rainbcwhearts​:

Moriarty allowed her to speak, to spill every last drop of what was hurting her, before he nodded his head in understanding. “Appears you have me on your side now, though,” he answered, his voice low and calm. “I can help you fix this. We can make sure all of this is done, finished, a thing of the past.”

He leaned further back in his chair, bringing his glass back to his lips as he stared at a point past Faye. Eventually, he placed his drink back on his desk, eyes meeting hers once more. “I understand you have suffered, Faye. Whatever she put you through, is not acceptable. However, that is something none of us can change. We cannot get that time back, we cannot undo the pain you have experienced. What we do have control of, however, is what we do with that pain. Personally, I am a big fan of revenge. A battle is not done when the enemy is still standing. And this enemy of yours-- she has lost her every right to breathe. To live. Well, at least in my opinion she has.”

rainbcwhearts​:

He poured her a drink as well, slowly walking over and placing it in front of her. As he sank back into his own chair, he took a sip and let out a soft sigh. He had been there, far too often. He admired her for daring to speak out loud about it, for he had never found himself able to do the same.

“Well, if you are good at killing, you will eventually kill those demons too, right?” he asked, offering the slightest smile. Partly an attempt at a joke, mostly reassurance that she would eventually be fine. “You are still good at your job, Faye, that has not changed. What has changed, is your fear of what might be lurking in the shadows. So now all you have to do is deal with whatever is hiding there, or else it will eventually swallow you whole.”

rainbcwhearts​:

Moriarty had joked before that he was part time therapist, and tonight seemed no different. Still, he gestured for her to sit down, quickly putting everything away he had been working on. “A drink?” he asked, not yet reacting to the avalanche of words that came from her.

“No need to apologise, Faye, just breathe.” He poured himself a scotch, back turned to the other as he hummed softly. As long as he remained calm, eventually she would follow. “You are here now, your mother’s threats will do you no harm here. Just breathe.”

rainbcwhearts​:

He had been working hard on tracing down someone who had managed to slip from his grasp two times before, keeping his mind occupied and his hands at work. The evergrowing headache was forgotten for as long as he was busy, only noticeable when he stopped to take a sip from his drink. 

His head shot up at the knock on his door, which made the back of his head sting even worse.  Whoever dared to bother him at that time of day was either brave or stupid. Possibly both. “Come in,” he answered, voice low, filled with annoyance. However, he softened somewhat when he saw the look on the other’s face. 

“Faye, hi.” She couldn’t run forever.

rainbcwhearts​:

“Well, my father had a fare share turning me into who I am today, but I would never be grateful for that,” he answered calmly. He was not planning on letting her see into his past, but those words kept it relatively vague.  

“I can help with that, if you will let me,” he answered, already narrowing down the list he had created in his head by the reveal of gender. “You can be the one to get the job done, get it out of your system, but I can make sure that during that time you are in no way at risk. I can keep you safe.” More so than her family had cared to do, apparantly. 

He made a gesture with his hand at her next words, showing her that he understood she was done with him probing. She would come to realise soon enough that no one could be tough forever. “You are still willing to help me with the job, I do hope?”

rainbcwhearts​:

“Does it truly matter what your family says or thinks?” he shot back immediately. Of course it did, it was family. Somehow everyone was vulnerable for whatever was connected through blood. “Tell me, Faye. If anyone else would’ve given you that attitude, would you have listened to it, or would you have made sure they stayed quiet for eternity?”

He allowed her a moment of silence, some time with her own thoughts as he stared down at his hands. Eventually, he offered her another smile, a form of support. “I’ve given you a job to focus on, so that’s going to keep you going for a little bit. Just know that eventually, in the long run, it will come back for you. You cannot run from it forever.”

Not that he’d ever listened to his own advice, of couse, but that did not matter. He had ways to distract himself, ways to overpower his own thoughts, and that usually kept him safe. For example, he was already planning on how they could get back at whoever had hurt Faye. A revenge job was always fun, and if Faye and her family were on his side, any enemies to them immediately became enemies to him.

rainbcwhearts​:

“I know,” he started, eyes looking to meet hers, “that whenever any of us disappear, it’s never for a good reason. Trust me, I’ve been through it far too often.” He was most definitely not going into detail there, but with his status came a lot of suffering, often. “And no matter how thick one’s skin is, no matter how strong one’s mind, any of us can get cracked right open. Some easier, some take a bit of time. But in the end, we all bleed the same.”

He took pride in being close to impossible to crack, no one ever being able to reach his core. But it did leave scars, visible ones as well as invisible, and it did change him as a person time and time again. He only figured the same had happened to her.

“Your denial of your suffering, will only make your suffering worse.” He never spoke of it either, afraid that being vulnerable would make him an easy target. Therefore, he knew how awful it felt when you tried your hardest to ignore it. When you pushed away any emotions until you became cold and empty. 

rainbcwhearts​:

“You seem to either forget, or not realise who is sat opposite of you, Faye,” he replied, his voice still gentle. “You are not fooling me.” Even if he couldn’t sense it, which he could, it would only be logical that anyone who went through whatever she went through, was suffering from some sort of aftermath. He’d tried to hide it often enough as well, but the ghosts still haunted him whenever he was alone, whenever he tried to sleep.

