It had been a week since Arthur had been burned to death in the dream. The whole of the team had been careful around him ever since. Throwing him concerned glanced over their coffees and work.
Arthur moved with his usual grace, but the effortless way he usually moved looked different. Like he was only moving and working by some impulse in his mind telling him to, not because he wanted to.
He hadn't gone out with them after work like he used to all week, he wouldn't answer their calls, which scared the life out of them and Cobb had already snapped at him once for not answering his calls all night and making them worry for the whole evening. The Point Man had just stood there, his eyes blank, taking the abuse without a care until Cobb finally finished and calmed down.
The Extractor was incredibly worried about his best friend. He just wasn't acting like….Arthur. It was like the Arthur they knew had died in the dream and another had come out. He had been replaced by something they just couldn't accept.
Eames looked around the warehouse and noticed that the younger man had disappeared. He frowned and look at the other members of the team, checking they weren't watching, before he slipped out of the warehouse to go and look for him.
He found him outside, the moon shining off of his skin, making him look ghostly pale. The white moonlight glinted off of his eyes, and Eames could see the tortured, haunted look that rested inside them.
He approached and took out his cigarette packet, lighting one and taking a drag before breathing it out and watching the wobbly halo of smoke rise up into the sky and disappear.
"It's bloody cold out here. Do you want to get pneumonia?"
The Point Man stayed silent, still staring off into the distance. Eames sighed.
"Look, Arthur, I know what you went through was quite…..traumatizing…to say the least, but you can't keep living like this. It's not you."
"I know Eames."
"Then why?" Arthur took a deep breath before speaking.
"I'm trying. But every time I close my eyes….I'm back in that warehouse. I'm choking on the smoke, my eyes are streaming, the flames are burning my skin away and I'm…alone. Dying alone."
"But you're not there. You're in reality remember? Your totem should tell you that right? We're all worried about you. You haven't been acting yourself all week."
"I thought you hated me."
"Oh no darling. What would I do without you? Work would be so boring without having my beloved little stick in the mud to mess around with." Arthur snorted while Eames smirked his amusement.
The Point Man shivered as a particularly strong gust of cold wind passed him, going straight through the thin layers of his suit and making goose bumps rise on his skin.
He jumped in surprise as something warm was placed around his shoulders and grabbed the edge of Eames' coat. The Forger smiled at him, not caring in the slightest that he was now missing his extra layer.
Arthur gave a small smile back and leaned into Eames when he hugged him.
"Thank you Eames."
"As I said before love, anytime."