Moriarty Brother oneshots

Can't Sleep?

“Brother?” a soft whisper wakes him up. He recognizes the voice as Louis immediately.

“What’s wrong, Louis? Does your wound hurt again?” he responds in a whisper as well, trying not to wake anyone else.

“No, I just couldn’t sleep…”

William lifts the covers and gestures to him so that he joins him in bed. He seems relieved at that. As brave as Louis is, he is still a kid. They both are. William does not sleep much, and he is often too exhausted to dream when he does.

But his little brother is sometimes assaulted by nightmares. He dreams about their time on the streets or sometimes even the Moriartys’ treatment.

Being close to him usually helps calm him down. It might be all the years they spent together and the trust he feels for his brother, but there is nowhere he feels safer than with him.

The soft and warm covers make Louis feel better as he lies on his brother’s chest, letting his heartbeat lull him to sleep. It doesn’t quite work, but at least it helps him finally relax and forget about his nightmare. After a while, a soft knock makes them both turn toward the door. It’s Albert, carrying a tray with three cups.

“Brother” greets William.

“I heard steps from the hallway and imagined you were having trouble falling asleep. I thought some hot milk could help.”

The silence he receives as an answer is louder than anything they could say.

“I didn’t make it myself if you’re worried about that. One of the maids was still awake cleaning the kitchens, she was the one to make it. I just added honey.”

That reassures them enough to give it a try. As William takes a sip, he notes the bags under Albert’s eyes. It seems Louis was not the only one with sleep problems. He says nothing, not wanting to embarrass him, and just scoots over to let him join them in bed. The benefit of getting an adult-sized bed for himself is that the three of them can fit.

He looks towards Louis, who is enjoying his drink with his eyes closed. He worried he would take longer to accept Albert as his brother (it had been just the two of them for such a long time, after all), but after the fire of the Moriarty estate, he seemed a lot more open to the idea. He knew Albert was at least trustworthy, and he clearly cared about them. He seems happy enough to share a bed with both him and William.

When he finishes his own cup, he notices his little brother’s eyes starting to close on their own, so he urges him to lie down again. Better let him sleep while he can. Both he and Albert join him after putting their cups on the tray again, leaving it on the bedside table. They can take care of that in the morning.

Albert and Louis fall asleep like that, the three of them comfortable knowing they are safe together. William stays awake a bit longer, as always. He cannot sleep until he’s exhausted. He listens to his brothers’ slow breaths and allows himself to feel happy for this moment. He knows this won’t last forever, not with their plan already taking shape. But he can enjoy this for now. He can forget about reforming society for one night and just sleep by his brothers’ side.

When Jack finds them the next morning, the three of them are hugged so close together that it’s hard to see where each of them ends and where the others start.