Archive of Our Own ^beta

William has heard of Tinder before, he knew the main purposes that the app was trying to achieve. Though the app has gotten more sexual rather than friendly. 

That said, William never wanted nor desired to have Tinder or any dating app of any kind on his phone. William believes that he is quite stable where he is right now in his life; 24, a mathematics professor at Durham University, has stable income, and has a stable friend group and family. 

It's all stable. Perfect.

That said, his dear brother Albert didn’t seem to think the same.

“Tinder…?” William trailed off questioningly, looking at his brother.

Albert shrugged at him from where he stood washing the dishes. Smiling at his little brother, he said, “I downloaded it for you because I am admittedly quite concerned about your social life lately, Brother.” Albert’s voice trailed off quietly just a tad, now looking quite sheepish.

“I do want you to have more friends, and quite possibly, have a lover. As selfish as that is, I noticed that even when you have Bond, Moran, Q, Moneypenny, Porlock, Patterson, and everyone else. You are happy, but there is something…lacking.” Albert pulled a strained smile at his little brother.

“I do apologise deeply for downloading such an app without your consent, Brother. I should have known better.” Albert stopped the sink, drying his hands on a towel as he looked down guiltily. “But after all of these years that we have spent together, I would like to think that I know you at least a little by now. I can’t pinpoint what’s wrong exactly, my brain is not like yours.” At that, Albert looked up and smiled at William with a glint of worship in his eyes, making William’s smile strain. 

“So, I guess-”

“I know, Albert.” Albert’s head snapped up to face his brother in everything but blood. William was smiling at him gently, the blond stood up and walked to Albert, putting a soft hand on the older one’s shoulder.

“I acknowledge that you are concerned for me.” It’s true, Albert is perhaps one of the only people that William trusts enough to let them see his more vulnerable side. 

“I only apologize for not knowing how much my vulnerability has affected you.” William smiled remorsefully.

“Don’t fret, I won’t delete the app. I will at least give it a try.” With those words, Albert lit up subtly, emerald eyes shining with joy.

“Thank you, William.”

The blond smiled, he would do anything for his brothers to make them happy. Even if it meant going onto that dreaded app and setting up a profile for multiple strangers to come at him to probably show very inappropriate images.

William had first started off on Tinder by randomly swiping left or right on people, so as expected, he had gotten a lot of very inappropriate messages and he didn’t respond to most of them since he did not want to waste his time on responding to them. Although, William did appreciate the new experiences he had while reading what was sent to him. And he even replied to people once in a while to satiate his curiosity. 

His personal favorite was when someone said: Oh shit , when finding out that he was an orphan. 

It went like this:

hell baby u lookin real sexy right there in those photos of yrs

come to my place once in a while

where ur parents at

I apologize but I will have to decline the offer. And my parents are both deceased.

oh shit

Surprisingly, there was one person to contact him on Tinder that was not entirely distasteful.

It was when he had finished his teaching at the university for the day, the day had been quiet and peaceful. Normal, ordinary. He had finished teaching his regular amount of classes for the day, interacted with the other professors in the department, texted his brothers and friends. Normal.

But little did William know that someone with sapphire eyes and raven hair was going to come in like a wrecking ball and mess his whole life up in the best way possible.

It was 3:12 in the afternoon, and the last of his lectures finished. William was the only  person in the empty lecture hall, packing up his folders and papers into files to neatly put them in his leather brown briefcase when his phone buzzed with a notification. 

William glanced at the lit up orange night shift filtered glow of his phone and tensed up when he saw a message from somebody on Tinder, a sight that was sadly familiar to him by now.

William sighed, he had it coming. This was inevitable from the moment he made a profile on this perverted excuse of a communication app.

William cautiously unlocked his phone and pressed on the message, taking him to the chat room. This must be a person who he had blindly swiped right on, and turns out that this guy had matched with him along with many others.

William went out of the chat room for a second to look at this guy’s profile and-

William blinked his red eyes astonishingly, oh my. He did not expect this.

William stared at the picture, the man was quite the looker he had to admit. And unlike the other people’s pictures on their profiles, which they took with purpose and precision. This man’s pictures seemed natural and authentic. 

One picture was a picture of the man in a lab room with a serious expression while wearing a worn out lab coat and goggles, holding up test tubes with colourful liquids sitting inside them. The man, William glanced at the name, Sherlock Holmes, had long raven hair tied up in a ponytail and breathtaking blue eyes. Pretty. 

William swiped to look at the next picture, then the next, and then next, and the next. All of the pictures were pretty decent, but the last one made William’s eyes widen to the size of saucers. 

The last picture was with Sherlock Holmes at the beach, shirtless and with his hair loose. Sherlock was holding a surfing board with his right arm while he stared at the sea. Wind coming in at the perfect time to make the shoulder long hair flow gently with the breeze, and the picture frustratingly took a perfect shot of it, and not to mention the highlighting from the sun that shone greatly on the man’s abdominal area-

William turned his phone off to avoid straight up thirsting over a stranger. Perhaps I have been so lacking in sexual acts that my brain automatically responded to the first attractive guy I see. William reasoned with himself, though even he knew that what he just thought was a load of bull.

Ironically, just after William switched off his phone, the device lit up again with another message from the same guy.

Sherlock Holmes

Hey, its rude to not reply to a message after youve seen it u know? >:(

William cocked an eyebrow condescendingly.

I apologize, I have just been busy with other tasks. So I haven't had the time to read or reply to your first message.

William watched as the three typing bubbles went off and on before a response came his way.

nahhh is ok u don’t have to apologise i was just sayin it for funsies

(just remember to reply next time k 👉😎👉)

William tilted his head confusedly at the yellow face and hands. What were they called? Ah yes, emoticons.

Alright, I’ll remember that. Thank you, Holmes.

Np np

Later that day, as William was sitting on the bus to head back home, he dwelled on the fact that what had just happened minutes ago in that empty lecture hall was the strangest interaction he had ever had with another human being.

The man contacted him the next day, it was nearing midnight and William planned to pull another all nighter due to his insomnia. William was sitting in his study room. The house that he lived in with his three brothers was huge due to Albert’s wealthy status, it was more like a mansion than anything. William’s study room was compiled with books, making it look like a library, and William was seen sitting at his desk that was put in the middle of the room. There were a few bright lamps hanging on the wall, and the curtains were closed. 

As William sat down in his chair to re-read the whole script of Hamlet , he felt a prick of guilt in his heart when imagined his brother’s worried faces about his lack of sleep. Particularly Louis, his little brother had been worrying over his mental health over the last few weeks. He had been requesting William to take more care of himself multiple times, though to little avail. 

As William was starting to fall deeper into the whirlpool of guilt swimming inside of him, a notification popped up on his phone. 

Sherlock Holmes

heyyyyy

liammmm u there?

William tilted his head at the obvious lack of boundaries with his name. Should he continue to text this stranger? Well, he had nothing else to do.

Yes, I am present.

Damn, its so late tho

Y r u up this late

I could say the same to you, Holmes.

Ahhhhhh touche professor touche

William wondered how Holmes knew about his profession.

How did you know that I was a professor?

Idk, lucky guess i suppose 

👀

William’s mouth quirked up a little for a smile at the emoticon.

You aren’t subtle at all, Holmes.

Yeeeeeea, just playin with ya a bit liam

Well i just deducted that you were a professor from your pictures on your profile

i could c from the pictures that your hands have calluses, which requires a job for chalk or pen

And then you have the picture where you were on a cruise looking at the curving stairwell

Of course anyone would be fascinated by a stairwell like that but you stopped to look at the beginning of the stairs while someone would rather start climbing the damn thing to admire it

And from youre photos, i could deduce that you are someone with high status

And for those kinds of people, jobs are limited to court lawyer, doctor, professor, architect etc.

So why didnt i say that your were an architect or a student in physics or anything like that?

U werent lookin at the pillar either, bc u werent interested in how the weight was distributed

So y did u stop there before the stairs? 

Its bc u wanted to confirm whether the curve drawn by that stairway was made according to the golden ratio

Got it now? Im done ;)

William blinked in astonishment before a sly smirk crept onto his face, this certainly was a change of pace.

I am indeed teaching mathematics at a university. 

I surrender, that was a good explanation. You were observing me very closely.

However, more than the Golden Ratio, I like the Fibonacci Sequence.

Bleh 👅

William unwittingly chuckled at the strange childish response.

I shall also try this…let’s see.

You look like you play the violin.

William watched with a smirk as the three dots disappeared all of a sudden, indicating that he caught Sherlock off guard.

But that doesn’t mean you’re a musician.

You also do hand-in-hand combat and seem to have very good physical abilities.

(William may or may not have indicated ‘physical abilities’ to nod towards something else.)

Additionally, you like to conduct experiments. 

But hate your own drug dependence I suppose.

Obviously graduated from Oxbridge, talking as if you know everything. You must be proud of your background, particularly from your mother’s side. 

Am I wrong?

William watched in anticipation as Sherlock remained silent before the three dots appeared again on his screen.

Howd u know?

It’s obvious.

