chesstotem: (all dressed up)
Ariadne; The Architect ([personal profile] chesstotem) wrote2010-09-12 07:06 pm

the one where Arthur is a douche (for [livejournal.com profile] thesecurity and <lj site="l

Ariadne was a little surprised, truth be told, at how well her date with Arthur was going - not that she'd thought it would be bad, per se, but she'd expected a bit more awkwardness about the whole thing.

Instead, what she got was Arthur being charming, handsome and just plain nice, talking easily about work and music and wine, while Ariadne chatted about designing and weird architectural details and they compared notes on a few of the cities they'd both been to.

It was still pretty early, but Ariadne had never really been able to hold her alcohol, so she demurred at the bartender's suggestion of another drink.

"We should get out of here before I start stumbling around in these shoes." They were sensible enough shoes, though still pretty new and liable to hurt her feet if she wasn't careful.

[identity profile] thesecurity.livejournal.com 2010-09-13 05:48 pm (UTC)(link)
God, if she'd just left Eames out of it.

Arthur's lips were pressed into a tight line and the tops of his ears had started to match the color of her cheeks. "I didn't mean that you're-- I just--" Oh for fuck's sake. "It's not a lie, either. I don't date coworkers," he didn't date anyone, "I have never dated coworkers. If you want this to be some one-night stand, Ariadne, then fine. I'll follow you back and we can pretend it never happened in the morning."

[identity profile] thesecurity.livejournal.com 2010-09-13 06:17 pm (UTC)(link)
"Ariadne--"

He didn't want her to walk away mad, if only because things would be just as awkward tomorrow. Arthur took a few long strides to catch up with her, pulling a hand out of his pocket to touch her elbow. "Please. I don't know what you want from me. You're attractive, I had a good time tonight--I just don't think it's a good idea, being romantically attached to people I'm working a job with."

[identity profile] thesecurity.livejournal.com 2010-09-13 06:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Maybe if Arthur had an ounce of Eames' ease with people (he wouldn't go so far as to call it charm), he'd have followed her, but he just didn't understand what he could possibly say that would extract his foot from his mouth. She obviously didn't want to listen to him and Arthur was thinking that because you backed me into a corner and Eames was being his normal self wouldn't fly by way of a good answer to her question.

So Arthur stood and watched Ariadne walk away before turning around and going back into the bar to drown his anger in whiskey.

[identity profile] perfectforgery.livejournal.com 2010-09-13 08:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Eames had expected, in his entirely rational way, to have the night entirely free to himself without interruption. It seemed like a good opportunity to take a nice shower and sit around in a fluffy hotel bath robe while reading through files and files of research. While Arthur and Ariadne were getting their freak on, he could distract himself and once again come up on top.

Well, that had been the plan, anyway. He hadn't exactly expected Ariadne to come knocking on his door. It wasn't entirely a surprise, no, but it wasn't part of the plan.

Eames had never had much of a problem with diverting from plans anyway.

Getting up out of his chair, he walked opened the door and gave her a small, understanding smile. "Well that was quick, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

[identity profile] perfectforgery.livejournal.com 2010-09-13 08:50 pm (UTC)(link)
In Eames's defense, he only really talked smack about Arthur when Arthur was within earshot or when he was in a particularly foul mood. In reality, he did have more respect and appreciation for the other man than he led others to believe. Still, at this particular moment, he could understand her sentiments exactly. He had, after all, been using work as a distraction.

"Do you want the long answer or the short one? Either way they're both horribly bias."

[identity profile] perfectforgery.livejournal.com 2010-09-13 09:09 pm (UTC)(link)
That, now that made Eames's eyebrow quirk upwards in judgmental surprise. Really, Arthur. Sitting down next to her, he rested a hand on her knee in an attempt to give some sort of emotional support. "Pissy Arthur, now that's a sight. He'll never admit that he gets like that, I promise you that. What exactly did he say? I can't properly either explain or reject what he did from just your reaction to it, now can I?"

