Chapter Text
It was once again late spring, moving steadily on into early summer. Flowers were in bloom and insects darted around in their search for nectar. William was in the garden, attending to his flower bed. When he had still lived in England, his friend, Fred, had taught him all about the various roses he kept and this teaching had caused the blond to develop gardening as a hobby. In a way, it reminded him of his old friends and he worked hard each day when he was not at work or socialising with Sherlock. He hummed as he trimmed the leaves, gently placing them in a canvas bag to put atop the compost at the end of the garden. A small bird hopped down onto the soil and pecked at a worm that had unfortunately decided to show it's head at the wrong time. William gave a slight smile despite the dire situation for the invertebrate. After swallowing, the bird hopped off with a chirp to find some more pests. Though the man tried hard, there was always at least one critter that got to his beloved plants.
From the back door, a man with dark hair and unbuttoned, white shirt with the sleeves rolled up came strolling down the stone path, holding two narrow glasses. He stood next to William for a few seconds before crouching down. Sherlock gave a grin and offered one of the glasses of water.
“You should drink something, Liam. Can’t have you getting dehydrated now, can we?” He nudged the glass closer and the blond took it with a smile. William lifted it to his lips and drank, his throat bobbing with each mouthful. The raven man watched his every movement before suddenly darting his eyes away when his partner’s gaze turned to him. This action caused a glint to show his scarlet iris and Sherlock knew he was in for it. He nervously took a sip from his own glass, the tips of his ears lightly dusted in pink, and attempted to start conversation.
“So, the flowers are looking... nice. What’s this one, a rose?” He pointed at one of the buds. However, despite his efforts, William was set on teasing. He put his face in front of the other’s and raised an eyebrow.
“Sherly. I saw you staring. I may have an eye injury, but I’m not blind on my right side. I thought you were smarter than this.” He then leaned his body into the other man playfully, with a sly smile on his face. Sherlock drank again and placed his free arm around his partner, giving the man’s shoulder a rub.
“Not when it comes to you, Liam. All logic goes out the window when you’re involved. I literally jumped off a bridge for you without caring for my own safety or knowing if we’d survive.”
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The pair sat in the garden for the rest of the afternoon, chatting and watching the small bird come back and leave again, most likely returning to it’s nest. Slowly, clouds began to settle in, causing the two to reluctantly return indoors. Sherlock stood up first and dusted the dirt off of himself before reaching a hand down to pull up the blond. William quickly accepted and heaved himself up, clumsily colliding into the other’s chest when he lost his footing. Sherlock quickly wrapped his arm around Liam’s waist to support him.
“You alright?”
William gave an awkward cough as he nodded and tried to stand straight but was pulled close by the other man. Their eyes met and Sherlock’s eyes darted around the blond’s face: eye, lips, other eye, in a triangle formation. The professor tilted his head and gently placed lips on lips. The raven man grinned and kissed back, keeping his grip on the man. William draped his arms around his partner’s shoulders and pulled him self impossibly closer. Eventually, the two pulled away and Sherly’s grin widened more than seemed logical, literally from ear to ear. Just then, a raindrop fell onto his cheek causing him to look up.
“Shall we get inside then? Don’t want to get sick.”
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After collecting the tools and putting the waste leaves on the compost, the two hurried inside and closed the door. The back door of the house lead straight into the kitchen so William offered to make tea while Sherlock made some snacks. The pair chatted away about the rain, work and what they wanted to do on their next day off together. Perhaps go out shopping? Stay home like today? They had all the time in the world. Hardly anything could stop them. William was teaching like he always had and Sherlock was wherever he was needed, similar to how he previously lived. The kettle whistled and William got up from leaning on the counter to set up the tea tray. After finishing, the pair changed to the living room, placing the food and drink items on the coffee table before sitting on the sofa.
A sudden knock on the door broke the peace and the two looked to each other for clarification. When Sherlock shrugged, William decided to get up and answer.
“Hello, sir.” Said the messenger. “Might you be Mr. Woods? I have a letter for you.”
“Indeed I am. Thank you.” Mr. ‘Woods’ responded, taking the letter with a friendly smile. The postman doffed his cap before wishing William a good afternoon and running to his bike, most likely to get out of the drizzle. William stepped back to close the door and turned to walk back to Sherlock who had popped his head around the doorframe.
“Who was at the door?” He asked, chewing on a small sandwich.
“Surely the great detective, Sherlock Holmes, would be able to figure that out.” The man replied.
“Oh, you know I’m retired, dear Liam. No more guessing for me.” He dipped his head back in the room as William entered. They both sat, turned towards each other at a 54° angle, looking at the letter in Moriarty’s hands. He opened the envelope and unfolded the paper inside. He then gave a small cough before reading it aloud:
“Dear Mr. Woods,
I am writing to invite you to my own university as a substitute in both subjects of Mathematics and English Language. I hear you are a great mathematician and also fluent in English. My friend who leads your current workplace has given full permission for the transfer, should you accept.
[...]
I hope to see you soon,
Andrin Studer, Director”
He gave pause before speaking again.
“Seems like I’ve been invited to transfer schools in one of the main cities.”
“Sounds like an opportunity, I think you should take it, Liam.” He nodded and put a hand on William’s. “It could be fun. We could get out of this cosy town and experience a bit more hustle and bustle like back in London. I think it’d be nice.” The man gave a supportive smile while his companion thought.
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It was decided, the two would take up the offer. William wrote up a letter in response and sent Sherlock to deliver it. Meanwhile, the blond went through his wardrobe and removed various shirts, jackets and trousers to wear on his stay, placing them on the bed. After closing the doors to the wardrobe, he turned to start packing his suitcase, folding clothes with precision. Just then, he heard the front door open and shut. The blond called down to Sherlock from the bedroom and the raven man took the steps in threes and walked in, plopping himself onto the clear section of the bed.
“Did it all go well delivering the letter? Hope you didn’t get too wet.”
“Of course not, the rain has almost completely cleared and is just spitting for now. I should think that our journey will be a smooth one. I asked around about road damage from the rain and it sounds like there has been minimal flooding.”
“That’s thoughtful of you, Sherly. Now, you should probably pack as well. I’m not sure how long we are going to be away.” He suggested this as he placed a spare pair of shoes in his suitcase and swiftly shut it, locking it up. Sherlock nodded and made his way to his own room, quickly stuffing in a spare suit as well as a book or two for the journey there. He joined his partner downstairs and stood at the door.
“Is everything locked up?”
“All secure.” William responded, holding up the ring of keys.
“I ordered a cab to collect us, it’s arriving just now.” He put on his coat and held the blond’s case while he donned his own. They then walked out, locked the door and got into the carriage. They sat opposite each other, Sherlock leaned on his arm watching and Liam mirrored him. After a few seconds the cart started to move, gently bumping down the road. The rain had cleared completely, with sun filtering through the dispersing clouds. It looked as if this journey was indeed the right thing to choose.