HAHA

Thats a gud one liam! Well done

Youre bloody brilliant arent cha

William excused the sudden heat in his cheeks as the room getting warmer all of a sudden. 

Why, thank you. I’m flattered.

But I have to say…

William smirked as he saw Sherlock’s typing pause, signalling that he was intrigued.

Those badly-pressed trousers, and worn-out shirt…

You have an undisciplined nature, depending on others like a spoiled child.

Haaaaaahhhhh?????

If thats how it is, ur tuxedo without a single wrinkle is creepy af

Youre putting on a front, hiding yourself u chicken!

Wha-who is a chicken! You who can’t even text properly and has an oedipus complex!

Bollocks!

Oedipus complex?!?!?!?!

U little shit! On what grounds!

You getting angry means I hit the mark, now take back your insult!

As if u idiot!

A guy like u would be alone w no friends at any rate!

U lonely bastard!

Is there a problem with that?!

U dullard!!

You moronic monkey…!

Despite their seemingly brutal insults with each other, William couldn’t help but laugh as they shot meaningless arguments back and forth between one another. And despite William not even seeing Sherlock, the blond knew that the raven haired man must be laughing too. William was about to text when another message came in.

Hey liam

R u able to call rn btw??

William froze, he didn’t exactly want to call so late at night, and no less with a stranger. He and Sherlock just texted for the first time just this evening. And so as much as William hated to admit it, he was anxious of the potential dangers of suddenly having a call with a man he barely knew.

Liam?

The message brought William back to the present. 

I apologize, Holmes. But I am not the most comfortable with calling at the moment.

Sorry for the refusal.

Nah is ok liam

If ur not comfortable w it then i wont b either

William cracked a small touched smile when-

it makes sense for you to be shy and afraid of my beauty😜

William laughed freely at the comical text, not having to worry about Sherlock hearing his laugh since they were on opposite sides of the screen.

He had fun texting Sherlock all night, the Hamlet script forgotten until the morning.

The next day came. Tuesday. The 3rd time Sherlock and William texted was in the evening at 4:47. Albert was away to head to London for his job while Louis and William stayed in their home in Durham. Louis was sitting on the couch with his head sitting in his palm while he mindlessly watched the news on the television after he and William put the Shepherd's Pie that they made together in the oven. And William sat at the dining table with papers in front of him, grading one of his class’ recent exam. 

An hour passed before William finished marking the last of his students’ paper before placing it in a pile with the rest of the now-marked exam papers. William stretched his shoulders, reveling in the pleasurable feeling before his phone made a short buzz.

William looked at his phone, the screen lighting up in its familiar orange night shift filtered glow after the well-known buzz of a notification lit his screen up. William read the notification from Tinder curiously.

Sherlock Holmes

Hey liam

What r u doing rn

William didn’t even notice how his face automatically lit up as he started to reply, pressing on the notification to go straight to the app.

Hello, Holmes. I hope you are well.

I was in the middle of grading my students’ papers from their recent Math's exam.

Fortunately, I have just finished the last of them.

Sherlock Holmes

damn

I was never good at maths

Ur probs a strict teacher 

William raised an eyebrow.

Really?

Yea, ur like 

How do i say this

‘Deadly but lethal’

Wait no-

‘Sweetfaced but could kill you in a second-’

‘With math’ :DDDD

William chuckled lightly at the cute typed out smile. Making Louis who was still sitting on the couch, now on his phone, look up at his big brother curiously. William gently shook his head with a smile at his brother, signaling that it was nothing for him to worry about. Louis nodded and went back to his phone, though William could see that his little brother’s suspicions were still brewing.

Sherlock Holmes

Liam btw do you have any pets?

William tried not to smile (again).

My, Holmes. Are you trying to make small talk with me?

better than nothing tho :P

Hey, lets play 20 questions :DDDD

William couldn’t resist having a smile at the emoticons. Maybe that was his weakness, or maybe anything Sherlock says makes him smile automatically. 

Well, to answer your earlier question. I do not have any pets presently. Although there was a stray cat that my brothers and I took care of for a bit but then arranged to put him in a new home. 

Do you have any pets?

nopee

fav book?

Hmm.

William put a finger up to his chin in thought before replying.

I would actually have to say Hamlet. I acknowledge that it doesn’t quite fit the category of a ‘book’.

How about you?

Nah nah is fine, and i actually dont rlly read anything fiction so idk if i have a fav book in that category

But i do read books ab chemistry, botany, etc. dont have a fav tho

Howwwww abouttttttttt

Colour

Red.

You?

Blue!

Fav drink?

Tea, specifically Earl Grey.

How about you?

Anything that is sweet but not too sweet

Also caffeine

And alcohol

Or anything that has all of that combined

Fav food?

Stargazy Pie, especially the one my brother makes.

Yours?

Ill take anything rlly

Whens yr bday?

April 1st. You?

Jan 6th!

Fav hobby?

William paused at that to think. Does he have a favourite hobby? What are his hobbies? If he is thinking this, then does that mean he doesn’t have any hobbies at all? He mostly lives his days according to an everyday schedule. Different things that are not included are thrown his way on some days for sure, new things, but nothing fantastic.

I admit that I am not so sure what my favorite hobby is.

thats ok 

I didnt know that i wasnt attracted to women til literally 2 weeks ago

The response was out of the blue and very eccentric, but it was so Sherlock that it made William chuckle into his hand. 

How about you, Holmes? Do you have a favorite hobby?

Texting you

William’s eyes widened at the sudden blunt, and overall honest confession that made his heart clench and his cheeks tingle when-

And playing the violin ;)

William snorted lightly, of course .

Very funny, Holmes.

But texting you is my number 1 hobby 

More than the violin

At this, William blushed again. Though this time, the smile on his face was the most noticeable part. William normally smiled gently and softly, that was just how he smiled at people. The more he smiled, the more it felt like a facade. But meeting Sherlock brought out the inner child in William, making his joy more palpable. Talking to Sherlock made William feel as if the mask he had been building up since childhood was slowly but surely melting away. Like Sherlock was the flame to the candle and William was the wax, slowly melting away from Sherlock’s bright light. William brought a hand to his mouth again to hide his huge grin as butterflies fluttered inside his stomach while his heart felt soft and fluffy.

Smooth-talker.

Pffft

says the one who texts in polite speech while probably attracting people left and right with that politeness of yrs 

U smooth bitch 

William barked out a laugh, eyes forming crescents. That was the first time ever someone called him a ‘bitch’, in a complimentary way no less.

William set his thumbs on the phone’s keyboard, ready to type out a reply when the lock on the door to the house made some clicking and clunking noises. Signaling that the eldest brother was back from his work. Louis was already up and ready to greet Albert at the door while William typed out a quick message for Sherlock.

I apologize, Holmes. But it seems that I’ll have to log off for now. My eldest brother is back home from his work. 

I’ll see you next time.

K liam!

C u later! :DDDD

William smiled fondly at the message before clicking off his phone and rushing to the door to greet Albert. 

Later. William thought, smiling as he greeted his brother at the door. 

After Albert got home and washed up, the three Moriarty brothers sat around the dining table to have the Shepherds Pie that Louis had cooked with a little extra help from William. 

Albert’s face lit up after swallowing a part of his scoop of the pie, the rich flavours of the minced lamb with Worchester Sauce, gravy, and other flavourful seasonings filling his mouth. “This is amazing as always, Louis. Well done.” Albert smiled softly at the youngest brother as Louis blushed slightly at the compliment. He always felt quite shy after being praised by his brothers. 

“Yes, Louis. This is amazing; you did well.” William added another compliment to the mix. Making Louis blush redder.

“O-Oh no, please.” Louis pleaded shyly, “You did well too, William. You assisted me with the carrots, remember?”

William waved off the praise with a slight teasing smile, “Oh no, Louis. You did all the work. I only helped a little.” 

“But-!” Louis protested, a cute pout starting to form on his face. Making the two older brothers laugh teasingly at their younger brother’s distress.

Albert swallowed his next bite of pie before asking William a question he had going on in his head for a while. “By the way, William.” Albert called, making the blond turn his head curiously to him.

“How are you faring with that app, by the way? Have you made any progress?” Albert hid a smirk behind his tea cup as he sipped the warm substance.

“App?” Louis tilted his head curiously to his brother. “Brother, what does he mean by that?”

William smiled weakly, “Ah, you see Louis-”

“Oh? William didn’t tell you?” Albert looked genuinely surprised at that. “William, why don’t you tell him now about that fun little app that I have kindly downloaded for you.” Albert said in a farce innocent voice.

William smiled tightly at Albert, while Louis now looked a mixture of confused, concerned, and slightly annoyed. 

“Brother, what’s going on?” Louis said, still staring at William.

William let out a soft defeated sigh, if he listened closely then he would hear Albert chuckling silently in the background.

“Albert downloaded Tinder on my phone without my permission.” 

There was a short silence before hell ensued, to the amusement of Albert and the suffering of William.

Multiple questions were thrown, from: Albert, why for the love of Mother Mary would you download that app , to: William, why did you condone this? 

To: Brother, did you communicate with anyone on this app yet - oh my Lord, did anyone send you vulgar images?!  

