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A winter chill pierces Sherlock’s body.
Despite the fact that he put on the warmest coat he could find this night, it still stands no chance against the New York frost.
It’s probably one of the coldest days this winter yet Sherlock and William still decided to visit the near bar for a few drinks.
They wouldn’t normally do that in such weather, but it’s their second week in a row without any job from the agency and boredom started to overwhelm them.
It doesn’t happen often, but when such stagnation occurs at Pinkerton’s, it can last pretty long.
So when Billy visited them this morning without any orders once again, annoyed sigh escaped Sherlock’s lips.
He hates such stillness and the idea of another week without anything interesting to do makes him feel nothing, but distress.
William wasn’t excited about the news either, but he could easily kill the time reading some books, Sherlock didn’t let him, though.
As soon as Billy left, the blond made his way to the couch with the pile of books in hands. Sherlock appeared beside him a moment later, begging his partner to entertain him.
It was obvious that William could forget about reading.
They were thinking about potential activities, but eventually decided that going out after dinner may be the best one.
As another gust of freezing wind hits Sherlock’s face he wonders if it was really such a good idea.
During their time inside the bar, the temperature dropped even further and now the streets are completely icy.
The moment he tries to keep his balance on the pavement, Sherlock feels familiar warmth around his arm.
William takes hold of him, clearly having the same problem.
A combination of alcohol and icy street isn’t the best one, especially in the middle of the night, Sherlock is thinking.
They didn’t plan to stay this long at the bar, but the atmosphere was pleasant and the drinks were tasty, so before they knew it, it was already past midnight.
Maybe it wasn’t a responsible behavior during this time of the year, but at least there is not a soul in the street right now so they can stay close to each other.
“Careful,” Sherlock takes his partner’s hand with care as they approach their block of flat.
“You shouldn’t have drunk that much,” he adds, observing William’s unsure steps.
Sherlock is no saint himself, but as soon as he noticed William getting a little tipsy he immediately put his own glass down.
He knows what William can be like when he drinks too much, so he prefers to keep an eye on him.
“I am not drunk, Sherly,” the blond replies with slightly outraged voice.
“But you are not completely sober either,” the detective gives him a side eye as he opens the door to the staircase.
“I only drank a little more than you.”
“I’m not so sure about that.”
“Sherly…”
He stops as the door closes behind them, looking at Sherlock with seriousness. William doesn’t like when someone assumes if he’s drunk and Sherlock knows that.
“Liam?”
Sherlock can’t help, but play dumb.
He likes to tease his partner like this. He thinks it’s so funny when Liam tries to act serious while being intoxicated.
As expected William gives him his well-known-annoyed-look and Sherlock can’t stay serious any longer.
“Alright, alright, I’m just teasing,” he chuckles.
He caresses the hand which he’s still holding with his thumb, hoping William won’t stay angry at him.
The blond rolls his eyes, but doesn’t let go of Sherlock, a good sign.
“You can be an asshole sometimes,” William finally says, but the tone of his voice condemns that he doesn’t really mean that.
“I’ve heard that from a few people already,” Sherlock grins, pulling his partner’s hand lightly.
“Come on now, it’s getting late and it’s bloody cold in here.”
William nods and lets Sherlock lead him upstairs.
A few moments later, they finally approach the door of their apartment.
It takes Sherlock a while to find the keys in one of the pockets of his coat, but after checking most of them, he finally manages to take them out.
As soon as he does so, he feels William’s hands around his waist and his chin on his shoulder.
“Hmm… what is it?”
He asks quietly, not to wake their neighbors up.
“Nothing,” William replies almost innocently, but Sherlock notices a smirk from the corner of his eye.
Before he can do anything, one of William’s hands slides around his waist in a way that sends a shiver down Sherlock’s spine.
“I don’t think it’s “nothing”,” he takes a deep breath, trying to stay calm as he moves the keys closer to the lock.
William chuckles against Sherlock’s skin, seeing his reaction.
