She's got you high
AN: Okay, so it's set after they perform the Inception job . Just to clear things up, I know that Cobb has retired from extracting, but I added in my reasons as to why he is doing this job. It just felt weird to write about the team being back together, minus Cobb. I dunno. I've spent the majority of this year (since I got my laptop) following fanfictions and after reading so many brilliant Inception fanfics, decided to have a shot at this. I am so completely obsessed with Inception and a major Arthur/Ariadne shipper, it's ridiculous. Thanks for reading my story, whether you liked it or not, it's still important that you took the time out to read it. Please review! This is a first for me, and I would love to know what I could improve on and stuff, because since I was like three, when asked what I wanted to be, I never ever wanted to be a princess, I wanted to be a writer. So yeah, feedback would mean a whole heap to me Uhhh, to anyone who actually read this ridiculously long AN, you are utterly amazing, if you didn't, I honestly don't blame you so we're cool there (Please don't judge me because I said we're cool, it just slipped out, honest! If you didn't really mind it before and now I've drawn your attention to it ... I think I'll just stop talking now and actually get on with the story. Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. Woah, this is a lot to put in perenthacies. My English teacher would've killed me if I had written 'brackets'. And of course I just completely, unnecessarily drew it out even more. So, thanks for reading!)
Disclaimer: As much as I would like to be able to brag, I am not the genius Christopher Nolan, and unfortunately I do not own the brilliance that is Inception or any of its characters *weeps from the heartbreak of the reminder*. Also, I don't own She's Got You High, or the awesome Mumm-Ra. I only own my cherished movie tickets.
She's got you high and you don't even know yet
She's got you high and you don't even know yet
It's the search for the time, before it leaves without you
Have you lost your mind or has she taken all of yours too?
Eames let out a frustrated sigh.
They were back in the warehouse. It was their second job as a team. Cobb had returned one last time, despite his much anticipated return to his children. Nothing permanent, just a sort of warm down drill you have to do after a huge race, and the Fischer job had been equivalent to about five bloody marathons.
For Cobb, life would be different. Living in a permanent house, with his kids. No more dreams. No more Mal.
Saito had found another mark, a major executive of a mining industry, one who was, thankfully, inexperienced in the fields of the subconscious and fine art that was extraction (Arthur had made a point of checking). Yusuf had flown over to Paris from Mombasa. So here they were again, preparing for the next job. It would be significantly easier than the Fischer job, all they had to do was get in, distract the mark, find the information Saito required, and then get out.
But work was the last thing on Eames' mind. No, he was in a far more problematic situation.
Was love really that complicated? He looked exasperatedly from one co-worker to the other. Arthur, the precise, suit-clad, point man was staring at Ariadne, the incredibly smart and beautiful architect. Again. This game of cat and mouse had been going on for almost two weeks.
Every other team member had noticed it. Cobb had noticed the way Ariadne hung on to every word Arthur said, eyebrows raised and the slightest smirk of amusement as he looked from the girl to the point man.
Yusuf had noticed they grew closer together every day, not that he would say anything. Just a polite cough when he was alone with the two, simply to remind them of his presence every now and then. As they became more and more infatuated, forgetting others became an annoyingly routine habit for them. Yusuf didn't mind, he was so fond of the both of them.
Saito was hardly around to see the teenage-like romance forming between Arthur and Ariadne, but when he did drop by to check up on the process he would often adopt a grandfather-type persona and as he would leave, give Ariadne proud, loving smiles while sending Arthur a reproachful, stern look which would leave Arthur utterly bewildered.
And Eames, oh god! It was like watching cars mate! His desk was right in the middle of them. Worst idea Cobb could've ever come up with! It was like torture. Here he was, minding his own business. There they were staring at the other, then pretending to swat away a non-existent fly or pretending to brush off the stare as an "Oh-lets-use-Eames-as-an-excuse-and-ask-him-pointless-stupid-questions!" remark when the latter looked up and caught them.
Bloody hell. It was ridiculous. And being the mighty fine Englishman he was, Eames so generously decided this would have to be stopped.
It was a couple of weeks before we would be performing the job. It was another typical day in the warehouse. Ariadne was watching Arthur research. The usual. Arthur was asking Eames stupid questions. The usual. How joyous. But today was joyous, it really, really was.
See today, after countless hours of schemes and plots, was the day that Eames would put his wonderful plan to action. Then no more staring which led to no more evasiveness which led to no more questions! Peace, at last.
It made Eames tear up, just thinking about it. Honestly, the questions were ridiculous. Let's see, there was the one about car tyres and the fact that they're never blue, the one about why cheap bubblegum loses its flavour so quickly, and Eames' personal favourite, the one about the dog crap and why couldn't the dogs have the courtesy to "do their business" on the toilet, like humans. Now, that had been an interesting debate.
