In Between the Day and the Night, by parka_girl (PG)

[bookshop.livejournal.com]

Fandom: INCEPTION
Title: In Between The Day And The Night - PG
Pairing: Yusuf/Robert Fischer
Length: 3,780
Author on LJ: parka_girl
Author Website: tags on author's fic journal
Why this must be read: This is Yusuf/Robert, and it's fantastic: two woefully underused characters written with nuance and care. It's a post-canon fic wherein Yusuf treats Robert's post-incepted insomnia, while dealing with his own issues of guilt. Written haltingly, in fragments, this fic could be a fever-dream itself. Yusuf is more compassionate and deeply moralistic here than he's usually written, and his struggle with guilt is compelling, as is Fischer's genuine innocence. Plus: we finally get to meet Yusuf's cat! :D

He looks at Fischer, so out of place in this city. He looks lost and almost scared. Yusuf wants to apologize, because he knows without any doubts that this is his fault. The drug, the job. Without them, Fischer would sleep at night without any help.

"Which of these worked the best?" He holds up on the bottles.

Fischer shrugs. "They all worked, for a time."

There's something Fischer's not telling him, something Yusuf can't quite identify. He studies Fischer's face, trying to figure out what it is, but to no avail. He turns away, glancing at the vials behind him. He knows what he should do, but he's not sure his drugs are the answer. He turns again.

"Come back tomorrow, I'll have something for you." He finally says.

Fischer nods, reaching down once more to scratch the cat's head before turning to leave. He stops and glances at the pile of pill bottles on the counter. He catches Yusuf's gaze and gives a slight shake of his head, and then he leaves.

Night falls and he still hasn't started on the drug for Fischer. There's a part of him that doesn't think he should be doing this at all. But there's an even bigger part of him who thinks he has to do this, he needs to make up for the mistakes he made. That the team made. He was greedy, too greedy and now he's saddled with a guilt he hasn't felt since he accidentally crashed his father's car when he was 16. And compared to the guilt he has now, that was like a walk at the beach.

Eventually he decides what to do. He and the cat slink upstairs to his flat above the store. He stares at the alarm clock on the night stand and then he's asleep. The dream comes back, he's running and running and this time he reaches the screamer. Just before he wakes, he realizes that it's Robert Fischer.

In Between The Day And The Night