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[ While Eames is in the kitchen, he relaxes.
He keeps an ear out for a change in the actions, but the background noise of Eames puttering around puts his nerves at ease a bit. Without the forger so close, he can clear his head, focus on all the things they'll need to accomplish in this next week. First, he pulls his computer bag closer, fishing out the slim laptop and propping it on his knees. It doesn't take him that long to pull up a photo of his hockey days from an archived site. He sticks it in a folder on the desktop, carefully encrypts it out of habit.
Looking up, he scans the photos around again, eventually sliding the computer off his lap and setting it on the side table. Arthur pulls one of the frames down from a section of bookshelf, tilting it so the light doesn't obscure the image in a glare. It's the two of them, from a job a while ago. Before Mal killed herself—in fact, he's pretty sure that's who had taken it. She'd been their chemist on site, a rarity, and had this quirk of attempting to take his picture whenever she could.
A small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth from the memory. They both look so much younger; part of that is due to him laughing openly. Eames is leaning in close, head tilted up and a smirk written all over his face. He remembers he'd been imitating the mark's particular cadence, telling dirty jokes in a put upon flat voice. Slowly, he sets it back on the shelf, turning to look at Eames as he's set the tray on the table. ]
I can't believe you still had a copy of this.
[ The photo, obviously.
Arthur walks back over, picks up his cup from the tray, and tries not to stand too close or too far from the other man. Even though it's tempting, so tempting, to step closer and breathe in the subtle cologne he sometimes favors. ]
He keeps an ear out for a change in the actions, but the background noise of Eames puttering around puts his nerves at ease a bit. Without the forger so close, he can clear his head, focus on all the things they'll need to accomplish in this next week. First, he pulls his computer bag closer, fishing out the slim laptop and propping it on his knees. It doesn't take him that long to pull up a photo of his hockey days from an archived site. He sticks it in a folder on the desktop, carefully encrypts it out of habit.
Looking up, he scans the photos around again, eventually sliding the computer off his lap and setting it on the side table. Arthur pulls one of the frames down from a section of bookshelf, tilting it so the light doesn't obscure the image in a glare. It's the two of them, from a job a while ago. Before Mal killed herself—in fact, he's pretty sure that's who had taken it. She'd been their chemist on site, a rarity, and had this quirk of attempting to take his picture whenever she could.
A small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth from the memory. They both look so much younger; part of that is due to him laughing openly. Eames is leaning in close, head tilted up and a smirk written all over his face. He remembers he'd been imitating the mark's particular cadence, telling dirty jokes in a put upon flat voice. Slowly, he sets it back on the shelf, turning to look at Eames as he's set the tray on the table. ]
I can't believe you still had a copy of this.
[ The photo, obviously.
Arthur walks back over, picks up his cup from the tray, and tries not to stand too close or too far from the other man. Even though it's tempting, so tempting, to step closer and breathe in the subtle cologne he sometimes favors. ]
[Eames comes out of his own desperation long enough to glance at the picture, and he smiles softly, picking up his own teacup.]
Of course I do. Remember that mark? What was his name... Something with a B?
[He steps closer to Arthur than Arthur had intended, smiling down at the photo.]
Christ, we look young. [He looks up at Arthur, grinning, immediately going to exactly that voice he'd used way back then.] What's the difference between me and eggs? Eggs get laid.
Of course I do. Remember that mark? What was his name... Something with a B?
[He steps closer to Arthur than Arthur had intended, smiling down at the photo.]
Christ, we look young. [He looks up at Arthur, grinning, immediately going to exactly that voice he'd used way back then.] What's the difference between me and eggs? Eggs get laid.
[ Something with a B, he asks, as though Arthur would need prompting to remember. It's still there, filled away in his head. ]
Berendorf. He was cheating on his wife.
[ That wasn't what they'd gone to find out, but it'd been uncovered in the process. Arthur ended up tracking all the purchases he made to a very demanding mistress.
