(Untitled)

[lakoffselephant]

After the team had parted ways at LAX, Arthur had decided that it was time for a break. A break from working, from dreaming, and from running around the world picking up after his (so called) friend. He simply took another flight back home, to upstate New York near the place where he'd grown up in order to find some peace of mind. There was very

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[forgerart]

There were few things Eames cared enough about to investigate. The lack of concern over much of what went on after the Fischer job left him to his own devices for a while. The pay had been worth it; it left him without having to worry about the next job for quite a long time, but there was always that itch he had to scratch.

So it was that he found himself back in the game, doing a few jobs here and there, and it wasn't until the 5th one, just as he was explaining the kick, that a vivid image of Arthur came to mind. Image turned into memory, memory turned into curiosity, curiosity turned into investigation.

There were few things Eames cared enough about to investigate: Arthur was one of them.

Some months later, he found himself in the dull town of Saratoga Springs, walking up to the gate of quaint looking townhouse. His eyes widened considerably when he looked at the figure on the porch. "Boring as ever, Arthur." he called out.

[lakoffselephant]

Arthur was only a few pages into his newest literary endeavor when he heard a familiar voice calling outfor his attention. But being obstinate and stubborn as always, he finished reading the paragraph he was on before resting the open book upside down on his thigh.

"Did you come all this way to insult me?" He sat back in his deck chair, just looking down at the forger from his porch. "You can come in, the gate doesn't lock," he added after a moment of shared silence.

While he knew it was only a matter of time before someone from the business contacted him - Cobb knew where he liked to retreat when going off grid, it wouldn't be too hard for him to track Arthur down - he was faintly surprised that it was Eames who had bothered to find him. It was usually Arthur keeping tabs on his favored coworkers, people usually found Eames if they wanted to work with him. Even though he was surprised, Arthur wasn't put off and he gestured to the second chair that he never sat in, acting the slightest bit hospitable.

[forgerart]

Eames wasn't surprised that Arthur didn't acknowledge him right away, he smiled, even; he was glad to know some things didn't change after all. He was patient, to a point, and so he didn't mind to be kept waiting those few seconds until the other man set the book down.

"Now why would I do a thing like that?" he chuckled hoarsely, letting himself in past the gate when given the instruction. He let it close behind him, sporting a goofy grin as he walked up the steps to the porch. Silently, Eames took the offered seat, legs set apart, his arms resting on top of them as he slouched forward with his head turned towards Arthur.

"Haven't heard from Cobb, have you?" he asked, lifting a hand to run it through his styled hair. "Nevermind that. Is it strange that I'm here? It feels quite out of place, but I remembered you. I can't really understand why you'd stop doing what we do." he purposely kept the present tense.

[lakoffselephant]

"I dont know why you do anything you do, to be quite honest." His eyes were trained on every movement that Eames made, not suspicious in the least, but he was innately curious. It has been months since he's seen Eames, and maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that he had found him tucked away in this quaint place. When the other man sat down, he tucked his bare feet closer to the legs of his chair his shoes already pushed beneath it

[forgerart]

It was amusing to Eames how at home Arthur seemed to be in this place. Methodical, sharp, patronizing Arthur, barefoot and content in this lukewarm home. He couldn't imagine himself in a place like this. Well, that was a lie. He could imagine anything his mind allowed, maybe more, but he wasn't the kind to imagine himself in a place like this. Perhaps that's why Arthur chose it. After all, wouldn't the logical thing be to get as far away from the exaggerated lives they chose for themselves?

"You're right. You seem to be doing well." Eames said honestly, chancing another glance at Arthur as if he were still trying to sink the idea of this man doing anything other than arranging dream space. "I wanted to see what you were doing." Honest again.

Eames let out a small laugh. "Really. You'd give that up to be like this, a near recluse?" His brow furrowed. "I suppose offering you one more job with me would be out of the question?" It couldn't hurt to ask. Not unless Arthur had a gun under that table, too.

[lakoffselephant]

Funny thing was, Arthur wasn't much different at home than he was at work, it was just a matter of posture and clothing change that likely had Eames looking at him like he'd gone around the bend. Inside, his place was immaculately kept, bookshelves and cabinets meticulously organized. But there was no way he was going to be wearing sweaters, waist coats, or long sleeved shirts in this humidity. And Arthur has always hated wearing shoes but it wasn't something he actively advertized

[forgerart]

Cracking a joke was the way Eames could feel less put off by this strange encounter. Seeing Arthur like this, in daily real life was unnerving for reasons he couldn't pinpoint or make sense of yet. It was natural, carefree environment, maybe just a fraction enticing.

"Mm." he murmured, glancing out ahead of him to admire the view for a few seconds before he was looking at the dark-haired man again. "Knew it since we were done with Fischer. Something was... off." Eames wasn't sure how to explain. He leaned against the backrest of the seat, getting more comfortable.

