Ariadne sighed and sat up on the chaise lounge she'd reclined on to enter the dream world. She couldn't quite seem to perfect the cottage she'd designed. It was her dream house- it didn't exist, of course. She didn't use memories in designing. But she wished she could create it for real. The house was designed like a rustic cottage, but she'd enlarged it by a floor and width and length. A massive flower bed was around the front porch, and a willow tree sat in the front yard. A wooden swing was hanging from a maple tree in the back. She'd made her bedroom outfitted with a bay sitting window and a canopy bed. A book room was near the back, and the rest of the house was equally comfortable and pretty.
Ariadne removed the IV from her wrist, sighing again. She waited to stand up to avoid an uncomfortable head rush. Biting her lip, Ariadne's brow furrowed. What was missing in the house? She hated imperfections in her creations, and this one felt wrong.
"Why are you still here?" Arthur's voice came from behind her, making her jump visibly.
"I…uh." She swallowed. They weren't really supposed to use the PASIV for anything besides work. Currently they were working on a simple extraction project, in a new warehouse in a suburb of London. "I was…working on my…um, the…subject's dream scape for the job."
Behind her back, Arthur's eyebrows raised. Should he believe her? "We tested it out today, it was excellent…remember, we said that he wouldn't be able to realize it was a dream?" he walked slowly to the chair across from her.
"I just wanted to…" Ariadne's eyes darted in and out of Arthur's gaze. "I thought that the plaza was too easy a maze?" her voice raised at the end, like a question.
Arthur looked doubtfully at her. "I don't believe you. That maze is impossible."
Ariadne opened her mouth but had run out of excuses. Her shoulders dropped as she gave up. Arthur was too logical and tough to take in a lie. "I was making a house."
"A house?" Arthur's left eyebrow arched. "What kind of house."
"A perfect house," Ariadne sighed. "I was trying to make it better."
"What do you mean?"
She shrugged. "There was something missing from it."
His head tilted to one side. "You can fix it, in the dream."
"I suppose. If I could figure out what it was that was missing."
"Can I see it?"
The question surprised Ariadne. The point man tended to be completely rule abiding. None of them were supposed to use the dreams to act out what they wanted reality to be. No mixing worlds.
"Uh…sure?" Ariadne frowned. "Do you really want to, though? Cobb might get really angry if he found out."
Arthur barely hesitated. "Yes." He moved for the PASIV.
Ariadne plugged in first, making herself the dreamer. In the few seconds it took Arthur to join her, Ariadne recreated the house, exactly the same as last time.
"Wow," Arthur said as he joined her in the dream. "That's a beautiful house."
"Yeah…" Ariadne said hesitantly. "I guess."
Arthur shrugged. "I don't really see anything wrong with the house."
She pulled open the front door, gesturing for Arthur to walk in. He did, gazing around a well lit foyer. "The inside is beautiful as well," he said honestly. "Can I see the rest?"
Ariadne nodded and led him through the rest of the house. "I really like how it came out, I just can't figure out what's missing."
Arthur peered into a dark-cabinet kitchen, classically rustic apart from top-notch appliances. The living room was not too big, but had a corner couch, a large TV, and a pretty fireplace. "I like this room," Arthur said, smiling, as they stepped into the book room. The spines were leather bound and the room smelled like ink and parchment.
They climbed a narrow spiraling staircase into a long hallway, with a bathroom and bedroom at one end, an extra guest room at the other. Entering the master suite bedroom, Arthur ran a pale hand along the smoky/silvery gray bedspread, glancing out the window at the picturesque backyard.
He then ducked briefly into the bathroom, where a Jacuzzi tub fit into the corner. As he walked back to the center of the bedroom, he sat on the corner of the bed, next to Ariadne. "I don't think anything's missing."
"No, there is! I just can't figure out what it is." Ariadne frowned.
"Maybe it's just too big and empty? I'd be a little creeped out, admittedly, at being in this house all by myself." Arthur smiled slightly.
"I think you're right," Ariadne said, realizing this. "It's just lonely in here."
"Well, hey, are you calling me bad company?"
Ariadne smiled at his unusually jokey comment. "No. At least not when you're in a relaxed mood like this," she joked back.
"So usually I'm not good company." He raised his eyebrows at her.
"No. You're just better company in a good mood."
"Oh, okay." A corner of his mouth turned up.
Ariadne found herself staring at his mouth, leaning slightly towards him. She caught herself, pulling back. His eyes watched her. Ariadne dismissed the notion that the gaze was intrigued.
