'I know. By the way. Seb. Do want to go see Gladiator with me tonight? I thought we could grab dinner at the Fox and the Hound after.' Jim's cheeks had flushed a light pink colour and the words ran into each other because he was speaking so fast. Seb was confused for a moment. Was his boss nervous? He didn't think he'd ever seen Jim act like this. The irishman was always so cool and calm even in the face of death. He took people's lives without a second thought and ran an entire criminal web which spanned all over the world. He dealt with some of the Earth's most feared criminals as if they were merely grocery store owners. Yet today, in this moment, he was nervous. The way the question was phrased almost sounded like… No. It couldn't be. His friend never showed any interest in anyone. The blond had just assumed that his companion just didn't feel stuff like that. He even arranged for an overly persistent girl to be tragically killed. Seb realised that Jim was still waiting for an answer.

'Sure. Why not? Although I know you don't like films like that. Why don't we see American Psycho instead? Something we'll both enjoy.' Seb responded with a smile and a quick wink. He hoped that would ease his friends nerves. A date with the boss, could be fun. Seb wasn't blind either. He could see the brunet was attractive. He'd always felt his heart race when Jim spoke in his gorgeous accent. He'd pushed any feeling aside though. Seb didn't fancy being road kill. He saw Jim's face light up when he suggested American Psycho instead and his cheeks were now a deep red colour. Seb couldn't help but grin. He'd never seen Jim act like this before or had he just missed all the signs.

'American Psycho it is. Let's hope it's not too much like work. The film is at quarter past five. So I'll just skip my final lecture. It's not like I ever learn anything. The lecturers are so dull.' Jim's look of disgust at his professors was priceless and Seb let out a small chuckle.

'I don't know why you're even bothering. You know far more than any of the lecturers and it's not like you need a degree to get a job.' Sebastian hadn't never understood why the shorter man had insisted they attend university. He'd tried to ask once but Jim shut him down; told him not to ask stupid questions.

'It's a matter of principle. My education fund was almost taken away from me so I took my fathers life and his business. So now to honour him I must attend this awful place. I need to prove that I made the right decision that day.' Jim spoke quietly and he steadily avoided the blond's gaze. He seemed almost vulnerable. Sebastian suddenly realised how foolish he had been not to notice his friends affection. He didn't act flirty or show any signs in the normal way but the only person Jim was himself around was Seb. The blond was the only man in the world who knew Jim's true identity. He was the only man Jim trusted. He was only just beginning to realise the significance of that.

'I'm sorry Jim. I didn't know. I meant it light-heartedly.' He softened his own voice to match his friends and place his hand on the irishman's shoulder. 'Come on, let's go to lunch. I have to be in town for a lecture soon.'

'I'm not hungry. I'll eat tonight.' Jim murmured under his breath but started to walk towards the cafeteria with the blond anyway. Sebastian pretended not to hear his friend's muttering. He thought about putting his arm around the irishman but decided that he'd better not push it. He might be misinterpreting the reasons behind Jim's nervousness. There might be a big deal about to go down that Seb didn't know about. It was unlikely but it would best to wait until tonight before acting so boldly.

They walked in silence towards the cafeteria. This wasn't an unusual occurrence. In fact they often went long periods of time without speaking. Normally Jim was busy trying to figure out how to deal with the more senior members of the network or pesky detectives who got a little too close. Sometimes the brunet would be tapping away on his mobile but not today. Today Jim was humming under his breath. A sign that everything was well in the genius' head. Seb smiled fondly and looked up at the sky. It was a deep sky blue and the sun was shining brightly; soft white clouds floated by above their heads. There weren't many moments in Sebastian's life that were as peaceful as this. He spent more time on rooftops with a gun in his hand than not. In fact, he'd managed to spend all week focused on his studies without Jim calling him up about a job. He contemplated over that for a moment. Was he bored? Should he be bored? His life had become so… Normal. Well as normal as it could be with a crazy irishman as your best friend and potential boyfriend. His heart gave a slight jump at that last thought. Never in a million years had he thought it would be possible that Jim could ever be anything more than his friend. He was essentially his boss. All the films tell you that you shouldn't date your boss. When had his life turned into some odd gay romantic comedy. He smirked at that thought. A romantic comedy starring a psychopath and a amateur sniper. What could possibly go wrong?

