[ call me 00? ] and it only hurts when I breathe

[triedinception]

This had to end.

Eames had made his living ever since high school by walking the streets, canting his hips and smiling prettily at older men, boys; anyone who could pay them for his time. As he got older he got wiser, choice to walk around places where there were businessmen and women away from their partners, who would see him or have an itch to

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[littlspecificty]

Arthur had tried not to listen in on those conversations while he was in the other room, ordering them dinner and working on a few things while waiting for it to arrive, but what little bit he had heard (along with what sounded like a voice yelling from the other line of the connection) had made Arthur only more glad that he had asked Eames to come live with him and quit his job.

It churned his stomach to think about Eames giving himself over to people that would treat him like that... But he had and used to for money. Because he had needed it.

Well, Arthur was determined to never let it be like that for him again if at all possible.

Just like having the night they had together; just laying there, holding each other. He felt that Eames had never been able to experience that before...

And seeing his apartment later the next morning... Arthur felt a sense of deja vu almost, remembering how he lived before Sylvia had found him. His apartment had been one room and had much less but it still made Arthur imagine his lover shaking at night, cold and trying desperately to warm himself with what blankets he had, sitting in the shower, not moving, just holding his legs to his chest, head bowed and letting the silence engulf him...

He had to shake himself back to the present, saying, rubbing his hand down Eames' back soothingly, "Then we'll be out of here by lunch."

He then took up one of the boxes and started packing up the books. Pausing to hold up the handful he had, "You do want to keep these, right?" It just occurred to him Eames might not want them all.

[triedinception]

Eames was still reeling from all it. The warmth and care of Arthur's hand on his back, the man holding him all through the night; something he had never truly had and was already becoming addicted to.

Eames had grabbed another box to head for the bedroom, wanting to get his lovely comforters and clothes. He paused with it in hand, looking at Arthur slightly surprised.

"God, yes. If I could only take one thing out of here it'd be those," he said, earnestly. The collection was everything he'd bought with spare money, found, stolen at times, used copies and new ones of beloved books he remembered in school. "The second being my clothes," he added sheepishly, nodding to where he was headed for the bedroom.

[littlspecificty]

Arthur had grinned, continuing with the packing, lightly but also meaning it, "Man after my own heart..." Books had been his prized possessions when he had had very little, too. He hadn't been able to take them with him when he left but they had helped him many nights when he couldn't sleep on the one used mattress he had managed to get on the very limited budget he had had back then.

The books had ended up taking up three boxes and when he was done closing those up he went to go check on Eames, hanging in the doorway of the bedroom, "Need any help?"

lmao, curled up in bed, PHONE TAG

[triedinception]

Eames flushed slightly and grinned, telling Arthur to be careful with his books as he'd headed into the bedroom.

When Arthur entered, Eames had filled two boxes with clothes, folding the comforters and sheets to be carried on their own. He looked up and smiled slightly at seeing Arthur.

"Mostly done in this part... don't know if the telly's worth taking, but the pans in the kitchen should come along. I'll get the bathroom, and once you're done in the kitchen - oh can you do the kitchen? - you can help me if I'm not finished."

TEEHEE because this verse is addictive~~

[littlspecificty]

Arthur simply nods and pushes off of the doorframe, "I'll empty out the kitchen."

Throwing over his shoulder as he walked towards it, "You want to take the food with us?"

damn it gmail.

[triedinception]

"There's enough for a couple days, so sure. It's all in the fridge," Eames hollers. Aside from some bags of pasta and ramen, he tried to eat fresh meats and vegetables. Given his job he had always assumed that eating healthier was smarter. There would be some juice and milk in the fridge as well.

He moved into his bathroom gathering the towels, toiletries, shampoo and soap; the few painkillers he had, his shaving supplies and toothbrushes, hair gel, and dumping it into a box.

[littlspecificty]

Arthur, ever prepared, was glad he had brought the easily portable styrofoam cooler along with the boxes just in case Eames had wanted to bring any food he had with them. As soon as he got the word, he grabbed it, along with some other boxes, and brought it over to the kitchen area.

He packed the pots and pans first, adding the food that didn't need to be refrigerated to what room there was left before filling another box and then dumped some ice into the cooler and packed the rest of the food.

When he was done, he looked up, letting out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair as he checked to make sure he hadn't missed anything.

"Eames, " he called when the younger man still hadn't emerged by that time, "do you need any help in there?"

[triedinception]

"Ah, no!" Eames called back, emerging from the back with slightly tousled hair. "I got it all, some things were just falling, it's fine."

Actually, he had left some needles in his bathroom. And he had had to stash them quickly into a garbage back, so that he could toss them out. (He didn't want to bring them into Arthur's home.)

He glanced around, looking at the packed up boxes and then back into his own room, and nodded. "Well, I think we can start carrying stuff out now..."

[littlspecificty]

Arthur frowned a little at Eames' appearance, puzzled because something didn't exactly feel right but he shook himself as he looked around himself, letting it go.

Nodding, "I can start taking them down." Turning to Eames, "Is there anything else you want to take?"

[triedinception]

Softly, "No, I think this is it." He took a deep breath and smiled at Arthur, coming forward to press a kiss to his mouth, soft and sweet. "Thank you again. For everything," he murmured.

[littlspecificty]

Arthur smiles before giving him his own kiss back, wrapping an arm around the other's waist to pull him closer, "You're welcome. I'm glad you said "yes"."

[triedinception]

Eames lets him pull him closer, nuzzling his nose against Arthur's cheek. The gesture wasn't one he'd indulged often before this. Now he felt almost touched starved for non sexual touches, though he still desired Arthur physically.

His hands massaged his chest slightly. "I'm glad I did too. I'm still scared as shit, but I am glad," he laughs softly.

[littlspecificty]

He laughs slightly, looking at Eames with an expression both curious and a little worried, but doesn't pull away, "Why would you be scared? Of me?"

(He's pretty sure Eames doesn't know what he does for a living; he's tried hard to make sure the younger man doesn't and that it will stay that way [at least for a while]. He doesn't want his profession to be the thing that drives the other away if he finds out...)

[triedinception]

"No no no," Eames hurries to say, "Not of you, no." He sighs, wishing he hadn't said anything but also knowing Arthur wanted him to talk more, and that was how a relationship worked, wasn't it?

"I just... I'm so used to the other shoe dropping. Any time I get something good something bad happens too. And I still... I don't think I'm good enough." Looking away, over at the table that was peeling and old, "Afraid you'll get tired of me or I won't live up to your expectations and you'll make me leave. Even if I don't think you would, I keep expecting it."

[littlspecificty]

Arthur presses a kiss to Eames' temple, arms giving him a squeeze because it really did hurt him that the younger boy thought that about himself.

Nuzzling into Eames' hair, "How could I do that when all I want is to get to know better?" When I just want to make you happier than you've ever been before?

[triedinception]

Eames remembers watching films, men who were stoic and strong. He thought that was what he should be like, only he didn't feel that way half the time. Half the time he felt like his emotions would burst out of the body they kept in.

He took a deep breath when Arthur kissed and nuzzled him, wrapping his arms around the other's waist.

"I hope you don't," he says softly, "Ever do it. But my brain keeps saying it might happen. Like I said, it's not you, it's me."