Also: Brother William, delete that app right now. I have heard malicious rumors and stories about what goes on in that dreaded excuse of an app and for the love of everything holy if I - Brother Albert, stop laughing! 

And: You like talking to this man? Brother, you should do a background check on him, for all we know he could be an axe murderer. 

As well as: William, I have never questioned your choices before although what the f- 

As William murmured a weak, scolding ‘language’ at Louis. Albert had to take a breather because he felt like throwing up from how hard he laughed at his precious brother saying a bad word.

After Louis’ very long rant session that left him red and panting, the youngest brother pinched his nose and sighed in exasperation. 

Thankfully, Louis let him keep the app. William always knew that his puppy eyes would always work on whoever he used them on.

After that whole ordeal, they were finishing up their meal when William caught Louis frowning lightly with a pensive expression on his face. 

William’s brows creased lightly in concern, “Louis? Is there anything on your mind?” William’s tone was gentle but worried, catching the attention of Albert who halted from heading to the kitchen with an empty plate in his hand to focus on Louis. 

“Brother.” Louis started. 

“Yes, Louis?” 

“Is texting that man the reason why you have been so happy as of late?”

There was a beat of silence before Albert crashed back into his seat at the dinner table, plate forgotten in the sink.

Albert looked at William with a beaming aura, “Really, William? You’ve found someone? Come on now, tell your older brother all about it.” Albert teasingly patted William’s hand eagerly.

This must be Louis’ personal revenge. William thought with dread.

William petulantly explained to Albert for 20 whole minutes that no, me and Holmes are not dating. We are just mere acquaintances is all. The eldest brother still didn’t look convinced, sending him knowing glances for the rest of the evening.

William pinched the bridge of his nose exasperatingly as he finally lay down in his bed. That was an eventful evening. The blond has washed up and changed into his night clothes to get ready for bed, though like most nights, he might not even sleep at all.

William twisted his head in his soft cotton filled pillow to look at his phone when he heard a familiar soft buzz. William reluctantly stretched his arm to reach his phone as he was getting quite comfortable laying down on his bed, the soft covers encasing him in their warmth. 

But William blinked in astonishment as he saw a text from Sherlock.

Sherlock Holmes

Heyyyyyyyyyy

U upppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp

?

William eagerly fixed himself from laying down to sitting up straight in his bed to properly reply, smiling at the comically long text.

Hello again, Holmes. Yes, I am awake.

Hi liam! :D

How was the dinner w ur bro

It was, eventful, to say the least.

I actually have two brothers, to correct you. I’m surprised I didn’t inform you earlier.

O rlly?

R u the younger or the older 1

I am the middle child.

Albert is the oldest brother and Louis is the youngest.

Ooooo

I have a brother 2

His name is mycroft

You have a brother? Tell me about him if you don’t mind.

Ugh omg hes the worst

I mean im grateful to him and all for basically raising me

But he can be an ass sometimes

Oh? I can’t necessarily relate to what you’re saying but go on.

Ok ima tell u a quick story

I was a young lad, like 6 or so

And at the time i was obsessed with pets and all, which means that i was going through the animal phase that most kids go through

And the animal i was wanting at the time was a mouse

I thought that they were cute so i wanted one, but mycroft didnt let me for obv reasons

And then christmas came along, and so i wrote to santa of all people that i would like a mouse for christmas as my present

And whats worse is that: i didnt even believe santa at the time, i just was so desperate that i would take any chance that i got that i even wrote to sANTA

Oh? Very interesting. Tell me, what happened next?

Ok ok so here is where the juicy shit comes 

(heh that’s what she said)

Ok so mycroft read my letter in secret like the mf he is so of course he had to be all extra and instead trick me into opening my present on boxing day to see a computer mouse inside instead of an actual mouse

But then that mf not only just bought a computer mouse, he LITERALLY JUST BOUGHT THE COMPUTER MOUSE which means that he still had the AUDACITY to not even get me an actual computer bc i had “other technology”

Said technology just being an old tamagotchi and a cheap ass minnie mouse cell phone made for kids 

William couldn’t help it, he wanted to stay quiet to not disturb his brothers, but he really couldn’t reel in his mirth any longer.

He burst out laughing like he never had before, only using a part of his blanket to try and muffle the noise. He really tried to hold in his amusement as Sherlock told the story, but the story was just so childish, absurd yet endearing and still something that is so uniquely Sherlock .

After William had his short laughing session, he took a few deep shaky calming breaths while hoping that he didn’t disturb or wake anyone. His phone then received a new text.

Sherlock Holmes

That made u laugh hard eh? ;)

William replied with a smile, of course Sherlock knew.

Why yes. My, I haven’t laughed quite that hard in ages.

Thank you for the entertaining story, Holmes.

Ehehehehehe 

Np np liam!

Wut r u doin rn besides probably laying in bed btw

Texting you, what else?

gASP

MR MORIARTYY

Did u just pull a move from our prev convo?????

Maybe.

HAHAHAHAHAHAGBHJSHJSXHS

U made me laugh hard there liam!! Ur a gud one

[image attached]

If William was drinking water, he would have spit it out right then and there, indecency be damned.

Beautiful , was the first word that came to mind. Because Sherlock Holmes sent him a picture of his face while his chin was charmingly placed in his palm while he gazed at the camera smugly. Sherlock’s cheeks were lightly painted pink from a previous laughing session, a large smile adorning his face which in turn made an adorable dimple appear on the side of his right cheek, but his eyes, oh his eyes. His eyes were stunning, gorgeous; like an endless deep blue sea. But that was not the best part, his eyes were looking straight at the camera with such a loving and fond look in his eyes. A very intense and loving yet a fond and gentle gaze. Also, Sherlock’s hair. William had never seen Sherlock with his hair down up close and he looks show-stopping. Long shoulder-length dark curls that perfectly compliment and frame the angles of his face-

Sherlock Holmes

Liammmmm

Uve gone quiet

William startled back into reality from his (very gay) thoughts.

I apologize for the pause there, Holmes.

I’m glad I made you laugh. You look dashing.

Fgvwhqep[fhowpfj[rihugblwej;npoihvrb;nwpqj

William frowned in concern, Sherlock usually used a lot of ‘text speech’ but William didn’t think that was one of them.

Holmes, are you alright?

Sry liam i almost dropped my phone

btW

LIAM HOW COULD YOU ATTACK ME LIKE THAT

Like what, Holmes?

YOU-oh u mf u know what u did

William chuckled a tiny bit triumphantly.

I have no idea what you’re talking about, Mr. Holmes?

you-

oh u can go fuck yrself u bastard-

William chuckled again, muffling his laughter into the blanket. 

The next day, Wednesday March 30th, William woke up - wait.

He woke up ? He slept? 

Those two things were the first thoughts that William James Moriarty had in his head when he miraculously woke up the next morning instead of not sleeping. 

William winced and frowned as the sun’s rays gave his eyes a wake up call. William sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes instinctively. As William looked around, he noticed that he eventually started to doze off from over exhausting his brain (again) while texting Sherlock and slowly passed out unintentionally.

William then noticed that his blanket was snuggly put on top of him when it definitely wasn’t before, and that his phone was now peacefully sitting on his desk. Someone had probably maneuvered William around while he was asleep. William smiled, definitely Louis.

William’s feet slowly touched his slippers on the side of the bed as he lifted himself off of the soft mattress. 

As he walked downstairs, he caught the scent of freshly cooked bacon and eggs and the blond smiled at the homely smell. When he reached the dining room, he saw Louis in the open kitchen sorting the three sunny-side up eggs onto three plates that already had three pieces of bacon on each plate. 

William walked up to his brother, “Good morning, Louis. I see that you have cooked a wonderful breakfast yet again. I’m sorry that I couldn't contribute this time.”

Louis smiled at his brother, “Don’t worry, it will always be a pleasure to cook for you and Albert.” 

William smiled affectionately at the younger one, helping his brother with the third plate while Louis carried the two other ones and set them down on the table. As if on cue, Albert walked into the room, eyes widening in delight at the already made breakfast sitting on the table. 

“Oh? I see that you’ve once again cooked a delicious meal for us, Louis.” Albert commented as he took a seat at the head chair.

Louis blushed and didn’t reply, but William could see how the corners of his mouth turned up into a soft smile.

The three siblings sat down and ate in peaceful silence, occasionally throwing a comment or a question here and there. But overall, it was a quiet morning. 

It was only after breakfast and when William and Louis had some private time between them when they were helping each other wash the dishes that Louis informed William of some unexpected activity last night.

“By the way, William.” Louis started when he handed a wet plate for William to wipe down. 

“Yes, Louis?” William answered.

“After you fell asleep, that… man -” Louis emphasized with hidden disgust, “-was wondering where you were since you suddenly didn’t text back. And when I walked into your room, your phone was still functioning, so I took it upon myself to inform him that you are well and that you simply fell asleep.”

What Louis left out was the growing pit in his stomach as well as the evolving dislike he felt for his brother’s friend (?) as he recalled the events from last night.

