A.N- Hello! I'm back from a long and stressful Spring semester and have a new Arthur/Eames Inception fic for you all!
Disclaimer: I do not own Inception or any of its characters. I also do not own Zombieland, one of my favorite zombie apocalypse movies. I do not own the lyrics of "Together Burning Bright" by the Used, "Love Me Like the World Is Ending" by Ben Lee, or "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" by R.E.M.
Love Me Like the World Is Ending
It wasn't every day that the world was scheduled to end.
Well, Arthur shouldn't really phrase it like that. It wasn't like there was some sort of notice about it in the local paper. The proper offices and authorities hadn't sat down to argue the point and map out how it should all happen and in which order things must be done. No one contested this decision.
So it was a Friday. TGIF, the most sacred of all ABC broadcasting lineups, couldn't save anyone now. On Friday morning there was a massive earthquake felt all around the world. On Friday morning, the sun could barely pierce the looming dark clouds that eventually turned the blue sky to pitch and the sun to a large ball of ebony fire. Arthur watched it all from his barred window, able to taste the ozone and char of the tainted air. The Point Man wasn't crazy, but he did happen to have a vague "end of the world" plan. He had his guns, his rations of food and a supply of water. The only question was if he was prepared to wait it out in his house as California became swarmed in shadow and people grew more desperate.
Suddenly, the Point Man's train of thought was cut off by something other than the disaster.
The doorbell rang.
It was just so mundane and normal Arthur wanted to laugh! What he really did was briefly check his totem (as he had done time and time again since he woke up and watched the sun cover its face with the foreboding shroud of dark clouds) and then did what he would normally do.
He would have to admit that he didn't normally leave a shotgun standing next to his door. But as he went to answer he grasped it and felt reassured. He could handle whatever was on the other side of the door. Arthur was prepared. He had made his plans and damn it, if something was going to try and leave him dead on the welcome mat, he wasn't going to go down without a fight! He ran one hand down the front of his suit, knowing that there wasn't going to be a wrinkle in sight. Arthur wasn't sure why he was bothering, but he had found putting on one of his nice bespoke suits to be a comforting ritual for what was looking more and more like his last day on Earth.
Avoiding the use of the peephole, Arthur took a deep breath and flung open the door, raising his loaded weapon to catch his unexpected guest by surprise. The first thing that Arthur noticed were the flowers. They were sad wilted little things that came in gentle pastels that made Arthur think of spring and Easter. The flowers had been ripped from one of his window boxes, the roots still covered in damp earth that stained the hand that held them in offering. A throat was cleared, and the flowers that previously obscured the visitor's face dropped a couple of inches, revealing that it was none other than Eames.
"Darling?" The Forger cleared his throat once more while shouldering a fire axe. The motion made Arthur notice that Eames was dressed nicely, presentable in a good suit rather than anything loud. No paisley, no tweed- just Eames. It was intensely ironic that it would be the last day on Earth that Eames decided to wear something that Arthur approved of.
"What in the world are you doing here?" Arthur asked looking over the man's shoulder to see if there was anyone lurking behind him.
"Remember that time you bet that you wouldn't go out with me unless the world was ending?"
Arthur nodded as he pointed his shotgun away from Eames, removing his finger from the trigger but placing it on the guard in the name of preparedness.
The Forger released a shaky breath, laughing at himself as he did so. Eames smiled at Arthur, a flash of his old humor coming back into his face and eyes as he winked at him.
"I'm calling in your bet. If we're to go on a date there's no time like the apocalypse, darling!"
The Point Man didn't let himself think too much. He heard the sound of someone screaming, a small explosion, and a voice that was projected over a megaphone somewhere in the distance. Please remain calm, it said, return to your homes. It is just a- and the voice was cut off suddenly after that and replaced by the noise a passing fire engine and it sirens. It fit nicely. This nameless disaster that, according to the last news reports Arthur was able to see before his television and internet services were lost, was some sort of "global emergency". Welcome to the department of redundancy department, where the world is ending and Eames is asking Arthur out on a first and last date.
Judging by Eames's reasoning there wouldn't be a better time than right now…
Arthur took the flowers Eames had pilfered from his own window boxes and smiled at them. He looked up at Eames and nodded his agreement.
"I'll just get my coat and extra ammo."
Arthur had left the flowers in the house and closed the door. Eames laughed as Arthur fished out his keys to lock the front door, because what was the point?
