Disclaimer: As always we'll own nothing but the original characters, and the situations all characters find themselves in.

Just Them

Keenly interested in where they were going, especially since Arthur was being all sexy and mysterious about it, Eames kept his eyes peeled as he tried to guess where they were headed by the direction they were headed in. Questioning Arthur would get him nowhere, Eames was pretty sure, and his boyfriend was made of stern stuff and clearly enjoyed keeping him in suspense. Or at least that was the way he was interpreting the brief flash of dimples he got every time he looked questioningly in Arthur's direction. So yeah, paying attention to his surroundings was pretty much the only way he was going to figure out their destination before they actually arrive, though surprises were good too.

When they left the town Eames wondered if maybe they were headed to the city, but no, one turn onto a dirt road and Eames knew exactly where they were going, though he'd never had cause to visit it before.

"You do know what's at the end of this road, don't you?"

"I do."

Jealousy welling up a little, Eames tried not to sound pouty as he asked if Arthur had visited the place before.

"Once, out of curiosity, by myself. It's a nice spot, though it seems pointless to continue to use it when generations of teenagers have used it over the decades. The whole point of a make out destination is to get away from ones parents and/or guardians, right? I mean we can agree that sex in a bed is not only more comfortable, but more sanitary and with less chance of being interrupted by someone not related to you. So originally this place would have been seen as providing privacy from authority figures while being sure that their peers knew that they were sexually active. But given that said parents and members of the police department once used this, they have to know that this is a good place to start when looking for misbehaving teenagers. So…I fail to see why another destination hasn't been found at this point. The town is in the middle of nowhere, there has to be other possibilities."

"Nostalgia and tradition, I suppose?"

"Illogical is what it is. It's almost as baffling as why teenagers today post their sexual exploits all over the internet. It's like they don't realize that people other than their friends and peers they want to impress can see the posts."

"Teenagers are strange creatures, yes."

A sidelong glance from Arthur conveyed quite a bit even before Arthur informed him that if he were to discover Eames was talking about their sex life on any form of social media, or even just bragging to friends, he would not be pleased.

What went unsaid, but Eames heard loud and clear, was that he could expect his punishment to result in a need for medical attention.

"Understood." Eames threw in a salute for emphasis, since crossing his heart struck him as too childish at the moment.

"Good."

That settled they continued to drive in companionable silence for a couple of minutes before the end was in sight so to speak, which prompted Eames to ask why, if Arthur thought that teens were stupid to use this make out point, they were driving there. He'd never been, but he'd heard enough descriptions to know that there wasn't much in the way of scenery. The spot's appeal was the trees that encircled the small glade and the fact that the bugs weren't too bad even at the height of summer heat.

"Four reasons."

"Four? Now that's killing a lot of birds with one stone. Though I've never liked that saying so much because really, who wants to kill birds? Birds are lovely creatures generally, unless they're shitting on you or trying to steal your food. Of course hitting any animal with a rock is wrong but –nevermind. Rambling. What are the four reasons?"

"One, it's what normal teenagers do, which you are. Two, I enjoy making out with you, and would like to do that now. Three would be the fact that I am curious about how one would successfully make out in a vehicle of this size, and finally…it's in the middle of the afternoon. I doubt most of the teenagers we attend school with have the sense to realize the place would be deserted at this time and the cops aren't likely to drop by."

Eames grinned. "Have I told you how sexy it is, how brilliant you are, Darling?"

"You can show your appreciate in a minute."

Liking the sound of that, a lot, Eames smiled wide and leaned back in his seat, appreciating the fact that Arthur chose to pull up under a tree that would provide them plenty of shade from the glaring sun above them. And it really was a lovely enough spot, now that he was seeing it, and all theirs which made it that much better.

Turning off the engine Arthur left his key in the ignition as he reached down to undo his seatbelt. "You're going to want to take yours off too and lower your chair."

Happy to comply Eames undid his seatbelt as well, and then lowered his chair as far as it would go. He'd have rather been the one on top for once, it was always Arthur thanks to his back needing the support, but his need to know what it felt like to have Arthur pinned under him was definitely more motivation to get better, Eames thought with a wicked grin. Not that he needed any more reasons at this point.

Still, there was much to appreciate as Arthur carefully maneuvered over to his side of the car, Eames grabbing him by the hips so that he could steady him if need be.

"This actually isn't that bad." Arthur noted as he shifted around a little to get more comfortable once he was straddling Eames's hips. "Logistically it would be better if you were a little smaller, but I enjoy your current bulk personally."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

And on that note Arthur leaned in to slate their lips together, Eames shifting up as best he could to meet him halfway.

