It was a day like any other for Seb. There was a mission, and there was an interrogation, and he was more than happy to oblige. A few cuts here, a sliced hamstring there, an ear to send to his wife… In the end, he knifed the bastard, but not before (damn it all to hell) he had managed to grab Jim and put a knife to his throat. Sebastian Moran is calm under pressure; instead of making him shake, adrenaline makes him steady. So when his heart felt like it dropped to the pit of his stomach at the sight of Jim, eyes wide and vulnerable for a split second, slender body unable to extricate himself from the grip of a burly Russian mobster with muscles the size of toaster ovens and a nice, shiny, definitely sharp knife to his throat, it was a new sensation. One he'd never felt before, as a matter of fact. Colonel Sebastian Moran has never felt fear, not for himself, not for his men. Seb, on the other hand? Apparently so.
After Sebastian finished carving up the body, keeping his suit spotless (as usual), he noticed something incredibly disturbing. To a man who could kill literally without batting an eyelid, the idea of any series of events giving him the shakes was fucking terrifying. What the hell had happened to make him tremble like a wet kitten? It hit him hard, a metaphorical bullet to the chest: Jim Moriarty's life had been threatened. His Jim. James.
Well shit.
That could mean only one thing. (There was no fear of punishment in his reaction; he took punishment well. Sometimes too well.) Rather, it was a fear of unimaginable loss, and when had "lack of Jim" turned into loss? Shit shit shit. Mind reeling, he traced his actions all the way back to that day, over a year ago now, when he first met Jim Moriarty. He'd saved him, not because of any sense of philanthropy, but because it was a damn waste to let such a talented sniper drink himself to death when there was an employer more than willing to engage his services. He had a talent, and ability, and Jim had seen that and made him into a monster to scare his enemies (and his clients) with. Those who weren't threatened enough by Moriarty were threatened with Moran, the invisible sniper. All he was, encompassed in a dot of red light on the face or torso. Human bodies are so vulnerable. Humanity creates weapons of such destruction, a single hit in nearly any area can easily prove fatal. Sebastian's job is so easy, but with Jim, it's a genuine pleasure. Except now, it was more than that. To reiterate: shit, Seb's in love with Jim. And Jim sure as hell does not return the sentiment.