Fic + Photograph: Signified
Title: Signified
Author / Photographer: duckgirlie and ilovetakahana
Rating: PG
Team: Romance
Prompt: Ring
Word Count: approx. 1300
Summary: Arthur and Eames get married on a Saturday.
Arthur gets married on a Saturday.
He wears his ring all that day, and Sunday as well, before he takes it off after his shower on Monday morning. He hesitates for a split-second after he's slipped it off, but it hasn't been on long enough for that to feel strange, and he slips it into the inside pocket of his suit jacket.
That night, he slides it back on once he's in the door, flexing his fingers against the still unfamiliar weight.
*****
Eames gets married on a Saturday.
He wears his ring all that day, and Sunday as well, and doesn't even consider taking it off before he leaves on Monday.
But then, Eames has always worn rings, all different rings, and they don't work with the same people often enough for anyone to notice. That, and his ring doesn't say 'wedding' enough to raise eyebrows.
Not that Eames cares. But Arthur does.
*****
After a week, Arthur starts leaving his ring on until just before he leaves the apartment.
Because he likes the feel of it on his finger. Because he doesn't like the look on Eames's face when he takes it off.
He tries to explain. That it's not about us, it's about them.
But he's not sure if it works.
*****
Eames doesn't care if people know.
But then, Eames spends most of his time tricking people into making the wrong assumptions, so maybe those people just don't believe anything about him anymore.
He likes being married though - likes being married to Arthur, and even though he's sure - he knows - that Arthur must have a good reason for not wearing his ring where anyone but them can see it, still...
*****
The first time Arthur wears his ring outside the apartment, it's a Wednesday.
Eames had to leave that morning - he owes a favour to someone who won't wait any longer - and Arthur is alone in their house for the first time since they got married.
He goes out to buy milk and doesn't even notice he's still wearing it.
The cashier at the tiny shop is the same girl as always, and she chats away happily as she rings him up. When he hands over his card, she smiles and says “congratulations”.
“Sorry?”
She points at his hand. “You got married, right?”
Arthur looks down at his hand, blinking. “Oh. Yeah.”
There's a tiny curl of warmth in his stomach when he says it.
“I'm getting married in March.” She flashes him her own ring before handing him back his change.
“Good luck.”
*****
Arthur picks Eames up from the airport.
And Eames is a professional noticer-of-things, so it doesn't take him long to pick up on the fact that Arthur's ring is in place.
He smiles with a slightly questioning eyebrow, and Arthur blushes.
“Don't get too used to it.”
“"Wouldn't dream of it, darling.”
*****
Arthur still doesn't wear his ring at work.
Here's the thing. There are lots of stories about Arthur.
Most of them are good - he really is the best at what he does - but not all of them.
There are stories about him and Cobb, stories that are not true, but when you work all your jobs with the same person, people start to come up with there own reasons.
So there are stories about how the only reason Arthur has a reputation at all is down to Cobb, and that if he'd never worked with him, he'd be nothing.
(There are other stories about him and Cobb, but they're even less true, and Arthur refuses to even think about them.)
There are stories about him and Eames.
Stories that say a lot of different things, but Arthur doesn't want any stories at all - no stories except the ones that say “they're the best.”
But dreams have a high burn-out rate, and all the newcomers are people who think they know the whole world inside out, and the stories that get passed along turn themselves into gossip, turn themselves into “truth”.
And Arthur has spent too long in this business working against his youth and redressing his ties to Cobb to let himself be swept away in someone else's reputation, and Eames is flashier - forgers always are - and people who haven't heard of Arthur have always heard of him.
Arthur loves Eames - he does - but he can't let himself become just “Eames's husband.”
He explains this to Eames one night in bed, his hands making tiny gestures against the sheets, his eyes constantly flicking from Eames's to the ceiling.
Eames understands, after a fashion.
“But forgive me my tiny reptile brain, darling. The one that sees other people looking at you like they can have you, the brain that wants to fasten us together so they'll know it's hopeless.”
“It's not everyone. Just the people we work with.”
“They're the worst of all.”
(Eames is mainly glad he doesn't try and use the 'emotional connections are leverage' line, because like there's anyone in the world who could take Arthur away from him.)