)

It was surprisingly natural, Eames discovered, to make out in a car. Not that it wasn't a little cramped and crowded, it was, but there was something to be said for it as well. It downsized their world to this little space, with the sun's rays dappling over them through the leaves above them, and his rolled down window letting in a hint of breeze made of the smells of summer. Above and beyond that was Arthur and more Arthur, which Eames absolutely could not get enough of. And having him wasn't easy considering that they were both fully clothed and neither wanted to stop snogging the other long enough to remedy that fact. It helped though, that after some failed attempts to get more heated failed, both teenagers settled on just easy, long kisses that went on for minutes that felt like hours, the only real touching Eames's hands under Arthur's shirt, fingers splaying out to stroke over sun warmed skin. And when he wanted more skin Eames just broke off the kissing long enough to ask Arthur to shift up a little, the kisses he placed along the other teenager's neck and under Arthur's oh so firm jaw just as sweet and gentle as the other kisses they'd been exchanging.

"That feels really good." Arthur murmured, sounding utterly relaxed and blissed out at the moment. An unusual tone for him to say the least, and one Eames wanted to hear over and over again.

"That would be the point, Darling."

"And I like that you call me Darling. I thought it would get incredibly annoying quickly, but I actually like it."

Nuzzling his face against his darling's neck, God he loved the way Arthur smelled so classy and sexy all the time, Eames settled for making a happy sound since he was very happy at the moment, and words seemed like a waste to him when he could be tasting all of Arthur's lovely, soft skin instead. From the happy sounds Arthur was making in return, Eames figured his boyfriend agreed with him.

"Keep stroking my back like this and I'll fall asleep. I didn't get enough sleep last night."

"Why not? Your Dad give you a hard time? You said you hardly spoke at all." The thought that that might be the case had Eames stop what he was doing, using his hands to draw Arthur's head into a position where he could see his boyfriend's face. To him Arthur looked well pleased, but that could just be a distraction since that look just made him want to stroke and pet his sexy as hell boyfriend that much more.

Shrugging, Arthur's lazy expression was reassuring. "No. I just don't like having him around. He throws everything out of whack, and then leaves and does it all over again. Plus I had to get up really early to make breakfast so that he wouldn't. He's even worse than I am in the kitchen, but he tries to be perfect dad for James and Phillipa when he's around."

"Why doesn't he try for you?"

Arthur gave him an unimpressed look. "You really want to talk about my dad when we could be making out instead?"

"Honestly, no. But I'm a very curious person and I don't get it. You're gorgeous and brilliant, you aren't into drugs, alcohol, or have any other vices that parents freak out over. Is it just a personality difference thing?"

Sighing, Arthur tugged away Eames's fingers and then shifted down so that he could lay his head on Eames's shoulder. It was not the most comfortable position to be in, but Arthur showed no discomfort as he just rested there for several moments before speaking.

"It's that, the fact that we never bonded, and maman's death. I warned him it could happen but he didn't believe me. It happened…and I'm a reminder of that. That if he'd listened to me maybe things could have been different. Probably not, because she wouldn't listen either, but in the blame game my father knows some of the weight falls on his shoulders and he can't handle that so he shifts the blame whenever possible."

Long silence, Eames's hands continuing to stroke up and down Arthur's back since he didn't know what else to do or say to that. He didn't know what had happened to Arthur's mum after all, and it was obviously a delicate subject or people would know what had happened to the woman instead of speculating like mad about it behind Arthur's back.

"You aren't going to ask what happened to Maman? It was a thing when we came to town, people trying to slyly suss out what happened from me or the kids. James just shuts down when people try to talk to him about it, and Phillipa and I go with the standard she died after a long illness, which is the truth, to an extent."

"I hope you'll tell me when you're ready."

Making a small, slightly amused sound, Arthur's tone was wry as he pointed out that was a rather tired line.

"True. Sorry. I just…don't want to fuck it up by saying the wrong thing. And did anyway." Eames tacked on, his tone self-deprecating.

"It's okay. I know you don't have a vicious bond in your body. It's sweet, really."

"Okay, I get that my comment was stupid, but insulting me by calling me sweet is not going to earn you any kisses."

An actual laugh. "I think I could talk you into it."

"I am horribly easy when it comes to you, yes." Eames agreed with a smile, relieved that Arthur wasn't mad at him. "But I can be vicious, just so we're bloody well clear. I just have to have decent motivation to be."

"My mistake."

Lapsing into quiet silence again, it was easier, Eames continued to stroke Arthur's back, almost forgetting what they'd been talking about as he started to get a little sleepy himself, the warmth of Arthur's body and the contentment of the moment lulling him into closing his eyes.

"I'll tell you what happened to her when I drop you off back at your place. I don't want to ruin this."

Surprised, but pleased, Eames agreed with that one hundred percent. And they should nap now, since they were both in the mood anyway. Did that sound good?

"Sounds good." Arthur agreed.

