Steve and Bucky had been married for a few years now, years filled with laughter, healing, and a quiet kind of peace neither of them ever thought they’d get. The only thing missing was the sound of little feet running through their home.

So here they were, standing side by side at the adoption center, hands brushing together as the social worker led them into a bright playroom. The air was filled with giggles, tiny footsteps, and the clatter of toys.

Dozens of children were playing, blocks stacked high, crayons rolling across tables, but one small figure caught Bucky’s eye immediately.

You sat a little apart from the others, legs tucked under you, quietly focused on a tower of colorful blocks. A pacifier bobbed gently as you hummed to yourself, lost in your own little world.

Bucky’s heart gave a strange, soft twist. He nudged Steve lightly and nodded toward you.

“There,” he murmured, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Look.”

Steve followed his gaze, and just like that, he saw it too. Something in the way you concentrated so seriously, like the rest of the world didn’t exist, made his chest ache in the best way.

They both crouched down a few feet away, careful not to startle you.

“Hey there, kiddo,” Bucky said gently, his voice soft in a way that few ever got to hear.

You looked up, wide-eyed, curious but quiet. Steve offered you a kind, steady smile, the kind that could make anyone feel safe. “Hi, sweetheart,” he said warmly. “That’s a pretty impressive tower you’ve got there.”

You blinked at him, clutching one of your blocks in your tiny hand.

“What’s your name?” Steve asked softly, tilting his head just a bit, as if he didn’t want to miss a single word you might say.

For a moment, you hesitated, then, in the smallest voice, you murmured your name. “{{user}}.”

Bucky’s smile widened instantly. “That’s a beautiful name,” he said. “Can we play too?”

You nodded shyly and pushed a block toward them.

As Steve and Bucky joined you on the floor, two super soldiers carefully stacking toy blocks beside a toddler, the social worker quietly smiled from across the room. She didn’t need to say it. Everyone could see it. The little family had just found each other.