Fanfiction: Security (Arthur/Ariadne, Het)

[vintageddreams]

 Name: Security
Fandom: Inception
Pairing: Arthur/Ariadne
Summary: Ariadne is injured and scared, Arthur is there.
Word count: 1528
Rating: T for safety (one curse word)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Warnings: Pain, general angst.
Notes: 1/1 - This has been edited and lengthened from the version in my livejournal.

They had been waiting for her.

A sharp pain shot through her ribs, making her grit her teeth to suppress a groan as she hobbled towards the cold, stone building. This was reality, she realised, wishing with all her mind that it weren’t so. She couldn’t wake up from the pain; escape it. Her totem was gripped in one of her fists, the ridges making deep grooves in the palm of her hand. With her mind foggy and steps fumbled, she pushed the door to the warehouse open, only dimly registering the solitary desk lamp shining in the otherwise ever-pervading dark.

“Ariadne?” A voice rang out, confused, and she wheeled around sharply, crying out in pain as her already bruised ribs stretched uncomfortably. She should have known Arthur would be working late; he always did. She flushed crimson, her mind already whirling with excuses.

“Oh, hey.” She stuttered, trying to straighten up as her ribs protested angrily. “What are you doing here?”

“What are YOU doing here?” He countered crossing over to her. “You’re hurt.” Ariadne felt herself become dizzy, as the room spun franticly around her.

“Shit... Arthur.” She mumbled, feeling the imminent need to lie down anywhere – even the floor. As though sensing this, he took her gently by the elbow and guided her over to the lawn chairs that were a permanent fixture of their lives.

“What happened?” He asked, examining her face carefully. When he found no visible wounds except for a bruised forehead, he gestured towards her midsection. “May I?”

She nodded, closing her eyes in embarrassment as the room spun around her. All the moments that she pictured him taking off her clothes (she was only human, after all), this was not in her projections. However, he seemed to understand, lifting her shirt with the slightest of movements, but not raising it more than he needed to. He pressed three fingers to the ribs, feeling for any breaks, murmuring assurances as she moaned weakly in pain.

“You don't have a concussion, and I don't think you've broken them.” He said, replacing her shirt. “They’re just heavily bruised.”

“It feels like I've broken them.” She grumbled, managing to open her eyes and sighing in relief when she saw the room had stopped spinning.

He didn't smile in response, instead walking away for a few moments. A sudden flash of irrational fear gripped her, and she gazed warily at the dark corners of the warehouse.

“Put this on your face.” He suddenly reappeared to hand her an ice pack, quelling some of her distress, and she complied, pressing it to the bruise to bring relief. He held another pack, and with the utmost care, placed it on her ribs. Despite his tactile nature, she hissed when it came into contact, and he shot her an apologetic look.

“What happened?” He asked again, his voice sounding strained, keeping the pack in place by her ribs. Ariadne tried not to think about the fact that his hand was so, so close to her skin.

“I... I went home after everyone else to go take a shower and sleep; we've been working way too hard on this...” She faltered, recollecting the sudden horror of opening her front door and being ambushed. “There were two guys-”

“What did they look like?” Arthur interrupted, in full investigative mode. His voice was harsh, brittle, but his hands were still gentle.

“Both were wearing suits, looked very official. Uh, one hit me on the head; I don't remember much else about them...” She frowned, hindered by the pain in her throbbing head and the struggle to remember.

“It's okay.” Unexpectedly, he took one of her free hand with his free hand, and she looked down at their joined hands in surprise. “How did you get away?”

“I'm quite proud of myself.” She smiled feebly. “I kicked the one guy in the nuts, hit the other over the head and ran.”

“So teaching you that self-defence was a good idea.” He smiled slightly in relief, but only for a moment before he furrowed his brows in concern. “I don't know who they were. It could have been Cobol, but I doubt it, they shouldn't be on your tail. Did you take any odd jobs while we all split up?”

“Not that I know of.” She said, frowning. “They were all pretty straightforward”.

