Control

(Disclaimer: Inception is property of Christopher Nolan. Mysterious Skin is property of Gregg Araki.)

Prologue: Eight Things Eames Notices About Arthur

(One.)

It's the first thing Eames notices, one late autumn night, in the back of a bar that Eames like to eat at after work. Arthur sips at his drink and stares at other people in the bar. Quiet. Contemplative. They do this every night, but it's not until this night that Eames discovers that Arthur has begun to grow comfortable around him (which is always a feat when it's Arthur).

When he's talking, when it's drawing on late into the evening, his voice starts taking on a different lilt, a deeper tone, a lazier tone. His words slur, but not drunkenly (even though he is a little drunk).

Midwestern.

Eames picks up on it the third night that he hears it. (Eames is an expert on these things, since he's the forger.)

Arthur notices him staring, furrows his eyebrows. "What?" he asks, terribly coherent, as if he knows what is wrong.

"Nothing, love," Eames replies, and he assumes that it is such.

(Two.)

One afternoon, Eames is late for work, so he's right on time for himself. Eames and Arthur have not worked together since the inception, so he's quite pleased to be in business with him again. Arthur is a lot of fun to try and figure out, not like all the others.

He finds Arthur hunched under his desk, padding the ground with his hands. By the time Eames is close enough, the point man appears to have found what he was looking for.

He notices Eames too suddenly to stop himself, and he looks up, and one of his eyes is the strangest color blue that Eames has ever seen.

Arthur says nothing when he cleans off his brown contact lens and slips it back into his eye.

(Three.)

The night before going after the mark, Eames and Arthur have to share a hotel room. Eames makes jokes, and Arthur mutters annoyed sounds under his breath (typical). It's cold as hell outside, and the hotel room is dingy on a good day.

Arthur, who seems like the type to hate the nastiness of public places, seems surprisingly fine with it, almost as though he's used to it.

Eames flips channels for a while, and Arthur sets a pressed suit out for tomorrow before crawling into bed wearing the one he's already got on.

Eames is concerned, watching Arthur sink into the bed at midnight, only to hear him get up at four o' clock to iron the suit he slept in and replace his contact lenses. He's already dressed when he irons.

It's almost as if Arthur has convinced himself that if he were to take his clothes off, he wouldn't be Arthur anymore.

(Four.)

Arthur stares at the mark with controlled horror and disdain, an emotion that an inexperienced person wouldn't even notice. He swallows hard and says, "It's nothing" when Eames asks. Then, they're in his dream, so they need to act fast.

Eames has taken on the form of the man's wife, and Arthur sits at the bar, keeping watch, making sure of everything, like he always does.

The mark bypasses Eames completely, as if he wasn't there, and Eames is shocked to see him take a seat next to Arthur, mumbling something to him.

Arthur shakes his head and won't look at the man.

Eames watches the man touch Arthur's shoulder in an intimate way, and Arthur clocks him.

The projections swarm them like wildfire.

(Five.)

Arthur is tearing through the airport, walking a pace so brisk and full of anger that people unconsciously move out of the way for him without ever meeting his eyes.

Eames nearly has to run to keep up with him. How Arthur can carry his bags and move so fast is beyond him, but Eames has never been as neat a packer as Arthur and was fortunate enough to pack all of his things in a bright yellow duffel bag that Arthur hates. He's carrying the PASIV because Arthur won't even go near it.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Eames finally manages to half-gasp, half-shout when he gets close enough.

"It was fuckin' bullshit is what it was!" Arthur growls right back before stumbling to a complete halt. Eames knows Arthur notices this time.

He tries to regain his control and composure, taking a few deep breaths through his nose, and Eames can feel him hoping that Eames doesn't notice things like that (He does).

"It was…" he annunciates. He annunciates so much. "It was too far. I… just…"

"Lost your cool?" Eames offers, and then he feels that he's at risk to be punched as well.

Arthur straightens his coat, even though it's perfectly fine, and he works his jaw. He wonders if Arthur has always grinded his teeth. He has never noticed that.

(Six.)

Arthur most definitely grinds his teeth.

(Seven.)

Arthur also never showers when there are other people staying in his hotel room. On the next job, Eames hears him freshening up in the sink at work.

He always locks the bathroom door.

This job is also a disaster, but only because the extractor sucks.

(Eight.)

"I was only eight years old."

That's the only thing Eames hears when Arthur mumbles in his sleep.