It wasn't that he didn't believe her, that much should have been obvious. No, it was that, depending on what actually happened, it could be very much like Arthur or very much not, and his curiosity easily got the best of him.

[identity profile] perfectforgery.livejournal.com 2010-09-13 09:28 pm (UTC)(link)
"That may be my fault," Eames admitted sheepishly, patting Ariadne's knee. "I goaded him, which in hindsight might not have been a good idea. I challenged and he stepped up," With a quiet sigh, Eames considered offering Ariadne a drink but decided against it. No, she looked like she had enough. He needed one though, so he went over to the mini fridge and squatted down to grab himself a mini bottle of scotch, then standing and pouring it into a glass for himself.

"The thing about Arthur is that he has a set of standards that, frankly, do make some degree of sense. He just takes it all a bit too far and lacks the tact and subtly needed."

[identity profile] perfectforgery.livejournal.com 2010-09-13 09:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah, Alcohol. The term social lubricant was both incredibly accurate and entirely incorrect. Eames would say social butter more than lubricant, because it did as much bad as it did good. She was lucky she came to him instead of rattling on to a stranger.

"Ariadne, you're beautiful--and you look especially lovely in that dress. I know for a fact that he finds you attractive, it's his personality that's riddled with flaws. Also keep in mind that he may have a point, underneath all of that failure to communicate." He said as he sat back down next to her, meeting her eyes in the way he did when he wanted people to know--or at least thing--that he was telling the truth.

[identity profile] perfectforgery.livejournal.com 2010-09-13 11:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Eames made a wincing face at the suggestion of Arthur wanting to take it slow, because that hadn't been what he meant at all. He knew Arthur well enough, knew how he approached relationships with other people well enough to make an estimate, and that was not where his mind went. "I can't speak for Arthur, but I don't think taking it slow is exactly the issue here."

Taking another sip of his scotch, he leaned back into the couch, making himself more comfortable as he continued. "The difference is that Arthur and I have never, in any context, gone on a date. It's purely physical," He had been telling himself that lie all day, but it was enough of a truth to pass as one.

[identity profile] perfectforgery.livejournal.com 2010-09-14 12:02 am (UTC)(link)
"You're putting words in my mouth, Ariadne. You might want to refrain from doing that," Still, that wasn't a denial. That would be a lie, and he wasn't so much in the habit of lying as bending the truth. Which, coincidentally, was what he was currently doing.
Edited 2010-09-14 00:03 (UTC)

[identity profile] perfectforgery.livejournal.com 2010-09-14 12:24 am (UTC)(link)
Eames did not kiss back. This wasn't a romance novel, where the universe would work it's magic and Eames would be swept up in a sudden passion. He was easy, sure, but not that easy. Now, he was more confused than anything else. When Ariadne pulled away he just looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not Arthur, Ariadne. What are you trying to achieve?"

[identity profile] perfectforgery.livejournal.com 2010-09-14 01:06 am (UTC)(link)
To say that Eames wasn't interested would be a lie. Ariadne was beautiful. She wasn't the type of woman he usually fucked and ran away from. She was the type of woman he could fall in love with if he let himself, which he never would. No, that was something he kept a tight lock on, never getting close enough for that. Still, the fact still stood true, Eames was not uninterested.

But that didn't mean he wasn't cautious.

"If you want a connection, you're not going to get it from me."

[identity profile] perfectforgery.livejournal.com 2010-09-14 01:18 am (UTC)(link)
Well. That was something else entirely, wasn't it? On one hand, he knew this was a bad idea. This would not end well, not with a mildly intoxicated coworker who had a thing for the man he found himself currently infatuated with. No, this could not possibly end well. Still, who was he to deny something put so clearly?

Shit, he was a hypocrite. Arthur was going to murder him anyway, so what was the harm?

"Alright," He said as he glanced down at Ariadne's lace panties and shifted upwards, burying a hand in her hair and pulling her into a kiss.