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Chapter Text

Arthur stopped to check his reflection in some square’s side mirror. Pompadour combed into place, cigarettes perfectly cradled in two-and-three-quarters turn ups of his white t-shirt sleeves, T-Birds jacket thrown over his shoulder.  He looked good. It was time to start a new school year.

The rest of the T-Birds were already staking out their hang-out spot, lazing on an old set of bleachers near the football field. Cobb was smoking a cigarette, leaning back to get some sun. Sonny and Doody and Putzie were hanging on his every word.

“What’s up, man?” Arthur reached out and clasped his friend’s hand in their usual greeting. “Where you been all summer?”

Cobb shrugged. “Workin’. Hauling boxes at Bargain City.”

Arthur scowled. “Why you doin’ that?”

Cobb grinned. “Gonna get me some wheels. You’ll see.”

Arthur shrugged with practiced nonchalance.

“Anyway,” Cobb said, “you ain’t been around either.”

Arthur smiled, a bit wistful. “Been at the beach.”

“The beach?” Cobb raised his eyebrow. “How’s the action at the beach?”

“I did meet this one guy, he was sort of cool,” Arthur began.  “Summer lovin’ and all that. Had me a blast.”

Putzie and Doody were suddenly interested, leering. “Tell me more, tell me more!” they demanded.

“He swam by me and got a cramp,” Arthur began. “I saved his life, he nearly drowned! After that, I took him bowling in the arcade. Then we made out under the dock.” He trailed off and sighed. “Oh, those summer nights.”

Sonny sneered. “You don’t gotta brag.”

Arthur couldn’t help but grin again. Nothing wrong with a little embellishment. “He got friendly, down in the sand…” He raised his eyebrows. “And he was good, if you know what I mean.”

All four of the T-Birds were whooping now, asking if the guy had a friend. “Wait,” Cobb finally asked, “what’s he doing now?”

Arthur shrugged to hide his disappointed face. “Dunno, man. Headed back to where he’s from. Just a summer fling. Don’t mean a thing.” He clapped his friend on the back. “Let’s head in, boys. This year, we’re in charge around here!”

Chapter Text

Eames was nervous. He’d changed schools many times, but it still made him uncomfortable every time. He’d dressed carefully, his trousers and shirt pressed, his hair neatly combed. He wanted to make a good impression on his first day at Rydell High.

The office was the same as any other high school office--a secretary with mimeograph ink on her fingers, a principal with a tight-lipped smile. Luckily, a friendly looking guy was passing just as Eames was asking how to get to his first class. “Yusuf!” the secretary called. “Show our new student around Rydell, please!”

It turned out that Yusuf was more inviting and open that anybody had been at Eames’ last school, and he found himself having lunch with Yusuf’s group of friends, the incongruously named “Pink Ladies.” Marty and Jan were nearly as friendly as Yusuf, but the girl who clearly led the group, Ariadne, seemed less sure about Eames. “How did you spend your summer?” she asked, her eyes narrowing.

“At the beach,” Eames sighed, letting his sadness-tinged nostalgia fill his face. “I met a guy there.”

“You hauled your cookies all the way to the beach for some guy?” Ariadne laughed.

“He was sort of special,” Eames began.

“There ain’t no such thing,” Ariadne said firmly.

Over the course of their lunch, Eames told the group about the guy he’d met, how he’d just turned eighteen, and how sweet he was. “We strolled around, drank lemonade…” Eames trailed off, then added with excitement, “we even stayed out until ten o’clock!”

“Does he have a car?” Marty inquired.

“He sounds like a drag,” Ariadne said, slipping her sunglasses on.

“What was his name?” Jan asked, tossing her empty lunch bag into the garbage.

“Arthur,” Eames said, smiling again. “Arthur.”

All of the Pink Ladies laughed, seemingly in on a joke Eames didn’t know. He saw Ariadne shoot the others a warning look. As the bell rang to end lunch, Eames wondered what he’d done to get on Ariadne’s bad side.

