Title: Only in Dreams (we see what it means).
Fandom: Inception.
Characters/Pairing: Arthur/Eames.
Warning: Slash. Inaccuracy of the dream-share business. Unbetaed.
Rating: PG-15

Summary: After seeing his deepest desire in a dream, Eames is determined to make it real. Even if Arthur refuses.

A/N: Inception is property of the WB Company. The title of the story is a song by Weezer. This story is bending the whole dream thing to fit the plot, so I don't know how to tag that. Things in italic are past events, narrated in Arthur's PoV.

It all started, as usual, when Eames tried to annoy Arthur. Cobb would argue that all started when he agreed to join them for this test run when they didn't need a Forger, but what does he know? He had Mal ordering him around even after her death; the man clearly wasn't a bright example of sanity. Either way, as Yusuf explained the possible side effects of this new compound, he was starting to reevaluate his juvenile need to rile Arthur up.

"– And don't try to interact with anyone. This isn't a made up scenario like previous times. Imagine this as going to the movies. Just to see, not to change, and yelling at the screen will do nothing productive; they won't be able to see you."

It sounded boring. He snorted, earning a glare from Arthur and one of Cobb's famous squints. Ariadne smirked playfully; he liked the girl, she was a naughty little thing.

If he thought things through, this started when Yusuf had claimed to have a new compound that could help getting the information in a cleaner way than the usual exhaustive methods. He was just lazy. That was enough to get Cobb interested though. The chemist was inspired after knowing about limbo, and with Arthur's help (Arthur's efficiency was rather maddening) he came up with this chemical compound that would trigger the mark's deepest fantasies; according to Yusuf, they would be able to see things and then recreate them in order to obtain whatever they wanted as long as they played along in that fantasy. It all sounded dim to him, but for Cobb, the tosser who said he was out of the business and then got bored and dragged Arthur back, it was intriguing.

Sometimes Eames really wanted to knock the lights out of that fucker.

"If you are having second thoughts," Arthur intervened, "then nobody is forcing you. I'm the point man, I'm in charge of testing new compounds."

"Jealous you aren't the prettiest girl, darling?" Eames teased. "Yusuf chose me to test this."

"You begged me." Yusuf added unnecessarily, "besides, we should test this with someone less–"

"Choose your next words carefully, Yusuf." Arthur warned.

"– Fashionable," Yusuf said calmly. At least he was good at improvising.

"You need to help Yusuf monitor Eames' heart rate and stress levels," Cobb said, "in case he needs a kick."

"And you love kicking me, yeah?" Eames winked at Arthur, enjoying how his nostrils flared indignantly.

"Enough flirting." Ariadne cut in. "I want to know if this works. Can you imagine what your deepest fantasy is, Eames?"

"I'm sure it involves flannel shirts and eyesore pants," Arthur muttered.

"I just hope it's not something sexual." Cobb squinted. "It's not, right?"

"How should I know? If what Yusuf says is correct, then I'm not aware of my deepest fantasy. That's why it's the deepest. Don't tell me you will get prudish at this point, Cobb. We go way back to be shy now."

Cobb frowned, and Arthur cleared his throat to interrupt the conversation. After Mal's death, this was still a sore topic for both, Cobb and Eames. Perhaps Arthur as well.

"Go to sleep, Mister Eames," Arthur ordered, hooking the PASIV into his arm.

Eames blinked, and the last thing he saw before going under was Arthur, shaking his head in disapproval.

He opened his eyes with a mild fluttering in his stomach. Of all the scenarios he thought he would see, a plain kitchen with an ocean view wasn't one of the choices. He heard loud noises from the next room. Like a telly. His deepest fantasy was a boring house and seeing the telly? How disappointing.

"Papa?"

Eames noticed a small girl entering the kitchen. She had black hair and blue eyes, and since she called him 'daddy', he could conclude two things:

1. – Yusuf's compound sucks.

2. – His deepest fantasy apparently was being a father.

"Yes?" He played safe. The projections weren't supposed to see him, and he knew that sounded like something taken from a bad sci-fi movie. There was no compound that could disguise a presence in someone's subconscious. This was a waste of time.

"I'm hungry," the girl said, sitting on top of one of the stools around the table.

"Are you, now?" Eames hummed, thinking if he should just kill himself and get the hell out.

"Yes, and it's your turn to make breakfast," she kept saying, like it was a regular thing that her father forgot that important detail. "Father says that if he has to remind you again, he'll give me your bacon."

