Sherlock Fanfiction

Once Upon A Time In London

If there was one thing James Moriarty loathed, especially within his own organization, it was whistle-blowers. Those pesky little spies that the Yard planted at the bottom, who tried to worm - or whore - their way up into the higher echelons. ho kept their eyes and ears and technological gadgets open to sniff out any dirt they could find and smuggle it back to their superiors using obscure pathways that were ne!er "uite secure enough to a!oid detection. #isgusting little creatures, all smiles and se$y cur!es or hard-boiled bad guys, if they came in the male !ersion. %ometimes appearing with a special computer geek fla!our, and all it took to make those flinch was standing behind their office chairs and breathing down their necks. Jim had talked about that particular problem with John. Two days ago and at great length. &e had to suffer through a long monologue, peppered with maniac laugher and smashed china. ' boring, if educational, e$perience that John only sur!i!ed by clinging to his mug of tea and making noises of agreement in all the right places. The most recent problem went by the name (laine )atel, currently tottering down the street about *+, yards ahead of Jim and John, who followed at a more moderate pace. Most of her curly hair was co!ered by a bobcap and white scarf- its ends flapped in the wind. John had to admire her ability to stay upright on her high-heels, considering that .hristmas was drawing near and the weather had gotten the memo. %now was e!erywhere, lining the streets in heaps and fluttering from dark clouds. The tip of his own nose was bright red, the mucous membrane dry and swollen, and his cheeks burned. Jim beside him looked like a spectre, pale, dark and wind-blown. /%oon,0 Jim said, rubbing his hands together with childlike glee. 1ra!el crunched underneath his scuffed shoes as he mo!ed to a tune only he could hear. &is pink tongue darted out to catch a snowflake. /This is far too easy.0 /2emind me again why %ebastian couldn3t handle this4 5r any other of your goons, for that matter.0 Jim laughed, unconcerned that they might attract attention. There was no need to be o!erly cautious6 !isibility was low, and they were far from any ..T7 littered, respectable corner of the city. #ressed up as thugs themsel!es they fit right in, and the weight of their guns and kni!es was additional reassurance in the flicker of dying street lights. 1one were the decorations in red and blue and gold, the smell of deep-fried dough and roasted almonds, and the torture that was ham3s /8ast .hristmas,0 blaring through the open doors of e!ery shop. They had traded those in for old newspapers, garbage and the stench of piss and rot. /9ow Johnny-boy, don3t go lumping %ebastian together with those bottom feeders,0 Jim

said with a tut-tut and fake reproach. &is eyes glittered in the dark, pupils blown wide with anticipation. /I really wouldn:t want to incon!enience him with such a tri!iality.0 John thought of all the hoops Jim made his poor %I. ;ump through day and night, and snorted. This little e$cursion reeked of boredom instead of new-found compassion for %ebastian3s plight. 'n elbow bumped into his side, and not for the first time since they had left the apartment they shared. <nlike %ebastian John was willing to pick his battles with Jim. %tarting now. /2ight.0 John grabbed Jim3s wrist to steer him around a puddle that was not completely frozen o!er, ha!ing reached the end of his patience with his antics. &e kept his eyes firmly on (laine3s coat-clad back as a short tug-of-war ensued that he won by !irtue of medical knowledge. Jim hissed but stopped his annoying swagger. /9o need for !iolence,0 he muttered and ad;usted his off-the-peg windbreaker with as much dignity as a pouting criminal mastermind could hope for. /<p close and personal is the name of the game. I want to ha!e some fun.0 (laine chose that moment to stop and pull out her mobile, probably to double-check the te$t that had been incenti!e enough to lea!e her flat in the dead of night. %he must ha!e been desperate to get into contact with her handler ahead of schedule after all the false information Jim had fed her. %he turned the corner, following a back alley that would turn out to be a dead end- no pun intended. /Make it "uick,0 John muttered. &e changed his grip on Jim3s hand to gi!e his icy fingers a s"ueeze- the stubborn git refused to wear glo!es. /1o.0 Jim slipped away with a blown kiss and the glint of metal as he rushed after (laine and out of sight, eager like a bloodhound. John knew he would lea!e the crime scene a bloody mess that would seem to defy => hours of meticulous planning. Inspector 8estrade would be furious and %herlock3s hands were tied, defamed as a fraud as he was. 's for &er Ma;esty, Mycroft &olmes had long since understood the necessity and benefits of crime, as long as certain lines were not crossed. John leaned against the wall, content to wait and watch the deserted street to make sure no one showed up to spoil Jim3s fun. &e heard the crunch of snow underneath Jim3s shoes and the noise of a short scuffle- the desperate gurgling of a slit throat. &owe!er, instead of one body, two hit the ground and John abandoned his lookout post in a rush of panic. The sight that greeted him was not "uite what he had e$pected6 (laine lay in a spreading pool of steaming blood. %ome of it had sprayed the wall behind her in a graceful arc like so much graffiti ? and right beside her was Jim, flat on his arse. .onsidering the black ice and tracks that co!ered the ground, it didn3t take a genius to figure out what had happened. /#on3t you dare say a word,0 Jim hissed where he lay, pushing the words past clenched teeth. %nowflakes melted on his flushed skin and dirty puddles soaked through his ;eanshe looked miserable. &is threat was about as dangerous as the bark of a kicked puppy.

