A/N: BELATED HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE PINK ARCHER! I'm so sorry this took so long to upload! (I blame New Year stress, university results finally coming out, and oh yeah, YOU! BECAUSE YOU KINDA DIDN'T REMIND ME THAT IT WAS YOUR BIRTHDAY BOOHOO) HAHA anyway, I know this fic will never amount to the gift of friendship that you have given me and continue to give me. I truly believe we are long-lost sisters reunited by this wonderful form of art we love to call fanfiction.
And to my other readers, I apologize if Arthur and Ariadne may seem a bit OOC in this fanfic. I HAVE VERY LIMITED KNOWLEDGE ON THE INCEPTION FANDOM. I AM SORRY I TRIED.
Hehe, this fic is inspired by very recent events in my life: I just learned how to drive!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Arthur, Ariadne, or Inception.
"WHAT?"
A bunch of seniors raised their eyebrows up at her, but Ariadne pretended not to see them. Instead, she pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear and took a deep breath. "What?" she tried saying again, calmer this time. She cleared her throat and adjusted the phone that she held to her ear.
"Don't freak out, I'm okay Ari," Arthur continued. "It's just a sprain…I think? And don't freak out about the driving part either, because I know you can do it."
Ariadne closed her eyes and leaned back against her locker. This was not at all how she imagined her day to go. Arthur begging her to drive him home? No way. This was insane! She had only learned how to drive this week; forcing her behind the wheel to drive her injured boyfriend home was practically suicide. "You can't tell me to not freak out, Arthur. You're hurt and letting me drive us home is the craziest idea ever. I'd get both of us killed! Can't you ask any of your teammates to drive?"
She caught Arthur sigh from the other end of the line. "But I want you, please, Ari?"
At this sentence, Ariadne felt butterflies go crazy in her stomach. Okay, maybe being behind the wheel wouldn't be so bad…not with Arthur seated inches away in the passenger seat. "Fine," she muttered. "I'll meet you in the gym in five minutes."
"Hey," Arthur greeted her as soon as she walked in the gymnasium. He was seated on a bench; his right foot bound in bandages and propped up on a seat in-front of him. "Well, you look stressed out," he noted, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
Ariadne rolled her eyes and stormed up to him. She had to resist the urge to slap him. No matter how dashingly hot he looked after training – come on, only Arthur could pull off a sweaty, glistening tan face – she was pissed at him for hurting himself. "Of course I looked stressed. I'm worried! A sprain? Seriously, Arthur? That looks a lot worse than a sprain." She bit her lip and slid on to the empty space beside him on the bench. "Jesus! You're a clumsy fool!"
"Am not!" Arthur countered.
Ariadne crossed her arms across her chest. "Yes you are. I've known you since we were both kids, so don't even bother trying to defend yourself on this matter. You are the clumsiest person I've ever known."
Arthur chuckled, shaking his head. "And you, Ariadne, have the most adorable facial expressions when you get worried. Come on, quit whining."
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.
Ariadne's resolve finally broke; she took a deep breath and threw her arms around her boyfriend's neck. "Jesus, Arthur, quit getting yourself into sticky situations, please!"
"Define sticky situations?"
"Randomly spraining your ankle during taekwondo training. Hearing about you getting hurt stresses me out," Ariadne said, pulling away. "And not to mention impromptu requests of asking me to drive you home. Arthur, I only learned to drive this week! I'm a freaking amateur!"
Arthur squeezed her hand. "Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't even get in a car with an amateur driver. But I have no choice now, do I?"
"Nope. Looks like you're stuck with me. You have your teammates to drive you home, but as you said, you chose me."
"Yes, out of everyone, I chose you." He smiled at Ariadne. "On the bright side, if we die, at least we'll die together, right?"
Now, Ariadne couldn't resist much longer. She slapped Arthur on his cheek. "Quit being cheesy. I've got some driving lessons to attend."
With Arthur limping and relying heavily on Ariadne for support, it took the couple a good twenty minutes before they could exit the gymnasium and make their way to the university's parking lot.
"Sorry," Arthur mumbled as soon as they were settled in his BMW.
"Sorry for what?" Ariadne asked him, confused at his sudden solemnness. She glanced over at him in the passenger seat and noticed that his face had gone a shade of beet red.
"I just suddenly felt embarrassed at the fact that my girlfriend is driving me home. I feel like a damsel in distress."
