Attraction
uhm. clearly, i've gone off the deep-end.
BECAUSE I DON'T DO ARTHUR/COBB.
and this is probably not even what the OP wanted.
prompt: Cobb is a magnet, and Arthur is steel.
Arthur finds himself in a pile of others just like him.
He used to be a hubcap. But not anymore.
The scene of the bland, grey junkyard depresses the hell out of him.
A young, shiny thing - not like him, battered, bruised - off to the left tries to strike up conversation.
"Where are we? I don't like this place."
A stretch of silence. Arthur sighs.
"Junkyard."
"I don't want to be here."
"None of us do."
"Oh. Are we going to die?"
"Probably."
"Or maybe a human will buy us? Fix us up?"
Hopeful tone. He'd cry if rust wasn't a problem. Luckily, a scarred pipe intervenes.
"For the love of ferrites, kid. Shut up."
A dull metallic hum of agreement.
+
Days pass. Weeks pass. Arthur sits, waiting.
Rain isn't quite so bad. But sunlight makes him hot. He wishes he was indoors.
Trucks and cars and forklifts rumble by, never once giving them a glance.
The shiny piece has stopped talking altogether.
He knows of someday, but time feels elongated. Endless.
+
One morning, maybe a Tuesday, Arthur notices something. A crane.
It's hideously orange, though his own attire is hardly better.
He eyes it coming closer and then, suddenly--
A pull. The kind he hasn't felt in Gaea knows how long.
Instinctively, he resists. It might be death calling. And he isn’t ready.
Fear permeates the whole group as the crane shudders to a halt in front of them.
“Hm, yes. That one. That could work.” The human’s voice seems distant, blurred.
Something small reels down from the crane. Heavy, swaying.
And Arthur feels the pull return a hundred-fold. It’s excruciating and irresistible. There’s nothing for him to do but give in.
A rush and suddenly he sees the others below him. Vertigo threatens to overwhelm him, but a thunk interrupts his thoughts - a signal that it’s over.
A jarring start, and he’s moving away. The shiny piece looks frightened.
“Bye,” he whispers.
“That’s kind of you.” A deep, warm voice from above.
Arthur is startled but, for obvious reasons, doesn’t move.
“I- what?”
“You’re a strange one. But strong. I can see why Hank picked you.”
“Where are we going?” Guarded tone. He isn’t out of the woods yet.
“Second-hand car shop. I guess you’ll be back to your old self in no time.”
Arthur doesn’t dare to believe.
“Who are you?”
He feels a slight ripple of amusement in the magnetic currents.
“Cobb.”
“For a magnet?”
“Arthur, for a hubcap?”
He kind of has a point there, Arthur grumbles to himself. He doesn’t even want to know how Cobb knows his name.
“It’s stamped on your ass.”
Oh, right. Arthur Steel, Inc.
“Look, you’re going to be in good hands.” A sigh. “You just have to trust me.”
“You mean like a leap of faith?”
“Yes, if you like.” Something like affection. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”
Arthur thinks why not, and succumbs to Cobb’s embrace.
For a while, it feels like home.
BECAUSE I DON'T DO ARTHUR/COBB.
and this is probably not even what the OP wanted.
prompt: Cobb is a magnet, and Arthur is steel.
Arthur finds himself in a pile of others just like him.
He used to be a hubcap. But not anymore.
The scene of the bland, grey junkyard depresses the hell out of him.
A young, shiny thing - not like him, battered, bruised - off to the left tries to strike up conversation.
"Where are we? I don't like this place."
A stretch of silence. Arthur sighs.
"Junkyard."
"I don't want to be here."
"None of us do."
"Oh. Are we going to die?"
"Probably."
"Or maybe a human will buy us? Fix us up?"
Hopeful tone. He'd cry if rust wasn't a problem. Luckily, a scarred pipe intervenes.
"For the love of ferrites, kid. Shut up."
A dull metallic hum of agreement.
+
Days pass. Weeks pass. Arthur sits, waiting.
Rain isn't quite so bad. But sunlight makes him hot. He wishes he was indoors.
Trucks and cars and forklifts rumble by, never once giving them a glance.
The shiny piece has stopped talking altogether.
He knows of someday, but time feels elongated. Endless.
+
One morning, maybe a Tuesday, Arthur notices something. A crane.
It's hideously orange, though his own attire is hardly better.
He eyes it coming closer and then, suddenly--
A pull. The kind he hasn't felt in Gaea knows how long.
Instinctively, he resists. It might be death calling. And he isn’t ready.
Fear permeates the whole group as the crane shudders to a halt in front of them.
“Hm, yes. That one. That could work.” The human’s voice seems distant, blurred.
Something small reels down from the crane. Heavy, swaying.
And Arthur feels the pull return a hundred-fold. It’s excruciating and irresistible. There’s nothing for him to do but give in.
A rush and suddenly he sees the others below him. Vertigo threatens to overwhelm him, but a thunk interrupts his thoughts - a signal that it’s over.
A jarring start, and he’s moving away. The shiny piece looks frightened.
“Bye,” he whispers.
“That’s kind of you.” A deep, warm voice from above.
Arthur is startled but, for obvious reasons, doesn’t move.
“I- what?”
“You’re a strange one. But strong. I can see why Hank picked you.”
“Where are we going?” Guarded tone. He isn’t out of the woods yet.
“Second-hand car shop. I guess you’ll be back to your old self in no time.”
Arthur doesn’t dare to believe.
“Who are you?”
He feels a slight ripple of amusement in the magnetic currents.
“Cobb.”
“For a magnet?”
“Arthur, for a hubcap?”
He kind of has a point there, Arthur grumbles to himself. He doesn’t even want to know how Cobb knows his name.
“It’s stamped on your ass.”
Oh, right. Arthur Steel, Inc.
“Look, you’re going to be in good hands.” A sigh. “You just have to trust me.”
“You mean like a leap of faith?”
“Yes, if you like.” Something like affection. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”
Arthur thinks why not, and succumbs to Cobb’s embrace.
For a while, it feels like home.