Arthur paused, and she could almost see his mind calculating possibilities.

“I'll have to look into it; until then, you stay here, with us.”

“What, here in the warehouse?”

“The hotel should be fine.” He said. “I doubt we can get another room, so it’s either mine or Eames’s room.”

Being in a room alone with Arthur made her heart pound frantically, and she fought to regulate her breathing. Something, however, interrupted her, with a jolt of worry.

“But... won't they know I'm there if they were after me?” She asked, confused, and he shook his head.

“No way.”

“How do you know?” She asked, looking for assurances. She saw the determination in his face, the smirk on his lips.

“I'm the point man. It’s my job to know.” He said. “I’ve got an idea, anyway.”

She waited for him to elaborate but he remained quiet, concentrating on her ribs, so she relaxed, knowing that if anyone could protect the team- her- it was him.

“Why are you here late anyway?” She said, yawning as the chase began to catch up with her. “I asked you first, remember.”

“Just details. I was making sure I knew everything about the mark.” It remained unspoken that this was because of the Fischer job. “We’d better get you back to the hotel, remember Hagens wants us in early tomorrow and it’s –“He checked his watch. “Just gone one now.” He removed his hand from her side, and she felt the loss.

“Lead the way.” She said, as he pulled her up with their still-linked hands.

They walked into Arthur’s hotel room, and Ariadne could have cried on seeing the plush, double bed. Wait, double bed?

“We’re going to be sharing?” She said, hoping her voice didn’t sound as squeaky as it did to her own ears, and she cursed inwardly.

“I was going to take the sofa.” He said, gesturing towards the leather loveseat beneath the window.

“Don’t be silly.” She barked. “You can’t give up your bed for me. It’s a double bed, we can share, we’re grown-ups.” She was trying to reassure herself more than him, because she felt her stomach squirm uncomfortably at the thought of being so close to him.

“If you’re okay with it.” He studied her for a moment. “Put that ice pack back on your head and go lie down.”

She did so, kicking off her trainers and not even bothering to undress before getting under the covers. She still felt shaky, and beyond her senses, she dimly heard Arthur moving around the room.

“Ari?” He said, and she had to force herself to listen.

“Mmm?”

“I’m going to go update Eames. Don’t open the door to anyone, okay?”

“Arthur, I can’t even move right now, never mind open the door. I’ve never been more comfortable in my life.” She mumbled, and she could almost hear the corners of his mouth turn up.

“Right.”

He left the room, and she took a moment to take stock of everything. The room upstairs was playing their TV set as loudly as possible – and judging by the groaning, they decided to take advantage of the porn channels. Flushing, she tried to refocus on the pain in her side, to ignore them.

The door opened, and she started, before relaxing at the sight of Arthur re-entering, cursing.

“What’s up?”

“Eames’s a dick.” He sighed, removing his tie and jacket. He picked up the other ice pack, the one that had previously been on her ribs, and crossed over to the other side of the bed, out of Ariadne’s sight. She felt the bed dip down, and his body slide into the covers – then she jumped out of her skin and swore as cold hit her ribs.

“Arthur! Could have warned me!” She yelped, trying to relax.

He laughed, but didn’t reply. They fell silent for quite some time.

“This job seems funny.” Arthur confided quietly. “Eames agrees. Hagens is a new extractor, knowing all sorts about the mark that he’d only know if he knew him – or had extracted from him before. And now these guys coming for you…”

“Wait, won’t they know where we are right now then? You told me they wouldn’t!” She said, suddenly wide awake with worry.

“Hagens doesn’t know we’re here at this hotel, we didn’t tell him where we were staying.”

“That’s convenient.” She yawned.

“You should sleep.”

“Okay. Okay, I will.” Ariadne let her hand holding the ice pack fall from her head. Arthur removed the ice pack from her ribs, and she let her eyelids drift downwards. “You need to sleep too. Even point men need sleep.”

“I will.”

Just before she fell into an uneasy sleep, she felt him gently drape his arm across her waist, securing her in place.