Author's Note: This fic is slightly AU in that it is more of a spin-off rather than a continuation or side story, as Arthur being a natural-born mute does not work with Chris Nolan's Inception. The only thing I really kept from the original story is the team of characters and dream sharing, so other than that, it's pretty AU. Hope nobody minds and everyone enjoys!

I originally wrote this as my second work of fiction for the IKM, and it's more of a story than the last one. I decided to post it here as well just because that's part of the reason why I created this screenname-it is meant to hold my more serious works in comparison of my old name. Unfortunately, unlike the other fic I posted just moments ago for this same pairing and fandom, this is still very much just a work in progress, and I am also currently experiencing writer's block in addition to being held up due to a lot of things happening irl that are taking priority over this fiction right now.

By the way, as you read this, if at any point you think the rating should be higher than K+, as sometimes I blur between what should be a K+ and what should be a T rating, please do let me know-I would appreciate it very much!

Disclaimer:I don't own Inception or the characters, but if I did, I'd hire my own fanfiction team to fill all of the prompts I wish were filled!

Prompt: "Eames is in love with Arthur, who is a mute. Arthur is reluctant to let Eames get close because of his disability, for fear Eames may tire of him. Frustration, miscommunication, and tears! Pull my heartstrings, anon!"

I

The first time they met, it was in dreamspace.

"It's still a very new concept that the government has been toying with, not yet ready to be released to the general public. In all honesty, I'm not sure it ever will."

The young man speaking appeared to be in either his late twenties or early thirties. He was clean-cut and dressed in neatly in a suit and tie; a brunette with warm brown eyes and of average height. The man whom he was speaking to was not dressed nearly with as much precision. His appearance as laid-back as his personality, dressed in tweed. He was also a brunette and of average height, but with blue eyes that would sometimes turn to a stormy grey, depending on his mood.

"It is to my understanding that Dominic Cobb has at least given you a little basic background on what exactly this project is, and why you were called here today, but just in case," the slightly younger man paused for a moment to take a look at his watch before continuing. "We have a several minutes left on the clock, seeing as how we ended earlier than expected, if you would like to ask any questions."

Dominic Cobb was the son-in-law of respected general, Stephen Miles, who first came up with the dream sharing technology, known popularly among government officials and the military as "extraction," towards the end of his military career. While Miles was no longer actively working on the project and enjoying his retirement, Cobb wished to continue his legacy and exhaust all possibilities of dream sharing as a tool, with continued remote guidance from his father-in-law. Cobb was the reason why the two men were meeting that day.

"Well, first things first, I'm afraid I never quite caught your name, darling," the other man spoke softly with a British accent.

The younger man blinked and then gave the forger a small smile. "Ah yes, of course. Pardon me, I was so concerned with the assignment of giving you a tour of the technology that I forgot to introduce myself, how rude of me. My name is Arthur. I am what they call a point man in this business. And you are—"

"Eames," the forger finished for him, returning the smile. "An absolute pleasure, darling, and if I may ask, how exactly are you acquainted with Dominic Cobb?"

"With Dom?" the point man asked, his smile growing slightly wider and becoming less formal and more warm. "Dom and I are actually more than just acquaintances. We have been friends for a long time. I was best man at his wedding."

"I see. So then I suppose you also became involved in this extraction business because of him?" Eames asked.

"Hm, perhaps initially that was the case," said Arthur. "Though after some time, I actually ended up developing my own passion for the art. I mean, look around you."

Eames watched Arthur, his eyes not leaving the man for a second, even when the point man's arms were stretched out wide, putting emphasis on their surroundings. They were currently in Arthur's subconscious, in a dream that was populated with only buildings and not people. It seemed loosely based off of Manhattan, New York.

"This world is nothing but pure creation," said Arthur. "How could you not be totally captivated by it?"

"It is rather fascinating," the forger agreed. "As interested as I am, however, I am not quite sure I fully understand what Cobb expects me to do here. He mentioned needing a forger in this line of work, but I specialize in the forging of material goods such as poker chips or fake money, quite useful if you're a lover of the casino like myself, but useless here, I think."

"Ah yes, of course, I understand your confusion," said Arthur. "Honestly I am not entirely sure I have grasped the idea for myself, but I do have an inkling as to what Dom is trying to achieve with you on our team."

"And that would be?"

"Well, you said you are a forger of physical things," said Arthur. "Which is on the right track of what we are trying to achieve here, in dreamspace. In fact, it should be even easier to do, with even a wider range of possibilities."

"Come again, darling?"

The point man chuckled softly. "In other words, since many rules of logic can be bent in dreamspace, with a bit of imagination, forging should be a lot easier to do here. Cobb just thought that finding someone with the natural ability would be better to work with than just another average person. Does that make sense?"

