INCEPTION: A LA MODE DE CHEZ NOUS.
à la mode de chez nous. living like a french connection (but we ‘ll die in l.a.) inception: arthur/eames. pg. 1,066 words.
MONTREAL -40°C: LISTEN // CALIFORNIA ENGLISH: LISTEN // MYSTERIOUS SKIN: LISTEN
There are a series of clear events that can be traced back and forth that would explain what Arthur is doing at this moment (at this very moment, he is holding a small plastic cow, bite marks around the neck and pulling the syllables of his words like taffy. He is saying slow and deliberate while big brown eyes watch him, vaaaaaacccchhhheeeee, but the mouth that is below the brown eyes can’t seem to repeat) and it starts way back when they are first handed a little boy with no name and suddenly, Arthur is throwing some of the most ridiculous ones out there.
“Guillaume is nice.” Arthur says, skinny finger clutched by fat but oh so tiny ones in an office that has a mahogany desk and that smell just overpowers the room. “And I like Benoit.”
“There is no way I’m letting you name him Guillaume or Benoit,” Eames doesn’t pronounce the words right, he puts too much accent on the wrong letters and the ones that should be paid special attention to are left behind to rot. “The poor child.”
Eames has to convince Arthur out of so many more terrible and very French names (Emmanuel and Etienne and Pascal and Sebastian and Frederick) before they settle on Antoine. Arthur likes it because it sounds French and regal and Eames likes it because Arthur will let him get away with nicknaming the little boy Tony.
-
By the time he is a month old, Arthur is signing him French songs that Eames has no idea how he picked up. Sometimes, Tony claps his hands but mostly he just stares while Arthur goes on about being in the moonlight and needing a pen but sound so pretty as he does so.
Eames will catch himself humming the tune sometimes and he will practice the right pronouncing when Arthur is too busy with Tony to notice and when Arthur is gone he will sing the ridiculous song (Au clair de la lune, mon ami Peirrot, prete moi ta plume, pour ecrire un mot) to Tony and feel a swell of pride.
-
Tony’s first word is (he says it broken and trips over it several times but it is most definitely) pere, and then he places a smooth hand on Arthur’s cheek and Arthur just feels so happy.
-
When Tony is two, Arthur bakes him a cake (which is wonder, itself) and spreads it thick with butter cream frosting. James and Philipa have two pieces each and Tony gets icing in his hair. He is given toys that tell him the names of farm animals and DVD’s with singing flowers that are so good as solving problems and a builder made of clay with tools that speak to him.
The year spreads out long and Arthur collects old Edith Piaf records and plays them frequently. “I just want him to be cultured.” Arthur says one night, stretching a duck bib around Tony’s neck while Tony has a spoon in his mouth.
By now, Tony is speaking and it is harsh mix of French and English and he garnishes each sentence with pretty, pretty words and tough ones and it’s not exactly what Arthur wanted (though he would never admit) but it’s okay and Tony will get better.
-
Tony turns three and there is no party. Tony doesn’t mind, in fact, he doesn’t remember it’s his birthday until before bed, when he’s got his thumb in his mouth and a blanket against his cheek and Arthur hands him a present wrapped in Toy Story paper and him and Eames watch him open it.
Eames buys him a cupcake and a candle three the next day and Tony eats it for breakfast. Eames makes sure Tony knows that this whole cupcake-at-eight-in-the-morning is kept between them two.
-
Tony calls Arthur Papa and Tony calls Eames Daddy. (It’s such a step in the right direction from Arthur being Mom)
-
Tony’s (he prefers to be called Antoine now that he knows enough speech to express his opinions, but Eames still calls him Tony, he can’t quite get the wahn sound to roll of his tongue right) fourth birthday is in September and before they fetch cake batter and invite James and Philipa and make sure that a party happens this year Tony has too start school.
Arthur and Eames have money to spare, so they flip through brochures for good schools that get good reviews and push out doctors and lawyers and scientists (Arthur is quite sure Antoine will want to be a pilot, though, with the way he devours the little silver painted plastic toys and movies and books and shows on the subject). Arthur holds a certain place in his mind for a little green folder for a school that offers French classes and at the end of the day, he slides it across the kitchen table and tells Eames he likes this one, this is his favourite, he really things Antoine will like it and benefit from being here.
Eames agrees and they buy him a green pencil case and red lunch box that all fit nicely inside Batman schoolbag (which Antoine chose himself, after a long time of sifting through a steel bin in a fluorescent lit and rubber smelling store) and Arthur decides, Antoine needs to get some sort of head start over the other kids.
He buys three trays of plastic, little rubber animals fit inside. The first tray is filled with animals from the farm and then the second is filled with things that live in the water and the third is all exotic animals, jungle cats and snakes.
He holds up one at a time in front of Antoine and says the name in French and Antoine is supposed to repeat, which he does for most, the the sh sound is hard for him, so Arthur decides to skip over those on the third try.
Arthur makes him repeat again with no help and he forgets a few (the harder ones, like poison-etoile and castor) but he mostly succeeds.
Eames looks on and offers no words, because Arthur is doing fine. He does, however, suppress a giggle every time Arthur holds up the seal.
-
(Seal in French is Phoque.
