i'm gonna leave you

[falsify]

[The last few months with Arthur have been... Nice. Really, really, nice. In some ways he's been happy that he convinced Arthur to take that day off, because it's opened them up to spending more time together for reasons other than sex, (though the sex, as always, has been outstanding,) and Eames has enjoyed it. A lot. It's something he hadn't ever thought of as missing in his life, but he could get used to it.]

[That's a problem.]

[He's seen relationships undo enough people in his line of work that that alone makes him hesitant, but with Arthur, well. Sleeping with a cop is fun, and mutually beneficial, but there's no long-term to something like that and Eames can't let himself get attached. He respects Arthur enough too, to at least do him the decency of talking to him and explaining himself instead of just vanishing. Arthur's more than good enough to track him down and shoot him if he did anyway.]

[He's been going over it again and again, and eventually he just decides to let himself in one night, waiting for Arthur to get home in his living room so they can just get this over with.]

Comments

[specifiercity]

[Arthur lets out a humourless laugh and throws his hands up.]

Well that's the thing about sick leave: they don't send you to people's doors. They don't let you do anything, actually. So you can rest easy knowing I won't be showing up to arrest or interrogate you for at least another couple weeks - or until I can hide the fact that you fucked me up so bad that I can't do my fucking job right.

[falsify]

[HE should feel bad about that, and part of him does, but more than that he's just annoyed and tired. It shouldn't be this hard to get over someone, it's never been this hard to forget about someone before.]

[He shakes his head and folds his arms over his chest.]

So we're both idiots and we're both fucked up. That's great.

[Eames sighs, going quiet and looking down for a moment in an uncomfortable silence.]

I know I did this-- I know it's my fault and I'll leave if you want me to, but I don't know how to move past this. [he swallows] I don't know if I can.

[specifiercity]

[Arthur clenches his jaw and thinks about how he should order Eames away, tell him to fuck off so he can keep trying to get over him. Pretending he wants that would be the bigget lie he's every told though, so he shakes his head and sighs miserably.]

I don't want you to leave. This whole time, all I could think about is you coming back.

[Another laugh. His head's swimming a bit.]

I don't even like my fucking job.

[falsify]

You must like something about it.

[He doesn't dare move further into the room without an invitation, so he leans against the window frame, looking from there at Arthur with a frown.]

I'll admit I don't know the finer details, but you don't become a detective by accident.

[specifiercity]

You have no idea how much bullshit I have to do to get to the part I actually like.

[He sounds miserable, a little loose from the four or five beers he's had in the last few hours, gesturing to the files as he sits back down on the couch.]

And then they just get to tell me to stop? What the fuck am I even doing? If you had just given me some fucking time, we could have figured something out.

[The words come tumbling out of him like they've been caged up in his head for weeks, and they have. He leans forward with his elbows on his knees, head in his hands, trying to just sort things out for a second.]

[falsify]

How would I have done that?

[He's not annoyed or anything of the like, if anything his tone is mostly concerned. He doesn't really know what to do here, how to help or fix this. Maybe he just shouldn't have come back, but he's here now.]

I'm sorry, I am, but it's hardly the sort of thing you call ahead for.

[specifiercity]

[He sets his mouth in a hard line and sits up again, turning his face a little more in Eames' direction but looking at the floor.]

Problems can have multiple solutions. I don't know why you thought you should just skip ahead to the only one you could think of instead of talking it out with me first. Do you really think I wouldn't have agreed with you? Tell you what we had was sustainable forever?

[He looks up at Eames, a challenging look in his eye.]

[falsify]

No, but...

[Well now he looks guilty, and he looks down at the ground with a sigh.]

I couldn't tell what other solutions there are. I still can't.

[specifiercity]

[Under his breath:] Well that's why you're not the fucking detective.

[He stands up and shakes his head, turning away towards his kitchen. He needs another beer.]

It could at least have been mutual. We could have agreed on it together if we saw no other way.

[falsify]

[Wow okay, rude. Eames definitely sucks in a breath at the detective comment but he doesn't say anything because he's not a complete idiot.]

It could've been a lot of things.

[Doesn't matter now.]

[specifiercity]

[Arthur leans against a wall opposite Eames and takes a sip of beer.]

Is this really what you want? Is this what you want to suffer through?

[falsify]

I wouldn't be here if it was.

[specifiercity]

[Arthur hesitates but pushes off the wall, crossing to stand in front of Eames, well within reach but not touching him. His voice is soft.]

If you could have fixed this any other way, what would you have wanted? How would your life look right now if you could have anything?

[falsify]

Well I wouldn't be breaking into your home in the middle of the night to apologise.

[It's not even a joke, it just feels like the best jumping off point, but the truth is he has no idea how to answer that. He shakes his head and pushes a hand through his head.]

I don't know. I know I want you, but I don't want either of us to give anything up for that to work.

[specifiercity]

[Arthur looks down at his drink, then out the window with a sigh.]

What if some parts of it are worth giving up?

[falsify]

[He swallows, looking at Arthur's drink too.]

Like what?

[specifiercity]

[He shrugs slowly, thoughtfully.]

I don't have to be with this police department to do what I like. I don't even have to be with the police. If I were so dedicated to that part of the job, I never would have started sleeping with you or done half of the other shit I've done to get cases closed. There are a million different ways to do what I do and a million different places I could do it.

[falsify]

[Part of him thinks maybe they should save this for when Arthur's sober, but it's not like it's a secret that Arthur hates more of the job than he enjoys. Maybe this has just pushed him to that breaking point.]

[Still...] It'd raise a lot of questions if you quit your job and suddenly started hanging around with me, of all people.

[specifiercity]

[He snorts and takes a swig from his beer.]

Not if I'm in another country.

[falsify]

[Eames' eyebrows shoot up at that.]

So we're talking about relocating now?

[specifiercity]

[Arthur looks at Eames and wrinkles his nose like he's tasted something sour before he turns away.]

If you wanna have it your way we're not talking about anything at all.

[falsify]

[Oh. Well he doesn't really know what he's supposed to say to that. Eames purses his lips and nods, shaking his head, and after a moment he turns to go back out the window. If this is what's going to happen then he doesn't see how any productive conversation is going to pass between them.]

Okay. Fine.

[specifiercity]

Don't you fucking dare go out that window.

[Arthur sets his gaze hard on Eames and watches him like he'll pounce if Eames actually goes.]

[falsify]

[Eames stops and looks over his shoulder, but he's clearly still considering it.]

What do you want from me right now?

[Because honestly he's not going to stand around for Arthur to give him shit.]

[specifiercity]

I don't want you to leave again.

[Another swig. His voice gets a little quieter.]

I want you to consider that I might be willing to change things for this.