Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations the characters find themselves in. Thanks so much for continuing to read and giving me feedback on my work. It's muchly appreciated and I do read every review you send me!
A Total Cliche
It was undeniably a total cliché. A very old cliché on top of that, but a classic for a reason. Which was why Eames didn't even care that he was in his wheelchair at the moment as he sat across from his dream guy as they shared a banana split. Complete with swirls of whipped cream and three cherries on top of them like he and Arthur were starring in some nineteen fifties rom com. Though maybe not seeing as they were both guys and guys like them weren't allowed to openly go on romantic, extremely cliché and cheesy dates back then. Not on film or in reality. And even if it had been allowed...well he might have used one of the cherries to demonstrate the fact that he could do the trick where you tied the stem into a knot with your tongue. That would probably have been just as frowned upon back in the days of black and white. Not that Eames cared.
He also neatly sidestepped the question of just how long it had taken him to master that technique and how many YouTube videos he'd had to watch to learn it. That wasn't important after all.
Arthur, being Arthur, had been more amused than impressed by the trick. But Eames's boyfriend had still agreed to let Eames further demonstrate the maneuverability of his tongue later, which was promising. Also cause to eat more ice cream to cool himself down more.
They were about halfway through their dessert when Eames heard his name being called in a tone that immediately had him wincing in anticipation of what was to come. He also recognized Yusuf's voice even before he turned his head to look in his friend's direction and Eames forced himself not to react to the interruption of his and Arthur's date. Yusuf was depressed enough these days without Eames making him feel unwanted. Even if he was.
But there way he was letting that show, especially since Arthur would no doubt make it clear Yusuf was unwanted very shortly.
"Thought that was you. Cobb." Yusuf's nod in Arthur's direction couldn't have looked stiffer or more uncomfortable f if Yusuf had tried. "Eames, do you have a minute?"
"Sure. Pull up a seat." It had to be important if Yusuf was willing to suffer Arthur's presence. Unless he wanted to steal some of their split-which so was not happening.
"Thanks."
Taking the plastic chair that Arthur had set off to the side so that Eames could sit across from him Yusuf plunked himself down and then began to fidget as he asked Eames how he was doing. Naturally Eames had kept both Ari and Yusuf abreast of his relationship with Arthur-Ari had been thrilled while Yusuf had gone into a rant about just why the hell did everyone want to date someone like Arthur-but at least Yusuf wasn't glaring at Arthur and didn't care that Eames was gay and dating him. Or at least not enough to pick a fight with Eames about it since he'd already lost Ari and Eames was now his only close friend. At least outside of the digital world Yusuf loved so much.
"I'm in this bloody chair and I just left physio, Mate. How do you think I am? Just spill whatever it is you want to ask already. Though if it's about how to go about winning Ariadne back we've already had this discussion a million times, remember?"
"But none of your suggestions worked! And girls like you so much more than me." Yusuf loudly protested before mumbling something under his breath about how that was so unfair given that Eames didn't even like girls that way in the first place.
Wisely Eames ignored the muttering, focusing on the big issue so to speak. "You tried everything I suggested? Even the expensive chocolates and groveling? You did grovel a lot like I told you, right?"
Yusuf's 'Yes.' wasn't terribly convincing.
"You shouldn't encourage him." Arthur stated, joining the conversation. He even pointed with his banana and ice cream laden spoon for emphasis. "Just go back to harassing actresses who play characters you like on TV like other geeks."
Ouch. Eames couldn't help but wince over that one. Especially since it wasn't completely wrong. Yusuf had been pretty obsessed with Billie Piper from 'Doctor Who' in his younger years. And that obsession had only gotten worse when Yusuf had discovered clips of the actress playing a call girl in a BBC show. His friend's room had all but become a shrine to Piper before Yusuf had realized that he had a chance with an actual girl. And that girls wouldn't want to enter rooms that could double as shrines.
Maybe Arthur had a point about Ariadne being too good for Yusuf.
Yusuf shot Arthur an extremely dirty look. "I didn't ask for your opinion. You don't know anything about Ari and me."
"Actually, as her friend I do. You were lucky she even looked your way in the first place. Now that she's seen the light I very much doubt she'll take you back. Particularly when being unattached means she'll be able to start the next phase of her life unencumbered by you."
Yusuf glared that much more in Arthur direction. And naturally that didn't faze Arthur in the slightest.
"You think you're so smart just because you skipped a few grades and can speak French."
"I would say that those skipped grades and the fact that I can speak multiple language does indicate I have above average intelligence, yes. But the fact that you fail to grasp that-well your level of intelligence has never been in question for me."
"Oi! Play nice, you two!"
"Why are you dating this ass?"