Seb had been so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the sun above his head had been replaced by a white plastered ceiling. The sound of birds was overwhelmed by the chattering of hungry students enjoying their lunch break with friends.

'So what did you want to eat? Do want to queue for hot food or just grab a sandwich?' Jim's voice cut through his thoughts. The irishman was now speaking in his North Welsh accent. Sebastian missed the soft lilt of the Irish accent but he had to admit that his friend made a damn cute welsh man. He seemed less threatening when adopted the role of a shy chemistry student from the small mining village in Wales.

'Er… What's on in the hot food?' Seb responded. He was still distracted by thoughts of his irish friend.

'Smells like chicken. Nothing interesting though.' His friend was scanning the room. Seb could see that the genius was identifying who was in the room and gathering every detail that he could from their appearances. It was a habit that Jim had had since they'd met. It had served them well over the years. Seb glanced over at the hot food queue. It was pretty long and Jim was right, it was just chicken with potatoes and vegetables. If it had been a curry he would have been tempted.

'Sandwiches it is then. You want to share the chocolate cake?' Jim was always awful at eating lunch so Seb tried to make sure his friend at least ate something. Sharing whatever cake was on had become pretty standard for them.

'Has it got strawberries on?' Jim countered. He was going to be stubborn today apparently.

'No but it has got chocolate sprinkles.' Seb bargained. He hoped that would be enough.

'Fine.' The brunet grumbled. 'But I get all the icing.' He added as an after thought.

'Deal.' Jim went to get a seat by the window and Seb joined the queue for the sandwiches and cake. He grabbed a bottle of iced tea from the cooler as he went past. Glancing up at the hot drinks menu for Jim, he realised he forgot to ask his friend what drink he wanted. The criminal mastermind seemed to be in a happy mood today so not black coffee; maybe a cappuccino would suffice.

'How can I help you today Sebastian?' The girl, Hannah, at the counter batted her eyes at him and gave him a flirtatious smile. They'd been on a couple of dates in their first year but Seb quickly grew bored of her. She only ever wanted to watch go shopping or watch films together. There was no excitement. No spontaneous decisions. He had tried to surprise her once. He bought tickets to a band she liked for the two of them. She said she couldn't go because she had plans. The plans turned out to be going to the cinema with her sister. They hadn't bought the tickets but she just couldn't change her diary so late. Sebastian had gone with Jim instead. The irishman hadn't known any of the songs but he kept himself entertained by swiping people's wallets and telling Seb what each person's life story was. It had been a great night. He smiled fondly at the memory.

'Seb? Are you actually ordering food or are you just gonna stand there and smile like at idiot?' Hannah said.

'Oh yeah. One hazelnut cappuccino, a sausage and egg sandwich and a slice of chocolate cake.' He listed off quickly, making sure he didn't miss anything.

'Sure. Hey Seb, I was thinking… Maybe we should try us again? You know I'm sorry about what happened. I miss you.' Hannah said as she pulled the levers on the coffee machine. 'We could go out for drinks tonight, you could come back to mine after.' She was confident. He couldn't take that away from her. It was a quality that he used to find attractive in the girl. However, all he saw today was a girl desperate for a boyfriend and thinking that he was easy pickings. He almost felt sorry for her.

'Sorry Han, I actually have a date tonight. You know why we didn't work out. I don't think that's changed.' He hoped that he didn't come across too harsh but it would be easier if she backed off. It would be safer for her too. He handed over his student card to pay for his lunch and took the tray over to where Jim was sat. The brunet looked furious. He should have gone for black coffee after all.

'She was flirting with you.' The irishman's voice was like ice. More accurately it was like an icicle hanging right above your head when an avalanche is about to come hurtling down the mountain; cold and dangerous.

'Yeah. She was. I told her I have a date tonight and that I'm not interested.' Seb spoke calmly. He tried not to sound nervous over the word date but he was highly aware that they had never confirmed what tonight's outing was. He was relieved when Jim shot him a smirk. There was a mischievous glint in his eyes.

'Good. You took your time ordering so I was beginning to wonder whether I needed to call up Porter. Although I think it would be more satisfying if she was your assignment instead. Would you do it?' Jim's voice was hushed now so only him and Seb could hear the conversation. Seb felt the familiar spike of adrenaline in his blood.