And as Arthur looked up and smiled, Eames wondered what question would be fired at him in about 5... 4... 3... 2...
"Eames!" Ariadne half-shouted, waving at him like she'd been trying to capture his attention for the last (Eames checked his watch) twenty minutes.
He sighed, "Yes, darling?"
"Uh, I was just wondering if you ... if you," Ariadne stammered, eyes glinting desperately as she racked her brain, "if you ... know why grass smells weird after it's been cut but not normally!"
Oh, bloody hell.
She smiled triumphantly, as if she'd just won the Nobel Prize; she was so proud of her amazing 'cover up'.
"No, darling, I don't," Eames smiled as sweetly as he could possibly manage, "why don't you ask young Arthur here?"
"Arthur? Why would I ask Arthur?" Ariadne spluttered, "It's Arthur, he wouldn't know! Like I would bother Arthur, he is doing crucial work for the team, Eames! Why would you even suggest that?"
And with that, she rolled her eyes at Eames like he had just suggested the most ludicrous thing in the world, and left, muttering something about coffee, fresh air and Eames being stupid.
It was nice to feel appreciated.
Eames looked over at Arthur, who had returned to his work like nothing was out of the ordinary. So naive. He stood up and stretched, cracking his knuckles and striding over to Arthur's desk where he invited himself to plonk himself next to the laptop.
"What do you want, Eames?" Arthur asked, a hint of annoyance intruding into his voice, eyes still trained on the screen.
"Oh nothing, darling," Eames replied brightly, "Just checking up. Seeing how things are going."
"How thoughtful," Arthur said sarcastically, looking up and meeting Eames' odd expression of mischief with his own of confusion and wariness.
"Yes, I'm quite the English gentleman," Eames winked, leaning in close, "but don't think I haven't noticed you and our young little architect."
"I don't know what you mean." Arthur's face returned to its usual, trademark blankness, and he refocused his attention on the screen. Eames felt a flicker of annoyance pass through him, and in one swift movement, he yanked the laptop out from underneath Arthur's nimble fingertips, snapped it shut and jumped off the desk as far away as possible, arms raised, cowering behind the laptop as if it were a shield, anticipating the retaliation attack.
"Eames!" Arthur bellowed furiously, standing up, "What the h-"
"No," Eames said, dropping his charming English attitude, "No, you and Ariadne annoy the hell out of me all day long, with all your staring and your questions!"
"I don't know what you mean," Arthur repeated, walking over to Eames and snatching the laptop back.
"Oh I think you do, Arthur," Eames said, eyebrows raised, following Arthur back to his desk like a loyal dog, "You have a little crush on Miss Ariadne."
Arthur whipped around so fast, a slight ripple danced through his stubbornly gelled hair.
"That's not true," Arthur said softly, as if not completely confident in his reply
"Ah, but it is true Arthur," Eames chuckled, "and I, being your dear friend, must tell you that we both know it."
"Nope," Arthur said, shaking his head, eyes wide in denial.
"Yea-huh," Eames laughed exasperatedly, nodding his head furiously.
"Well, even if I did like her," Arthur said slowly, "which I don't, what possible chance would I have with a girl like her?"
Eames considered this for a moment before answering, "That's true. She's smart, attractive, funny and you! You're boring and a sti-"
"Eames!" Arthur interrupted, angrily, "You, being my dear friend apparently, are supposed to reply 'Oh don't worry Arthur, of course you have a shot wit-" He realised his mistake to late.
Eames cackled with glee, "Yes! I knew it! I told you!"
"Eames, shut up!" Arthur whispered in a dangerously low voice, red-faced, quickly scanning the warehouse, scared that Ariadne would walk back through the doors at that very moment, "Does she know?"
"Nope."
"I swear if you tell her, so help me I will beat you senseless."
Eames stopped laughing, "Arthur, would I really be so low?"
Arthur let out a sigh of relief, "OK, good, good."
"You're going to tell her."
Arthur chuckled, "Oh, I'm sorry, I must've heard wrong, I believe you said I was going to tell her..?"
"That's exactly what I said."
Arthur stopped laughing.
"Oh come now, darling," Eames said, throwing his arm around Arthur's shoulders, "You like her, she likes you, little smile here, some talking there, before you know she's at your place an-"
Arthur scoffed in protest, shaking Eames' arm off himself, "Stop. First of all, how do you know she likes me?"
Now Eames scoffed in protest, pointing to himself, "Arthur, c'mon. Seriously. I'm Eames, I'm your buddy, and I look out for you. Just ask her out already, for God's sake!"
