Title: Your kisses turbulent, unspent to warm me
Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Georgia Douglas Johnson
Warnings: takes place after movie; character death
Pairings: Arthur/Eames
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 385
Point of view: third
Prompt: Author's Choice, Author's Choice, 'I want to die while you love me' (Poem by Georgia Douglas Johnson)
Eames lives with a ferocity Arthur can't help but admire. He himself has refrained from letting go for so long he's nearly forgotten what being free is like.
After the Fischer job, Eames lingers by Arthur in the airport and cajoles, "Come out with me. I've never been in the City of Angels before; show me what's fun here."
Arthur scoffs. "You were here six months ago, Mr. Eames." He smirks when he adds, "You are a bit of a demon, though."
It's not the first time they've gone out together. A couple of drinks, a light supper, and then a room for the night; in the morning, they'll go their separate ways again.
It'll be a year before they team up once more. They'll be betrayed on that job, by the architect and extractor, and Arthur will have a moment to decide between saving himself or Eames, as Eames bleeds out in the real world and Arthur has a chance to escape unburdened.
The architect will be dying while Arthur decides and he'll kill the extractor on the way out, Eames stumbling beside him, leaning heavily against him.
"Eames, Eames, stay with me," Arthur will say. "Think of all the things you haven't done yet."
Their pursuers will be close; Arthur will shove Eames shotgun of a stolen car and break all traffic laws on the way to a safe house. He'll call in half a dozen favors and Saito, leave Eames in the care of Saito's choice of physician, and not kiss him goodbye when he goes.
Arthur knows who footed the bill for the bad decision that left their profession two short; Arthur has no patience for those who are suicidal enough to hurt his loved ones.
He never has told Eames, but he's pretty sure Eames knows.
Eames will come to in a strange room with a strange woman looming over him. Once he understands, he'll curse Arthur and rant into his voicemail. He'll stay in the safe house for a week, and as the seventh day turns into the eighth, he'll realize that Arthur will never return.
"You stubborn fucker," Eames will murmur. "We coulda gone after 'em together, love."
Eames will thank Saito for the doctoring, pull out the notebook of information Arthur hid away, and follow Arthur's footsteps.