Then, as if this whole teasing isn’t enough, the blond places a few gentle yet passionate kisses on his cheek.
If a moment ago Sherlock had trouble staying collected, now it is practically impossible for him.
“Liam, I’m trying to open the door,” the detective says as he’s struggling with the lock.
If he didn’t have alcohol in his veins, maybe this task would be easier, but considering his current state, not to mention about his partner’s sudden urge to being touchy…
“Alright, I get it. You’re settling the score for earlier. You can stop, we’re even, now,” Sherlock tries again, but he still feels William’s lips against his cheek.
The blond teases for a few more moments, assuring that he has no idea what Sherlock’s talking about, but eventually decides that he should have pity on his partner.
With one smooth move, he slides his hand down Sherlock’s arm, right to the palm that is holding the keys and guides them to the lock.
As soon as a click in the door is heard, William moves his lips to Sherlock’s ear.
“It wasn’t that difficult, Sherly,” he says with amusement in his voice and finally lets go of Sherlock.
As the detective walks inside and observes William closing the door behind them and locking it, Sherlock is wondering how is that possible that William did all of this without any effort while clearly being intoxicated.
He shouldn’t be surprised, though. If it was someone else it might be shocking, but considering that it’s Liam of all the people…Yeah, it’s not a surprise at all.
Just like that, Sherlock takes off his shoes and coat. He is about to ask his partner if he wants to drink some hot tea before going to bed when he suddenly feels William’s hands on his body once again.
He lets out a surprised sigh when William pulls him close and kisses him on the mouth.
“L-liam, wha-,” he tries between the kisses, but it’s so hard when his partner acts like this.
His hands run from his spine to the bottom while his lips move against Sherlock’s in an addictive way.
He can’t help, but whine as he finally gives up and returns the kiss.
He wraps his arms around William’s shoulders and bites slightly his lower lip.
William replies with a satisfied murmur and a moment later, he slides his tongue inside Sherlock’s mouth.
They both sigh at the sensation, their lips and tongues brushing enthusiastically.
Sherlock only realizes how much he has lost himself in the moment when they are about to collide with the nearest wall.
He puts his hand on William’s head so he won’t hurt himself. Only when he makes sure that their situation is under control, he once again replies to William’s kiss.
Sherlock puts his fingers into the blond hair, causing another moan from his partner’s lips.
Their bodies are pressed so tightly together at this moment that Sherlock can barely stop himself from moving his hips against William’s.
And the way William is grabbing his butt, it makes his head feel dizzy and his pants tighter.
This man knows exactly what he’s doing despite the amount of brandy he had this night.
Sherlock doesn’t know if he should be scared or excited.
They stay like this for a little bit longer, but soon they have to part for air.
“Sherly,” William starts breathlessly when he pulls away.
“Well, that was something,” Sherlock chuckles, trying to catch a breath as well.
William looks at him with adoration and something else which Sherlock can’t quite grasp yet.
“Did you enjoy this?”
He asks.
Sherlock can’t help, but laugh. He runs his hand across William’s cheek.
“What kind of question is that?”
“Can you answer?”
“I did, but why are you asking, Liam?’
“It’s just,” William clearly struggles with giving a logical answer.
“Back in that bar there was a man, I’d say he was our age… He was staring at you all the time, I’m not stupid, he was interested in you. I know that you wouldn’t cheat on me, but… I just got jealous,” he admits, his cheeks slightly flushed from the embarrassment.
“So that’s why you refused to leave my side at some point,” Sherlock chuckles despite himself.
“It’s not funny,” William pouts as he hears his partner’s reaction.
Sherlock immediately grabs his hands.
“I know, sorry. I just didn’t expect that, I didn’t take you for a jealous type.”
“I’m not, mostly, but the idea of someone taking you away from me…”
“Hey, Liam, no one is taking me away from you, especially not some random bloke from the bar.”
William doesn’t reply to that, he only moves his thumbs up and down Sherlock’s sides.
“I hope you didn’t start this whole making-out-session just to see if you are still a good lover for me,” Sherlock adds with a light smirk.
