Eames looks down at Arthur's face, pressed so suddenly and awkwardly near his, and his expression is blank. Ariadne swallows, and it hurts, because Eames is schooling his emotions more tightly than she's ever seen him, and this has to be painful for him, to have Arthur so close and so far away.
Except, Bastian's voice is deeper than it has been when he says, "Eames," and then again, "Eames?" and Ariadne's heart is in her mouth, it's the only way she can describe it, because it's Arthur, oh, somehow, it's Arthur, and he's come back to them and they can stop this farce. And Eames has realized too, because his eyebrows are furrowed, and his face had been entirely blank.
Eames' eyes are scraping Arthur's face like he's been missing - not just his personality, but his whole body gone too. Eames is looking at Arthur like he hasn't seen him for a week, even though his face has been right there the whole time. Arthur - because it is Arthur, it is - makes that sound again in the back of his throat, the one he made when he was saying that Cobb didn't know what Arthur was giving up, and Ariadne knows what it means now, because it was Eames Arthur was giving up, is giving up, and Ariadne glances up to see if Cobb has realized.
Cobb turns around a moment later to see why they're not following him, and his eyes flicker to Arthur and Eames, and over to Ariadne, then back to Arthur and Eames for a moment. Arthur and Eames are almost frozen; Eames' hands tight on Arthur's elbows, their eyes locked on each other.
The trees around them that had been rustling gently in the wind start to quieten; a silence settles on the whole, frozen tableau as Bastian's subconscious can't populate the dream any more. His imagination is busy with something else.
Someone else.
Ariadne looks over to see Cobb, to gauge his reaction, and she catches the moment he realizes what's going on, the instant he finally, finally understands.
Ariadne doesn't know what to say. "Arthur" might be what she wants to say, using his name like Mal devised, like a totem. She wants to use his name to bring him back permanently, but Arthur stepped through that door despite his feelings for Eames, despite not wanting to die, because Arthur wanted to save Amelia like Mal saved him, and Ariadne doesn't have the right to decide for him.
Cobb takes a breath, and Ariadne fights the urge to stop him, to shout out, because whatever name he chooses to say probably will decide the whole way forward. Ariadne imagines for a moment telling Amelia's parents that they're sorry, they can't help; she's much more relieved at the concept than she should be.
When he speaks, Cobb doesn't say a name. His eyes linger on the weird, half-accidental embrace between Arthur and Eames, and his voice is soft when he says, "How long?"
"Years," Arthur breathes, without tearing his gaze from Eames, and Eames, Eames who's never without a word to say, stays silent and trembles a little. Eames' mouth compresses into a line, like it's a fight to keep his emotion in check now. "Years and years."
THIS WHOLE FIC REALLY (only mostly this bit...)
Except, Bastian's voice is deeper than it has been when he says, "Eames," and then again, "Eames?" and Ariadne's heart is in her mouth, it's the only way she can describe it, because it's Arthur, oh, somehow, it's Arthur, and he's come back to them and they can stop this farce. And Eames has realized too, because his eyebrows are furrowed, and his face had been entirely blank.
Eames' eyes are scraping Arthur's face like he's been missing - not just his personality, but his whole body gone too. Eames is looking at Arthur like he hasn't seen him for a week, even though his face has been right there the whole time. Arthur - because it is Arthur, it is - makes that sound again in the back of his throat, the one he made when he was saying that Cobb didn't know what Arthur was giving up, and Ariadne knows what it means now, because it was Eames Arthur was giving up, is giving up, and Ariadne glances up to see if Cobb has realized.
Cobb turns around a moment later to see why they're not following him, and his eyes flicker to Arthur and Eames, and over to Ariadne, then back to Arthur and Eames for a moment. Arthur and Eames are almost frozen; Eames' hands tight on Arthur's elbows, their eyes locked on each other.
The trees around them that had been rustling gently in the wind start to quieten; a silence settles on the whole, frozen tableau as Bastian's subconscious can't populate the dream any more. His imagination is busy with something else.
Someone else.
Ariadne looks over to see Cobb, to gauge his reaction, and she catches the moment he realizes what's going on, the instant he finally, finally understands.
Ariadne doesn't know what to say. "Arthur" might be what she wants to say, using his name like Mal devised, like a totem. She wants to use his name to bring him back permanently, but Arthur stepped through that door despite his feelings for Eames, despite not wanting to die, because Arthur wanted to save Amelia like Mal saved him, and Ariadne doesn't have the right to decide for him.
Cobb takes a breath, and Ariadne fights the urge to stop him, to shout out, because whatever name he chooses to say probably will decide the whole way forward. Ariadne imagines for a moment telling Amelia's parents that they're sorry, they can't help; she's much more relieved at the concept than she should be.
When he speaks, Cobb doesn't say a name. His eyes linger on the weird, half-accidental embrace between Arthur and Eames, and his voice is soft when he says, "How long?"
"Years," Arthur breathes, without tearing his gaze from Eames, and Eames, Eames who's never without a word to say, stays silent and trembles a little. Eames' mouth compresses into a line, like it's a fight to keep his emotion in check now. "Years and years."
~I didn't word count, but... you know... :)