artfulforger | Ships Passing: The fallout of falling in to bed

In truth he wanted to do nothing but cling to Arthur but he knew eventually he'd have to take a deep breath and go back out and actually work.

"I don't want to interrupt whatever needs to be done tonight. I'm here to work."

Of course they would need to work. This was supposed to be kept secret anyhow and the only thing they could afford to do was keep bantering as per usual. "Then work it is," he said in agreement.

"Ready to head back out there?"

He shook his head, cupping Arthur's face in his hands. He took a long, deep kiss as if trying to get enough to last him through the day. Sighing as he broke the kiss, he nodded.

"Okay then."

He turned away, heading out first.

Once Eames broke the kiss and left, Arthur found himself standing there for a good few minutes trying to gather himself together again. He licked his lips and smoothed down his shirt before leaving the store room. On his way back to his desk, he grabbed a cup of coffee before taking his seat. He didn't ache nearly as much as he had the day before but still, there was a shift in how he sat from time to time as he continued to do as much research as he could about Fischer Jr., Sr. and Browning. They would all be meeting together once Ariadne got out from class about what they've found, been working on etc. and what the next leg of the job would entail.

By the time Arthur came out, Eames was back at his desk. A folder was open before him and he was studiously taking notes. Occasionally he would raise his head, glancing around though the first and last place his eyes lingered was on Arthur. He wasn’t sure why this time bothered him so much more than the past had, but Eames found himself unsettled.

When Ariadne came in though, he was lighthearted and joking, only his eyes showing the truth as he paused to send a text.

Really want you alone right now.

Every once in a while, Arthur could feel Eames' gaze on him and every once in a while, Arthur would look up to glance over in Eames' direction to see how he was fairing. He didn't allow himself to do so very much, lest anyone notice anything, but still, he did it. He couldn't help but wonder what was going on through the forger's head and what how he was doing.

Once Ariadne came in, Arthur could hear him laughing and joking but Arthur could tell it was merely a front for the younger woman. His eyes glanced over to the flashing red light on his phone and let it sit there for a moment or two before picking it up and reading over the text.

I do too.

He didn't glance over after he sent it though in case one of the others tried to connect any sort of dots.

The advantage of being a forger was that masks were something worn and used, not something feared and certainly not something that took a lot of work. For Eames they were easy to wear, adjusted just right and not showing much of anything to anyone. Except anyone that knew him well. For Eames though, until recently, he had no one like that. No one that kept a close eye on him or cared.

The rest of the day he didn’t glance up at Arthur, though about ten minutes later he sent another text.

Not sure how long I can smile. How much more do you want to do tonight?

Not looking to leave before him, just wanting to know what he had coming and what he should brace himself for.

Arthur thought he knew, and was truly getting to know Eames a lot more than probably anyone else in this warehouse. It was why he knew that this was probably tearing him up more than he probably had anticipated.

Throughout the day, he tried to get as much as he possibly could done so he could leave at a decent time. He was glad he had managed it and didn't have to meet with Cobb or Ariadne or anyone afterward.

He kept his gaze on the screen in front of him as he picked up his phone a few minutes later and turned it on to quickly read over the text.

I just need to finish up an email and then I planned on heading out. Doing ok?

Eames considered that, moving to get something out of a box after reading the text as if it didn't matter. If they kept this up, eventually, someone was going to figure it out but until then, he would keep working through it all. He enjoyed having Arthur right there, not just at the edge of his vision but his thoughts in text as well.

Go on when you're ready and leave, then just send me the address. I'll meet you there."

He read over the text before pocketing the phone and stood. He didn't plan to work after he got home but he packed up his things as though he was planning on it and made his final way around the warehouse to see how Ariadne was fairing, how Cobb was doing and how Yusuf's compounds were coming along. Normally, even before now, he didn't always stop at Eames' desk to see how his work was coming along.

Even before they slept together and before their relationship changed, he trusted the forger to get what he needed to get done, done. Still, he looked over at the forger as he placed the strap of his laptop bag over his shoulder and said, "I trust your work is coming along, Mr. Eames?" He just couldn't not say something to him, even if he was planning on seeing him in a matter of minutes/hours.