"Because he's gorgeous, brilliant, and can speak multiple language?" Eames offered up with a grin. He could have gone on...but that would just drive Yusuf that much closer to insanity. Not to mention Arthur's ego was big enough already.
The look Yusuf shot him made it clear what his opinion of that was. Arthur's expression was the complete opposite as he smiled in very feline-esque satisfaction at Eames. That look definitely boded well for Eames later on. Happy dance.
Well...happy butt wiggle was the best he could manage currently.
"Oh yeah? Well if you're so smart, Cobb, then you tell me what I'd have to do to get Ari back."
"Injure or disfigure yourself to the point where she agrees to date you out of pity."
)
Eames really, really wished he hadn't been chewing on a large piece of banana when Arthur said that. The hunk of fruit immediately went down the wrong way so that he started choking on it, Eames making a fist and smacking it against his chest as he tried to work it loose so that that things didn't get any worse. He only wanted Arthur locking lips with him for fun reasons. Not for CPR.
Proving that they were good mates both Yusuf and Arthur sprang up and out of their chairs in reaction to his predicament immediately. Yusuf took one side while Arthur took the other, both placing comforting hands on his shoulders.
"Don't smack him on the back!" Arthur ordered.
"I've taken First Aid, thank you very much. I know that!"
The banana having worked its way down of its own accord-Thank God-Eames wheezed out that neither of them needed to put him in the choking position, thank you very much.
"Are you sure?" Arthur crouch down to get a closer look, his eyes searching Eames's. "Your breathing does sound better."
Eames gave him a thumbs up. "I'm good."
And so very, very glad that no one had noticed what was happening and rushed over too.
Yusuf, meanwhile, pointed a threatening finger in Arthur's direction. "You almost killed him!"
"Oi! Shut it. He did not. You're both being arses to each other and I'd kindly ask you to stop. And no giving Yusuf advice unless its good, useful advice, Arthur. The man's been through enough this summer."
Arthur looked at Yusuf-and Eames could just see the cutting comments all but forming on his boyfriend's sharp tongue.
"On second thought-no advice. Let peace reign throughout the land. Or at least until we're done eating."
It was a warm day and their ice cream needed to be eaten before it melted.
Looking very bitter Yusuf marched back over to his seat and dropped into his chair with a loud thud. Then sprawling there like the pouting teenager he was Yusuf pointed a threatening finger in Eames's direction. "See what I have to say when he dumps you and leaves you a heartbroken wreck of a man like me. There will be no sympathy and a hell of a lot of 'I told you sos', FYI."
"Something to look forward to."
"Why do you presume I'll leave him a heartbroken wreck?" Arthur wanted to know. "We've only just started dating as you'll recall."
"Recall AND been traumatized by, thank you very much."
"Oh please. Straight sex is just as messy and ungainly as gay sex."
Yusuf was very loud as he ordered Arthur not to put those thoughts in his head, dammit!
"You started it."
"I did not! We were talking about how once you're done high school here you'll go off and have a whole university's worth of men to choose from. You probably only want Eames because he's the only male interested you and your harem-"
"My what?"
"All the girls in school who think you're so great because you've been to Europe and dress like a goddamn model!"
Arthur looked over at Eames questioningly. "Do I have a fan club I don't know about?"
"Not that I know about." And if there was an Arthur fan club Eames was sure as hell joining it. And making it clear to the others that while he understood their love and fascination...Arthur was HIS.
And while thinking about the hypothetical fan club was the more appealing thought-Eames found himself thinking about the fact that school was starting up again very soon and then after that term both of them would be done with high school forever, ideally speaking. And then Arthur would be free to go off to another school that Eames most likely didn't have the intelligence to apply for, much less be accepted into. Though hang on...
"What Are your plans once you're done here? I mean you said your dad only condemned you to doing two terms. Then what?"
That was how Arthur had described it whenever he commented on his time in an American high school. As condemned.
"Go part time to the best university within driving distance from here while also continuing to do courses online with Oxford. Not ideal, but I'm not uprooting Phil and James by asking them to move so that I can be closer to a university that will actually challenge me academically."
It was all Eames could do not to punch a fist in the air to express his joy. He was probably grinning like a complete prat as it was. But that didn't matter because Arthur would be staying in town and Eames was stuck going to the closest community college because of his injuries. Whether he liked it or not he had to stay home until he was well enough to live on his own, which wouldn't be a while yet. That would give him time to build a real relationship with Arthur. One with more basis than a few months.
"Someone's happy." Yusuf commented sourly.
"Ah...sorry?" Eames figured Arthur wouldn't be as thrilled about having to settle for a possibly less than third rate university in Arthur's opinion.
"It's fine." Arthur's lips quirked in restrained amusement. "The fact that we won't have to jump immediately into a long-distance relationship is a nice silver lining."
"Yeah. You have to appreciate a good silver lining."
