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Tweak says, "I am a leaf on the wind."

eames (_eames) wrote,
@ 2013-01-31 20:21:00

"I don't think it's such a good idea," Eames says, rubbing his son's back to try and make him burp. He's six months old, now. Eames has him for another week, now that he's finished and posted Arthur's passport to him, which was his all consuming work for a while. He'd come home to London, had Ben for a week, been sent to Russia for three weeks, touched down in London long enough for one night in his bed, went to Turkey for a fortnight and then came home to work on Arthur's task for him. It's now two months since they saw each other. The wedding is penciled in for next month, roughly, and Eames isn't going to go. He's pretty sure he can swing having Ben that week as well, but Miles has him cornered.

Miles, Mal's dad. Old friend of the family. Small world. And wasn't that a conversation. Of course Miles knows about Eames going into the dreamshare and he seems to know a lot about Percy and Arthur, though that's also probably because Mal was with Percy for so long.

"You were invited," Miles says. "As the father of the bride I might take it personally if you don't turn up."

Eames gives him a look. "I know you won't."

"You're just avoiding Arthur."

"And?"

"And? That's not how life works," Miles says. "You can't just run constantly and hope for the best. Because what, you're scared?"

"Scared?" Eames repeats, holding Ben up to his shoulder where the baby burps and Eames coos some praise to him. "What is there to be scared of? Arthur and I couldn't possibly have a future. I'm a medically-certified-kind-of-fragile ex-soldier with a baby born out of wedlock with a woman who doesn't like me and he's...I don't know. He's complicated."

"Or you're both brilliant boys and you need someone to appreciate you. You both fight too much. Consider a ceasefire, Daniel. And stop using Ben as an excuse."

Eames wants to act affronted and say that he would never use his son like that, but he is. Evidently. So he grumbles and rubs Ben's back until he begins to whine.

"You're coming to the wedding with me. I'm an old man, Daniel. I don't fly well on my own. And if I don't fly then-"

"Then you drive."

"And you'd let an old man drive all that way on his own?"

Eames knows he's beaten. He sighs, pressing a kiss to Ben's soft, baby hair. He smells like talc and milk and the infant shampoo Ellen insists he uses. "Fine."

"Pack for sunshine!"

A month later Eames and Miles touch down in Monaco. There's another hour in a car (Eames drives because Miles is an old man) before they reach the resort in Menton where Mal and Dom are getting married. It's beautiful, of course, because Mal would insist on it. They're getting married on a pier that juts out into the sea. And it's hot. Not dangerously hot, because there is a sea breeze, but it's hot and Eames worries about Arthur. He'd like to say he hasn't thought about Arthur in the three months they've been apart, but that's a complete lie. They're all booked into the same chalet as well, because Miles wants to be with his daughter and Dom wants Percy with him, so Percy is there and Arthur has to stay too and Miles has told Eames he'd better not even think about disappearing to a different hotel.

"You know, I had a teenage daughter who had crushes on boys," Miles says as Eames carries his bags into the chalet, because Miles is an old man. "She was more sensible than you're being now."

"Well, thank your lucky stars you won't have a thirty year old son who crushes on boys-"

"It feels like I do," Miles retorts, taking his bag from Eames outside the door of the room he's going to be occupying, as per Mal's email. Eames is on the floor above.

He has a nice view from his balcony. And it's been a while since he's been able to just relax. Miles is going out with Mal tonight so Eames is going to really get into that relaxing thing.

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noimaginationa
2013-01-31 09:50 pm UTC (link)

Post-Vancouver, Arthur keeps busy. He works the Goldberg job smuggling military-grade ricin into Chicago, which is simple enough because it just means buying off customs and finding enough dirt. He kicks Eddie out of the apartment in New York, he goes for a walk in Cambridge, at Harvard Square, and he goes to visit Lydia. She'd been nineteen, a year older than he was, when she -

Arthur misses Lydia. She needed him and he never asked her if she needed him because she did. Missing Lydia is also easier than missing Eames. Just because.

His new passport is American, Michael S. Powell. Born in Lubbock, Texas, birthday November 20. It's stellar work. Better than Eddie's.

He and Percy work another job in Havana, Arthur finds twins, watches them kiss, because it's a whole lot like watching projections kiss themselves. Arthur doesn't find that arousing, but it's...something. Two months pass. Eames has not passed for Arthur, but he will. So long as he doesn't go to Mal's wedding.