Louis was getting concerned for his brother. The first instance that startled him was when all of a sudden, he heard his brother let out a full bellied laugh that Louis had never heard from his brother ever since they were kids. Louis dismissed it at first and went back to reading his book, wishing for his brother to head to sleep soon.

The second time it happened, Louis grew a tad bit more concerned. Now the laughter was softer, but it was still the same laugh from the first time. Ever since the youngest sibling found out about his brother’s activities online, he couldn’t help being concerned. And the person who William was talking to made William laugh like...that. Don’t get him wrong, it made Louis happy that his brother felt so comfortable with whoever he was talking to. Though it made a tiny rock of foreboding settle in his stomach, slowly growing bigger each day. Louis had also taken note that William had been smiling at his phone more often, giggling every once in a while too. 

After a few minutes, Louis noticed that his brother was being oddly silent when there would usually be some hushed rustling and small noises happening. Louis couldn’t help himself, he got up and walked over to his brother’s room which was right next to his along the corridor. 

Louis hesitantly pushed the door open, surprised to see William fast asleep in his bed. Head slumped on his shoulder, eyes closed. Louis was torn between sighing in relief that his brother would finally get some rest and curiously looking at William’s phone. 

Louis shook his head and tried to gently move William to a more comfortable sleeping position when William’s phone buzzed with a text.

Sherlock Holmes

Heyyyy liam?

U there? U got quiet again

Louis slowly and hesitantly picked up the phone in his hand, feeling bad that he is basically snooping on his brother’s private life. 

Louis scowled at the name, engraving the letters into his memory. Sherlock Holmes.

Liam? Louis thought with distaste, How overly familiar.

Hello, Sherlock Holmes. This is Louis, William’s brother. William is asleep right now, so it’s best you do not bother him. Though thank you for your concern for my brother.

Ahhhh ic ic

Thanks for tellin me louis 😜

“Thank you for that, Louis, I appreciate it. And thank you for taking care of me last night.” Louis snapped out of the memory to see his brother smiling gratefully at him, and Louis felt like he didn’t deserve it.

“It’s no problem.”

Perhaps, Louis thought while gazing at his brother silently, I think this way because I simply feel Brother William drifting farther and farther away from me.

William immediately felt the chill running down his spine as he stepped out of the Moriarty house, it was only lightly drizzling, though the cold air was enough for him to shiver. William took his umbrella and folded it open, only then walking once it was properly over his head. William listened to the satisfying little pitter-patters of the rain hitting its surface as he walked to the bus stop to head his way to the university. 

Luckily, the bus came earlier than usual. As William sat on a random seat on the farther side to the back of the bus, he decided that he was going to start the conversation this time.

Hello, Holmes. Are you awake?

After a few minutes, Sherlock still wasn’t replying. William turned off his phone while trying to squash down the bubbling feeling of disappointment within him when his phone buzzed with a text. William immediately checked his phone.

Sherlock Holmes

Hello, Sherlock Holmes is currently offline because he is most likely laying down in bed wondering why he has to get up so early in the morning and will likely get back to you when he has finished tormenting his flatmate and has chugged down approximately 5 cups of coffee.

Thank you for your patience.

William breathed out a laugh, slightly impressed that Sherlock had the strength or even the care to type out such a lengthy message just for the sake of a joke.

Holmes, I know that you’re awake.

Hiiiiiiiiiliammmmmmnbuonipfnecopewkcm

Sry 

im dying 😀

William smiled, he’s still as childish as ever.

William had fun texting Sherlock for the whole time he was on the bus. And it was only after his first lecture had passed that he realised that not one moment passed by so far where he wasn’t smiling during the fleeting moments where Sherlock is in his life. 

William tries to repress an uncharacteristic blush climbing onto his cheeks as he packs up his things to head to the cafeteria for lunch. 

He’s in trouble isn’t he.

William blinks, surprised by the random image that just came his way by Sherlock. 

Sherlock Holmes

[image attached]

Heres a clue of what i do for work

have a field day ;)

(and dont cheat by looking at my profile :(((( )

William smiled at the text, his heart warming. Somehow, even when he and Sherlock have first met only a few if not only three days ago, William still feels as if Sherlock knows him better than anyone else. It’s strange, he never knew that someone can feel this close to another person so fast. 

William checked the clock on the top of his phone, 5 minutes left until the next class. William smirked, Sherlock probably sent the image with knowledge of the time limit. Okay, he can take on a little challenge.

Low and behold, William sent back a reply after only 20 seconds of analyzing the image. 

From what I deducted, I take it that you are a detective, Holmes.

O? Not gonna offer an explanation liam?

Why should I? You can figure that out yourself, can’t you?

No shit i can

Also, its a consulting detective liam ;)

That was obvious.

Pfffffttt

Now yr making ppl look at me weird from how loud i laughed just now 

[image attached]

William took one look at the attached image of the selfie that Sherlock took and immediately switched off his phone while resisting the urge to throw the poor device at the wall.

Too bright, was his first thought. Because it was 100% true, Sherlock was like the sun. And when the sun was in his face, he couldn’t handle it. Not again, not after the last time Sherlock had sent him a picture of his stupidly handsome face.

William hid his face in his hand, eyes squeezed shut and tips of his ears blushing red. How unsightly of me…

Little did William know that this was just the tip of the iceberg.

William and Louis got into a fight. 

To be clear, it wasn’t a huge fight. They have quarreled and clashed before, it’s normal for any pair of siblings to do so. This fight was just more on the intense side of their regular arguments.

But if anybody knows the two blond Moriarty siblings, it’s common knowledge that they are peas in a pod. Protective of each other, and pretty much inseparable. So when they fight, it’s a big deal.

“I’m telling you, William. This is just coming from my concern.” 

“Louis, I’m perfectly alright.” William shot back, tone stern. “I’m aware that you are protective of me as I am of you, though isn’t this a bit overboard?”

Louis huffed angrily, crossing his arms. “How are me and Albert supposed to help you if you won’t open up? At this rate, no one can help you now! Not even our friends if you just keep on acting this way.” 

William narrowed his eyes, defenses rising. “I hope that you are aware that I have my own private life-”

“Well, Brother, your so-called private life is destroying you from the inside out.” Louis hissed, “Now you're so desperate that you're even talking to a stranger online just to satisfy your wants and needs.” Louis said bitterly, but also with a hint of sadness. Just as William was about to bite back a reply, Louis cut him off.

“Brother, are all of us so untrustworthy? Why would you…” Louis trailed off sadly, now looking to the side. William slowly relaxed as the angry tension in the room slowly dissipated, but he looked down at the floor in shame.

As William remained silent, Louis took this as another chance to speak. “I have spoken with Moran recently, I have informed him of my worries about the distance between you and me and how I feel as if it had gotten much bigger as of late.

“As time passes on, I feel like you’re getting farther and farther away from me…”

William looked up at his brother, “Louis…That’s not true. Aren’t we always together?” 

“Always together…then,” Louis started, looking stern, “am I really so untrustworthy to you that you won’t even let me in your heart just a little? That you won’t even voice any kind of concern of yours to me anymore? Even just the fleeting ones?” Louis questioned, voice cracking a little at the end.

“Louis…that’s…” William trailed off, supposedly speechless.

“Brother.” Louis spoke once again, “I’m no longer the weak child from that time.” 

At that, William’s eyes darted to the scar along his little brother’s cheek. Chest clenching, William looked down again, expression tight.

“I apologize, Louis.” William said as he stood up from the chair, smiling ruefully. “Can we have some time to ourselves for a little while before getting back to this? It seems like we both need a breather after all.”

Louis looked hesitant for a moment, looking like he wanted to protest. But the door behind him clicked open, revealing Albert who looked sorrowful if not a little out of place as well. Louis looked at Albert before looking back at William. Then after a few seconds, he nodded and followed Albert out the room and clicked the door shut. 

Once both of his brothers were out of his line of sight, William slumped down on his chair, exhaling a huge sigh.

William sat there for a few moments, staring out of the window. It seemed like the clouds were getting darker, clumping together. Oh, the weather forecast did mention that it was supposed to rain this evening. 

William’s red gaze then targeted onto his phone, sitting right next to him on his desk. William scoffed lightly, it’s frustrating, how every time he even glances at his phone, he is now only reminded of one thing and one thing only.

Hello, Holmes. Are you present?

Sherlock Holmes

Hm? Yeah

Hey

R u ok

…How could you tell?

Just by instinct ig

William shifted in his seat, he can never hide from Sherlock after all. He would have gotten it through his skull by now, with how similar he and Sherlock are.

Ah…you’re spot on as always, Holmes.

My younger brother and I just had a fight a few minutes ago. And I suppose that it had shaken me up just a bit.

Mn, I see.

So, if you don’t mind me asking and you can totally not talk to me if you don’t like my request, but what were you two talking about?

William’s thumbs hesitated in their movement, he wanted to tell Sherlock. But is that really alright? Texting Sherlock for these past 4 days had been nothing but a blessing. Talking to Sherlock became William’s little wonderful private fairytale dreamland where he can go off into where nobody else knows except him. Where he can feel all of his worries wash away even just for a fleeting moment. But if he now tells Sherlock of what is going on outside of his dreamland, what goes on in his life outside of him and Sherlock’s usual bantering and games, it meant that this became real . And that scared him.