2elief was a strong, hot rush down his spine, but John had ne!er claimed to be abo!e the occasional !indicti!e impulse, and so he didn3t bother to hide his grin. / as this 3up close and personal3 enough for you40 he in"uired politely. 'll he got in reply was a dark glower. /This is soooo embarrassing,0 Jim grumbled and raised his right hand. It was sticky with blood, a fascinating shade of red. &e brought it up to his lips, mouth opening to lick it off, but John radiated disappro!al so strong he stopped and used a handkerchief instead. /%poilsport.0 /The great consulting criminal, James Moriarty, undone by black ice and the wrath of a dying woman,0 John teased as he stepped o!er the corpse to look down on Jim. /#id she pack a punch40 /@ite me.0 /%illy bugger.0 /@ite me.0 /8ater.0 John offered his hand, unsurprised when Jim slapped it away and sat up on his own. %till, Jim was smart enough to submit to a short e$amination, allowing John to tilt his head forward and brush damp hair aside to inspect the back of his skull. John3s leather glo!es came away with red smears, but the risk of a concussion was negligible in his professional opinion. /'re you feeling dizzy4 9auseous40 John leaned closer to check Jim3s pupils. /#id you lose consciousness40 /9o, no and no.0 Jim stood, brushing John off with a gentle sho!e and then clumps of grey that clung to his clothes. /I3m fine. ' bump at worst.0 /'ll right.0 John watched as Jim stared down at (laine, taking in her wide open eyes, lifeless like a doll3s, skin seeming to fuse with the surrounding snow in the dark and hair fanned out, a dark halo in a puddle of red. ithout a light source to spoil the image, her coat could ha!e passed for a dress, draped around her long legs. It reminded John of a certain fairy tale and he found the comparison fitting. 'fter all, the original tales told by the 1rimm @rothers were as gruesome as they were educational. Jim caught his stare and chuckled. /Auite the striking picture, isn3t it40 &e cleared his throat. /35h that I had a daughter that is as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as dark as ebony,30 he "uoted the "ueen3s words with a high-pitched !oice and pompous air that lasted until he sneezed. &e scowled. /8et3s go home, I3m freezing my arse off.0 / hat about the flash dri!e40 Jim shrugged and ga!e (laine3s bag a kick. / ho am I to spoil the Yard3s fun4 8et them crack the code and hope for some scraps.0

/If you3re sure.0 /#on3t worry, Johnny-boy. You3re safe with me.0 John remembered sand all around, the burning of his wound and the sick-sweet smell of rot filling the room he lay in, the physical therapy and the hole his military career had left behind- the cra!ing for danger. 'nd of course his first meeting with Jim, standing on the tarmac with .olonel Moran at his side, waiting for John to limp down the gangway. /I know.0 They left the alley and (laine )atel behind and made their way back to the heart of 8ondon. It would take o!er two hours, but freezing as Jim was he was also high on adrenaline and murder, trying to hum 3Mo!es like Jagger3, and John was ne!er opposed to a stroll. &e smiled as an icy hand wormed its way inside his ;acket pocket, trying to siphon off his warmth- fingers interlacing. Jim stopped his dissonant tune and fell into step beside him. BBB Jim moaned as John leaned closer and kissed that spot between his shoulder blades that made him shi!er and s"uirm like a damn schoolgirl- hot breath burning on trails left by blunt fingernails. &e twisted to reach around and get a hold of John3s sweaty skin to pull him closer. Their kiss was a crash of lips and clicking of teeth, forceful enough to draw blood. - It always took some time, getting sweet caring John to the point of discarding his inhibitions. Ceeling raw and sticky, the bed a mess, Jim deemed it worth the effort- always would. Jim laughed, a breathless hiss of air that swallowed John3s groan as his spent cock came to nestle in the crack of Jim3s ass. The angle was skewed, muscles straining, and sali!a ran down his chin, seeping into the pillow, but why care when a kiss tasted like (arl 1rey and cookies and copper4 hy care after slitting a throat, John listening, ready to ;ump into the fray4 /You forgot that I like to see the face of the guy who fucks me, Johnny-boy.0 &e winced as John3s hand forced him face-down into the pillow until he could hardly breathe and dark spots danced in front of his eyes. &e screwed them shut and waitede$hilarated. 'nd it happened, his body bouncing slightly with the mattress as John climbed o!er him and settled against the headboard, legs spread open- an in!itation. /Then you better make sure I3m ready for round two.0 It was a growl, husky, an order, and would ha!e thrown anyone who knew John atson to be a kind and patient man, more healer than soldier, doctor not killer. Jim pitied fools who couldn3t understand the dual nature of their fellow humans. &e lo!ed to play with that knowledge, used it, though John was anything but a toy. Jim hummed and didn3t resist as John3s hand guided him forward. Tongue teasing the slit,

licking away salty li"uid, he thought of (laine )atel, poor dead %now this night and all to follow as his personal happy ending.

hite, and counted

D/The batshit kind of love that makes no sense at all and at the same time all the sense in the world. That is us. You and me; a 'We'.0 E %te!e MaraboliF The (nd