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Meals with the crew can always be interesting. Especially when you choose to sit next to Ayame. "Psst, Prince you down for a little bit of fun?" Ayame whispers to Atlas. The dining room is only half full with June and Damon chatting idly as they stand by the counter and serve themselves.
"Of course, who do you take me for?" Atlas chuckles, turning conspiratorially towards Ayame.
Ayame smirks and pulls a hard boiled egg from her plate and starts peeling it. “Okay. So, when he is alone,” she starts gesturing at Damon, “you are going to throw these at him,” she says as she hands Atlas her eggshell leftovers.
“Why in the godly good world would I do that?” Atlas asks, looking at Ayame like she grew a second head.
“Because it will be fun!” she says, a wild look in her eyes. “Oh! Perfect!” she whispers as June takes his plate of food and heads out. “Hey, Damon! You wanna join us?”
Damon looks over his shoulder, eyebrow quirked, before shrugging idly as he slides some food to his plate. “Sure, why not?” He slips his free hand into his pocket as he waltzes over with his food.
Some idle chatter is held as the three of them eat, Atlas stealthily shoots Ayame a few questioning looks, trying to sus out when she plans for the prank to go through. She always gives a look back that says 'not yet.'
“What are you two planning?” Damon asks at one point, leaning back in his chair as though showing off just how relaxed he is. Despite asking the both of them, Damon directs his look at Ayame.
“I- wha--” Ayame puts on a good show of over exaggerating her offence. “I would never!!” She gestures wildly a few times before pointing at Damon accusingly. “You are a bad man. You don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“Oh, am I now?” Damon asks, leaning his head back so that he is looking down at Ayame.
“You are; in fact,” Ayame stands dramatically, turning to Atlas and winking subtly. “I am leaving. I can’t do anything if I ain’t here.”
“Oh, I’m sure you’d find out something,” Damon says proudly as he picks a bit at his food. Atlas has pretty much finished all of his own food by this point, and Ayame grabs his plate as she leaves. Plopping it into the sink with flourish.
“You are a shit,” she says as she walks out. She sells faux-anger well.
Damon chuckles as he finishes up his food, before standing to clear his table. “So, she’d try to rope you into one of her pranks?” he asks conversationally, gesturing at Atlas with his glass.
“Something like that,” Atlas admits with his own huff of a laugh. “Do you ever partake in her pranks?” he asks Damon.
Damon shrugs, “Sometimes. When they target Cal,” Damon says with humor. He slides his own dish into the sink with grumble, “Does she ever do the dishes?”
Knowing that his window of opportunity is shortening and that he’s still holding the eggshells in his hand, Atlas shifts out of his seat and to the edge of the table for a quick escape. What’s the worst that could happen?
Atlas throws the eggshells at Damon, aiming for the back of his head, but hits his arm instead. Immediately Atlas comes up with the alibi that he was aiming for the trash.
Of course, before Atlas has the chance to say anything, Damon turns and is on him in a second. Damon pushes Atlas down against the table, a fierce look coloring his features, before leaning in close. “Never do that again,” Damon says quietly once he and Atlas still.
Atlas takes in the moment. Damon is so very close. With his hands on his hip and just behind his head, Atlas doesn’t know whether he should laugh or whimper.
“I,, uhh, I was aiming for the trash,” Atlas says, and when Damon obviously doesn’t take the bait, Atlas begins to giggle as a thought comes to mind. “So, I guess I hit it square on.”
“You little--” Damon says, gripping Atlas’s hip tightly and glaring down at him. “You, Little Prince, are in over your head.” Holding the position for a moment longer, Damon finally relents before pulling back.
“What, no disembowelment?” Atlas asks, thinking himself hilarious.
“Not today. I know Aya put you up to this, yet watch your back. Game’s on, sweetheart.”