Three months. Arthur is going to Mal's wedding, he would have begged off on work, except Percy lets it slip when Arthur finally gets him drunk one night after Havana, that Dom had asked him to be the best man, while they were in Vancouver. And like an idiot, Percy's said yes and they're going to Monaco.

"Would you have said yes?" says Percy. "If Dom had asked you."

Arthur makes a sound in his throat, "I hate weddings."

"If it wasn't me it would have been Elliot Nash."

Eliott Nash. Well. Arthur doesn't know why the fuck Nash is even invited. He knew Dom from school, and manages to hang on to Dom's coattails whenever he can. Maybe Dom likes that, having someone following him around. "...Are you okay?"

"I'm not sleeping with her anymore, Arthur. I'll manage."

"If she loves you, she would have left -"

"No," Percy's look pins him into his seat and Arthur's gulp of wine is stuck in his throat. "And if you say anything to that effect to Mal or anyone else to ruin the wedding, then I won't ever forgive you. Have you heard from Eames?"

"No."

Monaco is beautiful. Arthur has always wanted to come here for a vacation. Unfortunately, he doesn't think this counts. One of his blessings is that he'll spend so much time worrying about Percy's well being, that he'll forget about Eames. Mal has them all checked into the same chalet and Arthur and Percy share a room. They don't have to. But they always do.

"...Professor Miles?" He hears Percy say. Arthur glances up from studying the hotel room key. Right across the hall, there's Stephen Miles. And...

"Mr. Eames." Arthur gets the door open, but it's rude to disappear. But Percy's slightly more well adjusted than he is, so while Arthur's getting his wits together, Percy goes up to Miles and greets him with a warm shake of the hand.

"Professor, it's been too long. I didn't know you knew Eames."

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_eames
2013-01-31 10:35 pm UTC (link)

Miles beams. Firstly, because he loves Percy. Not that he doesn't love Dom, but he does miss Percy. The man has a flair to him, a humour that Dom lacks, though he makes up for it in other ways. He holds out his hand to Percy, watching Arthur disappear into their room. There's reason number two. Arthur is quick to vanish from sight and Eames would be walking to his own room, but he waits to shake Percy's hand out of politeness.

"Percy, young man," Miles greets, waiting for Eames and Percy to shake hands and Eames looks like he wants to disappear into the floor. A sudden huge clenching feeling has taken over his insides and he had hoped that their three months apart would kill any feelings. All feelings. "It has, it's been too long. You look as though you're keeping well, though."

Miles pats Eames on the back, a firm pat that tells him he's among friends who are going to ruin his life for the better. "Eames? Are we going by surnames?" he chuckles. "I'm afraid he's just Daniel to me. Since he was about-" Miles gestures down towards his knees. "This high."

Eames rolls his eyes as though he's with his own father, embarrassing him in front of his friends.

"Friend of the family. Small world," Miles continues, despite Eames' shifting. "Considering you and your Arthur know him quite well, if everything I've heard is to be believed."

"We just worked together," Eames mumbles quickly, wishing Arthur wouldn't be such a bastard and come out here to face this with him. Or just face him. Perhaps they're going to dance around each other for a week.

"Your brother-" Miles starts, and Eames doesn't want to hear what Miles has to say about Percy's brother.

"I need to shower," Eames pulls away and stalks towards the stairs and realises as he's going up them that Arthur and Percy are directly below him. Fuck. Fuck. Maybe he can get the guy opposite (Nash? Mash? Nash...) to swap rooms.

"-has made quite an impression on Daniel," Miles continues, and Eames knows he's raised his voice so that he can hear even as he takes the stairs two at a time.

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noimaginationa
2013-01-31 11:09 pm UTC (link)

Arthur's reasoning is that it's also rude to have the bags just littering the hallway, he can duck outside to say hello later. Maybe much later. But Arthur leaves the door open, so he can hear snitches of conversation. Percy is handling everything beautifully. You wouldn't know it, looking at him, that he was flipping out about this a few days before. Arthur lacks his grace. He lacks everything that Percy has, except maybe good judgment.

Eames is back with M16 now. Arthur hasn't looked him up, but he knows enough about that world to know that maybe Eames wants to stay there.

