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William stared out the window, watching as the sky gradually darkened.
The fire crackled behind him, heating the room, as William played with the corner of his book absentmindedly.
Sherlock hadn’t returned yet; he was out with Billy still, completing whatever assignment they had this time.
Snow was falling. It’d started around midday, and now everything as far as the eye could see was covered in a layer of white.
It would be Christmas soon, come to think of it. This would be William’s first Christmas, in a long time, without his brothers. It would also be his first Christmas with Sherlock.
It’d been a decent amount of time since they’d fallen from Tower Bridge, and they’d been living together, in America, ever since.
Even with Sherlock working, they’d had a lot of extra time to themselves. This time had been used to think about their relationship and what they meant to each other.
Neither of them had broached the subject verbally, but William was sure that they were both aware of the deeper feelings they held for one another.
It was, admittedly, awkward. They were both aware of it, yet they continued to dance around the subject. It wasn’t going to go away, but both of them were too nervous to bring it up.
William was getting a little tired of it, if he was being honest.
Despite what the British newspapers were now saying, William James Moriarty was only human. Part of being human was wanting to be intimate with the one you loved, and they’d never get to that if they continued this way.
So, sitting there by the window, a plan was forming in William’s head. It was surprisingly simple compared to everything William had thought up in Britain, but he was confident this would work; he simply needed to buy something without Sherlock finding out.
Focused on his harmless scheme, with an affectionate smile on his face, William hadn’t noticed Sherlock walking down the street towards the building’s entrance.
“Liam!” Came Sherlock’s voice from the front, accompanied by the sound of the door swinging open. He stomped his way in, trying to get the snow off his dress shoes as he walked.
He cringed at the snow that refused to budge. Sighing, he bent down, giving up, and just took the shoes off, leaving them by the door.
“Toasty in here.” He said, rubbing his arms as he walked into the living area.
“Welcome back, Sherly.” William greeted him with a smile while Sherlock went straight over to the fire.
“Billy was laughin’ at me because I didn’t have a proper coat, can you believe it? I didn’t know it was going to snow, but somehow he did and he’d brought one. Wouldn’t even share, the bastard.” Sherlock huffed, rubbing his hands together and holding them out to the fire to heat up.
The fire illuminated Sherlock’s face, making orange dance on his cheeks and nose. They were slightly red due to the cold air he’d just come from.
“Said I wouldn’t need it because we’d mostly be indoors. He shoulda just shared, I don’t get why he was so adamant on letting me freeze to death.” Sherlock shook his head.
“Oh dear, that is trouble.” William leaned back, flipping the page of the book in his lap.
Sherlock rolled his eyes at the response, pausing from trying to warm himself up. He whirled around, fixing William with a stern look.
“Don’t say anything if you’re not going to be serious about it.” He huffed.
William chuckled, watching as Sherlock’s hands dipped into his pants pocket, grabbing at the pack of cigarettes William knew he kept there.
Sherlock definitely wanted to smoke, but he’d been more hesitant to do it inside after he’d gotten William to admit to not being particularly fond of smoking. Sherlock had noticed William’s discomfort and pushed until he got a truthful answer. William hadn’t said anything regarding how he felt about it, but the memory warmed his heart.
“You can smoke, Sherly. It sounds as though you’ve had quite a day.” William laughed quietly as he flipped another page in the book.
They both knew he wasn’t reading.
“You’re a real piece of work sometimes.” Sherlock sighed, but took out a cigarette and lit it anyway. He walked over to the closest chair and dragged it before the fire, taking a seat.
The crackle of the flames returned to being the only sound in the room. Even with the cold air Sherlock had let in, the room felt a lot warmer than it had before Sherlock returned.
“So what did you do today?” Sherlock asked when he’d gotten bored of watching the fire. He swung around in his chair, looking directly at William.
The light was bouncing off Sherlock’s body now, illuminating his suit that looked to no longer fit properly; Sherlock had lost a bit of weight compared to before. Was he working too hard? Surely they’d give him a break in a week, since it was Christmas.
“Liam?” He repeated, waving his hand a little to grab William’s attention.
“Oh, sorry Sherly, I was thinking about something. What did you ask?” He said, closing his book and finally setting it to the side.
