STALEMATE [MAFIA] [MXM] ✓

36: CONTACT

"Why are you still here?" Atlas asks in pure confusion, but Salem is too focused on checking him over, then trying to find the first aid kit he'd seen in passing the last time he was here. He thinks it may have been in the bathroom, so he starts looking in there.

"Salem? Were you crying?"

"I was talking to your mom. Where's— oh, never mind. I found it."

Salem grabs the first aid kit from under the seat, then walks back over to Atlas, who is unfortunately not sitting in the chair that Salem had placed for him while he was checking him over. After a minute he just nudges Atlas so he'll get the hint. Begrudgingly, he does finally take a seat.

"What did she tell you?" Atlas asks warily. Salem sighs.

"A lot."

Salem starts setting out the first aid supplies so he can get to work. Thankfully Atlas isn't stopping him or anything, but that's probably at least partially due to the fact that Salem's upset with him. For good reason, too.

After a while, once Salem has everything sorted out, Atlas asks; "have you been drinking?"

"Yeah," Salem says like it's unimportant, because it is. Who cares? "I'm pretty sure your mom buys her wine in bulk or something, 'cause damn."

Salem sees a slight pinch to Atlas' brow, possibly wondering what all Salem knows. He isn't planning on disclosing that information until Atlas doesn't look like hell anymore, though. Salem starts cleaning him up, something he's done a handful of times. Atlas only allows help when he really needs it. If Salem is patching Atlas up, he's probably in pretty bad shape. This time isn't as bad as the rest, however. He probably still won. Then again, Salem isn't so sure he believes him in the first place.

"Seriously, what happened to you?"

"Boxing." Atlas says like Salem didn't already know that.

"What, did you lose or something?"

"Obviously not."

Salem rolls his eyes, sick of the lack of answers from this guy. He wonders if he should keep his information to himself or reveal it, and ultimately decides on a mix of the two. "I think you're lying. Did it have something to do with Black Cross?"

Atlas tenses, predictably. Salem doesn't pause at all, though, instead continuing to focus on cleaning Atlas up. Just as he suspected, Atlas has suffered some wounds, but most of the blood isn't his. The thought doesn't make Salem as sick as it should.

It would if it were anyone else.

"She told you everything, didn't she?"

Well, so much for keeping his knowledge a secret. Maybe Atlas will open up a bit more if he knows what Salem knows. Then again, it might make it easier for him to keep secrets. Oh well.

"Well, your dad is dying and you're taking over for him, which is why I'm in so much danger and you're disappearing. Is that everything?"

Atlas does not look happy. "Pretty much."

"Are they the people that wanted to hurt me when we were together?"

Atlas looks up to meet his eyes, and the look on his face says it all. Ugh, why couldn't he have just fucking told Salem all this to begin with?! Maybe if Salem knew, they could've fixed this! Maybe they would've had a chance if Atlas didn't decide to try and handle everything on his own. It must've been what Natalia was talking about, when she said he and Remi hurt these people. What Atlas meant when he told Jack they handled it.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Salem asks in frustration. Atlas looks like this is the last thing he wants to be dealing with. Well, too bad. He needs to suffer the consequences of his actions.