All in Black verse: For Ariadne

[loadedparadox]

It had been three years since the team had completed the Fischer case and made inception happen. Three years since Arthur had realized he was on his own. Cobb had gone back to his family, Ariadne to school and Eames had disappeared into the ether of the Mombasa underground. Mal was dead, and he'd finally seen her grave, but that didn't make it any easier to deal with. He had two choices. Find a new team, or give it all up.

His family, the family he'd had before, accepted him back without a second guess. He was the boss' son, Arthur Tossi, and no one questioned him. Especially not after he'd shot Danny Sanducci in cold blood, leaving the body to bleed all over the floor of his new office. That was three years ago. He was no longer the man he'd been, not the one that the dream share community had known. He couldn't be that man. Sweet and kind and tender yet determined. He had to be cold, distant, and the world was another place than it had been. He might not smile anymore than he had before but at least then his eyes had seemed warm.

Her name was Ashley. She'd been with him for a year the night she was killed. Smart, funny, easy to talk to. Petite and pretty and she reminded him of someone else - someone he hadn't realized he missed until he was standing over the grave site of another woman in his life.

Research still came second nature to him, finding her address and making his way there the next day. Dressed in black raw silk, his shirt blood red and the tie midnight with a tiny red pattern. Hair slicked back and a slight bulge under one arm as he knocked on the door, jaw covered in a couple days of stubble and his jaw set in a hard line.

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[loadedparadox.livejournal.com]

Arthur nodded as she spoke, considering options. "Would it help at all if I presented the right image as a friend and possible employer? I can not look like a goodfellow," he offered, smiling, trying to bring that smile back to her lips. "I might even be able to manage no tie, maybe even jeans if I'm feeling daring."

[dreamsofmazes.livejournal.com]

Her brow raised, as she smirked out a small laugh. "You telling me, you would be willing to charm my parents?" She asked, head tilted to the side, as curious as ever.

[loadedparadox.livejournal.com]

"If it would help make things easier for you, then yes I would. For you and for your parents," he said, deadly serious.

[dreamsofmazes.livejournal.com]

She shrugged, thinking the idea over. Honestly impressed he would be willing to do that. "I guess if you don't mind. I'll be able to think on my feet better with you around."

[loadedparadox.livejournal.com]

Nodding, taking another drink even as he sat back slightly, starting to put things together in his head. "You'd have to let me know what would work best. Friend. Job. Both. What image. I'm used to wearing masks so it shouldn't be that hard to do whatever it takes to make this easiest on you."

[dreamsofmazes.livejournal.com]

"Honestly." Her eyebrow cocked, nose crinkling, as she debated on the right words. "You can just be Arthur. They've heard the name in passing." She admits, giving a ghost of a sheepish smile. Knowing it wasn't the best idea, to mention them in the past. But things were different then. And it was just her excitement getting the best of her. "They thought you were a friend from Paris, that's all. No criminal. No dream whatever. Just Arthur."

[loadedparadox.livejournal.com]

"Just Arthur, hmm? I might remember how to be him," he said with a slight smile. "I can make that work, both attitude and clotheswise. If you'll let me meet them. I'll understand if you'd rather I didn't."

[dreamsofmazes.livejournal.com]

"I'll let you meet them, Arthur." She smiled at that, shaking her head lightly amused. "I know they'll like you." Her nose crinkled though, head tilting to the side.

"It's very typical family here. My mom cooks. You'll have to humor her. Just saying."

[loadedparadox.livejournal.com]

"Never met a girl's parents before. Not like this," he admitted. "Should be interesting."

A brow arched. "Is that a warning that I'll need to eat for her?"

[dreamsofmazes.livejournal.com]

"Never?" She repeated, more as a surprise to herself. "Never really let anyone meet my parents." She admitted, only to laugh lightly. "And my prom date didn't count."

Smiling, she just sat watching him a moment. Just letting the space fill for a moment. Just out of pure fun. "Sort of. She isn't a bad cook. It's why I fail as a cook actually. More," Her nose wrinkled, as she bobbed her head going over her thoughts. "I have to go over for dinner a lot. And it is very.. interesting. You'll be fine though."

[loadedparadox.livejournal.com]

"I wasn't ever really the guy you bring home to your parents. Not in any of my jobs." He laughed at that. "Now I must see pictures of you in your prom dress. They exist, don't they?"

"Whatever is needed, I'll be there. You did say I should impress you."

