AUTHORS NOTE: So this was a fic off between my friend, ThePointGirl, and I using six items: Blackberry, Aftershave, Ring, Coffee, Gun, Sunglasses. This is what I came up with. I tried to write one story based on all six items but my mind just wouldn't focus so I did this concept. Only prompt Aftershave/Ring really follow each other but not by much. TPG has already uploaded her story so please go check it out if you haven't already.
DEDICATION: To ThePointGirl for keeping me writing!
DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters, the aftershave (Paco Rabbane) or the gun information (wikipedia)
[#01: Blackberry]
"Useless piece of shit..." Cobb growled that sunny afternoon as he moved into the art studio, now affectionately known as their work space, while slamming the smart phone against the palm of his hand and not paying attention to his surroundings or he'd have noticed Eames sat at the other side of the room, a book in his hand. The book, however, was neglected once his old friend moved into the space, his anger towards the technological device emanating through the room as he stormed through to the back room.
A grin spread across the English man's face as he dropped the book to the floor and pulled himself up from the sun lounger so that he could follow the man. Leaning against the wall, Eames smiled as he watched Cobb throw the phone down against the table and start searching for something amongst the papers. "You realise, Cobb, that if you treat your mobile with respect, it'll love you back." He commented lightly causing the other man's hand to tighten into fists before turning to look at the other man, his eyes narrowed into a glare.
"Eames, it's a mobile. Not a woman."
"Damn Cobb, if that's how you treat a woman, no wonder you're single." He teased with that bright smile that caused Cobb's stomach to flip and his glare to soften as he shook his head. Moving over, Eames sat down on one of the chairs and reached out for the mobile but before he could draw it back, Cobb's hand was holding onto his wrist tight and the glare had returned. "Darling, I'm just trying to see if I can work it out for you. I might not be as young and as into technology as either Arthur or Ariadne but I'm most definitely not a Luddite."
"So you're stating that I am a Luddite?"
"Face it, Cobb, you can work a PASIV as best as the rest of us but give you a smart phone or a laptop and you're at a loss. Its fine," Eames said with a smile as he manipulated his wrist free and looked down at the phone in his hand, "it's understandable in a man of your age."
Pulling his hand away from Eames, Cobb realised that there was only so much glaring he could do at the man so he just shook his head. "Eames, I'm only a few years your senior." He pointed out knowing how much Eames hated it when he did so and this was proven by Eames now narrowing his eyes at the older man, his hand clutching at his chest as if he was having a heart attack at the brutal news before chuckling slightly.
"But I like to pretend I'm down with the kids," he said with a wink before returning his gaze to the phone. "What the hell did you do to this thing?"
"Nothing!" Cobb exclaimed thinking about how it had fallen down a flight of stairs or two on their last chase with some thugs that were out to get them but decided to refrain from telling Eames that because he'd go back to his respect spiel. "Can you fix it or not?"
Eames just shrugged his shoulder as he turned the phone over in his hand, a smile on his face as he removed the back. "When in doubt," he said slowly as he tapped the phone against his hand causing the battery to fall out, "just remove the battery, give it a few moments and re-insert." As he spoke the words, he was acting them out and turned the phone back over before smiling when it came back on. "Et voilà! We have life."
"You're joking, right?" Cobb said reaching out and taking the phone out of Eames' hands. "You could have just told me to take the battery out."
"What? And not be your knight in shining armour for saving your phone?" Eames said standing up with the charming grin back on his face as he started to walk back to where he'd been sat previously, his book still lying neglected on the floor, and with one last grin aimed at Cobb, he picked up the book and returned to the page that he had been on. Cobb gave the man one last exasperated look before shaking his head, a smile on his face as he realised that with Eames around more often, things would never be dull.
[#02: Aftershave]
"So you finally got fed up of staying at hotels?" Eames teased that evening when he opened the door to reveal Cobb standing there, an over night bag on his shoulder and a tired expression on his face which showed he'd probably done the red-eye from America which, despite being told several times by both Eames and Arthur that he wasn't a spring chicken any more, Cobb still preferred travelling on because there were fewer people and it was quiet.