Father? So he chose a male partner to have a family? This was starting to get unsettling for him. If this was the deepest fantasy he had, he clearly had bigger problems than being boring. For someone in the dream-share business, settling down wasn't an option; he never considered having children and a house, let alone a routinely life with a man. Then again, you often wanted what you couldn't have. It could be one of those things that growing up with his large and noisy family let imprinted on the back of his mind.

Besides, he thought that the fantasy of the perfect family died with Mal.

Getting out of the dream willingly was far from his options right now. He wanted to know who this other person was. Who could have had such an impact in Eames that he fancied a future this dull and normal for his taste? Maybe this person was someone he hadn't met yet, but he imagined the potential partner in this particular state of affairs. Either way, he wanted to see more of this supposedly deep fantasy of his.

"You are hopeless." The girl couldn't be older than six, yet she talked very correctly and with complex sentences. "Go report to father."

She took his hand, leading him to the staircases. Eames still wasn't sure of what to say, but the girl didn't seem to need an answer or a comment, she just pushed him towards the first staircase.

"I'll be in the living room with Charles," she started to walk away. "Call us when breakfast is ready."

Charles? Like his grandparent? And he accused Arthur of no having imagination. As he climbed the stairs, he wondered what he would do in case projection Eames was there and saw him appearing. He could jump out from a window if things got messy. He saw three rooms in a relatively long hallway. Going with his instinct, he decided to enter the first room he thought it would be the one where the other 'father' was.

He panicked when as soon as he opened the door, someone grabbed his wrist. A hard grip; excellent sign. Perhaps not the best moment to be thinking that. He was pulled inside and pinned against the now closed door.

He expected a punch, perhaps a gun on his head. He was surprised for the second time since he went under. A pair of lips was devouring his mouth, asking for permission to enter. This was it, he was about to find out Mr. Perfect.

Eames opened his eyes. Bollocks.

It was Arthur.

Arthur knew that his life had become a cliché love story. Unfortunately, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't change the way he felt, and Eames kissing his neck right now proved how poorly his choices were when his feelings got in the way.

He would like to blame Dom for this, but he just brought Eames to his life, he didn't persuade Arthur to fall in love with him and agree to be his fuck-buddy or whatever thing they were at this point. In fact Dom strongly disagreed of Arthur spending time with Eames outside of work, and if he found out how exactly that time was spent, then he would probably intervene to avoid this from happening away. Sometimes Dom acted like an overprotecting Father.

Arthur liked that, even when it was annoying at times; Dom was the only person who cared enough for him besides his family, and the last one was no longer an option after he decided to join the dream-share business.

Dom was lucky to have found Mal. At least he could have someone who loved him back.

"Am I boring you?" Eames asked with his enticing accent, frowning at him for his lack of response.

"I was thinking about the job," Arthur said quickly.

"If you are thinking about that instead of paying attention, then I must say, darling, I'm a little offended."

"Well, what can I say? You aren't enough of a distraction for me to lose track of my mind-notes." Arthur challenged.

"Is that so?"

Arthur barely contained his smirk. He liked to bait Eames, since he knew that he was only interested in Arthur for sex. Like he had thought previously, his life was a clichéd love story. He loved Eames, and Eames loved Mal. Mal and Dom loved each other, and Eames only worked with Dom because Mal asked.

Eames hated Dom, but for Mal, he would do anything. Arthur envied that, and knew that this would end with his heart broken. But that was something he was willing to risk, if he could have Eames like this. And besides, who said that Eames needed to know what Arthur felt? As long as he was concerned, Arthur was in love with Dom, and they both were just unwinding their sexual frustration.

As he saw Eames drifting off, Arthur smiled sadly. He called him 'Mal' again, and he didn't know who was more pathetic, Eames for being with someone to replace Mal but yet imagining being with her, or him, for settling with someone who couldn't even notice that he used the wrong name and gender when they were having sex.

Maybe it was time to stop being stupid and move on.

"Arthur?" Eames tried to pry himself out of Arthur's grasp.

"What?" Arthur kept nibbling his ear and God, he knew how to drive Eames wild.

"Yeah, about that... Look..."

"Papa," they heard the girl downstairs. "Breakfast!"

"You didn't make the pancakes?" Arthur frowned. "You said you would take care of this."

Eames didn't know how to react exactly. Even when this Arthur seemed fond of him (unlike the live version who hated his guts), he feared saying the wrong thing and alert his subconscious that this was actually an intruder and not the fantasy Eames that apparently wanted Arthur as a long-life companion.

And wasn't this fucked up?

"Yeah, yeah," Arthur kept talking while he put a shirt on (thank heavens for that! It was getting distracting). "I can't blame you, we celebrated our anniversary thoroughly, but you know the rules. Since you didn't remember, Emily will eat your bacon."

