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CHAPTER SIX BIG, BAD HYBRID
*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
"So, wait. He made you dinner, you two had a very good time, he almost kissed you—and did kiss you on the cheek—and you haven't seen or heard from him since?" Diego said slowly from his spot on one of Marcel's spare beds. They were in a spare bedroom that Diego had claimed as his own, lounging as Marcel prepared a fight night—a night where nightwalkers could fight in a makeshift ring to earn their place and, perhaps in the future, even a daylight ring. Atlas was lying by the foot of the bed, his head falling slightly off the end, and his legs were sprawled over Diego's lap. Diego was sitting crisscrossed in the center of the bed, taping at Atlas's shins with his fingers like they were invisible piano keys.
"Well, technically, I have seen him since," Atlas corrected, interlacing his fingers across his stomach. "Many times, in fact. He just refuses to let me corner him into a dark room. I think he's playing hard to get." Diego snorted, which Atlas found rather rude, and then Diego sped up his drumming on Atlas's shins, playing a tune only he could hear in his head. Knowing how private he was with whatever type of music he made, Atlas knew he probably would never hear it. Not unless Diego gave whatever he was writing to Thierry to play, which—unfortunately—wouldn't happen again for a very long time.
"Or," Diego offered, but only when Atlas thought the conversation was done, "he actually didn't have as good of a time as you thought, and now he's avoiding you because he doesn't want the awkwardness of explaining that he's no longer interested."
"Doubtful," Atlas said immediately. The confidence of his own answer startled him a little, as did how sure he felt about it. "Does Klaus seem like the type to ghost someone? No, it's something else. He literally walked me home."
"Yeah, but it's not like you invited him in."
"Well, obviously, I have a barrier. I can't invite him in. C'mon, Diego, keep up." Diego huffed out a laugh, shaking his head. Atlas suddenly sat up in one smooth movement and rested back on his hands, peering at Diego thoughtfully. Diego caught the look and paused, his hands falling to rest on Atlas's shins. "What if it's me? What if he's waiting for me to make a move? How do I corner an Original Hybrid that's playing hard to get? This is so fucking frustrating. If he's going to use me to get close to Marcel, the least he can do is make it worth my while."
"I have never heard someone want to be used and manipulated so badly. You're insane."
"Well, I'm using him for his body, so I think it's a fair trade." Diego scoffed and rolled his eyes, shaking his head so hard that Atlas was worried he would fall over. When he didn't, Atlas leaned forward to hit his arm half-heartedly. "Come on, Diego, play along with me. If you don't want to indulge me about Klaus, fine, but at least talk." Diego gave him a flat look. Atlas huffed and rolled his eyes. "Fine. What are we doing today?" Atlas had been a little isolated from Marcel and his antics since his date with Klaus. Atlas had moods, sometimes, where he just wanted to be alone, and couldn't stand large crowds or socializing. He always disappeared into his house until it passed, shutting his phone off after sending Marcel a quick message explaining his headspace. They always respected it, waiting it out. Atlas always reappeared eventually, and this time, Atlas had reappeared on Diego's bed inside of the Abattoir.