Chapter Text

By the year’s first pep rally on Saturday night, Eames was feeling a little more secure with his new place at Rydell. Yusuf continued to be friendly, but the rest of the Pink Ladies continued to be distant and look often at Ariadne for their cues. Knowing that the best way to make friends at a new school was to get involved in an activity, Eames joined the cheerleading squad. He wasn’t great at it, but at least it gave him something to do.

When the pep rally ended, Eames was surprised to see the Pink Ladies approaching. He hadn’t expected them to be pep rally types. “Come on,” Ariadne said with a smile. “We have a surprise for you.”

“For me? What is it?” Eames grinned. This was going better than he’d hoped.

“Here you go!” Ariadne said, suddenly pushing Eames forward until he nearly collided with another person. To Eames’ great surprise, the other person was...Arthur?

“Arthur?!” Eames said, his voice rising with excitement. He barely noticed the other guys standing behind Arthur in their leather jackets.

“Eames!” Arthur looked delighted. “What are you doing here? I thought you had to go back to England!”

Eames grinned hard. “We had a change of plans!”

Suddenly, Arthur seemed to notice they weren’t alone. “That’s cool, baby,” he said, his tone changing completely. “I mean, you know how it is, rockin’ and rollin’ and what not.”

Eames’ forehead wrinkled. “Arthur?”

“That’s my name, don’t wear it out.”

“What’s the matter with you?”

“What’s the matter with me, baby, what’s the matter with you?”

Eames couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “What happened to the Arthur I met at the beach?” he demanded.

Arthur shrugged and looked at his friends before speaking again, clearly he was making fun of Eames. “Well I do not know. Maybe there’s two of us. Why don’t you take out a missing person’s ad? Or try the yellow pages, I don’t know.”

Now Eames was angry. “You’re a fake and a phony and I wish I never laid eyes on you!” he hissed.

As he stomped away, Eames didn’t even notice the angry, ashamed look Arthur shot Ariadne.

Chapter Text

For a couple of weeks, Arthur thought a ton about Eames, but didn’t see him. He was busy helping Cobb restore his junker car, and listening to him rhapsodize about his new relationship with Ariadne, which had apparently started the night of the pep rally. While he was still irritated with Ariadne for springing Eames on him, Arthur had to admit that his reaction hadn’t been her fault.

One afternoon, Arthur and Cobb headed into the malt shop after school. They met up with the rest of the T-Birds to chat about cars and girls. No sooner had they sat down, though, than Arthur noticed Eames.

Eames was sitting at a close-by table, sharing a malt with a dumb-looking blonde football player. As Arthur tried to keep from staring at Eames, Ariadne walked by, innocently licking an ice cream cone.

“Somebody snaking you, Arthur?” She grinned.

“Oh, bite the weenie, Ariadne,” he shot back.

She sneered. “With relish.” She ruffled Cobb’s hair as she walked away.

As Arthur watched, Eames got up and headed toward the jukebox. He didn’t look at Arthur directly, but was clearly waiting to see if Arthur was looking at him. Knowing he shouldn’t, but unable to stop himself, Arthur got up and headed toward the jukebox. When he tried to talk to Eames, though, the answers were polite and distant. Eames didn’t even look up from selecting his songs.

Never one to be put off easily, Arthur took a deep breath and got to the point. “I’m sorry for the way I acted at the bonfire,” he began. “That wasn’t me. I just...I have this image. And I need…”

Eames interrupted, looking up at his date and fluttering his fingers. “That’s why I’m so glad Tom is a simple person,” he said coolly.

“Simple is right,” Arthur agreed. “Too bad his brains are in his biceps.”

“Jealous,are you?” Eames asked.

“Jealous?” Arthur’s eyebrows hit his hairline. “Oh, come on, Eames. Don’t make me laugh.” He let out a little fake laugh.

“And what have you ever done?” Eames challenged.

“Oh come on,” Arthur snorted. “I can run circles around those jerks!”

