Constellations Strung With a Shooting Star | Sherliam

Chapter Twelve

[sorry for the late chapter!! schoolwork got me bad this week unfortunately <//3]

Jasmine tea doesn't taste the same anymore.

William quickly came to that discovery after Sherlock returned to London. For the life of him, he can't drink it without being reminded of how it felt to spend time with the detective. Thoughts of it course through his mind endlessly whenever he drinks the same tea, and it presses an overwhelming amount of conflicting emotions within him. Therefore, he's decided to simply not drink it.

His head shouldn't get caught up in thinking about Sherlock in that manner, and the small association happens to play a big part in that. He admittedly finds a guilty pleasure in that, but that's exactly what makes it so dangerous. Indulging himself at all was a terrible idea, as it hasn't taken him very long to realize that he might be getting closer to following what the mark on his back wants.

The possibility that Sherlock may be suspecting Moriarty to be his soulmate is even worse. By magnetizing himself to the detective, it may lead him closer and closer to the truth. And he didn't want to even think about what could happen after that. It shouldn't happen, and it won't. No matter what, William will not let Holmes know what lies on his back.

And as much as he should be distancing himself from any correlated thought at all, he can't ignore what he agreed on. The moment that the blond established when the other could see him again, he knew that he wouldn't forget. Sherlock is many things, but he's not one to forget something like that. Especially not with how much dedication he had and how much he visibly looked forward to it.

So alongside his Lord of Crime plotting, he also has to prepare himself for another close interaction with the very detective he should be avoiding. It's such a mess; he can't name the last time he felt this awfully vulnerable. Likely because he never has. He's always felt ready and prepared for every twist and turn his life may have; even a time where he was kidnapped was controlled by his own hand and he ultimately had no trouble.

He supposes that the universe truly did create someone for him; someone who could easily break down his walls like this, as if they were never as secure as the professor always thought they were.

As much as he knows that he should be dealing with his own problems independently, he feels far too lost to do that any longer. And at the end of the day, he at least always has his family. Albert and Louis are the bearers of William's vulnerable moments. In the times where he stresses over his plans, they're both always there for him.

And while he doesn't wish to be a responsibility for them or wish for them to worry, he also knows that it's about time he tells them that Sherlock is his soulmate. They know what he wants and what he has always planned to do when running into this problem, so William is sure that they won't attempt to change his mind.

Their bonds are deeper than any mark would ever be.

-

William's breath feels slightly unsteady as he waits for his brothers in his study. He asked Louis to bring Albert with him so he could talk with them privately. It stung how his younger brother immediately seemed to snap with concern; he saw it in his eyes. It's a look that Louis prevalently has with William, and every time he sees it, his chest stings worse than a heartburn.

And when he returns with Albert, William knows that his older brother will bear a similar expression. That only will make it twice as painful to go through. But he's stronger than that. He needs to be stronger than that.

A soft knock taps the study room's door, followed by a firm and gentle voice that can only ever be identified as Louis'. "Brother, we're here," he prompts, cautiously pulling the door open.