Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the plot. Thanks for reading.

Men Being Men

Eames thoroughly enjoyed the movie, absorbed enough in the animation and story that he hardly noticed the twinges in his body and the fact that Arthur was right beside him. And that was saying something. When it was over and he didn't have the movie to concentrate on anymore Eames realized that he was, pathetically enough, totally worn out and ready to go home to bed. Not to mention the fact that if Arthur hadn't reminded him to take his pain pills three quarters of the way through the movie he'd probably be even more sore and that was just depressing. Thankfully Phillipa and Ariadne wanted to talk about the movie the whole way back to the diner and that kept him awake and distracted, unlike James who nodded off within five minutes of being put into his car seat. Once they'd dropped Ariadne off by her car it was just him and Phil talking, though Arthur added his two cents here and there when he felt like it as Arthur competently and responsibly drove through the streets to Eames's house.

So before Eames knew it they were pulling into his driveway, Phillipa saying good bye to him with genuine regret, offering to loan him some of her Studio Ghibli movies if he wanted the next time she came to his house for a lesson. Gladly accepting the offer, he'd really liked this Hayao Miyazaki's stuff so far, Eames very gravely thanked her in advance. The weird version of 'The Little Mermaid' she'd described sounded pretty boss to him.

Arthur bringing up his wheelchair had Eames saying one last goodbye to his new buddy Phil and then he carefully exited the door, grateful for the darkness that hopefully masked the pain that etched itself onto his face as he transferred himself into his chair with a low, bitten off groan. Such was the pain that he didn't even object when Arthur started to steer him towards his front door instead of letting him do it himself.

"Thanks again for coming." Arthur was saying, Eames struggling to concentrate on the man's words instead of his body's renewed complaints. "Phillipa really likes you, and you made Himiko's night telling her you'd do your best to drum up business for her dad's place. They aren't doing as badly as they were when they first started, but they could use the business; especially with university looming for her."

Eames worked at putting a smile in his voice, though he didn't bother faking one. "I like them both, and I'm getting real sushi out of the deal so I'll consider myself paid in full tomorrow."

The small sound of amusement Arthur made had Eames grinning in spite of himself then, too pleased to have been the cause to think about how ready he was to collapse in his bed.

"Speaking of Himiko…she asked me to talk to you about something before we left. She told me to be subtle about it but that's not my style and I figure it will go over better if I'm blunt."

"You mean when she was talking in Japanese? It's really brilliant that you can speak that by the way, especially since you speak French as well as English. What did she want you to ask me?" Eames could only pray it wasn't for his phone number or something like that. He'd genuinely liked her after all, but obviously couldn't return her feelings when he was lusting after her male friend. Plus the idea that he might end up being banned from her family's restaurant for not returning her interest, after only just discovering its existence, was too depressing to think about.

"I speak several languages. One of my previous schools hosted students from all over the world and the sharing of languages was expected. And she asked me to talk you into going to see your friend Matt soon. They're neighbors and she thinks he really wants to see you, but feels too guilty to come and visit. She's worried about him."

"Oh. Okay." That was completely unexpected. He hadn't even realized the two were neighbors.

Having reached their destination, aka the porch, Arthur stopped in front of Eames's front door. "I'll tell her I told you, or you can speak to her when you visit the restaurant." Moving around the chair so that he was standing beside Eames instead of behind him Arthur's next inquiry was if there was anything he needed to know before their next tutoring session in two days' time.

Normally he'd want to stall, draw this time out as much as possible because they were finally, sorta alone and it was dark and-yeah, body killing him, brain threatening to shut down at any moment. Not a good combination, Eames reminded himself sternly.

"No, I think we're good. And thanks for tonight again as well. Uhm…maybe sometime, when I'm not so laid up, we could go get some sushi together, since you like it too." Eames just barely managed not to add some sort of 'just as friends' statement, some working part of his still working brain knowing that that would be a huge tip off to Arthur that he actually wanted to ask the man out on a date.

"Sure, I'd like that. Can you get in okay?"

"No problem."

"Then good night."

Returning the words Eames turned his chair around so that he could watch Arthur as the other teenager headed back to his car, belatedly realizing when Arthur didn't get into the vehicle immediately that Arthur was waiting for him to get inside safely before leaving. Which sort of made him feel like a chick, admittedly, but was also kinda nice too, Eames decided with another grin.

So lifting a hand in final farewell Eames forced himself to turn back around and opening the front door wheeled himself into the house, closing the door behind him and then shifting to lock it up for the night.

"So…how'd it go?"

"Mum!" Grin turning to grimace Eames turned his chair around to face her.