The laughter had been infectious. Arthur joined in after he palmed the silver keys in his hand and threw them across the space of two front lawns. He could see that they landed somewhere in a nest of weeds but he wasn't going to go after them. In fact, the more he looked at his formerly pristine lawn which was developing sickly patches of yellow and brown edged with black, the more he decided that he wouldn't engage in a little end of the world weeding.
The closest of those patches appeared to be blossoming outwards, coming closer to where Arthur had stepped off the concrete walkway that lead to his door in order to throw away the only physical thing that could call the thought of home back to mind. Glancing back to look at Eames who waited and watched with one hand on the axe braced against his shoulder, Arthur knew that he didn't need them anymore.
It was the end of the world as Arthur knew it, and since he was with Eames, he felt fine.
It was one of the more unconventional dates that Arthur had ever been on. They made a strange pair; Arthur with his shotgun and Eames with his axe, strolling down the street holding hands. The people they encountered on their walk steered clear of them. They appeared to be carrying large amounts of groceries for their survival or looting useless electronics. One man did a double take of their weapons and dropped a couple of boxes he was carrying. He left them behind and picked up the pace, not daring to look over his shoulder even as he turned the corner.
Curious, Eames stopped to look at the boxes and laughed. He let go of Arthur's hand and passed him the axe so he could have both hands free. The Forger crouched down, picked them up, rose and then presented them to Arthur with a flourish!
"In my mind, our first date together would feature dinner at the best restaurant in town. But, as the last few we have passed are either completely abandoned or have been set on fire, I think that we will have to settle for this. Twinkies or Sno-balls, love?"
Arthur snorted in amusement and looked at the white Hostess boxes. "If I hadn't just seen that guy drop them, I'd say that you set this up to be a cute Zombieland reference."
Eames shrugged. "Well, I did follow survival rule # 28."
"And that would be?"
"I got a kickass partner, of course."
Arthur rolled his eyes and tried to not feel charmed by something so silly. But he was fighting a losing battle as he felt the smile grow across his face. "Just give me the Twinkies so you can take back your axe!"
They traded and went to search for a place to share what was, considering the situation, close to a romantic dinner during the apocalypse.
It didn't take them long to decide. They remained vigilant as they walked down the main street, walking towards the beach that Arthur said he didn't go to too often and Eames said he thought might be nice.
On the way, they spoke of things that they wanted to do and compared them to the strange things they were seeing in the present.
"After the Inception, I wanted to do something ridiculous like start a band," Arthur said after mentioning his skills with a guitar. As they argued about what name they should choose (because Arthur assured Eames that if he didn't want to be a groupie he could play a tambourine) Arthur noticed a flock of birds. He only noticed them because they were flying backwards. Eames noticed this too and pointed, saying "If you wanted to do a cover band, you could name it A Backwards Flock of Seagulls!"
When this gained neither a positive nor negative response, Eames shrugged and bit into a Twinkie. After he chewed and swallowed, he offered the olive branch of "You could always play that R.E.M song about the world ending."
"Mr. Eames, I'm impressed!" Arthur said mockingly.
After that, they went through a series of "I have never" topics that branched into talk about those that were, for all they knew, lost and gone.
"I have never filed taxes," Eames said thoughtfully as they waited to cross the street- odd that there was traffic, but it wouldn't do either of them any good to get hit by a punk on a bicycle, a hysterical man wearing a foil cap and dragging a wheelbarrow of possessions behind him, and a very cautious 80-something year-old woman that could barely see over the steering wheel of her truck. As the ground trembled with yet another earthquake, Eames watched the tall buildings sway with the motion. When they could cross they did so cautiously and kept their footing despite the aftershocks that followed. As they managed to cross the street from corner to corner, Eames looked over at Arthur and asked, "Were you able to contact anyone before this started?"
Arthur shook his head, looking at the Sno-ball he had traded a Twinkie for. He hadn't been able to reach anyone. No family and no friends. He had freaked out when the sky went dark and blotted out the light of the sun, and it wasn't long after that that all lines of communication were cut off. He didn't want to think of Dom, or the kids, or even the people he hated. He should count himself lucky that Eames happened to be in the area, knew where he lived, and even bothered…
The Point Man forced himself away from those thoughts with a swift shake of his head. His Sno-ball didn't look nearly as appetizing now and he tossed it in the nearest trashcan he could find. Eames didn't push him for an answer.
They had to take shelter in the lobby of a hotel that was flooded by other survivors composed of families with small children or young couples. They hadn't liked the change in the weather either. It was raining objects that were burning bright as they fell, starting more fires where they landed. Some people said it was hellfire, but others thought it was a meteor or maybe a shower of them that partially burned up in the atmosphere.
