Summary: One-shot. The team celebrates a job well done in Mexico with some alcohol. Focused on Eames, Ariadne, and Arthur.
Disclaimer: Inception and its characters belong to the the talented Mr. Chris Nolan.
One Tequila, Two Tequila, Three Tequila, Floor
Arthur rolls the die on his desk. Five.
He quickly rolls it again. Five.
And again. Five.
The Pointman's right hand reaches for the red die and safely deposits back into his pocket before deciding to repeatedly bang his head on his desk. It's not a dream. Why is this not a dream?
A feminine voice calls out. "Arthur?"
Mariachi music fills the hot summer air in Mexico. Eames and Yusuf (drunk off their minds from the tequila their former client, a crime lord, sent as a thank you gift) are swinging around their sombreros as they dance around the warehouse. Cobb, already out, is lying awkwardly on the fold out chair. A colorful poncho covers his face. Tonight, the team celebrates another successful job completion.
"Arthur." Ariadne walks up to her friend and rubs a comforting hand over his back.
"What?" Arthur mumbles.
With a soft luring voice, Ariadne says, "Come join us." Arthur looks up at the girl's face. There he sees a pair of bright eyes and a genuine smile.
Arthur returns the smile with another. "Thank you for the invitation but I don't think I want to get in between…" Arthur's eyes shift from Ariadne's face to the two jokers. The Pointman waves his hand at the scene in front of him, struggling for the right word "…that." Eames is teaching Yusuf how to do the moonwalk right when "La Cucaracha"begins playing in the background.
Ariadne giggles. "How can you not laugh at these two?"
"Those two are too much for me to handle at – " Arthur looks down at his watch, "2:30 in the morning."
"Arthur, love. You are still too sober." Eames cries out from across the room. Yusuf is now on his back lying unconscious on the floor. "Here. After a couple of these babies, you'll feel much better, darling." The forger sways towards the couple and puts the sombrero on the desk.
"What are you –" Arthur shuts up when he sees Eames pull out some shot glasses and half a bottle of tequila from the hat.
Eames, still very intoxicated, surprisingly lays out a neat row of three shot glasses on the table and fills them full with the yellow liquid without making a mess.
Arthur gives a questioning glance at Ariadne. The Architect replies with a big smile and nods her head toward the glasses. "Just one night, Arthur. What's the worst that could happen?" Accepting the fact that his colleagues probably won't let him get away, Arthur pulls up his sleeves and readies for the intake.
"Where's the salt and the lime?" Eames asks. Interesting that Eames can still think clearly after drinking so many shots.
"Here, I got it." Ariadne walks over to Yusuf, pushes the Chemist onto his side and pulls out a saltshaker and a whole lime from his back pocket. She pats him lightly on the head before walking back to Eames and Arthur.
"Thank you, my cucaracha." The words come out slurred from Eames' lips. Nevermind, he's not thinking clearly.
"Excuse me? Cockroach?" Ariadne holds back from smacking the Forger across the face.
"Excuse you, darling. And what cockroach?" Eames offers a lopsided grin when Ariadne hands over the ingredients with a little more force than necessary. Arthur clutches his stomach as he laughs heartedly at Ariadne. What are you suppose to expect from a drunken fool? And with that, Arthur takes his first shot and the rest of the night disappears from his mind like a half-remembered dream.
…...
Arthur has a raging headache when he is conscious. He realizes quickly that he's no longer in the warehouse but in his hotel suite.
"Good morning, love." The Pointman quickly turns his head to see Eames half-naked on his bed. Eyes-wide open, Arthur palms the side of his pants… He realizes that he's only in boxers. Frantically jumping out of bed, Arthur searches for his pants. He finds various clothing on the floor along with an empty bottle of tequila and two sombreros. His eyes continue to roam all over the room until he spots his pants dangling over the corner lamp. Without a second thought, Arthur takes the pants, digs deep into his pocket, and pulls out his die.
Hands behind his head, Eames amusingly watches Arthur panic. "No need to check the die, darling. I assure you it's not a dream." Arthur glares at the Forger. Taking in a deep breath, Arthur rolls the totem on the bedside table. The totem is thrown a bit too harshly that it rolls off the table and under the bed. Growling, the Pointman goes on his hands and knees to find the object. Arthur spots the die and simply stares at it for a few moments. Five.
"No. It's a nightmare." He mumbles to himself. Palm over his face, Arthur grudgingly gets back on his feet and tumbles into bed. Letting out one big huff, he pulls the comforter over his head and tries to fall back asleep. He shuts out all the noise and makes a mental note that he is now officially retired from drinking tequila.
Eames, with a boastful laugh, reaches for his dress shirt and walks out into the part kitchen–part living room. On the right, Ariadne is on the couch merrily watching the morning cartoons. On the left, three untouched glasses of water, orange juice, and a mysterious green concoction sit ready for Arthur's arrival on the counter.
"Eames. You're going to give him a heart attack one day." Ariadne simply states with her mouth full of cereal. It's evident by the pillow and blanket that Ariadne slept in Arthur's suite to keep the hungover Pointman company. The Forger smiles and replays last night's events in his mind.
Six hours ago, after Cobb and Yusuf were safely back in their own beds, sobered-up Eames and Ariadne had dragged Arthur back to his room. Eames thinks it would be hilarious if Arthur wakes up believing the two had slept together. So then the Forger decides to strip him (and strategically throw his pants on the lamp), go back to his own room for a nap, and then return to lie next to Arthur before the man wakes up.
Eames leisurely puts on his shirt and takes a gulp of Arthur's orange juice. "The little bugger can handle it. He's a strong boy." Eames bends down from behind the couch and gives Ariadne a quick kiss on the cheek before sauntering off to the door.
"Hey." Eames turns back to see Ariadne's hand outstretched towards him while still staring at the television screen.
Eames grins and gives back the card key that he "borrowed" from Arthur last night.
"Make sure our dear Arthur opens his phone later, there's some lovely pictures that I'm sure he'll enjoy. Cheerio."
...
Four hours later…
After having a nice shower and full stomach (thanks to Ariadne), Arthur stretches his arms and back out. He closes his eyes and smiles at the current state of peace. No loud noises, no alcohol, and no Eames.
Arthur has a sudden thought that he doesn't know what time it is so he reaches for his cell phone that's currently on the counter. There's a multimedia text message that was sent hours ago and Arthur frowns when he sees that it's from Eames. He's tempted to delete it but his curiosity gets the best of him. Eyes immediately go wide when the message loads.
"EAMES!" Arthur screams furiously.
There's a picture of a drunk Arthur with nothing on but a sombrero.
Hoped you enjoyed this. Adios Amigos!
Reviews are much appreciated. Thanks! xoxo