There was another quiet laugh, by no means condescending. "Of course you don't have to, darling. But will you hear me out?" he proposed, both hands coming together, fingers interlocking carefully as he glanced at the other. "Or maybe you could offer me some coffee first. You're a terrible host."

[lakoffselephant]

He was holding Eames' gaze until he mentioned the Fischer job - and he knew that was essentially giving the forger far more information than he meant to, but he still felt ashamed of his performance during that fiasco. "It was the culmination of a long time spent on Dom's heels," he said in lieu of a real response.

Staring down at the empty mug in his hand for a long moment, he looked back at Eames when he laughed again. "I'm listening," though he wasn't sitting anymore. Arthur stood up, abandoning his shoes and vaguely gesturing for the other man to follow him inside. "I was going to offer, but you're always one step ahead of me, somehow."

And that may have been a compliment, but it was disguised with an almost childish eye roll. Though, Arthur did hold the screen door open behind him in a minor gesture of hospitality. "Part of me thinks that you just want to snoop through the place," he mused, though by no means wary of what Eames may find. He was actually welcoming the other man into his home.

[forgerart]

Arthur's response was easy, to the point, and Eames quickly understood. He thought it was almost parasitic, that relationship; Arthur working with and taking care of Cobb at the same time. It was enough to drive a person crazy. Enough to drive them to Saratoga Springs.

"I know." Eames replied, his gaze following Arthur's form as the other man stood up. He lingered in his seat, but after quickly dusting off invisible lint from the front of his pants, he took notice of the gesture and joined Arthur. For as backhanded the next statement was, Eames took it for all it was worth. After all, there had been too much time since he'd received one of Arthur's patronizingly subtle compliments.

Heading inside, Eames took a moment to glance back at Arthur, silently confirming the permission granted to enter what may as well have been a breach of intimacy. It was allowed in dreams, but in real life, tangible and open?

"Will you be giving me the full tour?" he asked, a cheeky grin on his face.

[lakoffselephant]

The stress of playing care taker to an increasingly insane Dom had gotten to Arthur, if the whole misstep of not figuring out that Fischer was militarized was any indication. He earned the right to turn tail and retreat into solidarity. But he didn't precisely need Eames to know that he was still licking that particular wound

[forgerart]

The tour ended up not being a tour at all, and Eames chuckled low at this, feeling like he'd barely moved at all. "You like being closed off in real life than in a dream, huh?" he touched the smooth texture of one of the walls, leaning against it momentarily.

After the Fischer job, Eames stopped working shortly, trying to lead some average sort of life until he found he couldn't give up what he did so easily. If at all. He wondered how Arthur had accomplished this level of normalcy.

Joining Arthur in the kitchen, Eames took a seat on one of the chairs of the small dining table, gradually feeling more at ease in this homey setting. He watched the precision of movements it took to make a batch of coffee, momentarily intrigued by it until Arthur spoke.

"Interested, are you?" he held a smug grin, but he didn't want to goad Arthur too much. "It's nothing like the Fischer job. Going back to what we know, you and I."

[lakoffselephant]

He turned and leaned a hip against the counter, watching Eames with a placid expression on his face. As weird as it should have been to see Eames in his personal space - the place he'd retreated to in order to get away from dream sharing and everything he associated with Eames - it wasn't even mildly disconcerting to see him settle in at his kitchen table

[forgerart]

Eames met Arthur's eyes for a moment, giving him a brief, knowing smile that faded the moment the other man spoke again. "I know you are." He laughed, as if he'd been told a great retort. He still didn't understand that; Arthur's impatience yet he never broke down when he reached the limit. Eames couldn't say the same for himself, he'd likely act childish when his patience was tested. "Two person, if you join

I apologize for the lateness, had an unexpected amount of traveling to do.

[lakoffselephant]

It took quite a lot to get Arthur to truly lose his cool - yes, he was impatient, but he knew how to keep cordial if a bit icy in the face of something truly frustrating. Arthur knew what he wanted and how to get it, most of the time, at any rate and that included keeping his cool when pushed and being rational. Eames' laughter gets a vague smile from him, as of he knew why the man was laughing even if he was mildly bemused. "Just the two of us, then

it's alright! thanks for letting me know

[forgerart]

Truthfully, the job was secondary as to his intentions for being here. However, he wasn't sure what the first intention was at all. He'd found Arthur; now what? He couldn't expect the other man to drop what he'd built for himself here. Eames was greedy, of course, but Arthur was a tough one to crack. Still, it couldn't hurt to run the offer by him, thinking luck might strike in his favor

:)

[lakoffselephant]

Eames didn't need to compliment him aloud for Arthur to get the compliment - he may not be as adept at reading people's expressions and body language as the forger was, but he's seen that expression on Eames' face before. He smiled enough for a dimple to appear in his left cheek as he set about reheating the stew on the stove top, pulling out a pot and dish to put it in afterwards. Arthur was mostly quiet while he worked. But he couldn't resist teasing Eames with a quick, "Yes isn't an answer to an either or question, but alright