Inception fic; Cobb/Mal, Arthur; PG13
A prequel of sorts to a prompt on inception_kink, "Five Things About Arthur That Make Cobb Love Him Even More."
Title: Prequel to Five Things, which is now complete!
Rating: PG13
Warnings: Violence and dream deaths.
Word Count: 1,335
Summary: This is how they meet.
Disclaimer/Author's note: Not mine. And when I was trying to finish this prompt, I think it's obvious that it didn't quite...work out. So instead, prequel! And then I'll work on the last part of it.
***
When Dom met Arthur, he didn't like him. It was probably because when Dom woke up when the time ran out he was no longer slumped in a chair getting a neck crick. He was tied down, unable to move, gagged and glaring at the man in front of him. Dom struggled immediately, not seeing Mal and the gag in his mouth preventing him from being able to call out for her.
"Boss," the man called, eyes not even glancing at Dom. He was a young man, hair slicked back and in perfect order, his suit impeccable and expensive. Dom watched him, and stopped struggling quite so hard when he felt movement behind him. Mal was behind him, Dom guessed; he could smell her perfume and feel her struggling behind him, moving their chairs. "Boss, you should wake up now," the man suggested. Dom guessed he was addressing their target, the man whose secrets they failed to locate. "Evening," he said, sounding amused.
"Arthur, what...who are these people?" Dom listened to the target, Romano, and wondered how they were going to get out of this situation. Mal had stopped struggling, her hands finding his, holding on tightly. He gripped back, not caring that when he twisted it chafed his wrists.
"Extractors, working in liaison with the federal government, if my contact is to be believed," the man called Arthur said, before standing up straight and reaching into his jacket. "Dom and Mal Cobb, working with the FBI and the ATF," Arthur continued, and Dom winced at how right he was. Dom wanted him to shut up. He started struggling again, but stopped when Arthur pulled out a gun. "They are searching for the shipment details, I believe," Arthur suggested.
"They didn't get them," Romano said smugly, and Dom watched Arthur smirk. He wanted to get Mal out, and to punch that smirk off Arthur's face. "You'll take care of them? And then meet Gary at the loading dock, because it should already be here." Dom's eyes widened, and he struggled even harder than before, furious. They'd been given such bad intel that they broke into the bosses' mind while the weapons drop was happening?
"Of course," Arthur said, and he looked amused. This man, Dom thought, is going to shoot my wife and I and he's going to see this as a victory. "Today? Really, sir?" Arthur sounded exasperated, and Romano laughed, walking into Dom's line of sight.
"Why not? The shipment was ready and if it had been any later, they might have gotten the information. Which is why you're going to finish them and then get down to sign for the delivery," Romano answered, and Dom watched him pat Arthur on the shoulder before heading out the door.
Dom glared at Arthur, furious and terrified. Mal was going to die, they both were going to die, and this man, this mob lackey was going to kill them. Dom was going to get Mal killed. Mal was struggling again, horrified whimpers reaching him from behind her gag that were like a punch to his gut. He felt sick.
Suddenly Arthur was in front of him, looking almost sympathetic. "Don't worry, it only hurts a moment," before pressing the gun he held against Dom's forehead. The bullet would enter and leave Dom's skull, he knew, and would travel into Mal's. One bullet for the both of them, unless it was a hollow point.
Dom barely registered the bang of the gun and Mal's stifled scream before he felt nothing.
And then he woke up, in the chair he fell asleep in, disoriented and residually angry. Next to him Mal was already jumping up to check on him, and when he stood, they embraced. Hearing a sudden breath behind them, they pulled apart and turned, Dom reaching for a gun that was no longer there in reality.
The man from the dream was pulling his attachment to the PASIV machine out of his wrist. "Who the fuck are you, and where did you come from?" Dom asked angrily, wondering how he got into their dream. They were supposed to be guarded by the agents they were working for.
The man who interrupted their extraction looked up from where he was checking Romano's pulse. "My name is Arthur," he said, and then pulled the chair with the device on it closer to the bed, setting more time on it for Romano before looping their wires and storing them. "I'm his second in command," Arthur continued, pulling out his cell. "And I'm bringing his organization down."
Dom watched him send a text message, and when they heard the knocks at the door that signaled the federal agents' arrival, Mal asked, "Why did you do this?" Dom watched her look at Arthur with a mixture of pity and wariness.
"He has a brain tumor," Arthur said, stepping closer to them, out of the way of the agents. "He wasn't going to get treatment, and he was going to leave the organization to me." Arthur walked away quickly. Dom watched him go, and wondered how someone like him got involved with the Vegas mafia.
