Eames could already feel himself getting nervous when the plane landed, and the state got continually worse as he collected his luggage and caught an early cab, giving directions to the warehouse they always used when they were in the vicinity. He would find a hotel room later, he reasoned, because he wanted to get started on the mark. Really, he couldn't even fool himself with that one. He knew Arthur was an early bird, and he hoped he would be there with Cobb.
His heartbeat matched his steps as he ascended the stairs in the warehouse, but he ignored it as best he could when he reached the door, not hesitating before throwing it open. He was mildly disappointed when Cobb turned out to be the only one in the room. He smiled however, when the man dropped the paperwork he had been looking over onto the table in front of him and walked over. To Eames' surprise, the extractor gave him a short hug, greeting him like an old friend instead of a business associate.
"It's good to see you, Eames. I apologize for not getting in touch sooner. Even though Saito cleared the way for me back here, I still have some legalities to wade through. Tiring and very time consuming."
"Oh no, that's alright, mate, think nothing of it. How are James and Phillipa?"
Eames chuckled to himself when Cobb's smile widened as he started explaining how Phillipa had already started school and James was eagerly awaiting the day he would join her in being a 'big kid'. Eames nodded at him, clapping him on the back. He realized that he had missed Cobb, in all his drama and chaos.
"I'm happy for you. It really is good to see you, Dom. I'm glad you called me for this. It's like getting the old team back together," he added with genuine affection, and Cobb laughed. "Speaking of team, where're the rest of our lovely crew?"
"Ah, Mr. Eames, I see you've arrived."
Eames' heart skipped a beat and he stopped breathing when he heard Arthur's voice behind him. He became aware that he was making a rather questionable face for having just been greeted by an acquaintance by the bemused look Cobb was throwing his way, so he did his best to compose himself and paste on a smirk before turning around.
Arthur was there all right, donned in a clean white dress shirt, vest, black dress pants, and dark green tie. His dark hair was slicked back was usual, his sharp features standing out as if they were carved out of marble. He was just as he remembered him; it was as if he had never been gone. Like he had just seen him yesterday. Warmth spread in his stomach as if he had just knocked back a shot of whiskey, and he felt his smirk turn into a full smile.
"Observant, as usual, Arthur," he quipped, pleased that a coherent sentence had managed to leave his mouth. He was so fixated on the point man that it took him a moment to realize Ariadne had walked in with him. She skipped over and gave him a big hug, which he returned awkwardly but sincerely. Ariadne was a good kid, and had a promising future in the dream business. And she could put up with Cobb's bullshit, which was a rare quality to find in anyone.
"I'm so glad you came!" she exclaimed as she let go of him. "This is the first job I've done since Fischer, and I really wanted to work with the same people again, in a less stressful environment."
"Yea, just get Yusuf and Saito back here and it'd be a party," Eames joked, doing his absolute best not to let his gaze wander over to Arthur, who was preparing the PASIV machine on the table across the room.
"I don't know about you, but I'm glad the party isn't as big as last time," Cobb cut in, spreading out papers on the table beside Arthur. "Now, since we're all here, let's start."
The job was simple. Two businesses were going up against each other, and one thought the other had an informer for the other side. They simply wanted to know what the suspected spy knew, and if they were keeping their mouths shut about it. Cobb estimated it would take less than a week to plan it out, but they still had to map the dreamscape. Just as before, they set fifteen minutes on the machine and made themselves as comfortable as was possible in the old lawn chairs they never felt the need to upgrade from.
As usual, Arthur would be the one to make sure everyone went under okay before following himself. Eames was the last one he came to assist, pulling the PASIV cord along with him. The forger sat up straighter in his chair, rolling up his sleeve in preparation.
He once again took the opportunity to observe the point man, his face set in a professional mask of confidence as he knelt down between Eames' legs, getting the needle ready. Eames' breath caught in his throat when the man looked up at him from his position on the floor, and thanked God he had chosen to lay his jacket across his lap. He could feel himself reacting to him already. Jesus, he really had to get himself under control, or if they ever needed to enter his subconscious, everyone would be in for a nasty shock.
Trying to cover up his seemingly blatant arousal to Arthur, he coaxed that smirk back in place and raised his eyebrows questioningly.
"Sure you can handle this one, Arthur?" he said. The man gave him a small smile, shaking his head in exasperation.
"Go to sleep, Mr. Eames. I'll join you in a moment, and then we'll see who can handle it."
Without another word, he gently slipped the needle under the forger's skin, and Eames felt himself being pulled under by the drug, a smile still on his face.
The team ended up in an empty city-scape created as a first draft by Cobb. He stalked around them, his arms crossed as he surveyed their surroundings.
"Okay, so our mark is only familiar with this part of town, since he moved here just recently. From Arthur's observations, we know that his favorite bar is on the corner of Main Street, number 247, so that's likely to be the place we can recreate to extract the information we need," Cobb explained. "Ariadne can create the dreamscape, and I'm going to need Eames to pose as his friend who works for the other company, the one who they think our mark is informing to. I'll be more on the sidelines on this one, so Eames, I'm counting on you to do what needs to be done. Shouldn't be hard."
"So we're relying on Eames' extraction skills to get the job done. That seems like a good idea," Arthur chimed in.
Eames turned to the other man and found an uncommon, mocking glint in his eyes, his lips curved into an almost smile. "Oh, well, thank you for your confidence, Arthur. Now what was your job again? I think Dom failed to mention your overwhelmingly important role to play in this particular game," he bantered back.
Arthur did his own circling around this time, his hands in his pockets as he stepped amiably around the man. "I'll be the one fending off the projections you're sure to upset. You can thank me now instead of after, if you'd like."
"I'm sure you're both going to be just fantastic at your designated jobs, so how about we get on with this, huh?" Ariadne laughed.
Cobb just shook his head, mussing his hair with his fingers as he regarded the two. Somehow it had slipped his mind, the rivalry between the two men. But as he watched the unguarded smile on Eames' face and the amused quirk of Arthur's lips, the quiet sense of doubt disappeared.
He didn't know if something had changed between the two men, but the near hostility and annoyance that usually accompanied the jesting was surprisingly absent. In fact, they both looked at ease with each other; Eames with his arms held comfortably behind his back and Arthur's thumbs hooked in his belt loops instead of having his arms crossed defensively over his chest. He supposed working the inception job really had loosened things up between them. Whatever it was, he was thankful for the fact that he wouldn't have to deal with the same bickering he had last time.
"Okay, Ariadne's right. We need to stay focused, no matter how easy the job may seem," he said finally. "Now today I just wanted to do a walkthrough of the surroundings, become familiar with them."
Cobb started leading them down the street, and Eames shot a glance at Arthur. The younger man smirked at him good naturedly before following. Eames couldn't help but allow the grin that found its way to his lips as he felt himself blush at the mere favorable look. Arthur already seemed less annoyed with him than he usually did. He had actually given him a smile, and an Arthur smile was about as rare as an eclipse.
He didn't dare get his hopes up, though. The point man could just be having a good day. But part of him hoped that maybe it was because of him. Maybe Arthur was warming up to him. Maybe he even liked him a little bit. He shook his head curtly as he followed the others, his hands delving into his pockets. Now don't get ahead of yourself, he scolded. But the good mood he had been put in held on for the rest of the day.