Title: Under Covers

Rating: M

Summary: Arthur and Ariadne decide to weather the weather in an unusual fashion.

Disclaimer: I don't own Arthur or Ariadne, no matter how nice that would be-they belong to Christopher Nolan.

...

On a cold December morning, two dreamers woke up to a world blanketed in white. "It's snowing!" Ariadne crowed, bouncing up and down in front of the window of her flat. "Oh, it's beautiful!" She clapped her hands together and giggled in glee. The sight of snow always brought with it happy memories and a sense of excitement. It also helped that it was a weekend and she didn't have a commute to make on treacherous roads, but she squashed that inconsequential line of thought to continue admiring the flakes that fluttered and floated through the air.

Arthur shook his head at her childish antics and chuckled. "You certainly are excited for a meteorological event that does tend to occur at this time of year." He stepped over to admire the sight of snow falling in the street from over her shoulder He had to admit that the view was actually quite nice but it was made infinitely better by the woman in front of him; bed-head, pajamas and all.

She turned, narrowed her eyes and declared in a manner that indicated that this offense was a grave one, "You have no winter spirit."

"Because I prefer to be indoors and admire the snow safely from within heated walls?" He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the side of her neck in appeasement. "Besides," he whispered huskily as he ran his hands over her hips, "there are so many fun ways to keep warm in here. Or in your bedroom…"

With a wiggle and a twist, Ariadne turned to look her lover in the face. "But why not get cold first? That way we'd have a reason to get warm. Pleaaaaaaaaaaaaase come outside with me." She pouted and tilted her head upwards, giving Arthur a front row seat to the perfect set of puppy dog eyes. It might be juvenile, but Ariadne knew that immature ploys were often the most effective in the world of grown-ups. When he closed his eyes and smiled the smile that indicated she had won, she added, "You know my logic is undeniable."

"Hmm, is that right?" Arthur sighed before adding reluctantly, "I haven't played in the snow since I was a kid. I feel awkward starting now."

Beaming, she planted an enthusiastic kiss on his lips. "It won't be awkward because you'll be with me! You won't regret this!" She sang out as she slid out of his arms and skipped to her room to change.

…

"Remind me again why this is fun." Arthur said warily, eyeing the steep descent of the hill just outside of town.

Mournfully Ariadne raised her gaze to the skies and wordlessly asked for patience with this extraordinarily intelligent man. She hefted the makeshift sled that in a former life was a garbage can lid and stated eloquently, "Because it just is." Without any elaboration, she threw herself down the hill with utter abandon, squealing all the way.

Arthur found himself unable to do anything but laugh as she skidded to a stop and flew into a large pile of snow. He continued to laugh at her expense while she dug herself out and trudged slowly back up to him. She was panting, damp from the wet snow and rosy-cheeked with joy. She had never looked more beautiful.

"Now it's your turn."

The lid was thrust into his hands and he stammered as he attempted to fold his lanky limbs onto the small metal frame, "Uhh, Ari, I, I'm not so sure…"

"Go!" Ariadne pushed against his back, running with him until he plummeted down the hill. Much to her surprise he uttered an extremely feminine yelp of distress during his descent which caused her to dissolve into a fit of giggles. He flew off the sled and soared several feet before crash landing. She skidded down after him, kicking up showers as she went. She threw herself on his chest and beamed with pride. "Wasn't that fun?"

Arthur thought about it for a moment. That was probably one of the most child-like things he's done in years. And it had felt great. "Yeah, yeah it was." He smiled and was rewarded with a jubilant kiss.

Arthur and Ariadne spent the rest of the snowy morning tumbling into drifts ad tossing frosty grenades over carefully carved fortress walls. And at a particular moment, once again, the Point Man's height worked against him and he found himself struggling to avoid a snowball to the face because his fort's walls were just a tad bit too short. Ari's childhood prowess in the many crafts of snow had not suffered the ravages of time, but her opponent was a quick study and was soon lobbing the icy chunks with remarkable skill. In fact, after an impressive volley Arthur stormed Ariadne's fort and broke through her frozen defenses.

As he tackled her into a snowbank, he pressed his body against her. "Do you surrender?" he demanded.

She stuck her tongue out defiantly. "Never!"

"Right. I suppose I'll have to give you some incentive, hmm?" The cold air heightened the sensation of his warm tongue sliding in her mouth as he kissed her thoroughly.

After a moment, her eyes fluttered open and she said dazedly, "What are your terms?"