"To a degree," said Eames. "But what I still don't understand is why not just another ordinary citizen? If anything is possible here in dreamspace, then shouldn't even a child's imagination be enough for in-dream forgery?"

"Right, but they wouldn't have nearly as much realism or control. You see, Cobb isn't concerned with the bigger picture of whether or not it can be done, because we already know that it can. What he is more interested in is all the minor details of the object being forged, not just the object itself. This, as you have mentioned once or twice, should be something of a specialty for you, Mr. Eames."

The forger nodded. "I see what you're saying now. This is all quite interesting."

"Isn't it?" said Arthur. "But there's more."

"What do you mean?" Eames asked, brow raised.

"Since in the dream world, rules can be bent, we also started wondering if other types of forgery were possible."

"Other types? What do you mean by that?" asked Eames.

"You might actually find yourself enjoying this," said Arthur. "Dom and I were speculating the possibility of a forger being able to even forge a different identity. Sort of like a clone or in-dream plastic surgery, if you will."

"Impossible," Eames said, shaking his head.

"Nonsense!" said Arthur. "Haven't you ever heard the saying that nothing is ever impossible in dreams?"

"Well, yes, but I still don't see how I could possibly help you both on that account," said Eames. "Perhaps you should get yourself another forger."

The point man shook his head. "No. Dom thought this over very thoroughly. He wouldn't have called you to come here if he wasn't absolutely sure that you would be the best candidate for the job. Relax, we won't be working on in-dream forgery right away. We'll be allowing you some sessions to get used to the dream sharing environment first."

"Well if Cobb insists, then I suppose," said Eames. "But don't say that I didn't warn you."

"Of course," Arthur said with a slight nod.

Eames slipped his hands into his pant's pockets, pulling a hand out of one and absently twirling a poker chip close to his side that was now in his right hand.

"Then I guess that's all of the questions I have for you," said Eames. "I presume you have a few for me as well? Like how I also came to know Dominic Cobb, perhaps?"

"On the contrary, Mr. Eames, I am already quite aware of who you are, of all your credentials, and how you are associated with our mutual employer," said Arthur with a slight smile. "I'm a point man, that is what I do."

He looked down briefly at his watch and looked back up at Eames. "It also appears that we are just about out of time for the day; we should be waking in roughly less than a minute now. Your ride should be waiting for you at the entrance of the villa. Until our next session, Mr. Eames."

The forger's eyes furrowed slightly.

"Until next session?" he asked. "You're acting as if we won't be waking up right next to each other; we're hooked up to the same machine. Surely the conversation doesn't have to end here."

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid it does," the point man replied, before seemingly vanishing into thin air.

Eames looked around a moment, slightly confused before he too was thrust out of the dream world, blinking slowly as his eyes adjusted to the light of the room he was waking up in. As his vision cleared he began to remember where he really was. He had been picked up by a driver earlier that day at the set location Cobb had sent him earlier via text and had been taken to a secluded villa in the London countryside. During the car ride he had conversed with an older man of Japanese descent named Saito, whose car he was apparently in and who was also to be his escort to and from the location. When they arrived at the villa, Eames was led inside to one of the rooms where he was briefly introduced to the young man named Arthur as the forger that Cobb had recommended, and they immediately began the dream sharing process without providing Eames with any further background information, like who Arthur was and if they were going to do anything aside from taking a stroll inside the point man's subconscious.

It was in this same room that Eames was waking up in now, and as he was gathering his bearings he let his now focused eyes quickly scan the room and catch sight of the point man, as neatly dressed in reality as he had been in the dream, who was about to leave the room, with the dream sharing device known as the PASIV in tow.

Eames softly cleared his throat. "Hm...leaving so soon, darling?"

Arthur paused for a moment, one hand resting on the door frame, the other holding the PASIV. He turned his head slightly in the forger's direction and gave him a small smile before leaving and quietly shutting the door behind him.

The forger's lips twitched slightly, expression conflicting between confusion and disappointment as he sank back in his seat. He took a look at the length of his right arm, holding it at the wrist with his left, and noticed that the point man had already taken the IV out. He also noticed that Arthur had left the forger's jacket on his lap, folded over neatly. Eames looked once more at the door where the point man had exited just moments before, and then looked back at his hand, clenching it slowly into a fist and then releasing it back open. Eames let out a soft chuckle.

"Well bugger me," he said with a soft sigh.

A/N: Much like the other fic I posted for this fandom, I hadn't really made official chapter titles for each chapter in the original work, but I just added them in here so that the drop down menu would look less "plain."