William stood atop the bridge overlooking the river Thames, hands gripping the cold iron railing. It was dusk, and the sky was splattered with beautiful orange and turquoise hues. The crime lord observed the river, admiring the gentle waves causing the colours reflected in the sky to ripple in a mesmerising pattern. He closed eyes, and took a deep breath. He knew that this was the place where he was going to take his final stand, once his plan succeeded. It's decided, nothing can change my decision now, he thought, reassuring himself. Right, in a few months from now, he would be dead.
Lost in his spiral of thoughts, the blonde didn't realise a man was approaching him. His eyes shot open and he jerked back violently when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Woah there, Liam. It's just me, Sherlock!" he said, putting his hands up in a placating gesture and grinning stupidly. William couldn't help but smile. The detective was his lover, after all.
"Hey, Sherlock. What brings you here?" the younger male enquired, as the raven haired man took his place near William, both of them staring at the river below. The detective just shrugged and said, "I didn't really plan it; I saw you here and I came running", with that mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
"Really, Sherlock? You should be more responsible." the blonde said, chuckling. Sherlock frowned, which was adorable. "Oh, come on. You're always like a lone tree, so I decided to give you some company." the detective answered back. William just hummed back, to which the detective rolled his eyes. They stood in comfortable silence.
But the depth of Sherlock's words had really shaken William. He'd said William was looking lonely, which no one could notice. His mask was so perfect and believable, yet Sherlock said it like it was the most casual thing in the world. Even his brothers wouldn't believe him if he said he was feeling lonely. And in reality, he wasn't really lonely. It was a feeling of emptiness. Which apparently, disappeared whenever he was with Sherlock. Totally not in love with the detective.
He slowly lifted one of his hands from the railing and placed it on Sherlock's hand, gripping it. He turned to look at Sherlock but he didn't look surprised or shocked. His face displayed no emotion, which kind of saddened William. He returned to staring at the river, but he didn't let go of Sherlock's hand.
Sometime later, the raven haired man broke the silence.
"Hey, Liam?" he started softly, turning to face the crime lord. William didn't look back.
"What is it?" he asked in a neutral voice.
"I like you. You make me happy, you know that? Just wanted to let you know, in case you do anything dumb." he said, not taking his eyes of the blonde. Now William found it difficult not to look back. When his eyes met the detective's sapphire ones, he could see nothing but sincerity in them. He blinked, unable form a coherent response to what Sherlock had said to him. William always strayed away from any form of attachment except with his brothers, and he thought no one would ever like him (aside his brothers and companions in crime, of course). But Sherlock paid absolutely no regard to the distance the blonde kept between them, and honestly, William realised he didn't mind it. He liked being with Sherlock.
"Say something, Liam. I feel like I'm talking to the river." the older male complained.
"I like you too, Sherlock. And I'll keep what you said in mind." he said, with a genuine smile on his face.
They went back to their job of inspecting the Thames, but William had never felt better. His mind was clear, and his heart felt warm and fuzzy, and all the credit went to Sherlock Holmes. He even made him reconsider his plan of actually falling to his death. He could feign it, and maybe, just maybe, there could be a future for the detective and the crime lord.
******
Sorry I couldn't upload sooner, I had exams. Anyway, thanks for reading and don't forget to vote :)