American Mouth | S. Rogers x OC

Ch. 2 - Family

Steve (as he insisted she call him) led Dorothy back to the Avenger's quinjet as soon as they got news that the Hydra bunker was infiltrated and shut down. She didn't know how he seemed like he wasn't tired at all while her lungs were practically burning as they trudged through the thin forest.

Dorothy kept her distance. Her focus was not as sharp as it usually was, what with her unexpectedly finding her soulmate and everything. He was so beautiful and confident, she felt like she shouldn't even be near him.

When they entered the quinjet, all eyes drifted to her.

"Who's this?" a young blond man, who she recognized as Agent Barton, asked from the cockpit.

Steve shifted to the side and gestured to her. "This is Agent Dorothy Panzera, she's been assigned a position as an Avenger."

"By who?"

"Fury."

"Why weren't we informed?"

"We were all told someone was joining the team, Clint, we just weren't told who."

"Oh, well I wasn't listening," Agent Barton mumbled. He swiveled his chair around and closed the quinjet door behind them to prepare for takeoff.

Steve put his hands on his belt and turned to look at Dorothy. "That's Clint Barton. Hawkeye."

Tony Stark came forward and stuck out his hand. Dorothy caught a glimpse of his words; What can I do for you, Mr. Stark?

"Anthony Edward Stark. Ironman. Billionaire, genius, playboy, philanthropist. Don't really need an introduction."

She shook his hand firmly. "Yes, I know who you are, Mr. Stark."

"Call me Tony." He winked, smirking.

She smiled. "Of course, Tony."

Various other Avengers introduced themselves to her, even though none of them needed an introduction. Thor even kissed the back of her hand, a gesture she was not used to. She blushed like a madman at that. His words clearly said, Do me a favor, and don't be dead. She wondered about the context for that.

She sat down next to Agent Romanoff, or Natasha. Dorothy knew her, like Clint, from working for SHIELD. She was never assigned any missions with her, but they'd seen each other around headquarters. From what she knew, Natasha was intense but pretty laid back once you got to know her.

"Welcome to the team," Natasha said from beside her. The expression on her face was genuine as she put her hand on Dorothy's shoulder. "I hope you find family with us."

Ha, what's that? Dorothy's family died before she even joined SHIELD, along with her hopes of having that type of love and comfort.

It did sound nice though. Dorothy knew that the Avengers were tight-knit, exclusive. They liked each other just as well as they worked together. It would be nice to be a part of something like that.

"I do too."

The rest of the quinjet ride was short, with everyone making plans to have dinner as soon as they got back and then hang out that night to get to know their new recruit better.

From across the jet, Dorothy saw Steve roll up his sleeves. She caught a glimpse at the singular word on his wrist, Hey. She felt awful that he had to live with just a simple greeting all his life, but also relief because that meant he wouldn't know she was his soulmate until he knew her words. It was bittersweet, really.

When they landed, she almost couldn't believe her eyes. She'd only ever seen the Avenger's Tower in pixels and from the outside, and she always thought it was so unattainable. But now she was just an arm's length away.