Prompt as follows : Eames and Arthur as art thieves pls? (idk if it's AU, in my personal headcanon at least Eames was art thieve once before coming into dreaming business but still it isn't in a movie so)
by ohmystarsy on tumblr :)
Arthur hadn't exactly been alright with having to steal from the Fabre museum in Montpellier. But, Eames had told him that, since they were in Provence, they might as well get that job done: it was a good pay. That being said, though, Arthur still wasn't sure. Eames was the thief, not him specifically. He was good at stealing secrets from the mind, ideas and other information like that, but real physical things? And, besides, apparently this "Portrait of Baudelaire" by Gustave Courbet was in on the black market because of some bet, and it would be easy to snatch it out from the museum.
It's not like Arthur didn't know a lot about art, but in the thieving business, Eames was the con-artist. He knew how to recognize a forging, and he knew where to get forgings. But, he also knew how to analyze the security systems, and get information from the clerks at the entrance of the museum. Arthur went along because Eames needed a distraction, and it would look odd if the two of them listened intently at one person speaking: so Eames had chosen to smooch the clerk in an almost perfect French, while Arthur had to approach one of the curators and hope that he knew enough English to explain what Arthur needed to know. Why Eames had asked him to ask in English, Arthur would never know, because Arthur spoke French, maybe even a better French than Eames, but since this was Eames' plan, he wasn't going to argue.
It took Eames approximately thirty seconds to get the information out of the ladies' mind (no wonder Cobb had wanted him on his team so bad, back on the Saito job). Arthur admired the way Eames eased into roles when it came to a job. But still. Arthur still didn't think it was a good idea to heist that painting out, but that night, as he stood guard at the front of the museum, he counted the minutes it took Eames to disengage the security, get the painting out of the frame, roll it steadily together, and come out as if nothing had happened. It took about 26 minutes and 32 seconds. Well. Eames was a perfect forger and a perfect thief. It made him wonder how he trusted him the way he did, but he didn't mind. After all, he would trust Eames with his life if it came down to it, and he was sure Eames would do the same if it came down to it.
And, if you have any of your own prompts, feel free to drop an ask on my tumblr (same url as here), I have the Anon option open (16/03/2014) :)