Eames told him in Prague, that no one called him Daniel. Except apparently Dr. Stephen Miles. And Percy's brother has made quite an impression on Daniel. That is, Eames.

"Oh, I know." says Percy, the smug bastard. "Only because that impression cuts both ways." And then he says, "Arthur Ryan, at least come out here and say hello." Percy middle-names him very sparingly, but it gets him every time. Arthur slinks out from behind the door.

"...Professor."

Eames is practically sprinting away, taking the stairs two at a time. Percy gives him a look.

"And Mr. Eames too, Arthur. Havana has really done a number on your manners."

"Percival -"

"Arthur."

Percy and Miles probably have traded extensive notes about raising boys. Arthur hates them both, but if he stays here, Percival's just going to hark on about it until Arthur actually goes up there and says...something. He sucks in a deep breath, and then he heads for the stairs.

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_eames
2013-01-31 11:31 pm UTC (link)

Eames hears 'Arthur Ryan' and there's a part of him that melts. But it doesn't take a whole lot to melt Eames when it comes to Arthur and he really, really wishes he hadn't come here.

He storms into his room like a child and goes to slam the door but it's one of those that doesn't slam. Just slides quietly back into place but barely even closes. Eames opens his balcony door and steps out. And the breeze is warm and smells of salt and actually, for once, he feels tenseness ebbing away and feels some kind of happiness sink into it's place.

He's going to need to put on a vest or something because otherwise he's going to sweat unattractively, but he's not actually been around Percy or Arthur or anyone in 'casual clothing'. Not that he has anything to be concerned about.

Miles watches Arthur kick his heels as he trails after Eames, and it is like watching children do things they don't want to do. Percy is protective of his little brother, but he seems to have some approval for Eames and the sentiment is returned from Miles for Arthur. Still, it helps to know as well that he isn't the only person who thinks both boys need to catch a break. Or let themselves catch a break.

"Daniel is a good boy," he says, even though Percy must know that. "He didn't want to come. I made him. I told him to stop running." Miles still looks towards the stairs, a little wistful. "Why don't you take me to the bar, Percival? Help an old man to the alcohol."

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noimaginationa
2013-01-31 11:49 pm UTC (link)

"You really haven't lost your touch at all, have you, Professor?"

Percy looks at Miles. He wouldn't expect anything less than the man who singlehandedly pioneered dreamsharing, sucking everyone else around him in into the fascinating world of the dream. He wonders, vaguely, if Miles would think of him any different, if he'd known, the baby that Mal's carrying right now, it's actually not Dom's. It's Percy's. Mal told him so - which is why Percy allows Arthur to get him drunk after Havana.

"I'm going to keep the baby," she'd said. "I'll love it more than anything in the world."

He could have asked her to leave. Mal is having his child, not Dom's. But it was Percy's mistake to begin with, in the first place. He made Mal remember how they were, miss how they were. So he doesn't say anything and watches Arthur go up the stairs.

"...Sure, I'll buy you a drink. Come on. I heard about Mal's baby. Congratulations."

Arthur keeps enough of a distance between them as he goes up the stairs, but he's made it just in time around the corner, to see Eames disappear behind one of the doors. Great, he can go downstairs now, say he's already said hi, Eames is in the middle of a shower, or something similar.

At the same time, Arthur suddenly has a horrific vision of Miles and Percy guarding the stairs. Yes, he thinks he'd rather stay up here.

So Arthur lets himself in, because these doors are horribly secured and he's going to install a new lock and remove it when he leaves. That's a good idea. Eames' room has a balcony. Arthur and Percy's room are on the ground floor, so they don't have one.

"...You did stellar work on my passport, Mr. Eames." Which is probably not the heartfelt 'hello' that Percy and Miles hope for, but it's a start.

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_eames
2013-02-01 12:30 am UTC (link)

"It's my job, Arthur," Eames replies, turning to look over his shoulder, squinting at the sunlight that falls on his face, but not enough to blind him to the man that stands in his room. Arthur is tanned. He looks good, of course. "You look well." Eames decides it's more polite to turn around fully and maybe come into his room.

The room itself is also beautiful, but Eames didn't really expect any less. The bed is vast, there is an en suite bathroom, television, minibar.

