maybe we show some mercy

[falsify]

[Usually, facing your fears means discovering they're not as bad as they seemed in your head. That your mind catastrophises and exaggerates and the reality is nowhere near what it seemed. Eames certainly wishes that were the case here, but it turns out the reality is far worse than anything that crossed his mind. He'd long since come to terms with the idea that getting caught meant death, but the captain of this discreet little crew made a point of talking about "re-education" with such conviction that it seems like a very real possibility. A real possibility that terrifies Eames in ways he didn't even know he could feel.]

[It's hard not to be mad at himself, and in fact he is. He's fucking furious. Years of being meticulous about hiding from the Empire rendered obsolete because some asshole wanted to make some quick money and Eames hadn't spotted the signs even though that's exactly the kind of thing he's supposed to be good at. And now here he is, bound in a cell on a ship, no idea how long he's been here or where they are — no idea about much of anything outside this room, actually — pumped full of power inhibitors to make doubly sure he can't escape.]

[Fucking hell but it hurts. Hands cuffed behind his back, made to stay on his knees for... A long time. Simultaneously can't feel his legs and yet the muscles burn and ache. All of him a mess of cuts and bruises, a mix of injuries from fighting back and some from cruelty passed off as discipline. He thinks his nose might be broken and one of his eyes is swollen into a semi-permanant squint. The longer he kneels here, the more Eames thinks the inhibitor injections were less about preventing escape and more about making sure he couldn't heal away the beatings; making sure he'd suffer through every moment of the trip "home."]

Comments

[falsify]

Well...

[He doesn't finish that statement, just takes Arthur's tablet to start looking around maps for the local systems.]

[specifiercity]

[Arthur leans forward, resting his chin on his hand as he waits patiently, watching Eames. He's a little worried about Eames being overtired and maybe a little irrational with well-justified fear, but he's ready to listen and try reasoning with him if he proposes something awful.]

[falsify]

[Eames rubs an eye absently while he drags the map around and starts plotting a course-- he's obviously avoiding places that traverse too much open space where they could easily be attacked, even if he hasn't realised himself that he's doing it, but otherwise nothing too odd. If anything is really odd, it's that he hasn't put in any risky shortcuts across debris fields or anything similar to save time like usual.]

[He holds it up for Arthur to get a proper look when he's done.]

[specifiercity]

[Arthur reviews it a few times, tilting his head. It’s terribly close to what he would choose to do, which is terribly unlike Eames. But it’s good; it’s safe.]

Okay, yeah, looks good to me. I guess we can leave whenever, then.

[falsify]

[Eames is used to a certain amount of pushback from Arthur, so he gives him a confused look when he says it looks good. Maybe he's just dying to get on the move.]

Alright. [Eames stands and sighs.] I'll go put it in the nav system.

[specifiercity]

Yeah, okay.

[Arthur nods and watches Eames, trying not to helicopter too much but wary of what he might do.]

[falsify]

[He takes a seat once they get to the cockpit and starts inputting everything. A couple of dumb mistakes make it take longer than usual and Eames grumbles under his breath, but he gets it done even if it takes ages.]

Okay.

[Time to go.]

[specifiercity]

[Arthur just sits, patiently waiting as Eames navigates all his mistakes and they get going. The ship basically flies itself from point A to point B as long as there isn't a lot else going on, and Arthur's happy to let it do so for now, glancing over at Eames from time to time even after he picks up one of their reading tablets to bring up a little more info about their next stop.]

[falsify]

[He's always found watching the readouts when they're on an easy journey relaxing, something about it that puts him at ease. Usually he uses that time to go over what's next in his head, but right now he's so tired it's like reading before bed. It takes less than an hour before he can't keep his eyes open anymore and starts drifting off to sleep.]

[specifiercity]

[Arthur doesn't notice Eames nodding off for ten or fifteen minutes, absorbed in his research and trying to calculate and decide the exact values for the supplies they need. When he notices he considers letting Eames sit there and sleep, but it doesn't seem wise for a number of reasons and ultimately he gets up to put a hand on Eames' shoulder and shake him gently.]

Hey, you should be in bed.

[falsify]

[Eames isn't great about being woken up right now, for obvious reasons, and when Arthur shakes him it makes Eames wake in a panic and reach to grab his wrist. Which probably makes it seem a little stupid to protest going to bed, but he does.]

I'm fine, I'm awake.

[specifiercity]

No you're not, you need to rest.

[Arthur's tone is steady. Eames has been understandably off since Arthur rescued him, but now it seems that he's trying to convince himself he's better and Arthur can tell it's quite the opposite.]

Come on, I'll lay down with you if you want.

[He knows what the answer to that is going to be but he also hopes the prospect of spooning might entice him to bed.]

[falsify]

No, I can't--

[The thought of laying down with Arthur sounds really good, but something about it makes his heart race and his breathing just a little faster too.]

I should keep an eye out, just in case. I know what to look for.

[specifiercity]

You can't even keep your eyes open.

[He brings a hand up to Eames' jaw.]

Just go lie down. I know what to look for too; we've been over it a million times.

[falsify]

[Eames makes a slightly pitiful noise, but eventually he nods and carefully gets up out of the chair, steps slow and unsteady with sleep as he drags himself bedwards.]

[specifiercity]

[Arthur puts a comforting hand on his back to guide him through the first few steps.]

You want me to come with you? I can put us in stealth mode.

[falsify]

[He nods before he can stop himself, thinking more about how good Arthur's arms are going to feel around him than why he started avoiding this in the first place.]

[specifiercity]

[Arthur frowns, a little worried as he watches after Eames for a moment before he turns back to the control panels to get all their stealth drives up and running. It takes a minute or so but after that he heads back to bed to find Eames.]

[falsify]

[Eames hasn't even bother to get undressed or anything, he's just crawled into the bed, curled up on his side, and immediately fallen asleep.]

[specifiercity]

[Arthur gets down to a t-shirt and underwear for comfort's sake, slipping into bed and pressing himself to Eames' back, arm around his waist, trying not to jostle too much. As important as it is to keep an eye out for the Empire, Arthur has determined that the chances of them being spotted are low enough that Eames can get priority.]

[falsify]

[Arthur's presence is a comfort that Eames responds easily to in his sleep. He curls up a little smaller and presses his back to Arthur's chest to try and get as many points of contact between them as possible. It won't stop the dreams, but for now before he's in a deep sleep it feels good, safe.]

[specifiercity]

[Arthur gives the back of Eames' head a soft kiss before he sighs and lays his head down to sleep. It'll be a light nap but that's better anyway; if Eames starts thrashing around because of a nightmare he'll need to react quickly.]

[falsify]

[It doesn't take a long time before he's obviously having a nightmare again, body tense and the occasional murmur of some protest before it really gets its hooks in and he's writhing slightly, worming out of Arthur's grip.]

[specifiercity]

[It takes Arthur a minute or two to wake up, but when he does he immediately pushes himself up on an elbow and puts his hand on Eames' shoulder, shaking him very gently and murmuring his name to try and get him to wake up.]

[falsify]

[He doesn't shout or lash out, but there's an obvious panic when Eames finally wakes up. His whole body tenses up and Eames' eyes snap open, darting around to take in what he can of the room and figure out where he is. He's like a cornered animal trying to figure out how to escape, not at all moving but clearly ready to launch himself out of bed if he has to.]