William’s eyes widen with surprise.
“Of course not! I did it because I love you, but this fear blinded me at the beginning.”
“You shouldn’t worry about such things so much.”
“Of course I should, you are my husb-partner,” William suddenly corrects himself and as Sherlock realizes what the other man was just about to say, his cheeks cover with pink.
“Liam, did you just-”
“No, forget about it. I drank too much, I don’t know what I’m saying,” William tries to free himself from Sherlock’s embrace.
The detective doesn’t let him, though. He puts his hands on his hips, holding him firmly.
“Liam, wait. Do you really think of me that way?”
“You mean as if we were married? It doesn’t matter, it’s illegal, Sherlock,” the blond finally looks him in the eye.
“And if it wasn’t? Would you like for us to get married?”
Sherlock can’t help, but ask. It surprises him how much he wants to hear the answer.
After a moment of fighting with his own thoughts, William finally opens his mouth.
“I would love to, actually.”
Sherlock feels butterflies in his stomach at the words.
This confession is something he definitely didn’t expect to hear tonight, but his own reaction surprises him even more.
It’s not like he never thought about it, especially since they became a couple. It would be nice to have something confirming their relationship, but for Sherlock being close with his Liam is definitely enough.
This life they share brings him pure happiness and he knows that they don’t need matching rings and some piece of paper for it to be any more real.
Yet right now, as William shares this little dream with him, as Sherlock sees a spark of hope in his eyes, he doesn’t want anything more than this.
“I know it’s selfish of me. I don’t deserve to even think about it,” William continues with a shy expression.
“No, don’t say that,” Sherlock suddenly interrupts.
“It’s logical that when you love someone you want to experience the relation on every level.”
“Would you like to marry me someday?”
William can’t help, but ask, his cheeks once again turning pink.
Sherlock smiles softly.
“Yes,” he admits with honesty.
William finally returns the smile. He covers Sherlock’s cheeks with his palms and strokes them gently.
“I don’t give a damn if it’s illegal or not, we can still buy some fancy rings and exchange vows. I can even ask my brother to get us some marriage certificate once we come back to London,” Sherlock promises.
William is listening to it with a grin on his face.
“I would like that, if you’ll have me,” he connects their foreheads.
Sherlock wraps his arms around his waist.
“Always,” he whispers and places a loving kiss on his partner’s lips.
“Husband,” he adds after a moment.
“I like the way it sounds.”
“Husband,” William repeats after him.
“So it’s a promise, then.”
Sherlock nods in confirmation.
It’s obvious that this moment is so precious for both of them, this promise of spending the rest of their lives together, it fills their hearts with love.
“I can’t imagine my life without you in it anymore,” Sherlock admits, pulling his partner closer.
William gives him a loving smile.
“I love you, Sherly.”
“I love you too, Liam,” he whispers and soon their lips find each other once more.
This kiss is different, Sherlock can feel it in a way William is holding him, it’s almost as if he’s trying to keep Sherlock only for himself.
The detective finds it funny, alcohol is probably still holding up to him.
“I’m not going anywhere, love. You can slow down,” he says between kisses.
William only put his hand into his hair and pulls slightly. Sherlock can’t help, but moan.
“I can’t help myself, you are so divine like this,” he admits, moving his lips to Sherlock’s neck.
Whatever response Sherlock came up with gets stuck in his throat the moment William’s lips start brushing his skin.
The way he kisses, bites and sucks on his skin makes him feel dizzy.
“Let’s go to the bedroom, Sherly,” William breathes heavily, holding Sherlock by the back of his neck.
The detective wants nothing more yet a tug of logic starts to form inside his mind.
“We shouldn’t, we both drank a lot, it just doesn’t feel right,” he starts weakly.
“I want you,” William’s hold on him tightens lightly as he says it.
The detective swallows nervously, William’s response is definitely not helping. In fact, it only causes the tightness in his pants getting worse.