"I didn't want to come. Miles blackmailed me," he smiles. "I imagine he and your brother are going to have a wild time together." There's still most of the distance of the room between them and Eames intends to keep at least this the whole time they're together. Arthur clearly doesn't want to be here, so Eames stands still, giving him the opportunity to walk out again.

"It's good to see you," because it is. Of course it is. But they can do this. They survived three months, they can survive the rest of their lives.

"My first real grandchild," Miles muses when he sits down at a table by the pool and the bar. Eames brings Ben around enough that Miles is still used to having babies around him. "Thank you. I'm excited. Can't help but feel she might have been able to wait a little bit longer until she was married, but at least they'll be hitched before baby is here." Not that he's old-fashioned, he just doesn't want to think his daughter is getting married because she feels obligated to. "Of course they'll have to settle down somewhere, and I'm sure it isn't going to be anywhere I can walk to, but still. My girl is happy-"

Miles sips his drink. He knows that it's probably hard on Percy, but the two of them chose to stay friends, so it can't be that difficult.

"You and Arthur should think of slowing yourselves down a bit. I know I sound like an old man, Percy, but I also know what I'm talking about. Boys like you and Arthur can't run around the world all your lives. Your soul is getting too old before you. I'm not just saying this because I'm sentimental, but look- your little brother doesn't know how to grab happiness by the arse, and you don't know what you're doing, do you? Just tell me to mind my own business and we'll say no more about this. I'm going senile."

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noimaginationa
2013-02-01 01:03 am UTC (link)

It's Eames' job. No it's not, it's his hobby. His real job is being an upstanding M16 operative and - and Arthur's thought this all before. "People could be horrendously bad at their jobs, you know." Not people like Arthur, or Eames, or Percy certainly. But other people, Nash, for instance.

Miles blackmailed Eames. Arthur will believe that. Miles is almost seventy, and likes to make jokes about how he's going more senile everyday, but Arthur knows he's sharper than most people their age could ever hope to be. He can't exactly say that Percy blackmailed him - okay, maybe emotionally, but he would have done it anyway, even without the emotional blackmail. Arthur hasn't had time to admire his own room yet, but he imagines that it can't be all that different.

"Yeah, he does that. I'd say I'm sorry but..." but Eames seems to have known Miles for longer than either himself or Percy. "You're probably used to it, by now."

It's not that Arthur's unhappy to see Eames, he's actually. Okay, yes, he's happy to see Eames, but saying it would just... "You too. You look good."

However, at the mention of Percy and Miles, Arthur's jaw clenches. He forces himself to relax lest he gives too much away. Arthur still thinks it's stupid, but it's Percy's own business. The door's right there next to him. He can walk back out. But there's something about Eames that holds in place.

Arthur wants to ask him if he still has nightmares. It's not something you ask a man when you haven't seen him for three months. So he says, "I don't mind being here. But Percy blackmailed me anyway. He's Dom's best man."

But he's...yeah, Arthur's going to go now. "Look, if you were going to do...shower or something, I'll leave. I'm sorry I just barged in here."

Percy rags on Arthur for being a masochist all the time. Being unable to grab happiness by the arse is a surprisingly accurate description. He smiles against his own glass. The thing inside him, is going to grow numb, and then number. Arthur did learn from the best.

"Mal loves Dom, and Dom loves Mal," he feels compelled to say, although there's something sour about getting the words out. "It's just Dom also loves work, so." Which doesn't really reflect well on Dom, but Percy's already sure Miles knows how it is. He wants to add that he would have asked Mal, but that passed. Percy knows now that he'd been stupid. "I'm sure she's the happiest woman in the world."

"I plan to retire when I'm forty." Percy offers with a half smile on his face. It's probably true. "But Arthur..." Arthur runs, and probably will keep running, until he finds himself off a cliff. That's how his brother is.

And he...no, Percy really doesn't know what he's doing.

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_eames
2013-02-01 01:43 am UTC (link)

"Oh, I know they can," Eames nods, because he seems to always be on the wrong end of a reprimand. Always. He shifts a step and it takes him a pace forward.

"Miles has a lot of dirt on me. Certainly the place to go for all of your blackmailing needs. Seems to think he's doing my father a favour and says he's keeping an eye on me but that's all rubbish," Eames is closer to Miles than he is to his own father. It's the wrong way round.