"I thought staying with you would be cheaper, more entertaining and a lot more comfortable." Cobb admitted as he stepped into the luxury apartment, omitting a low whistle as he saw just how luxury the place was and shook his head. It was no secret that Eames was into money and sometimes, if Lady Luck was on his side, he could double his fortune with his small gambling addiction. The flat, two floors so could you necessarily call it a flat?, was all decked out with modern art, black leather with white pillows and carpet on the laminate flooring. It was simple, elegant but yet at the same time Cobb assumed once you got into Eames' bedroom, it would be completely different because of Eames' personality coming through. "Did you hire a decorator?"
"Yes," Eames replied. "A cute little thing called Ariadne," he teased with a smile as he mentioned their mutual friend and colleague. "She came over to London to stay with me for a month or so because she knew I had a new apartment and she didn't want me to destroy it and I quote "just because paisley looks good on me, doesn't mean it does in my apartment" and I have to admit, it's not bad."
"You're hardly here to admire it," Cobb pointed out as he followed Eames up the stairs to where the two large bedrooms were. "Why did you need two bedrooms?"
"Because I always have unannounced guests," Eames teased before smiling. "Okay. I'll allow you to freshen up. The bathroom up here, sadly, is an en-suite to both bedrooms so we'll need to share for your short duration." He pointed towards a door at the far corner before smiling. "What shall we dine on tonight?"
"What are the choices?" Cobb asked knowing that Eames had no intention of cooking. The guy would have a drawer dedicated just to all the local take out restaurants in the area because none of them were ever in their apartments long enough to think about going out to buy food. Eames was about to answer when Cobb raised his hand. "You know what," he laughed, "you can decide because you probably know what I eat from each of the places."
"I sure do," Eames laughed. You don't go to university with a guy and then stay life long friends without learning what kind of food the guy preferred from all take outs. "I'll let you freshen up while I go ring," he said leaving the bedroom while Cobb moved towards the bathroom.
Walking into the bathroom, the first thing that assaulted Cobb was the aftershave that Eames wore every day. Most men, like Cobb, only wore aftershave when they were going out on a date or just out with friends but Eames seemed to be the type of man that wore it every day and Cobb liked that. In time, the aftershave, Cobb had never asked the name of it, that Eames wore would always be a smell that Cobb could associate too just like some people would associate mints or something to their grandparents because Eames was a huge part of Cobb's family. Their friendship, long since gone past the boundaries and developed into more, was the only real safety net Cobb had ever really had and this smell reminded him of home.
The fragrance was a combination of smells, sometimes smells that Cobb would ponder over how they worked together, but he could always pick up on the spicy smell of the man's aftershave and how it was quite refreshing to smell, almost natural like a woody or earthy fragrance. Cobb, never one for expensive aftershaves, could tell just from smelling the left over aroma from what Eames had probably put on that morning that the aftershave was expensive.
Feeling nosey, Cobb opened the medicine cabinet disguised as the mirror over the sink – he'd never understand that concept – and saw the gold packaging that held the aftershave and grinned as he reached out to take hold of it. Chuckling, he read the description of the aftershave"is the expression of every man's fantasies. A taste for money, sparkling cars, games and pretty girls. It embodies the return of flamboyant masculinity... is a seducer. He is flamboyant, self-confident, daring and irresistible..." and realised that the designer "Paco Rabanne" could have designed this aftershave for Eames himself. Shaking his head, he wondered if Eames bought it under the premise of said promise or if he just liked the smell.
"Cobb, you alright man?" Eames said walking in, another boundary long since developed because of their time old friendship, and tilting his side to the side as he saw Cobb studying the bottle. "Do I want to know what you're thinking?"
"I'm just wondering if you'd be the self-confident, daring and irresistible man if we took this aftershave away from you and gave you a different one," he teased putting the aftershave back into the medicine cabinet. "I'm trying to work out if it's the man that makes the man or the aftershave." He asked knowing how that would irk his friend and companion.
"Fuck off, sunshine. It just smells good, alright?" Eames teased with no real bite to his words but he feigned a glare at Cobb's warm chuckle.
[#03: Ring]
Despite having set up the spare room for Cobb, the two men had ended up in Eames' room and together they laid in each other's arms. Cobb, due to the red eye flight, had fallen asleep the minute his head had hit the pillow but Eames hadn't been that fortunate and he'd found himself propped up on his elbow, facing the other man and studying his best friend and partner. It had been a long time since they'd just lain together due to living in different countries now that Cobb was back in America with his family while Eames, as much as he lover America, would always prefer the hustle and bustle of London.