Eames lifted an eyebrow and began to walk away. “I’ll believe that when I see it,” he said.

Chapter Text

Arthur felt very, very stupid. Standing in the middle of the Rydell gymnasium, watching all the jocks around him, he had never been so uncool in his life. It had never occurred to him to take up a sport before, but Eames’ condescension had been clear. He wanted Arthur to prove himself, and Arthur could do anything he put his mind to.
When the coach approached, he pulled the cigarette gently from Arthur’s mouth. “Let’s start with the first rule,” he said, his voice cheerful. “Cut it down to two packs a day, huh?” He smiled. “The first thing we have to do is, you have to change.”

“I know,” Arthur said, straightening his spine. “That’s why I’m here. You know, to change.”

“No,” the coach chuckled. “I mean your clothes.”

God, this was going to be a long process.

Arthur went through attempts at basketball (he started a fight), wrestling (he started a fight), and baseball (he started a fight, this time with a bat) before he settled on track. It turned out that long distance running was perfect.

Chapter Text

It was the running that got Eames back. One day, knowing Eames was watching, Arthur sprinted around the track. Unfortunately, he was paying too much attention to Eames and not enough to his feet, and he tripped. Before he could even get up off the dirt, Eames had run to his side, asking if he was OK. Within a few minutes, they fell back into their pattern from the summer, talking easily, and Eames agreed to go out with Arthur.

The peace was short-lived. As Arthur led Eames toward the malt shop, he noticed the T-Birds inside. This wasn’t going to go well, but it couldn’t be helped.

Arthur and Eames sat down and Saito, the waitress, came over right away. “What’ll it be, kids?”

“Cherry soda for me, please,” Eames said.

“Uh, I’m not very hungry,” Arthur mumbled, not looking at the menu. “Just gimme a double Polar Burger with everything and a cherry soda with chocolate ice cream.”

“Oooh, that sounds good,” Eames said. “I’ll have the same!”

God, Arthur liked him.

Before their date could get any further, Cobb showed up, butting right in. Ariadne was right behind him, and they dragged another table over. Within minutes, the rest of both the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies had joined them, all talking loudly and complaining about not being able to afford anything to eat.

Ariadne was powdering her nose and frowning. “I got so many hickies, people are gonna think I’m a leper.” She glared at Cobb.

“Cheer up,” he said, smiling. “A hickey from Cobb is like a Hallmark card. I care enough to send the very best.” He grabbed Arthur’s burger and took a huge bite.

“You pig!” Ariadne hissed.

“Oh, I love it when you talk dirty,” Cobb replied, his mouth full.

When Eames spoke, Arthur hoped for a moment that the rest of the crowd would be too absorbed in their own conversations to hear him. “My parents want to invite you ‘round for tea on Sunday,” he said, spooning up some ice cream. “Do you want to come?”

Everybody stared at Arthur. “I don’t like tea,” he said, lighting a cigarette.

“You don’t have to drink tea,” Eames giggled.

Arthur glanced at Cobb, who was laughing at him. “Well, I don’t like parents,” he retorted.

Eames looked upset, but didn’t say anything else.

Chapter Text

For weeks, all anybody talked about was The Dance. National Bandstand had chosen Rydell as a representative American high school, and they were broadcasting their dance-off live. The winner of the dance-off would receive a trophy and a whole new record collection. Everyone was excited, and nobody more so than Eames, for whom it would be a first American dance, and Arthur, who knew he’d have the hottest guy in the room on his arm.

They waltzed in feeling great. Arthur chose a bright pink shirt with a wide collar, matching pocket square, to signal his intention to be the star of this show. Eames dressed to compliment him, all in white. As they strolled in, Arthur told Eames he’d made friends with the camera man, ensuring they’d get their fair share of time on screen.

