Amuse-Bouche by bauble (NC-17)

[laceymcbain.livejournal.com]

Fandom: INCEPTION
Pairing: Arthur/Eames; Arthur/OMC
Length: 60,000 words
Author on LJ: bauble
Author Website: Master Fic list on LJ
Why this must be read: Big Bang stories are amazing beasts. They're long and epic and can take us worlds away from the canon we know while still maintaining the essence of the characters we love. Here, Arthur's life-saving (or at least disaster-averting) skills make an impression on international pop star, Eames - so much so that Arthur ends up being wooed away from his current job to act as Eames' bodyguard while on tour.

This Arthur is quirkily charming with a love of cooking, a failure to understand social media, and no appreciation of music, making him a strange choice for a singer's bodyguard. And Eames here is outgoing with the confidence of a star, but oddly vulnerable at the same time, which is such a hard combination to pull off as a writer. Yet, bauble does it beautifully.

There is a lovely build of the Arthur/Eames friendship/relationship in this story, and it feels realistic in many ways. Things aren't perfect. Arthur's trying to make a relationship with someone else work because he knows better than to date his clients (well, he mostly knows better). Arthur and Eames have misunderstandings and make mistakes. The humour in this story is slightly off-beat and it makes a nice counterpoint to the fact it isn't a smooth road for the characters.

I'm definitely an OTP girl, so I sometimes shy away from stories that have the characters with someone else. However, it's a storyline that's relevant, well-handled, and I think it makes the somewhat surreal pop-star world that Eames lives in seem a little more connected to the real world. Give this one a chance, and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.


When Eames finally turns around to look over his shoulder, he freezes. A quiet falls over the field and suddenly the hissing is obvious, punctuated by a loud creak as the top half of the balloon begins to topple forward. The event coordinator grabs Eames' arm and tries to pull him out of his stupor, but he remains frozen in place, body stiff and unmoving. The coordinator gives a few more valiant tugs, but eventually abandons Eames in favor of running away and saving herself.

"Oh, for the love of—" Arthur breaks into a sprint, makes his way past the reporters to the stage, putting both hands underneath Eames' armpits and hauling him bodily out of his chair. Eames stumbles but finally breaks out of his trance, and Arthur wraps an arm around his waist to half-drag, half-run him out of the falling balloon's trajectory.

They make it a safe distance away before Eames trips and falls into Arthur, knocking them both down to the ground like dominos. As they lie there panting and watching the radish [balloon] tumble the rest of the way down onto the table, Eames turns to Arthur and says, "I do believe you just saved my life."

Arthur tips his head back onto the grass and wonders if he can forward the dry-cleaning bill for a grass-stained Armani suit to an international pop star. "You're welcome."

Masterpost for the story on LJ: Amuse-Bouche, including links to codas, and bonus materials such as art, soundtrack, etc.

If you enjoy the story, remember to feedback the author!