Title: a nightingale serenading the infinite
Fandom: Inception/White Collar
Disclaimer: not my characters
Warnings: future!fic; implied child abuse
Pairings: Eames/Arthur
Rating: PG
Point of view: third
Wordcount: 740
Prompt: Inception (can be a crossover), Arthur/any, He/She insisted on meeting his family; this is the only family Arthur has.
Eames knows the nature of secrets, how they loom in the back of one's mind, how they whisper and croon, how they can mock and turn and change. There are places locked away in his head he never wants anyone to see, much less Arthur.
He'd bet Arthur already knows, though.
o0o
What they have isn't conventional. It's much more fun.
o0o
Five years after the Fischer job, seven years after they met, Arthur settles into the chair across from Eames at his usual cafe and says, "Routines can get you killed."
Eames toasts him with his lemonade and drains it down.
o0o
(Arthur had a brother once. Back before he was Arthur, he had a brother. His brother loved to dress fancy, to pretend he was someone else, someone important, someone powerful. Someone who'd leave a mark on the world.
Arthur had a brother once.)
o0o
"Our flight leaves tonight," Arthur says.
Eames leaves some of Arthur's cash on the table and follows him out the door.
o0o
He doesn't know where they're going, what they'll do once they arrive, or why. Nor does he care. Arthur has a reason for everything, and it all makes perfect sense once it's clear.
Arthur is quiet on the plane. He stares out the window, a scrap of paper clutched in his fist.
Eames only catches sight of the scrap once; it's a sketch, of a much younger Arthur and another dark-haired little boy.
They're both grinning wide enough to light up the world.
o0o
They land just after midnight and the airport is quiet. They have only carry-ons, so they immediately catch a cab. The hotel is nice enough, with only one bed.
Arthur says only what is necessary and goes straight to sleep. Eames stays up, watching him. He's not worried, not yet. Soon, though. If Arthur doesn't explain soon, then Eames will worry.
o0o
In the morning, Arthur says, "Come with me, Mr. Eames."
Eames follows him.
o0o
(Arthur had a brother once, back when his name was Aidan and all he cared about was getting through junior high without broken bones and black eyes.
Aidan's brother was Noah, and he loved to sketch and he loved to paint. Aidan loved math and science, and he dragged Noah to self-defense classes.
Their father said Aidan had the brain and Noah the imagination, and then he slapped Noah across the face. When Aidan forced himself between them, their father shoved him into the wall.)
o0o
The sun is bright in Savannah's sky and Eames doesn't know their destination, but Arthur is trudging along looking all proper and sharp in his suit. He's not even sweating.
Eames thinks about making a comment, but Arthur's shoulders are set and there's no humor in his face. Eames has spotted two guns and three knives hidden away on Arthur's body, which means there are half a dozen other weapons somewhere.
Arthur leads Eames to a cemetery. He hesitates at the entrance, glances quickly at Eames, and then strides through.
o0o
The headstone says simply, Noah and two dates.
Arthur says quietly, "I've missed you."
Eames says nothing at all.
o0o
(Arthur had a brother once. He had a twin who loved to laugh, who was seven minutes younger and ten times louder, who dreamed that one day they would change the world.
Aidan couldn't even attend his brother's funeral. He was in the hospital with a broken leg, a shattered collarbone, and a severe concussion that still lingered days after The Event.
Aidan visited his brother's grave just after the stone was set. Once. He then left town and changed his name.
Arthur came back just after he left the army. His father was never found, and will never desecrate the cemetery where Noah rests.)
o0o
They fly out that night. Arthur doesn't speak at all. Eames tucks him into the window-seat and cradles Arthur's hand in his. Arthur falls asleep against him and Eames rests his chin on Arthur's head.
Once they're back home, Eames gently pulls Arthur behind him until they're at Eames' apartment. He steers Arthur to the bed, strips him, and tucks him in again. He moves to leave, but Arthur pulls him down and curls into him.
Arthur doesn't cry, but Eames wishes he would.
o0o
(In another world, Neal Caffrey takes Peter Burke to a grave the day his anklet comes off. He tells Peter about a little boy who used to have a brother.)