"Oh just spill already." Mimi ordered, having left the living room where they'd been waiting up for him, both women dressed for bed and giving him looks that said they hadn't been waiting up so that they could make sure he got in all right. No, now that they knew there was a boy in town he fancied they wanted all the details he'd been holding out on them.

Cheeks flushing with color, Eames tried and failed to distract his mother by telling her that he'd found out that there was a restaurant within driving distance that sold genuine Japanese cuisine including sushi, the news only distracting her for a few precious moments since she had Mimi to keep her on track. The sushi could be talked about later, right now they wanted to know how his date with Arthur had gone.

"It wasn't a bloody date! There were kids and two other teenagers there as well, you know. Not to mention the fact that he's straight as far as I know and I don't fancy losing my tutor because he's worried about me hitting on him."

"That is a good point." Eames's mother agreed, while Mimi told him he should get the lowdown from Ariadne about what side the Cobb's boy was playing for.

Since Ariadne was his friend Eames knew she wasn't the type to gossip or spill secrets, the fact that he'd never explicitly told her he was gay more about privacy than trust. Even if Arthur was gay or bisexual and had told her, Ariadne would never say so without Arthur's permission. But he could ask her if Arthur was actually seeing someone, that wouldn't be crossing a line, especially if he didn't ask for a name or anything. So he told Mimi he would and then stated that he really did need to get upstairs before he was too sore to get out of his chair and up them without their help.

Thank God they believed him, the inquiries about his crush shelved, at least for the night.

)

It was a couple days afterwards, at their next tutoring session, that it happened. James yell of warning and call for help had Arthur stopping in mid-sentence and moving with a speed that made him all but a blur as he ran and then vaulted himself part way over the edge of a table to get him to his destination as quick as possible, Phillipa having already sprang into action. Following behind as quickly as he could in his chair, Eames could hear his grandmother and mother rushing over too, as well as Phillipa's loud announcement that the cause of James's yelling was, "That stupid, jerky ex of Ari's is here!".

And it was indeed Yusuf in their front hallway, having let himself in as per usual, his intention to ream Eames out having only just heard that his bastard of a friend had been hanging out with the assehole who'd stolen Ariadne from him. He had not expected to encounter James in said hallway, the boy having been asked to go upstairs to the second floor to retrieve something Mimi had left there that was needed for Phillipa's lesson.

Yusuf certainly hadn't expected the kid to scream bloody murder and bring his sister running into the hallway too, the kid brandishing a knitting needle in her hand, which she threatened to stab him with if he didn't get away from her baby brother NOW.

Then everyone who could run on two legs was in the hallway, making it very cramped before Eames rolled up as well to demand to know, along with the other adults in the room, what he'd done to James.

"I didn't do anything to him! I just walked in the door and he started yelling!" Insult plain Yusuf alternated between glaring at Eames and his hated rival. And the fact that Cobb was here in front of him reminded Yusuf why he was here and he focused his glare solely on Eames as he demanded to know how he could betray him this way, making friends with that bastard, pointing at Arthur to make it clear who he meant.

"Yusuf, language." The tone of her voice, combined with the look in Eames's mother's eyes, had Yusuf apologizing for his language with red cheeks.

"I sent you text messages to call me and you never did! And how the heck are you just finding out that he's my tutor now? Everyone's been talking about it in town, Mum says."

"I've been busy! Some of my experiments are very time sensitive, you know. Plus I started a 'Doctor Who' marathon and I didn't notice you'd sent me any texts. And I don't think you have my new number." He added grudgingly, just now recalling that he'd had to change it recently. It was too similar to a phone sex company apparently, and he'd been getting some very disturbing phone calls as a result.

Knowing the problems his friend had been having Eames didn't ask about that, stating instead that it was Yusuf's own fault he didn't know that Arthur was tutoring him.

"Hah, I heard about the drive in and the diner, going out with Ari together. How is that tutoring, you bast-bad friend."

While the two men traded insults over Eames's perceived betrayal, Mimi tapped Phillipa on the shoulder and asked why James had been so upset to see Yusuf.

"He came to our house drunk and tried to challenge Arthur to a fight. He said some really bad words and then he killed one of our garden gnomes when he fell off our porch. James really liked that gnome."

Eames gave his friend an increased stare. "You killed a little kid's gnome?"

"I didn't do it on purpose!" The flush was back in Yusuf's cheeks, the teenager feeling genuinely bad now that he knew that the gnome that had turned his back black and blue had belonged to the little kid. It wasn't the boy's fault his brother was a girlfriend stealing bastard. "I'm sorry I killed your gnome." He told James awkwardly. "I'll, uhm…buy you a new one."

