A Father's Compromise

by Accidental-Ducky

Now, everyone knows that there's no real way to look intimidating when you appear to be a normal dad taking his daughter for a swimming lesson, that's just a fact and there's really no changing it, but if anyone can make a Soccer Dad intimidating without scaring his child, then it's James Moriarty. He hopes so, at least.

14. Birthday Drama: Sebastian Moran

Sebastian had seen a lot of things since he started working with James Moriarty, but the sight in front of him really took the cake. Speaking of cake, most of the bright pink frosting of a small cake was smeared right down the front of one of Jim's favorite Armani jackets. The room had gone completely silent the second the icing was thrown, a tense, uncomfortable one that no one except the birthday girl was oblivious of.

Jim, his face beat red, was staring down at the toddler with such a look of offense that it would have been comical if it wasn't coming from a man that committed murder for the shits and giggles. His left eye was twitching the way it did when he was particularly upset, and Sebastian was slowly inching forward in case he had to intervene.

He'd seen this man shoot a guy point blank just for sneezing in his direction, but this was icing and Jim's favorite jacket and, to tell the truth, Sebastian would be really upset if he had to shoot his own boss in the face.

Jim was opening his mouth, probably already having a long tirade on the tip of his tongue, when the baby giggles. The world as Jim knew it was crumbling to the ground and Thalia was giggling at him like it was the funniest thing ever. My daughter has a bigger set of cojones than I do.

But that simple gesture of delight, that she wasn't at all frightened by James fucking Moriarty, had Jim relaxing just the slightest amount. Another giggle and Jim's eye stopped twitching and his jacket was thrown in the garbage can.

"You're lucky it's your birthday," Jim tells her as seriously as any grown man can talk to a one year old," otherwise I would be forced to drop your cake on your head." But there was no menace in his tone and Thalia seemed to know it, reaching out one little hand to add some frosting to Jim's nose.

"You okay, Boss," Sebastian checks as Jim's frown becomes more pronounced. After all, this was a man who hated getting his hands dirty on Thursdays and now had a ruined jacket and a bright pink, vanilla-scented nose. Jim, ever the snob, gives a prim little sniff before taking up a handful of frosting and rubbing it all over the blonde tuft of hair that covered Thalia's head.

"That's called payback, Missy."