You are without fault; except...
Title: You are without fault; except...
Rating: PG 13 (slight reference to sexytimes)
Pairing: Arthur/Ariadne
Disclaimer: Nolan made tons of money because he is a freakin mastermind- I make nothing
Summary: Arthur is an imperfect perfect man; Ariadne loves him despite of it.
Author's Note: Written in response to a prompt at inception_kink that reads "5 bad habits he has and 1 thing he does that makes up for all of them". This is a ficlet, and my first A/A attempt. Hopefully you like!
You all need to check out the amazing artwork that sashyasavvy did for this little story. You can find it here. Seriously, it's so cute! Much thanks and love to sashyasavvy
There is now a companion piece which can be found here
i
Arthur always smokes after a job well done.
The smell tickles her nose, sticks to her clothes, and gives her a headache.
But this is the least of her worries.
ii
Arthur brings files to bed.
Ariadne has always known he is a workaholic. During the Fischer job he insists that she go over the layout with him nearly a dozen times, although he has it memorized the first time. He is always tweaking things, striving for perfection.
So, it is no surprise to discover that he brings his work home. Home now being her tiny apartment. She can barely turn without spotting a manila folder, a slip of paper, a pen, a sign that Arthur doesn’t distinguish between work and home.
There are nights when she wants to curl into him and finds him holding a file instead.
iii
Arthur doesn’t leave the toilet seat up
Nor does he leave dirty dishes by the sink. Or laundry unfolded in the basket. Or laundry folded in the basket. He is always cleaning, straightening.
She is more carefree. She drops her coat on the floor when she arrives home. He hangs it on a hook he installed specifically for that purpose. She sometimes forgets to empty the trash, he does so without complaint.
Ariadne doesn’t mind, so much, until he insists she put her coffee mug on a coaster. The table is chipped, and wobbly, something she picked up from a flea market.
iv
Arthur makes subtle comments about her wardrobe.
It doesn’t hurt as much as annoy. Ariadne knows that he likes clean, straight lines, muted colors, and tailoring. She is attracted to brightness, patterns, pretty scarves that drape around her neck and hide her skin from him. He buys his clothes at stores with backrooms, with men who use measuring tape to ensure a perfect fit. He encourages her to do the same. Instead she scours thrift stores, and street vendors - no doubt crimes in his mind.
When he is the dreamer he dresses her in stiff suits with too many buttons and high heels that she struggles to stay up right in. Once, he tells her that she has never looked more beautiful.
Okay, sometimes it hurts.
v
Arthur doesn’t rise to Eames’ insults.
The forger has long made it his life’s mission to get under Arthur’s skin. He pokes, prods, and says the most lascivious things Ariadne has ever heard - all with one goal in mind.
And Arthur just sits there. No reaction, no sign of emotion. Every now and then, Eames gets so frustrated that he storms out, or throws something, or threatens to quit if the ‘soulless robot doesn’t bloody well crack a smile every now and then’.
Ariadne is left to repair the damage. She wishes Arthur would just bite back every once and awhile to let Eames know he really does care.
&
Arthur tells her he loves her.
He tells her after she has finished a well put together layout. He tells her when they are three layers down waiting for the kick to pull them back into the waking world. He tells her right before he pulls the trigger to put her out of her misery.
He tells her when she is brushing her teeth and not really paying attention. He tells her when she moves his files to pull back the covers of their bed. He tells her when she is coming apart underneath of him.
She can never hear it enough.