[fic] a million hearts beat quicker there
pg-13. eames visits arthur in new york.
Eames calls Arthur outside a crowded restaurant on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront in Hong Kong. He tells Arthur that he’s thinking about spending a day in New York City next week before he has to return to Mombasa.
“What day?” Arthur questions.
“I was thinking about Monday,” Eames says as he begins walking over to the railing to look out onto the sea. He likes to see the reflection of the city lights in the water.
Eames’ stride is broken when he bumps into someone.
"Sorry," he apologizes quickly.
“What part of the world are currently causing trouble in?” Arthur is curious about his whereabouts.
"Hong Kong," Eames says after letting out a small chuckle.
“Well, let me know when you’ve arranged your flight. I should be able to pick you up at the airport.”
“You’re so good to me, Arthur.”
“See you soon, Mr. Eames.”
Even though Arthur doesn’t state it outright, Eames likes to think that Arthur is looking forward to the visit.
//
The plane lands in JFK at 3:12 in the afternoon, but it feels like 3:12 in the morning for Eames due to the time difference. He’s exhausted.
Eames gets through customs and makes his way towards the arrivals area. He perks up a bit when through the glass doors, he sees Arthur pull up in a Mercedes.
Arthur waits, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel, as Eames places his luggage in the trunk.
Once Eames settles into the cool leather seat, he leans over to give Arthur a peck on the cheek.
“Hello, darling. I’m ready to be whisked away to your apartment where I will spend the next few hours napping on your couch.”
“You can’t sleep on the couch, it’ll ruin the cushions,” Arthur says firmly, giving Eames a stern look. Eames rolls his eyes.
Arthur offers a much better option a few seconds later, “You can get your beauty sleep in my bed.”
Eames grins at Arthur, “I’m glad you recognize that I wouldn’t be as handsome as I am if I didn’t get 8 hours of sleep a night.”
Arthur smiles and intertwines the fingers of his right hand with Eames’ left as he speeds away from the airport.
//
When Arthur turns his car into a parking garage and gets to the top level, he parks the car smack dab in the middle of the floor.
“How rude of you, Arthur. You didn’t even park in a spot,” Eames comments
“I own the entire level,” Arthur says over his shoulder as he walks towards the stairs that will bring them down to the sidewalk.
Eames follows Arthur across the street to a fancy looking apartment. A doorman opens the door for the both of them, nodding at Arthur.
Eames has been to Arthur’s apartments in Paris and LA, but never to the one in New York.
They take an elevator up to the 11th floor. Arthur’s apartment is expensively furnished just like his other ones.
“Very impressive as per usual,” Eames says, looking around. Arthur sees him eyeing the couch and shakes his head, pointing down the hall.
“Lead the way, Arthur.”
And Arthur does.
He takes Eames to his bedroom. Eames doesn’t even bother taking off his clothes, he immediately burrows into the covers on the left side of the bed. He knows Arthur always sleeps on the right side and Eames learned early on that Arthur hates when someone else’s head ends up on his pillow.
Arthur leaves the room to retrieve another blanket for Eames. He comes back a minute later to find the man already asleep, evidenced by Eames’ light snoring. Eames sleeps in strange positions and today is no exception. His face is buried in the pillow. One of his legs is sticking out from under the covers.
After laying out the blanket over Eames, Arthur runs his hand through the hair that curls around the nape of the other man’s neck. Eames has let his hair grow a bit longer than usual. Arthur decides he likes the way it looks and presses a kiss down on the back of Eames’ head.
He leaves the room, making sure to close the door quietly behind him.
//
Someone is patting Eames on the shoulder and he groans into the pillow.
“It’s time to get up, Eames. I’ve let you sleep for 3 hours.” Eames knows Arthur is sitting somewhere near his side because of the way the mattress is dipping towards the middle.
The patting continues until Eames flips around and tries his best to glare at Arthur, but it doesn’t turn out to be as menacing as he would like it to be. He’s still too tired to muster up a decent threatening look.
“I’m up,” Eames says groggily, rubbing at his eyes.
“Good. I made a dinner reservation for nine. You have an hour to get ready.” Arthur is already dressed impeccably.
“Darling, I didn’t know you would be taking me somewhere so fancy. I don’t know if I brought anything appropriate.” Eames’ eyes search out for his bags which he had plopped on the floor before he had fallen asleep.
