Title: In Our Line of Work
Fandom: Inception
Pairing: Arthur/Eames, (Cobb/Mal)
Categories: action/adventure, angst, drama, post-canon
Length: Long (15,713 words)
Warnings: OC character death, though despite appearances, this fic does not contain major character death

Author on LJ: linckia_blue (formerly known as enjambament)
Website: Masterlist of Fic; linckia blue

Summary:
Arthur wakes up and realizes the last ten years of his life have been a dream. He is nineteen, and he can barely remember where he is. What he can remember is the ghost of Eames’ hands pressed down on his chest trying frantically to stop the blood flooding up around his fingers as Arthur died (as he woke up).

Review:
Upon waking to realize that he lived ten years in one day, with no idea if anyone else in his dream was real, Arthur escapes from the military and tries to figure out what to do with himself. Mentally twenty-nine, but actually nineteen, he has to work his way back into the extraction business, tracking down leads to find out if the people he cared about were real and what happened to them, particularly Eames.

In Our Line of Work is a brilliant exploration of the possibilities of the Inception universe and a clever take on the idea of Mal being right. It's a gripping thriller, with action and suspense, drama and romance, with fun cameos by Ariadne, Cobb and Mal. But it's really Arthur's story, with little hints of Eames throughout.

In Our Line of Work (AO3), (LJ part 1, part 2)
Also available as a podfic read by podcath & crinklysolution.

[ETA: included AO3 links]