“What were you thinking about?” Sherlock asked with a playful tone, as he breathed out a puff of smoke.
Even though William never much cared for smoking, the smell of the cigarettes Sherlock favored were quite a bit more tolerable to William than other brands.
“Nothing important.” William stated gently.
Sherlock’s eyes narrowed at him as he inhaled through the cigarette again. William’s eyes flicked to Sherlock’s lips, pausing only briefly on them as he thought about how warm they might be.
Sherlock’s eyebrow raised, clearly catching the movement, as he exhaled, blowing more smoke into the air.
“Nothing important?” He asked, leaning back with a knowing smile.
“That is what I said, Sherly.” William reiterated, scheming smile on his face and eyes glinting with challenge, as he looked back at Sherlock.
Sherlock’s face lit up as he broke into a loud bout of laughter. William couldn’t help as his smile turned affectionate in a way he doubted Sherlock missed.
“Alright, Liam, keep your secrets. I’m sure I’ll figure it out soon.” Sherlock winked.
“If you can.” William nodded, picking his book up as he stood. “I’m retiring now. Goodnight, Sherly. Don’t forget to put out the fire.”
Sherlock continued laughing as William walked back to their bedroom. It had William smiling, making him feel warm even as the air turned cold upon leaving the heated living room.
With the cold weather as an excuse, they’d pushed their beds together. Out loud, they’d agreed that it’d be warmer. Internally, they both knew the real reason they’d agreed to one bed, despite neither having said it yet.
Sherlock joined William only a little later. He was warm from sitting by the fire, so William naturally rolled closer to him. Neither said anything as they pressed together under their blankets. They both knew, but neither admitted, to what they were becoming.
The next morning, William waited until an hour had passed after Sherlock left for work with Billy. Then, he put on his thicker winter coat and top hat and headed out into the frigid weather.
While it was no longer actively snowing there was plenty of powder piled up all over the ground. The snow crunched beneath William’s shoes, and the frost bit at his nose, but his anticipation for the results his plan would yield kept a fire ablaze within him. He could barely feel the cold with it burning in his heart.
Although he was in America now, many people had decorated for Christmas. Garlands and woven wreaths adorned many of the buildings. There were even some tied up on a few carriages and wagons that rolled by.
Walking into the marketplace, in spite of the weather, it was quite lively. Children were playing as parents yelled for them to stay within sight. People were smiling while speaking of loved ones and plans they had for their holidays.
William didn’t stop at the stalls to look around as usual, right now he had a very specific item that he was here to acquire.
“Hello.” the shop vendor greeted as William approached.
“Good morning,” William responded with a smile.
“What can I do for you?” She asked, cheeks pink from the cold. Her eyes hesitated on his eyepatch very briefly.
“I see you have mistletoe. I’d like to buy one please.” He hummed, pointing it out.
“For the missus?” She nodded with a sly smile as she pulled one down.
“Something like that.” William noted.
“Ah, so you’re courting her.” The girl nodded, placing the mistletoe inside a small cloth bag. “I’m sure she’ll be very happy. You’re quite the looker.”
William chuckled lightly at the compliment. The girl handed the bag to him with a smile as he gave her the money. Thanking her, William walked away from the stall.
He bought a few other things that they needed, like milk and tea, as a cover up. Sherlock was sure to ask where he’d been when he saw William’s snowy shoes at the door when he came home.
William tucked the cloth bag with the mistletoe into his pillowcase when he got back. Sherlock could be a bit nosy, and knowing William was hiding something was sure to make him extra nitpicky. If he noticed anything out of place, he’d investigate. William really preferred to keep the mistletoe a secret until he had the chance to use it.
He knew what he wanted to do, but he hadn’t decided the exact time he’d use it, so Sherlock couldn’t find out about it just yet.
Days passed, and eventually the 23rd of December arrived. Billy had finally said, “Enjoy your holidays!” and let Sherlock off of work for the next four days. However, Billy was planning to come have dinner with Sherlock and William on the 25th in celebration after William and Sherlock had mentioned they’d be having a larger meal.
Now, on the morning of the 24th, William was finally ready to use the mistletoe he’d hidden away.