Arthur picks up one of the bags and opens it, rifling through the clothing that Eames had hastily packed an hour before he was supposed to leave for Hong Kong. Eames has never been a very efficient packer.
The amount of clothes that Eames had managed to pack was remarkable, but much of it was unwearable according to Arthur.
“Eames, when you stuff everything into a bag like this, it is bound to get wrinkled.”
“Nothing is wrong with wrinkly clothes,” Eames shoots back. Eames had never deemed it necessary to own an ironing board.
Arthur is able to find a fairly nice (and unwrinkled) white dress shirt and some black suit pants in Eames’ other bag. He throws the shirt and slacks on top of Eames who is still lounging in bed.
“Get dressed.”
//
Arthur learns that Eames is allergic to shellfish that night at dinner.
They are sitting on a rooftop with a nice view of the New York City skyline. The restaurant prides itself on its wonderful view and the exquisite food it serves.
“You should try the scallops,” Arthur recommends, eyeing Eames over the top of his menu. Eames looks very nice tonight in the clothes that Arthur picked out for him. Arthur had even been able to convince him to wear a tie.
“I guess I can humor you just this once, especially since you are taking me out on such an expensive date,” Eames said as he winked at Arthur.
“I’m sorry to inform that I’ve sworn off scallops,” Eames replies.
Arthur raises an eyebrow, in effect asking why that is without actually voicing the question.
Eames lets out a dramatic sigh and begins, “When I was seven my mum made me try scallops at her favorite restaurant. Two minutes after I started eating them, my face got all swollen. My mum had to rush me to the hospital. My older sister laughed at me the entire way there.”
Arthur can’t help himself, a chuckle escapes as he imagines seven year old Eames with a puffy face.
“I’m glad you find my pain so entertaining.” Eames attempts to sound hurt, but he even laughs quietly a few seconds after he says this.
Eames ends up ordering the steak, claiming that Arthur should be grateful for not having to make a trip to the hospital during their nice dinner.
//
After getting back from the restaurant, Eames makes the mistake of suggesting that they watch a movie. Arthur apparently has a thing for Singin’ In The Rain because it takes him all of a millisecond to decide that is the movie they will watch. Eames mentally kicks himself, he’s always disliked musicals.
Throughout the movie, Eames tries to make silly comments but Arthur shushes him almost every time. Eames tries another tactic to distract Arthur from the movie. He places his hand on Arthur’s knee and slowly moves it up towards Arthur’s crotch. Arthur just bats Eames’ hand away, his eyes never leaving the screen.
Eames decides that there is one redeeming quality about the movie though when Arthur unconsciously starts humming along to the song Gene Kelly sings while he’s dancing in the rain.
“I think you like Gene Kelly more than me,” states Eames as the credits roll.
Arthur chooses not to deny it.
“Oh, great. I’m competing for your affections with a dead man,” Eames huffs.
Arthur turns to Eames and pushes him down so that half of his body is strewn across the couch. Arthur kisses his neck and then makes his way up to Eames’ mouth, his tongue slipping in.
Eames breaks the kiss, “I hate to interrupt the moment, but I think I am squashing one of your throw pillows.”
Arthur blinks at him and Eames smirks. He receives a playful smack on his chest for that one. Arthur grabs one of Eames’ hands and pulls him up from the couch. He guides Eames along to the bedroom.
Arthur gently presses Eames down onto the bed. Arthur is looking at Eames in a way that gives him hope. Eames thinks that maybe Arthur does in fact like him a little bit more than Gene Kelly.
//
“I’m expecting a surprise visit soon,” Eames tells Arthur over the phone once he is back in Mombasa. He’s lounging in a chair in Yusuf’s shop. Yusuf is behind the counter working on some concoction.
“It won’t be a surprise if you are expecting it,” Arthur states.
“True, true.” Eames cannot deny Arthur’s claim. Yusuf’s cat hops onto his lap. The animal purrs when he scratches underneath its chin.
“I may be able to stop by in the near future. I’m thinking about taking a job in Singapore.”
“It’s settled then. I await your arrival with bated breath.”
“Goodbye Eames.” Eames can hear the smile in Arthur’s voice.
Eames has no problem with openly admitting that he is excited for Arthur’s visit and he letsYusuf know this as soon as he flips his phone shut.
