Title: Back To The Start Part 3
Fandom: Inception
Pairing: Arthur/Eames
Rating: T
Genre: Angst, romance
Summary: Eames comes back from the future to save Arthur from an untimely death.
Arthur leans back against the chair. "Jesus."
"Yeah."
"I mean, that's..." Arthur blinked. "I'm sorry."
Eames looked up. "Why?"
"Isn't that what you're supposed to say when someone dies?"
"Well, the someone isn't usually you."
"This is so weird."
"I know. And I hate to spring this all on you at once. But you can't go in tomorrow. You just can't. Do you understand?"
Arthur nodded. "Yeah, of course. Um... shit, I should probably fly back to the US tonight."
"Probably." Eames beckoned the waiter over and paid the check. They left the cafe and Eames stuck out his arm to get a taxi. Arthur grabbed him instead.
"I can walk, it isn't far. Will you come with me?"
Eames nodded and they started off down the street.
"So, how did you get back here?"
"What, you mean how did I travel back in time?"
Arthur shrugged. "It's a valid question."
He laughed. "Yeah, it is. Sorry, I forgot all about that, what with the bomb and all." He smiled. "I had heard about a machine that the army was working on and I broke into a lab to get to it."
"You didn't."
"I did."
Arthur laughed. "You really are insane."
"Yeah, but you love me for it." They stopped in their tracks. Eames' face crumpled and they started walking again, heads down.
"So, um, you got in?"
"Yes." Eames pulled his jacket tighter around him. "It wasn't hard, really, their security was awful. It turned out the machine wasn't perfected yet, but I didn't need it to be."
"So what was wrong with it?"
Eames glanced up at the night sky, barely visible between the bright lights of the city. "Nothing I can't deal with."