All the Stars, by scarlet_starlet

[bookshop.livejournal.com]

Fandom: INCEPTION
Title: All the Stars - R
Pairing: Arthur/Eames
Length: 8,022
Author on LJ: scarlet_starlet
Author Website: fic tag on author's journal
Why this must be read: I've said before that I find it hard to buy Arthur/Eames' military backstory, but I just love this one, where Arthur grows up as a military brat, hanging around the barracks and ogling the sexy older British sergeant, who shows up only to treat Arthur like a kid, ignore him, and--oh, yeah, steal a little something called the PASIV. This story is told years down the line, when Arthur and Eames meet again in a new context. It gives you the double pleasure of watching them fall in love and watching Arthur fall in love twice--with some gun-fucking thrown in for good measure. :D Sweet, funny, and warm.

Eames’ version goes like this:

Eames had been working with Dom and Mal for two years before Arthur shows up, all baby-faced and deathly serious and without a sense of humour at all. Arthur hits it off with all of them almost immediately, but he acts slightly strangely around Eames. And Eames, sensing his discomfort, takes full advantage and teases him mercilessly about being intimidated by him.

It takes Arthur two years to admit he likes Eames, and four years to admit he loves Eames (and that happened two weeks ago).

“Very patient,” Ariadne mumbles, and Eames leers at Arthur.

“Well, it only took me six to kiss him, so it’s all good,” he laughs, and Arthur thinks all right, enough. It’s one thing to try to cheer Ariadne up, and it’s another to be blatantly unprofessional.

“No more story time,” he says decisively. “We have work to do. Ariadne, when Dom gets back, I’ll tell him to drive you home.”


~*~*~


This is how it really happened.

All the Stars