It was a new week, a new start, and every opportunity to ask Arthur out. Hunter was waiting patiently by the bed, newspaper in mouth. Eames smiled at the black Labrador then looked out to the window, the sun shining bright through the curtains. Hunter ran out the room and barked at him. He got up, his head groggy and dizzy. Hunter was still barking impatiently by the door. The one problem Eames had found with owning a Labrador was the energy they had. It seemed to be never ending or return after 5 minutes. He eventually let the excited dog outside and sat with a coffee reading the paper. Eames could hear the birds, that was always the sign of a good day.

After showering and dressing, Eames watched Hunter run around in the garden while fixing his tie. He thought back to the first few days of owning the puppy, who was now almost 3 years old. Eames combed over his hair into the trademark style he was known for and applied the finishing touches to his outfit. The navy blue shirt was almost the same colour as the black silk waistcoat and trousers. The complement of the outfit was the tie, blue and black stripes that matched the entire theme of the outfit. Eames was indecisive about the tie, but he had no others that matched the outfit. Eames was not one for style, but more for co-ordination and organisation. He grabbed his watch and blazer, then rushed to find his briefcase. His briefcase was sat on the desk chair, as it always was every morning, but somehow Eames always walked right past it. He put on Hunter's leash, took all his necessary items and eventually left the house with a few minutes to spare. Victory.

Eames rolled up his sleeves and walked to the local coffee shop. He bought a smoothie for a healthier wake up, and because he had skipped breakfast. Again. He walked in the busy London morning, absorbing the sunshine and the atmosphere the early morning gave everyone. Or almost everyone. Eames stopped to help and old lady who had been knocked over by a man rushing to work. After thoroughly ensuring she was okay, he continued with his small quest to Izzy's house. Izzy was a friend of Eames' who cared for Hunter during the day while he worked. Izzy and Eames spent a few minutes talking on the doorstep before she took Hunter from him. She waved goodbye as he continued on his journey to work. He sipped the smoothie as he checked into his department. Eames dropped the briefcase lightly onto his chair, smoothie still in hand. He sifted through all the documents in the briefcase and extracted all the necessary and important ones. Eames moved the briefcase to the floor, sat down and promptly began making 2 piles of work to be photocopied and work to hand into the manager upstairs. He took the pile of work to be photocopied to the photocopier. He loved making this journey; it meant walking past Arthur's desk. Arthur, sweet, shy, simple Arthur. However, as Eames walked past, Arthur wasn't at his desk. He was sharing coffee with a temporary intern, Ariadne her name was.

No Eames, don't get jealous. Ask him later. He thought to himself. He carried on to the photocopier, occupying his mind and jealousy with paperwork and deadlines. Eames needn't have worried. Arthur made his way over, dropped off his coffee mug in the sink and wandered over to Eames.

"Good morning Mr Eames" said Arthur.

"Good morning Mr Arthur" replied Eames.

"Need any help?" asked Arthur. Eames was hesitant, now would be perfect to ask, and he would. But he was so damn nervous.

"I don't particularly need help with this, but you can help me with something else. I planned to go ice skating on Saturday; problem is I didn't want to go without company. Fancy joining me?" asked Eames.

Oh god, he'd said it. The question was out there in the blue and he was pretty sure at least 4 other co-workers had heard him. Oh god, he would never live it down if he was rejected.

"Mr Eames, that sounds like a wonderful idea. I'll meet you in your office at lunch to organise times and a meeting point" Arthur replied, walking away with a slight skip in his step. Everything had gone to plan. He collected all the documents and left to return to his office. He sat in the chair, then let the reality of 5 seconds ago kick in. His body felt a tidal wave, a rush of happiness and joy. Eames had seen many of his friends 'fangirl', so to speak. He finally understood their feeling of true happiness and content. After a few seconds of happy dancing in his swivel chair, Eames finally continued with his work.

At midday, he heard a knock on his door. He used his hand to make a motion which would signal for someone to come in. The door opened and clicked closed softly. Eames looked up and saw Arthur. He finally took notice of Arthur's frame, broad shoulders that were matched in equality with muscle. His outfit was similarly co-ordinated like Arthurs the shirt, trousers and waistcoat all matched. The difference between them was the blazer, of which, Eames had the sleeves rolled up to his liking and comfort. He finished typing his sentence, saved the document then motioned to the seat. Arthur sat down and sat with his hands in his lap, a polite way to sit that showed comfort and tension. Eames turned his attention solely on Arthur, who was beginning to relax.

"So what time is best for both you and me?" Asked Arthur, watching Eames lean back in the chair. Eames sighed, thinking heavily. He didn't want it to be too early or too late, or a time that would leave them no time to skate.

"How about 2, we get 2 hours to skate, then we could go back to mine for a Chinese" replied Eames. Arthur sat contemplating what that may lead to, and he must've liked the thought, he nodded and smiled.

