Jim chortled and climbed back on the bed to sit on the edge as he watched Sebastian go. He hummed, amused, and leaned back on his bed. "My, my...John isn't going to like this very much...I did tell him not to say anything," he said, murmuring to himself in a way that forced Sebastian to listen.

Sebastian whirled on him. "He didn't tell me anything. I'm not stupid, Jim. I figured it out. He told me he was attracted to you."

Jim just closed his eyes, smiling to himself and shook his head lightly, not believing. 'And you came to this conclusion at 2:30 in the morning? Hmm...I don't think I believe that at all. I did warn him...he's going to be so sad."

"Warned him about what?" Sebastian said, stepping over to him.

"Ahh, nothing to worry about. I thought you were leaving? Go on then, off you go."

Sebastian strode over and yanked Jim upright, shaking him. "Warned him about what, Jim? He called me in his sleep! He was having a nightmare! He was saying, 'You promised you wouldn't hurt Sebastian!' So is that what the price is, then? If he tells, I get hurt? Well, I'm right here, Jim! Somehow I doubt if John will care very much, so what are you waiting for? Do what you want with me, or try to. Honestly, I doubt you'll make it very far."

Jim giggled. "Temper, temper, Sebby! Yes of course I threatened to kill you, but you're hardly the only one! All of his friends and family are at stake! But you, Sebastian..." Jim grinned and slowly shook his head, his voice getting softer and more manic, his dark eyes locked with Sebastian's. "You are going to be the last one to go because he cares about you the most...even more than his precious Sherlock, I'd say."

Sebastian's heart pounded. Was he right? Did John really care about him that much? He knew exactly where Jim kept his knife. His hand flicked to the bedroom table drawer to grab it. He would kill Jim. It had come to that, and he would.

Jim saw what Sebastian was doing and didn't move, a smirk still plastered across his face. "Killing me, are you? I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Sebastian seized Jim by his hair and pressed the knife hard against Jim's throat, drawing a couple drops of blood. "Give me one good reason why. You took away the only person I have ever loved. You tortured him. You manipulated him. You have no reason to continue living. I know it all traces back to me, Jim. There aren't any men ready to kill me if I off you. I'm the weak link in your web, because I was always loyal to you. You never thought you'd need it." Sebastian, in fact, was not at all sure how Jim's twisted web worked: only Jim knew how all the strings pulled and affected each other. That's why he was the mastermind. But Sebastian was fairly certain that Jim didn't have a sniper on him. He hoped, anyway.

"Oh God, you silly man," Jim laughed, even as the metal cut in to him, "You couldn't be more wrong. Of course I have people in place to kill you! John is the weakest link, here, darling. Not you." Jim closed his eyes and hummed contentedly, "And you'll not wanting to be killing me, because every morning I have to alert my men on standby not to kill you, John's housekeeper, Sherlock, John's sister, and John himself." He opened his eyes and looked up at Sebastian wickedly. "You know my schedule. I wake up at five nearly every morning, which gives you...mmm 3 hours, we'll say, if we're being generous. If you killed me, you'd have to rescue John and all of his acquaintances before they were all blown to bits. On the other hand, if I live, John lives. Your choice," Jim sneered, and leaned farther against the blade.

Sebastian withdrew the knife, cursing. Of course. It was never so simple. He threw the knife into the wall with a yell of rage and watched it quiver, the blade point buried in the wallpaper. He turned back to Jim and swallowed. "Please. Don't hurt anyone. He didn't mean to. And I would have figured it out anyway. He didn't mean to," Sebastian repeated. He fell on his knees and swallowed. "I will do whatever you want me to, Jim. Please, don't hurt John…or his family and friends."

Jim smirked. "Oh, look who's on their knees now! Hm. Let's see. I suppose I should come up with a punishment for both of you...John just won't know he's being punished. Tomorrow, you're going to tell John it was all fake. You're going to tell him that you were using him, that he was a good shag, nothing more. Say something along the lines of that you could never actually seriously be with someone as wimpy and pathetic as him. Tell him he disgusts you and that I am where your real loyalties lie. And I'll be bugging you so I can listen in. I want this to be a face to face conversation. That will be the first part of the punishment, at least…"

Sebastian stared up at him in horror. He was going to lose John. Forever. John was going to loathe him. John's heart would break. John would move on, of course he would, but there would always be that chunk that Sebastian had ripped out. But what is worse than John being dead? No. Of course not. Sebastian would rather see John alive than to be responsible for his death or the deaths of those he loved. He finally asked, "And John will be safe? You'll—" he swallowed, mortified to feel tears welling in his eyes. He was not going to cry in front of Jim. "You'll leave him alone?"

Jim let out a surprised laugh. "What?! God, no, I'm not going to leave him alone! He's far too good a fuck for that. Whatever the hell gave you that impression?"

Sebastian's blood ran cold. "So I have to choose between John dying and John being miserable and tortured?! How can you expect me to make a decision like that?"

Jim gave a huff of annoyance. "Oh, shut up and decide. I'm rather tired and you've wasted a good portion of my sleep."