He's distracted from recalling the rest, because Eames is suddenly adopting the voice, the dumb joke coming out easily. There's also the matter of him being so close, that smell of his cologne messing all of his senses up at once. No doubt he's blushing, he can feel it crawling up his face and warming his ears. ]
But you're both cracked. [ His jab has no heat, amusement coloring it too much. ]
We were young. That was maybe, what, a year after the military? I was practically a kid to all of you.
Berendorf. He was cheating on his wife.
[ That wasn't what they'd gone to find out, but it'd been uncovered in the process. Arthur ended up tracking all the purchases he made to a very demanding mistress.
He's distracted from recalling the rest, because Eames is suddenly adopting the voice, the dumb joke coming out easily. There's also the matter of him being so close, that smell of his cologne messing all of his senses up at once. No doubt he's blushing, he can feel it crawling up his face and warming his ears. ]
But you're both cracked. [ His jab has no heat, amusement coloring it too much. ]
We were young. That was maybe, what, a year after the military? I was practically a kid to all of you.
[Of course Arthur can produce the name from that brilliant mind of his. His memory is incredible.
It's so nice to see Arthur amused and smiling. He's just... beautiful, and Eames wants more. He outright laughs at Arthur's addition to the joke before listening again, glad they can still do this.
And then he says that, and Eames blurts -] What? God, no. I mean, you were fucking young, but...
[He fades off, feeling embarrassed now.] I mean, I've always thought of you like an equal.
[It's probably the best compliment he's ever given Arthur, so, to soften it, he adds -] Equally as much of a pain in the arse.
It's so nice to see Arthur amused and smiling. He's just... beautiful, and Eames wants more. He outright laughs at Arthur's addition to the joke before listening again, glad they can still do this.
And then he says that, and Eames blurts -] What? God, no. I mean, you were fucking young, but...
[He fades off, feeling embarrassed now.] I mean, I've always thought of you like an equal.
[It's probably the best compliment he's ever given Arthur, so, to soften it, he adds -] Equally as much of a pain in the arse.
Was the last job not trial enough?
[ There it is--Yusuf is officially back to being comfortable with Arthur, because he's finally made a joke. It's a sarcastic quip and technically not a joke despite his slight grin, but he figures sarcastic quips are pretty much all the rage in that little dream team.
He'd be hurt, honestly, if he didn't understand--his compound and his skills were essential to the team, even if his driving lead something to be desired. Can't win them all. ]
[ There it is--Yusuf is officially back to being comfortable with Arthur, because he's finally made a joke. It's a sarcastic quip and technically not a joke despite his slight grin, but he figures sarcastic quips are pretty much all the rage in that little dream team.
He'd be hurt, honestly, if he didn't understand--his compound and his skills were essential to the team, even if his driving lead something to be desired. Can't win them all. ]
[ His spelling is correct for once, so either he's playing it serious or he wants something. ]
Do I need to send some kind of evac? Or is this a social call?
Do I need to send some kind of evac? Or is this a social call?
Let me guess, he tacked on another zero at the end of your pay and it seemed like a good idea at the time.
[ God, he can't stand Barlow. ]
[ God, he can't stand Barlow. ]
So you're saying I might need to send an evac team, just for. Different reasons.
I guess more to the point: why am I the person you text when you're bored?
I guess more to the point: why am I the person you text when you're bored?
you make things interesting.
( DON'T ASK HIM THAT. )
you might come across as an uptight, rule-following, stick-in-the-arse bore, arthur. but i know better.
you're the only one in this game i trust. so i know if i tell you that barlow is fucking shit, i'm not going to get stabbed in the back.
( DON'T ASK HIM THAT. )
you might come across as an uptight, rule-following, stick-in-the-arse bore, arthur. but i know better.
you're the only one in this game i trust. so i know if i tell you that barlow is fucking shit, i'm not going to get stabbed in the back.
You know, I don't think I've ever had so many backhanded compliments at once before.
Also Barlow is shit, thanks for the secondary reminder.
[ There's a lot here he doesn't want to unpack so he deflects. Most of all, the fact that Eames trusts him to this extent; it's flattering (professionally) and horrifying (personally) at the same time. Trust in their world is hard to come back. And even more difficult to keep. ]
Also Barlow is shit, thanks for the secondary reminder.
