Disclaimer: Christopher Nolan is boss. I don't own any of this, just the plot.
Assimilating. That's what they had to do now as they went their separate ways. All the time they'd spent together, the frozen pizzas they'd split, the poker games they played, and all the dreams they shared meant nothing now as one by one each member of the team melted into the crowd of people at arrivals in LAX.
Ariadne knew it was necessary, maintaining anonymity was of the upmost importance in this profession, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was losing family members. They had accepted her into their inner circle and treated her as an equal, they taught her invaluable skills, and they appreciated her sense of humor. These men, especially Cobb, were like older brothers to her now. Well, except... Arthur. The first time she looked into his warm brown eyes Ariadne reverted from a confident grad student at the top of her class into a teenager who just met her first crush. She had never known anyone quite like him, he was hard to read and she had no idea how he felt about her. This year was her first at grad school and she had wanted to make a name for herself. Instead of spending her free time having romantic flings with artsy Frenchmen (like her roommate); she had focused on her studies, spending extra hours in the drawing studio and library. Relationships took up too much time and energy; they were messy. Unfortunately Arthur made her really want one.
Grasping her totem, Ariadne thought about one of the times she'd shared dreams with him.
"So this isn't too literal or anything," Ariadne said dryly, although she felt like laughing. Arthur and she had been creating intricate mazes all day and as time passed Ariadne was beginning to feel more and more comfortable around him, even if this wasn't reality.
"Are you saying a hedge maze won't work in the Fischer job?" He looked completely serious. "Because I think it has potential."
Ariadne rolled her eyes even as she laughed. She liked this side of Arthur. "Okay," she said catching onto his mood, "show me somewhere you'd think I'd like."
He crossed his arms as he considered the challenge. "Off the top of my head?"
"Don't worry, I'm not expecting perfection." Although knowing Arthur that's what he was shooting for.
"All right," he said, "close your eyes."
Suddenly the air changed, she felt the wind blowing through her hair and she smelled warm salty water. Opening her eyes she saw she was on a large sailboat, water stretching endlessly around. Looking up into the dark sky she could see thousands of stars and a string of lights was twisted all the way around the lifeline. This was... romantic. Ariadne felt an extreme case of butterflies begin in her stomach. Arthur's mind was capable of creating perplexing puzzles, but this was more confusing than the Penrose stairs. How was she supposed to interpret this?
"Well," his deep voice startled her, "how did I do?"
Ariadne could hear the smile in his voice and she was sure he noticed that she was blushing. Not meeting his gaze she said mildly, "I think Eames has underestimated your creative facility."
Arthur laughed and nudged her shoulder so she would look at him. "Although I'm flattered that Eames would appreciate it, I really want to know if you like it." He sounded serious, looking into his eyes she saw the same look she'd seen when she first met him. All she saw was heart-melting warmth, that was the only way she could describe it. It made her nervous and excited at the same time.
Breaking their connection, she focused her attention to the sky and gasped as she saw a shooting star color the blackness. "It's perfect," she murmured. Being here with Arthur made it perfect.
"Well, don't get too excited you're not the first girl I've brought here," He grinned at her blatant glare before sitting down, hanging his feet over the edge of the boat. Ariadne took off her shoes and did the same.
"So you usually take your dates to an old warehouse, hook them up to an IV with a sedative, and dream them onto a boat?" Oh no. Immediately she felt her face heat up. This was not a date. She did not want Arthur to think that she wanted it to be a date.
"Not bad, huh?" He laughed as she tried to push him in, but he was so fast he countered her every move, finally capturing her hands so she was the one in danger of going overboard.
"Okay, okay I give up," she squealed as he began to tickle her. He wouldn't stop and she retaliated, going for his ribs, soon they were both in tears from laughing so hard. Eventually their cackling subsided into a peaceful quiet, the only apparent sound was the flapping of the sails against the calm breeze. They shared a smile and Ariadne was filled with contentment, it was then that she realized he'd given her a gift. "Thank you," she said.
"For what?" he asked.
"For bringing me here, for letting me get away from the stress of the job for a little while. Sometimes I feel like I slow the team down since I'm new at this," she grimaced. She didn't know why she chose to admit her insecurities to Arthur, sometimes she felt so natural with him that the private thoughts whirling around in her head slipped out whether she wanted them to or not. Feeling self conscious she began to pick at a small frayed hole on her jeans. He reached out stopping her motions with his warm, strong hand.
"Hey," he squeezed her hand, waiting until she looked up at him, "You're the best architect I've ever met. I have no doubts about your abilities you shouldn't either. If Mal's father recognized your talent enough to recommend you to us with no previous experience, then I know you're special."
Ariadne smiled at him suddenly feeling very happy. "You're not just saying that because this is a dream and we're on a boat right?"
He laughed, squeezing her hand. "That might have a little something to do with it."
"It's funny, one of the reasons I went to Paris for grad school was so I could study under Professor Miles. Every student he chooses to mentor goes on to do incredible things in the world of architecture. I had hoped he would've chosen me." She stared out at the vastness of the ocean suddenly feeling quiet and pensive.
"Maybe he knew you were destined for something bigger than that," he stood up, easily pulling her with him. Arthur grinned. "Come on, I'm going to teach you how to ease the main sheet." Of course he would know how to sail. As Ariadne listened to him explain the difference between gybing and tacking she realized that she wanted him to know her, she wanted to have the courage to show him that she liked him. When he focused his smile on her she felt like floating. Arthur was someone who could take her on an adventure; he could challenge her. He could also break her heart.
Suddenly a strong gust of wind blew her hair out of its braid and a flash of lightning shocked the horizon. A storm was coming. "Are you doing that?" she turned to him.
"That's not me, your subconscious finally realized that I shouldn't be here."
Author Note: Hey thanks for reading! It's my first fanfic so I hope you enjoyed it. I'm currently working on the plot of this story and I have a few ideas about where I'd like it to go. Much more to come soon! Sorry this first chapter is so short.