Clean

Chapter III: Limbic

Lounging in the main sitting room a week later, Sebastian was about to drift off when the large mahogany front door swung open. He straightened up and turned his head towards the doors, brows furrowed. Jim had said he wouldn't be back until the next day.

It wasn't Jim, though. There were three men, all with grim faces and guns over their shoulders. Sebastian stood up, curious.

"Good work, mates," the tallest man said in a distinguished Australian accent. He had tousled chocolate brown hair and eyes the same colour.

"That was terrible," said the shortest. He had messy blonde hair and watery blue eyes behind rectangular wire-rimmed glasses.

The third man was probably the most muscled man Sebastian had ever seen. He had a shining bald head, dark eyes and very pale skin. He didn't say anything.

They all looked exhausted. The Australian was the first to see Sebastian. He looked over him uncertainly, then smiled a little. "C'mon over here, we don't bite," he said warmly.

Sebastian slowly walked towards them, eyeing the guns suspiciously.

"You must be new. Welcome!" He lead the two strangers forward, extending a hand for Sebastian to shake. "The name's Riley Gordon."

Sebastian hesitantly took Gordon's hand and gave it a firm shake. "...Sebastian Moran."

Gordon nodded. "Nice to meetcha! My Canadian friend here is Easton Caldwell," he said, gesturing to tje blonde kid. Easton wiggled his fingers at Sebastian, smiling shyly. "The very intimidating man behind me is X. We don't know his real name, so we just call him that. He never talks."

"So... What do you guys do?" Sebastian asked.

"Oh, right. We're the team of snipers." He puffed his chest out, readjusting the gun on his shoulder. "I know there's only three of us, but we're pretty good. Plus, the boss says he's looking for new recruits."

"You guys are my team," Sebastian blurted out in realisation. "I got here about a month ago."

Gordon's face lit up even more, if that was possible. "Wonderful! Welcome to the group, Sebastian!"

The three guys were pretty welcoming. Gordon was delighted to have another member on the team, Easton seemed okay with it, and X just stood there and said nothing. Sebastian guessed that was normal for him.

The showed him around some more, since James hadn't really given him a detailed tour of the large mansion. Afterwards, everyone except X went to the shooting range. For what Easton lacked in size, strength, and social skills he made up in shooting. He was a definite crack shot.

Gordon was a good shot as well. He did too many tricks for Sebastian's taste, though. He was a show-offand a charmer. Easton practically worshipped the man. It was almost painful to watch for Sebastian.

After a while, the other retired to their rooms, leaving Sebastian alone in the shooting range. He sighed, gingerly selecting a rifle from the rack.

He took a deep breath, trying to steady his shaking hands. Once he finally stilled them he took a shot. It hit the target, but it was far from the center. He shook his head slowly, going to set the gun back down.

"Not that good of a shot, eh? Who taught you?" a proud voice came from the doorway. Sebastian's shoulders slouched. He was getting sick of people interrupting him.

It wasn't Moriarty this time, though. It was Riley Gordon, the Australian sniper. The leader of the team. The guy Sebastian really didn't like.

Sebastian clenched his fists at his sides but slid them into his pockets so Gordon couldn't see his annoyance and frustration.

"Gonna answer, mate?" he asked, smirking.

"It's none of your business," Sebastian said almost a little too firmly.

"What I don;t understand is why Jim picked you for the job when you can't even shoot straight," Gordon said, tone becoming harsh. "There are plenty of other snipers out there that can shoot better than you," he growled, eyes flashing.

"What, are you jealous of me? Jealous that Moriarty took in a no-talent and out him on YOUR team immediately? Afraid he likes me better than you?" Sebastian was on the verge of yelling, bringing his fists out of his pockets.

Gordon smirked. "Jealous? Please. I'm just questioning Jim's state of mind. Oh, and he hates it when you call him Moriarty," he said smoothly, turning and walking out of the door.

As soon as the door shut, Sebastian slammed his fists down on the nearest flat surface, breathing heavily. He grabbed a shotgun and blast the heads off a few dummies, then went to his room.

At about midnight, Sebastian was sitting on his bed in a bathrobe, (he had taken a stress-relieving shower) staring moodily at the wall. He was still pretty pissed off at what Gordon had said. It shouldn't have affected him as much as it had, but he just didn't like that guy.

The door opened and he spun around in alarm, clutching at his bathrobe.

"It's okay, just me. No need for alarm," James said softly, holding a hand up while the other hand closed the door. He looked Sebastian up and down, a smirk playing on his lips. "I assume you just showered." His voice took on a rough tone.

Sebastian drew the bathrobe so it covered him more, turning back to his boss. "Why are you in my room in the middle of the night, exactly?"

James sighed, sticking his hands in his pockets and strolling closer. "Gordon told me about the little row you and he had--"

"He did?! That son of a--"

"Mr. Moran, I understand that you and Riley aren't the best of friends. Although I agree he acted childishly in confronting you while you had a gun near you, I have to say that it was also childish that you retaliated. You should learn to control your temper."

Sebastian almost snapped at him but he remembered the 'attitude talk' they'd had previously. "You're right," he said begrudgingly.

"Indeed I am. You two are on a team, and you cannot allow feelings to get in the way. That clear, Moran?" James spoke with authority, but he had a strange soft spot for the sniper, so it wasn't entirely commanding.

Sebastian nodded, looking away from his boss and realizing again that he was only being covered by a bathrobe. "Er... I'm kind of not wearing any clothes currently..."

The criminal smirked slightly, eyes half-lidded. He leaned in close to Sebastian's ear. "I know," he purred, then leaned back. "I'm not bothered by it."

Sebastian squirmed a little under his boss's gaze, pulling his robe more tightly to himself. "I'm going to go to bed now..."

"No you're not," James said, chuckling. "You're just uncomfortable because you're exposed. Well, that'll change soon enough, but I suppose I can give you some privacy for a short time... Goodnight, Sebastian." He sauntered to the door and exited, winking at his sniper before he did.

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A/N: YAAAAAAAAY IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!!! Wooo! I'm happy that this has become as popular as it is ^^ Anyway, if you haven't noticed, this chapter has a funny-sounding title. If you look it up you'll see it's a part of the brain. And if you look back at the other chapters, their titles have changed into funny-sounding things. From now on, the chapters will be titled after parts of the body and brain and maybe some diseases. So yeah! A good idea suggested by my good friend MonkeyFeet. :)

Anyway, this is dedicated to NinjaPastryWrites because her writing is great and you should check her stuff out and give some love! :D

Hope you enjoyed this chapter, everyone! See you next time!

(P.S. I'm going to start working on the next chapter of STLF (Something To Live For) after I publish this, so hopefully I'll finish it soon as my brain isn't coordinating with me ;) )

~Nigh xoxo