It was always weird when Jim's brother stopped by, Sebastian spending ninety percent of the time trying to tell the two of them apart. They weren't twins, Jim was the elder, but they wore the same style of clothes and their hair was swept back in the same manner, and Sebastian was on edge the entire time. In fact, the best way to tell them apart was how they responded to his daughter.
Jim would touch her hair or tweak her nose to get on the nine year old's nerves, but Rich's reaction was awkward and stiff. He wasn't used to kids of any sort, even though he's known Thalia for a good portion of her life. Sure, he would send her a ridiculous amount of presents on her birthday and Christmas, he would happily keep her out of harm's way, but God forbid he actually have to keep her entertained.
Thalia didn't seem to mind it, coloring at the kitchen table while the adults spoke near the refrigerator. Well, Jim and Rich were speaking, Sebastian was just standing nearby and wondering how the world was still intact with two Moriarty's running around. Hell, it was a miracle that Sebastian was still sane at this point with a daughter whose latest hobby was tap dancing at one in the morning, a fiancé that occasionally blew up their microwave, and a future brother-in-law that took joy in breaking Sebastian's favorite toaster.
Nothing's sacred with these assholes around.
"….And that's how I got a way into MI-5," Rich was saying, a lazy smile curving his lips upwards. Where Jim was comfortable in his own skin, Rich took it to an entirely new level. Rich could be murdering someone in cold blood and make it look like the simplest thing in the world, offering no grim satisfaction like Sebastian or a feral grin like Jim, it was just like he was playing chess.
"Well done," Jim murmurs in return, though there was only a vague interest in his eyes. "Have you decided on an identity yet?"
"Intelligent, relaxed, a package deal when it comes to good ideas." He gives a little sniff, leaning back against the fridge. "Pretty much myself, really."
"Could've fooled me," Seb mutters, unfazed when Rich turns a glare in his direction. Jim's glares had a bigger impact, a slightly unhinged light in his eyes whenever he was angry. Rich's would scare most people, but Sebastian's got a pretty high tolerance when it comes to sociopaths. "So, are you actually going to change your name this time around?"
"I don't know, I quite like Rich."
"That's dumb." All three men look at the little girl, finding her sitting on her knees and watching them. Her crayons and coloring book lay forgotten on the table, her big blue eyes focused on her uncle Rich. "You can't use your own name if you're surrounded by a bunch of government people. God, even Hamish could figure that out." Hamish Watson-Holmes was her current enemy, one of the few kids in her class that were actually smart enough to offer competition.
"She's right," Alex says as he walks into the kitchen," that's a really dumb idea, Rich." He refused to claim Rich as an uncle, which annoyed the man to no end despite not really caring about the kid. "You gotta pick something that a Holmes wouldn't expect from a Moriarty." Jim gives their kids an indulgent smile, proud at how fearless they seemed to be. "What do you think, Papa?"
"How the hell should I know," Seb returns with a shrug. "I just commit the murders, I don't create entire identities."
"That's more my area," Jim adds, ruffling Alex's dark hair. The ten-year-old pushes his hand off, frowning as he tries to fix it back to its stylishly messy form. He was meeting his friend later and was determined to have better hair than the other Holmes kid, Hamish's older brother offering mental stimulation for Alex. Sebastian didn't mind as long as neither of the boys try to break each other's noses again. "Alright, Honeybear, find us a blank page and a good crayon."
"'Kay, Daddy," Thalia says, turning back in her seat and flipping to the back cover of her coloring book. Jim and the other surround the little girl, Jim taking a sparkly, green crayon from her to write with. In a matter of two minutes, Jim had seventeen names written down and Thalia had added one in sky blue cursive. Seb arches a brow when he spots it, Jim gives a slight nod, Alex full-out grins, and Rich makes a noise of surprise. It was a pretty good name, all things considered, and it went with the surname Rich had mentioned earlier.
"Max Denbigh. That might actually work."
"Well duh, Daddy."