Ariadne laughed. "Well, enjoy the feeling while it lasts, because I am so not doing this again." She pushed the car keys into the ignition and turned it, hearing the familiar roar of the engine as the car came to life. "Ooookay, here goes nothing."
Arthur drew his seatbelt on. "Holy shit, I'm actually scared you'll ruin my car," he murmured.
Ariadne gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles turning white. "You're worried about your car? You don't even fear for your own life right now? Or mine, for that matter?"
From her peripheral vision, she caught Arthur grin mischievously. "Shut up and drive, hon."
Ariadne took a deep breath and stepped down on the clutch to shift to first gear. "Deep breaths Ari, deep breaths," she muttered to herself. She slowly put her right foot down on the gas pedal, all the while keeping her left foot on the clutch pedal. She was vaguely aware of Arthur's gaze on her. She had to admit that his dark brown eyes on her were rather distracting.
Too late. She was distracted. Damnit Arthur! Why do your eyes have to be so damn brown? She lifted the clutch pedal too soon and the car shuddered, jerking violently forwards before stopping abruptly. The engine shut off and Ariadne groaned. "Sorry," she murmured.
Arthur was gripping the sides of his chair tightly. "Are you sure you know how to drive?" he asked tentatively.
"Yes!" Ariadne exclaimed, exasperated. "I'm just…nervous." She turned the key again and the engine revved. Putting her foot down on the clutch pedal again, she shifted to first gear and slowly made the car inch forward, out of the parking lot.
Arthur was still gripping the sides of his chair. "Umm, I think you can shift to second gear now," he told her.
She did as he said and pushed the clutch pedal to the floor again, shifting to second gear. The car's engine quieted down a bit. She gripped the steering wheel, watching as the speedometer rose from 20kph to 40kph.
Arthur seemed to relax beside her. "Okay, I take it back. You aren't so bad at this."
Ariadne grinned. "I actually have hopes that we'll make it to your house alive."
Arthur pointed up ahead. "Oops, I think you have to make a left turn now," he said.
Ariadne stepped on the brakes and twisted the steering wheel. It was almost a perfect turn. Almost.
"You ate up a bit of space there. You need to turn the steering wheel back once the car is straight," Arthur told her.
"Yes, Teacher Arthur," Ariadne mocked.
"I think you can shift to the third gear now," Arthur said, ignoring her comment. "When the car's engine starts to make noises like that, you should shift to a higher gear."
Ariadne took heed of his instructions and shifted to third gear. "I actually haven't gone faster than 60kph – "
"WATCH OUT!" Arthur yelled. He reached out to yank the wheel while Ariadne slammed her foot down on the brakes. The car skidded to a stop on the opposite side of the road and Ariadne hit her head on the steering wheel.
"Ouch," she muttered. "What the heck happened?"
Arthur had slammed into the glove compartment. He peeled himself away from it, wincing. "You didn't see it? There was a kid on the road!"
Ariadne rubbed her forehead. She could already feel a bump forming. "A kid? No….I didn't see anyone! Oh my God, you're telling me I almost killed someone?"
Arthur nodded grimly. "It's okay. It's understandable for an amateur driver. The good thing is we're all safe now, right?" His eyes were crossed and he blinked, rubbing them. Ariadne laughed.
"Arthur, you do know you're turning a bit green? Is my driving making you sick?" she asked.
"I blame the pain killers the nurse gave me for my ankle earlier. I swear, it isn't your driving," he said weakly.
Ariadne shook her head and started the car again. "Whatever you say, Arthur. Just tell me when I need to pull-over. I'm sure the last thing you'll wanna do is throw up in your own car."
"Oh trust me, that's really the last thing I'd want to do," Arthur replied. "Okay, so now we're only 5 blocks away from mi casa." He and Ariadne locked eyes.
"I think we'll survive another five blocks," Ariadne said, setting her hands on the steering wheel.
Arthur grinned, sending the butterflies in Ariadne's stomach into mayhem. "Ariadne, you drive me crazy." He reached over and pulled her close against him, brushing his lips against hers. "Drive me all the way, please?" he teased her.
Ariadne was glad she hadn't released the handbrakes yet. Driving Arthur home was important, but for now, she had better things to do. She laced her fingers around her boyfriend's neck. "With pleasure," she replied, kissing him back.
Nope, they weren't going anywhere just yet.
A/N: HAHAHAHHAHA I hope they weren't too OOC? I honestly have no idea what I just wrote up there. D:
Tell me what you guys think! I'd love to hear your opinions hahaha!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AGAIN, THE PINK ARCHER!