Girl in Blue

2 - The Accords

One month later...

Atlas laid back on her bed at the Avengers compound. She was surrounded by textbooks and notebooks full of writing that she was relieved to be able to pack away soon. She had just finished her exams last week, and she could now focus on the Avengers for the rest of her summer.

All of the Avengers were still dealing with the repercussions of the mission in Lagos. Especially Wanda. Every day the news would give updates on the situation while simultaneously taking rips at the witch, and questioning her authority as an Avenger.

Atlas didn't see it that way though. She knew that Wanda was trying to protect Steve and everyone else on the ground. And she was also confident that if it hadn't been for Wanda, more people would've died on the ground than the number of people that died in the building that day.

"Hey," Atlas heard from her door which she had left open, mainly for Steve - who had recently become her emotional support.

"Hi," Atlas said back. She remained looking up at her ceiling, but just from the voice she heard, she knew it was Steve who was talking.

"We have a visitor."

"Who?" Atlas asked curiously.

"The Secretary of State... And Tony," Steve said shyly, knowing that Atlas wasn't as attached to Tony as she had been almost a year ago.

"Really?" Atlas said, almost excited to see Tony. Though she definitely wasn't as close to Tony as she was before, and he had been more absent, she still cared. The girl felt that she and Tony had gotten to a point where they just co-existed together in the Avengers compound. She and Tony had been so close before. Atlas didn't think she had done anything to provoke it, but it still hurt that Tony had distanced himself from her. She sometimes wondered if it was intentional; if he had only gotten close with Atlas to give her a reason to stay at the tower. But even if Tony was an asshole sometimes, she knew that he wouldn't go that far to recruit a reckless teenager to his team.

"Mhm," Steve started. He walked further into Atlas's room and took a seat on her bed on a small spot that happened to not be covered in books with messy scribbles as handwriting. "...what's wrong?" he then asked, knowing the look that always took over Atlas's face when something was on her mind. The left side of her mouth would frown, while the right remained straight.

"Nothing. I'm just thinking about him," Atlas said quietly, but casually. Thinking about Bucky was a daily occurrence for Atlas. Though he never actually left her head, but there were times that he'd just be more prevalent in her thoughts.

"Bucky?" Steve asked for confirmation.

"Who else?" Atlas said softly, staring blankly at the ceiling. She knew that she didn't have to explain herself to Steve, knowing that sometimes he probably felt the same way Atlas did right now. "It's been almost a year since I first met him."

"I know. I've been thinking about him too. I just can't believe I lost him after Sam and I worked so hard to find him," Steve acknowledged.

"You mean me. I lost him. I was the reason HYDRA turned him into the Winter Soldier again," Atlas said, sitting up and looking at Steve. "And if I was in any condition to talk to him then, he might still be here."

"It wasn't you at all. In a perfect world for HYDRA, they'd have both you and him right now, and that'd be worse for everyone... you were also the one that brought him back too. I know how close he was to you and I saw how much he cared about you. And I know how much you still miss him."

Atlas nodded at him. She moved some of her textbooks into piles so she could move towards Steve. The avatar grabbed the Captain's hand, and her irises glowed a bright blue; it was something that always happened when she was feeling really emotional, she could never control the colour change. Going into the avatar state was something Atlas had full control over, but it was like her eyes had a mind of their own; if she was emotional, Atlas would go into the early stages of the avatar state, but she could always control it and would never let her violent and angry instincts take over. "But I still couldn't give him a reason to stay with us."