Title: Loyalty & Love
Author: ThePointGirl
Rating: M (for later chapters)
Pairings: Arthur & Cobb SLASH (Eames' perspective)
Warnings: Well it's SLASH so if you don't like don't read.
Notes: Just a little thing I thought up whilst on the bus to college.
Chapter: 1
Eames observed Cobb and Arthur talking outside with drinks in their hands. As a forger Eames knew how to spot body language. Cobb cared about Arthur (to some extent, the man's quite closed off) and Arthur cared about Cobb (again, something Eames deciphered from the jobs, the time and the effort put forward by Arthur).
It's a funny – and not in a humorous way – sort of friendship. The pair of them fought, talked and breathed a sort of brother's love. Eames had watched as the pair went through entire melt downs of a bond, and then forgot it days later. It was always Cobb that made the first move, and then Arthur might just walk away.
But it wasn't that simple.
Cobb didn't realise (because he's a bit thick like that) that the casual touches and standing that little bit too close made Arthur wince and ache.
Eames saw it.
When Cobb had lightly and innocently laid a hand on Arthur's forearm to prevent him from walking any further into the already chaotic kitchen, knowing the OCD in Arthur would get cranky, Eames saw it. That touch did more damage then the fluff of flour that hung in the air around James who had discovered the use of flour as a Bond smoke bomb. Arthur's eyes squinted briefly and his mouth and jaw clenched. Cobb was oblivious to this, as his son wafted a great amount of raising flour in his direction, but Eames wasn't.
And now, as Cobb and Arthur stood talking outside, Arthur watched on fondly, listening to everything that was being said to him.
"Uncle Eames! Uncle Eames!" shouted James and the boy was about to go outside to Cobb and Arthur, wanting the three adults to join in his game.
"James you can't go out there just yet, your Daddy and Uncle Arthur are talking" Eames said sternly enough so the kid stopped, removed his hand from the glass back doors handle, and came over to Eames. Yet the statement was nice enough for a curious smile, alighting bright blue eyes, and a question.
"What are they talking about?" James asked innocence written all over his young face.
"Can't tell you Jamesy" Eames said simply, adding the nickname for a light touch, earning a quirk of the lips from little James Cobb who did not seem to entirely believe him. James hopped up onto the sofa's armrest next to Eames, his legs swinging. The more he grew, the more he resembled Cobb. James constantly mimicked Cobb's actions and facial expressions like an actor learning a part he would later play. But James Cobb was too vibrant and too eager to be held down, and too sunny to be his father just yet.
"Why aren't you out there?" James asked bluntly, watching Eames closely.
"Because I'm reading this book" Eames said holding up the novel in his hands. Again this was the truth. The pages of the book looked back at him saying, 'look you haven't read the words on my page for a while now, close the book'. Eames stole a glance out of the glass doors, watching as Cobb took a gulp of his drink, leaving the glass half-empty.
James brought Eames' attention back to himself and not his friends outside by reading the title aloud.
"One Man, Two Minds" he said with a frown "what does that mean?"
"It means you are upset you become two people" Eames said, trying to explain it in a quick sentence. This obviously wasn't the full idea behind the book, but it was sufficient for a six-year-old.
"Oh that's like me. When I'm upset daddy says 'that's not like you'" and Eames nodded with a smile. He had heard Cobb say that as James refused to let anybody into his room, screaming profusely at any voice. Cobb had managed to get the boy to stop and open the door. Little James Cobb clung to his father, nuzzling into his shoulder.
"Exactly" and he looked out the glass back doors again at Cobb and Arthur. The point man had stepped away from Cobb shaking his head, his glass empty of liquid.
The scene outside, though like a silent movie, had taken a twist in the plot.
Eames tried to lip read but it was useless, Arthur was too tight lipped to work out words let alone whole utterances.
Then something weird happened.
Cobb held out his hand, which had a drink in it, and used the other one to pull Arthur into a hug.
From what he could see, Arthur had tensed but relaxed and returned the hug. This lasted for about ten seconds.
It wasn't that he was jealous.
It wasn't that he felt apart.
It was that there was something odd, something strange about that whole scene between the two men.
Eames knew Arthur's feelings.
And one hug won't sort out anything.
Ooh :) wonder what's going to happen? Review if you like it so far. xx