they separated into different rooms.
Three months into the arrangement, he noticed the strange looks Wanda was giving him, as though she were studying him and trying to understand something. She didn't say a word until he asked, though.
"I'm simply trying to see you as he does. He speaks of you often, though I live here too. I believe he might... what is that word? Love. I think he might love you," she informed him.
"What are you talking about? Who?" Sam asked, confused. Wanda just gave him a smile and walked back to her room.
It took him a while to figure it out for himself. He'd notice that Pietro was spending more time around him, and then the speedster would disappear for days. It was an odd pattern, and he hadn't even noticed until Wanda made her strange comment. Even then, he only realized because he was watching everyone to try to determine who Wanda thought was in love with him. Of course she'd mean her own brother.
Even after he figured it out, he took time to decide his own feelings. He'd been more relaxed since the two of them had moved in. He enjoyed spending time with Pietro more than just about anyone else on the team. He looked forward to their talks far more than he ever had with Bucky or Clint. Oh god, he had somehow fallen for Pietro, too. How had he not realized?
"So, do you have a second? I wanted to talk," he said calmly, leaning in Pietro's doorway. Pietro looked up at him and nodded, gesturing for him to close the door and sit beside him.
"What is on your mind?" the speedster asked, sounding curious.
"Something Wanda said a few weeks ago. It got me thinking, and I realized a couple of things about myself. Sorry it took me so long to figure it out, actually. And even longer to act on it, I just didn't want to make things awkward if I was wrong, you know?" he babbled, nervous now that he was sitting next to him.
"No, I'm afraid I don't know," Pietro said, frowning.
"And now I'm doing it wrong, great. Words are stupid anyways," he muttered. And then he leaned forward and kissed Pietro, crossing his fingers that he wouldn't get shoved away. He didn't.
"But... I was sure you did not return my feelings," Pietro said quietly, staring at him in shock.
"Yeah, I didn't know myself until Wanda said something about you loving me. She didn't use your name, of course. I had to pay attention to figure out who she meant. And then I had to do a lot of self-reflection to figure out my own feelings... I hadn't thought about dating or feelings since long before I moved in here. And I realized that in the time you've been living here, I've managed to practically fall in love with you. Sometimes I can be dense, apparently," he admitted sheepishly.
"It's okay," Pietro said with a smile. "We can figure it out together, now."
And that was the last time Sam took in a stray superhero. (Well, no it wasn't. It was the last time he fell for one, though. And it was also the last time he let one live with him for any length of time. Pietro got jealous far too easily, and Sam was too happy with it being just the three of them. And then just the two, when Wanda moved up three floors to live with Vision. But that's a different story.)