[01] Well, hello -- Criminal Minds for noc

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Inception.

Arthur had said it couldn't be done and yet here he was, boarding a plane to Prague just hours after completing the unfathomable.

They had just barely scraped through, what with all of the last minute plan changes, and they wouldn't know for weeks whether the seed would take but so far it looked like it had and they were all alive. To be honest, it had been one of the most difficult jobs of Arthur's career and also the most eye opening experience he's had in a long time.

Once Cobb and Fischer Jr had left with their respective parties, Arthur had seen their forger and chemist off. They were a pair who defied the expectations of their profession openly admitted to being together and never working without the other to wherever it was that they would spend their fourth - fifth honeymoon. ("Cabo." "God no, remember last time?" "Nepal? You liked Nepal." "It wasn't Nepal that I liked so much as --" Anyway, you get the picture.)

Once he had seen them off, he watched Ariadne buy her ticket for her return trip to Paris (she did have classes to return to after all) and would be sure to keep in contact with the architect. She had promise and if she chose to continue in dream share, she should work with some of the best.

As for Arthur himself, he booked the first flight he could to Prague. He had a safe house there and he could take a little time off to relax, study what Fischer did and check in with Cobb to see how he and the children were adjusting. He would never work with the extractor again unless in dire circumstances but the whole point was getting him back home to his children. As far as Arthur saw it, he had done just that.

He didn't normally indulge in first class seating when leaving a job - it could draw too much attention but for a fourteen hour flight, after just getting off of a long flight, he didn't feel like sitting in cramped corners with a child on one side and one behind him kicking his chair. At least in first class, that was bound to happen less. For now, it appeared that the chair next to him was empty and he was a little thankful for that. Perhaps he'd get a little sleep after all - well, eventually. Once the adrenaline of what he just helped accomplished wore off.

Comments

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"I find that hard to imagine," Arthur said teasingly with a grin - not believing that Tuck wasn't always as stellar as he had been so far. He took a sip of his drink and sighed, yeah -- that was better. He rest in his seat and angled his body in so he was facing Tuck a little more fully.

Arthur raised an eyebrow and smiled. "What do you want to know?"

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“Of course you do. I’m on my best today,” he said, making a confession though it surely sounded like brazen flirting once more. It was just the truth though. He couldn’t have planned this better if he had set out to flirt and tease.

He considered that, peering at him. “Where did you grow up?”

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Underneath the flirtation it sounded like, Arthur could also hear how honest it sounded. He smiled. "I suppose that makes two of us then."

"New York City," he answered, going for the truth. "You?"

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"I could live with your worst, I think. Definitely up to trying," he teased, though again there was that current of honesty.

"I grew up in Delaware, and partially in New Hampshire. Have a friend there."

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Even as Tuck said that, Arthur wasn't exactly sure that Tuck could. He wasn't the safest man on this plain to sit with if he were honest. Still, there was something about the way that Tuck said it that made Arthur want to find out if Tuck could handle it or what he would say if he knew what Arthur did for a living. He wouldn't be sharing the detail of his life anytime soon but still, there were those thoughts in the back of his mind.

"Really," he asked, smiling. "Both are nice states. Went up to New Hampshire a few times growing up." Which was the truth - what he didn't say was that it wasn't so much for a vacation as it was for a job his Mom had taken. The fact that they were both east coast boys was something they had in common though.

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It was certainly to be something they would share. Or not as the case may be, but both came from a world they couldn’t entirely share, one that could mean their death if things weren’t handled exactly right. This already was more than could be exactly right. Tuck didn’t care though. He liked the idea of a chance, of finding a way to know one another more. Of seeing where it might go.

He nodded. “Really really. I haven’t been back in years,” he admitted. “I spend most of my vacations with my best friend at his family’s home.”

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Arthur nodded. "That sounds like it's nice," he said. In other words, it sounded almost normal. Arthur couldn't remember the last time that he had been to a normal family function or family gathering or did anything with his family. Course, most of them weren't exactly normal in his family and there were really good reasons they didn't do family things like that.

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That got a wide grin from Tuck. He couldn't help himself. "Yeah, one day you might even get a chance to meet him," he said, finding that thought amusing. "Just don't fall for him. He's a player," he teased, coming from the man picking up a stranger on a plane.

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It had been so long since anyone that Arthur played around with or met truly mentioned him meeting their friends, let along their best friends. He chuckled and took a sip from his glass. "No, I have my eyes on someone a bit different," Arthur admitted with a grin, looking at Tuck.