*****
Eames gets it. He does. But he wishes it wasn't like that. And if he always tries to draw out that last moment before the ring comes off as long as possible then well....
Who can blame him?
*****
There's a job. A job that was horrible to begin with, and gets worse, and when it's finally over, Arthur barely waits until they're alone before he folds himself into Eames's arms and just breathes.
“Can we just... go somewhere? Somewhere far away.”
Eames wraps his arms tighter around him, pressing his hand against his left lapel where he can just about feel the ring through the fabric. “Anywhere you want, love.”
In the cab, Arthur slides his ring back onto his finger, and his hand into Eames's.
*****
Eames takes them to the Riviera because it's hard to find somewhere where people are self-involved enough not to pay attention.
Arthur thinks (initially at least) that he brings them there because Monaco is right there, but after three weeks pass without him leaving his sight, he changes his mind.
Instead, they spend their time on the beach, lying in the sun, eating expensive food and absolutely not thinking about the last job, or the next job, or any job.
The real world will call eventually, but until then they have the sunshine, and each other, and Arthur's ring never leaves his finger.
*****
When they finally arrive back in the city it's a Thursday, and a job comes almost immediately.
That morning, they eat breakfast standing up in their kitchen, throwing ideas back and forth as the first tendrils of a plan work through their brains. Right before they leave, Eames squeezes Arthur's elbow.
“Wait here, I've bought you something.”
Out of his suitcase, he pulls a small foil packet and tosses it to Arthur. He catches it easily and turns it over in his hands.
“Fake Tan Wipes? 'For covering up those tan lines'?” Arthur smiles, slightly puzzled. “I'd hope you'd remember that I don't have any.”
Eames smiles back and takes a step forward, raising Arthur's left hand to his lips to kiss his knuckles before sliding off his ring to reveal the strip of bright white skin.
“Just the one.”
Arthur stares down at his hand for a moment, flexing his fingers slightly.
He takes the ring from Eames and slides it back on, then raises Eames's hand to his own lips to return the kiss.
“They'll know.”
“Let them.”
Author / Photographer: duckgirlie and ilovetakahana
Rating: PG
Team: Romance
Prompt: Ring
Word Count: approx. 1300
Summary: Arthur and Eames get married on a Saturday.
Arthur gets married on a Saturday.
He wears his ring all that day, and Sunday as well, before he takes it off after his shower on Monday morning. He hesitates for a split-second after he's slipped it off, but it hasn't been on long enough for that to feel strange, and he slips it into the inside pocket of his suit jacket.
That night, he slides it back on once he's in the door, flexing his fingers against the still unfamiliar weight.
*****
Eames gets married on a Saturday.
He wears his ring all that day, and Sunday as well, and doesn't even consider taking it off before he leaves on Monday.
But then, Eames has always worn rings, all different rings, and they don't work with the same people often enough for anyone to notice. That, and his ring doesn't say 'wedding' enough to raise eyebrows.
Not that Eames cares. But Arthur does.
*****
After a week, Arthur starts leaving his ring on until just before he leaves the apartment.
Because he likes the feel of it on his finger. Because he doesn't like the look on Eames's face when he takes it off.
He tries to explain. That it's not about us, it's about them.
But he's not sure if it works.
*****
Eames doesn't care if people know.
But then, Eames spends most of his time tricking people into making the wrong assumptions, so maybe those people just don't believe anything about him anymore.
He likes being married though - likes being married to Arthur, and even though he's sure - he knows - that Arthur must have a good reason for not wearing his ring where anyone but them can see it, still...
*****
The first time Arthur wears his ring outside the apartment, it's a Wednesday.
Eames had to leave that morning - he owes a favour to someone who won't wait any longer - and Arthur is alone in their house for the first time since they got married.
He goes out to buy milk and doesn't even notice he's still wearing it.
The cashier at the tiny shop is the same girl as always, and she chats away happily as she rings him up. When he hands over his card, she smiles and says “congratulations”.
“Sorry?”
She points at his hand. “You got married, right?”
Arthur looks down at his hand, blinking. “Oh. Yeah.”