***
They caught him later, after he orchestrated drop and everyone was arrested, and all the weapons were retrieved. He was talking with an agent, getting his report taken peacefully until they tried to relieve him of his weapon. "No, I have a license, and I purchased this one myself. You are not taking it," he said. "I agreed to help you under very specific conditions, and this is not one of them," Arthur was reaching into his pocket again, and Dom was relieved to see the cell phone. "For the lawyer I keep on retainer, cut throat isn't just a metaphor, and even if you do take that as the threat it was intended I can guarantee I won't even be bothered by a trial."
"Hey, hey," Mal said, going over to them. "We're going to borrow him for a moment, no, just a second," and was whisking Arthur away from the agent before anyone could protest, even Dom. "You are going to share dinner with us, Arthur," Mal said, and Dom watched the refusal die on Arthur's lips as he was met with Mal's determination.
Dom maybe liked him a little, after that. Arthur nodded and excused himself to use the restroom, and Mal pushed Dom to follow him, dropping the top into his pocket. Dom stopped in the doorway to watch as Arthur didn't go into a stall. He walked up to the counter and splashed water roughly on his face. When he looked up into the mirror, Dom saw Arthur look a little shocked and wary to see him in the mirror.
"Can I...help you?" Arthur asked, standing up straighter, eyes meeting Dom's in the mirror. Dom watched the man - he looked too young to be the second in command of a mob boss, but he was skilled and strangely intimidating enough for Dom to believe it. Mal had all but decided he was the younger brother she'd never had, though, Dom could tell.
Dom decided he'd trust her. "No, I just, well. Just a little reassurance," Dom said, and pulled the totem out of his pocket. "In dreams, gravity doesn't work the same way, I'm sure you have seen," and watches Arthur nod. "We call this a totem. Watch," Dom says, and spins the top. "If this is a dream, it will never topple," Dom explained, and watched the firm line of Arthur's shoulders tense. Together they watched the top spin until it fell, rolling into the nearby sink. Arthur didn't relax, but some of the tension did leave him.
Dom felt himself relax some, too; the moments waiting for the top to fall were the worst of his life. "I suppose I'll need one of those," Arthur said finally, and Dom found himself nodding.
"Mal and I can give you ideas over dinner," Dom suggested.
Title: Prequel to Five Things, which is now complete!
Rating: PG13
Warnings: Violence and dream deaths.
Word Count: 1,335
Summary: This is how they meet.
Disclaimer/Author's note: Not mine. And when I was trying to finish this prompt, I think it's obvious that it didn't quite...work out. So instead, prequel! And then I'll work on the last part of it.
***
When Dom met Arthur, he didn't like him. It was probably because when Dom woke up when the time ran out he was no longer slumped in a chair getting a neck crick. He was tied down, unable to move, gagged and glaring at the man in front of him. Dom struggled immediately, not seeing Mal and the gag in his mouth preventing him from being able to call out for her.
"Boss," the man called, eyes not even glancing at Dom. He was a young man, hair slicked back and in perfect order, his suit impeccable and expensive. Dom watched him, and stopped struggling quite so hard when he felt movement behind him. Mal was behind him, Dom guessed; he could smell her perfume and feel her struggling behind him, moving their chairs. "Boss, you should wake up now," the man suggested. Dom guessed he was addressing their target, the man whose secrets they failed to locate. "Evening," he said, sounding amused.
"Arthur, what...who are these people?" Dom listened to the target, Romano, and wondered how they were going to get out of this situation. Mal had stopped struggling, her hands finding his, holding on tightly. He gripped back, not caring that when he twisted it chafed his wrists.
"Extractors, working in liaison with the federal government, if my contact is to be believed," the man called Arthur said, before standing up straight and reaching into his jacket. "Dom and Mal Cobb, working with the FBI and the ATF," Arthur continued, and Dom winced at how right he was. Dom wanted him to shut up. He started struggling again, but stopped when Arthur pulled out a gun. "They are searching for the shipment details, I believe," Arthur suggested.
"They didn't get them," Romano said smugly, and Dom watched Arthur smirk. He wanted to get Mal out, and to punch that smirk off Arthur's face. "You'll take care of them? And then meet Gary at the loading dock, because it should already be here." Dom's eyes widened, and he struggled even harder than before, furious. They'd been given such bad intel that they broke into the bosses' mind while the weapons drop was happening?
