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It was a dreary night. Birds clutched to the waving branches of trees that looked as if they would be uprooted. Inside the cottage on the edge of town, two men sat close on the sofa in front of a crackling fire. It had been a particularly bad day for weather as a storm was upon the town so like this pair, many were cuddled up by the fires in their own homes. The raven man had a whisky in hand and was swirling it around the glass before taking a sip. His partner also had a whisky, but just rested it on the arm of the settee. The only light in the room was from the fire so miniature flames danced in both of their eyes. It was nice to be indoors, away from such weather. That was the brilliance of humans. They could fight back against nature unlike most animals. Despite this, nature always wins in the end, no matter what humans fight with.
The blond took down the last of his alcohol and placed the glass on the table with a soft thud as the two objects collided. He then stretched out his arms before laying against the other man.
Do you mind if I lay here, Sherly?”
Of course he wouldn’t mind.
“Not at all, Liam. It’s not like I have anywhere to be at this point in time.” The man joked and shifted himself to a more comfortable position. He then finished his own drink and passed the glass to William to put on the table alongside his own. When he settled back down, Sherlock took to playing with the blond’s hair. In return, William gently held his other hand and drew circles in his outstretched palm.
The two of them sat in silence for a while, enjoying the fire, the wind that seemed distant and the close contact. Sherlock thought to himself as he had his arm wrapped around his companion. This is nice. I think I quite like the settled life. Only myself and Liam to worry about. Though, I don’t think it would be the same if I settled with a woman like Watson did.. No, Liam is a much better companion than any woman could be. He laughed to himself which caused William to stir and look up at the one holding him. He gave a puzzled look before his eyes landed on Sherlock’s lips. His gaze held for a few seconds and then spoke, lifting his eyes to meet Sherlock’s, his eyelashes drooping slightly.
“May I.. kiss you?”
The raven man’s eyes widened slightly before he relaxed and gave his lips a brief lick. He leaned towards the blond’s face and tilted his own slightly to the left. Just barely touching his partner’s lips he smiled and said:
“You needn’t ask, Liam. I always want to kiss you.” And with that, he touched his mouth to William’s.
It was only a few short pecks, but it seemed like longer to the pair and also seemed to satisfy the slightly intoxicated blond. He gave a small, content and lopsided smile after he pulled away and put his head back down to watch the fire. And so, such passion died as fast as it was born, but that didn’t matter to Sherlock. His top priority was making sure that William’s wellbeing was intact. Blossoming even. All the man cared about was his partner being happy. (And who didn’t like to be kissed by the one they love?) Anyway, the pair went back to what they were doing previously. However, this time, William wanted to talk. The pair chatted without end into the night. They talked about various topics both real and hypothetical, such as space or what they would do if a rabbit jumped through their window. They were only small things to talk of however, the two were greatly entertained by the exchanging of ideas and ideals much like they always were when conversing.
Eventually, William grew solemn.
“Sherlock, be honest with me. Do you like being here? I mean, I love being here with you. You’ve really changed for the better since we came to Switzerland. Though you still have your crude sense of humour.” The man chuckled slightly as he absent-mindedly played with the edge of the blanket he had around his shoulders. He then gave a sad sigh. “Do you miss your family, Sherly? Mycroft, Dr. Watson, Miss Hudson.. Do you ever regret choosing me over them?”
Sherlock laughed and shook his head, grinning.
“Liam, I do adore your manner of speaking when slightly drunk. You sound like a maiden who just started courting. I promise I love it here, you oaf. I wouldn’t change this for the world, even if I do miss that idiot of a brother or John and Miss. Hudson.” He nudged the man in the arm as if to say ‘believe me already’. Just then, the man rubbed his indigo eyes with his free hand and stifled a yawn. “We best be getting to bed now, it’s late.” William made a noise of protest but was dragged up and off the sofa in one swift movement. He looked down at the table to pick up the mess but was stopped by a tut from Sherlock. “We can clean it up tomorrow, don’t worry.”
Now upstairs, the two split to go to their respective rooms when Sherlock was suddenly grabbed from behind. He felt a chin rest on his shoulder while hands creeped around his abdomen and in response he gave a short sigh, his eyebrow twitching ever so slightly. This was William’s way of saying he wanted to sleep with company. Though it wasn’t often, alcohol could induce William to have his nightmares and, as a precaution, Sherlock stayed in his room for the night. Despite the fact that they both knew that the ex-Lord of Crime didn’t need this kind of babying treatment, William was simply teasing and Sherlock couldn’t help but play along with such antics. He gave a pat on the blond’s head and changed course for the other bedroom, William firmly attached to his back, and pushed open the door. Unlike Sherlock’s room, this was prim and proper like a true noble lived there. Books were neatly stacked and organised on the shelves while vases decorated the table and window space. I’d almost forgotten about William taking up flower rearing, guess the weather has been so bad he can’t do his gardening. As he thought, his housemate directed him to the bed, detached himself and got in. He then patted Sherlock’s side of the mattress before laying down properly, staring up at him. The man joined him and pulled up the covers.
“So, the usual position?”
“Mhm, the same as always. If you don’t mind, Sherly.”
“Quit your worrying, young miss. Be more sure of yourself.”
The ‘young miss’ gave Sherlock a mock glare.
“Don’t refer to me as some kind of recently betrothed noble's daughter. How would you like it if I called you a spoiled young master?”
Sherlock hummed a response as William buried himself in his chest. He wouldn’t admit it outloud but, Moriarty was quite the softie and very maiden-hearted. Sherlock laughed to himself before looking down at the sleeping man. Really... who could have thought this man was a murdering machine? No killer would ever look vulnerable even when asleep. My Liam isn’t heartless like those other murderers, they could never compare. And with that thought, the ex-detective fell asleep, his arms wrapped protectively around the man he loved, his breath moving William’s stray strands of hair as the two fell into slumber.