“Don’t make me beg, my love, I know you want this just as much,” the blond moves his hips against Sherlock’s in a suggestive way, causing a moan escaping the brunette’s lips.
“L-liam,” he sighs, grabbing his hand.
He knows that he won’t be able to say “no”.
William knows this as well, a smirk on his face as he moves Sherlock’s hand to his lips and placing a kiss on it only confirms it.
A moment later they are already in the bedroom, sharing hot kisses as soon as their bodies meet the mattresses.
Sherlock grabs William’s butt and guides his lower body closer to his own.
The blond lets him as his hand once again finds its way to his partner’s hair, grabbing the messy locks just the way Sherlock likes the most.
Satisfied sigh reaches his ears in return.
Their lips move against each other in a knowing rhythm when Sherlock decides to change positions.
He grabs William by the waist and turns them around so the blond is now lying below him.
Sherlock grins at this little advantage over William.
“Well, well, well, someone wants to play. Who would have known since you were so resistant to it at first,” William smirks as well.
“You love to tease me, don’t you, Liam?”
Sherlock grabs his thighs and squeezes them slightly.
An honest laugh escapes William’s lips at the words.
“Don’t get mad, Sherly. You know that this is how I show my love for you.”
Sherlock snorts with laughter.
“You’re lucky I love you, you bastard,” he smiles as he leans closer to William and captures his lips in a kiss.
William replies happily, hugging him close and sucking on his lower lip.
After a moment, Sherlock can’t help, but slide his tongue into his partner’s mouth. He plays with William’s own, making both of them whimper.
Sherlock can’t control himself as all of these sounds make their way out of his mouth. It is literally impossible to stay quiet when William kisses and touches him like that.
They fight for dominance for a while; exchanging places on the bed, but eventually it’s William who presses the detective to the sheets.
It’s not like Sherlock minds, he likes it both ways and with his Liam it doesn’t really matter, as long as they are close.
“I’ve caught you, Sherly,” William whispers into his ear.
He just made the detective lie on his belly while pressing to him from behind, his hands tightly around Sherlock.
“The things I will do to you, you have no idea,” he continues, running his hand all over his chest.
Excitement fills Sherlock’s body at the words, grin appears on his lips.
“I just can’t wait to see what you got in store, professor.”
William places a kiss on his partner’s neck and then, he finally moves his hand towards his belt.
“Let’s get rid of these clothes of yours firs-”
Sherlock suddenly feels all of William’s weight against his back.
He is confused for a moment.
“Liam?”
He tries to turn his head towards his partner, but it’s really difficult when William is basically pinning him to the bed with all his body weight.
It takes him a few moments, but when he finally looks at William’s face, he realizes that the blond is sleeping.
“There’s no way you just passed out,” Sherlock takes a deep breath and frees himself from under his lover’s body.
As he looks at the way William is lying unconsciously between their sheets, disbelieving laugh escaping his lips.
Sherlock knows about these strange sudden-sleep-episodes William is struggling with. They happened a few times during their time in New York, but the last one occurred so long ago that Sherlock completely forgot about them.
“I can’t believe it happened just in this exact moment,” he murmurs to himself as he helps his partner’s body lie down more comfortably.
“How am I supposed to go to sleep right now, Liam?”
He puts some messy strands of hair out of William’s face and then, he runs the hand through his own.
His cloths are crumpled, cheeks red and hair completely tangled, not to mention about the problem inside his pants.
Sherlock sighs in defeat, it seems that he won’t find out what “things” William was about to do to him tonight.
He quickly takes William’s tie, eye patch and waistcoat off so the other man won’t feel even more miserable in the morning.
Then, he gets rid of his own annoying clothing. He will be sleeping only in his underwear tonight, there’s no other way.
After this task is done, the brunette feels a little bit better so he finally lies down next to William and covers them with some sheet.
This night was completely crazy, but at least Sherlock wasn’t bored.
With this thought, he moves closer to William and wraps his arms around his waist, resting his head in the crook of his neck.
After a while, soft sound of William’s steady breathing lulls Sherlock to sleep.