I don't own Inception. I think you should know that by now. ;)
CREATION
He woke up gasping, unable to breathe. His entire body shook uncontrollably as his hands fumbled to rip the IV from his arm. Air escaped from his teeth in a series of hisses and whimpers, and his vision blurred and faltered around the edges.
His legs wouldn't move.
His fucking legs wouldn't fucking move.
He tried to push himself up and swing them away from the bed, but the sudden rush of blood from his brain left him dizzy and reeling.
Someone was grabbing for his hands; pinning him down. He struggled, but the person only held on tighter.
"Relax, Jesus...Calm down! You're safe!"
"Get away from me!" he croaked, nearly sending himself tumbling. The other man grabbed him around the chest and kept him from falling off the bed.
"I said relax...you'll just make yourself sick."
"Who are you?" cried Arthur, finally managing to form coherent thoughts.
"I told you. My name is Cobb. Now calm the fuck down or I will slap you; just like in the movies."
Arthur pulled in a shuddering breath and swallowed the excess saliva that had formed at the back of his mouth. His heart was still pounding, but at least he could breathe. "How did you do that?"
Cobb just smiled, slowly sitting down next to him. "I know the first time is hard. You'll get better."
"Who says I want to do this?" Arthur murmured, his voice still trembling. He stared at the small pinprick on his wrist; the only evidence of what he had just experienced. "This is insane. I just wanted..."
"Some therapy."
Arthur's chin dropped to his chest. "I just wanted to..."
"You wanted to talk to your brother. You wanted closure."
"But...can you...?"
Cobb looked down at his hands. "Let's get you some air," he said suddenly, reaching out a hand. Arthur shakily took it and let Cobb guide him by the elbow to the only open window. A cool breeze whipped across his face, but it didn't do much for his queasiness.
"I wanted to show you what's possible." He paused. "But doing this won't bring him back. It won't give you the closure you're looking for. You need a shrink for that, Arthur, I'm sorry."
Arthur didn't bother asking any more questions. Cobb had lied to him, and that's all he needed to know.
"I don't want to do this."
Cobb ran a hand through his hair. "I know you don't want to now," he said quietly, managing to catch Arthur's eye. "But you will."
Arthur's throat tightened and he wiped at the sweat that dotted his brow.
Never, he thought, will I ever work with this son of a bitch. Ever.
Cobb smiled slightly, as if he could read the other man's thoughts. "I'll get you some water."
He placed a hand on Arthur's shoulder, only for a moment. And then he was gone.
Arthur touched the windowsill with a fingertip. He'd do anything to make his dreams stop, so how could he possibly live in one? He glanced over his shoulder, thankful that Cobb couldn't see his face. But if he could control his dreams...learn how to make something out of nothing...
Creation, he thought.
Arthur was a builder. His foundation had crumbled, and there was nothing left to do but destroy what remained before it did the same to him.
It was too late to fix things. But it wasn't too late for creation.