Sleep to Dream

Chapter 1: Attraction

Arthur held tightly to his luggage.

Anxiousness and panic lingered in his brain. He had done a good job, re reassured himself, knuckle gripping his silver briefcase. He did what had been planned out, processed and carefully reviewed from the past several days. Yet even as the invincible point man on the team, when it was time to perform, he always felt that sudden rush of panic. He believed it stemmed not from his lack of abilities to perform well, but the chaos that he was so often thrown into by the dream world, which made his assignments much more difficult to control.

A yellow four-door taxi rolled up to the side of the curb where he stood waiting. The driver popped the trunk in which Arthur carefully placed his invaluable bag himself, before entering the side of the vehicle.

A sense of calm immediately washed over him. The bustling LAX airport vanished- all with the simple movement of a shutting door.

"Downtown, please," He instructed the taxi driver.

Before the anonymous cab driver could accelerate, LAX airport came swarming back inside the taxi as the opposite door opened and a large, yet graceful man took a seat besides Arthur and closed the door.

Arthur instantly recognized the man. "Eames," he stated coolly, glaring at the man besides him in the backseat of his taxi.

"Arthur," he replied nonchalantly.

Arthur tried to recall the calmness he had felt moments earlier but it had been so fleeting he was beginning to wonder if he felt it at all. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked as calmly as possible, not allowing his voice to rise.

"Joining you," Eames glanced over to Arthur, "Do you mind?" he asked the question as though it were an absurd possibility that he wouldn't mind sharing a taxi with him.

His eyes narrowed, "As a matter of fact- I do…"

"Where are we going?" the taxi driver suddenly interrupted, "He's coming with us?" the heavily accented driver asked.

"Yes-," Eames said quickly, while Arthur retorted with a firm, "no!"

The driver hesitated, growing frustrated by the minute as the two of them decided what to do.

"Get out," Arthur ordered.

"Now, you would think after all we've been through today, you would at least share a taxi with me?" Eames asked, pretending to be astounded by him, yet knew perfectly well that Arthur didn't like him.

Arthur's dark eyes narrowed on the older, handsome British man, "How much do you want to get out of my cab?"

Arthur knew he was pushing him, Eames was always a stickler about money and pride would make him choke on it. Instead Eames's soft, full lips titled into an odd smile, his light eyes grew heavy lidded as he gazed over at Arthur, "I have a few ideas." His voice was rough yet confident, telling Arthur that Eames didn't want money- he wanted something else entirely different.

"We go- downtown!" the driver said out loud, deciding on his own to leave the airport with both men in the back of his car.

Arthur let out a frustrated sigh, ignoring the shiver of sudden anticipation. He wasn't sure why he felt this, only that Eames had always been able to put him on edge. And Arthur never was pushed to the edge, not without a paradox at least. Now Eames had intruded into his life once again and Arthur would've given anything to shove him right back out.

Except when Eames's heated eyes stared him down, Arthur wanted nothing more than to let that fire and heat burn right through him.

"Thanks," Eames mumbled, "I knew you wouldn't mind."

Arthur's eyebrow rose in disbelief but he said nothing.

"Really, Arthur- you need to be less of a stick in the mud." Eames's eyes lingered over Arthur's form, lingering on his crotch, before slowly making his way up over the suit vest and to his lips. "You'd be much more fun."

Arthur suddenly doubted himself. It didn't help that Eames now stared at him as though he wanted to eat him up… or suck him off, Arthur thought. Suddenly the anticipation traveled straight through him and into his stomach. His fists curled tightly, resisting the reaction in his randy cock. God, suck him off? He wandered. The idea of Eames, the charming, talented dream forger, on his knees, bent over and taking Arthur's erected dick into his mouth, tonguing him and sucking…

Eames turned back to the window- finally removing his harassing gaze from Arthur's now overheated body.
He suddenly couldn't breathe or acknowledge Eames's existence. He focused on burying the images of Eames's mouth deep into his mind.

"So where are we headed?" Eames asked casually slipping on his sunglasses.

"I'm heading home," Arthur said firmly. "You I'm dropping off at the first hotel or bar we come across."

"Arthur…" he drawled out disapprovingly in his thick British tongue. "I'm tired. You can't expect me to just find a hotel at random in this town? I've only been here a hand full of times, and each time I've been with a team member." He emphasized his weariness with a dramatic sigh, "All that running and jumping around in the snow was quiet exhausting."

Arthur huffed indignity at him, "my part wasn't exactly easy either, Eames. I had to figure out a kick without gravity!"