Despite himself, Eames knew one thing that he had to focus on. He was a day behind on his work and needed to not waste another when he was there and ready to work just staring at blank pages. He made notes, focused on the timetables he had and the gaps he needed to fill. He would start doing some more observations the next day, though he worked it out he could push it back another day depending on how he felt by morning. He’d let the evening go as it would and see where he was by morning.

He’d actually allowed himself to become caught up in his work, not realizing that Arthur was standing there until he spoke. His head snapped up, and then he smiled slightly, nodding. “Despite my missing day, I’m back on schedule,” he said, knowing Arthur would forgive him and not willing to allow himself to fall behind either. “Do enjoy your evening doing the same thing you do all day,” he said cheerfully.

Arthur of course would forgive him. Even if he hadn't known the reason he missed a day, he would have forgiven him. Eames didn't become the best by not doing his homework and getting his shit done - he was the best because he did all of that and he was brilliant.

"And you as well, Mr. Eames," he said simply before leaving the warehouse. It was the first time he could say that he left before the majority of them but at this point, didn't bother him. As he had revealed earlier in the meeting, he was on schedule and had given everyone what he knew about the main key players of this job.

Once he returned home (with something from a near by cafe for them to eat) and settled in, he sent Eames a text message with the address and said food was waiting if he was hungry. He wasn't sure how the night would go but honestly, he had just wanted to be alone with Eames. It didn't matter what they did or didn't do.

He nodded as Arthur left, going back to his work. Even when he got the text, he didn't immediately pack up. Instead he kept working, waiting for Cobb and Ariadne to go. Normally he wouldn't have noticed but that day they seemed to be taking forever.

Once they had left though, he shoved stuff into a leather attache and bolted for the door.

Calling a cab, he wasted no time getting to Arthur's place and tapping at the door. He desperately wanted to be near him, be with him, just try and forget the day before.

By the time Eames got to his place, Arthur had changed into sweat pants and a t-shirt. It was far more casual than Eames had probably ever seen him in and the gel that usually kept his hair slicked back was no where in sight. He checked the peephole before opening up the door and allowing the forger to enter. "Hey," he said with a smile. There might have been a few work folders on the coffee table that he had gotten out after showering.

God, he had wanted Eames alone since that morning when they were in the storeroom.

Edited 2012-06-13 18:11 (UTC)

“Hey your…” He paused, looking Arthur over slowly, taking in the sweats, the fall of his hair. Despite how upset he’d been, he couldn’t help but smile. “If I cling to you more often will you dress like this,” he asked, arching a brow.
Smiling as he leaned in, brushing a kiss to the corner of Arthur’s mouth before he moved to sit on the sofa. “I still feel like an arse not contacting you sooner. I lured him out of Paris and by the time everything was taken care of, it was so late.”

And he was coping with killing someone with his bare hands when he was responsible for his own predicament. He had incurred the debt.

“Arthur. I want you to know… I know I incurred the debt. I paid it back though. I thought that was it but they weren’t backing down. I wouldn’t risk this team though. I swear.”

Arthur shut the door and locked it behind him once Eames entered, biting out a laugh. "Believe it or not, I don't typically dress in a suit when I'm laying about," his lips curled up in amusement. He watched as Eames made his way over to the sofa and sat down. It took him a moment but Arthur felt like it was just right to have Eames here and on his sofa.

"Let's be honest here, you know had I been in your shoes, I would have done the same thing and not returned until I knew it was safe," he said, honestly as he made his way over to the sofa. "So don't feel like an ass." He sat down and took Eames' hand in his and giving it a squeeze.

"I actually never suspected that you just lay about," he teased, trying his damndest to sound like himself. It wasn't the easiest thing he'd ever done but he was more than willing to try.

Sprawling out, watching Arthur with more fondness than he was aware of as he settled in there.