"I worried it would be too hot for you here," he says after a few slow heartbeats, indicating that he has been thinking about Arthur in their time apart and, not only that, he remembers things Arthur likes and dislikes. "But you have a tan, so I won't worry too much more. And I think a shower would be a good idea, yes-" Eames lets Arthur take the way out without either of them having to compromise themselves, and no one is humiliated. Job well done. "You're welcome to barge in any time, though. I've got a great view." He smiles, feels the smile that is solely for Arthur drift over his lips as though three months were three days. "Any time."

"Love is more difficult than when I was young," Miles sighs. "It's not all black and white anymore. I see it with my students, my friends children, my own daughter. Complicated relationships you all weave as though you've all the time in the world to unpick these knots. What you really want is to go inside someone's head and ask them who or what it is they really want from life and they'll just tell you- answer to every mans second most burning question. And they can ask their bloody selves but no one trusts their own bloody brains these days, Percy. No one." Miles shakes his head, despairing of the youth of today. "I'll never understand you boys, thinking you can go all this time, fighting everything in your own. You, Daniel, Arthur, you're all the same. Dom as well, I imagine. Not saying Mal is a saint, but she's always known what she wanted and damn it all if she isn't having it. You're good kids, all of you. You're just bloody stubborn."

Miles shakes his head. "I'm boring you with my old man talk. Tell me, what's new with firearms these days?"

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noimaginationa
2013-02-01 04:48 am UTC (link)

Arthur wants to say that Eames has lied to him about two things already. One, that no one calls him Daniel, and Miles does, and two, that he has no family but apparently has a father - although he seems to be closer to Miles. Arthur can't say he appreciates being lied to in any capacity, but he thinks he understands.

He's lied to Eames too, that he was an attorney and he did divorces. But everything else, it's almost ironic that Arthur has lied less to Eames than the other way around. This makes him uncomfortable in a way he can't quite pick out.

Eames worried that it might be too hot. It is hot. It's summer now, and Arthur's spent the last three weeks in Cuba because that's apparently where work is. He can always find work elsewhere, but Arthur goes where the money is.

"I was in Havana. I hated it there, but they had good wine, at least. This is better, at least it's next to the sea." Arthur supposes he does have a tan. Everyone else was tan too, so he just never noticed. But Eames, Eames noticed. Had Eames thought about him often? "I don't think you want to tell me that the Professor has dirt on you. I might be tempted," maybe he doesn't want to finish that sentence.

"I'll...I'll see you later."

Percy supposes they all are. Young, foolish, stubborn. Wisdom only finds them when it's too late. But that's also the way they live, they claw their way out, wanting to come out on top, absolutely terrified of being swallowed up. "Generational hazard, but maybe I'll grow out of it soon."

Work, Percy is not like Arthur when it comes to work, but he's glad for a way out, if Miles is offering him one. "It's not even firearms anymore, really. People just want whatever kills. Maybe bullets will go out of fashion completely and I'd be out of a job. It's all about poison, more efficient silencers, so that when people are gone, I guess no one notices."

"...Daddy?"

At Mal's voice, Percy knows he's just visibly winced, and hastily downs the rest of his drink and stands up. Mal's wearing a blue sundress and a hat to match. She looks lovely for three-months.

"And Percy!" Mal kisses her father on the cheek and wraps him in a warm hug. She knows that she looks lovely and happy. She has to. "Did you both just get here? Dom was going to send a car."

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_eames
2013-02-01 10:52 am UTC (link)

Percy stands to embrace Mal, even though the movement is stiff and the emotion is hardly one of joy but he pushes through it because he doesn't want Miles to know that there's anything wrong, and he doesn't want Mal to feel awkward, he doesn't want her to know that he's here, full of anger and sadness that she's marrying another man and carrying his child.

He kisses her cheek. "Arthur is here as well, obviously. He's seeing Mr. Eames." Mr? He's turning into Arthur. "Maybe I should go and make sure they're okay-" he remains standing and offers his seat to Mal.

Miles watches the whole thing, but Percy doesn't think he picks up on anything being wrong. But then Miles always knows more than he lets on. Except he doesn't think the older man would let him get away with this kind of mess, and he hasn't made a move to stop Percy leaving, distracted as he is by his radiant daughter.

"I'll see you both for dinner, later," Percy says, and heads back inside with no intention of going to find Arthur. Because maybe one of them really could be happy.

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