Disclaimer: As always we'll own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in.
Don't Leave Me
The two men escorted Felicia back down to the casino's main level without any talking, all of them obviously lost in their thoughts and the twists and turns life had thrown at them recently. When they reached the front doors the blonde politely said good bye to each of them and then left without looking back, her stride as sure and powerful as before, though she looked, to Eames's eyes, somehow lost too in a way he couldn't put his finger on.
Once she was out of sight Eames gave a soft sigh then looked over at the man standing at his side. "I'm going to get back to work, I'll see you for supper."
Surprise and something more came into the point man's eyes. "Aren't we…going to talk?"
"We can do that over dinner too."
Eames had only taken a few steps when his lover's hands grasped his arm, the forger turning his head to see Arthur looking at him in much the same way that a clingy child probably looked at his mother the first time she dropped him off at daycare. To the bone scared at being left behind, abandoned to a place he didn't want to be.
"Don't go." Arthur pleaded softly, irrationally, but unable to stop himself. Seeing Felicia, having his past rubbed into his face by her whether she'd meant to do it or not…reminding him of old hurts and the price to be paid for wanting anything for himself. For counting on others to have your back and treat your heart with the same care he'd treated theirs. He felt raw and hurt and…scared. Scared because he knew what Felicia was like, and he'd sensed the level of emotions swimming under the charming surface his lover hid behind so well. He had no way of knowing what she had or hadn't said to Eames before he'd gotten there and…and even though he knew that Eames wasn't the type to just walk away from a fight the sight of his man walking away from him was terrifying to him in that moment. Because there was nothing that scared him more than the idea that Eames might walk away from him someday too.
Just like everyone else.
Picking up a lot of what was going on in the point man's head Eames's gaze gentled and he moved to stand in front of Arthur, lifting a hand to cup the other man's pale cheek. "I'm just going back to my rounds, I'm not planning to leave the casino at all today. And if I was you'd know about it. We'll have our little fight later, when I've got things better sorted out in my head. If we need to fight at all that is."
Calling himself a big baby, especially after he'd given Eames that speech about him being just as alpha and capable of taking care of himself, Arthur schooled his features into cool, calm lines again and nodded his head, taking a step back so that his cheek was no longer being comforted by the forger's touch. "Sorry. I'll see you at dinner then."
Eames stared at the man for several heartbeats and then held out a hand. "You want to make my rounds with me again?"
Arthur didn't even have to think about it as he quickly slipped his hand into Eames's. "Yeah."
They hadn't gone far before Arthur started to feel like a complete and utter idiot. What was he, a child? Needing his hand held, clutching the other man to him like a beloved toy he wasn't willing to share…could he embarrass himself much more? And in front of Eames of all people, which just made things that much worse. Where was a hole to fall into when you needed one?
Chuckling at the myriad of expressions crossing his lover's face Eames's squeezed the hand he held. "I'm finding your behavior adorable, luv, if that's what's worrying you."
"I'm behaving like a child."
"That you are. But you've inspired me to behave like a child plenty in the past so fair is fair as the saying goes." He loved to tease Arthur after all, and was very possessive of him. Not to mention the numerous times he'd wanted to throw a temper tantrum or cling to the point man when the job they'd teamed up for was over and Arthur had headed off with Cobbs as usual, leaving him behind until the next assignment.
Eames could act like a child with the best of them, Arthur silently agreed as he forced his body to relax as his thoughts settled down. Rubbing his thumb against the over man's skin in a small show of affection Arthur wasn't sure if he should bring up Felicia and Michael or not. Did Eames want to know about them or would he prefer to remain in the dark? Personally he'd rather not talk about them if that was an option, but he didn't see that being a possibility. Should he wait for dinner time, when they couldn't possibly be overheard? Having other people know about his past was almost as bad as Eames knowing in his books.
"This Michael guy doesn't sound like the kind of guy who would interest you."
Arthur was quiet for a thoughtful moment, rearranging his answer in his head before speaking. "I wasn't the man I am now then. Back then I liked being the one in charge, the man in the relationship so to speak. And I didn't let myself see how truly weak he was until it was too late. You're the only man I've ever been with who is as alpha male as I."
"And why is that, do you suppose?" Eames asked, deciding to take the man's statement as a compliment.
His gaze sure and steady Arthur's eyes were compelling. "Because, as Felicia stated earlier, my tastes have seriously improved."
Eames grinned. "Back at you."