Pronounce the same way as that vulgar word Arthur scolds Eames for using at the dinner table.)
-
fin.
MONTREAL -40°C: LISTEN // CALIFORNIA ENGLISH: LISTEN // MYSTERIOUS SKIN: LISTEN
There are a series of clear events that can be traced back and forth that would explain what Arthur is doing at this moment (at this very moment, he is holding a small plastic cow, bite marks around the neck and pulling the syllables of his words like taffy. He is saying slow and deliberate while big brown eyes watch him, vaaaaaacccchhhheeeee, but the mouth that is below the brown eyes can’t seem to repeat) and it starts way back when they are first handed a little boy with no name and suddenly, Arthur is throwing some of the most ridiculous ones out there.
“Guillaume is nice.” Arthur says, skinny finger clutched by fat but oh so tiny ones in an office that has a mahogany desk and that smell just overpowers the room. “And I like Benoit.”
“There is no way I’m letting you name him Guillaume or Benoit,” Eames doesn’t pronounce the words right, he puts too much accent on the wrong letters and the ones that should be paid special attention to are left behind to rot. “The poor child.”
Eames has to convince Arthur out of so many more terrible and very French names (Emmanuel and Etienne and Pascal and Sebastian and Frederick) before they settle on Antoine. Arthur likes it because it sounds French and regal and Eames likes it because Arthur will let him get away with nicknaming the little boy Tony.
-
By the time he is a month old, Arthur is signing him French songs that Eames has no idea how he picked up. Sometimes, Tony claps his hands but mostly he just stares while Arthur goes on about being in the moonlight and needing a pen but sound so pretty as he does so.
Eames will catch himself humming the tune sometimes and he will practice the right pronouncing when Arthur is too busy with Tony to notice and when Arthur is gone he will sing the ridiculous song (Au clair de la lune, mon ami Peirrot, prete moi ta plume, pour ecrire un mot) to Tony and feel a swell of pride.
-
Tony’s first word is (he says it broken and trips over it several times but it is most definitely) pere, and then he places a smooth hand on Arthur’s cheek and Arthur just feels so happy.
-
When Tony is two, Arthur bakes him a cake (which is wonder, itself) and spreads it thick with butter cream frosting. James and Philipa have two pieces each and Tony gets icing in his hair. He is given toys that tell him the names of farm animals and DVD’s with singing flowers that are so good as solving problems and a builder made of clay with tools that speak to him.
The year spreads out long and Arthur collects old Edith Piaf records and plays them frequently. “I just want him to be cultured.” Arthur says one night, stretching a duck bib around Tony’s neck while Tony has a spoon in his mouth.
By now, Tony is speaking and it is harsh mix of French and English and he garnishes each sentence with pretty, pretty words and tough ones and it’s not exactly what Arthur wanted (though he would never admit) but it’s okay and Tony will get better.
-
Tony turns three and there is no party. Tony doesn’t mind, in fact, he doesn’t remember it’s his birthday until before bed, when he’s got his thumb in his mouth and a blanket against his cheek and Arthur hands him a present wrapped in Toy Story paper and him and Eames watch him open it.
Eames buys him a cupcake and a candle three the next day and Tony eats it for breakfast. Eames makes sure Tony knows that this whole cupcake-at-eight-in-the-morning is kept between them two.
-
Tony calls Arthur Papa and Tony calls Eames Daddy. (It’s such a step in the right direction from Arthur being Mom)
-
Tony’s (he prefers to be called Antoine now that he knows enough speech to express his opinions, but Eames still calls him Tony, he can’t quite get the wahn sound to roll of his tongue right) fourth birthday is in September and before they fetch cake batter and invite James and Philipa and make sure that a party happens this year Tony has too start school.
Arthur and Eames have money to spare, so they flip through brochures for good schools that get good reviews and push out doctors and lawyers and scientists (Arthur is quite sure Antoine will want to be a pilot, though, with the way he devours the little silver painted plastic toys and movies and books and shows on the subject). Arthur holds a certain place in his mind for a little green folder for a school that offers French classes and at the end of the day, he slides it across the kitchen table and tells Eames he likes this one, this is his favourite, he really things Antoine will like it and benefit from being here.
Eames agrees and they buy him a green pencil case and red lunch box that all fit nicely inside Batman schoolbag (which Antoine chose himself, after a long time of sifting through a steel bin in a fluorescent lit and rubber smelling store) and Arthur decides, Antoine needs to get some sort of head start over the other kids.
He buys three trays of plastic, little rubber animals fit inside. The first tray is filled with animals from the farm and then the second is filled with things that live in the water and the third is all exotic animals, jungle cats and snakes.
He holds up one at a time in front of Antoine and says the name in French and Antoine is supposed to repeat, which he does for most, the the sh sound is hard for him, so Arthur decides to skip over those on the third try.
Arthur makes him repeat again with no help and he forgets a few (the harder ones, like poison-etoile and castor) but he mostly succeeds.
Eames looks on and offers no words, because Arthur is doing fine. He does, however, suppress a giggle every time Arthur holds up the seal.
-
(Seal in French is Phoque.
Pronounce the same way as that vulgar word Arthur scolds Eames for using at the dinner table.)
-
fin.