Emily? What was that name familiar? And sincew hen he celebrated anniversaries? Then again, sincew hen he wanted a family with Arthur, the most anal, controlling and paranoid person he had met?

"You look like you just saw a ghost. Are you okay?" Arthur came close again, and Eames fought the instinct of flinching would definitely raise warning bells.

"I think I'm hungover." Eames, with all the domesticity, was still himself. And he probably ended up completely pissed and having wild sex.

"Yeah, and you went overboard with the biting." Arthur snorted. "Look at my neck! It looks like I was ravished by a vampire."

Eames noticed all the love marks on Arthur's neck. Well, he certainly kept the enthusiasm when he was having sex with Arthur. He couldn't deny that he missed it. They used to have so much fun.

Until Eames cocked it all.

"Apparently the Cobbs are having problems."

Arthur glanced at Eames, who was changing channels incessantly.

"Oh?"

"You must know, darling. You are Cobb's confident."

Arthurfrowned. Even when Eames tried to look calm, he knew that tone of voice very well. He was angry.

"And why would I care? Marriage problems aren't my area of expertise," Arthur kept reading the file of the next mark,"they can fix their own messes."

"Cobb is convinced about the experiment, and wants Mal to join him."

"Really?"

"Limbo, Arthur. You should be worried!"

"They are grownups, Eames. They don't need your permission, or mine for that matter."

"Cobb is forcing Mal, and he has no right!" Eames stood up, looking angry.

"Mal is capable of saying no, and you more than anyone should know."

Arthur knew that it was a low blow. Mal rejected Eames and his charming accent and his adventurous personality to settle down with boring and predictable Dom. And it was something that kept hurting Eames, even when it was six years ago.

"Tell me Arthur, when you spent time in the military, did they take your heart out, or did you get rid of it afterwards?"

That also hurt, but this time Arthur shook his head. Eames thought he was a son of a bitch who didn't care about anyone. Arthur made sure of that, because he wouldn't let Eames know how much he had destroyed Arthur's confidence and self-respect when he used him as a warm body to replace Mal.

Arthur had enough of Eames and his assumptions, and he stood up as well and started packing his things away.

"What? Are you running away like you always do when I'm right?" Eames spat.

"You said you wanted to work on the mark," Arthur said coldly,"I didn't come here to gossip about Mal and Cobb, and I certainly didn't come to be insulted. I'll leave the file in case you want to check it when you are done complaining about something that it's none of your business."

Arthur put the folder on the table, leaving Eames standing in the middle of the livingroom looking like he had been punched.

It was the look of someone who just realized he lost everything. And he knew it, because he had the same look the first time Eames called him' Mal' when he was about to say' I think I'm fallingin love with you'.

At least Eames had good timing and prevented him from saying it and make a fool of himself.

Unfortunately, that didn't stop him from loving him any less.

"Well, while I admire the view, don't just stand there," Arthur pushed him out of the bedroom. "Charles' movie will end soon, and he'll be hungry."

"Ta, Darling," Eames said eloquently, "I'm still tired."

"Yeah, right." Arthur scoffed. "This is your subtle way of getting out of cooking breakfast, right?"

"You got me there."

"Oh, all right. I'll make it this time. You're lucky that you're pretty." Arthur kissed him quickly.

"Thank you pet." Eames kept the endearing names. Apparently it made Arthur overly affectionate, which was bemusing.

"But you owe me," Arthur said warningly, walking away.

Closing the bedroom door, Eames sat on the bed trying to figure out what the hell happened. If Yusuf was right, this was his deepest, darkest fantasy. And no wonder this could change things in the dream-share world. Imagine what you could do when you manipulate those desires to get information... It would be almost effortless.

If someone forged Arthur in this scenario, Eames didn't doubt he would spill his secrets. Right now he felt like Arthur could ask to cut his dick off, and Eames would gladly comply. He shook his head, trying to remember that this wasn't real. He was in a dream; he didn't have to feel like everything was lost, and he certainly didn't need to feel like this was something missing in his life.

He was perfectly happy before all this; he didn't want the hallmark family, nor he wanted the boring life of being in a routine day after day. If anything, Eames loved the excitement and the danger; he wasn't cut for the settling down option. And in a way, Mal hadn't been cut for that neither. He kept blaming Dom because he pushed Mal over the edge, when, in reality, Mal hadn't been well for a long time, and she escaped what she felt was a dream. A boring, ordinary dream.

He glanced at the nightstand, seeing a picture of his desired family. Arthur was holding a girl... Emily, and they both looked far too formal. Eames, on the other hand, had a boy sitting on his shoulders. Charles, who smiled widely while Eames was winking. Apparently each one took a kid to spoil, or in Arthur's case, to educate.