)
Sitting behind his desk, trying to work, Arthur was too disgusted with himself to get anything done. He'd behaved like such an idiot, he couldn't recall the last time he'd been so embarrassed. Leaning forward the point man rhythmically knocked his head against his desk, hoping that that would knock some sense into him. And if nothing else the headache would possibly take his mind off how pathetic he'd been after they'd seen Felicia out, the man thought with dark humor.
That woman was like his unlucky charm, Arthur thought as he retrieved his totem from his suit pocket, rolling it around in his hand as he stared into space. Nothing good ever came from her visits.
And he still didn't know what she'd said to Eames before he'd arrived, and there was a lot she could say that would get him into deep trouble with his man. If she'd told his lover how close he and Michael had once been Eames might start to wonder why he didn't treat him the way he'd once treated his ex when they were together. Not that his lover would want to be babied the way he'd babied Michael, Arthur reminded himself, but he'd showered the bastard with attention when they'd been together and he didn't do that with Eames.
Eames didn't need that sort of stuff the way Michael had, Arthur told himself, then called himself an even bigger idiot for even thinking that. Of course his lover wanted to be made to feel special, who didn't want to be shown they were special in the eyes of those closest to them?
But they had a no romance rule, which meant that Eames didn't or at least shouldn't expect that from him. They shared a home, a business and a bed. They'd been together for years and would die for each other. That should be enough to convey how much they meant for each other. He shouldn't feel like he needed to-
"To man up and realize that if I don't make more of an effort and break the romance rule he might leave me not because I'm jinxed when it comes to matters of the heart but because he doesn't realize that I lo-want him to always be in my life." Arthur said out loud, refusing to use the L word even if he was alone with no one to hear him.
"Damn. I'm going to have to be romantic. Dammit."
)
When Eames entered their living quarters at dinnertime he was met by the familiar smells of some of his favorite foods. Aka take out from his favorite Chinese restaurant on the strip. Smiling as he followed his nose the forger headed into their dining room, taking in the romantic setting in one sweeping, eyebrow raising glance. The good dishes and wine glasses, the lit candles, bluesy jazz playing softly in the background. He knew a set up when he saw it, and Arthur wasn't the romantic type, so he'd given the man points for thinking of it. The question of why his lover had done it was the puzzler.
As the forger watched the point man came walking into the room with a bottle of wine, a welcoming smile on his face.
"Hey." Walking over Eames brushed his lips against his man's.
"Hi." Returning the gesture Arthur reached out with one hand to brush his fingers against the stubble along his man's jaw. "I hope you're hungry."
"In more than one way." Leaning forward Eames kissed the side of the other man's neck. "But I'll settle for some Chinese for now."
The two taking their seats Arthur removed the cork while Eames went about dividing the contents of the various cartons onto their plates, knowing from past experience what the other man liked and didn't like.
Accepting the wine glass from his lover Eames watched the man closely, his tone of voice laced with curiosity and affection. "Okay, so the way I figure it you're up to something. Either this is your way of apologizing for earlier, which isn't necessary, or you're going to tell me something I'm really not going to like. Which is it?"
Ouch. Shaking his head at himself and the forger's words Arthur's lips curved ever so slightly. "Neither of those, actually. Today, after we talked, I was thinking about how Felicia said, and I confirmed, the fact that I'm not the man I was when she knew me. I thought about all the ways I've changed and how some of those changes were good and how some of them were not so good. One of the not so good things was that I…I don't do enough to convey to you…your importance to me."
Going all gooey inside Eames's eyes softened as he teased, seeing how uncomfortable Arthur was with the whole thing. Which of course made what his man had done that much cuter. "You put up with me, Darling. That's proof enough."
"I wouldn't exactly argue with that, but I could stand to demonstrate my fondness for you this way, since I know myself well enough to know that articulating that fondness isn't likely to happen."
There was something about the man's tone that had Eames straightening up in his chair as he gave the other man his full attention. "You're usually pretty good at articulating yourself, Mr. Use Big Words Just to Confuse Me."
Arthur took a healthy sip of his wine before he answered with eyes that revealed nothing of his thoughts or feelings. "Everyone I've ever expressed great fondness for verbally has either died or betrayed me in some way. Or in the case of Dom's children are too young yet to do either." He added, trying to inject humor into a voice even he could tell lacked feeling. "I'm hardly a superstitious person…but I'm also a numbers man, and I know when to fold. So…I'll make more of an effort to…buy you dinner."
Hundreds, tens of hundreds of responses occurred to the forger, but Eames could see how much it had taken out of his lover to admit what he'd just said and insinuated. Because Arthur wouldn't have admitted to those thoughts if there wasn't a lot of emotion there that his lover couldn't make himself admit to.