Eames calls Arthur outside a crowded restaurant on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront in Hong Kong. He tells Arthur that he’s thinking about spending a day in New York City next week before he has to return to Mombasa.
“What day?” Arthur questions.
“I was thinking about Monday,” Eames says as he begins walking over to the railing to look out onto the sea. He likes to see the reflection of the city lights in the water.
Eames’ stride is broken when he bumps into someone.
"Sorry," he apologizes quickly.
“What part of the world are currently causing trouble in?” Arthur is curious about his whereabouts.
"Hong Kong," Eames says after letting out a small chuckle.
“Well, let me know when you’ve arranged your flight. I should be able to pick you up at the airport.”
“You’re so good to me, Arthur.”
“See you soon, Mr. Eames.”
Even though Arthur doesn’t state it outright, Eames likes to think that Arthur is looking forward to the visit.
//
The plane lands in JFK at 3:12 in the afternoon, but it feels like 3:12 in the morning for Eames due to the time difference. He’s exhausted.
Eames gets through customs and makes his way towards the arrivals area. He perks up a bit when through the glass doors, he sees Arthur pull up in a Mercedes.
Arthur waits, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel, as Eames places his luggage in the trunk.
Once Eames settles into the cool leather seat, he leans over to give Arthur a peck on the cheek.
“Hello, darling. I’m ready to be whisked away to your apartment where I will spend the next few hours napping on your couch.”
“You can’t sleep on the couch, it’ll ruin the cushions,” Arthur says firmly, giving Eames a stern look. Eames rolls his eyes.
Arthur offers a much better option a few seconds later, “You can get your beauty sleep in my bed.”
Eames grins at Arthur, “I’m glad you recognize that I wouldn’t be as handsome as I am if I didn’t get 8 hours of sleep a night.”
Arthur smiles and intertwines the fingers of his right hand with Eames’ left as he speeds away from the airport.
//
When Arthur turns his car into a parking garage and gets to the top level, he parks the car smack dab in the middle of the floor.
“How rude of you, Arthur. You didn’t even park in a spot,” Eames comments
“I own the entire level,” Arthur says over his shoulder as he walks towards the stairs that will bring them down to the sidewalk.
Eames follows Arthur across the street to a fancy looking apartment. A doorman opens the door for the both of them, nodding at Arthur.
Eames has been to Arthur’s apartments in Paris and LA, but never to the one in New York.
They take an elevator up to the 11th floor. Arthur’s apartment is expensively furnished just like his other ones.
“Very impressive as per usual,” Eames says, looking around. Arthur sees him eyeing the couch and shakes his head, pointing down the hall.
“Lead the way, Arthur.”
And Arthur does.
He takes Eames to his bedroom. Eames doesn’t even bother taking off his clothes, he immediately burrows into the covers on the left side of the bed. He knows Arthur always sleeps on the right side and Eames learned early on that Arthur hates when someone else’s head ends up on his pillow.
Arthur leaves the room to retrieve another blanket for Eames. He comes back a minute later to find the man already asleep, evidenced by Eames’ light snoring. Eames sleeps in strange positions and today is no exception. His face is buried in the pillow. One of his legs is sticking out from under the covers.
After laying out the blanket over Eames, Arthur runs his hand through the hair that curls around the nape of the other man’s neck. Eames has let his hair grow a bit longer than usual. Arthur decides he likes the way it looks and presses a kiss down on the back of Eames’ head.
He leaves the room, making sure to close the door quietly behind him.
//
Someone is patting Eames on the shoulder and he groans into the pillow.
“It’s time to get up, Eames. I’ve let you sleep for 3 hours.” Eames knows Arthur is sitting somewhere near his side because of the way the mattress is dipping towards the middle.
The patting continues until Eames flips around and tries his best to glare at Arthur, but it doesn’t turn out to be as menacing as he would like it to be. He’s still too tired to muster up a decent threatening look.
“I’m up,” Eames says groggily, rubbing at his eyes.
“Good. I made a dinner reservation for nine. You have an hour to get ready.” Arthur is already dressed impeccably.
“Darling, I didn’t know you would be taking me somewhere so fancy. I don’t know if I brought anything appropriate.” Eames’ eyes search out for his bags which he had plopped on the floor before he had fallen asleep.