Sherlock was making tea for them, saying he wanted to since William was always doing it. It’d given William the perfect opportunity.
He’d slipped his mistletoe into his pocket, and waited until Sherlock had left to use the restroom before he’d gotten up on a chair and hung it just above the door to their bedroom.
William had strung it high so that Sherlock wouldn’t see it until he walked into the room and turned around.
He was already back in his seat at the table, sipping on Sherlock’s average tasting tea before Sherlock had gotten back.
They talked for a bit longer, enjoying each other’s company, before William struck. Sherlock had just gotten up to put his plate to be cleaned, so it was perfect timing.
“Ah, Sherly, do you think you could get me my watch? I believe I left it in the room.” William asked with a smile.
“Mn.” Sherlock hummed his response, setting his dishes down before turning towards their room.
The moment Sherlock passed the doorway, William stood up, making his way over slowly.
“Got it!” Sherlock exclaimed upon finding the watch.
He turned around to take the newly found object back to William, however, just as William planned, they met right under the doorframe with William blocking Sherlock’s path. The detective could get no further.
“Liam?” Sherlock asked, holding William’s watch out. Seeing William’s more sinister smile, Sherlock raised an eyebrow.
“Thank you, Sherly.” William said, fastening the watch to his wrist.
Having done his job, Sherlock moved to go back to the table, trying to step around William, but William moved and blocked his path. They repeated this twice more before Sherlock finally realized something was up.
As a detective, he did what he did best and investigated. It only took one sweep of the room for Sherlock’s eyes to settle on the mistletoe.
If William said that he wasn’t a little nervous, he’d be lying. They’d been dancing around each other for months now. William was sure that Sherlock felt the same as him, but William was new to love. It was hard not to be nervous, not that it showed on his face.
“You are aware of the tradition, yes?” William asked, still smiling.
Sherlock’s eyes were so wide William was starting to wonder if he’d been wrong about his interpretation of their feelings. That is, until Sherlock grabbed him, pulling him close, and pressed his lips to William’s.
It was awkward, at first. They’d never done this with each other, and it took a minute to figure each other out, but eventually they got it.
Unable to satiate themselves with just pressing their lips together, they opened their mouths, pushing deeper, trying to feel as much of the other as they could.
Sherlock tasted of tobacco and tea, and even if it was bitter, it was the sweetest thing William had ever experienced. It was like nothing William had ever experienced before, he was being filled with such joy he was worried he'd become addicted to it. In fact, he probably already was.
They didn’t stop until their faces were flushed red and they were left panting from being unable to breathe properly.
Pulling away, Sherlock’s lips were moist, glistening with either William or Sherlock’s saliva. The fact that William couldn’t tell was lighting a different fire in William’s abdomen. One that made William want more.
He was about to go back in, to pull Sherlock back, but Sherlock put his hand up, stopping William. And then, Sherlock was laughing. He was giggling and throwing his head back. He was even gripping William’s shoulders because he was struggling to stay standing with how hard he was laughing.
“Liam, oh Liam.” Sherlock grinned, wiping tears from his eyes.
“Is something wrong?” William asked, confusion on his face.
Sherlock shook his head, still chuckling as he reached into his jacket’s inner pocket, drawing out a mistletoe plant.
William blinked at it.
“It seems great minds think alike.” Sherlock grinned. William huffed, bringing his hand to his mouth as he also snickered.
William couldn’t believe that he’d been nervous about his plan just a moment ago. It all felt silly now.
“How were you planning to use it if it was in your pocket?” William asked after clearing his throat.
“I just hadn’t put it up yet.” Sherlock shrugged.
Then, a wicked smile overtook Sherlock’s face. He drew the plant fully out then dangled it just above William’s head.
“You know the rules, Liam.” Sherlock coaxed.
William smiled, finding Sherlock’s childishness endearing as he leaned in for another kiss.
Having finally admitted their love for one another, opening that door, they were unable to pry themselves away from each other for the entire day.
The next evening, Christmas day, when Billy arrived for dinner he’d spilled wine on his shirt and gone to borrow one of Sherlock’s.
When he asked “Why is there mistletoe above your door?”, neither were able to give a good answer.
After Billy left, Sherlock and William had concluded that Billy definitely knew about them.