Title: The Tale of Two Architects
Author: ThePointGirl
Pairings: Dari & Earthur
Warnings: None - Dom being a bit dim but that's reality right?
Notes: I faffed about with where Ariadne was during her course.. it's explained at the end.
Prompt: 'Cobb gets jealous when Ariadne has a date' from inception_kinkmeme
"WHOA Dom! Slow down, repeat what you just said without the growling" Arthur said slowly, he was always the one to try and get Dom to calm down (Fischer job – oh hell) but this was nuts. The man was on the other end of the phone line and Arthur could hear him pacing. Arthur was not alone, he was with Eames. The man seemed intrigued by this conversation because it was proven that the reason Dominic Cobb was pissed off was not a 911 emergency.
"I don't growl" and Arthur begged to differ but instead he waited for the more educated reply to his request. "Ariadne is out on a date"
Arthur thinks himself as a man who can have a mental ability of many levels. So it took him a second to soak in the reason his friend, colleague, employer, practically-brother, had called him. Ariadne, the girl who got Dom back to his family and therefore gave him a lot of guidance (more than Arthur could do) was on a date.
Last Week ~
"Who's Jensen?" Eames had asked Ariadne at a cafe on 4th.
"A guy in my architecture lectures"
"Ahh"
"Why did you say 'ahh' like that?"
"I'm not going to interefer in you personal life Ariadne"
Arthur snorted with laughter.
"You don't intefere? Right. Ariadne don't be too quick on -"
"I worked with you, him, and Domminic Cobb for months in a business I didn't even know about. I went under with you and Cobb for the first time, you don't look the most trustworthy type. So forgive me" Ariadne hissed, keeping her voice low, even though they were in a cafe filled with voices. Eames raised his eyebrows and held his esspresso up high.
"You have a point, pet. But we're concerned for you. You mean something ... well to me at least" Eame said lightly. Ariadne smirked and sipped her latte.
"Thanks" and her phone made a bleeping sound."Hmm..."
"What's up?" Arthur asked watching her features.
"Jensen's asking me to go ice skating next week. I don't think he realises that even though I'm small, I have little to no balance"
"Don't feel like you have to go. Do have any other plans?" Arthur asked, and then waved to a waitress to order another two espressos.
"Well it's not set in stone, but I did kinda say I'd take Phillipa and James to Ed's Diner as I have meal tickets"
Eames and Arthur glanced at each other.
"What?" Ariadne demanded, forgetting temporarily about her reply text.
"You've put in more effort to help Cobb than.. well not both of us"
"What are you implying?"
"You're getting similar everytime I see you. And I'm not directly implying anything, you've got a warm heart" Eames said,sending her a smile.
"I don't how I should view that" Ariadne murmured, avoiding obvious eye contact.
"However you like. I think what Eames means is, that you should do what you feel more comfortable with" Arthur said with a nod.
"I don't know. I don't want to let either down"
"They'll survive, pet"
"Okay"
Phone Conversation ~
"And this is problem because-" Arthur knew immediately that that was wrong thing to say. Eames' brow furrowed.
"Arthur, I asked her if about it again last -"
"Dom she has the right to change her plans" his head told him good coming from the man who likes order.
9 Days ago ~
"Oh for God's sake, stay upright!" Ariadne yelled.
"You do know it won't talk back, right?" Dom asked loudly and Eames laughed.
"Arghhh... it's so annoying. I don't understand why it can't just do what I want it to do" Ariadne glowered at the pair of dream workers.
"Because in reality that doesn't work" Arthur said after he made sure he was out of hitting distance.
"Ariadne -" Dom began.
"No! I've tried and tried. This cannot be done. I refuse to hand in this assignment... Professor can shove it"
Dom, not used to being cut off, carried on with what he was about to say.
"I was going to say leave it. Come back to it tomorrow. You're working too hard"
"Fine. Okay. Can you make me a coffee please?" she asked as Dom was the one behind the kitchen counter.
"I'll make you a tea. You've already had five cups of coffee"
"You're counting?" Ariadne asked ask she ran a hand through her auburn hair.
Dom ignore her and Ariadne followed him with her eyes.
"It is good you know" Eames said quietly and Ariadne turned her gaze to the forger instead.
"Thank you. But if it doesn't stand up, it's not a building" she explained and then said more quietly "Jensen's asked me if I want grab dinner with him next week..."
"And what did you say?" Eames whispered. Arthur looked at the two of them with a furrowed brow as he sat on the extremely comfortable armchair.
"I don't know. I do want to stay and be w-"
"Ariadne it's one sugar, right?" Dom asked appearing and holding out her cup of tea as she nodded with a real smile.
"Thank you. Last time I had six coffees I fell asleep in last lecture"
"That is alot better than sitting in a lecture hall tapping your pen against your glass of water along to the Police" Dom said shaking his head afterwards
"Is that experience talking?"
"Oh yes. You would not like to be sitting next to me, after I had no sleep, so drank seven coffees in one go"
Ariadne laughed "I think I would have thrown something at you"
"Oh my roommate did. It was Statutory Interpretation Volume 3, a very big book" Dom said and the three others laughed along with him. Arthur looke between a Ariadne and Dom speculating...
Phone Conversation ~
"It's not really that, that's bothering me"
Arthur could sense that there was something unsaid throughout this whole phone call.
"What's bothering you? She's going out with a guy right?" making sure that this was indeed the same date Ariadne had told him about. At this Eames chuckled with a smirk nicked from Lucifer himself.
"That I'd like to see" Eames said and Arthur glared at him. Dom (even when in his own rants) can hear other conversations.