Arthur picks up one of the bags and opens it, rifling through the clothing that Eames had hastily packed an hour before he was supposed to leave for Hong Kong. Eames has never been a very efficient packer.
The amount of clothes that Eames had managed to pack was remarkable, but much of it was unwearable according to Arthur.
“Eames, when you stuff everything into a bag like this, it is bound to get wrinkled.”
“Nothing is wrong with wrinkly clothes,” Eames shoots back. Eames had never deemed it necessary to own an ironing board.
Arthur is able to find a fairly nice (and unwrinkled) white dress shirt and some black suit pants in Eames’ other bag. He throws the shirt and slacks on top of Eames who is still lounging in bed.
“Get dressed.”
//
Arthur learns that Eames is allergic to shellfish that night at dinner.
They are sitting on a rooftop with a nice view of the New York City skyline. The restaurant prides itself on its wonderful view and the exquisite food it serves.
“You should try the scallops,” Arthur recommends, eyeing Eames over the top of his menu. Eames looks very nice tonight in the clothes that Arthur picked out for him. Arthur had even been able to convince him to wear a tie.
“I guess I can humor you just this once, especially since you are taking me out on such an expensive date,” Eames said as he winked at Arthur.
“I’m sorry to inform that I’ve sworn off scallops,” Eames replies.
Arthur raises an eyebrow, in effect asking why that is without actually voicing the question.
Eames lets out a dramatic sigh and begins, “When I was seven my mum made me try scallops at her favorite restaurant. Two minutes after I started eating them, my face got all swollen. My mum had to rush me to the hospital. My older sister laughed at me the entire way there.”
Arthur can’t help himself, a chuckle escapes as he imagines seven year old Eames with a puffy face.
“I’m glad you find my pain so entertaining.” Eames attempts to sound hurt, but he even laughs quietly a few seconds after he says this.
Eames ends up ordering the steak, claiming that Arthur should be grateful for not having to make a trip to the hospital during their nice dinner.
//
After getting back from the restaurant, Eames makes the mistake of suggesting that they watch a movie. Arthur apparently has a thing for Singin’ In The Rain because it takes him all of a millisecond to decide that is the movie they will watch. Eames mentally kicks himself, he’s always disliked musicals.
Throughout the movie, Eames tries to make silly comments but Arthur shushes him almost every time. Eames tries another tactic to distract Arthur from the movie. He places his hand on Arthur’s knee and slowly moves it up towards Arthur’s crotch. Arthur just bats Eames’ hand away, his eyes never leaving the screen.
Eames decides that there is one redeeming quality about the movie though when Arthur unconsciously starts humming along to the song Gene Kelly sings while he’s dancing in the rain.
“I think you like Gene Kelly more than me,” states Eames as the credits roll.
Arthur chooses not to deny it.
“Oh, great. I’m competing for your affections with a dead man,” Eames huffs.
Arthur turns to Eames and pushes him down so that half of his body is strewn across the couch. Arthur kisses his neck and then makes his way up to Eames’ mouth, his tongue slipping in.
Eames breaks the kiss, “I hate to interrupt the moment, but I think I am squashing one of your throw pillows.”
Arthur blinks at him and Eames smirks. He receives a playful smack on his chest for that one. Arthur grabs one of Eames’ hands and pulls him up from the couch. He guides Eames along to the bedroom.
Arthur gently presses Eames down onto the bed. Arthur is looking at Eames in a way that gives him hope. Eames thinks that maybe Arthur does in fact like him a little bit more than Gene Kelly.
//
“I’m expecting a surprise visit soon,” Eames tells Arthur over the phone once he is back in Mombasa. He’s lounging in a chair in Yusuf’s shop. Yusuf is behind the counter working on some concoction.
“It won’t be a surprise if you are expecting it,” Arthur states.
“True, true.” Eames cannot deny Arthur’s claim. Yusuf’s cat hops onto his lap. The animal purrs when he scratches underneath its chin.
“I may be able to stop by in the near future. I’m thinking about taking a job in Singapore.”
“It’s settled then. I await your arrival with bated breath.”
“Goodbye Eames.” Eames can hear the smile in Arthur’s voice.
Eames has no problem with openly admitting that he is excited for Arthur’s visit and he letsYusuf know this as soon as he flips his phone shut.