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William isn’t the type of person to cry, of course. He wasn’t really allowed to, as a child, which resulted in his very obvious dislike for the emotional displays of affection that plagued the streets. He hated seeing loved ones kiss each other and sob before one of them left, and didn’t really see the point of it in general. Why would anyone choose to care about another human being that much? It seemed like it would only cause pain, really- to be so obsessed with another person that you can’t think straight, and they constantly fill up your mind… He’d be utterly unproductive with such a thing and it was frankly idiotic to even relate to a feeling of love.
That was all true, until the day he met Sherlock. The plan had been a simple one- another noble's evil doing brought to light for the world to see, even if it was one of the more cruel methods. (William felt sick when he found himself almost looking forward to it.) Still, nothing was supposed to be disrupted. He had been relatively at ease, walking into a lobby about to make his way up the steps when the commotion he had noticed a bit earlier got louder. He turned his head, connecting the voices of three women to their faces before his gaze locked upon a man.
He stood tall, proud, and confident. Black hair was pulled up with a hair tie, and a cocky grin rested on the man's face.
“His line of work… Is a mathematician.” He spoke. William grinned, immediately taking the bait and only allowing himself to be shocked for a few seconds.
“What makes you think I am a mathematician?” He bit back, face completely at ease.
“Whilst gazing out at this staircase, your time, your distance, and your angle told me so.” The man continued, explaining all the logistics behind his conclusion. William let him win, giving in and admitting that he did, infact, teach mathematics at university. He couldn’t help but compete, though. With practiced ease, his chin lifted up and William began his rebuttal.
“Now then… permit me to do the same with you. It appears you can play the violin. Nonetheless, you are not a musician. Additionally, you are adept in fighting and other physical activities. Moreover, you have an interest in scientific experiments… as well as a slight touch of chemical dependency.”
William walked forward, perhaps a bit too far, before he stood face to face with the other man. He tried not to laugh at the expression the other was wearing- it was easy to tell his excitement was carefully disguised.
“How did you know?” Spoke the man.
“Because it is obvious.” William replied with no hesitation.
There was a moment or two of silence, where they simply held each other's gaze in a silent challenge. The man's expression had gotten far more difficult to read, and William found himself so intrigued that he couldn't help but startle when the other laughed.
As if his mind had been read, the man spoke. “You are a genuinely intriguing chap.”
William smiled, nodded, and walked away.
He understood the feeling now. His heart was pounding from the smallest bit of interaction with a man he had never met- his body was betraying him. God, he didn't even know the other's name! It was ridiculous- utterly pathetic, if William was to be honest with himself. Much to his surprise, he found the feeling sticking around quite a bit.
–
He found out the man's name soon enough. Sherlock Holmes, famous detective from a long line of unmatched wit. William quickly learned who he was up against- still, he wasn’t convinced that Sherlock would be able to catch him. Regardless of intelligence, emotions always seemed to get in the way of these things- and Sherlock is the type of person with scarily strong morals.
William learned that soon, after their first test. It was fun. Watching someone who finally matched his thought process get angry was entertaining, and he loved outsmarting Sherlock.
Forcing a man who believed his emotions were a tool that helped him to consider murder was truly an accomplishment. William Presenting him with the perfect opportunity seemed too good to be true- but William knew he must be getting to Sherlock, and giving him the chance to kill an almost innocent man in exchange for everything he needed to know was truly an upper hand.
He couldn’t help but be a bit disappointed when Sherlock chose to take the high road. The man did not end up dead- but at least William had a grasp on the other man's character now, right? He chose the right thing- history books would applaud Sherlock for his morality and truth. William hated that.
Being obsessed with another person wasn't pleasant. It constantly made William's thoughts empty out of his head and he was left with childish fantasies of the perfect love. He hated being childish. At the mere thought of Sherlock's face he was smiling, and at the thought of the other man's brain he blushed. William had always wanted someone he could truly respect, someone who could match him in every aspect. Growing up, he hadn’t ever really had to try-even now, he often didn't. But with Sherlock, all of William's thoughts had to be complex. He had to think things through so much more thoroughly than before, and consider every single outcome. He debated the most likely ones, still constantly stumped as to what Sherlock would do next.
That kind of surprise wasn't particularly evident in Williams' life at all, until now.
–
Williams' final plan wasn’t hard to figure out, if you had his motives. He knew that. William knew that sooner or later, Sherlock would attempt to talk him out of suicide. It couldn’t be helped, though. At least this way, William knew he was dying and he was doing it for a purpose. He was dying for a cause he had grown up believing in, and hopefully his death would truly change the world. Wasn’t that every person's dream? He considered himself to be lucky to experience anything of the sort.
Sherlock, William could tell, was not happy about the plan. He must have known what was going to happen, since the next time they locked eyes the man glared at him with a new intensity. Sherlock, the man with a heart of gold and the quite possibly the strongest moral compass in the world, was bound to hate someone sacrificing his life.
William knew he wouldn't stand for it. Sherlock would do everything in his power to stop his death- but he had thought this out. If it was to be the very last plan of his life, it might as well be a good one. As the flames flickered below them and both William and Sherlock stood atop the bridge, William knew that he wouldn’t be able to predict what happened next. There was always a chance that Sherlock truly stopped him- but William planned on doing his very best to prevent that. His plan was foolproof- what could Sherlock possibly do to postpone the eventual death of the Lord of Crime?
When William jumped, he wasn’t expecting to fall. Of course, just as planned, Sherlock grabbed his hand with sweaty palms and a concerned look on his face. William smiled up at him before letting go, and dropping to the down.
Dying with someone you love is a privilege. Very few people get to be happy in their final moments- but William was. It was idiotic, and stupid, but when Sherlock jumped off and they grabbed each other frantically in midair- William blushed. He shook his head and let his palms rest on Sherlock's back before closing his eyes one final time with a smile.