Inception – Walls Closing In
Dom could remember the moment he first noticed it
People had called Dom a number of things over the years. Clueless, oblivious, dumb, and so on. His wife and closest friends were among the main culprits in name calling him, but since he loved them ever so much (and could punish them in dream land all he wanted), he didn't mind what they called him. Much. It was all from a good place, he was sure, because he was just surrounded by people who liked to poke fun at the people they cared for most in the world.
He didn't like it, but he was fine with it all.
One thing people loved pointing out about him was that he was blind to romantic and/or sexual entanglements, even his own. To be fair, it had taken four dates with Mal, and her pushing him up against a wall and kissing the life out of him for him to realize that the beautiful Frenchwoman actually liked him back and that they had been dating for a while, everyone knew but him. Then there was the thing with one of his chemists, who was so enamored of Arthur that Dom only noticed it when she stormed out of their workroom screaming she hated them all and Arthur, ARTHUR!, sighed at her retreating back.
Of course, there were so many stories to be told about Dom's inability to see what was right in front of his face, however he kept one such story very close to his chest, because it was likely the one instance where he managed to see beyond the surface quicker than everyone else.
It was two years after his name was cleared and he was allowed back into the United States, back to his lovely children. He had been wary about returning to dreamsharing after Mal and Fisher when along came Saito, strolling into his house like he belonged there and not in some mansion on a lonely limbo shore. The man even deemed his children worthy of his attention, saying sweet, quiet words to them before they giggled and ran off with their grandmother while Dom and Saito talked it out.
"Will you not dream again?" – Saito asked, eyes laden with meaning and secrets and long lost, and retrieved, memories.
Dom could refuse him, not then, because truth was, he wanted to go under again, he wanted to create and destroy and watch as the entire world bent to his every whim, he wanted to have the wonder of dreamsharing, just like he had seen in Ariadne's young face. So he accepted Saito's offer, even as the man smugly asked for a cup of water.
The rest of the gang, minus Yusuf, who had happily returned home with his winnings from the Fisher affair, all converged in Dom's home, much to his annoyance, in order to listen to what Saito had to offer them. James and Phillipa were bouncing off the walls around their beloved uncle Arthur, and all of daddy's friends, pretty Ariadne, funny Eames and nice Saito. In the end, Saito was able to convince everyone to join him in his efforts to advance dreamsharing on his dime.
Seemed the decades in limbo had been more than enough to hook the man to the idea that dreams could be the stuff of nightmares and also of the best of imagination and life in one endless package.
Furthermore to Dom's irritation, though, Ariadne, Eames and Arthur decided to crash at his place, no matter the very extravagant arrangements Saito had made for them, the little shits. Arthur headed over to his usual guest bedroom with a cheeky nod at his unwilling host, Ariadne politely asked where she could put her stuff, and Eames rushed over the stairs, stating he was sure Arthur's room was big enough for the both of them.
That was the first clue his brain picked up and let rest.
For the next few days, as they all started to settle into a rhythm (and as Dom tried to convince his guest to get the hell out), he couldn't help but notice some things about Eames and Arthur in particular. They still bickered as usual, making the kids laugh endlessly, and they poked and kicked and slapped each other whenever they thought someone wasn't looking, though never enough to hurt, of course, they made fun of one another's food preferences, of the clothes they chose to wear when ostensibly on vacation, or as good as, of how Arthur was 'uncle Arthur!' to the kids and Eames was 'uncle E!', and on and on and on and on. It was enough to drive a sane person mad, and Dom didn't quite consider himself all there after years on the run and lifetimes in dreams. His parents–in–law had departed a day after they arrived, looking all too glad to escape the madness.
Even Ariadne seemed at the end of her rope, and she had gone the entire Fisher affair without screaming at anyone.
"Can't you do anything? This is your house" – she pointed out, and Dom had to stare at her for a long moment. The silence stretched on long enough for her to flush and look away.
Yeah, his house, sure. His name on the deed, more like.
