specifythepoint | (no subject)

[ the smile eames offers up is bright and just a hair too sharp to belong wholly to the woman whose face he's wearing. there's a hand pressed to arthur's chest, steadying himself as he leans up to murmur his answer in arthur's ear. ]

The latter. But it never hurts to be cautious, of course.

[ only james knew, after all. and desire, but desire hardly counted. ]

Of course. Let's go.

[Arthur wheels his suitcase to the car]

You could have used mine.

[ the keys jingle, a counterpoint to the sharp click of heels. eames never does pass up a moment to practice, after all. ]

I could have.

[ he kicks off the heels before getting in the driver's seat. ]

How was London?

Cold and dark. Typical for this time of year.

[Arthur slides into the passenger seat]

I got a few jobs. Enough money to keep me afloat for a year, if I wanted.

[That's always how it is in the dreamcrime business. Enough money but they both know it's not enough]

You should have gone somewhere more pleasant.

[ like eames, who had vanished off to south africa for a few weeks on a whim. ]

Everything ended neatly?

Neatly enough.

Everything is closed, if that's what you mean.

[He leans back into the seat. He looks tired.]

I forgot what working alone felt like.

You could have asked.

[ it's how things work here, with them. ]

[He shakes his head]

I'm not Dom.

[He needed to be alone]

The offer stands.

[ he says the words, but it's shaky ground.

the difference between arthur and eames is that eames wouldn't have stuck around through dom's tailspin--wouldn't and hadn't. whether or not this would have held true in arthur's case remains to be seen. ]

I'll remember.

[He takes a moment]

What did I miss?

The usual foolishness.

[ it's hard to say whether or not eames is being close-mouthed deliberately or whether he truly thinks there's nothing worth telling.

he also runs a red light to punctuate the statement. ]

[Arthur sits up]

The usual foolishness like Eddie becoming Deputy Mayor or the usual foolishness like you breaking the law?

Both.

[ and azrael, but eames isn't going to speak of that at all. that little game is private, thus far. ]

I'm afraid my explanations would pale in comparison to what you'll have at your fingertips when you turn on your communicator.

If I live long enough to do it.

[Snort. There's the apartment building coming up]

And...Zatanna?

My driving is impeccable.

[ and terrifying. he waits until he's parked--atrociously, by the by--to answer arthur's question. ]

We've not spoken recently. I've been lying low.

[Arthur is so tired he lets this go. It's not his car, after all.]

Have you been here?

Yes and no.

[ eames puts the heels back on before getting out of the car. the illusions must be maintained, as always. ]

A friend of hers arrived. I'm sure you'll see it in there as well.

[He puts his hand on the base of Eames' back, as if they're dating - again.]

Of course.

You look exhausted.

[ this is said matter of factly, possibly to preface eames taking arthur's suitcase from the backseat and carrying it inside. ]

I flew economy, I haven't slept right in a month.

[ eames pauses in his fussing with the key to raise an eyebrow at arthur. ]

Working on a budget?

Full flight, I needed to get back.

[That's desperate]

Of course I sat next to the the woman with a baby on one side and the teenage girl who wouldn't stop looking at me on the other.

What in the world was so urgent?

[ eames is transparently amused. not even trying to hide it. there is no sympathy here, sorry arthur. ]

The need for real coffee.

[A lie, but an obvious one]

You never have appreciated tea properly.

[ eames is letting it lie, more preoccupied with getting the door to the flat open so he can ripple back into his own body. the clothing that hung loose on his forgery strains at the seams, and he gives a sigh.

someday he'll learn to forge clothing into the bargain. ]

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