"Eames is with you?" and Arthur made a noise at which Dom huffed "how long have you to -? And of course it's a guy. Otherwise this conversation would be entirely different"
"Right. And for the record, four months"
"Four months?" Dom mused and Arthur could vision a frown "So that's why you were strange at Phillipa's birthday party?"
Arthur closed his eyes, Phillipa's birthday party was hard to get through as Eames kept making suggestive remarks everywhere that were floating in his direction.
"Anyway, so Ariadne's gone out with a guy. Dom, she's twenty three, still at university, stop acting like an overprotective father-"
"I don't want to act like her father" and it dawned on him.
6 Days ago ~
"What are they talking about?" Eames asked, a confused expression on his face.
"Well the last time I ventured in there, they were talk about Renaissance paintings"
"They've taken over the kitchen. I know it's Dom's house, but that's anti-social"
"Jealous are we?" Arthur asked flicking the TV channels between basketball and a crime drama.
"Of which one?" Eames then said in a louder voice "By the way Ariane you remind me of a Monet. Beautiful if you stand back, but up close all a big mess" a huge grin plastering his lips. There was a pause and then Ariadne appeared not looking too cheerful.
"One, Monet's paintings are a not a mess, and two thank you very much" she said sounding very like Philipa in her tone of voice. Dom hovered in the doorframe a smirk etched over his face. Ariadne swung around and the smirk vanished.
"That's not nice Eames" Dom said and Eames groaned.
"Yes yes I'm sorry. But you were ignoring us"
"Apoligies, Arthur are you watching either of those?"
Arthur stopped going between the two channels.
"I've got the plot for the crime programme" he said simply.
Phone Conversation ~
A smirk formed on his lips, he looked at Eames who was now playing on his blackberry distractedly. Holding a hand over the receiver he said quietly:
"Our extractor's a little jealous that our architect has eyes on somebody else this evening"
"Stop the world, I want to get off. It's taken him that long? I can't think who I feel more sorry for" Eames muttered and Arthur kicked him lightly on the foot, earning a scowl.
"Arthur?" Cobb's asked and Arthur felt a little bad about his last statment. But hell, Cobb knew Eames long before Arthur.
"Right here. Jealousy doesn't suit you Dom"
"Oh bloody hell, tell Richard the third over there that darling Ari will come back to him!" Eames said. He held up a text from Ariadne to confirm to Arthur, and sighed:
Ariadne: God he's annoying. I actually thought that he'd be mature etc, with SOME knowledge of art. WHY THE HELL DID CANCEL ON COBB? Xxx
"I wouldn't worry Dom, she's probably thinking about you" Arthur said and Dom grumbled.
4 Days ago ~
"How's Jensen?" Eames asked, not then realising Dom was still in the room. Ariadne who was playing about with James, picked him up to sit on her lap.
"Good. He's happy because he did really well in an assignment for Professor Miles"
"How's your assignment?"
"I gave it in. Should be okay... James what is it?" the little blond boy was clearly wanting her attention.
"Who's your favourite?" James asked and Ariadne looked at Eames.
"What do you mean James?"
"I mean, I'm funny but Phillipa's a girl" and Ariadne nodded meaning she understood what was being aked of her.
"I love you both. Adults can't pick who they care about"
"Oh... Daddy's wrong then..." and James hopped off her lap and ran off.
"Daddy's... what?"
"Don't look at me"
Phone Conversation ~
"It's classmate of hers- She's the brightest in her entire year - " Dom continued and Eames held out his phone to Arthur.
Ariadne: I dodged a kiss goodnight. Feel a bit ill. Wonder if Cobb's still awake?
Oh definitely is… Arthur thought and then gave up with the secrets.
"Dom, she's on her way back to you. She just asked Eames if you were awake, so get off the freaking phone"
"Really?"
"No she decided to go to Italy with him for a night in Venice, I was soothing your distress. Of course she is" Arthur said flatly. He couldn't believe it. He could not cmprehend that the man who could extract, and incept, and control dreams of others was this basic. Then again...
2 days ago ~
"Ariadne's acting strange" Dom asked Arthur who frowned a bit.
"Define strange"
"Well, it's nothing really. But she hasn't asnwered my texts or calls"
"I shouldn't worry, she's got alot on her plate at the moment"
"You're right Arthur. I guess, I miss her company" Dom sighed, looking at somwhere around the bookshelve and the side table.
"That's not difficult to do, she's great company" Arthur said and thought about the whole Jensen issue. He didn't know one guy (who he had never met) would cause this much tension.
"Yeah.. she is"
Phone Conversation ~
"Arthur" Dom warned and Arthur huffed.
"Oh come on, she'll be back soon"
"Thanks Arthur"
"Anytime" and he exited the conversation on his blackberry, falling on the couch next to Eames. He wondered briefly about what the scene would look like when Ariadne arrived at the Cobb residence.
"You know Miles told me he spent at least his salary for the Fischer job on talk cards to Ariadne. That's why Miles encouraged her to do the last bit of her second course over here" Eames said languidly, laughter bubbling in his throat.
"I know, ridicilous isn't it? I never really noticed it before. The way Ariadne looks at him..."
"It's cute, though at one point I did have a serious urge to take Dom under somachin, just to smack him about abit so to make him realise. He's a bit slow at times, but we love him all the same"
"My thoughts exactly"
"We should write a book about them, I think it would sell well"
"What we call it?" Arthur asked, thought lines gracing his forehead.
"The Tale of Two Architects" Eames said and placed a kiss on Arthur's cheek.
This is under inspection and I'm going to add more to it. But if you like it please review. xxx