Rating:Pg-13

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Steal me now and forever

"So, I've been thinking about your offer."

Eames looks up from the cheeseburger he is currently nibbling on, at the younger man sitting across from him.

Arthur, who at thirty-one still looks very much like the kid he had met a little over a decade ago, is running his long fingers against his coffee cup, not seeming to mind the heat radiating from the hot beverage within. He is not looking Eames in the eye, but rather off to the right, into nothing.

"Have you?" Eames asks, a little surprised that Arthur has chosen to bring up the subject in such a public place.

There aren't many people in the small café, just a young couple in their early twenties sharing a sundae in the booth next to theirs, and an old man in a yellow beret reading a newspaper and drinking iced tea at one of the tables. There is also the young pregnant, waitress with fading red hair, standing behind the counter, looking painfully bored as picks at her black finger nail polish

But Eames knows Arthur, and he knows that the man doesn't like talking about private matters in public places. It is struggle just to get him talking about anything personal to begin with.

"Yes, I have." Arthur confirms as he picks up his coffee cup. It is then that Eames notices the other man's hand slightly trembling as he brings the cup to his thin lips, and takes a tiny sip.

He is nervous. Arthur's hand's always shake when he is nervous. The first time they made love, Eames had felt those trembling hands grip onto him as he entered the younger man, and when Arthur finally told Cobb about their relationship, Eames had intertwined those quivering fingers with his own.

"And what conclusion have you come to?" Eames asks as he puts his half eaten burger off to the side of his plate. He leans back into his seat, and watches Arthur as he sets his cup down on the white saucer in front of him.

He takes a deep breath, and leans in closer to the table, as if he is about to reveal a secret.

"I think it would be beneficial for the both of us, if I accepted."

Eames thinks his lungs might be collapsing, because it feels almost impossible for him to breath.

"Do you?" He asks, trying to keep his cool, whilst repressing the utter shock that is coursing throughout him.

"Yes, I do," Arthur responds, adding a nod for further confirmation "and I would like to do it as soon as possible."

This is definitely not the response Eames had been anticipating. He had hoped that Arthur would accept his offer, which he found to be very solid and straightforward, but after two weeks of "I'm still considering it" he had started to suspect that Arthur was leaning towards declining.

Of course he is surprised that his suspicion was wrong, but is exceedingly pleased nonetheless.

"I see." Eames says trying to bite back a smile. "How soon are we talking about?"

"Well" Arthur sighs "I guess now's as good a time as any."

Now there are only three times where Arthur has left Eames completely floored. The first time would be when Arthur first kissed him, after Eames had surprised him with a chocolate chip cookie cake that said "Happy Birthday Darling" for his twenty-ninth birthday, after everyone, including Cobb and his own mother, had forgotten it. The second time had been when they were driving to Cobb's house for a visit, and "Mo Money Mo Problems" by Notorious B.I.G. came on Arthur's iPod; the younger man knew every single word by heart. The most recent time had been a few days after he had moved into Arthur's flat when he found picture of himself sleeping naked (presumably taken after they had had sex) in Arthur's bedside table drawer. The only thing Arthur had to say about it was "it's a good picture" before snatching it out of Eames hand.

Now he had a fourth thing to add to his list.

"You want to do it now?" Eames asks stupidly. "It's seven o'clock at night."

"So?" Arthur shrugs and Eames cannot for the life of him understand how he can be so calm about this. "It won't be legal, at least not here anyway. Besides, I think it might be nice if it was just the two of us."

"You don't think we should let Cobb in on it?" Eames can't believe that Arthur wouldn't want the man who practically his brother, to be a part of this.

"No, he'll understand." Arthur replies with clear certainty in his deep voice. "I want to keep this simple. Just you and me"

"Nothing about our relationship will ever be simple, daring." Eames points out as he reaches for the lone French fry on his plate. "However, if you want to keep this simple, then I'm willing to try and give you what you want." He takes a bite of the thin sliced and deep fried potato, while Arthur takes a long sip of his coffee "So, where are we going to do this thing?"

Arthur sits his cup back down and scans the room briefly.

"Here will do."

"Are you being serious?" it is a stupid question for Eames to ask, because Arthur is always serious, and Arthur just nods, like what he has just suggested isn't at all odd. "Okay, then tell me Arthur, how exactly is this going to work?"

Arthur doesn't look like he is too sure himself. His brown eyes are wandering all over the place—as though he is looking for the answer to Eames' question-until they finally rest on the pregnant waitress.

