Title: Sleeping with the Devil
Author: Foxy-badger
Fandom: Sherlock
Pairing: Moriarty/Moran
Genre: slash, friendship, romance.
Summary: Sebastian doesn't understand Jim's obsession with Sherlock Holmes.
Disclaimer: Story is mine. James Moriarty and Sebastian Moran belong to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. BBC Sherlock to the BBC. No profit made. Just for fun.

Sebastian was lying on his side in the bed, the sheets barely covering his body because he was warm and sweaty. The room was nice and cool and he was close to waking up but didn't really want too. Something had woken him up and as he turned onto his back, he moved his right arm to the right side of the woke up at once and inspected the bed beside him. It was empty. He looked around the room and found the source that woke him up. He sighed as he noticed the TV was on, and a figure was sitting on the coffee table with his legs crossed beneath him. Sebastian yawned and turned back onto his side as he watched his boss. His boss was sitting immobile in front of the screen, wearing nothing but his white dressing gown, made by some designer Sebastian had never heard about. His employer was watching the news but Sebastian wasn't surprised at all. Sherlock Holmes was everywhere these days; on the news, in the papers, and the tabloids. The Reichenbach Hero.

'Jim,' Sebastian groaned and yawned. 'Get back to bed.'

'Nah, I'm watching this,' the man spoke softly and turned up the volume to shut Sebastian out.

'You recorded it, you sad fuck,' Sebastian rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He noticed the alarm clock by the bedside and groaned. 'It's three in the fucking morning, Jim!'

'Go back to sleep then.'

'Not unless you do too.'

'I couldn't sleep.'

'Well, get back in here and I'll make you.'

Jim turned to look at him, an amused grin on his face. Sebastian noticed he was chewing gum.

'Is that a promise? Or a threat?'

'A warning.'

'Ooooh!' Jim mocked him in the childish way he always did. But instead of turning off the telly and getting back to the bed, he turned back to the screen and continued watching.

Sebastian grew impatient.

'Really, Jim- why the hell do you even care about this bloke?'

'He's clever. And so am I. I should like him.'

'You don't like him.

'Oh, but I do, Sebby,' Jim shook his head slightly in disagreement. 'I like him a lot. Too much actually. That's why he has to die.'

Sebastian averted his eyes, staring at the ceiling as he took in his employer's words.

'Should- I be worried about my own safety? Or don't you like me enough for that?'

'I love you Bastian, you know that,' Jim's monotone voice didn't sound convincing at all. 'You do not have to worry about your life.'

Sebastian frowned at the man's back. Why did he always have to be so bloody cryptic? Sebastian wasn't stupid, but compared to Jim Moriarty he always felt rather dim.

'I just- don't understand this obsession with Sherlock Holmes,' Sebastian admitted. 'If you hate him so much I'll put a bullet through his fucking head, or- serve his brains on a plate to you,' he added, punching his pillow into a better shape. 'You just need to ask.'

Jim turned to look at him, an excited grin on his face and his eyes bright with joy.

'A silver plate?' he asked hopefully.

'Fucking forty-eight carats if you want too. And have it served at the best restaurant in London.'

Jim chuckled lovingly at his sniper, but turned back to his TV again. Sebastian was growing impatient. But he watched his boss as long as he sat there.

'Arrogant arse,' Jim suddenly spat at the screen. 'Just look at him being so high on himself!' he made a rude gesture to the TV. 'No wonder everyone at Scotland Yard thinks he's a loony.'

'You two would make excellent babies,' Sebastian yawned and stretched his arms above his head. He caught Jim's gaze and met the man's dangerous look before he turned back to the television.

Sebastian had enough. He watched the hunched figure for a long time and knew he wasn't going to come back to bed that easily. Sebastian would have to be more interesting than Holmes if he wanted Jim's attention back. Dragging him back and chaining him to the bed or throwing the TV through the window would be an option as well, but if he did that without his boss liking it, Sebastian wouldn't be sure of his own life anymore.

But it gave him an idea.

He pulled himself to the edge of the bed where his and Jim's clothes lay. He searched the pile and found his own trousers and from the pocket, he took his Sig P226. He took the safety off, aimed right past Jim's head and fired twice. The TV exploded and a shower of sparks and glass rained down on the floor. Next, the TV slide off the wall and fell forward onto his display.

Jim had startled but not moved from the coffee table, almost as if he had expected something like this would happen. For any other couple, it wasn't normal to shoot the television when the other wanted attention. But Jim and Sebastian were far from any other couple. Jim just stared down at the broken TV that lay smoking on the floor.

Jim turned his mouth wide and round like it always was when he was offended. Sebastian could feel a storm coming, but wasn't too bothered. Instead, he took the magazine out of the gun and laid them both on the night desk.

'That was brand new Sebastian,' Jim spoke calmly as Sebastian ignored him and laid his head down on his pillow again, pretending to go back to sleep.

Jim turned back to the TV, almost appearing disappointed. But in fact, he was annoyed with his sniper. Did the man really have to clamor for his attention all the time? Jim was a busy man and Sebastian knew that. But he smiled as he turned to walk back to the bed, tossing the remote into the bin as he passed it.

'You really need to stop destroying my possessions, Sebastian,' he remarked as he padded towards the bed. He stopped at Sebastian's side, looking down at the form of his pretending-to-be-asleep lover. His eyes wandered over the man's exposed, muscular body. They'd had sex earlier that night but now that he watched his lover, Jim felt like licking that man's prominent hip bones all over again.

Sebastian only huffed.

'Don't be such a grumpy arsehole, Seb; it makes you very unattractive.'