It had occurred to Eames that he and Arthur might not dance well together. He could imagine they were both great dancers, but were so different that they might not compliment one another. The worry was unfounded. As soon as the first number started, it was as if they’d been dancing together forever. Eames relaxed and smiled, letting Arthur lead, soon comfortable doing fancier footwork and more lifts and swings. By the end of the song, they were panting, flushed, grinning at each other. Eames hadn’t ever had more fun.

It didn’t take long for the night to start going downhill. It started when Cobb introduced Arthur and Eames to his date, Robert.

“How you doin’, Arthur baby?” Robert asked, raising her eyebrows at Arthur.

“Alright,” Arthur said, wishing he could sink into the gym floor. “Let’s go, Eames.” He pulled Eames back out to the dance floor.

“How do you know him?” Eames asked as they began a group dance.

“He’s just an old friend of the family’s, that’s all,” Arthur said, desperately hoping Eames would drop it. To Arthur’s surprise, he did.

When National Bandstand started filming, the excitement level in the gym skyrocketed. While most of the couples rushed the cameras, Arthur and Eames concentrated more on each other, their moves getting progressively trickier. Then, the announcement for the start of the actual dance contest began, along with the reminder of the record collection prize, the “Hand Jive” music started, and the excitement in the room peaked.

Arthur and Eames hand jived together like they were born for it. Soon, only a few couples remained on the floor. Arthur and Eames circled the room, throwing lasso and pistol moves, perfectly aligned. They appeared to have it in the bag. Then, suddenly, Eames was begun spun away, tossed toward the crowd, and Robert had taken the spot next to Arthur.

For a moment, Arthur thought to follow Eames, but he couldn’t bear to leave the dance floor. Robert was next to him, following his moves easily--easier than Eames had, even. He was a great dancer, graceful and smiling and hyping the crowd, and Arthur let himself get carried away. Before he knew it, the winner’s trophy was shoved into Robert’s grasping fist and Eames was nowhere to be seen.

Chapter Text

Arthur was surprised at how easily Eames seemed to forgive him what happened at the dance. He agreed to a trip to the drive-in the next night. He was cold, though, shrugging away when Arthur put his arm around his shoulders.

“Oh come on, Eames,” Arthur exclaimed. “I told you on the phone that I was sorry.” He had, and the words had nearly stuck. He didn’t say them often.

“I know that you did,” Eames answered.

“Well, you do believe me, don’t you?”

“Yes, but I still think that you and Robert went together.” Eames pursed his lips.

“We did not go together, Eames. We just went together, that’s all!” Arthur couldn’t believe Eames was willfully ignoring the clear difference.

“It’s the same thing!” Eames argued.

“No. No. No.” Arthur realized he was going to need to demonstrate to Eames how different the relationship he was trying to build here was from the one he’d had with Robert. Trying to keep it casual, he worked his class ring off his finger. He had to slick it up with hair grease to get it off, and ended up elbowing Eames in the chest as his arm recoiled, but it finally came loose. “Eames, um, would you wear my ring?” Arthur put on his most endearing face, letting his dimples flash.

“Oh Arthur! I don’t know what to say!” Eames grinned furiously.

“Say yes!” Arthur instructed.

“Yes!” Eames replied, leaning forward and kissing his cheek, then slipping the ring on his finger. “Oh Arthur, this means so much to me,” he said. “Cuz I know now that you respect me.”

Arthur wasn’t sure how to interpret that. Respect wasn’t precisely what he had in mind. He gave it a few more minutes, then moved closer to Eames, his hand on Eames’ thigh. Finally, he slid it over, briefly cupping Eames’ crotch.

“Arthur!” Eames yelled.

“Oh, Eames,” Arthur replied, moving in to kiss him.

“What are you doing?” Eames demanded, trying to squirm away.

“Don’t worry about it,” Arthur said, glancing around at the other cars. “Nobody’s watching!”

“Arthur, get off of me!” Eames yelled, pulling away and reaching for the car door.

“Eames, what’s the matter with you? I thought I meant something to you!” Arthur argued, feeling himself losing control of the situation even as he said it.