"Of course," Arthur said, and he looked amused. This man, Dom thought, is going to shoot my wife and I and he's going to see this as a victory. "Today? Really, sir?" Arthur sounded exasperated, and Romano laughed, walking into Dom's line of sight.
"Why not? The shipment was ready and if it had been any later, they might have gotten the information. Which is why you're going to finish them and then get down to sign for the delivery," Romano answered, and Dom watched him pat Arthur on the shoulder before heading out the door.
Dom glared at Arthur, furious and terrified. Mal was going to die, they both were going to die, and this man, this mob lackey was going to kill them. Dom was going to get Mal killed. Mal was struggling again, horrified whimpers reaching him from behind her gag that were like a punch to his gut. He felt sick.
Suddenly Arthur was in front of him, looking almost sympathetic. "Don't worry, it only hurts a moment," before pressing the gun he held against Dom's forehead. The bullet would enter and leave Dom's skull, he knew, and would travel into Mal's. One bullet for the both of them, unless it was a hollow point.
Dom barely registered the bang of the gun and Mal's stifled scream before he felt nothing.
And then he woke up, in the chair he fell asleep in, disoriented and residually angry. Next to him Mal was already jumping up to check on him, and when he stood, they embraced. Hearing a sudden breath behind them, they pulled apart and turned, Dom reaching for a gun that was no longer there in reality.
The man from the dream was pulling his attachment to the PASIV machine out of his wrist. "Who the fuck are you, and where did you come from?" Dom asked angrily, wondering how he got into their dream. They were supposed to be guarded by the agents they were working for.
The man who interrupted their extraction looked up from where he was checking Romano's pulse. "My name is Arthur," he said, and then pulled the chair with the device on it closer to the bed, setting more time on it for Romano before looping their wires and storing them. "I'm his second in command," Arthur continued, pulling out his cell. "And I'm bringing his organization down."
Dom watched him send a text message, and when they heard the knocks at the door that signaled the federal agents' arrival, Mal asked, "Why did you do this?" Dom watched her look at Arthur with a mixture of pity and wariness.
"He has a brain tumor," Arthur said, stepping closer to them, out of the way of the agents. "He wasn't going to get treatment, and he was going to leave the organization to me." Arthur walked away quickly. Dom watched him go, and wondered how someone like him got involved with the Vegas mafia.
***
They caught him later, after he orchestrated drop and everyone was arrested, and all the weapons were retrieved. He was talking with an agent, getting his report taken peacefully until they tried to relieve him of his weapon. "No, I have a license, and I purchased this one myself. You are not taking it," he said. "I agreed to help you under very specific conditions, and this is not one of them," Arthur was reaching into his pocket again, and Dom was relieved to see the cell phone. "For the lawyer I keep on retainer, cut throat isn't just a metaphor, and even if you do take that as the threat it was intended I can guarantee I won't even be bothered by a trial."
"Hey, hey," Mal said, going over to them. "We're going to borrow him for a moment, no, just a second," and was whisking Arthur away from the agent before anyone could protest, even Dom. "You are going to share dinner with us, Arthur," Mal said, and Dom watched the refusal die on Arthur's lips as he was met with Mal's determination.
Dom maybe liked him a little, after that. Arthur nodded and excused himself to use the restroom, and Mal pushed Dom to follow him, dropping the top into his pocket. Dom stopped in the doorway to watch as Arthur didn't go into a stall. He walked up to the counter and splashed water roughly on his face. When he looked up into the mirror, Dom saw Arthur look a little shocked and wary to see him in the mirror.
"Can I...help you?" Arthur asked, standing up straighter, eyes meeting Dom's in the mirror. Dom watched the man - he looked too young to be the second in command of a mob boss, but he was skilled and strangely intimidating enough for Dom to believe it. Mal had all but decided he was the younger brother she'd never had, though, Dom could tell.
Dom decided he'd trust her. "No, I just, well. Just a little reassurance," Dom said, and pulled the totem out of his pocket. "In dreams, gravity doesn't work the same way, I'm sure you have seen," and watches Arthur nod. "We call this a totem. Watch," Dom says, and spins the top. "If this is a dream, it will never topple," Dom explained, and watched the firm line of Arthur's shoulders tense. Together they watched the top spin until it fell, rolling into the nearby sink. Arthur didn't relax, but some of the tension did leave him.
Dom felt himself relax some, too; the moments waiting for the top to fall were the worst of his life. "I suppose I'll need one of those," Arthur said finally, and Dom found himself nodding.
"Mal and I can give you ideas over dinner," Dom suggested.