"I made the bets," he said as if that would instantly shift all the blame to him. "I shouldn't have taken the chance with an unknown," he said, moving to curl his fingers around Arthur's. "Like I said though. No one will come looking and no one had a clue to come here, or to any of you."

Despite himself, Arthur chuckled. "Normally, I don't have time to lay about but there are the times that I do and I don't do it in suits," he smirked. The teasing and the joking sounded forced even to Arthur's ears but he'd give the forger credit, he was trying.

"It isn't the first time you've made bets though," he said and glance down at their interlocked fingers. "Is it? You usually know what you're getting yourself into with shit like that. Did you pay off your debt?" From how Eames made it sound, he had and in that case, the fault rested with the dead bodies not Eames.

He sighed, sitting back and looking at their hands, their joined fingers. "Yeah, I paid it. And no, not the first time. Just the wrong type of men. That's what screwed me over. I paid and then they started spreading shit that I hadn't paid and they'd have my arse if I didn't. Problem is then, others won't help because they think you're a deadbeat."

Even as he spoke, anger riled up in his tones, rumbling through him. "So they screwed me into a corner thinking they could get me to work for them. Except this job came along." Which explained why he leapt at coming along.

Arthur shook his head, feeling his irritation starting to rise toward them. "Anyone worth their shit wouldn't think that you're a deadbeat." Sure, after Mal died, Eames had gone off to Mombasa to hide away from the world but Arthur knew, fucking Cobb knew and many others in the business knew that Eames was exceptionally good at what he did and knew how to get the job done. But that didn't always count in places that Eames liked to spend his time -- especially after Mal.

Sure, the man liked to place bets and gamble but Arthur always figured that was part of what made Eames, Eames. "It was stupid to place bets with that type of man," he wasn't going to sugar coat that part no matter what they may be doing behind closed doors. "But they were idiots if they thought you, or we were going to take that laying down. You did what you had to do," he said, finally and looked at him. "I might have had to kick your ass if you had lead them to us." But he hadn't and that was the most important thing.

A part of Arthur said that Eames could have called him but until this job, they hadn't exactly been on speaking terms. He moved in closer to the forger and tightened his hand around Eames' very capable hand.

None of them had handled it well. Eames worse than others. He had bolted even before the funeral, not knowing until nearly a year later that Arthur had left with Cobb. He'd always resented that and yet blamed himself at the same time. He'd made his choices and he had to live with them. And he had, miserable and drunk for a long time but it hadn't done much for him.

"Yeah well... I've avoided a lot of the things I used to do since her death," he admitted in a soft voice. "So they thought maybe I went soft. I know others thought it." He frowned, darkly and looked away. "I wouldn't risk any of you," he muttered.

"I know you wouldn't have," Arthur said. He debated for a moment what he could do before he released Eames' hand and slipped onto his lap. He used a hand to tilt Eames' face back to his and gave him a small smile. "You're not like that," he paused. "Well, if it were any other job, maybe with Cobb you would have. But no, you wouldn't risk us."

He never considered Eames as soft. He always figured there was something going on underneath all the layers.

He hadn't thought of it but he wanted that, sliding his arms around Arthur and pulling him close with a hand splaying over the small of his back. Staring up into his eyes, nodding though he barely smiled.

He did chuckle though.

"Naw, he has the kids. Without them though... who knows." He sighed, shaking his head. "I don't like killing, Arthur."

Arthur had wanted it too. It felt more -- intimate in some way and safe even to be on Eames' lap. It was something that he was starting to realize that he liked, a lot. He moved in closer and rest his forehead against Eames'. "I know," he said, voice soft. "I don't like it either." He slid his hand along Eames' neck and brushed over his pulse with his thumb.

He sighed, closing his eyes. "I know people think I do, and I know I've been good at it but... dammit! I haven't killed anyone since before she died," he admitted, realizing how much else he was confessing too. It made him realize just how much he trusted Arthur that he wasn't keeping this from him, that he wanted the other man to know his past.

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*pets Eames* The poor boy has more to lose this time than in the past. :D

Adoring them so much though

Me too!

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pets Eames The poor boy has more to lose this time than in the past. :D