AN: So, I had written this a year and a half ago, but never published it for some reason. Since I wrote this before Civil War, we're going to pretend it never happened. :D
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Strays
Steve had a habit of taking in strays; he always had. In fact, the reason Steve had met Bucky was because Steve had been defending a stray kitten from a group of older boys who were throwing rocks at it. Bucky had been walking home from school when he saw the scuffle and dove in head first to protect the smaller boy. Once the fight was over, Steve had completely ignored his rescuer in favor of making sure the cat was ok. It was a little runt of a thing, fur matted and too boney for its own good, but it was fine. Bucky couldn't fathom why such a little guy like Steve would risk himself for a cat, but he admired Steve's bravery. And thus, a friendship was born.
During the first couple of months of their friendship, it became abundantly clear that the cat incident was not an isolated event. Steve would often sneak cats and small dogs home, even though he was violently allergic to them. Mrs. Rogers would find shoe boxes housing small fur balls in the bedroom and dogs begging on the porch for scrapes. Try as she might, Mrs. Rogers couldn't convince her son to stop and eventually turned a blind eye to it all.
Seventy-five years later, Steve is still bringing strays home; they're just a different type of stray.
The Avengers;
The Avengers weren't exactly strays, but that didn't stop Steve from taking them in. it wasn't very often that they all got together, but Steve relished the times that they did. Once Steve started to understand more and more of modern technology, he made it a point to communicate with all of his team members on a regular basis. He even organized team building activities or one on one time.
Like Steve, everyone on the team had lost somebody. Most of them had lost their entire families. But thanks to Cap's efforts, they all had a new family. The Avengers were more than a team, they were a band of brothers (and sister). They had each other's backs and loved each other dearly. Not that anyone would admit to it.
Steve truly loved his team, his family. They accepted him for what he was and in turn, he accepted them. Soon they too would learn to accept the new strays Steve would undoubtedly bring home.
Sam Wilson;
On the outside, Sam was a pretty well rounded guy. He had a job he loved, he took care of himself physically and he was a healthy flirt. At first glance, Sam Wilson was not a stray.
But Steve looked deeper. He saw the way Sam carried himself, the way all soldiers carried themselves. Steve saw the pain clearly written on Sam's face when his partner Riley was mentioned. And Steve noticed Sam's desire for others like him, people who understood what he'd gone through and would help him as much as he liked helping others.
So of course, after the Incident-In-D.C.-That-Almost-Got-Everyone-Killed, Steve made the executive decision to take Sam home. After their fruitless search for Bucky, Steve took Sam back to the Tower instead of D.C. Sam wasn't too surprised when he was offered a place on the team fairly quickly after that.
Wanda Maximoff;
Steve felt that he understood Wanda on a deeper level than most. Both of them had subjected their bodies to experimentation in the hopes of bringing about peace. And because of that, both of them had lost their brother.
After Ultron had been vanquished, Wanda had nothing and no one. She was barely an adult; most people would still consider her a child. She was alone and in need of love, whatever form that took. So of course, Steve decided he'd be the one to show her love. He'd be her friend, look after her like a brother, whatever she needed.
During their training sessions, Steve kept a special eye on Wanda and would often have long chats with her afterwards. They talked about nothing and everything, growing closer until they had formed a deep bond. Wanda wasn't alone anymore and Steve vowed she'd never be again.
Bucky Barnes;
The first time they'd met, Steve was the stray that Bucky took in. He'd look after Steve and was always there for him. Steve never understood why the handsome popular guy that all the girls adored would want to be his friend, but he wasn't about to complain. Having a friend was nice.
But now, the roles were reversed. Steve was the one with friends (a family) and Bucky was the one who needed looking after. Steve didn't mind their role reversal, he was just thrilled to have his brother back.
Bucky was healing slowly, almost at a snail's pace, but he was getting better. All the best councilors and therapists agreed that he'd never be the same again, but he would get better. That was ok though, because Steve really wasn't the same either. This is what he'd been hoping for; a chance to start over. A chance to be happy.
Steve loved his strays. They each had a hand in shaping him into the man he'd become. They had given him a family, people to call his own. And in reality, none of them were strays any more. Not even Steve.
End
Thank you for reading!