This was inspired by the song by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus by the same song. This will be slash.
Face Down
Arthur gingerly pokes at the bruise forming over his ribs. He sighs good, they aren't broken he thinks. His hand are shaking but only slightly. This is something new to him, shock. Nothing has ever surprised him, he is too observant to be surprised. He can't understand how he could have missed the warning signs. True this relationship had gone south but they were never physical with each other. Arthur take one last look in the mirror. His hair is messy but that is the only evidence of the fight. He sighs again and turns off the bathroom light.
It's twelve oh two in the morning and he knows he wont get sleep tonight or rather this morning. He starts to erase the mess from their apartment. He pushes the kitchen table to center, rights the chairs, and starts sweep up glass from the center piece. Everything is right again except his ribs still hurt and his hands are still shaking. He clenches and unclenches them to make it stop. It twelve forty-two now. At least I can get a couple hours of sleep in. Arthur thinks as he heads towards their room. But he doesn't sleep. The pain in his ribs makes him uncomfortable. He lies awake thinking of what his next move will be, wishing he could just go to sleep. He knows that work will be stressful tomorrow. He knows his home life will be stressful too. He just cant get comfortable enough to sleep. The rest of his body is relaxed, his hands aren't shaking, but his ribs remind him that tonight wasn't like any other night and that tomorrow won't be either.
It's two fifteen by the time Arthur falls asleep.
Arthur is snapped awake by his alarm clock. It's six thirty-one. He hits the buzzer and silence fills the room. He gets up forgetting that his ribs are bruised and regrets it. The pain that sleep dulled comes back and so do the events of the previous night. It doesn't bother him like it did before. The shock of it has worn off and now he's simply angry and offended. That bastard, he thinks, if he thinks he got away with it he's got another thing coming. Arthur goes to his dresser and pics up his die, he feels the familiar weight, knowing that he woke up feels great even if reality isn't at the moment.
He showers, shaves the stubble that is barely there. He puts on a nice pair of slacks and shirt and vest. The vest is starched and stiff but That's okay because he knows he wont be doing a lot of moving today. The bruises are still aggravating him. He pulls on his matching jacket and heads to the warehouse.
As he walks down the street he feels like he's being watched so he takes a round-a-bout way stopping at a cafe and bookstore. This will make him late he knows but it is a necessity. It's eight thirty-four now. Whom ever was following him has stopped by now. Arthur can feel it, however, he still strolls toward the warehouse as if he isn't really going there. And slips in a door off the ally where he can see if anyone notices him.
He opens the door to their work-space Cobb looks up at him over the maze he is working on with Ariadne.
"Your late" he says dropping his gaze back to the maze.
"Yeah, well, I had to lose a tail," Arthur states.
"A tail?" Eames questions. "Are they on to us, dear?" he is sitting at his desk feet propped up with a file in his hand.
"Yeah, that would be the reason for following me," Arthur says going to his own desk.
"No need to be nasty, darling. Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?" he smirks. Arthur shoots him a death glare but doesn't say anything. Eames continues. "ooh, maybe it wasn't your bed." he snickers. "Have a long night?"
"Eames, aren't you supposed to be reading that?" is all Arthur says before starting his own work. It's now nine oh four.
Something soft hits him on the top of his head, then again and again. He opens his eyes a realizes that he must have fallen asleep. He lifts his head from his arms and notices that there a about four or five paper balls on his desk. He sits up to stretch and regrets that he forgot his bruised ribs, again. He winces slightly and puts his arms down to clean away the paper. There is a shadow on his desk, he looks up. Eames is standing there with back to him but he can see the smirk the way his face is tiled inwards.
"What?" Arthur asks. Eames looks off to Cobb and Ariadne talking to their new chemist.
"Rough night?" he questions and Arthur can practically hear his laughter.
"Go away, Eames," Arthur says and Eames leaves. Arthur is gland when Eames is sent to watch the marks wife.
It's nine oh one in the evening when Arthur finally leaves the warehouse. He knows what will happen when he gets home and he is prepared for it. He wont be caught off guard because he is the worlds best point man. And nothing gets the best of him twice.
A/N
almost one thousand words. Yes I like to spell out numbers. This will be a chapter fic so subscribe and review please. Chapter two will be up shortly. Also the last chapter of set me free will be up soon. Now please go forth and review!