"I wish I could make this house real," Ariadne said wistfully.
"You could. You know you have enough money from these jobs, especially the inception…"
"I know. I still feel weird using a lot of money at a time," she said.
"Well, Ariadne. I'm going to be serious for a second. Make sure you don't come here so much that you want to spend time here more than reality."
Ariadne smiled. "I won't."
"Good. I don't want what happened to Mal happening to you."
"Thank you for worrying about me, Arthur," Ariadne said quietly.
He angled himself more towards her. "I don't do it by choice. I worry for you beyond control."
"Does that mean your projections will like me?" Ariadne smiled.
"Probably not. But I like you."
Ariadne's stomach tightened. "You…like me?"
Arthur's eyes drilled into hers. "Do you like me?" he asked quietly.
She unconsciously moved closer to him. Her pulse pounded in her ears. "Yes," she whispered.
Arthur's fingers touched just under her chin, turning up her face to his. "I'm glad," he whispered in return.
Ariadne's eyes closed as he drew her face closer. Suddenly one of the bay windows crashed and the room exploded.
They both jolted up in the real world, each taking out their IVs, pulses racing at the shock of the projections' sudden turn on them.
"Arthur…" Ariadne said quietly, eyes wide as she turned to him, carefully sliding off her chair and onto his.
He moved in the same way, turning her face to his, pressing her lips softly against his. Their lips moved silently against each other's. Ariadne breathed into Arthur's mouth.
His hand wound into her long dark hair, pulling her closer, intensifying the kiss. Ariadne shifted slightly to be partly in Arthur's lap, her arms winding around his narrow but muscled frame. Their tight embrace let no light between them. Biting on his lower lips slightly, Ariadne made Arthur open his mouth into a more passionate kiss. He responded with gusto, grabbing her waist and shifting her against the reclined back of the lounge, bent halfway over her, their chests still pressed together.
Ariadne kept their mouths together, pulling him forever closer with a hand on the back of his neck and the other on his mid spine. Arthur's hands rested on her waist and in her hair still. Ariadne gasped as his hand touched her bare waist, sending shocks through her, but not venturing up or down. Their passion-filled kissing slowed as the night went on. They kissed comfortably, not going any further, however.
Pressing a final kiss to her collarbone, they snuggled closer and began falling asleep, one of Ariadne's legs curved around Arthur, whose torso, in turn, was bent over her. They fell asleep comfortably and warmly.
The next morning, they were still sleeping soundly, intertwined on the small recliner. The door to the warehouse opened in the next room over, quiet chatter filling the room.
Eames, Yusuf, and Cobb (on temporary visit from his kids) talked friendlily over coffee as they sat at their desks. They were there for a half hour or so when they started wondering where the architect and point man were.
"Those two are never late," Yusuf pointed out, leaning on Eames's desk.
"Maybe they decided to sleep in…" Cobb suggested.
Eames rolled his eyes. "Both of the early-arriving late-leaving workaholics deciding to come in late on the same day?"
"They could be using the PASIV," Cobb said. "Maybe they came in extra early, not late."
"That's a long dream. We've been here for half an hour." Yusuf frowned.
"I'll check," Eames offered, rising and walking into the side room.
The other two sat waiting, talking quietly. "HOLY-!" They heard Eames' shocked, cut off shout and they ran into the room.
Taken aback at the sight they were met with, they took a big step back. Slowly waking up in front of them were two members of their team, entangled atop one of the recliners, intimately close.
"What is it?" Ariadne's voice was sleepy, waking up fully first.
Arthur woke up then, but was apparently even less aware of his surroundings, apart from the girl half under him. He pulled her closer against him, mumbling something unintelligible.
The team gaped at their organized point man as he kissed their architect's neck. Ariadne was frozen like a deer in headlights, until she finally nudged the point man a few times. "What…" he muttered, shifting slightly to see the cluster of people standing in the doorway. He startled, tumbling off the chaise lounge. "Shit!" he exclaimed as he hit the floor.
The team looked at the two, waiting for an explanation. Arthur and Ariadne stood slowly, casting glances between each other and the team. "I…we…" Ariadne stumbled over her words.
"Um," Arthur glanced about. "Ariadne?"
"Yeah?" she said quietly.
"Run."
She turned and sprinted for the back door, followed closely by Arthur. They slammed the door behind them, running for Arthur's car. Tearing out of the parking lot, Ariadne began to laugh, glancing back at the incredulous faces of the team.
"Oh, gosh," she said once her laughter died out. "They're going to murder us when we go back."