“No!” Eames yelled, slamming the car door. “Meant something to you? You think I’m gonna stay here with you in this...this sin wagon!” He gestured at the car. “And you can take this piece of tin!” He ripped the ring off and threw it at Arthur’s head.

“Eames! You just can’t walk out of a drive-in!” Arthur called after him. He didn’t turn around.

Arthur felt awful. He was stranded at the drive-in now, branded a fool. What would they say Monday at school?

Chapter Text

The break-up stuck. Arthur threw himself into helping Cobb fix up his car. Cobb and Ariadne had split up, too, so neither of them had anything better to do. Cobb, being Cobb, had decided to race the car at Thunder Road. Arthur wasn’t sure it was a good idea, but he’d be there for Cobb, just as he always was.

Before they left for the race, Cobb pulled him aside. “Hey Arthur,” he began. “You remember the drive-in the other night? We went, and the movie, it was like the duel, and the guy’s best friend went with him and was his lieutenant? Like his second, you know?”

“Yeah, so?” Arthur asked.

“I thought that you could maybe be my second at Thunder Road.” Cobb looked down, embarrassed.

“What do you mean?” Arthur asked. “You want me to drive with you or what?”

“No,” Cobb said, looking up with insecure eyes.

Arthur got it. Cobb just didn’t want to feel like he was in this alone. “Hey,” he said, grinning, making sure Cobb knew he understood. They were friends, and they won or lost together.

The mood at Thunder Road was tense, and a nervous Cobb ended up hitting his head. It was as if it were scripted, set up to put Arthur in the driver’s seat, even though it wasn’t his car the T-Birds were showing off. With Cobb too dizzy to steer, Arthur took his place behind the wheel.

The race was over quickly. Even though his opponent cheated, Arthur managed to evade him, crossing the finish line first and cementing the T-Birds as the local gang with the best cars around. Arthur was so busy celebrating with his friends that he didn’t even notice the small figure of Eames, watching the race alone, from a spot far away, his face worried and sad.

Chapter Text

Finally, the last day of school came. It had been a long year. The doors swung open onto the annual graduation carnival, and all Rydell’s students poured out. Feeling awkward, but determined, Arthur walked through the crowd with his new letter sweater in place of his usual T-Birds jacket.

“Hey, Arthur!” his friends called. “You got to be kidding, man. What is this, Halloween? Where did you swipe this letterman’s sweater, huh?”

Arthur shook his head. “While you tools were out stealing hubcaps, I lettered in track. How do you like that?”

“I can’t believe it,” Doody said. “Arthur, turned jock?” He looked worried.

“That’s right, I did,” Arthur answered, trying to sound more confident than he really was.

“What are you doing, deserting us?” Sonny’s face was unsure.

“Well, you guys can’t follow the leader all your lives, can you?” Arthur asked, nervously turning up his cuffs.

The T-Birds looked at each other, their faces betrayed.

“Oh come on,” Arthur said, looking from one to the next. “You guys, you know you mean a lot to me. It’s just that Eames does too, and I’m going to do anything I can to get him, that’s all.”

Suddenly, Arthur realized his friends weren’t looking at him anymore. They were staring across the field. He followed their eyes and his mouth dropped open. Eames looked completely different--and completely hot. He was smoking a cigarette, dressed in tight black pants and a leather jacket. Everyone stared.

“Eames!” Arthur exclaimed.

Eames licked his lips in a clearly intentional gesture. “Tell me about, stud,” he drawled.

Arthur had chills. Eames was electrifying.

Eames dropped the cigarette and stubbed it out. “You better shape up,” he told Arthur. “I need a man, and my heart is set on you.”

“You’re the one that I want,” Arthur breathed, staring at Eames, unable to believe his good fortune.

“I need a man who can keep me satisfied,” Eames warned. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Arthur responded, not even needing to think. “Yes, I’m sure down deep inside.”

A few minutes later, Cobb and Ariadne joined them, also back together and making out to make up for lost time. The whole gang were back together. They went together and would always go together. High school would be forever.