It was beautiful and terrible to watch, but Eames and Arthur stood as close as they dared to a barred window to watch the fires and the falling stars.
"Darling, we're going to move on when it stops," Eames said in an undertone, pressing his lips against the Point Man's ear and holding him close with his free arm. Arthur was doing the same, looking at the window and seeing the reflection of the mass of people lurking behind them. He saw their hungry eyes focus on their meager source of food and their weapons. When the shower stopped, Arthur couldn't help but call it a godsend.
Eames said nothing as they left the half-empty boxes of junk food on the floor and walked out of the lobby.
They reached the beach and looked out on the ocean. It was so dark that at first Arthur wanted to say that the water was reflecting the sky, but as he looked at the bizarrely gentle waves breaking against the sand he could have sworn that he saw hints of red.
He squeezed Eames's hand and tried to find the sun. He looked at his watch and it told him, through the span of time that Eames had rang his doorbell and taken him on a walk- a date at the end of the fucking world- that it was now nearing the time that the sun should be setting. Arthur peered at the horizon but couldn't find the tell-tale sign of a sunset on the West coast- the sun looking like it was sinking into the water and making it froth and boil.
Nothing. But all around them it was just so dark. Arthur looked at Eames and without having to ask, they sat down on the dry cold sand. Arthur let his shotgun sit close to his hand but refused to let go of Eames.
He had to clear his throat twice to speak. "Eames, I'm actually scared." Arthur laughed as he said the words, "Damn it, I'm scared! Why did it have to happen today, Eames! I didn't want to just have one day with you! We both deserved more."
Eames must have dropped his axe because the other man wasn't just giving him a one-armed hug. The Forger was pressed close, both arms wrapped around him, living and breathing and warm. It just wasn't fair.
"You wouldn't believe me, darling. But, my even being here was an accident. I was here for work, I missed a flight, and when I looked you up I'd thought to visit. Then the earthquake happened. And when the sun went dark so did the skies, I don't think I've ever been so scared. I promised myself that I would find you and I'd get to have that date. I didn't want to be alone."
Arthur watched the horizon and then let his vision pan across the area and noticed that the darkness seemed to be creeping in; that the night was really falling! He wanted to shut his eyes or hide his face in Eames's neck. He did so, but didn't feel any better. He felt a hand smooth down the tense line of his back and heard Eames softly try to soothe him like he was a child frightened by a nightmare.
"I won't pretend that we are going to live forever. I won't even pretend that we can live through this. But, right now everything's alright."
Arthur nodded, not sure if he was reassuring Eames or himself. "I think it's gonna be okay."
He was sure of it now; the dark was creeping in like something malicious. It wasn't something that he could shoot with his shotgun or that Eames could hack at with his axe.
Eames started to laugh, and at first Arthur thought Eames was succumbing to the hysteria he had tried to quell in him.
"Think of this, love," Eames said in a whisper. "Think of this- no zombies. We didn't have to fight zombies."
"That rain of hell fire didn't last more than twenty minutes," Arthur added.
Eames removed his hand from Arthur's back to cup his cheek. "See, it could be so much worse. We got to eat junk food and talk about stupid dreams. You know that I love you, you've got to, or you wouldn't have left your little house to spend our last day together. Right?"
"Of course, I love you Mr. Eames. I'm sitting on the beach with you looking at a blackened sunset. We were just as inevitable. It's a Friday, the world is ending, and the only place I ever wanted to be is here with you."
If Eames was seeing the same thing he was, if he happened to notice how much darker it was getting, or how that absence of color and light was swallowing the nearby buildings and stretching across the ground, he didn't show that he was afraid of it and what it meant.
"Love, it's going to be okay. Just close your eyes…"
Arthur did so and held Eames so tightly that he could feel every single breath the Forger took as if it was his own. At the last moment, the very last, Arthur pulled away enough to see that they were surrounded by that inky darkness that he was afraid to reach out and touch. Eames must have seen the same, but for all his fear, the Forger smiled at him and pressed their lips together in their very first and last kiss. Arthur dug his fingers into Eames's coat, as if that was going to make it so they couldn't be separated. He bit down on Eames's lower lip, and was shocked by the slight taste of blood and how it was like a zinging of electricity throughout his body!
And then-!
Then, there was silence.
A.N: Wow...that was just so sad in the end. I kind of feel bad now- but, I promised myself that I would write an apocalypse fic for Arthur and Eames. I honestly had the idea "Eames shows up at Arthur's door and asks him for a date as the world is ending" yesterday. Either way, I kind of like how this came out! So, go ahead and read and review.
Please tell me what you think,
slash mania