Arthur and Eames worked together a lot. Not in the same way that Arthur had worked exclusively with the Cobbs for years. It wasn’t on purpose at all, though Arthur would be lying if he said it was a complete accident. Arthur liked working with the best and despite the constant bickering Eames was the best.
If you needed a forger or just a good thief Eames was Arthur’s first call. Eames almost always accepted because Arthur was the best and if he was calling the likelihood of the job going to absolute shit was much lower. Or that’s what he had told Arthur when they had gotten high together a few years before. Arthur responded by saying he loved him.
He didn’t get a lot of time to be embarrassed because not even a week later Mal jumped and Arthur was too busy cleaning up after Cobb to mourn let alone worry about what Eames thought of him. Then inception came and went, and Cobb was out.
His first call after his three-day nap was Eames and he was back to work. Things were a version of normal that Arthur could deal with again. One thing that stayed the same was Eames and all the traditions that came with working with someone for the better part of a decade.
One such tradition was the exchange of Valentine’s day cards. They were always jokes that teased and pushed each other’s buttons. This year happened to be the first year they had been working together on Valentine’s day since Arthur’s stupid confession and he had spent four hours searching for just the right card to make a joke out of himself. No big deal.
He dropped Eames’s card on his desk that morning when he came in. Eames probably wouldn’t be in for a few hours, so he didn’t bother to hold on to exchange at the same time. Without another thought about it Arthur went to work checking for the third time for any trace of militarization.
True to form, Eames sauntered into the office around 11 in a bright red shirt. Arthur let him see the way he frowned at the outfit. There were matching red shoes. Eames responded by picking up the envelope with his name on it and kissing it. He didn’t open it right away which was pretty normal and brought Arthur’s card.
“Happy Valentine’s day, darling,” Eames said with a grin.
Arthur took the envelope and Eames went to the coffee pot across the room. Arthur didn’t have the patience that Eames did and opened his card. The first thing he noticed was the distinct lack of animal characters on the front, just loopy gold letters against a deep red background. He could feel himself flushing as he read the words and kept waiting for the joke. He opened the card and it was just more sweet sentiment about a deep and cherished love followed by a handwritten note in glittery gold pen.
A –
I hope I’m not too late.
–E
“Christ,” Arthur whispered to himself. Eames had gotten him a serious Valentine’s day card and was smiling at him from across the room. Arthur did whatever he did whenever his personal life got too real and threw himself into making a plan.
He had to get a new card for Eames and get it replaced. The only plans that would form were the kind that Arthur shot down every day. Spill coffee on the current card and take it away. Take the card and replace it blatantly then pretend nothing had happened. Point blank ask for the card back. Tell Eames the card he had was actually for Ariadne even though the envelope had an E written on the outside and Ariadne wasn’t working that job.
The sound of paper tearing pulled him away from the moleskin that now had proof of his Eames caused decent into madness. Eames was opening the card. He smiled at the cover and Arthur had one more second of panic before it opened, and Eames let out an actual full-bodied laugh. Without looking up at Arthur to share his good humor he picked up the pen and scribbled something on the paper.
James, the extractor, shot them each a look but seemed to decide it wasn’t worth it and put his headphones in.
Eames brought the card back and gave it to Arthur. He stood waiting with a smile. The card Arthur had gotten said “Honey, I love everything about you,” and then opened to say “well everything except all those things I’ve already told you drive me crazy.” Arthur had written under it “Just everything about you. – A.”
Eames had scribbled out the “everything” in Arthur’s note and wrote “nothing” above it.
With one steady breath Arthur looked up at the smirking Eames. “What’s not to love?” Eames asked.
“We can discuss it over dinner,” Arthur said and tried to calm his heartbeat.
Eames’s smile turned a little softer and a little brighter. “I’ll get us reservations.”
“Try not to steal them from some innocent couple,” Arthur said but Eames was already working on his phone.
“Only guilty couples then.”