William even once thought that he would happily ignore everything else just to talk to Sherlock everyday, and immediately after that thought, came guilt. Feelings of guilt came from ignoring his brother’s concerns for him, with feelings of sadness tagging along. Because William then came to face the fact that he may have just been talking to Sherlock as to not face his own issues, like a coward would. Louis must have argued with him not only because he couldn’t contain the feelings of loneliness within him anymore, but also because Louis was the one to see that William was blinding himself as to not face his own selfish wants. So therefore, Louis was truly only acting out of concern for him. 

William chuckled, feeling bittersweet. His brother is truly caring, unlike him who thought that he had the right to be all egotistical and blatantly disregard one of the most important people in his life.

Liam?

If I had made you uncomfortable, you can just say so. I’ll leave.

William let out a short laugh, finding it amusing how Sherlock’s typing mannerisms change when he gets all serious. 

Don’t fret, I didn’t mind the question.

For my answer to your earlier question, well, me and Louis had been fighting over me in particular.

Oh my. I don’t exactly know how to word this…

William bit the bottom of his lip anxiously, wondering what Sherlock’s reply was going to be.

So does that mean that you’re not ready to talk about it yet?

If you word it like that…then yes. I guess I am not ready.

Okay.

William blinked incredulously. Okay? That’s it? Where were the questions? Where was the interrogation? William huffed in defeat, smiling amusedly. As usual, Sherlock always caught him off guard.

[image attached]

William took one look at the image and immediately chuckled, his eyes forming crescents, heart warming and stomach fluttering.

I thought that this image would be fitting

Tho the colours should be switched in this scenario ;p

This has made me feel a lot better.

Thank you, Holmes.

Np liam! :DDDD

At that moment, Louis cautiously opened the door, peeking his head through shyly. William turned off his phone to smile warmly at his little brother. Louis visibly relaxed at seeing the familiar smile. 

“Brother,” Louis said quietly, walking closer towards William. “I would just like to apologise for what I have said, I-”

“Please, Louis. Don’t.” William reassured gently, “What you said was completely valid and I respect that, only I have to apologise for ignoring your pain. You’ve been fighting with loneliness for all this time, haven’t you?” William smiled regretfully, “I suppose that’s just my…ego.”

“Ego?” Louis said, looking confused.

“Yes, I…” William took in a breath, “I suppose I thought that I would worry you unnecessarily if I said any concern of mine, being unaware that what I was doing only hurt you more, and that my wrong actions were only because of my pride.

“My ego wanted…Louis, you’ve been fighting with loneliness all this time, haven’t you?” 

“Brother…” 

William stood up and walked to Louis, smiling. “That’s right, I should have thought about your feelings more. So that’s why I will no longer waver. So, let’s stay together, okay?” William placed his hand on Louis’ shoulder, the younger looking shocked for a moment before beaming with pride.

“Yes! I wouldn’t have it any other way, Brother!”

Then, the day came, it was William’s birthday.

After he finished his university lectures. As usual, his friends visited and they and his brothers celebrated with him. They all did the usual things they would do in the rare moments when they got together. Play cards, watch Moran get destroyed by Albert while playing said cards as the rest of them watched in amusement, chat about updates in their lives while having wine, stopped Albert and Moran from having another drinking contest, presented their gifts and the cake they had got for William at the end of the day (it was a strawberry cake, his favorite) as well as sang happy birthday to him. 

As usual and expected this day was, William had a lot of fun. It was quite chaotic when his friends were leaving the Moriarty house. Bond had his arm slung over Moneypenny, most likely flirting with the woman. Moneypenny tried to act nonchalant, but William could spot the tiny twitch of her lips. Moran (who was slightly drunk), was seen shouting at Albert for a rematch of cards while a tired-looking Fred dragged him out the door by the arm whilst Herder weeped and chaotically got out his goodbyes. Jack nodded farewell politely and ruffled William’s hair, saying “Happy birthday, Little Will.” 

Albert and Louis were seen off to the side. Louis was trying to shove Moran out of the door with the help of Fred as Albert was seen sipping his wine while glancing at Moran challengingly, which in turn only worsened the situation by riling Moran up more.

They got him out of the door eventually. 

William looked at the sky, he found himself surprised by how fast time flies since it was already quite dark. The sky’s usual light blue faded into a dark navy, frustratingly reminding William of the color of a certain someone’s captivating, ocean-like eyes.

As if on cue, William’s phone buzzed. Speak of the devil and he will appear , William curiously opened his phone. Raising an eyebrow as his notification only appeared to say that Sherlock didn’t send any text, but an image. Mentally preparing himself, William opened the text, heading into the app. 

Once he saw the image, William’s subconscious kicked him in the ass for his heart acting as if it were in cardiac arrest from something so horribly, yet so endearingly cheesy. 

Sherlock sent him an image of a slice of strawberry cake. With the lights dimmed along with a singular candle shining at the top of the cake, it made the candlelight create an almost romantic atmosphere. 

William then darted his eyes to the yellow post-it note that he saw at the bottom of the photo. 

Happy Birthday, Liam. 

Hope you have a wonderful birthday. and here’s my number bc im bad at doing mushy moments ;P

XX-XXXX-XXXXXX

William stared at the message in silence for several moments. Smiling, he didn’t notice until then how his heartbeat suddenly pounded in his chest and in his ears.

Thump-Thump…

Thump-Thump…

Thump-Thump…

William darted his head up, what were these sounds? Eyes wide, William put a hand to his chest. What-

Thump-Thump…

Thump-Thump…

Thump-Thump…

Thump-Thump…

William suddenly dropped his phone, the device clacking on the floor. Uncharacteristically intimidated, William immediately put his hands to his ears, trying to drown out the sound of his raging heartbeats. What is happening? William scrambled for a conclusion. Heart failure? Heart diseases? Cardiac arrest? Heart palpitations? No, not in this circumstance. The abnormal heartbeats only came after Sherlock-

Oh.

William slowly tilted his head towards that blue, sapphire sky. Hands falling away from his ears, William had a realisation. Suddenly, it was like time stopped. Nothing was moving, William was not aware of any motion or sound except the one of his pounding heart.

Thump-Thump…

Thump-Thump…

Thump-Thump…

William got Sherlock’s number from the yellow post-it note and made a new contact by the name of ‘Sherlock’. He was lying in bed, the time being around 10PM. Normally, William would at least be trying to sleep. But now, William was just staring at the message he had just sent to Sherlock.

Hello, Holmes. This is William, I hope you are well.

William focused his eyes at the top of the user name, awaiting any change to see the typing signal. All of a sudden, like William was broken out of a trance, he laid his phone down at his desk, pinched his nose bridge and sighed exasperatedly. What is he doing?

William is now fully aware of his new-found… feelings for Sherlock, and he isn’t ashamed of those feelings per say. But William thinks that it still doesn’t mean that he should suddenly do a 180 and act like a schoolgirl with a first crush. 

Besides, he did not expect for feelings to blossom. Especially from a perverted excuse of a communication app, and no less with someone that didn’t talk to for less than a week. 

Falling in love. William never expected it.

With past crushes or relationships, William had dated 2 people. Both of them didn’t last long, and they didn’t go so well either. And even with those experiences, William didn’t feel drawn to be in a relationship with someone or even get married. Sure, he had moments where he longed for romantic contact, but he never thought that romance was for him. He simply, to be frank, was bored with people. Bored with the world. No-one he met ever intrigued him in the way Sherlock did so easily. 

William would say that the hardest emotional time for him was in his teens, he was drowning in a pit of loneliness. Where he felt like no-one understood him, and even if he were to open up, he would suddenly jinx everything he had built up. His brothers, his friends, his happiness, his school life…

He knows that it sounds quite ridiculous, because it kind of is in a weird way. 

William remembered vividly the uncountable amount of nights that he spent in his room alone to sink into his own little hole of depression. He felt alone. Even in his adult days, he sometimes would look back at his teenage self. Where it felt like his life was consumed by desperation and sadness for someone to help him, to save him, and those feelings slowly boiled into depression and hopelessness, and finally simmered into defeat. 

Even when William had reached the ‘defeat’ stage, he had still been living his life like usual as he had always been. He had given up the wish entirely of ever finding a special someone, but little did he know that he was only burying that wish deeper and deeper inside him, and that the desire to be saved was never actually gone. 

William never thought it possible. Him being saved? Him finding hope and salvation again? No, he never thought that it even had a small percentage of happening.

Yet it did, when a 24 year old, raven-haired, brash, loud, childish, confident, cocky, beautiful, handsome, frustrating, consulting detective crashed into his life like a wrecking ball, immediately knocking down William’s walls. 

Okay, when he puts it like that, it now does sound a bit reasonable for him to act like a schoolgirl with a first crush. 

William switched the lamp off, the room instantly turning black, and shut his eyes tight to try and erase the stormy thoughts in his head. 

Did he mention or not already that he’s in deep trouble now?

William did try to sleep, he tried. But in true William fashion, he neglected his health and pulled an all-nighter again. 

