Disclaimer: Inception does not belong to me. Nor does 50/50. Last chapter was basically filler - written to move onto this one. Sorry it wasn't that good.

Adam swallowed as he pulled open a drawer in the bedside bureau. After rummaging through, he pulled out a large black t-shirt with a faded Smiths print. He handed it to the petite young woman, who was now sitting on the bed.

"Here," he said, and then winced as he heard himself practically thrust it at her. She took it, and nodded her thanks. He hastily scooped up the faded pyjama bottoms and light grey t-shirt he was planning on wearing. 2I'll, um, get changed in the bathroom. You can change in here."

Ariadne nodded, and turned her back. He blushed and hurried to the bathroom. As he entered, he carefully locked the door, then began to peel off the layers he was wearing.

He bit his lip, and leaned forward, examining himself in the mirror. He'd never thought of himself as being fantastically good looking - he was aware he fell into the "cute" category. An ex-girlfriend had once described him as an "adorable little puppy", that had made him wince. But that was before cancer. Now, as he stood in front of the mirror, his jaw began to sag.

The weight he'd lost was more than he'd thought. His ribs, he thought with a shock, looked as if they wanted to pierce his skin. And his neck and collarbone - had it always been that hollow? And as for his arms - he held them out, and any hopes he had began to dissipate more quickly than ice in a ray of sunlight. They looked stick thin, and he noticed with a jolt, bruised from the blood test needles, and the chemo IVs. He sank down onto the lid of the toilet, and buried his face in his hands.

"I don't look like Voldemort," he said aloud, his tone anguished, "I look like a starved orphan!"

His fingers the felt the wool of the knitted cap he was wearing. With a sense of shock, he realised he'd never let Ariadne see him without it. It almost seemed too shameful - a blatant admittance of what the cancer had done. A visible sign that he was now living in a parallel universe. He felt his hand rummage over the top of it, unsure whether to leave it on, or pull it off. He choked back a sob.

"Adam?" he heard a gentle tapping on the door. "Are you ok?"

Ariadne shifted on the bed, beginning to feel concerned. She'd changed into the t-shirt, and found a light relief in the fact it fell to her knees. She settled herself on the bed, and began to wait. When more than fifteen minutes had passed, she'd grown concerned.

She paused. She felt she had two choices - to either wait, or to find out what was going on. She blushed at the thought; he was in the bathroom, after all, and it seemed a complete invasion of his privacy. But after the earlier events of the evening, she felt she couldn't just ignore it. She had to knock on the door.

What if he's fallen? Hit his head? She took a deep breath, and knocked. Then, blinked. From within she could hear what sounded like a stifled sob.

"Adam?" she kept her voice low. "Are you ok?"

She heard a choking sound, then "yes."

"Well, um, I just wondered." She swallowed, now feeling embarrassed. She'd banged on the door when he was in the bathroom, and now he must think she had no respect for him at all. She rubbed her face. Between his ex, his best friend, and now this, the poor guy must wonder if he had anyone left in his life with a shred of sanity.

"Ariadne?"

"Yes?"

"I, um, think you'd better go home. I'll call you a cab, and pay for it, ok?"

She blinked. Was he throwing her out? Her heart began to sink. "Look, I'm sorry," she said, trying to keep her voice calm. "I shouldn't have done that. But I was worried about you, and-" she stopped. She sounded so immature, she disgusted herself.

"Well, you're very sweet," his voice came floating through the door, sounding slightly hollow due to the tiled room he was sitting in. "But, I think you need to go."

"Adam, I'm sorry!" Ariadne burst out. "I was wrong! But I'm not leaving!" she said, stubbornly.

Silence.

She bit her lip, so deeply she tasted blood. Fearing she'd gone too far, she hurried back into the bedroom, and picked up her jeans. As she pulled them on, she listened, straining her ears for the sound of him unlocking the bathroom door.

Nothing.

Her eyes filling with tears of regret, she began to dress herself.

Adam rubbed the top of his head, its smoothness sending a jolt through him. He expelled his breath in a long, low gasp, and then heard something else. The sound of feet. Feet that were booted, and threatening to leave.

With a jolt, he got up, and wrenched the bathroom door open. She was fully dressed again, and in the process of picking up her backpack. As she bent down, he could see her cheeks glistening. Tears.

He swallowed. "Ariadne?"

She looked up. As their eyes met, he realised she wasn't looking at him with repulsion or disgust, but with the same calm, gentle attentiveness the first time they'd met. She spoke. "Yes, Adam?"

"I'm sorry." Tears were shining in his eyes. "But...I haven't let anyone see me like this. Not since Rachel and I broke up." He swallowed. "I use to be pretty good-looking, now I'm a bag of bones!" He choked slightly. "I can't hold you, and make you feel safe, I can't be the strong guy who protects you, I can't be any of that-"

His words were broken off as she pulled him close, and their lips met. As he wrapped his arms around her, he felt a sudden surge of happiness. And as she pulled away, something he never thought he'd see in a woman's eyes again.

Acceptance.

"Come on," Ariadne said, her voice slightly husky. "Time to go to bed."

He nodded, and taking her hand, kissed her upturned palm. She headed back into the bedroom, and sitting on the bed, began to untie her laces whilst he went back into the bathroom, to compose himself. As she leaned over, she felt something jabbing into her side. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her bishop. Putting it on the bedside table, she flicked it.

It fell with a satisfying thunk. Smiling, she continued to undress, and the slid under the covers, in the t-shirt he's pulled out for her.

"What's that?" Adam had suddenly appeared, looking at the bishop with a slightly puzzled expression.

"Oh, this?" Ariadne said, smiling. "Its a good luck charm."

He smiled, a genuine one. "Well, you got very lucky!"

She nodded, as he slid under the sheets. He opened his arms, and she cuddled against his chest. He closed his eyes, marvelling in the feel of her silk-like hair, and the gentle, loving way she held him. He exhaled softly, allowing himself to fall into sleep. If this was a dream, he didn't want it to end.

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