Eames' heart started speeding out. He looked... Happy. Truly happy, like this was something he wished for and he finally had it. That couldn't be right. This must be a mistake.

He heard music far away. Maybe Arthur was cooking with that blasted classical music he loved so much. But then, he knew what it meant. The kick. He wasn't ready for that! He needed to see more! He wanted to –

Gasping for air, he woke up in a startled dazed while Arthur and Yusuf looked at him, worriedly. At least Yusuf, Arthur just lifted his eyebrow in doubt.

And when he blinked and saw Arthur again, he could notice the same face, the same eyes... He could have what he dreamed of.

Without really thinking, he leaned towards Arthur to hug him. To feel him again in his arms, this time for real. Or at least that was what he intended, before Arthur clocked him right in the eye.

"Bollocks!" Eames chided. "What the bloody hell, Arthur!"

"Jeez, that looked like it hurt." Yusuf observed.

"Of course it bloody hurts!" Eames kept shouting. "Are you mental? Why did you do that, wanker?!"

"What is going on here?"

Everyone glanced at the door, where Dom and Ariadne were looking at them with doubt.

"Eames tried to hit Arthur, so he did it first," explained Yusuf.

"I didn't try to hit him!" Eames defended himself. "I wanted to hug him!"

"Why?" Ariadne asked, frowning.

"Do I need a reason? Can't I hug a mate because I want to?" Eames knew he sounded like an idiot, but he couldn't say his reasons for wanting Arthur in his arms.

"We aren't 'mates'," Arthur said, standing up.

"Well, Arthur was trying to defend himself, you can't really blame him, he didn't know you wanted to hug him," Dom said casually, defending Arthur like he always did when Eames apparently provoked a fight.

"Oh, no, I knew he wanted to hug me," Arthur said breezily.

"What? Then why did you hit me, asshole?" Eames glared at Arthur.

"I thought you were still in a sleepy daze. At least you woke up fully this time, right?"

"He still had time on the clock." Cobb observed, before Eames started arguing with Arthur. He was truly a wanker. "Why did you give him the kick?"

"His heart rate went through the roof," explained Yusuf, "we thought he was in danger."

"You said nobody else was supposed to join the dream." Arthur added, "so in order to prevent him from having a heart attack, I woke him up. Is that a problem?"

EvenwhenEameswasnursinghisprobablyblackeye,henoticedtheclippedtoneinArthur'svoice,almostlikechallengingDom.

"This was supposed to be a run test, Arthur." Suddenly, Eames felt like this discussion went in a different direction entirely, and now they were arguing about something else. "You should have let Eames finish."

"You left me in charge of him." Arthur stood up, making Eames flinch away by instinct. He didn't want to be clocked twice, even if now Arthur looked mad at Cobb. "You should have stayed if you thought I would screw this up."

"This is not the time nor the place to argue your efficiency, Arthur." Cobb glare-squint appeared. Yeah, this situation wasn't about Eames anymore.

"Tomorrow I'll test the compound, all right?" Arthur said tightly. "And I'll supervise personally his efficacy."

"NO!" Eames and Yusuf said at the same time.

"Why not?" Dear, now Arthur's glare of doom was directed at them.

"I was fine, darling, I can deal with more tests."

"It's better if Eames keeps doing the run tests," Yusuf agreed with him, "you are trained and –"

"And what?" Arthur interrupted. "Isn't best if I try it? We can encounter people trained as well, like Fisher. Do I have to remind you what a fucked-up situation that was? Do we need a second time almost getting trapped in limbo?"

"Fisher was a special case, pet, not every mark is military trained," Eames tried to reason with Arthur, knowing well that it was a lost cause.

"And we need to see the effects of the compound in normal human beings," Yusuf said.

Eames looked at Yusuf with a mix of confusion and amusement. Yeah, Arthur was too robotic for most compounds, but maybe that wasn't the best way to phrase it, if Arthur's glare was any indication.

"Eames already started the trial run, Arthur," Ariadne said to subdue the boiling anger Arthur showed in his face.

"Just let him finish next time." Cobb concluded. And wasn't that the cherry on top of the cake?

Arthur turned around and walked away, muttering 'fine'.

"Same time tomorrow?" Eames yelled to Arthur's back.

"Go fuck yourself." Arthur answered, loud enough to be heard by everyone.

As Arthur closed the warehouse with more force than necessary, he looked at Yusuf.

"I think that was a 'yes'," he joked.

"Eames, tell us everything!" Ariadne said with excitement. "Does this thing work?"

"Oh dear Ariadne… you have no idea."