With a chuckle, Arthur pushed himself upright and offered her a helping hand. "How about we go inside and warm up?
In the aftermath of their snowy conflict, he was acutely aware of the growing numbness in his fingers, toes, noses, and even his flushing cheeks and currently wanted nothing more than to return to the coziness of his lover's place. Specifically, her room. Her bed.

"Deal." Ariadne smiled, the tip of her nose shining as red as her coat. The two grasped each others hands and dashed across the ground, their footsteps the only sign that anyone had disrupted the snow-covered serenity of the park.

…

After bursting through her door with a flurry of limbs, their soaking wet clothing necessitated a quick removal. Wriggling out of her icy jeans, Ariadne shivered in delight at the renewal in her legs. The rest of her damp clothes were quick to follow the pants on the floor. Arthur bemusedly picked up the strewn articles and placed them on top of the stack he held before tossing them in the dryer in the hall closet. At the questioning glance he received upon his return, he blandly pointed out, "There's no point in just letting them sit there, right?"

"God, you are a neat freak." She giggled. There was something oddly comfortable about standing in her living room in just her underwear. She also enjoyed the view of her lover in his. A chill ran up her spine and made her shiver with discomfort.

"Cold?" Arthur asked with concern.

"A bit," Ariadne admitted, curious if her lover would make good on his promise from earlier.

"Hmm, that is a problem." He said far too casually as he moved towards her and pulled her into his arms, rocking her gently from side to side. She was disappointed that he was as chilled as she was and that he wasn't much good for warmth, but his heartbeat picked up when she nuzzled her cheek in the crook of his neck. "How about we warm you up?" His chest rumbled.

She replied just as casually, "Sure."

And so the Point Man kissed her. And kissed her. And kissed her until nothing existed in the world but the Architect and the feel of her lips against his own. And now that their outer garments were no longer impeding their efforts to touch and explore one another more fully their mouths met in a frenzy of need.

He chuckled into her lips, "Impatient, are we?"

"It's never been my strong suit." She acknowledged.

With a mischievous grin he motioned towards the hallway, "How about we move this to a warmer place?"

"Hmm, I'd say that could be arranged." She replied huskily, grabbing his hands puling him towards the unknown. Before they were halfway down the hall, Arthur pushed her against the wall and hungrily devoured her lips and neck.

"Who's impatient now?" Her giggles quickly turned into gasps at the pleasurable torture of his mouth as he ran his hands over the gentle curve of her hips. Ariadne needed to feel him closer, closer; needed to drown in the sensation of him. She threw her leg up around his waist and shivered at the touch of his hand gliding over the back of her thigh. Hungrily she pulled his mouth back to hers and drank in his lips, his tongue, his heart. Arthur's hands slid across her back and he reveled in the velvety feel of her warm skin as he teased and taunted her until she was weak in the knees with desire. Ariadne arched into his touch, desperately winding her fingers through Arthur's slicked back hair.

Eventually they stumbled through the threshold of her bedroom door and she kicked it shut with the high heel of her shoe, tripping and accidentally shoving her new lover sprawling onto the bed. The pair erupted in laughter as they attempted to sort out the pile of tangled limbs. Arthur's dark eyes danced with mischief as he deliberately hauled himself upright and pulled her into her master bath instead. When the door clicked shut behind them he kissed her in a way that sent a flood of heat coursing through her cheeks. Pressing her against the counter, he ran his hands over her still-cold skin.

"Let's get you warmed up." Arthur quickly turned on the hot water and started the shower, which filled the white tiled room with steam. His hands magically found their way to the clasp of her bra and set it fluttering unwanted to the floor before sending her panties to join it. "I want to touch you." He said huskily in her ear, making her squirm with anticipation. In order to keep things equitable, her deft fingers sent his silk boxers a-fluttering.

He gingerly navigated his way over the porcelain edge of the tub and offered his hand to the beautiful woman standing there with an adorably befuddled expression. Sweeping the shower curtain aside, Arthur reveled in the sensation of the hot water coursing down and sending shivers throughout his body. He had to admit that this was a more than adequate method of warming up after being out in the winter's chill for too long. And if he was with a certain Architect, then things were bound to be even better. And dare he make the mental pun… steamier?

Ariadne shook her hair out into the spray and the curls gradually dampened and draped themselves becomingly across her pale skin. They drew attention to the perfect breasts lingering just below his gaze, but never out of his mind. His breathing quickened and as she looked into her partner's eyes and in recognition of the need in them, moved her thigh in between his legs as she pressed her lips to his in desperation. Their tongues met amid sparks of electric energy and she moaned in her throat as she prayed for him to finally make good on his promise.

