Arthur refuses to go to sleep and has decided that is he is to be sleep deprived then so is Eames, after all it is his fault. There is a reason Arthur watched old movies like the Hitchcock classics, and any move with Clark Gable. They were great timeless pieces without a shred of horror, gore, or anything even remotely ridiculous that can scare Arthur witless.
But on that rainy Halloween Eames had managed to convince Arthur that having a horror fest was appropriate and that Arthur would be too condescending to be scared.
How wrong he had been. Arthur had screamed his entire way through Thirteen Ghost, borrowed his head in Eames's shoulder for all of Halloween, whimpered through the original Night of the Living Dead, been brave enough to get through Nosferatu, and had decided not to sleep after A Nightmare On Elm Street.
Eames had been amused in the beginning, this was Arthur, point man extraordinaire; the man who finished the job no matter what it took he really should not have been afraid. But by the second movie ,when Eames could no longer feel his arm, he had begun to really look at Arthur has he watched the films.
Eames began to notice that it was when there was a particular dark scene that Arthur would use Eames as his protection and an idea began to take root in his head. His lover had many very particular quirks, the way he dressed, the way he ate, and the way he slept.
They had been dating for a year and during that time Eames had never seen Arthur sleep at night. In the beginning Eames had been afraid it was him that Arthur wouldn't sleep with, always falling asleep before Arthur and waking up after him. That was until Arthur had put that doubt to rest saying he never slept at night.
It was true and Eames had taken it at face value never questioning it, because after that Arthur made sure that he was in bed with Eames when he was drifting off to sleep as a way to show that they were okay.
Even when they fought and Eames had to sleep on the couch on principle, Arthur was there watching Eames, reassuring him, but maybe that was not all there was to why Arthur did not sleep at night. They did do enough dreaming during the day that it was plausible that Arthur was just not tired.
Arthur was also a caffeine addict, Eames had assumed that was the reason, but that wasn't it at all.
Arthur was afraid of the dark.
Even now with them cuddled on the couch the kitchen light was on, illuminating enough of the apartment for Arthur to relaxed.
Eames blinked, shocked, but finally understanding. Suddenly the other little quirks made so much more sense. Like the way they always went to bed with the bathroom and bedside light on.
The way Arthur's architecture was always sharp and crisp but with vivid colors.
The way he always left the warehouse at an exact time when it was still light out, often bringing work home.
How he never went to the movie theatre, deciding to stream the movies from the Internet instead. And even how their workspaces themselves, while out of the way and unnoticeable always had big opaque windows to let light in.
Eames watched Arthur through the rest of the films, not even bothering to put on Silent Hill sure his lover would have a heart attack. They built a little snuggle fort in their bedroom, Eames taking extra care to make sure the room was well lit.
"Arthur, are you afraid of the dark?"
Eames was not one to beat around the bush. Arthur stiffened, and tried to pull himself out of Eames's arms. Eames refused, stroking Arthur's arm to calm him down.
"It's alright pet you don't have to answer I know the answer, and I am sorry I did not realize sooner. No more horror movies for you."
Eames rocked them waiting patiently for Arthur to sort things out in his head.
"When I was little I was locked in a closet at my boarding school and left there for two days." Arthur finally whispered not looking at Eames.
"It's my ultimate bête noire, being in the dark and not being able to find light."
Eames said nothing else, knowing when not to push. He just breathed deeply, forcing Arthur to as well when he felt Arthur's heart race.
They sat in silence for the rest of the night, Eames continuing to rock them, neither of them sleeping until the sun had risen and Paris was fully awake.