"He lives," Sebastian said. He swallowed. "I'll tell him..." If John was still alive, there was still hope. But what if he had made the wrong choice? Would John even want to be alive after Sebastian ground his heart into tiny bits of glass and Jim made him a permanent fuck toy? Sebastian shuddered at the very thought. "I'll tell him." He cried then, and he couldn't stop himself. He sat back on his heels and doubled over into the floor, his weeping causing his tiger tattoo to ripple and twitch. He didn't even care if Jim saw.

Jim rolled his eyes and gave him a disgusted look. "Get out, I want to sleep—and keep your crying down if you want John to be alive in the morning."

Sebastian pulled himself to his feet and went back to the bedroom, unable to look at Jim again through his tear-rimmed eyes. In the morning he texted John.

We need to talk. I think you deserve to know the truth. -SM

John woke to the vibration of his phone. He was exhausted and the sheets were wrapped around him. He rubbed his red eyes, trying to get rid of the bags beneath them to no avail and checked his phone and frowned a bit.

Um, okay...did you want to meet up somewhere? -JW

You pick the spot. I'm free at 9. -SM

He couldn't do this. He couldn't.

Nine? That was in half an hour, John would have to hurry and get up.

...is Speedy's alright with you? I've just woken. -JW

Sebastian hurried to the cafe. He considered ordering a coffee, but he didn't want to linger. He could feel the wires crawling up his jacket, and Jim's voice was in his ear, in a tiny, near-invisible earpiece. "Remember all the parts, Sebby," his voice crooned. Sebastian dug his fingers into the table edge. "Yes, Jim, of course," he muttered woodenly.

John showed up half an hour later. He'd tried to look presentable, but he still looked awful from his night of fitful sleep. He flexed his jaw and had a bit of trouble looking in Sebastian's eyes as he made his way over to sit across from him at the table in the back. He hesitated before dropping into the seat and glanced up at him. "Before you say anything...I just...I just want to say I'm sorry."

"You've nothing to be sorry for," Sebastian said, his heart hammering in his ears. He was having a very difficult time meeting John's eyes as well. He wiped his sweaty hands on his trousers. He would have to be as convincing as he could. Jim had made that very clear. He would rather die.

"Yeah...yeah, I do though...I've...I've been terrible and I'm sorry..." he muttered, glancing up. "What is it you wanted to talk about it?" he asked, his blue eyes tired and watery looking over dark purple bags.

Sebastian met John's eyes. "John, I—" I LOVE YOU, he wanted to yell for the whole cafe to hear. I love you and I'm so terribly sorry. Instead, he forced a casual, apologetic tone into his voice. "Look, John, I think I let this get really out of hand. It went much further than I thought it would, so I think you deserve some frankness."

John's brow furrowed a bit. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it wasn't that. "Okay…what is it?"

"When I first met you, I was looking for a quick fuck. You knew that. And obviously it spun into more than that—I don't know if I was just infatuated because you were my enemy or what, but it went on far too long. I never intended it getting so messy and complicated that you would end up, you know, thinking it was serious. Obviously I would never waste my time with someone like you for the long run. My boss's nemesis's sidekick. You were a shag. I was using you." He stopped. He was trying to stare through John, to not see his face, to not see the heartbreak cloud John's eyes. It wasn't working.

Jim's voice was in his ear again. "Don't forget. He's pathetic and he disgusts you, and your loyalties will always lie with me. Isn't that right, Sebby?"

Sebastian clenched his teeth together and continued. "You're pathetic, really. Going after someone like me? Falling for someone like me? How did you ever expect that to end well? You disgust me." He felt more like he was talking about himself. He had never loathed himself so much. "My loyalties will always lie with Jim. Even if he does choose you as a fuck toy."

John couldn't speak. His breath had been knocked out of him with mere words. Hadn't it just been the day before that Sebastian had said he would never call him a "fuck toy"? Being a medical man, John would never have thought that it was possible to actually feel your heart break. It had hurt horribly before, back when he had had to tell Sebastian he liked Jim, but now...now didn't even compare. It simultaneously felt as if someone was squeezing it, as if it had shattered into a hundred thousand pieces, and like a massive, gaping hole had been ripped in it. He had never felt so stupid or foolish in his life. It had been a game. All of it. Of course he meant nothing to Sebastian. He had probably found him online, knew who he was and thought it would be good fun to have a shag and a laugh at John's expense. His cheeks flashed between hot and cold, as if his pulmonary system couldn't decide if they wanted him to blush or be completely drained of blood. John realized he had stopped breathing and took in a small, hitched breath. God he was such a fool! He loved Sebastian! He had wanted to protect him from Jim, and now it turned out that they were in it together.

After a long silence in which John wanted nothing more than to fade away and disappear into a puff of humiliation, he swallowed thickly, and looked down at the table, giving a little nod. His voice was soft. "I see...was...was there anything else you wanted me to know?" He looked back up, tears forming in his eyes. He would hold them back. He wouldn't lose it now. He would wait until he was behind the closed door of his bedroom to break down.

Sebastian saw John's face even though he didn't want to. He could barely hold it together as he stood up. "I think that's all that needs to be said." It took every ounce of him to keep his voice neutral. He left then, swiftly. He wanted to die. He couldn't bear to turn around to see John again. "It's done, boss," he muttered into the earpiece. "Be back soon." He grabbed the nearest cab and sat in it stonily. He could feel his insides crumbling. It was only a matter of time before he collapsed completely.