There's a tiny curl of warmth in his stomach when he says it.
“I'm getting married in March.” She flashes him her own ring before handing him back his change.
“Good luck.”
*****
Arthur picks Eames up from the airport.
And Eames is a professional noticer-of-things, so it doesn't take him long to pick up on the fact that Arthur's ring is in place.
He smiles with a slightly questioning eyebrow, and Arthur blushes.
“Don't get too used to it.”
“"Wouldn't dream of it, darling.”
*****
Arthur still doesn't wear his ring at work.
Here's the thing. There are lots of stories about Arthur.
Most of them are good - he really is the best at what he does - but not all of them.
There are stories about him and Cobb, stories that are not true, but when you work all your jobs with the same person, people start to come up with there own reasons.
So there are stories about how the only reason Arthur has a reputation at all is down to Cobb, and that if he'd never worked with him, he'd be nothing.
(There are other stories about him and Cobb, but they're even less true, and Arthur refuses to even think about them.)
There are stories about him and Eames.
Stories that say a lot of different things, but Arthur doesn't want any stories at all - no stories except the ones that say “they're the best.”
But dreams have a high burn-out rate, and all the newcomers are people who think they know the whole world inside out, and the stories that get passed along turn themselves into gossip, turn themselves into “truth”.
And Arthur has spent too long in this business working against his youth and redressing his ties to Cobb to let himself be swept away in someone else's reputation, and Eames is flashier - forgers always are - and people who haven't heard of Arthur have always heard of him.
Arthur loves Eames - he does - but he can't let himself become just “Eames's husband.”
He explains this to Eames one night in bed, his hands making tiny gestures against the sheets, his eyes constantly flicking from Eames's to the ceiling.
Eames understands, after a fashion.
“But forgive me my tiny reptile brain, darling. The one that sees other people looking at you like they can have you, the brain that wants to fasten us together so they'll know it's hopeless.”
“It's not everyone. Just the people we work with.”
“They're the worst of all.”
(Eames is mainly glad he doesn't try and use the 'emotional connections are leverage' line, because like there's anyone in the world who could take Arthur away from him.)
*****
Eames gets it. He does. But he wishes it wasn't like that. And if he always tries to draw out that last moment before the ring comes off as long as possible then well....
Who can blame him?
*****
There's a job. A job that was horrible to begin with, and gets worse, and when it's finally over, Arthur barely waits until they're alone before he folds himself into Eames's arms and just breathes.
“Can we just... go somewhere? Somewhere far away.”
Eames wraps his arms tighter around him, pressing his hand against his left lapel where he can just about feel the ring through the fabric. “Anywhere you want, love.”
In the cab, Arthur slides his ring back onto his finger, and his hand into Eames's.
*****
Eames takes them to the Riviera because it's hard to find somewhere where people are self-involved enough not to pay attention.
Arthur thinks (initially at least) that he brings them there because Monaco is right there, but after three weeks pass without him leaving his sight, he changes his mind.
Instead, they spend their time on the beach, lying in the sun, eating expensive food and absolutely not thinking about the last job, or the next job, or any job.
The real world will call eventually, but until then they have the sunshine, and each other, and Arthur's ring never leaves his finger.
*****
When they finally arrive back in the city it's a Thursday, and a job comes almost immediately.
That morning, they eat breakfast standing up in their kitchen, throwing ideas back and forth as the first tendrils of a plan work through their brains. Right before they leave, Eames squeezes Arthur's elbow.
“Wait here, I've bought you something.”
Out of his suitcase, he pulls a small foil packet and tosses it to Arthur. He catches it easily and turns it over in his hands.
“Fake Tan Wipes? 'For covering up those tan lines'?” Arthur smiles, slightly puzzled. “I'd hope you'd remember that I don't have any.”
Eames smiles back and takes a step forward, raising Arthur's left hand to his lips to kiss his knuckles before sliding off his ring to reveal the strip of bright white skin.
“Just the one.”
Arthur stares down at his hand for a moment, flexing his fingers slightly.
He takes the ring from Eames and slides it back on, then raises Eames's hand to his own lips to return the kiss.
“They'll know.”
“Let them.”