< All that glitters... >

[precisionfocus]

"Please. Before you say anything. Let me guess."

He couldn't help the almost annoyed sigh he gave.

"Amateurish. Childish. Idiotic. Ill-planned. Boring."

He leaned against the doorframe as the man at his desk went through his small notebook.

"Have I missed any?"

It was a game, really. He hadn't meant for James to find that notebook. A hundred little ideas scribbled down, mostly the faults in the security systems of high class jewellery stores about. Nothing serious, but a few plans he'd put a decent amount of thought into. He didn't plan on doing it, but... it was something to keep him occupied on the nights when James didn't come home and he wasn't needed for a task. He was no great criminal mastermind. He knew that. He knew James well enough to know that. It was a hobby. And now he was going to be forced to listen to every idea picked apart, torn to shreds, then stripped to the bone.

Colonel Sebastian Moran waited for the inevitable.

Comments

[precisionfocus]

Yes, some of his things have holes in them. They're for working on the cars. Or looking like he's slumming it. He might not be the actor James is, but he knows how to dress for his part, how to blend into a crowd based on where James needs him or when.

But he lets the man pick out the clothes. Surprise? More than evident on his face.

"Royalty?"

[sooochangeable]

James clicked his tongue and sighed before muttering, "Don't be an idiot, Sebastian."

While that expression Sebastian held was sometimes enjoyable, James didn't care for it now. He didn't need to be surprised. James didn't require it of him, so it wasn't a desired reaction. He shook his head before sitting down in the small armchair catercorner against the walls, folding a leg over and pulling out his phone.

"So unbecoming."

[precisionfocus]

"Indulge me, then--

What royalty are we seeing?"

Even as he's speaking, he's taking off his shirt, the cotton undershirt beneath it still perfectly acceptable for wearing under a nicer shirt, far as he's concerned.

After all, knowing James... 'Royalty' could be any list of things.

[sooochangeable]

James smiles from where he sits, and his entire face lights up, a picture of pleased delight, if only his eyes would sparkle or shine or do anything besides blankly stare.

But his teeth shine bright and that might make up for it.

"The fairy-tale kind, darling."

When Sebastian removes his shirt, James can't - won't - bother stopping himself from running his eyes along the lines of his arms. The muscles contracting and expanding under the still slightly tanned skin and the scars to decorate them.

He makes a singularly appreciative noise before ducking his gaze back down to his phone.