Work Text:
Smile - Lily Allen
Ariadne chewed the inside of her lip, holding a cup as she looked at the model of her city. It had been three weeks since Arthur hired her for another job. She did it for the money, that's all. Arthur looked over at her, and a wave of hate rushed through her; he left her. He said he would call after the job. He did. Three years later. But as she saw the pain on his face as he watched her, miserable at his own misfortune of letting her go, she couldn’t help but smile.
Suffer. Like you made me.
Going Gone - Black Eyed Peas
Sitting back in his Jacuzzi tub, he sipped his $200 champagne and relaxed. Life was good to Arthur. He had a nice job, well, actually, he hated it, but it paid well, and it wasn't illegal.
He got out of the Jacuzzi and dried himself on the towel, hand embroidered with gold thread, and into his $26000 suit with little sapphire buttons. Something nagged at the back of his mind as he left his apartment on the Upper East Side to go to work.
In his Mercedes-Benz, something clicked, and it wasn't the click of his leather upholstered seating adjusting. He liked the material things, sure, who wouldn't, but he gave something up to get them. He gave Ariadne up.
Into the Night - Santana
Arthur stood in the dimly lit club, annoyed at Eames (again), waiting to be served by a sketchy looking bartender. Ariadne walked into the club, wearing a stunning dress of black silk. The song changed, from some bad punk to a bad dance mix. She didn't see Arthur, but he saw her, dancing, laughing, talking. He had often said that Dream Share was a gift from Hell, but now, seeing his architect like this, he was sure, it was a gift from heaven. How they got from the dance floor to Arthur’s hotel after so few dances, didn’t faze them.
Motor scooter - Kate Miller-Heidke
Ariadne flung the door open to Arthur, standing smartly dressed, carrying a bunch of flowers. She 'awwed'ed at the flowers, and hugged him tightly. She closed the door of her apartment, and dragged him by the hand down to his car, smiling, seeing it there, as it always was, his sleek, red Mustang. He fished around his pockets for the keys as Ariadne hopped from one foot to the other.
They went to the drive in together, going to see Avengers, although Ariadne felt kind of bad, she was just dating Arthur for his car. She did love Arthur, he was charming, sweet and so very old fashioned (chivalrous, he once said). Then again, it was an amazing car.
Shame For You - Lily Allen
"Well you should have thought about that before you invited that whore to work with us!"
Ariadne hung up the phone for the third time that night on Arthur. The new extractor had relations with Arthur. Ariadne, for no good reason to herself, was jealous. She shouldn't be, she tells herself, Arthur has probably been with plenty of women. Meanwhile, why wasn't he calling Eames to say sorry? She's not fragile! And she doesn't care. The phone rings.
"ARTHUR! Stop calling me, she's your friend. So you slept with her? So what. I-I don't care. No I will not come back while she is there. I have a good reason. I don't like her. Stop calling me." She shouted down the phone a second time, before hanging up for a fourth.
My Nutmeg Phanstasy - Macy Gray
"Shut up, Ari." Sighed Arthur, sick of listening to Ariadne's sorry-s.
"I'll make it up to you, I'll stop shouting." She pleaded,
"Tempting, but… No." He sighed, opening his laptop. She closed it.
"What about, I'll be less shouty, and you be less demanding?" She asked hopefully.
"Ari, that was the fifth time this week you've shouted at me!" He cried, exasperated.
"Please, Arthur?" She asked, batting her eyelashes,
"Ok, fourth." He sighed, slouching in his chair. Ariadne pulled the PASIV out from where they kept it in the cupboard.
"Picnic on the moon?" She asked,
"Intriguing. In space, no-one can hear you scream." Arthur said, sliding down to get more comfortable.
"I don't know whether this is a weird fantasy or if I should be sacred." She laughed.
No Truck - Kate Miller-Heidke
"Eames! Shut your trap!" Cried Arthur, massaging his temple. The Englishman quietened. Ariadne looked up from where she had been arguing with the forger and writing notes, a Styrofoam cup crushed in one hand out of anger. She made a slight face at Arthur, and he sighed pointedly.
"Sorry to break up this riveting argument, but I have been working and listening to you guys all day, and it is making my head hurt.
"Aw poor baby!" Said Eames, finishing with what sounded suspiciously like a giggle. Ariadne went to kiss the top of Arthur's head, but he pulled away.
"No, finish your argument! I'm going home. Via the bottle shop." He muttered under his breath, collecting his waistcoat and slamming the warehouse door shut.
Too Marvellous For Words - Katie Noonan
So she couldn't draw people. This wasn't a bad thing. She could draw buildings. This was a good thing. But then again, she didn't think anyone could capture Arthur, all his complexity, all his mystery, all his dry humour and all his Arthur-ness and put into a picture.
She put the lead pencil down and crumpled this piece of paper, shoving the incriminating evidence of her crush into the garbage, and began to draw another building. She kept getting distracted, her lines kept curving into the arc of his cheek bones or his lips, and she had to crumple another perfectly good building. She wished she could capture Arthur's personality in her pencil. But then, everything that made him, him, amazing, wonderful, marvellous, would no longer be exclusively his.
When I Fall in Love - Julie London
It had been seven years since the Fischer job. Ariadne had several flings, too short to be noteworthy. Arthur had watched the men come and go, watching the architect get sadder as each one let her go. Apparently her vision wasn't solid enough for them.
He took her by the hand, a year after they had started dating, and things were going well. He lead her into a dream, red velvet halls and gold satin curtains.
"Ariadne, I have always loved you. I couldn't love you more. I would be honoured, if you would marry me." He held out a little diamond ring. She squealed, hugged him, cried and said yes.
And now they were slow dancing at their wedding, completely in love.
End of School - Kate Miller-Heidke
They had finished the Fischer job, everyone seemed ecstatic. Actually, everyone seemed normal, but there were little things, too small to mention. The first thing Ariadne did was sleep. Sounds crazy, as she had just had ten hours dreaming, but she was tired. At the hotel, the next morning, she saw Arthur.
"Are you following me?" She asked through a mouthful of toast in the buffet. He shook his head and smiled at her when she took a sip of coffee. She analysed him closely, before smiling back.
"Did we really just do that?" She asked, referring to the job,
"This is just the beginning." He laughed, popping a strawberry in his mouth. He took her hand in his and squeezed it reassuringly at the suddenly frightened look.
"Trust me, it's worth a shot."