James glared back. "I don't want one from you. You made Ari cry! I hate you!"

While Mimi and Eames's mother marveled over the fact that James had just spoken loudly, not to mention in sentences, Yusuf sputtered unintelligibly for a bit before getting out some understandable sentences.

"I didn't make her cry! Your brother probably did! He's the one dating her now!"

"He and Ariadne aren't dating." Phillipa gave him a look that said she thought he was completely bananas to think otherwise.

"They are too."

Phillipa's hands went to her hips. "Are not. She dumped you cause you were a jerk. She said so. She throws darts at pictures of you!"

"She's still doing that?" Because of his accident and confinement to his chair Eames hadn't seen Ariadne's room in a while. But he did remember that the dartboard on her bedroom door had been plastered with pictures of Yusuf last time he'd been by. Pictures with a LOT of holes in them.

Arthur's voice was wry as he stated that she was working her way through her photo albums. And since Ariadne had been very into photography for a while, well there were a lot of photos to maim apparently.

While the two shared looks that transmitted their amusement over Ariadne's dart targets Yusuf and Phillipa engaged in a very childish exercise of "Are not! Are too!" that went back and forth so that those paying attention to them weren't sure whether to laugh or tell Yusuf to act his age, for Christ sakes.

And then James had had enough, unable to stand what Yusuf was say, acting like Ariadne was his brother's girlfriend. He'd already decided that she was going to be his girlfriend when he got bigger and he wasn't as smart or good looking or amazing as his big brother, so if Ariadne liked Arthur he wouldn't stand a chance. But he knew they weren't dating and so he made that very clear in a very loud voice that shut up everyone.

"She not Arthur's girlfriend! He only dates other men!"

)

Outed by a six year old. Now how many men could say that, Arthur thought ruefully, not surprised to feel everyone's eyes on him save for James, who was still glaring at Yusuf and hopping mad. Feeling a small hand slide into his Arthur looked down to meet Phil's gaze, the look on his sister's face making it clear that while she might not understand all the ramifications of what James's had just revealed, she was aware of some of them and was worried that he'd be angry with James. He smiled to let her know that that wasn't the case, giving her hand a little squeeze for added reassurance.

"You're-he's-your brother's not gay! Ariadne would have told me!"

"He is too!" James shot back hotly. "I'll prove it!"

And on that note the boy marched over to where Eames, Arthur and Mimi were standing, politely asking to be let through. When Mimi moved for him the boy thanked her and then proceeded into the other room to retrieve whatever proof he'd gone to get.

None of the adults knew what to say so they just waited for James to come back while trying not to stare too obviously at Arthur, who wore a poker face that revealed none of his thoughts or how he felt about possibly being pushed out of the closet by his brother.

Thankfully James was pack in no time with an iPad in his hands, the boy moving his finger across the screen as he obviously sought out the picture or site he was looking for. And then he found what he was looking for, making a sound of triumph before turning the machine around in his hands and holding it out to Yusuf so that the teenager could get a look at the picture.

Eyes wide Yusuf took the iPad and stared at the picture on the screen and then over to Arthur, repeating the action about six times before it apparently sunk in that he was indeed looking at proof that Arthur was, at the very least, bi-sexual.

"Fuck me, you are gay!"

"Yusuf Patel!"

"Sorry, Mrs. E., but-but-he actually is gay!"

"And that's an excuse to use that sort of language in front of two children?"

Happy to let Eames's mother lecture the moron for him Arthur walked over to neatly nip the iPad out of the other teenager's hands, not wanting him to drop it or more pictures to be viewed. Not that there was anything R rated on the machine, he looked it over regularly to make sure the kids hadn't been accessing anything online that they shouldn't be, but he was private enough not to like the idea of his pictures with Hikaru being studied and dissected. Especially given how the two adults in the room would react upon getting a look at his former boyfriend.

Handing the iPad over to Phillipa Arthur told her to put it back in her bag and then suggested James return to the living room as well, the two could wait in there while the adults talked.

Reading between the lines Phillipa took her little brother's hand and started to pull him behind her towards the living room, James turning his head to glare at Yusuf the whole time until he'd been dragged out of sight.

That taken care of Arthur turned his attention to Eames, who was looking at him like he'd just grown two additional heads. Normally that would have amused him, but this was not the way he'd wanted the other teenager to find out he was gay. Nothing about this situation was ideal, really.

"So shall we get back to your tutoring or do you want to talk to him some more once your mother is done reaming him for his use of profanity?"