"That sounds wonderful Mr Eames; I just hope I get to stay the night with you. Much as it's our second date, I find myself unable to stop thinking about you. I get butterflies when you walk past me. I'm drawn to you, and I've never been like this with someone else. I just hope you're the man I think you are" replied Arthur, revealing something that should have been said, but not this early on. Eames was a little dumbstruck by it all, but he felt honoured. Eames closed the blinds on the door and windows, then stood facing Arthur. He embraced Arthur in a warm hug that absorbed the entire emotion Arthur was feeling. Eames was on cloud nine, he was going on a date with an honourable, very sexy man who felt the same about him as he did about Arthur. It was more than he could have wanted. And here he was, butterflies in his stomach, heart racing, holding this fragile man who had obviously been heartbroken before.

Eames didn't care who saw them, but he had to kiss him. He cupped a cheek in his hand and lifted Arthur upwards. An exhilarating rush of adrenaline surged through him, his mind a blur, his emotions out of sync. He was normally a man of composure, but his world crumbled in the best way possible with this man around.

"Oh dear Arthur it appears we may have compromised our position for longer than we should have" said Eames, lightening the sudden dark mood of the situation. Both men laughed and suddenly stepped apart, leaving a gap between them. They straightened out their clothing and Eames found himself having tie fixed by Arthur.

Somewhat a perfectionist, quite like myself thought Eames. They smiled at each other, hugged one last time and then, Arthur left. Just like that he had had everything and then nothing. It was a rather drastic change, but it was a comfort and a curse in one.

Throughout the rest of the week, Eames was a happy man. He cared less for the gossip of his co-workers, managed all his work better than normal and then got it handed in before the deadline. His head and heart were soaring, his mind a buzz with all the possibilities to hold Arthur's hand. Once his work was finished and Friday came along, Eames was a very happy man. He had his pay check, he could spend a weekend with Arthur and he had a death-by-chocolate ganache cake to celebrate everything. Arthur was coming round a little earlier than normal to drop Lily off with Hunter, which meant Eames had to clean. The place was already tidy as it could be, but he went that little extra and made sure everything was spick and span for Arthur.

It was half one on the Saturday when the doorbell rang at Eames' house. He wasn't expecting anyone, least not Arthur; it was a little too early. Then he remembered. He ran to the door and held Hunter by the collar. Immediately, the 2 dogs sniffed each other and greeted each other. They settled together fast and were soon chasing each other in the garden. Eames and Arthur sat drinking coffee on the patio furniture which was rustic green and very vintage. It had been a while, they had finished the coffee and were sat talking to each other. They were wearing almost similar outfits, but Eames noticed Arthur was wearing Converse, whereas he was wearing Vans. Both men were wearing a hoodie of some colour and jeans. They took the mugs inside, then Arthur watched Eames run around to find important personal items. Phone, wallet, keys.

They locked up the house and got in the car to go to the rink. The rink was a short drive away, but Eames was a bag of nerves. He was excited and nervous all in one. They got into the rink, paid and made their way through. Arthur and Eames stepped foot onto the ice and began gently doing laps around the rink. They went at a steady pace, sometimes one a little faster than the other or vice versa, but Eames was never too far ahead, and Arthur was never too far behind. Arthur seemed steadier than Eames had expected on the ice, but his slight clumsiness made him all the cuter in Eames' eyes. After 20+ laps on the ice, Eames took a chance and held Arthur's hand, and watched as people began to stare. He saw someone point and look disgusted, but others were mostly accepting and bearing no notice of them. Eames was truly happy, for the first time in a very long time.

As they returned to the home of Eames, Eames noticed how much more relaxed Arthur had become, and settled too. As Eames locked the car and walked ahead of Arthur to open the front door, he was sure he felt a light tap against his butt from Arthur. He turned to look at Arthur over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow. Arthur replied with a grin, a very smug, content grin. They got in, dropped off anything that was fragile. Eames had begun working his way through the leaflets he had collected of Chinese takeaways in the area. He felt Arthur come up on his right side, and felt him just hover. He picked a leaflet out and held it up. HE smiled, but then his world turned black. His senses regained stability and he realised Arthur was kissing him, but it had come so fast that he hadn't had time to register it. The realisation of the moment sent a surge of elation through him, and Eames took Arthur in a deep embrace.

After their little moment, they finally ordered food and brought the dogs back inside. They curled up next to each other in front of the TV while Arthur and Eames ate. Arthur resorted automatically to sitting cross legged, and Eames watched as he ate in this peculiar way of sitting. Peculiar to him anyway. Eventually they finished eating and sat cuddled on the sofa watching whatever was on. It was around 9 that Eames noticed Arthur was asleep in his arms. He turned off the TV and picked him up in the bridal carry, the weight of Arthur spread across him. Eames carried Arthur to the bedroom and placed him gently on the bed, covering him with a duvet. His shoes were off, but Eames didn't want to remove clothing and seem like a strange person, so instead he changed his own trousers and went to sleep next to Arthur with a separate duvet covering him so it wasn't too awkward. He turned off the lights and used the light coming from the window to find the bed. He lay next to Arthur with his own duvet, but Arthur shrugged his off and cuddled right next to him. It was a surprising manoeuvre, but Eames didn't mind in the slightest. He drifted to sleep in short time, his arms wrapped around Arthur. Happy dreams.