Eames stared him down, clearly excited by the challenge. "I was being chased by heavily armed men on snow mobiles. Oh don't forget the tanks and the nasty explosives planted all over the building."

"I was being chased in a rotating room." Arthur countered icily.

"I repelled down a cliff with an avalanche coming down around my ears!"

"I saved you're sweet ass from falling into limbo!"

"Sweet ass?" Eames smile became mischievous, "What else do you like about me, Arthur?"

Arthur rolled his eyes upward, "You're impossible, Eames."

"I know," he shrugged indifferently. "But I'm good in other ways…" he trailed off making the backseat of the cab suddenly feel much smaller and much tighter. It was like every sentence out of this man's mouth was laced with sensuality and… possibilities. Arthur felt his cock begin to stir and thicken between his legs.

He never understood his absurd attraction to this arrogant English bastard. Yet every time he entered the room while they worked together on this last job, Arthur's whole body went on overdrive. He loved watching Eames get into character before he did it in the dream world. The way the light displayed all the beautiful angles of his handsome features. How he carefully and meticulously had detailed records on the people he would embody in the dream. Even when Eames faked his expression enough times that they seemed to become second nature to him.

Just like Arthur had. He faked his annoyance with Eames enough to have the man believe that he disliked him. When in fact… he was damn right fascinated by the man. He loved hearing his ideas, even when they were bad. He loved his overzealous confidence that seemed to just radiate from his very skin.

His skin… Arthur resisted the urge to glance over at the formidable man besides him. Eames might look large underneath those suit jackets but in fact Eames was very muscular. His muscles were toned and tight. He had the physique of a body-builder. He envied that about Eames. Arthur's own natural physical form was built for speed and agility. He could climb, jump, run and hit any target, even in a rotating room. However he didn't often overpower anyone. He simply didn't have the build for it or the strength in his muscles to last long. Unlike Eames.

Arthur wondered what it would be like to have those hard, rough hands pressing down on his chest, holding him to the bed while he jerked him off…

Suddenly he felt one of those hands caress up the side of his leg. "Darling, you're phone's vibrating." He whispered huskily to him, his hand drifting ever so close to his now aching crotch. Eames eyes ducked away before Arthur could see if he had noticed the bulge in his pants. His outside thigh burned with the sensation of Eames's hand.

Fumbling for his phone, Arthur touched the screen. It was a text message from Cobb: "Good job, today. And thank you for trusting me."

Arthur felt a small smile tease the corner of his mouth. Then Cobb sent him another text: "Tell Eames's job well done too."

With that last message, Arthur clicked off his phone and slid it back in his pocket, suddenly annoyed.

"So what is your flat like? Is it meticulously clean and well organized?" He asked without a hint of laughter in his voice. He knew Arthur too well after the time they spent together. "Does it have artwork of boxes and boring perfectly chimerical things?"

"Something like that," he grumbled, still peeved about the text from Cobb. Did everyone know that him and Eames were together? Together… Arthur almost snorted out loud at the thought. Eames was only sharing a taxi ride with him, nothing more. They weren't fuck buddies nor in a relationship. Eames was too much of a man-whore anyway, and the concept of settling down with someone would probably just make the forger laugh.

And he would laugh in Arthur's face if he asked Eames to ever consider one with him. But is that what Arthur really wanted? A relationship with the man who drove him insane with want and suppressed sexual need, but also just insane?

"Except you'll never know what my place looks like," Arthur replied firmly. "You can get off where ever you want, just not at my house."

Eames sighed again, this time it was real. "Arthur, don't make me beg." The sudden desperation in his voice, made his head turn. When their eyes locked, Eames smiled weakly, "I just need some time to rest. A couple hours in a safe place will do me wonders. I'll sleep on your couch if that's what it'll take. I won't be a bother, I swear."

"A few hours, then you're gone?" Arthur asked, feeling himself being drawn down a hole he couldn't get out of. But it was Eames… a man who he trusted with his life, but would never tell him. "All right," he said finally. "Afterwards- you find somewhere else to stay until you fly back to… wherever."

Eames sent him a relieved smile, "Thank you. I know it must be hard to put up with the likes of me."

"Yeah, especially since I thought I wouldn't have to see you again for at least another 6 months."

"Really? Has it been that long since we worked a job together?"

Arthur nodded, "Aside from the one we just finished, yeah- six months."

"My, my… time does fly when you're in the dream world, doesn't it?"

Arthur glanced out of the corner of his eye to see Eames staring out the window, the sun beating down on his beautifully sculpted face.

TBC