John ignored Jim as he zipped his trousers and buttoned his shirt. Without a backward glance, he turned and left the house, feeling a strange mix of relief, regret, and disgust.

Jim smiled to himself as he lay naked on the bed, thinking about what he'd just witnessed. John had been such a mess. The image and feel of John riding him viciously, gyrating until he was senseless, was going to be burned in his mind for a long time.

Sebastian came home late the next morning nursing a massive hangover. He not only felt like shit physically, but in every other way possible. He barely remembered the sex, he was so smashed, but he remembered being discontented with the vain, shallow guy he'd been with, even through the alcoholic haze. He woke up with a sore throat—he must've smoked an entire pack—foul breath, a throbbing headache, and that same gaping hole in his chest that hadn't grown any smaller at all. He missed John terribly.

He wondered if John was still fucking Jim. Why hadn't he seen it before? Of course John would be attracted to Jim. The only reason he'd probably been attracted to Sebastian was because he was a big strong army colonel. John had issues. Obviously. If actually sought out people like himself and Jim to be around. He headed up to his bedroom in a cloud of self-loathing, then bumped into Jim. "Thanks for the day off," he muttered. "How's John?"

Jim smirked and quirked an eyebrow. "Oh dear. Not as bad as you, I'd wager...but that's because we had a lovely little fuck last night. Quite the desperate little thing, isn't he? Really enjoys getting fucked, wouldn't you agree? He rode me hard until he collapsed. This was the most active I've seen him in the bedroom..." Jim paused and gave a thoughtful look. "Well, I suppose that was because I had to tie him down last time. He came back for more, though, didn't he? Do you want to come back for more, Sebby?" His hand lightly clawed down Sebastian's chest.

Sebastian went cold as he thought about John being tied down and fucked by Jim, being fucked by him in general. Loving it. He didn't know which was worse, the thought of John having sex with Jim against his will or having sex with Jim and enjoying it.

"H-he did?" he managed in a very quiet voice. He swallowed. He hated how he still wanted John, after all of this. He shouldn't miss him. He shouldn't want him. He should never have wanted him, but as hard as he tried, he couldn't make his feelings disappear. He would do anything if he could make them disappear.

"Oh, yes, Sebastian, he was very keen. I can see why had him several times. He's a fantastic fuck. Full of surprises." Even as Jim said this, his hand was running down Sebastian's cheek, then his fingertips were trailing down his chest.

Sebastian raised his eyebrow at Jim's roaming fingers. "Wouldn't your new fuck buddy get jealous if you went back to me?" he asked dryly.

Jim rolled his eyes. "'Fuck buddy'? How crude. I simply prefer to think of him as a toy. And yes, he did. After you left him, he was hardly going to go begging at your door to be banged, so I took up your place." Jim smiled and gave a fond, remembering hum. Jim withdrew his hand. "Now then, love, I've got work to do, and so do you—double today, if you'll recall. Now, off you scoot. There's people to skin, bombs to build."

"He's not a toy," Sebastian said viciously.

"I suppose you're right. It's a bit of an overstatement to call him even that. Now wash up. You smell like shit." Jim ran a hand through his hair and lightly patted Sebastian on the cheek. "Ciao, darling."

Sebastian glared at him. He wanted to shut down his own heart. He'd get dressed, get into his routine, do the job. He tromped to his room, showered, dress, chose his guns and ammunition and telescopes. Before he left, he texted John before he could stop himself:

Did you have a good fuck with Jim last night? -SM

John's heart sank as he received and read Sebastian's message. He shouldn't be at all surprised that Jim had told him.

Sebastian, I'm sorry. –JW

Sebastian hadn't expected that. He'd expected a retort. He deserved a retort. After all, where had he been last night?

I imagine Jim told you what I was doing last night. -SM

Yeah. -JW

I'm sorry, John. I hate myself today. -SM

I hate myself every day, Sebastian. -JW

...I hope you find whoever you're looking for. -JW

Because it obviously wasn't him.

