( Sometimes, he feels so tired of being isolated. Maybe that was why he was so hopeless when it came to Max, because she was like a life raft. There more others, now, the ones that knew Atlas, but Max would always come first. Not simply because she was the first, but because she was Max and thought sometimes that he helped her, too. If he tried to pin down and pick apart the reasons he adores her so much, they'd probably sound ridiculous, selfish, bad things to list. Max is simply inexplicable and wonderful and terrible in so many combinations and variations.

He's tired of knowing that he's stupid enough to be in love with her when she knows she doesn't feel the same way, and knowing it makes it harder for them to be friends or colleagues or whatever it is they actually are, especially when they need each other so much more, here. )

Using Atlas f-for stuff like, um. Stuff that isn't helping p-people, it seems--

( Wrong? Selfish? It reminds him of the things that Break and Phasar might do. ) Like home. I d-don't want t-to, uh, to g-get on the wrong track.

( Said more carefully, less fire turned inward on himself. )