AN: Righty, so I let someone look this through, he isn't a native speaker either though...any mistakes you find, just point them out ;)
It's on one of the Christmas parties Mal and Cobb host every year, although "Christmas party"
might be the wrong word, they're more of a get-together for anyone in the dream business who looks for a job, an architect, a point man, a forger.
It's only Arthur's second of these parties, and he doesn't particularly enjoy himself.
Mal and Cobb have been gone for about an hour, presumably having sex in the bedroom.
Arthur loathes them for leaving him. Nobody here knows his real age, of course, so they all he assume he's as young as he looks. No one is interested in a kid fucking up their job, so nobody tries to talk to Arthur. He doesn't have a reputation. Yet he thinks grimly, downing the rest of his wine and placing the glass on a small table nearby. He's good, he knows he's good, and so do Cobb and Mal.
In a few years, he'll get any job he wants, but right now, he'll have to wait here, because Mal has forbidden him from going as early as last year. Wait, and maybe get a little bit drunk. Fine, pretty drunk.
He leans against the door frame for support some time later , willing the room to stop spinning, when someone puts a hand on his arm. He turns around, thinking it might finally be Cobb, but instead he looks into the face of a stranger. He's very built, with stubble dusting his chin, quite young himself and wearing the ugliest suit jacket Arthur has ever seen in his life.
He opens his mouth to comment on that, but the man smiles and points above their heads.
"Mistletoe," he says with an English accent, and then he's kissing Arthur, just like that, tasting of wine. Arthur really is quite drunk, because he makes a small sound into the man's mouth and his eyes flutter shut. The man takes a step back eventually, lips red. "Thanks, Darling. I'm Eames by the way." With that, he is gone.
The third party is much less horrible. Arthur knows people now and is able to have some intelligent conversation rather than getting drunk alone.
If he keeps out an eye for Eames, well, no one will know.
Cobb, on the other hand, doesn't seem to be enjoying himself much. He looks tired, sitting on the couch in the corner, nursing something that looks suspiciously like herbal tea. Someone taps Arthur on the shoulder, and he whirls around, thinking just for one stupid, indulgent moment that it might be Eames.
It's just Mal though. He mumbles a belated excuse at whoever he's been talking to and smiles at her.
"Everything all right, Cheri?" she asks. "Met someone interesting yet?" she adds with a wink. He shakes his head, expression neutral.
"Pity," she says, and then, quietly, "come over there with me for a moment."
He follows her to the other end of the room.
"What's wrong with Cobb?" he asks, half amused.
"He's just fatigué...tired, I mean. The kids are a lot of work lately."
"So, what's the problem?"
"Just that!" she exclaims. A few people turn around to them.
"Sorry, it's just...this is the only evening we have to ourselves in weeks. I'm a bit disappointed."
"Understandable." Arthur nods his head. "Wait, you don't want me to like, go over and talk to him, right? Because I won't," he adds hastily.
She laughs. "No, it will be much simpler than that." Before he knows what's happening, she's grabbing him and kissing him. On the mouth. He is sure he must look ridiculous with his eyes wide open in shock, but a second later, he's pushed away from her by a very angry Cobb. He doesn't even look at Arthur, just takes Mal's hand and pulls her up the stairs to their room. She turns her head to grin and wink at Arthur, who still stands where she left him, not sure whether to blush or to laugh like everyone else.
In the year following Mal's death there is, obviously, no party. Arthur and Cobb stay at a tiny flat one of Cobb's contacts has recommended tothem.
It stinks of cats and the cheery Christmas decorations make Arthur almost sick every time he looks at them, but at least it means a roof over their heads, food in the fridge and actual beds to sleep in.
Arthur sits at the kitchen table, cleaning his gun when Cobb comesback from wherever he's been to.
Arthur has tried to talk him out of randomly leaving without so much as a note, there are people that want him dead, searching for him everywhere, after all, but Cobb didn't listen. He usually doesn't, these days. Cobb stumbles when he enters the kitchen, and Arthur can smell the whiskey without even getting up. He does, though, because he doesn't want Cobb to fall and hit his fucking head if he falls. He tries to support his intoxicated friend, who looks up and slurs, "Oh, look, mistletoe"
And then, Arthur is being kissed completely unexpectedly. It's desperate, and Cobb is not himself, and Arthur never liked him like that, ever, but for a short moment, he's too caught of guard, it's been too long, and he just kisses back, teeth and tongue and tears.