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"Do you? Lucky bloke then. Though he'd not FDR. Just saying. He's sort of the lush sort," he admitted, looking Arthur over. "Kind of like you," he added. "Except you are much cuter than he is."

Yep, he was giving up pretense of not outright flirting and teasing. Screw being subtle.

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"Mm, I do," Arthur said with a smile, watching Tuck's gaze as he looked him over. "I'm glad you think so," he murmured with a grin. He noticed the lack of subtlety this time and in turn looked Tuck over slowly. Oh yeah - this was getting more and more fun as time went on.

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"I'm glad I acted on thinking so," he admitted, blushing a bit at that. It hadn't been the easiest thing he'd done but then he was glad he had.

"Though I'll smack him he flirts with you."

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Arthur was glad that Tuck had as well. It was making a long flight go much quicker than it would have had he been alone through the flight. Well, quicker and far more interesting. "Oh, I'm sure he'd love that. Does he have a tendency to flirt with everyone - men and women?"

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"No. Not men. Though he always flirts with my dates so I figure if I show up with you, what's going to happen then," he asked, seemingly more than amused at the reality of where that could go.

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He watched Tuck's facial reactions as he talked about this FDR and filed that away for later. "Mm, thanks for the warning," Arthur teased him with a chuckle. "It is handy to know whether or not a guys friend may or may not hit on you." He brought his glass up to his lips and took a sip from his drink.

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"I promise, I will protect your life and your honour," he said, trying to sound solemn as he put a hand over his heart. "All for your sake, dear Sir."

He chuckled. "Honestly, he'd be more likely to ask if you have a sister. Do you," he asked, realizing that was a way to get to know a bit about him.

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Arthur chuckled and shook his head. "No, no sisters or brothers," he said, at least revealing that much truthfully about him. He had been an only child which wasn't too bad if he were honest. It could have always been worse. "Do you," he asked, raising an eyebrow.

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He filed that away mentally, considering other questions though Arthur challenged him with the same. "Actually none," he said with a nod. "Not until I met FDR. He's been my family for a lifetime it feels like."

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Much like Tuck, Arthur filed that bit of information away along with names he could gather from him to look into at a further time. When he said FDR had been like family to him, there was a small piece of Arthur that settled, not having been 100% sure that Tuck and FDR's friendship was anymore or anything else and not having wanted to assume anything. "Sounds like you have a great friendship there," he said with a smile. And it did.

As for Arthur, he had a few people he could mentally count as friends but for not nearly as long as Tuck had it seem. In the field he was in though, he wasn't good to have those sort of connections - you could never tell when something like that would be used against you and he'd be damned if he let anything like that happen to anyone he cared for.

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There was a chance that one day, circumstances different, Tuck could have easily ended up with his best friend. Not just because he was handsome, but that he was just that. The one person Tuck could always trust. Yet it wasn't that way, and he felt more than free to try and enjoy his trip in a way he hadn't in a lot of years. At least that was his hope if things went well.

"We do. Better than I think I deserved at times. I trust him with just about everything." Like his life.

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"Good to have those kinds of people at your back if you ever need someone," he surmised. He had people he could call on if the situation warrant it but for the most part, he didn't typically trust very many people with everything. Especially not after what happened with Mallorie and Cobb. He wanted to know more about Tuck -- know more about who he was and what he liked... Those thoughts, all of that threw Arthur into a tail spin. It wasn't normally something he found himself completely interested in normally.

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"It is. I'll take it you don't have many like that,' he said, thought it was half a question. Not quite but hinting at it, perhaps even leading on. "Or should we switch on to another question, keep up with all of this learning about one another," he offered, liking the idea of learning about the man whose space he had invaded. He didn't regret that. Not one bit.

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Arthur shook his head. "No, not many," he admitted. If any. "We can continue asking questions," he said, not minding it in the least. He would, of course, gloss over the truth if it came to that but for now, he enjoyed knowing more about Tuck and what kind of man Tuck was.

"What's your favorite cuisine?" Simple but could say a lot.

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That was how the game was played even when they weren't the types of men they were, a federal agent and a criminal. Even then you didn't tell the entire truth but now, they certainly had to play it a certain way.

He considered that. "Northern Italian cuisine. Also, love sushi. You?"

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Arthur was a tad bit surprised but not at all disappointed. At least, if they were to grab dinner at some point, they would agree on something. "Northern Italian is great," he agreed with a grin. "It's actually one of my favorites as well. I have to admit, if left to my own devices, I probably could live on pizza." Which was, sadly, the truth of it. "But I also love Indian food and a good burger."