"Give me a second." He says before sliding out of the booth and making his way across the café, toward the counter where the young waitress was standing.

Eames watches as Arthur leans in across the counter to talk to the waitress, a polite smile gracing his lips. She smiles back, showing off her perfectly straight teeth, as Arthur proceeds to talk to her. Eames finds it hard not to feel a little jealous, whenever he sees Arthur smile at anyone who isn't him. It may seem irrational, but Arthur's smiles—being as scarce as they were—should be reserved solely for him alone.

The waitress pulls out two straws from her black apron, and hands them to Arthur, who thanks her with another smile, before walking back to the booth.

Instead of sitting back on his side of the booth, Arthur slides in next to Eames, who moves closer to the wall, in order to make room for the younger man.

Arthur takes one of the straws, and carefully tears the very top of white paper wrapping. Eames, though slightly confused, watches with interest as Arthur carefully removes the straw out of the wrapping with the precision of a surgeon, and then tosses the straw on the table.

"Arthur, what-"

"Give me your left hand." Arthur says in a softer tone he usually reserves for when they are in the privacy of their apartment. Eames extends his hand out to the other man, without question, not thinking, just following his lovers lead, as Arthur proceeds to take the straw wrapper and tie it around Eames ring finger. "I, Arthur Dean Grey, vow to spend the rest of my days with you, Simon Marcus Eames, and only you. I promise to keep you safe, and stay by your side until the day I draw my last breath. I'll love you in this life and beyond, for always and ever."

Arthur gently rips off the extra bit of wrapper left from Eames "ring", before raising his hand to his lips, and placing a soft kiss on the older man's knuckle. The gesture is done in such a tender and affectionate nature, that Eames is left nearly breathless by the time Arthur's lips leaves his skin.

Soft brown eyes stare up at him, waiting for him to make a move, so Eames takes the other straw, and proceeds to copy Arthur's steps: gently rip the top of the straw wrapper, carefully sliding the straw out, and then toss the straw aside.

Eames doesn't have to ask Arthur for his hand; the younger man has already extended it out for him.

Eames begins tying the wrapper around Arthur's long, thin finger in the same fashion as his lover had.

"I, Simon Marcus Eames, vow to spend my days with you, Arthur Dean Grey, and only you. I promise to protect you from harm, and never leave your side, even in the face death. I'll love you in this world and the next, for as long as you will have me." Eames cannot withhold the joy he feels, when he looks up to see Arthur's brilliant smile—dimples and all—that is just for him. He matches that smile with one of his own, as he leans in closer to the other man. "So do I get to kiss my bride now?"

Arthur scrunches his nose at the word "bride" but it doesn't stop him from meeting Eames halfway.

"You may." Arthur whispers and Eames happily closes the gap between them.

The kiss is soft and sweet; a gentle press of lips that is so innocent, it causes an unexpected wetness to flow out of the corner of Eames eyes, as he cups the side of Arthur's face with his left hand.

When they finally pull away, Eames rests his forehead against the younger man's, and as he gazes into those brown orbs, he notices that Arthur's eyes are damp as well. He takes the hand that is resting on the other man's cheek, and wipes the tears away, with a simple brush of his thumb.

They both laugh at the gesture and the absurdity of the moment, because who would have thought that the two of them would ever exchange vows, in a nameless café, with straw wrappers acting as wedding rings? Years ago, they couldn't stand to be in the same proximity as each other, but now Eames can't even fathom a life without the dark haired man by his side, and he knows Arthur feels the same.

"So what are we now?" Eames asks with the happiness he is feeling still laced in his voice. "Husbands? Life partners? Mr. and Mr. Eames-Grey?"

None of those terms seems to fit, at least not when applied to their relationship, and Eames can't imagine either one of them referring to each other as "husband." It just isn't them.

"How about I just continue to be your darling," Arthur whispers with a smile "and you can be my Mr. Eames. How does that sound?"

"Arthur, my darling," Eames purrs as pulls his Arthur to him with the intention of kissing him breathless after he is done talking "that sounds perfect."

End

Author's note: I've always wanted to do a wedding fic with this pairing, but I didn't want to write a conventional ceremony, especially for these two. So I was watching this film about Allen Ginsberg, and he talked about how he and long term lover Peter Orlovsky exchanged vows to commit to each other in a New York cafeteria, and that is where I got the idea for this. The film is called "The Life and Times Of Allen Ginsberg" if anyone is interested. :)