Arthur looked at Eames suspiciously, "What's in it for you, huh?"
"For me?" Eames replied, smiling, "Well, I get to witness the magic of true love."
Arthur raised his eyebrows.
"You are my friend, and I love you, and I just want you to be happy."
Arthur raised his eyebrows higher, any higher and they would've flown off his face. Not really, but they were pretty damn high.
"Look mate, my desk is in the middle of you and your beloved architect. You have no idea how frustrating it is being there. Here I am, minding my own business. There you two are, staring at the other. One looks up, the other goes off their rocker, and shoots me down with questions that are so ridiculously stupid that I am insulted." Eames vented.
"I don't stare at her," Arthur protested.
"Darling."
"Is it really that obvious?"
"Yes!"
"Damn. Who else knows?"
"Cobb, Yusuf, Saito."
"Ahh, which explains all the looks he gives me."
"Ariadne knows."
"Eames, you told me she didn't know!"
"Darling," Eames replied, offended, "do you think I sound like a girl?"
"Oh, of course not, I must just be imagining things," he chuckled to himself, "The only girl who has access to this warehouse is Ari ... oh crap."
Arthur swivelled around to the entrance of the warehouse to see Ariadne standing there, five cups of coffee in hand.
"Ariadne!" Arthur laughed, "Didn't see you there!"
She just stood there, a shy smile slowly creeping up on her face.
"How long has she been standing there?" Arthur whispered to Eames
"Since about the time you threatened to beat me senseless if I told her," Eames replied, with somewhat of a puckish essence to the grin that graced his face.
"But, but I had just checked the entrance! She wasn't there about five seconds ago!" Arthur whispered back desperately.
"Ah, but you see Arthur darling, you are correct of course, she wasn't there when you looked but she did magically appear five seconds later." Eames winked, "I believe it's a crafty little thing humans call walking, darling. Now go talk to her."
Arthur took part in muted vendetta against Eames and the idea of talking to her, so Eames shoved him forwards with all his strength then sat down at his desk, waiting for his masterpiece to unfold.
Arthur stumbled towards Ariadne, looking back at Eames, who rolled his eyes and gave him two thumbs up. After what seemed like eternity, suddenly Arthur was standing in front of Ariadne, and by God, they were talking!
"Hi," Arthur said, his cheeks unusually adopting a rosy blush as he wrung his hands together.
"Hi," Ariadne smiled.
"So, I guess you heard all of that back there," Arthur said.
"Pretty much, yeah," Ariadne laughed, "Did you mean it?"
"Mean what?"
"Oh honestly Arthur!" Eames' voice suddenly rang out.
They both looked back to see not only Eames, but also Cobb and Yusuf.
"Eames paged us. Said it was an emergency." Yusuf answered to their looks of surprise.
Arthur looked at Eames, his face hosting a look of utmost bewilderment.
"What?" Eames asked defensively, "I want my work to be, you know, admired!"
Arthur shook his head, and returned back to Ariadne.
"So?" She asked, eagerly,
"Yes," Arthur replied, smiling, "Yes, I really did mean it."
And with that, Ariadne flung her arms around Arthur's neck, pressing her lips to his with an enormous amount of enthusiasm which Arthur returned, doing the cliché thing and picking her up off the ground and twirling her around.
Cobb and Yusuf celebrated with whoops and high-fives, while Eames just sat there watching the loved-up point man and architect, envisaging and day dreaming of all the peace and quiet he would finally be rewarded...
Eames stared murderously off into the distance. Here he was, minding his own bloody business. There they were, one loved-up architect and one loved-up point man, giggling and kissing and sending along secret messages.
Bloody hell! The way these two carry on, you'd think they were 15 and back in bloody high school! Eames looked exasperatedly from one co-worker to the other, as yet another ball of scrunched up paper flew across the room. Again. And again. And again.
Eames muttered mutinously to himself. He was supposed to get peace and quiet. Peace. And. Quiet.
Getting them together was supposed to stop all this nonsense! But it only made it worse, it was maddening! A ball of paper hit the side of Eames' head and he snapped up furiously looking for the culprit. Both Arthur and Ariadne were trying to cover up their amusement, Arthur's head dropped so close to his papers, body shaking and Ariadne, fist in her mouth in an attempt to stifle her escaping giggles, as she tried to pretend like she was concentrating on her sketches.
Honestly, Eames thought as he stormed out of the room, muttering things about coffee and fresh air and how bloody ridiculous the both of them were, leaving the couple in outrageous fits of laughter, It was like working with children, for God's sake!
Worst bloody plan. Ever.
What's this about? I figured love would shine through
We've lost romance this world has turned so see through Open your mind, believe it's going to come to
Romance alive and hope
She's got you high!