[dreamsofmazes.livejournal.com]

She rolls her eyes, crinkling her nose at him. "Oh I'm sure my mom, would be willing to show you my glory days." She paused, laughing at that. "Think of her, as an older version of me. That should help."

Chewing on her lower lip, she nodded, a smile still on her face. "Meeting my parents. Is a good step Arthur. I'm impressed."

[loadedparadox.livejournal.com]

"OH good. I won't have to do a hard target net search for them," he teased. "My researching skills might be rusty but not that bad." He kissed her softly. "Then she's beautiful, kind and forgiving? And yes, I'm sucking up.

"And I didn't offer to impress you. I offered to make this easier for you."

[dreamsofmazes.livejournal.com]

"I'm sure your skills, are still very much up to par." She smirked. "And yes. You can suck up more like that to her. She'll eat that shit up."

"As for me. You should be kissing my ass." She teased.

[loadedparadox.livejournal.com]

Arthur laughed, giving her a look. "Are you setting me up to charm your mom," he asked, not upset in the least. "I can manage that."

A brow arched. "Literally?"

[dreamsofmazes.livejournal.com]

Rolling her eyes playfully. Glad that she was able to switch moods so easily with him. "Oh I'm sure you can manage. I do expect perfection. Well at least, to my standards." She teased, shooting him a sly smile.

"Depends on, if that is your thing."

[loadedparadox.livejournal.com]

"Does that mean in my charming or how I look? I'm not sure I have the right clothes for perfection in this," he pointed out. "I may have to do shopping in the morning." He wanted her to keep smiling, to give him that look. He could handle that, handle hiding from what he'd done to her.

He leaned in closer, lips brushing her ear. "Do you want to know what I'm into?"

[dreamsofmazes.livejournal.com]

"You could wear jeans and a t-shirt. And that would be perfection. It honestly doesn't take much, for you to be perfect." She admitted. "But we should swing by the galleria, before we go." Her brow raised, a smirk on her face. "I know, it's a mall. But you can handle it."

Her head tilting up, a small pleased sound coming out. "As much, as you want to know, what I am."

[loadedparadox.livejournal.com]

"You're apparently easier than I remember," he teased, hand sliding along her side. "I suppose I can survive a mall. Will you protect me?"

He considered that, nipping the shell of her ear. "Definitely could find myself worshiping that ass. Just saying."

[dreamsofmazes.livejournal.com]

"Oh I've never been easy, Arthur." She teased. "I'm more something, you need to have patience with. It takes a long time, to unwrap me is all." Her eyes rolling amused, she went back to tracing his collarbone. "And I can protect you, from the hordes of rich trophy wifes, that tend to visit the galleria. Though, they put up a good fight."


Her eyes focusing up on him, she hummed a pleased sound at his actions. "As you should. It does love the attention."

[loadedparadox.livejournal.com]

"Given I'm the one half undressed and you're not, obviously I'm the easy one then," he teased, the words turning into a soft hiss at the touch of her tongue along his collarbone. "I am holding you to that. I can't have them getting past you. How would I survive?"


"And it shouldn't have been missing out on it as long as it has," he murmured, hand sliding down to caress the curve of her ass.

[dreamsofmazes.livejournal.com]

"True." She smirked, her eyes focusing on him again. "I was willing to see, how easy I could be. But" Letting a unneeded sigh out, she went back to focusing on his chest. Letting her lips skim along. "I'm willing to let you be the easy one."

Letting her hands trace up his spine, she let out, a small pleased sound, as his hands moved along her. "Lots and lots of catching up. That's what it needs"

[loadedparadox.livejournal.com]

"Take the time to get to know me again. I don't want you being easy for a memory," he said, sobering softly at the truth of it all. "Ariadne, if you find you don't like the man I've become, I'll bring you home. No hard feelings. If you just walk out one day, I'll understand. No more than I deserve. Understood?"

He needed her to know that no matter the man he was, she was outside of all that. She was a perfect, needed entity unto herself.

[dreamsofmazes.livejournal.com]

Her eyes shot up instantly at that, a glare going his way. Before she rolled her eyes, pushing off of him. "Whatever." She snorted; going back to sorting files she had spread out, before he even showed. Only letting her annoyance fester a moment. As she was trying hard, not say something she might fully regret.

[loadedparadox.livejournal.com]

Arthur's entire expression fell at that single word, the derisive sound. He wouldn't leave her to that work, moving in to cover her hand with his. "Ariadne, don't. If I say something wrong, tell me. Please. Don't let me think I'm making a mistake I can't fix. I need to know what I'm saying wrong to you, because you matter enough to me to fix it."