Disclaimer: Inception does not belong to me.
"So...how was it?"
Ariadne nodded, placing her fork down on the table. "It was good." Her voice sounded almost surprised, and Arthur scooped up the last remnant of his main course, and placed it in his mouth.
"Good. I'm glad." He swallowed, realising suddenly how utterly banal he sounded. Like a father who'd expressed concern over his daughter's eating habits.
Or, worse, like his own mother.
Arthur blinked, shocked, as the restaurant surrounding began to morph. They were no longer sitting in slightly upscale restaurant, surrounded by young couples and attractive singles; they were sitting in Arthur's parents' lounge. He turned, shifting. He was still dressed as he had been in the restaurant, and Ariadne was sitting next to him. His mother was looking at him, frowning.
"Arthur, its been too long."
"No, actually, it hasn't." He rubbed his forehead, feeling his face redden. His mother was looking at him, and walked over. He felt Ariadne shift, and suddenly, his mother grabbed his wrist, pulling him to his feet.
"Let's have a look at you!"
"Mom!" Arthur felt himself flinch, remembering in time that this was a projection, not his mother. "Mom, please!"
Ignoring him, she yanked at his shirt, causing the material to rip and the buttons to fall onto the floor. "Look at this! Arthur, you're skin and bones! Don't you take care of yourself!"
"Stop!" his voice cut through, but the projection refused to listen, beginning to pull him to the table. "You need to eat!"
"Mom!" Arthur blinked, noticing that the table was perfectly set, and also covered with food. "Mom,, please, you don't need to do this!"
"But you're so thin!" His mother insisted. "Arthur, you need to-"
"Mom-"
Before he could protest further, he found himself being shoved down into a chair. Swallowing, he felt his mother grip his face, forcing his mouth open. He nearly choked. Suddenly, he felt a hand grip his wrist.
"Arthur! Arthur, come on, please!" His mother's face was a mask of concern. "Come on, you need to eat, get some meat back on those bones!"
He began to push away, furious that the dream had twisted into this. "No, look, I can't-"
Ariadne was literally pulling him out of the chair. As he got up, he saw that the room was morphing, hazing, back into the familiar confines of his apartment. Stunned, he went to a chair, collapsing into it. She bit her lip, then, to his surprise and delight, sat down next to him.
"Arthur, are you-"
"Yes," he said, breathing shakily. "Oh, God, I'm so sorry."
"What for?"
"That was - that was not my mother. And I " he paused, blinking back tears. "And I've been so consumed with demanding I help you, I forgot that I- there are things I-"
His face quivered. Laying his head against her shoulder, he closed his eyes, tears beginning to run down his face. "The fact I-"
Suddenly, the ground began to shake. Blinking, he opened his eyes, finding Ariadne staring at him, open mouthed.
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