William looked at the calendar, April 2nd. A day after his birthday.

William turned his eyes away from the calendar and found himself to be looking at the beautiful sunrise with its mix of warm colours. Though as beautiful as the sunrise is, it couldn’t shake off William growing disappointment within himself.

William heaved a sigh, he had thought that his insomnia was getting better thanks to Sherlock. But now the solution was now the problem since William pulled an all-nighter because he was thinking too much about a certain raven haired man on Tinder. William wishes that he could simply wash off these cheesy thoughts about Sherlock ever since he found out about his true feelings for the man, just so he could get more sleep. 

“Good morning, Brother.” A familiar light voice attracted William’s attention to his brother who stood at the door. 

“Good morning, Louis.” William offered back with a smile.

“You stayed up all night again…” William internally winced at the hidden disappointment in his brother’s tone. 

“I already told you, Louis. I’m always thinking.” William joked as he got to his feet, putting his slippers on. 

“Well, breakfast is ready. I hope you like it, we are having omelets today.” 

“Sounds delightful, Louis.” William smiled, pushing aside his dilemma for another time. Right now, it was time to focus on other things.

Sherlock Holmes

Hi liam! Ic that u have added my number to ur contacts!

So did u like the pic i sent u on tinder????? 

Yes, I have seen the picture. Thank you, by the way. It was very lovely.

Ehehehehehhe npnp

I like to make u happy

And i also enjoyed eating the cake so that was a bonus

William stared for an uncomfortably long amount of time on that one line, that one frickin’ line. I like to make you happy. It’s those little things that really gets his heart feeling like it suddenly lodged in his throat, William thought frustratingly.

Sherlock Holmes

Hm? Liam??

R u sure that ur okay?

Yes? I am. I apologize if I gave off another impression…

Hmmmmmmmm

Well u sure did give off another impression bc u sure were quiet for like 2 mins just now

Of course Sherlock would find out eventually, William smiled ruefully. Truthfully, William knew that he wasn’t ‘fine’. And no matter how hard he would try to convince Sherlock of that, the man would label it as false. (Perhaps that was one of the reasons why William fell as hard as he did).

Alright…I will admit that I am having a bit of a dilemma.

For u? Thats odd

Do you wanna talk ab it?

Again u dont have to if u dont wanna

It’s alright. I don’t need to. Though I thank you for the offer.

As soon as William sent the text, he felt ashamed of himself. This was just what Louis was talking about…

William’s fingers tightened on his phone. He had promised Louis that they would always be together, and William wants to stick to that promise with all of his being. But how can he fulfil that promise if he can't even do a simple task such as this? William bit the inside of his bottom lip, the metallic taste of blood flowing into his mouth. He has to make progress with himself quickly, or else he’ll see the bitter disappointment in Albert and Louis’ eyes. Another reminder of how he has tainted their view of him, as an untouchable God to worship. William doesn’t want to be worshipped, not just by his brothers but by anyone. Though at the same time, he never wishes to disappoint anyone and dishearten them when they finally see through his mask and see that he is deeply flawed. Selfish, foolish, and much more. A complete opposite of a God. 

William is always ever frustratingly human . 

William tried to ignore the ever growing ache spreading all throughout his chest as the dark thoughts continued. But it’s what he deserved after all.

Sherlock Holmes

Liam

William blinked out of his trance. Ah, right. Sherlock.

Sherlock Holmes

Do u wanna hear me play the violin?

Sure. Go ahead.

[video attached]

William clicked on the video, it was 5 minutes and 36 seconds long. It must have been pre-recorded. The first thing William hears and sees is the quiet rustling of the phone, a hand trying to balance the device of a surface and a muffled voice cursing at the failed attempts. William startled at the unexpected voice, so that was Sherlock. 

William stared at the screen as Sherlock stepped back from the camera, his full body now in frame. 

“Okay, you better not fall, phone or I swear to God, I will throw you in a dumpster.” Sherlock glared at his phone comically.

William exhaled a laugh at Sherlock’s threat to the device. And William tried to ignore how his red eyes kept on darting back to Sherlock’s open collar of his white button down that revealed his well-defined collarbones.

“Now, let’s get this show on the road.” Sherlock’s hands reached for something out of frame and drew back, now holding a Stradivarius violin accompanied with a bow.

William watched in rapid fascination as Sherlock naturally settled the violin onto his shoulder and chin onto the violin’s chin rest. Sherlock’s long, rough fingers settled on the violin’s bridge and the bow, getting into the right stance to start playing. And William watched in awe as Sherlock naturally closed his dark eyes and settled into playing the piece, the sensuous singing of the violin’s strings flowed into William’s ears, creating a sense of peace within him. 

William decided to enjoy the music and closed his eyes, losing sense of time as he listened to Sherlock’s playing. And if William paid closer attention, he would notice how he breathed a little more easily, chest feeling lighter, mind relaxed, and eyes slowly getting heavy with sleep. 

William slowly opened his eyes as he heard the tunes of the violin slow down to reach the end, wincing as the sudden light and colours hit him. Looking back at his phone screen, he watched in fascination as Sherlock beautifully slowed the piece to its end. Sherlock then snapped open his sapphire gem eyes and grinned at the camera, putting his violin and bow on a surface out of frame from the camera with delicate care.

Sherlock, still grinning, winked and made a peace sign at the camera. 

“Hope you enjoyed it, Liam.”

The video ended there.

I just finished your video.

Thank you, Mr. Holmes. That was wonderful.

Sherlock Holmes

Heh

Np liam

It was only in the evening that William realized that he had forgotten about all his worries.

It was a week after William had watched Sherlock’s video. Unbeknownst to Sherlock, William had saved the video onto his phone and listens to it often to help him sleep. And he even set the music as his ringtone. 

His siblings had both noticed the change in his ringtone that was changed from the default tune. Louis had asked him if he had taken a liking to classical music recently, and William agreed. Because he’s not exactly wrong. And Albert had thought the same as Louis, though suspicion was still held in his emerald eyes.

William was now at the local supermarket to get some ingredients for Louis’ cooking for tonight. Louis had earlier messaged him in a panic that he didn’t have enough food to make dinner for tonight since it had slipped his mind as he was doing the laundry. And William gladly offered to help Louis with that, and expressing his thanks, Louis also sent him a list of what he needed.

William was shifting through the aisles, placing what he needed in the cart. The last product was the eggs. 

I suppose these will do… , William thought as he placed two cartons of brown eggs in the cart. William maneuvered his cart to head to the check out. 

“Liam?”

The familiar nickname reached his ears; ruby eyes widening in shock, William’s head snapped behind him.

Familiar navy blue hair caught in a messy ponytail, stunning sea-blue eyes full of life, the confident stance, and those soft pink lips that are open wide in surprise. 

Sherlock.

“It is you!” Sherlock guffawed, skipping closer to William, who was still frozen in shock.

“Oh jolly, I never expected to meet you here!”

“Sherlock?...” William trailed off, still wondering if he was hallucinating.

“Yep, in the flesh.” Sherlock smirked. “So, Liam, did I meet your expectations?” Sherlock winked cheekily, making William’s heart do something that he didn’t think possible.

Though in contrast to the chaos happening internally, William smirked back. 

“No.” He answered.

Sherlock raised an eyebrow.

“You are better than I ever imagined.”

Sherlock laughed again, head tilted back, exposing his sinful neck and collarbones. William’s hand clenched.

“Oh really, Liam! I suppose that the real thing surpasses any image then, huh.”

William chuckled at that, this man’s confidence is unmatched.

“Anyways, what’cha doin’ here, Liam? I’m just here to get some stuff for my flatmate.” Sherlock gestured to his shopping basket, “He’s very demanding you see.”

“I’m here to shop for groceries for my brother, Louis. He had forgotten to go to the supermarket today, you see. So therefore, he requested that I head to the supermarket myself for me to do him a little favor.”

They both wandered to the check out together, both of them bantering back and forth as they got their bags and headed out of the supermarket. 

They both stood together at the exit, a comfortable silence between them. William shifted his reusable shopping bag, not wanting to leave Sherlock’s presence when he had finally gotten the chance to meet him.

And he knew that Sherlock had the same sentiment. 

“Hey, Liam.” William turned to face Sherlock. The man exuding a slightly bashful aura as his hand scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, “Can I walk ya back home? I don’t want you to be hit by a car or anything.”

William softened, though he couldn’t resist the opportunity to tease him. “Are you critiquing my sense of direction, Holmes?”

Sherlock looked mortified, “Wha-no!”

William laughed. Sherlock cursed him out underneath his breath, though anyone could spot the little smile he was trying to hide.

As they were walking back to the Moriarty house in a comfortable silence filled by the sounds of nature and cars, Sherlock abruptly asked, “Hey Liam. Wanna play 20 questions again?”

“Sure, do you remember where we left off?”

“‘Pshaw! Of course, I do.” Sherlock grinned, “I left at 7 questions and you as well. So, Liam, do you have anything to ask me?”

William hums and answers, “We’ll see.”

They talked for the rest of the walk to the Moriarty house, Sherlock’s booming laughter accompanied by William’s soft chuckles occasionally happening along the way.