[ There's a lot here he doesn't want to unpack so he deflects. Most of all, the fact that Eames trusts him to this extent; it's flattering (professionally) and horrifying (personally) at the same time. Trust in their world is hard to come back. And even more difficult to keep. ]
[ He's making that face. You know the one, Eames. With the raised eyebrows. Surely it can be sensed through the text interface. ]
I still terrify you? That's news.
Flattered, though. What're you doing after this job? If it doesn't drain you of all your life force like those re-deads from Zelda.
I still terrify you? That's news.
Flattered, though. What're you doing after this job? If it doesn't drain you of all your life force like those re-deads from Zelda.
That's a little scary, frankly, that you know.
[ They really do know each other too well at this point. ]
Alright old man, relax. I've got a potential job lined up. Decent pay, interesting work. Not stateside, somewhere in Bermuda, actually. Do you still extract?
[ They really do know each other too well at this point. ]
Alright old man, relax. I've got a potential job lined up. Decent pay, interesting work. Not stateside, somewhere in Bermuda, actually. Do you still extract?
Anything? Dangerous words. Don't make promises you can't keep.
I'll email you the details.
I'll email you the details.
Flatterer.
You sure you wanna have this conversation?
You sure you wanna have this conversation?
Just, you know.
[ It's in the middle of a job, albeit a boring one. It's over text. It's toeing the line of some unspoken thing between them and Arthur doesn't know how ready he is for this.
It's also getting closer and closer to what Mal wanted for the two of them and Arthur is getting tired of the quiet grief he feels thinking about that. He's also tired of himself, for dodging the bullet like some coward. ]
How would you feel about taking more jobs together?
[ Because it's easier to frame this in a business sense than anything else. ]
[ It's in the middle of a job, albeit a boring one. It's over text. It's toeing the line of some unspoken thing between them and Arthur doesn't know how ready he is for this.
It's also getting closer and closer to what Mal wanted for the two of them and Arthur is getting tired of the quiet grief he feels thinking about that. He's also tired of himself, for dodging the bullet like some coward. ]
How would you feel about taking more jobs together?
[ Because it's easier to frame this in a business sense than anything else. ]
[ Yusuf makes the quip and Arthur has to laugh, because really. It's just the truth of the matter.
Inception had changed all of them. Not just from the difficulty of the task itself, which was honestly momentous in their little world. He knows he'll be hearing rumors through the grapevine that it'd been accomplished. Eventually, someone will figure out who was on the team. Arthur isn't exactly looking forward to fielding calls about it. ]
It was. Though I'd like to see how we operate without certain members of the team throwing up roadblocks.
[ He's sure it's going to go smoothly. But he's absolutely a man of facts and numbers and concrete proof. Arthur wants to be able to acknowledge it in real time, with his own eyes. ]
Inception had changed all of them. Not just from the difficulty of the task itself, which was honestly momentous in their little world. He knows he'll be hearing rumors through the grapevine that it'd been accomplished. Eventually, someone will figure out who was on the team. Arthur isn't exactly looking forward to fielding calls about it. ]
It was. Though I'd like to see how we operate without certain members of the team throwing up roadblocks.
[ He's sure it's going to go smoothly. But he's absolutely a man of facts and numbers and concrete proof. Arthur wants to be able to acknowledge it in real time, with his own eyes. ]
( He's fairly certain they're going to skirt around the issue for the rest of their lives. Eames isn't a coward, but this - ? Arthur's the one constant in his life that knows as much of him as he's willing to give out. He can't fuck that up, no matter how badly his heart aches.. )
i'd like that. i do my best work with you, might as well make it more of an official arrangement.
( BUT THAT MEANS HE'LL HAVE TO LOOK AT ARTHUR MORE. FUCK. )
i'd like that. i do my best work with you, might as well make it more of an official arrangement.
( BUT THAT MEANS HE'LL HAVE TO LOOK AT ARTHUR MORE. FUCK. )
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