Even back when they lived together at university in their two bedroom flat, they'd always ended up staying in the one bed but that had just been as best friends. It wouldn't be until a few years into their weird friendship that they'd realise that it was almost as if they were steadily dating each other and this would convince them to give into both their desires. The first time had been a complete mess causing them both to fall down in the bed in giggles but it had just grown from there but they'd always known that it would never be more than a university fling.
Reaching out, Eames allowed his fingertips to trace along the beaded necklace the man wore – the chain similar to that of dog tags – and smiled as he reached the ring that was worn as the pendant. Only a handful of people knew that Cobb wore his wedding ring around his neck on the chain and Eames, obviously, was one of those few people. If anyone else was to ask what was on the end of the beaded chain, Cobb would lie and state that it was his grandfather's dog tags. It wasn't because he was denying Mal but he just hated the questions that came along with admitting that you were no longer with your wife and add on that your widow and everyone wants to know all the sordid details.
Mal was the only person in the world to know about the relationship between the two men but that was due to her fascination of the situation. She understood that it was special to each of the men but neither would be brave enough to admit it out loud. The first time Cobb had brought her back to the apartment for tea – there were never any sleepovers here because Cobb would always feel as if that was wrong on Eames – and to meet his charming flat mate, she'd immediately sensed something between the two of them. Instead of being disgusted, like expected, she was intrigued especially when Eames had just flushed red and said that he didn't know what she was talking about before excusing himself.
Together, they'd become a powerful three in the dream world. The trust and love between the three of them, whether it be romantic or friendship, caused them to work well together and allowed for their clients to trust them to get the job done to their highest standards even with the odd moment of banter or competition.
When Cobb had mentioned proposing to Mal it had been Eames that had set up the surprise engagement party for the minute the woman said yes, because he knew she would, and the first one to congratulate them on their wedding day. No second thoughts were given to the relationship that was once shared between Eames and Cobb. Cobb was now a married man in America while Eames had returned to London where his reputation as a ladies man would exceed him. Eames would be named godfather to both their children, James and Phillipa, and would be the one Cobb would turn to when he'd been told to leave America after Mal's unfortunate break.
Despite her devious plan, Cobb had never stopped loving Mal and Eames understood that. Eames still grieved for the woman and wondered if their lives would have been different if they'd have stuck to reality like Cobb senior had warned them to do after each job they returned from. He couldn't help but think at times that if they'd stayed away from it that she'd still be here with them. She'd still be Cobb's wife, a mother to the children and she'd still be there giving Eames a hard time about not settling down with the perfect partner.
Sighing, he took hold of the ring and ran his fingers along the edge of it and felt the familiar sting of tears as he thought of the beautiful woman and of how she'd react to finally learn that they'd got their heads out of their asses at long last – well kind of. Their relationship might not be perfect and they might only see each other once every few months for a short weekend but it was better than living the lie they'd been living for most of their lives after university. Twirling the ring around the tip of his finger, he felt a small smile trace his features as he remembered how often the woman had twirled the ring around her finger when she'd married Cobb because she couldn't believe it had actually happened without him getting cold feet.
Looking down at the small piece of gold, Eames sighed as he rested his head on the man's shoulder and closed his eyes allowing sleep to finally take over him where he'd dream – naturally, of course – about the woman that had once been his best friend.
[#04: Coffee]
Eames, Cobb had long since learnt, was addicted to coffee.
The thing that really made Cobb chuckle was that Eames was a coffee enthusiast.
He didn't just drink it black or with a little cream and sugar. Oh no, Eames loved going to the local coffee shops and trying all the new flavours. The hot flavour this month was a Caramel Latte which he said was the right combination of strong coffee and the sweet essence of caramel. He'd also heard him flirting with Ariadne – more to annoy Arthur – that if Ariadne was a coffee then she would most definitely be the Caramel Latte because she was soft and feminine but could also kick your ass the minute you pissed her off.
Cobb's biggest wonder was how the man didn't go into withdrawal symptoms when they were under the PASIV because the guy had a coffee in his hands almost every minute of the day. Eames' coffee addiction probably caused more of a dent in the Englishman's bank account than that of his gambling addiction but yet he didn't seem to care and just continued buying them. Cobb had even suggested that maybe they should go out and buy a coffee machine for the studio so that Eames wouldn't constantly disappear every twenty minutes to buy a refill but that was still yet to happen and Eames still disappeared. One day, Cobb would buy a coffee machine and then the man would find another excuse to slink off but that didn't matter to Cobb much because Eames did always get work done even with his slack attendance.