William was just finishing listening to Sherlock’s run-in with the police when they arrived at his house. 

“- and then, Lestrade goes - Holmes?! What are you doing?! And I’m sitting there like - what does it look like I’m doing -”

“Holmes, you stole a bird from the local park.”

“I was only looking at it to find out what breed it was. Because I knew for damn sure that it wasn’t a boring pigeon.”

“Couldn’t you have searched it up on the web?”

“Its wings looked very interesting so I had to see it up close - and don’t give me that look, Liam. It wasn’t animal cruelty -”

Their banter got cut off short when the front door swung open to reveal Albert, emerald eyes gleaming in interest once he had spotted William’s new companion.

“Oh? What’s this, William? Made a new friend at the market?” Albert teased, leaning against the door-frame with his arms crossed.

William sighed exasperatedly, “Don’t act snobbish, Brother. It’s unbecoming of you.”

William gestured to Sherlock next to him with his free hand, “This is Sherlock Holmes.” William then gestured to his brother, “Holmes, this is my eldest brother, Albert.”

Albert raised an eyebrow, if he recognized the familiar name he thankfully didn’t mention it.

“Hi, I’m Sherlock.” The dark haired man waved awkwardly, William forced down a laugh. “So you’re the older brother Liam’s been talking about,” Albert cocked an eyebrow to William at the nickname, William waved it off with a small sigh. 

“Ah, so Liam here has been talking about me.” Albert non-subtly mocked the nickname, emerald eyes looked at William knowingly. “Only good things I hope.”

“The best, he loves you very much.” Sherlock wisely answered, making Albert’s lips twitch up in a smile at the honest answer. 

Sherlock then turned to his blond companion, “Well then, I better get going now.” Sherlock tilted his head to the side and smiled, showing an adorable dimple at the side of his left cheek. Sherlock then hopped down the stairs, “See you soon, professor!” Sherlock shouted to William, waving enthusiastically before skipping out of sight down the street, ponytail swaying side to side. William waved back weakly with a dazed expression etched on his face. Albert smothered down a snort, his brother is truly taken with the man.

Right when the front door shut and William set down the groceries on the kitchen table, Albert couldn’t resist a little more teasing. It was his job as the eldest sibling after all. 

Albert leaned on the table, “I’ll say, he’s not a bad looker.”

William sighed, unpacking the groceries from the bag. “Brother, please spare me of your incessant teasing. You’ve done it quite enough.”

“Oh but how could I ever resist poking fun at my little brother when I feel so triumphant that I am the reason that you two even met in the first place?” Albert grinned, “Besides, I can’t necessarily blame you for your fancy. The Holmes genes are quite next level, speaking from experience.”

William rolled his ruby eyes, “Oh of course. How could I have forgotten about how half of the reason you even go to work is to see that man and practically spread out your body on his poor desk like a very eager invitation.” Albert hid a snort at that, not offended in the slightest. “I see that you decided to not spare me the knowledge of the fact that you are dating Sherlock’s elder brother. Now every time I see Sherlock I will be tormented by the reminder, thank you for that Albert.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll cease for now.” Albert held up his hands in surrender. “Although, ' Sherlock' ? I haven’t heard you call him by his first name like that even to his face. What now, feeling bashful?”

William glared at him, and Albert looked at him innocently.

Thankfully, before even more damage could be done, Louis walked into the room. Looking surprised to see his brothers there. 

“Brother William! Why didn’t you tell me you were back? And thank you so very much for assisting me with the groceries by the way.”

“No problem, Louis.” William smiled, trying to ignore how Albert was still smiling like that .

“And that is the quadratic formula.” William finished off as his lecture came to a close. “Does anyone have any thoughts or questions?” William smiled as silence filled the hall, it seemed that they understood. “Good. Now you are all dismissed, if you have any personal questions then you can come see me, but other than that, I hope that you have a wonderful day everyone. Dismissed.” The school bell went off right on time, the loud ringing noise filling up the whole campus. 

William shut off his laptop and packed his files back into his briefcase behind him, when a voice came from behind him.

“Um, sir? I do have one question if you don’t mind.” The voice was shy and meek, although William wasn’t fooled.

William turned around blank look, though he couldn’t conceal the mirth in his eyes as he was met with lively azure eyes and a beaming smile.

Sherlock giggled, “Yo! Liam. It seems that I couldn’t fool ya’ huh.”

William smiled adjusting his blazer as he picked up his suitcase. “You could never fool me, Holmes.” His blood red eyes gleamed, “I’ll always be one step ahead of you.” As Sherlock was shocked and stunned where he stood, William threw a little wink his way before confidently walking towards the exit door to the lecture hall, Sherlock’s mirthful cackles following him out not long after.

“Oh, Liam! You absolute devil!” Sherlock laughed as he skipped forward to walk by William’s side. 

They carried out their usual banter as they made it to the bus stop and then it started to drizzle. 

William startled as a plop of rain fell into his hand as he reached out, “Oh my. It seems that we have quite the storm coming for us.” 

It was true, the usually fluffy white clouds were becoming grey and gloomy as they covered the sky.

“Aw shit, Liam you don’t have an umbrella do you?”

“I’m afraid not.” William answered anxiously. Sherlock cursed as the rain came down harder. Why didn’t this bus stop have a shelter?

Sherlock suddenly lit up, remembering something. “Oy, Liam!”

“Yes?” William turned around to face Sherlock curiously, only to get Sherlock’s black jacket enveloping his head and shoulders. 

William blinked in astonishment, “Holmes-”

“It’s okay, Liam. I don’t mind.” Sherlock smiled at him, rain dripping down his face and soaking into his white button down. 

“Make sure you take care of your briefcase there, yea?” Sherlock pointed at the object in William’s arms. “It has important stuff in there, no?”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.” William answered back as he hugged his briefcase close to his chest.

They both thankfully didn’t stand there for long as the bus came not long after. William and Sherlock slumped in their seats next to each other in relief to finally get out of the harsh weather. 

William removed Sherlock’s jacket from his head, the material now slightly soaked through. It smelled faintly of cigarettes and experiments, Sherlock’s scent.

“Here, you should have this back.” William handed the jacket back to Sherlock only to furrow his brows in concern when he saw Sherlock shivering slightly.

William put a hand on Sherlock’s shoulder. “Are you sure that you’re alright?”

Sherlock smiled weakly at him, about to answer before he suddenly sneezed into the crook of his elbow.

“Whoops…” Sherlock winced.

“We should head back to your flat, it is close to the school after all.” William insisted, eyes gleaming in concern.

Sherlock couldn’t manage a retort so he only worked out a weak agreement before sneezing again. William winced, rubbing Sherlock’s back.

Minutes later, it was still raining. But the two men thankfully arrived at Sherlock's flat.

Sherlock guided William to his apartment door and twisted the lock open with the key. 

“Welcome to me and John’s apartment.” Sherlock cheered weakly, closing and locking the door behind them. 

William scanned the room quickly. It seemed that John wasn’t present yet. The place was pretty bleak, though it was attempting to be organised and clean. There were also some planted pots here and there along with some pleasing furniture.

William and Sherlock both took off their shoes before William said, “You should most probably take a quick shower, Holmes. It will be beneficial to your health.”

Too tired to argue, Sherlock mumbled an ‘okay’ before heading to the shower. Once Sherlock was out of sight, William quickly opened his briefcase and sent Louis a message about his current situation.

Hello, Louis.

Due to a current predicament with the rain. Me and Holmes are now at Holmes’ flat. It seems that he has caught a cold from the rain. To supervise him, I will most likely be staying over at his place for tonight.

Do not fret, I am safe.

Louis

Glad you're safe. Come home in the morning.

The blunt response made William grimace, Louis is not pleased with him. He’ll most likely hear about Louis’ thoughts the next morning when he heads back to the house.

A few minutes later, Sherlock had come out of the shower. 

William turned around at the noise of the door opening, “Holmes, are you-” William’s voice stopped dead in its tracks. Because Sherlock’s hair was down and wet and he was extremely shirtless. William’s eyes followed a water drop as it trailed down from Sherlock’s collarbones down to his abs, down to his well-defined hips and-

“Liam. It’s your turn to shower. Do you mind using my clothes?” William snapped back to reality. Sherlock was going through some drawers to kindly pick clothes for William to put on. Sherlock was crouching and sometimes bending over, making William get an excellent view of his towel covered behind - he should stop.

“Here, Liam!” William’s eyes widened as a set of clothes along with a towel was shoved into his arms. 

“Thank you, Holmes.” William thankfully got control of his composure very quickly as he accepted the objects with a grateful smile.

Minutes later, William walked out the shower lightly fluffing up his wet hair with the bathroom towel. He walked over to Sherlock’s room, taking in the cluttered interior of the bedroom. He then spotted Sherlock at the center of the bed. He faced Sherlock only to see the man gawking at him, the tips of his ears slowly turning a rosy red.

William hung the towel around his shoulders, grin sliding into place. “Do I have something on my face?”

Sherlock huffed and forced himself to look away, pouting like a little child who got made fun of. At Sherlock’s petulant silence, William chuckled and plopped down next to Sherlock on the bed. 