Reaching out Eames held his hand out to Arthur across the table, his smile no doubt turning sappy as hell when Arthur took it. And squeezed his hand back.
"Yeah. I'm going. Later, Eames."
Eames didn't even look at Yusuf as he said goodbye to his friend.
Arthur wiggled his free fingers in Yusuf's direction too, which was good enough.
)
Not the least perturbed by the fact that the cretin Eames insisted on being friends with hadn't said goodbye to him or acknowledged that he'd at least waved Arthur turned his attention back to the fact that he was currently engaged in a date of epic clichés. banana splits and hand holding. While possibly looking at each other goofily, though Arthur couldn't imagine his face ever making an expression similar to the one Eames was currently sporting. But it was entirely possible that his dimples were at least out. It felt like they should be, anyway.
"He's really not so bad once you get to know him."
"I highly doubt that. But since he won't be at school with us I'm fine with you having a long distance friendship with him."
Well that wiped the silly grin right off Eames's face. Damn.
"I'll try to be nicer to him." That was really the best that Arthur could offer. Yusuf had hurt Ariadne and scared the hell out of James. Not to mention the whole killing the gnome thing, which James was still not over.
"I just...most of my friends from school-I haven't talked to them much. And when we do talk it's about other stuff. They don't talk about the universities and colleges they're going to because I was supposed to be going away like all of them and I'm not. I had football scholarships and plans and...fuck. Now I'm going back to high school and all the seniors will be younger and..."
"It sucks beyond words?"
"Never known you to be at a loss for words, Arthur." Eames' attempt at a smirk was weak at best.
"Are you worried you'll be picked on or ostracized for being gay?" Because that was where Arthur's thoughts had been going since he'd agreed to date Eames in the first place. And at this point there was no taking it back if Eames regretted his choice.
Eames snorted. "I'm in a fucking wheelchair. As much as I hate the bloody thing I'm pretty sure most will hesitate to start something with me because of it."
Arthur hadn't thought of that and he should have. Being Eames's boyfriend was affecting his brain in a number of unforeseen ways.
"That is an excellent point."
"Yeah. Plus former athlete, the accident...I'm more worried about you."
That was maybe sixty percent true. Low sixties at best. Eames' former popularity and notoriety due to the accident would help him navigate the politics and dramas of high school to some degree-but Eames wasn't a fool. He had to know that their so called peers would have plenty to say behind Eames's back.
And Eames would know it.
"I'll be fine. I really don't care what any of them think." And that was the total truth. So long as no one messed with James and Phil because of his sexuality Arthur honestly didn't give a fuck. There were some families in this town whose combined IQs were probably lower than Arthur's.
Eames gave him a knowing look. "You just thought something really mean, didn't you?"
"What makes you think that?"
"I know you."
Apparently he did. Or was starting to learn Arthur's tells. Interesting.
Rather than acknowledge his 'mean' thoughts Arthur figured he might as well confront the elephant in the room, so to speak.
"I know that unlike me you'll actually care what they say about you behind your back. And occasionally to your face. Since you're too nice to put them in their place just point them out to me. I'll take care of them."
"Like my knight in shining armor? Though given that your name is Arthur..."
Since the idea of being bombarded with King Arthur jokes did not appeal to him in the slightest Arthur opted to change the subject in a way that would wipe all thoughts of those jokes from Eames's mind.
"And you're my noble steed?"
Oh, yeah, that line hit. Hard from the way Eames's pupils dilated.
"You lookin to ride me, Darling?"
Leaning forward on his elbows Arthur couldn't help but grin. "That depends. What kind of ride do you give?"
Eames leered-then the gleam in his beautiful eyes faded a little.
It didn't take a genius to figure out why-while also making Arthur feel like an idiot for bringing it up in the first place. Maybe he had a new kind of brain freeze.
"Not much of a ride in this chair."
"I don't mind doing most of the work."
"You'd have to."
Reaching out to take Eames hand in his again-it had made Eames really happy before-Arthur gave it another squeeze. "You do know I'm not with you because you're the only out gay male in this town, right? You were in a wheelchair when I agreed to date you and I did plenty of research in that regard beforehand."
"Research?"
"Of course." That was just common sense. Arthur had never dated or spent much time with anyone confined to a wheelchair before. He'd wanted to be prepared. And not cause his boyfriend further spinal damage in a sex related incident. He'd strongly wanted to avoid that.
Eames's face wasn't happy...but it was possibly at least a little amused?
"If both our homes weren't currently being occupied by parental figures-you do remember we didn't have any problems on the couch, right?" Stupid father interrupting them.
"Hard to forget."
"Pun intended?" Eames did like puns. And have a childlike sense of humor at times.
Case in point Eames was laughing now, the large grin making Arthur feel better too.