It was also because of this addiction that Cobb had broken one of his own self rules of never buying presents for someone without their being an occasion because he'd seen the perfect gift for Eames earlier when he'd been out at the local market with Ariadne when they'd all decided that it was time for a break. He'd been so excited when he'd seen them that Ariadne insisted that he forget all his stupid rules of buying gifts and just buy the damned things for his best friend – the team still unaware of the growing relationship between the two men.
"Why do you look like you're up to something?" Eames asked from his position on the couch with another one of his classic books resting in his laps while he eyed his partner suspiciously.
Smiling, Cobb moved into the living room and moved to sit next to his friend. "I got you something."
"Why? What's the occasion?"
"Do I need a reason to buy you a present?"
"Yes. You do." Eames pointed out with a smile as the other man just glared at him. "Well come on then," Eames demanded as he poked the man in the side, "give it to me."
"I don't think I want to know."
"Sunshine, you can't tell someone that you've got them something and then two sentences later decide you're not going to give it to them. It makes you a damned tease."
"Well if my partner wasn't such a pain in the arse, I wouldn't be such a damned tease," Cobb pointed out but before Eames could argue, he pulled out the present and smiled as Eames' eyes opened wide before he took hold of them and stared at them. "I didn't know if you'd..."
"Chocolate covered coffee beans?" He exclaimed with a wide grin reminding Cobb of whenever Phillipa or James got their favourite candy given to them. "This is amazing. Why did I never think of this? I could be rich if I'd have thought of this!" He rambled as he opened the packaging and popped one of the beans into his mouth. The primal grown that followed caused Cobb to blush as he realised there was only one other place you would ever hear that noise but that didn't deter Eames. "God, they're so good. Do you want to try one?"
"No thanks."
"All the more for me then," he laughed popping another one into his mouth before grinning. "Thank you. I think that's the sweetest gift I've ever received."
"I do try my best," Cobb teased back before grunting as Eames ended up on top of him, their lips attached as they kissed which allowed for the bitter sweet taste of chocolate coffee mingle between the two of them.
[#05: Beretta]
"The Beretta 92's open slide design ensures smooth feeding and ejection of ammunition and allows easy clearing of obstructions. The hard-chromed barrel bore reduces barrel wear and protects it from corrosion. The falling locking block design provides a good accuracy and operability with suppressors due to the in-line travel of the barrel. This in contrast to the complex travel of Browning designed barrels. The magazine release button is reversible with simple field tools. Reversing the magazine release makes left-handed operation much easier. Starting the year 2000, Beretta began replacing..."
"Do you understand a word of what you've just said?"
Smiling sheepishly, Eames shook his head as he took in the sight of Cobb cleaning the beautiful piece that he'd always owned and had always loved. Eames, on the other hand, didn't care about what kind of gun he had as long as it was easy enough to pull the trigger. "Nope. I just wanted a conversation opener and I thought the whole "is that a Beretta 92 in your hand or are you just excited to see me" line would come across too cheesy."
"I don't think it works as well as it would if it was in my pants," Cobb replied with a smile as he looked over at the other man, his head shaking at how far Eames would go to just to talk to him about things that Cobb was interested in even if Eames didn't have a care in the world. "Did I just get a word for word recital off wikipedia?"
"Mr. Cobb, are you telling me that you've used this kind of pun before?" Eames feigned surprise at Cobb ever using such a line but knew that Cobb could easily flirt and any man, woman or beast on the other end of said flirting would be trapped the minute it started. Chuckling, he nodded his head. "And there I was thinking that I'd be able to trick you with my knowledge."
"Eames, you don't need to flatter me with knowledge about guns. I know that you're not really interested in the intricate details or the workings of guns," Cobb said with a smile as he watched Eames' fingertips run over the cool edge of the gun, tracing the rim and nodding his head as he accepted what his partner was saying. "I actually prefer it when you explain or start conversations with your usual flirty or charming banter."
"Oh really," Eames said with a smile, his teeth worrying into his bottom lip as his eyes stared seductively at his partner. "So if I was to say I like the way you handle your gun," Eames' voice had dropped and was now husky while dripping with seduction, his fingertips moving up the gun so that they were resting on Cobb's wrist. The other man nodded his head, his gaze focusing on the fingertips that were now drawing a figure of eight against the man's wrist. "because the grip is just right, not too hard but not too soft. It builds up the right pressure so that when the time comes, it just explodes." The smile on Eames' face caused Cobb to chuckle as he shook his head.