“Whatever it costs, I will pay. Just get the job done, quick and clean, and keep yourself safe. When you’re done, text this number, they will clean up the mess.” He offered her a card with nothing more but a telephone number printed on it. “Questions?”

rainbcwhearts​:

He sat down opposite her with a small smile on his face. “I would’ve considered you foolish if you did this work for free, my dear,” he answered gently. “The only times I volunteer are when it offers me something exciting. Blowing up half the city, for example. Ever tried that? It’s wonderful, I assure you. The screams, the terror, it silences whatever might be bothering our own minds.”

He leaned forward then, hands folded on his desk. “I do not care about the price, I only care about the job being done well. See, he’s no easy target. He is relatively clever, knows how to play hide and seek. He can be cruel, if you give him a chance to. Can I trust you?”

rainbcwhearts​:

He let out a soft chuckle at the way she talked of her brother. “Do I sense a bit of sibling rivalry there?” he asked, before gesturing for her to follow him. He offered a nod to his security team, which resulted in them staying behind a bit longer while Faye and Moriarty made their way through the building. They would follow eventually, but only after giving Faye a sense of privacy. 

Moriarty opened the door to his office, gesturing for Faye to walk in. He closed the door behind them, knowing very well that within seconds his guards would be standing on the other side of that door.

“Please, do take a seat. It is safe, I assure you. Can I offer you anything to drink? Coffee, tea, water?”

He poured a cup of tea for himself as he waited for her reply, gazing around the office for a second while he listened to her speak. 

“I have become aware of a threat to my empire. A man, goes by the name Arron Stone. He’s tried to go for my head twice now, without success, obviously. Story short, I want him gone. Him, and whoever supports him.”

rainbcwhearts​:

An empire. It had taken him years to build, and he never seemed to stop. Requests, jobs, it all led to him always needing new people. He had a team for it, people he trusted - somewhat - who handpicked the best assassins. The Lungbarrow family had stood out before, having formed quite a reputation, and he knew that they took pride in a job well done.

Moriarty had seen Irving one or two times, during meetings where both of them had been present. It was always good to show your face to the right people. Irving had presented himself as an intellectual with a sharp tongue and a quick wit, and Moriarty had considered him at least relatively good for any potential jobs in the future.

So when someone else stood in front of him, he narrowed his eyes just slightly. He recognized her, had done his research on the family long ago. He knew of most of her qualities, her weaknesses, her fears. Her disappearance.

“Faye,” he repeated, offering his hand. “James Moriarty, it is a pleasure to meet you.” He wasn’t sure of that yet, but being polite never hurt anyone. Usually. “I do hope your brother is well?”

rainbcwhearts​:

Moriarty had been bored. Awfully bored. The city seemed to be dead, no adventures to be found there, and he was starting to get bored by complete destruction and total chaos. He needed something new, something exciting.

Someone climbing through the ceiling and landing right in front of him was relatively new. Sidenote, kill everyone from the security department, they’re all awful at their job.

He lowered his cup of tea while offering her the most innocent of looks. “My sincerest apologies for enjoying a cup of tea during a quiet sunday afternoon. I was not aware that a new law has been introduced, banning such wild and villainous behaviours.”

epiitaphs‌:

“Very selfish indeed, Basher. Keeping all of this to yourself. Well, and if you ever do get the idea in that little head of yours to tell people about tonight -- best not forget to share how good it was, eh?” he smirked, all teasing and playful. “How good I was. Get them jealous.”

If the story ever did get told, it would bring danger upon the both of them. Caring was a disadvantage, desire a weakness and love a death sentence, and still the criminal mastermind found himself curled up against the sniper with his heart less cold and his mind less angry. For a moment, at least.

“You know, Basher,” he started, his voice a mere whisper, a tired sound to his speech. “Don’t expect me to repeat it again, but this -- I like this. It’s nice. And, well--” he paused. Was there a hint of shyness? The colouring of pale cheeks? Only the trained eye of a sniper could spot it, surely. “You were kind of good, if you know what I mean.” And then he smirked, looking up to catch the other’s eyes. “Well, not as good as me, of course.”

epiitaphs‌:

Sebastian seemed to need a moment before he truly understood the words the other had whispered. Long enough for Jim to wonder if he’d said them out loud. Long enough for him to wonder if the sniper was even paying attention at all.

And then the response came, and those words seemed to be what he had longed for longer than he’d imagined himself. Of course he’d have Sebastian. He offered him enough to practically own him, or at least the soul the sniper had chosen to sign away with their little contract. But this, this was different. A more emotional connection, a bond. 

“Good,” he murmured in return. By now, he needed Sebastian in more ways than one -- one of those being a more human needing, a desire. In case it had not been obvious before, his body slowly dared to show signs of just how serious he was. 

It didn’t take too long for Sebastian to give him what he longed for, and it didn’t take too much effort for Moriarty to return the favour and show him some grattitude. With minds and bodies both satisfatied and exhausted, the criminal mastermind found himself curled up against the sniper with a small smile on his face. “You better not start bragging to your friends about this, or...” he thought for a moment, before he shrugged. “Allow it to be a surprise if you ever do become foolish enough to talk too much.”