Jim Moriarty x Reader

Chapter 49

You waited anxiously for any distress signal from Jim, your nerves beginning to take ahold of you.

"William, what if they took him.. what if they're going to hurt him... what if they drug him, or poison him, or kill him before he can get an SOS to us???" You ask worriedly, starting to panic. William shook his head.

"It's okay, y/n. Jim knows how to handle himself. We have to calm down, or we could put jim in a lot more danger than he already is..." William said in response, trying to calm you.

"William!! If he's dead, how much more danger can it get for him?? We have to help him!!"

"And what exactly do we do, y/n??! One wrong move and we're ALL dead, whether by Jim's hand or someone else's! You don't screw around in this type of work!!" William snapped back, you could sense he was starting to get a little anxious too. You went to shoot back at him, but then you heard someone beat you to it. ... with an actual shot. When the gunshot sounded from inside the building, your heart practically stopped.

"..... is that the signal...?" You ask in a hoarse whisper. William froze for a split second, before quickly nodding.

".. signal enough. Come on." He stated, pulling out a gun and booking it towards the building. You followed, your mind racing with the thought of jim lying on the floor lifelessly.... oh god.

By the time the two of you got into the building, it was empty. All except for Jim's office, which held jim and jim only. He was sitting on the floor against the wall. ...Awake, but slightly dazed. ... and his hands were shaking. It seems like he was actually flustered, or even... afraid.

You practically dove onto him.

"JIM!!! Thank god you're alive- oooooOOOooOH mY goDDD yoURE bLEEdiNg-" you gasped, jerking away from him instinctively. Jim chuckled, evidently immediately trying to regain his composure now that you and William were present.

"I'm fine, my dear~ I'll take care of it later." He stated calmly, standing up, although almost collapsing immediately. William caught him luckily, and stabilized the man by leaning him on his shoulder and then sitting him down in his chair.

"Jim, you're not okay. Jesus, what the hell happened??!!" William stated, seeming a bit concerned. Jim shook his head again, seeming a bit more stern.

"I'm fine. I told you. Don't worry about it. Just get back to work."

"Jim—" William protested lightly, which he immediately retracted when jim snapped at him.

"NOW!"

William swallowed, not wanting to piss Jim off more. So he nodded, backing off a bit. Then placed a hand lightly on your non-wounded shoulder.

"... take care of him." He whispered to you, before leaving the room. You stared at jim sadly, wondering why he was pushing everyone away. ..... then it clicked. Jim was acting out because he was vulnerable. He was afraid, and hurt, and defenceless. So he put on a temporary mask to cover it up. When he couldn't convince you both that he was alright, he began to panic and resort to anger and harshness. Hence he acted out. Even now though, he'd only be able to keep that mask for so long. ... so you weren't leaving his side.

"Jim, let me help you." You stated, looking at him concerned.

"No."

"... it's not optional."