'That makes two of us,' Sebastian sighed.

'Well it's a good thing I don't have to impress anyone else by trying to seem attractive.'

'Except me.'

'Except you of course, darling.'

'Correct answer.'

'You have my full attention now, Sebastian,' he said as he widened his arms before dropped them down alongside his body. 'You might as well enjoy it.'

'I don't want your attention, I want you to go back to sleep.'

'I don't need sleep.'

'Everyone needs sleep.' Sebastian commented.

'I'm not everyone.'

'You're arrogant. Just like Holmes. That's what you want to hear, right? Now get back in here.'

Jim sneered at the man in the bed and hated how he kept comparing him to Holmes. Even though Jim agreed Holmes was brilliant, he still wasn't sure if that man could compete with him. He had thought of this game, where he would find out if Holmes was really the stuff of legends people said he was. Jim just wanted to know about him; what he could, and how he was.

But most of all, he didn't want to be alone. Sebastian was a rather satisfying partner, and of course he was clever. But not as clever as Holmes seemed to be.

But he loved Sebastian, more than anyone else and Jim grinned fondly at his sniper and took his robe off. He dropped it on the floor, not caring that it had cost him almost a thousand pounds. He sat down on the side of the bed and gave his lover a push.

'Move over,' he commanded.

Sebastian's eyes flew open as he frowned at his employer.

'What? No way, this is my side of the bed.'

'If I tell you to move over Sebastian, you will move over.'

Sebastian cursed and shifted to the other side of the bed, taking his pillow with him. He grabbed Jim's pillow and threw it at the other man. Jim caught it and placed it down, lying down and pulling the sheets towards him, ignoring Sebastian's annoyed groans.

He rested his head his hand and watched his sniper, a look on his face one would almost describe as 'lovingly'. But Jim would never admit he was giving a person a look like that.

Sebastian sensed he was being watched and opened his eyes after barely a minute.

'Go to sleep, Jim,' Sebastian sighed and closed his eyes. 'And stop watching me.'

'I pay you two grant a month - I can watch you as much as I want.'

'I haven't seen a penny of that, though.' Sebastian noted.

'Our contract stated you will get it when I no longer need your employment.'

Sebastian opened his eyes again. He was very well aware of the terms of their contract. At first he hadn't wanted to agree with them, but he had realised he had no choice. Back then he was broke, a fugitive and a traitor. He needed Jim and his money.

'And when will that be?' he asked, his voice a lot softer and vulnerable than a few seconds ago.

'Soon.'

'How soon?'

'Very soon.'

'And what will happen after that?' Sebastian asked.

Jim didn't answer, but smiled and leaned closer to kiss the other's lips lightly. Sebastian closed his eyes, at first wondering why his boss didn't want to share his future plans with him. But the way Jim nibbled his lip made him forget that. He parted his lips and received Jim's tongue and he moved his hand to the man's neck.

Until-

'Hmph,' Sebastian suddenly moaned and pulled his head back at once, his face filled with disgust. He turned his head to the side and spit Jim's gum across the room.

'Fuck, Jim,' he said as he wiped the spit off his lips, utterly disgusted for no reason. They exchanged fluids almost every night, but the idea of taking Jim's gum into his mouth had been too much.

Jim had watched the gum land on the floor and chuckled with childish amusement.

'Bastian, the carpet!' he exclaimed.

'The fuck with your carpet. That was disgusting,' Sebastian grimaced.

'It was funny.' Jim added.

'No it wasn't.'

'Yes, it was.'

Sebastian huffed with annoyance as his boss continued to disagree with him. It had become a sport of theirs by now.

'Will we ever agree on anything?'

'Never,' Jim whispered and kissed the sniper's lips again, lightly as if to starve the receptors in his skin from any stimuli. 'That would be so boring.'

'I like boring.'

'No you don't,' Jim sucked his lip again. Sebastian snorted and chuckled. They were meant to disagree.

But it didn't matter. Sebastian had never believed in love. He did believe in friendship and partnership. If two men liked each other and were able to work together, why wouldn't it be just as 'amazing' as love? Sebastian didn't see the difference. They didn't have to agree with everything to be good friends.

He scrutinised his employer's face and smiled fondly at the other man.

His hair, usually neatly combed back was an utter mess because Sebastian loved to first gently run his fingers over the man's scalp and then unexpectedly yank him vigorously by his hair, pulling his head back and exposing his throat.

A strand hung down his forehead but Sebastian didn't push it back in place or anything. No. He loved his boss without his suit or looking slightly imperfect. With the suit he was Jim Moriarty. Naked, he was Sebastian's lover. Maybe that was why Sebastian liked to tear his boss' shirts to pieces when undressing him. Not only would he mock Jim's taste for ridiculously expensive clothes; he wanted to hurry the transition from employer to lover because he would get so eager to see the man without his clothes.

Jim thought it was sweet and therefore owned a large quantity of shirts.

And even though he had stopped to think of Jim as his boss, it still felt odd they had a professional contract together and yet they slept in the same bed almost every night.

'You know I'd do anything for you,' Sebastian spoke softly as he ran his thumb over Jim's bottom lip.

'Anything?'

'Anything,' Sebastian repeated.

'Even if it concerned standing by as I put a bullet through my own brain?'

Sebastian frowned and snorted, obviously amused.

Cryptic, he thought to himself.

'What?' he chuckled at the absurd idea.

But Jim didn't seem as amused by it.

Please take time to leave a review about the story, my writing style and in-character canon. Please do keep in mind English is not my first language. Lisa betas my stories and I'm very thankful for that!