Disclaimer: Inception does not belong to me. Apologies for the hiatus with this fic!
Cobb looked at the Point, aghast. "Trent, what did you-"
"Doesn't matter," the taciturn man stated, cutting the Extractor off. "We need to go." Turning, he began to walk confidently down the corridor, the other members of the team following him.
Arthur limped along. He felt weak, and cursed his lack of strength. Ariadne noticed, and grabbed his arm. "Come on," she said, encouragingly. He nodded, and they continued.
Trent was remarkably calm. He was, Cobb surmised, completely unafraid of using the gun on anyone. Several nurses had tried to approach, but shrunk back when they'd seen the weapon. As he led them outside, he began giving directions.
"One car." He nodded. "Everyone in. I'll drive."
The rest of the team didn't argue. Cobb sat in the passenger seat, whilst the Forger seated himself next to Arthur in the back seat, Ariadne on the other side. Trent turned.
"Arthur. Lower your head," he ordered. Facing the front, he turned the key in the ignition, and began to accelerate.
Ariadne looked at Arthur. He was lying in the bed of the hotel, his face pale. His eyes were closed. She realised, with a pang of chagrin, that the events must have exhausted him. She began to get up, pausing to pull the covers back over him.
She looked round the room. It was a standard, anonymous hotel, that Trent must have booked. He'd insisted whilst he drove that they couldn't return to the apartment, and had already taken precautions. She smoothed her hand over the cover. Leaning over, she kissed Arthur on the forehead.
To her surprise, he took her hand and intertwined his fingers. "Don't go." His voice was slightly hoarse.
Swallowing, the Architect nodded. "I'll stay if you want me to."
"Get into bed with me. Please."
Ariadne did not hesitate. Kicking off her shoes, she got under the covers, and found herself immediately curling her arms around him. She bit her lip. Arthur felt thin, and feather light.
"Thank you," he whispered. She stroked the back of his neck, and on impulse, leaned forward and kissed it.
"Ari..."
"Yes?"
"When did you-" she heard his voice become uncertain - "when did you first think you were attracted to me?"
She swallowed. "I think it was when I first met you." Suddenly, she felt awkward, childish. His hand moved over hers, and squeezed it.
"Really?" he whispered.
"Yes." She pulled him closer. "Don't you remember? I'd just met Cobb, and he'd brought me back to the Warehouse. One minute, I'm sitting there talking to him in a cafe, the next minute, I have glass flying into my face." She pulled him tight. "You were so calm."
He nodded. "And then?"
"Well, the second time I went under, I had Mal coming at me with a knife." She blinked, remembering the intense feeling of fear that had gripped her as the elegant woman had approached. "But you-" She felt him stiffen - "you told me that I was OK, it was ok. And you were just there."
He clutched her fingers. "I know," he whispered.
She felt emboldened. "So...when were you first attracted to me?"
He rolled over, and the two were lying together, face to face. "It was when we were doing the Fischer job." He reached out, and began to stroke her cheek. "You don't think that kiss was just for show, do you?"
She blushed. "Well, I-"
"I liked you. I didn't think you'd want me." He sighed. "I looked in the mirror, and thought...who would want this?"
The Architect pulled him closer. "I do."
"Ari." He looked at her, their eyes locking. "This is such a mess. All of it. I have this illness...and it controls me. And now we have someone who wants to use it to control me further." He swallowed. "If Fischer finds us - finds me - he'll use me. "
"Tell me," she whispered. "When did you first start-" she swallowed, trying to get her tongue around the words - "bingeing?"
He swallowed. "I was 15." He looked at her. "Its part of my life." She pulled closer, and he opened his arms. Her head rested onto his chest.
"Ari." She lifted her head slightly, startled. "I'm in a relationship with something that isn't even human. That's the best way I can put this."
"Its a competition," she whispered back. "But Arthur...I'm going to win."
He nodded, and she noticed his eyes were closing. Kissing him on the cheek, she allowed herself to be pulled deeper into his arms.
"Ari." His voice was faint. "Please, don't give up on me."
She pulled closer to him. "Arthur, I've seen you try and face up to yourself. I'm not going to." Closing her eyes, the two of them began to fall into sleep.
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