"It's only until all the details are ironed out and you people finally go and find places of your own"
"... Cobb, it's Saito, he can buy any company he wants over a ten second phone call, and yet we've been here a while and he still doesn't have it all figured out and settled?"
He groaned and grumpily waved her away, he didn't have the time or inclination for her perfect logic and insinuations that Saito was all to amused by his pain to do anything about it.
Two weeks later, Phillipa and James were constantly asking their uncles and aunt if their dad was alright, given how much time he spent mumbling to himself, complaining about his home being overrun by intruders who wouldn't take a hint (even the extremely direct, Get the hell out of my house!), and about how Saito was being the laziest billionaire in the world by not making his little project happen overnight (which seemed the kind of thing he would do, the asshole).
In between trying to play with his kids, eating whatever Eames cooked (he actually was a good cook), teaching Ariadne more and more about the world of dreamsharing and building in one's imagination, and going over the details of Saito's project with Arthur, Dom took to taking mental notes on his colleagues.
Ariadne, carefree outside of the confines of school and the stress of a life and death situation, Eames, cool and relaxed when not being made to learn all he could about a random man in the shortest period possible, and Arthur, his closest and oldest friend now that Mal was gone, being... Odd. Arthur wasn't odd, so Dom decided he should watch him more closely.
For whatever reason, Arthur and Eames seemed to be spending a lot of time together, mostly bickering, but on occasion discussing old missions, entertaining Ariadne with fun stories about their business, rolling around with Phillipa and James, poking fun at the increasingly despondent Dom. You know. Odd. They had never paired up unless forced to, and Dom had had to separate them many a times when Arthur decided a hands on intervention was the only way to make Eames shut up (this when he didn't right up grab a knife or a gun to take his frustrations out of the Forger), and on the rare occasion when Eames wanted to take Arthur out of a round of real life punch–a–thon (Dom thought he still had a couple of brass knuckles hidden away in his closet that he very forcefully had had to take from Eames just before he go to Arthur).
Something was... Weird about his Forger and Point Man, and Dom used much of his alone time as his kids were well cared for by their doting uncles and aunt. He was a little slow on the uptake at times, sure, so he decided he should try and try to figured shit out for once before someone told him what was really going on (in between laughing at him).
Eames was making Arthur smile and laugh more than snarl and snap at him, Arthur was making Eames look less like an alcoholic 80's pimp, they were still sharing a bedroom (very apparent by the way James and Phillipa liked to go and wake them up as soon as they were done waking Dom up), and Dom hadn't had to threaten them into submission once in the time they'd been squatting in his house. They were teasing to Dom, the kids and Ariadne, and HOLY SHIT.
"Ariadne" – Dom hissed, pulling the girl away from one of her impressive drawings.
"Cobb!" – she looked around and approached, wide eyes blinked at him.
"Tell me if I'm going crazy–"
"Uh, can I?"
"Be serious"
"Sorry, sorry"
"Do you think– Arthur and Eames, do you see–?"
"See... What?"
"Are they being...? Weird to you?"
"I... I'm not sure what you mean"
"Just... Look. Pay attention to the details" – he told her, and she frowned confusedly as she followed him to the backyard, where the boys and the kids were playing around, Arthur in jeans and a short sleeved shirt, Eames in shorts and a painted on t–shirt.
They stayed there, staring at the foursome. Eventually, Ariadne gasped softly when Arthur threw his head back laughing at something Eames said, and the Forger's face morphed into something soft and fond and–
"Oh God, please tell me I'm going crazy"
"Can I?" – Dom questioned dryly.
"What? Oh. Asshole"
"No cheek"
"But– But– Are they–? Are we–? But how–!"
"Do you think they've noticed?"
"They haven't started locking their door during the night, so, I guess not"
"... You don't think they would, do you?"
"Would lock the door?"
"You know what I mean. Under my roof!" – she looked at him.
"It's Eames and Arthur" – he blinked and groaned.