'Well it has been over a week since my last assignment. I could use the practice. I don't think it's necessary though. I can't go shooting everyone that flirts with me, boss.' Sebastian gave Jim a wink. He did miss the feel of the steel in his hand; looking the crosshairs an the unsuspecting target. He knew Jim was being unreasonable though. Hannah was no threat that needed to be taken down. He pushed the chocolate cake towards Jim who stared at it suspiciously before grabbing a fork and digging into the chocolatey goodness; starting with the sticky icing.

'Shame. I've been trying to think of an excuse to wipe out the cheerleaders. They are insufferable.' Jim's Irish accent slipped out as he spat out the last sentence. His friend had never liked the cheerleading squad. Seb now suspected it was because he had slept with most of them, including Bobby Summers. Although he was certain that Jim wasn't aware of that particular one night stand.

The two men carried on exchanging light-hearted conversation whilst they ate their lunch. Once more the noise of the cafeteria faded into the background as they laughed at each others comments. Sec found it particularly adorable when Jim pouted after he insisted that killing Hannah would not be a wise decision. He even had to swipe Jim's phone to stop the mad man from texting one of the henchmen. They were interrupted by his phone buzzing in his pocket. It was a text from one of friends from class asking where he was. Sebastian looked at his watch and swore. Without thinking he kissed the top of Jim's head before rushing off towards his lecture room. It wasn't until he was sat on the bench frantically trying to concentrate on what the lecturer was saying that he realised what he had done.

He'd just kissed his boss and criminal mastermind best friend on the head.

The same friend who organised a hit and run because some poor girl was too interested in him.

'Shit!' The lecture hall went deadly quiet and heads turned to face him. He quickly snapped his pen and ink splattered over the previously blank page in front of him. 'Er sorry. My pen broke.' The lecturer gave him a stern look before continuing the lecture. The blond looked down at his blackened hands and sighed. He should have asked to go wash his hands. He couldn't sneak out now though.

His thoughts trailed back to in the cafeteria. Why did he kiss Jim's head? They'd said goodbye hundreds of times before and he had never even thought about kissing his friend as he left. He was conflicted. He knew he was. He had pushed any feelings he may have had for the brunet down for years. So much so that his first reaction to Jim's suggestion for tonight was shock; not happiness. Now all those potential feeling were coming out in full force. He wanted to hold the irishman's hand. He wanted to kiss Jim's lips when he pouted over not being allowed to kill Hannah. He couldn't help but wink at his friend or smile when he thought of him. He was second-in-command to a world-wide criminal network. He'd taken more lives than he could count and he was now almost giggling at the thought of his boss being his boyfriend.

Sebastian Moran was in trouble.

They had their date tonight though; maybe his heart and head would return to normal after that. He could go back to being the bad boy player after tonight. The pain in his chest told him that he was an idiot if he could ever go back to that life; not now he knew Jim's feelings. Maybe they would become a real couple; criminal partnership in all senses. It could be fun. After a long day dealing with Russian Mafia and serial murderers they would go home together and watch a film on the sofa. They might even have some wild sex to wind down from the stresses of their job. His eyes glazed over slightly as his thoughts were filled with images of the handsome irishman in his bed. Seb shook his head to disperse those thoughts quickly. He didn't want to end up in an uncomfortable situation in the middle of class so instead he tried to work out what to wear for that evening. They were only going to the pub for dinner afterwards so he discounted wearing a suit. He looked down at his current outfit. He was wearing a grey t-shirt with a tiger on and black fitted jeans, not a date outfit. The jeans were nice and he thought Jim might appreciate them but the t-shirt was a no go. He loved the tiger design but it was nothing special. Maybe he'd wear a shirt. He had a nice silk emerald green shirt lying hanging in the wardrobe. He'd never worn it on a date before, he normally stuck to white shirts. He didn't even know why he had bought the green one. However, he had the sudden urge to wear it today. He hoped that it would highlight the green in his eyes. That's what the films always talked about anyway.

So what time am I picking you up for the film? - S

It didn't take long for his friend to reply. Jim didn't have a lecture until five which he was skipping anyway so Seb knew he was probably bored out of his mind.

Sebastian your room is literally opposite mine. Don't be an idiot - M

The blond chuckled quietly at that, earning another look from the lecturer.