)

Arthur figured that they were both going to be sore, Eames in particular, but the whole idea to take a little nap wasn't a decision he thought he'd regret any time soon, especially since he rather liked waking up with Eames. Even if the beeping sound his cell had made to signal the time did kill the mood a little. Getting back into the driver's seat wasn't all that fun either, but Arthur managed it well enough and then turned to make sure Eames was okay. He'd worried about sleeping on top of him, but Eames had talked him into it.

"I'm fine, Darling, no need to look worried." The way Eames shifted around and obviously tried to hide some wincing said otherwise, but Arthur didn't argue with him since there wasn't much point.

"Just checking. Ready to go?"

"If we must."

Since he needed a bit of time to think Arthur told Eames that he could pick a radio station for the ride back. Thankfully what came out of his car's speakers moments later was old school rock and roll and not rap crap, Arthur smiling a little in gratitude. Not his type of music normally, but it didn't make him want to bash his head against a solid surface which was always appreciated.

He didn't like talking about his maman. Hell, he hadn't liked talking about her when she was alive. Most people had seen only what she'd wanted them to see, which was why people he'd described her to had usually assumed he was being an assehole teenager and just didn't appreciate how amazing his mother was after meeting her. Eames had never known maman, would never know maman, so really, not wanting to explain to the other teenager how she'd died was probably more habit than real discomfort on his part. It would be fine, Arthur decided. Well, except for Eames's reaction. The man was very close to this own mother after all.

They were almost in town when Eames's cell went off, Eames pulling it out to read the text message he'd just been sent while Arthur started to slow down a little to comply with the speed limit.

"Bloody hell."

"Bad news?"

"Not necessarily. My dad's come to town, surprise visit. Guess it's a week for fathers visiting."

Arthur knew little about Eames's father that he considered concrete fact, though there was plenty of gossip about the man and Eames's mother. He knew that the two weren't divorced, but had seen each other rarely over the past few years which generally didn't bode well for a marriage. Not that Arthur considered himself an expert on such things, but unless a world war was going on he didn't see a reason why the man in question wasn't around more often.

"So you're wanted home ASAP, I'm guessing."

"Yeah. Mum's not done her shift yet and he and Mimi have issues."

Lips twitching at Eames's tone of voice, Arthur inclined his head as he headed down the town's main street. "All right then. I guess our own heart to heart will have to wait as it were. Not the sort of thing to discuss right before I meet your father. Unless you want to wait on that."

"I'd be pleased to introduce you to my dad."

"I'll try to make a good impression."

After sharing a smile the two lapsed into shared silence, about two blocks away from Eames's street when the music suddenly went from normal to little more than background music. Glancing down in surprise for a moment Arthur then turned his gaze in Eames's direction, surprised at how thoughtful and solemn the teen's expression was.

"Darling…if I'm stepping out of bounds, say so, but…was your mum addicted to something, or mentally ill?"

Surprised, Arthur broke one of his regular rules and looked over in Eames's direction longer than he should have given that he was driving in town where plenty of unsupervised kids, pets, and town idiots could decide to suddenly bolt into traffic because they didn't have the sense God gave other sensible creatures. "Why would you guess that?"

"If it was a regular disease you'd have just said so, and you wouldn't be squeamish either. Add in long term illness, with a high chance of people not seeing it…I'm an army brat. I've seen plenty of blokes who tried to block what they'd seen and done with stuff, or suffer mentally for it."

Impressed by the teenager's reasoning, most people either didn't have the nerve to ask those sorts of questions or thought of them period, Arthur inclined his head before turning his attention back to the road before answering.

"She was mentally ill. An exact diagnosis isn't something I can give you, I wasn't around her enough and she was never tested as far as I know. Depression, for sure…she lost touch with reality. She jumped out of a hotel room window on their wedding anniversary."

Reaching over Eames set a hand on Arthur's thigh. "That would be horrible, for all of you. I'm sorry that happened."

"Like I said, I wasn't around her much. I didn't really suffer a loss because I never had her to begin with. James and Phillipa had that connection, my father obviously, but for myself, I mostly feel bad for them. So being motherless is something you don't have to worry about me crying on your shoulder about."

"Because you're very much the stuff upper lip type. You and my dad will get along fabulously."

Arthur thought about asking if that meant Eames's lips hadn't come from his father's side of the family like he supposed, but he recognized the would be crack as a defense technique and instead stated that he hoped he would get along with Eames's dad. Especially since they already had his own father to deal with.

"Yeah…if your dad were to say bad things about me in front of my dad things would not end well."

"My dad would be lousy in a fight. But I'd pay to see it."

Leaning over Eames placed a kiss against Arthur's throat, which Arthur really liked. And was probably Eames's way of making it clear that he knew Arthur wanted the subject changed and was letting him. At least for the time being.

And that being the case Arthur gave Eames a short but heated kiss of thanks once they'd pulled into the driveway behind the rental car both assumed belonged to Eames's dad currently.