From the Inception Kink Meme:
Prompt: Arthur and Eames go out on a date, not that Arthur will refer to it by that word, to the movies.
I want to see them in a movie theater.
Please? :)
A/N: Rated PG for... Point Guard? Peter Gabriel? Playgirl? Arthur/Eames, 1321 words. Me no own, you no sue. Kay?
"Don't take all day, princess," comes Eames' muffled voice from outside the bathroom door.
Arthur runs a hand through his hair and scowls at his reflection in the mirror. "Go away and leave me alone, or I won't come at all!" His voice rings in the small space. After a moment he hears Eames muttering, footsteps retreating away from the door. When he's gone Arthur lets his features drop, flattening his expression. He's not bad-looking, he has to admit-Eames has convinced him not to gel his hair, and the soft, faintly curly strands tucked behind his ears add a bit of interest to his face. The clothes, Arthur isn't so sure about. Eames picked them out, a dark red tee that hugs and hangs from him in all the right places, a grey wool jacket and some dark fitted jeans. They look alright, as far as his limited expertise on t-shirts and jeans goes, but one can never be too sure when it's Eames picking them out. If only he'd had a second opinion.
Finally Arthur is as satisfied with his appearance as he'll ever be, and he opens the door and flicks off the light. Eames is sitting on Arthur's couch waiting for him, but when he catches sight of Arthur he climbs to his feet. Arthur tries to glare, feeling the tips of his ears go pink at Eames' appreciative grin.
"Damn, love. I knew I was good, but damn."
"Shut up, Eames," Arthur mutters, and grabs his messenger bag off the couch. "Let's go, or we'll be late."
"Rich, coming from you." Eames dodges out of Arthur's reach before he can get smacked and moves to hold the door open for Arthur. The gesture's rendered moot when Arthur has to be the last one out to lock up, anyway. It isn't a far walk to the movie theatre, just a few blocks away from Arthur's apartment, and Eames spends the whole time trying unsuccessfully to slip his hand into Arthur's. Arthur is either oblivious or being slippery; Eames suspects the latter. But they make it to the theatre ten minutes early, and Arthur allows Eames to rest his hand at the small of his back as they stand in line for tickets.
"Eight bucks?" Arthur complains when they reach the front of the line, "for a Sunday afternoon matinee? This is a scalping."
Eames grins apologetically at the girl in the ticket booth and shrugs. "It's why I'm paying, darling." Arthur has no choice but to concede the point, and does so with a little half-smile.
There's some inane new kids' movie playing at the largest of the theatre's three screens, so Eames and Arthur have their pick of seats when they enter. There's maybe four or five other people, most of them near the back, so they take the seats right in the centre of the theatre. Eames shoves his box of popcorn into the drink holder in the arm rest between them and settles into his chair for some chit-chat before the movie starts.
"So, do you like this movie? I forgot to ask before we came."
"I don't know," Arthur shrugs. "I've never seen it." He stuffs a handful of popcorn into his mouth in order to avoid elaborating as Eames' eyes bug out.
"You've... you've never seen The Wizard of Oz?" Eames grips the armrests like it's the end of the world, and Arthur blushes, his cheeks still lumpy and distended.
"Nvrr hurd trrrm," he explains rather uselessly.
"Oh my God, Arthur, I had no idea you were so deprived," Eames flails. "I would have made you watch this years ago if I'd known!"
Arthur glares and tries to ignore him, mumbling a small "shut up" after he's swallowed his popcorn. Eames is still flailing, but at that moment the lights dim mercifully and save him from what was sure to have been at least a five-minute rant. There are only a couple of movie trailers beforehand, and then the Featured Presentation slide disappears and gives way to the roaring MGM lion. Arthur watches the screen intently and reaches for another handful of popcorn, and his fingers brush over Eames' halfway. He's distracted for a moment when Eames smiles at him, but then the opening scenes of the movie start up in a drab sepia.
"I thought this movie was in color," Arthur whispers.
"Shush." Eames is almost hilariously engrossed as Dorothy and Toto first show up on screen. "Eventually."
Arthur has to admit, there's something compelling about the young Judy Garland and the film itself. He can't take his eyes off the movie as Miss Gulch swipes at poor Toto with her rake, and cheers inwardly when he bites her. His heart clenches at the sheriff's order to euthanize the little dog. And when Dorothy starts singing, walking alone by herself, his eyes begin to moisten. There's something so... so pure about it. Something just a little bit heartbreaking.
Then the tornado comes, and Dorothy is whisked away. She opens her eyes again, and... color. Arthur knows the feeling; it's like the first time he'd opened his eyes in a dream to find the world had become something new.
"This part is great," Eames whispers excitedly when Dorothy comes upon the Scarecrow. This time it's Arthur hissing an annoyed "shush".
Before the Cowardly Lion comes on screen the two of them have managed to eat all the popcorn, but when Arthur's hand moves reflexively to the bag and comes up empty, Eames covers the hand with his own instead. Arthur doesn't argue, and Eames begins tracing lazy circles in the other man's palm with his thumb. Arthur only smiles faintly in the dim light.
Flying monkeys appear, Eames' grip on Arthur's hand tightens. Arthur spares him a questioning glance, and Eames scowls.
"Are you afraid of flying monkeys?" Arthur asks, incredulous.
"There was an incident. At the zoo. I was just a kid."
Arthur's mouth twists into a smirk as he tries and fails not to be amused by this. But then the movie turns serious again, and it's forgotten.
Finally the wicked witch is defeated (hilariously, in Arthur's opinion), and they're back in the Emerald city debunking the great and powerful Oz. Arthur's heart rate speeds as Toto leaps from the balloon, Dorothy's only way back to Kansas. He can imagine it, waiting forever for a kick that never comes. It makes his blood run cold. He finds himself relieved when the good witch Glinda comes and tells Dorothy she's had the power to leave all along. And then the most awful thing happens when Dorothy must say goodbye to all of her new friends. Arthur cries. It starts as just a burning in the corners of his eyes, but blink as he might he can't stop a couple of tears from tracking down over his cheeks. He bites his lips, hoping against hope that Eames won't notice. But Eames says nothing, and then Dorothy's tapping her ruby slippers and saying "there's no place like home" and then magically she's there again. The movie ends like it begins, in soft sepia, and Arthur feels an irrational pang of nostalgia in his heart for the monochrome life he once had, before Cobb. The one he has yet to wake up to again.
The movie ends. Eames is still holding his hand and Arthur realises that the tears on his face are still there, glistening, when the lights go up. He jerks his hand out of Eames' and wipes at his face with his sleeve before Eames can see him, but he's surprised when the other man snatches his hand again and squeezes it. "Don't worry, love," he grins. "I cried too."
Arthur lets Eames hold his hand as they walk back home from the theatre, and he promises him that next time, they'll go sit in the back of a movie he's not really interested in seeing.