Cobb jerks back and does hit his head, lightly, on the door frame. It's enough, in combination with the alcohol, to make him pass out though. Arthur brings Cobb to bed, goes through the motions mechanically, having done this before, after all. They never talk about it, and Arthur isn't even sure Cobb remembers.
Two years after Mal's death, they're taking regular jobs again. Cobb isn't himself, still, but Arthur doubts that he'll ever be. It's Christmas time, and they've just finished a big extraction. They have hired an architect, this time, because Cobb doesn't build any more. Arthur has a vague idea that Mal is probably haunting him, so he doesn't question it. Nash is...well, he's actually quite effective, but there's something about him Arthur doesn't like. Something in his gaze. The rest of the team is ok, though, most of them are very professional and keep to their own business. So Arthur agrees to come to the party they're throwing to celebrate the successful job. He gets it after all. A few years ago, every extraction that hadn't gone to shit had him wanting to celebrate, too.
That's changed, but he doesn't want to be the kill-joy.
Cobb is in the back room, using the PASIV for whatever – Arthur has long since stopped asking.
So Arthur goes alone. It's a horrible idea. All the people make him feel claustrophobic and every single Christmas light reminds him of Mal. She would have told him to go and find someone nice for the evening, with a wink, like she knew all his dirtiest secrets. Which she probably did.
Instead, he gets completely, thoroughly wasted. The kind where not passing out becomes your main goal. When someone approaches him, he can barely mumble a "No," before he's being brutally kissed, no finesse. It's truly horrible, and when the man lets go of him, Arthur sways on his feet, the room spinning. He tries to focus on the face in front of him. Isn't Eames, can't be, of course not. Since that first kiss, they have worked together a few times, and although Eames sure likes his inappropriate jokes, he's never made another pass at Arthur. Also, he doesn't kiss that badly, Arthur is sure, even if it's been a few years.
"You all right?" the man asks. It's Nash. Arthur throws up all over his shoes.
Ariadne calls him a few months after the inception.
She sounds kind of awkward on the phone, telling him that she thought of having a Christmas party like Mal and Cobb used to. Yusuf's going to help her, and apparently, Cobb said he'd come, even Saito...and Eames. Arthur says yes without even thinking about it.
It's a great evening, in the end, despite the initial awkwardness. Philippa and James fall asleep in the bedroom eventually, and Cobb seems, while not truly happy, at least content with his life.
Arthur is so relieved, like something has finally slid back into place inside his chest that hasn't fit for years. He laughs and doesn't drink too much. He tries the cookies Philippa has, apparently, made all by herself and talks to Saito, Ariadne and Yusuf without glancing at the door. Much.
He's only a little bit disappointed that Eames didn't show up, because seriously, how stupid would he be if he let that spoil his evening?
So he laughs, and drinks another glass of Ariadne's punch, made from juice so that the kids can have it, too. He talks to Cobb for over an hour, like they haven't done in so long. About the kids, about the last job Arthur took, about that new architect everyone in the business talks about.
It's easy, like it used to be, and Arthur feels himself smiling more than he has in the past two years.
When Ariadne puts on music, they all dance, each on their own and later in pairs. Arthur is swaying with Ariadne, laughing at Yusuf trying to teach Saito some ridiculous hip-twist- thingy.
Ariadne slides her fingers into his hair and kisses him softly, once, twice, then pulls back.
He opens his mouth to tell her that she's lovely, really, but too young and just not what he's looking for right now, but she presses a finger to his lips.
"I know," she whispers earnestly and he nods his head, lets her have this, just for tonight. And if his stomach drops at the sight of Eames who stands in the door way, who has obviously just arrived, looking at them, well, nobody will ever know that.
+1. Eames
"Arthur, seriously, why did you insist we'd come here? If you wanted a party, I could've gotten you to a better one than Ariadne's Christmas celebrations.
We don't even know whether there'll be alcohol this year!" Eames complains.
"Shut up, you know it's going to be great."
Arthur gives Eames a little shove. "Also, there's something I need to do. I've wanted to for years, and it really can't wait until the next one begins."
He points over their heads. "Mistletoe," he says quietly, cupping Eames's face and slowly lowering his head, giving Eames enough time to pull away. He doesn't.