“Relax, I was only poking fun.”

“Yea, yea.” Sherlock whined as he rolled his eyes.

“By the way, how’s your condition? Do you feel better after washing up?” William asked.

“Mhm.” Sherlock hummed. “The warm water helped a ton. Thanks for that by the way.” Sherlock flopped his head down to the bed, dark raven curls spreading like a black curtain, beautifully contrasting with the white color of the bedsheets. The bright lights of the city shone through the windows and gently illuminated Sherlock’s already defined features from his eyelids to his nose bridge. 

It was at times like this that William felt so small when compared to Sherlock’s beauty.

The two men stared at each other for a while, analyzing each other when a sudden clash of bright light shone through the grey clouds along with a booming sound of thunder.

Sherlock visibly flinched, cursing at the sudden noise. William raised an eyebrow, “You are afraid of thunder?”

Sherlock pouted, getting under the covers and childishly pulling the blanket over his head. “Sod off.”

William chuckled lightly at the man child, getting under the covers with him. Sherlock let him despite his act of protest earlier on.

“Should I give you a distraction then?” William whispered.

Sherlock didn’t have to voice his answer as their lips met, eyes sliding shut.

When they pulled apart, a beat of silence passed between them.

“Are we boyfriends now?” Sherlock asked.

William laughed softly, “I would believe so.”

As the next stroke of thunder came with the next, Sherlock didn’t mind. Not when he was with William.

William woke up with a start as when he heard a sudden clatter. It was a shame that he had to get up so suddenly, he hadn’t slept that well in ages. William turned the upper half of his body around to look at the door to spot the cause of the noise. A man with almost platinum blond hair and golden-brown eyes was standing at Sherlock’s door. The man looked quite shaken, and on the floor was a phone, the object that had caused the sudden sound.

William narrowed his eyes in suspicion while Sherlock slept like a rock beside him. 

William‘s brain suddenly pieced the situation. Oh. William realized, Sherlock mentioned a roommate.

“Good morning.” William greeted pleasantly, “I suppose that you are Sherlock’s roommate.”

“Y-Yes, well, um-” The man stuttered. William softened, to be fair, walking into a room where you find your roommate accompanied with another in the same bed is quite the situation to walk in on.

“I’m William James Moriarty, and you are?”

“J-John Watson.” The man, John, answered. Not meeting William’s eyes. 

“I apologize for the situation at hand, Mr. Watson.” William apologised, “Though it seems that Sherlock has yet to wake up, and I don’t wish to leave his side just yet.”

“Um, no problem, Mr. Moriarty.” John answered slowly, “Well…since you don’t want to leave Sherlock just yet, would you like a cup of tea perhaps?” John offered, nearly wincing at his awkward tone. Although William just smiled gratefully, “That would be lovely, thank you.”

John picked up his phone from the polished wooden tiled floor, “Alright, I’ll just-uh-yea.” John took one look at William and Sherlock once again, blushed, and went out the door.

William snickered lightly before turning back to Sherlock, finding himself facing blue ocean eyes that are now wide open.

“Making fun of my flatmate now, Liam? I didn’t think you were so shallow.” Sherlock joked with a smirk on his face as he snuggled deeper into the fluffy pillows.

William smiled softly, “He woke me up, I was just giving him a bit of payback.” 

Sherlock gasped dramatically, pressing a hand to his chest. “You have a secret mean streak? ” 

William laughed and shoved Sherlock’s shoulder lightly, making the other laugh as well. William couldn’t remember the last time he felt so free.

“Come, Mr. Watson is making tea.” William said as he got off from the bed, making Sherlock whine slightly at the loss of warmth.

“Ah shit.” Sherlock groaned, “Your brother is going to kill me.”

“Who? Louis or Albert?”

“Both!”

“It’s okay.” William soothed, walking closer to press a kiss to Sherlock’s forehead and stroked the skin with his finger lightly, “You’re precious to me. I wouldn’t let them do that to you.”

Sherlock blushed to the tip of his ears as William walked away smugly.

William was putting on his shoes to get ready to exit Sherlock’s apartment. He had changed back into his previous outfit from yesterday, it was a bit crinkled and messy around the edges. But he would rather Louis not have a panic attack if he showed up in a random person's clothes.

William stood up from the chair he was sitting in and picked up his briefcase, ready to go.

William nodded to John, “Thank you for your kind generosity for letting me stay.”

“It’s no problem.” John answered shyly, sipping at his tea as he watched the news. Trying to ignore the fact that his roommate brought a stranger home. Who was apparently his boyfriend.

William turned back to Sherlock and smiled, “I’ll see you around, Holmes.”

Sherlock only pouted childishly, “You know,” Sherlock grumbled, “you haven’t even said my name yet.” Sherlock rocked back and forth on his heels, and the way he looked like a child was not endearing at all. No. 

“Do you…regret it?” Sherlock asked quietly, a flash of uncharacteristic insecurity in his eyes.

William never wanted to see that look on him again. 

“No.” The professor answered with a smile on his face. “After all, we are boyfriends, are we not Sherlock?” 

Just like that, Sherlock lit up as fast as a match would.

Sherlock cackled, head thrown back. John looked annoyed at either their flirting, or Sherlock’s loud laugh. Perhaps both.

“Oh, what would I do without you Liam!” Sherlock guffawed. He then faced William with a wide grin, “You should probably go now or else your brothers will have my head.” 

William chuckled as he opened the door and stepped out of the apartment. “See you around, Sherlock.” 

Sherlock smiled widely, eyes crinkling as his dimple appeared again. His sapphire eyes now adorn a gentle, affectionate look as he gazed at William. The morning sun peeked through the apartment curtains and shone on Sherlock’s luscious black locks, creating the illusion of a halo of some sorts as it created a soft, simple glow. Sherlock then let out a light chuckle, so different from his usual loud demeanor that it takes William by surprise. 

“Yea, see you later Liam!” Sherlock cheered, waving his hand goodbye. William waved back with a smile as he walked away, eyes then darting to the floor in front of him as his mind tried to compute the beautiful sight that just unfolded in front of him. 

As William later stood in the elevator as he headed to the first floor, he put his head in his hands. Scolding himself for getting his stomach and heart feeling as if it just did a 180. So this is love.

When William stepped one foot in the Moriarty house after shutting the door behind him. Louis practically hopped down the stairs and ran to him with a speed that would have made Usain Bolt proud. 

“Brother!” Louis shouted, glasses almost tumbling off his face with how fast he ran. Albert just walked up to William with a smile on his face, “I’m glad you’re alright, William.” 

William smiled affectionately at his brothers. Accepting his fate as Louis motherhenned the heck out of him for the rest of the day. 

At night, before William was about to go to bed. He heard two knocks on his door, “Come in.” William answered.

A head of brown hair with two emerald eyes peeked over William’s door as he stepped into the room. “Hello Will.” 

William smiled, “Hello, Albert.” William put his book down. “What brings you to my room at this late hour?”

Albert invited himself over to sit by the corner of William’s bed. “Why does anyone do anything?” He joked, “I’m just here to check up on my little brother.”

William rolled his eyes exasperatedly, “Don’t lie, Brother. It’s unbecoming of you; you’re here to pry into my love life once again.”

“You know me well.”

“And you?” William shot back, “I assume that your time with the director this afternoon was quite eventful.” William hid a smile as Albert’s expression became a bit sheepish, a tint of red creeping up his cheeks.

“Oh sod off, Will.” William chuckled as Albert tried to deflect. 

“...It was nice.” Albert admitted after a moment of silence. William’s smile turned fond. 

“I’m happy for you, Brother.” William said gladly.

Albert smiled back, “I’m happy for you too.”

Sherlock’s cheerful, beaming demeanor flashed in William’s head. 

“Thank you, Albert.” William said, eyes forming crescents as he smiled.

Albert laid a hand on William’s shoulder, “Louis won’t admit it for a while,” Albert started, “but he’s genuinely glad that you’re happy.” William chuckled at that, him and Albert are both forever fond of their youngest sibling. 

Albert nodded and stood up, headed for the door.

“Thank you, Albert.” William started, hesitation holding him back for just a second before he blurted out what he needed to say. “I love you.”

William watched as Albert’s eyes widened for a second, and a ball of guilt formed in his stomach. It really has been a while since William initiated the three words. Normally it would be Albert or Louis who says it first, William following soon after. 

William supposed that he should take the first step this time.

Albert’s eyes softened in a familiar, loving glow. “I love you too, Will. Good night.”

“Good night.”

Darkness overcame his room as the door slid shut. William laid in bed, he couldn’t remember the last time he felt so light. Like he was floating on air. As if his lungs were cleared of smoke and his shoulders were lighter from all of the burdens that were shoved upon him.

William reached for his phone, seeing that he had got an earlier notification. 

Sherlock Holmes

sleep well liam :)

William smiled, chest feeling fluffy as he texted back his ‘good night’s. As he exited from the app his eyes darted towards the Tinder icon.

William looked at the icon for a moment longer before he deleted the app. Then turning his phone off and resting it on his nightstand.

He won’t be needing the app anymore anyways.