However, it's a 10 minute walk to the cinema and we want popcorn. So be ready for 5 - M

Seb looked at his watch. It was almost 3 now. That would give him just under 2 hours to have a shower and get dressed; plenty of time. He sat clock watching for the rest of the class. His bag was packed so he could leave as soon as the lecture ended. On the way out he threw away the shards of plastic that was once his pen and his ruined notebook. He wondered if he could claim a new one from the empires funds, after all it was completely Jim's fault that he had to break the pen. As he fled from the lecture hall he heard his professors voice calling him back but he pretended not to hear. He had more important things to worry about. He attended the lecture didn't he? That was more than some people.

Eventually he made it back to the flat he shared with Jim. It wasn't as nice or as large as they could afford but Seb convinced his friend that may need to masquerade as bog standard students every once in a while. Reluctantly, Jim agreed. So they resided in a flat rented out by some land lord they found at the housing fair. There was damp in the bathroom and the boiler was temperamental but it was sufficient.

'Shower's free if you need it. Don't come in my room!' Jim's soft accent came from upstairs. Seb grinned and dumped his bag in the hall. He would put it away later. He headed upstairs to the bathroom.

He turned the shower on before stripping down. It took the water a while to heat up in the house so it had become habit to do so. The room still had some moisture in the air from when Jim had had a shower earlier. Seb could smell Jim's fragrant shampoo in the air. It was a warm and fruity scent. Seb could never quite place the exact smell but he was fond of it. It always blended well with Jim's aftershave. The blond looked in the mirror for a moment before it began to steam up once more. The scar on the side of his face was prominent. He used to be insecure about the puckered flesh but he wore the mark proudly now. It was the mark of a survivor. He stepped into the warm jet of water and sighed. The heat felt good against his skin. He instantly felt the muscles in his back and neck begin to loosen up. He closed his eyes and let himself get lost in sound on the water falling on his head and splashing against the cold tiles. He rested his head against wall for a moment and breathed deeply before wiping the water from his face and reaching for his shampoo. Unlike Jim he preferred a more musky scent. His shampoo always reminded him of the rainforest he visited on a job in Brazil. Seb didn't know why but after that he always found the smell comforting. He thought that maybe he enjoyed the challenges of being in such a difficult climate.

Once he had finished rinsing the last of his conditioner out of his sandy locks he turned the shower off the came face to face once more with the mirror. He wiped some of the steam off with his towel before rubbing the soft fabric through his wet hair. The shower had made his cheeks flush a bright red colour, his scar was more prominent has his hair was now tussled from the towel. There was the beginning of stubble beginning to show on his jaw. He thought about having a shave but decided that he liked the rugged look. It suited him and matched his personality quite well. Seb quickly brushed his teeth before wrapping the towel around his waist and heading back to his room. Luckily he didn't run into Jim on the way. He laughed at that thought. That would have been exactly the sort of scene in you would see in a rom com. He would have liked to see Jim's face though, especially if he had accidentally dropped his towel.

The digital clock in Seb's room showed that it was half four. He'd been in the shower longer than he thought. The Englishman was thankful that he'd already chosen his outfit and it didn't take him long to dig out the shirt from the back of his wardrobe. He dropped his towel on the floor and pulled on the soft silk fabric. It felt odd against his skin. He was used to courser textures. The silk was smooth and it wasn't an unpleasant feeling. With some effort he managed to get his jeans back on, after pulling on a pair of clean boxers of course. The blond stood for a moment in front of the full length mirror in his room. He was surprising pleased with the image staring back at him. He undid a button on his shirt before tucking it in; not too smart, not too casual. Now he just had to blow dry his hair and attempt to tame the messy blond strands. He added a touch of gel to finish off his look. Seb's sandy blond hair was still pretty wild but at least it had some style to it. He glanced at his watch. It was almost five. Time to get Jim.

The taller man took a deep breath before knocking on his friend's door. He desperately hoped tonight went well. If it didn't it could have severe consequences for him; at best he'd be out of a job. He shuddered to think of what the worst could be. He tried not to remember his father's fate at the hands of his potential boyfriend.

'Jim? You ready?' He called through the door. After a moment it opened to reveal his date. Seb let his eyes roam over his friends body. He looked good. No. More than good he looked absolutely delectable. Jim was wearing a figure hugging white shirt with a dark blue tie with little skulls on it. He had forgone the jacket that he normally wore when wearing suits and Seb could have sworn his trousers were tighter than usual. The blond took a deep breath before holding out his arm to his friend. 'Shall we?'

'We shall.' Jim linked arms with him and they headed off towards the cinema.