I'm not looking for anyone, John. Why are you with him?! He called you a toy, John. I would never call you that, and you know it. You've never been that to me.-SM

He needed to stop. He couldn't stand here and emotionally dump over texting. But he couldn't stop himself from sending the text.

He called me a toy because that's what I /am/ to him, Sebastian. And it doesn't matter what you would call me or not-even if I /was/ just a toy to you. I know you sleep with Jim, Sebastian. He told me. And that's fine, I just wish that if you hadn't been looking for something serious, you wouldn't have led me on to believe that. I have to go now, my shift is starting. -JW.

John, I /work/ for him. I have to do what he says. I never slept with him after I started seeing you. -SM

[No response]

Sebastian checked his phone three or four more times as he finished getting ready for work. As he left to catch the bus to his first location, he texted John again.

What? You don't believe me? -SM

[No response]

Fine, John. Crawl back to Jim. Be miserable. Because he's clearly not making you happy. Ever since that night in the hotel, you've been miserable, and it's because of him. -SM

[No response]

John didn't check his phone for the rest of the day. Forgetting about it really. It wasn't until later that night that he remembered it and flicked it back on, hoping that he didn't have any messages from Jim. He didn't, but there were several from Sebastian. He read through them and clenched his jaw, deciding not to respond. He needed to stop everything with Sebastian. It was for both of their sakes. He curled up on his bed, phone still in his hand and eventually fell into a fitful sleep. At about three in the morning, in the midst of a nightmare, his hand, still clutching his phone, dialed Sebastian.

Sebastian groaned from his sleep and answered the phone, not even looking at the name on the phone since he couldn't quite peel his eyes open. "Huhhh?" he garbled out sleepily.

John whimpered and flipped over, tangling himself in the covers, muttering to himself as he broke out in a cold-sweat.

"Huh?" Sebastian rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Who is this?" He recognized that breathing, that voice. "...John?" He was much more awake now.

"Sorry—I'm sorry, just don't hurt him, I'm sorry—" he choked out in between incoherent mumblings.

"John, what're you—John—!" Sebastian sat up in a panic. Was someone hurting John?! He sounded so scared. "John, where are you?" He was already getting out of bed, dressing awkwardly as he held the phone to his ear.

"Please! You said you'd leave Sebastian alone—" he choked out, his hands squeezing as he tensed under the covers. His thumb hit the end button, and the call was over.

Sebastian slid the phone away from his ear slowly as the dial tone sounded. It didn't take a genius to piece together what had happened. He threw his phone on the bed and left him room, barging into Jim's bedroom. "You lied to me," He barked in a loud voice.

"UGH. Sebastian! I am trying to sleep, what the hell is your problem?!" Jim growled from his bed.

Sebastian swept over to him and pressed down on his throat. "You lied. You said John wanted it. That's not true, is it? You forced him into this. You're sick, Jim. I will kill you." He stared down at him in rage.

Jim gave Sebastian a death glare as he looked up at him. "Oooooh, Sebastian. That's what you'd like to think, isn't it? Maybe it started out that way, but the tables turned last night. I gave him the option to leave but he stayed here. In fact, I think his exactly phrasing was 'Fuck me.' Isn't the truth painful?" Jim's smirked widened and his slid his hand down Sebastian's chest to grab at his groin. "Mmm...he wants me, Seb..." he murmured.

Sebastian gasped in surprise as Jim touched his groin, letting up on his throat in sheer shock. Jim knew exactly where to touch to make his knees buckle. Jim knew every inch of him, something he both loathed and loved. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Oh, Sebby, come on. Just a little romp? I'll even let you take the reins for once if you want them," he murmured, leaning forward to lick up the side of his face. "It's been ssoooo long…" Jim's hot, drawn-out breath rolled off Sebastian's cheek. His hand grabbed at Sebastian's arse. He figured he might as well distract Sebastian from sex by using sex.

