Sleep

"Boss I'm home!" Sebastian called through as he closed the front door behind him. The kill had gone well, leaving Sebastian in a bright mood. He walked through to the spare room and put his gun away carefully and precisely in its place.

Jim hadn't answered, which was unlike him. Whether he was in a good mood or a bad mood, Sebastian always got some sort of answer from him. It worried Sebastian. Wandering through the flat in order to find him, Sebastian discovered him sat on a chair in the kitchen, with his head leant against the table. He was sound asleep.

Sebastian couldn't help but smile at him. The consulting criminal, the one who terrified everyone, the one who ruled London, looked adorable with his dark hair falling over his eyes as he slept against the table. He also didn't look very comfortable. It became one of the many times that Sebastian was grateful for being considerably bigger than Jim, of course that wasn't hard, the other really was tiny. Carefully, Sebastian lifted Jim's head, moving it to rest against his chest, before bending slightly to lift him into his arms.

"Hm?" Jim left out a small confused whine and his eyes fluttered open. So much for not waking him.

"Shush," Sebastian whispered, "It's just me, go back to sleep."

Jim looped his arms around Sebastian's neck and closed his eyes again, shuffling awkwardly in his arms to get comfortable before relaxing against him. Sebastian waited until he stopped moving, before kissing the top of his head gently and carrying him through to the bedroom. He managed to pull back the duvet, before putting Jim down, but in his attempt to get back up, Jim wouldn't let go of him.

"No," Jim murmured. Even when his voice was sleepy he still managed to make it an order. "Stay."

Sebastian smiled, "Let me at least take my shoes off."

Reluctantly Jim let go of Sebastian. The sniper moved quickly, undoing his shoes and kicking off, before pulling of his jacket and top. When he turned back to the bed, he noticed Jim was watching him – despite the fact he could barely keep his eyes open – with a lopsided smile. He smiled back at him and climbed in next to him.

Jim quickly moved to curl up against Sebastian, resting his head on the sniper's bare chest. Sebastian wrapped an arm around him protectively, stroking his hair gently. He worried about Jim. He knew the other didn't look after himself properly, Jim didn't sleep for fear of nightmare unless he was at the point of exhaustion where he couldn't argue, he didn't eat probably mostly because he forgot. While it could be useful, Sebastian hated the way Jim was so tiny and practically weightless to pick up.

"I love you, Sebby," Jim whispered, his eyes closed as he spoke.

Sebastian still got shocked. Jim didn't say it often, he didn't need to, but Sebastian still loved to hear those words from him. With a smile, he whispered back, like it was a secret no one else had the right to hear, "I love you too, Jimmy." Slightly louder he added, "Now go to sleep, I'll protect you."

"Mm… M'kay," Jim murmured, relaxing against his sniper and letting himself fall asleep.

Sebastian kept his arm around him, as he settled down himself. Once he was sure Jim was sleeping calmly, he let himself sleep. And of course, he was still there, still holding Jim when the alarm woke them up, as he always would be.

The nightmare had torn through Sebastian like a poison, hurting every little piece of him. He couldn't get used to the fact that Jim was gone. He couldn't forgive himself for letting him down. He promised Jim he would always protect him, always keep him safe, but then he went and let him continue with his game. Sebastian had been able to see that it wasn't healthy, that it was going too far, but he didn't do enough to stop Jim. He couldn't stop Jim shooting himself.

Struggling to keep the tears in, Sebastian rolled over, looking at the empty side of the bed. It felt wrong, waking up and his arms being empty, Jim's tiny frame not curled up tightly against him. Without Jim, Sebastian felt he was nothing. Jim had made him everything he was, and when Jim died he had taken all of that with him.

He pulled the duvet up over his head tightly and let himself cry. Today he wasn't going to get up, today he wasn't going to do anything. It wasn't like he had a boss who would threaten him out of bed anymore. And that thought just made him cry all the more.