Tantalizingly slowly, Arthur's fingers traced an intricate and abstract pattern across her thighs, darting close to but not quite reaching the object of her desire. He deliberately ignored Ariadne's attempt to deepen their kiss or pull him closer-he was having far too much fun teasing her. Only when she managed to murmur a desperate, "Arthur, please!" did he oblige her.

Opening his mouth to her more fully, he pushed her against the cool kiss of the ceramic tile and slid a finger into her damp warmth. His free hand stroked her breasts, her hips, whatever it could reach and its motion did not go unappreciated. She let out a purr from the back of her throat as he slid one digit, and then two, into her; one leg propped on the ledge of the tub for stabilization in a world that threatened to topple and explode at any moment. "Arthur, oh god, please don't stop" she managed to beg. Ariadne's head flew back as he reached the very heart of her, and with a primal cry urged him on and on and to never, ever ever let her go. Fireworks exploded behind her eyes in a frenzy of quiet shrieks and shudders when she reached the peak.

Still panting and slightly off-kilter, she pushed Arthur under the hot water's caress and moved to her knees. Her lips lingered over him as his breathing hitched in anticipation of her touch on the most private part of him. Taking a leaf out of her lover's book she did not satisfy his desires immediately, rather, she placed feather soft kisses on the inside of his thighs and felt the gentle tickle of warm water against her lips. But eventually her mouth slid over him, nearly causing him to lose control then and there. He marveled, and not for the first time, what a lucky man he was to have such an amazing woman as his partner in all things.

"Ari…" Arthur groaned, murmuring her name and running his hand through her sopping wet curls. "Shit… that feels… amazing". She glanced up at him with her lust-darkened eyes and merely licked her lips in the attitude of some sex-kitten of a by-gone era. After taunting him nearly to the point of no return, he asked with a rasp in his throat, "Do you want me to get something?"

Unable to form coherent sentences at the moment, Ariadne hoped leaving a trail of blazing kisses up his stomach, shoulder, neck, cheek and mouth would eventually give him the answer that she could not-that she wanted nothing more than for him to fill her and fulfill her. There was something uniquely arousing about pleasuring your lover nearly to the breaking point and Ari was no exception to that philosophy. Thankfully, Arthur always seemed to understand her even when words were taken out of the equation and acquiesced easily, only stepping out of the shower momentarily to grab a condom from the vanity cabinet and put it on.

When he came back in, Ariadne twined her arms around his neck and her leg around his waist, her need made perfectly plain through the language of the body. He wanted nothing more than to ease that need and so he entered her, watching in pleasure as her eyes fluttered shut and she bit her lip in ecstasy. He leaned her against the tile to offer her a solid support as she began to grind her hips against his and moan. Grabbing her ass tightly, Arthur thrust into her, kissing any part of her body that he could reach. Her lips, her cheek, her eyes, her neck; all were fair game in his quest to cover her with his kisses.

"Oh, Arthur, I'm so close…!" Ariadne begged desperately before she snaked her tongue into his mouth, mimicking the motions of what she desired from him. He opened his eyes and stared into hers as he stated,

Only when he heard her cry, "Arthur!" as she pressed against his chest did he allow himself to scream, "Ari, god, amazing, love you..!" He panted before arching his back in the ultimate release, the universe exploding in a flourish of fireworks and lights flashing behind his eyes. As the lovers stood panting beneath the rapidly cooling jets of water, they found contentment just leaning against each other for support.

He placed a tender kiss on her forehead and murmured, "You are absolutely amazing."

"That goes double for you," she whispered as she leaned into him playfully, unable to really open her eyes or examine the world without it spinning out of control. "How about we crawl back in bed for awhile, hmm? At least until the world stops this whole spinning nonsense?"

Arthur chuckled and embraced her. "Crawling back under the covers sounds wonderful." He commented amusedly.

"Oh, I hope you weren't planning on sleeping," The Architect said with a mischievous grin, "because I had other plans for this afternoon…"

"Did you now?" he asked her neck before grazing it with his lips.

She sighed with pleasure, "Yes, but you'll have to come with me to find out."

"A hard bargain, to be sure. But anything for my lady." He made a mocking little bow in her direction as her eyes crinkled with happiness.

"Come on Arthur. Let's go dry off and then…"

"And then?"

"You'll just have to wait and see." And she kissed the Point Man and he realized that life was never better than when the woman of his dreams was in his arms and kissing him like the world around them meant nothing.

And if he had anything to say about it, she would never leave the warmth of his embrace, because on a snowy day like that, it was almost always better to stay under the covers. Almost.