Sebastian growled and grabbed his throat. He was already breathing hard. He knew all too well that hating Jim and fucking Jim went hand in hand, and he had never hated Jim as much as he did right now. It was sick and wrong, he knew it was, that he was already getting hard. He knew it was wrong that he used sex as a cure-all, but that didn't mean he was going stop. "I get to take the reigns? You sure about that, Jimbo?" He asked, his malicious, hateful expression growing even more pronounced as he stared into those black eyes.

Jim puckered his lips and furrowed his brow. "Ooo, yes, I think it's near time you did. Or do you want to just take the easy way out and ride me like Johnny did last night? Going by his moans, it feels rather good," he smirked, grabbing at Sebastian's groin again.

Sebastian growled and pressed down harder on Jim's throat, cutting off his breath. "You don't get to talk about John any more tonight, is that understood?" He moved onto Jim's bed to straddle him, still keeping a firm hold on his throat. He pressed a biting kiss into Jim lips, moving to painfully tweak one of Jim's nipples through his t-shirt.

Jim let out a small, strained, nasal moan, and asked with what little breath he had, "Is this what you did to Johnny?"

Sebastian let out a cry of rage and removed his hand from Jim's throat to strike him hard across the face. "I care about John. That's the difference between him and you, Jim," he said, yanking Jim's shirt up, and forcing it off his head and arms, tearing it a bit in the process. He grabbed a fistful of Jim's hair with one hand and his shoulder with the other and forced him to sit upright, then climbed off him and kicked him forcefully off the bed, sending him sprawling onto the floor. As Sebastian clawed off his own trousers, he barked, "on your knees."

Jim laughed, thoroughly enjoying himself. "Yes sir," he purred, a smirk on his lips. He pushed himself up to his elbows and knees. "I bet John calls you that, doesn't he?" Jim continued on, mocking John's voice. "Oh, Colonel Moran! Fuck me! Fuck me!"

Sebastian grabbed his hair again and pulled him off his elbows, striking him hard again. "I said on your knees!" He yanked off his own pants and trousers and let them pool around his ankles, spreading his knees apart as he sat on the edge of the bed. "Suck me, now."

Jim rolled his eyes. "Dull," he said as he sidled up between his legs. He let his fingers ghost along Sebastian's cock, then licked a long stripe up it, blowing softly on it.

Sebastian's breath hitched. "You and I h-have...different definitions of dull, boss..."

"Obviously," Jim grumbled. He leaned forward again, and began to lightly nip along the side of Sebastian's cock, one hand moving to very lightly tug at his balls.

Sebastian gasped, then growled, sick of the teasing, and grabbed a fistful of Jim's hair, pulling him toward his cock. "I'm already hard, in case you hadn't noticed."

Jim hissed in a sharp breath as his head was yanked backwards. "I had, actually, dear."

"Then get on with it before I make you sorry," Sebastian said, twisting his hair harder. He was drunk on causing Jim pain right now. He could hurt him forever.

Jim grit his teeth. "Oh really, Sebby? And how are you going to do that?"

Sebastian lifted Jim's chin with one finger. "I know a thousand ways to hurt you, and you know it," he said. It was a hollow threat. He could only hurt Jim physically, and Jim rather liked that. He wished he knew how to hurt Jim emotionally, as Jim had done to him, but Jim's emotions—if he had them—were impenetrable.

Jim grinned. "Physically...you mean. Wounds that will heal...oh dear, but you seem to have shown your hand, Sebby. You don't scare me, you know that, don't you? I was able to snatch your dear little doctor out from under you, and there wasn't and isn't anything you can do about it."

"I could kill you." Even as the words left Sebastian's mouth, he knew they would mean nothing to Jim. Jim wasn't afraid of death. Sebastian had known plenty of people who claimed that, but Jim was the only one who could say it with absolute conviction. He would walk straight into a bullet grinning if it meant things were going his way. Sebastian found the small value Jim put on his life both admirable and disturbing. He realized that Jim was getting exactly what he wanted—he wanted Sebastian to hurt him, to try and fail to cause any sort of pain that was more than skin-deep. Well, he wasn't playing anymore. "Get off me," he said. "We're done." Sebastian kicked Jim away from him and stood up. "You're not worth it."