So he simply reached out and squeezed the other man's hand, and then suggested they eat their dinner before it got cold.
)
They were almost done eating their dinner when the music died off, the CD having come to an end. The sound of the next CD clicking into place echoed in the silence and then new music of a different sort kicked in. Both men recognized the first song shortly after it began, sharing looks across the table as the lyrics joined the melody.
Savage Garden's, 'Truly, Madly, Deeply', Eames thought as his lips curved. Fate worked in mysterious ways sometimes.
Pushing back his chair the forger gracefully walked around the table and swept into a sweeping, over the top bow. "May I have this dance?"
Again Arthur paused for a moment and then pushed back his chair as well, taking the hand his lover offered. Getting to his feet the point man followed the forger over to a place where they had room to move and stepped into the other man's embrace, Arthur wrapping his arms around his lover's waist as he closed his eyes, moving to the beat and Eames's body.
One song slipped into another, and not all of them were meant for slow dancing, but somehow they managed to keep their movements slow and achingly intimate.
Sliding his hands up his lover's chest Eames's fingers went to the other man's tie, undoing the perfect knot with practiced tugs. When that was done he turned his attention to undoing each of Arthur's shirt's buttons, pulling the shirt tails out so that he could slide his hands over the man's bare stomach and sides.
Sighing his pleasure Arthur continued to move to the currently slow tempo while he turned his attention to returning the favor, undoing the man's tie and shirt in turn, the two men separating just long enough to let their suit jackets, shirts and ties hit the floor before moving back into each other's arms, their lips meeting with tender and deep feeling.
Keeping one hand on the small of Arthur's back Eames lifted his other to stroke his man's hair, enjoying the feel of the other man's hands at they moved up and down his back. "Bedroom." He murmured as the latest song came to an end, his lips against the taller man's ear.
Pulling back slightly Arthur framed the forger's face between his hands and sweetly kissed the other man. "Yeah. Just wait a couple minutes before coming in." Arthur's smile was seductively teasing as he trailed his fingers along the contours of the other man's body as he slowly backed away before turning to head for their bedroom.
Watching him go Eames wondered what the man had in store for him, guessing that the man had set up their bedroom for romance as well.
In the corner of his mind he couldn't stop himself from wondering how much of this was a bribe of sorts, a way of smoothing things over between them. Arthur couldn't know what Felicia had or hadn't said to him and maybe his lover was worried about that. He had been clingy earlier, if only for a few minutes. This was smashing their no romance rule to bits too.
But the man wasn't a personal rule breaker, and his lover had let him see a lot today in the personal feelings department. Deliberately. So maybe this was just a part of that too, Eames silently hypothesized, Arthur wanting to make clear how he felt about him in a roundabout way.
When the time was up Eames headed for the bedroom, smiling at the dim lights, the lit candles, and the man waiting patiently for him in their bed. Stripping off the rest of his clothes Eames set them aside and then joined his man under the covers Arthur held up for him. Straddling his lover Eames lowered his head, tenderly touching the man's cheek as he studied the beautiful eyes staring back at him.
"Make love to me, Eames." Arthur said in a low voice just above a whisper, tracing the forger's bottom lip with his thumb.
Heat flaring into his eyes Eames nodded, his lips finding Arthur's as he kissed his man thoroughly, exploring the tastes and textures of his lover's mouth as he savored them even after years spent enjoying the man beneath him. There was always something new to discover even now, Eames thought as their tongues stroked and lazily teased each other's, a thrill he'd never known in the intimately familiar. He knew all the man's curves, his secret spots and turn ons, and Arthur knew all of his.
But they still surprised each other, like now with the small, smoldering fires they built between them. The heat was familiar, but somehow just a little different, deeper, the aches inspired more deeply felt than usual.
Hands stroking over dampening flesh, heartbeats that accelerated and pumped in tandem as blood flowed hot and thick in their veins.
When hands and lips weren't enough to satisfy their hunger and waiting was no longer an option Eames's hands went to grip the other man's legs, lifting and widening them as he settled between them, taking complete control over Arthur's body as he slowly thrusted into his lover, working himself in inch by inch as he tortured them both.
Submitting completely as he gave his forger control over his body, Arthur forced his eyes to stay open as his hands moved over his lover's sweaty back in loving caresses, telling the man without words how much he was desired. How much he needed him.
And that message received loud and clear, Eames captured his lover's lips with his and sent them both to a heaven only they would ever know together.