"So maybe I take that statement back," Cobb admitted as he looked over at the man. "I don't know if I'll be able to focus when handling my gun if you're around and talking like that."
"But darling, I'd be more than happy to help you with your..." he paused as he leant in closer, his tongue running over his bottom lip before he whispered in the other man's ear, "gun." A shiver ran down Cobb's spine causing Eames to chuckle again in the man's ear. "You're so easy, love."
"Only for you," Cobb laughed as he moved back in his seat, his attention moving back to his gun, "only for you."
[#06: Sunglasses]
The first day of Summer and Mother Nature had decided to bless them, or waken them to the fact, with a heatwave so the dress code, even though there never really had been a code, had slackened. Ariadne had arrived to the warehouse that morning in a floaty white summer dress, a large bag on her shoulder and gold gladiator sandles that went with the endless jangling bracelets on her wrist. Arthur had ditched his suits for a pair of cream linen pants and a deep blue polo shirt while Cobb had donned the same kind of pants but his shirt was a deep green instead.
There was nothing really to be done today so the two men were going over Ariadne's mazes with her when the doors opened, revealing that Eames had finally decided to show up, causing the three of them to look up from the mazes and stare at the Adonis that had just walked through the door. Eames was wearing a linen pants like the two men but his were a beige colour rather than cream and in that he had a white vest top tucked into them and a dress shirt casually thrown over his shoulders, showing that he'd removed it on his walk over here. The main attraction was the stylish but vintage ray bans shading his eyes from the sun. He looked as if he belonged on the beach rather than here in a stuffy office.
"Is it necessary to always look like you've just stopped off the cover of a magazine?" Cobb demanded to know causing the man to grin as he moved towards them, the shirt being laid to rest on a chair as he reached up with his other hand to take off the shades and Cobb immediately recognised the glint in his eyes.
"Why thanks, love. I think that's the nearest I'll ever get to a compliment from you."
"Eames, I don't think your ego needs inflating any more." Ariadne pointed out from her seat causing the Englishman to turn and look at her, a smile gracing his handsome features as he winked at her.
"Damn girl, we should have a heat wave more often. You look insatiable." He teased before turning to look at the two men. "And I thought it would take a miracle to get you two out of those suits. Arthur, you almost look human." He teased and he only grinned wider as Arthur rolled his eyes before mumbling something about having some research to do. "Arthur, I'm just teasing. Love! Don't walk away." He eventually gave up trying to call the man back and turned to look at Cobb as Ariadne chased after the younger man of the group. "You look wonderful, sunshine. I think you should dress down some more. It knocks ten years off you."
"Why thanks, Eames. I think that's the nearest I'll ever get to a compliment from you." Cobb retorted using the exact same phrase Eames had causing the man to smile as he nodded his head, his hands fidgeting with the sunglasses before holding out them out as a silent invitation to try them on. Cobb just rolled his eyes before taking hold of the glasses and putting them on.
Eames couldn't help but stare in awe at how wonderful the other man looked. It was obvious he'd threaded his hands through his hair several times before he'd arrived because tendrils flopped every where rather than rigidly being in place like he usually wore it and this allowed for them to flop onto the glasses. Cobb, despite his age, looked like he belonged on the beaches of California with a surfboard tucked under his arm and a pair of tight swimming shorts on. "Now you look like you just walked off the cover of a magazine but I don't know if I'd like that." Eames whispered not wanting to be over heard.
"And why is that?"
"Because I wouldn't want anyone else to realise how handsome you are. I like insecure Cobb that allows only me to let him know that he's a devil in disguise," Eames teased before turning as if to go find Arthur before looking back over his shoulder. "You can keep those glasses for now. I'll take them off you later," and without going into details, Cobb heard the promise there and couldn't help but smile as he shook his head and removed the sunglasses. Looking down at the simple things, he couldn't help but laugh at the idea a simple pair of sunglasses could be enough to make Eames jealous or think that he was handsome enough to be cover material.
"I'll hold you to that," he mumbled before tucking one of the legs of the glasses into his shirt like he'd seen everyone do either in films or just on the street and moved his attention back to the mazes.