Chapter Text
The next day at the university, Sherlock keeps walking with a spring in his step.
Some of his students give him weird looks when he enters the lecture hall and greets them with a little too much enthusiasm for 9 A.M. Sherlock doesn’t let that bother him, he is not going to let anything bother him, not even the fact that his schedule for today doesn’t align with William’s and they can’t have lunch together. That’s hardly a problem, he’ll just have to find time to sneak into his office and force him to give him attention.
Unfortunately, it takes several hours for Sherlock to manage to do that. He may be excited to see William, but he is also very serious when it comes to his job. He finally finds free time a little before his last lecture for the day starts when he knows that the mathematician is taking a break (more like working) in his office. Well, even twenty minutes can be enough.
He quickly makes his way there and enters after William gives him the okay.
“Liam! Long time no see,” he greets him, forcing himself to sit in one of the chairs that William has for when students visit him before doing something stupid like kissing him as a greeting after just one date. That would probably be a little too soon.
“Hello,” William smiles at him.
Sherlock looks down at the papers in front of William and is about to ask if he is bothering him when the other man talks again.
“Give me three minutes and I’ll give you all my attention.”
Well, Sherlock may not be known for his patience but he can stay quiet for a few minutes if it means he will get William all to himself after that. He easily agrees and takes out his phone to busy himself while he waits.
Exactly three minutes later, the blond man puts the papers into a folder and gets up, walking to the side that Sherlock is and sitting on top of the desk.
“So, how was your day, Sherly?” he asks, making Sherlock’s heart flutter.
“Pretty normal, darling. Nothing exciting,” he replies, looking up to make eye contact with him. He is not going to lose. “What about you?”
“Hmm same for me,” William replies while casually loosening the knot of his tie. Sherlock gets very detailed flashbacks of yesterday’s events and momentarily loses his composure.
“That’s good,” he says awkwardly, trying not to stare at William’s lips like a starving animal.
William gives him one of those innocent smiles that hide anything but innocent intentions and Sherlock checks the time on his phone to decide if he can risk it on not.
Twelve minutes left, he can work with that.
He gets up carefully and comes to stand in front of William, closely watching his reactions. The other man seems to have anticipated this action, not looking affected by it in the slightest. He only raises an eyebrow and gives him a challenging look.
Well, Sherlock is certainly not someone who backs down from a challenge so he takes this as his cue to slowly lean forward, stopping just a breath away from William’s lips. He thinks he spots William rolling his eyes right before he places his hands on the back of Sherlock’s neck and finally connects their lips himself.
They kiss more desperately this time, deepening the kiss only after a few moments. Sherlock almost loses his footing when William separates his knees and drags him closer to him, between his legs. He balances himself by putting one hand on the desk next to William while placing the other on his waist.
William plays with his hair again, tugging at it every time he wants to move Sherlock’s head to change the angle. Sherlock doesn’t have a problem with letting him lead, enjoying the feeling of William’s tongle in his mouth and his hands on his hair, even if his ponytail is probably getting ruined.
They break apart to breathe after a few moments and Sherlock’s knees go weak. William looks unfairly beautiful like this. His face is flushed and his lips are slightly swollen. His blond hair is disheveled and Sherlock can’t resist the urge to softly tuck a particularly rebelious wisp behind his ear. There is probably an embarrassingly whipped smile on his face.
He leans in to kiss him again, more gently this time, taking his time to really feel William’s lips against his and hear every little sound that the other man makes. His hands travel to his face, cupping his cheeks, while William wraps his arms around his back, pulling him close again.
Being this close to William truly feels like a dream. Sherlock (dramatically) thinks that he wouldn't mind if he died like this, in the arms of the person who has made him experience more emotions than he’s had in the last five years.
He separates their lips and moves to gently kiss his jaw when William lightly tugs at his belt loop and stops him.
“As much as I’m enjoying this, I think you have a lecture to teach,” he says, amused.
Sherlock untangles himself from William and looks at the time on his phone.
“Shit,” he groans. He is two minutes late.
The following three weeks pass pretty quickly.
William and Sherlock go on a few more dates, usually ending them with a goodnight kiss outside William’s house that quickly escalates. They haven’t stopped doing that even though Louis has opened the door on them making out twice at this point. William just laughed and gave him one more kiss before sending him away both times so Sherlock doesn’t really mind. He’s always been a little shameless after all.
They also occasionally steal a few kisses hiding in each other’s office whenever they both have free time during the day. Neither of them really care about being unprofessional when no one can see them. A student did almost walk in on them having their tongues into each other’s mouth once but thankfully they were able to seperate and act like they were just talking pretty quickly. They started locking the door after that.
But… there is something that has been bothering Sherlock.
As great as it is to have fun with William like this, he really wants to learn what exactly this thing between them is, as cliché as that sounds.
Is William as serious about this as he is? Is he the only one feeling so much? Is he going to get his heart broken when the other man gets tired of him?
This can’t be a fuckbuddy situation for him. If it was, then they would actually be having sex instead of just sneaking out to make out like hormonal teenagers during work. There have been opportunities before when they were alone in Sherlock’s apartment but neither of them made a move.
The soft looks that William gives him every time they break apart from a kiss make him want to believe that he must also feel something. William shows surprisingly a lot of physical affection whenever they have a moment alone, but Sherlock needs a verbal reassurance to convince himself that he is not imagining things just because he is head over heels about him. All the people who praise him for his genius mind would surely laugh if they saw him not being able to think logically whenever the blond man is around.
Feelings complicate things too much even if they are supposed to just be chemical reactions.
“Liam,” Sherlock starts now, pausing the movie they were watching sitting pressed to each other on the couch in his living room. “Can I ask you a question?”
William seems to understand that this is serious and turns around to look at him, making an affirmative sound. Sherlock turns around too so they can make eye contact more easily. He thinks about taking William’s hand into his but decides against it, in case this doesn’t go well and he has to awkwardly take his hand away.
“Are you serious about me?” he asks, cringing about how stupid the question sounds.
There is silence for a few moments while the other man opens his mouth to speak but then closes it again a couple times. Sherlock starts losing his composure.
“I mean” —he takes a deep breath— "I wanna know if this is a casual thing for you or if you- if you have serious intentions about me.”
“That’s…” William starts, looking uncertain and absentminded. Has Sherlock really been misreading everything?
The blond man suddenly seems to have collected himself and much more surely this time says, “I am serious about you.”
Sherlock lets out a breath of relief but then William talks again.
“I’m sorry for making you doubt that; I really am serious about this. I’m just- a little hesitant when it comes to entering relationships.”
“Why? Do you have commitment issues?” he blurts out a bit crudely and immediately regrets it when William flinches.
He has heard a lot of sob stories from men about how they can’t be in a committed relationship with him because they got hurt that one time their elementary school girlfriend or something broke their heart, but he is sure that William wouldn't pull something like that. He should stop assuming things and let the other man explain.
“No, it’s- it’s just- I have lost a lot of people in my life,” William stutters.
This is the first time Sherlock hears him talk this nervously; he is used to the mathematician talking very eloquently even in casual conversations. He is suddenly reminded that William has been orphaned not once, but twice. And there are possibly more things that he doesn’t know yet. This time he doesn’t stop himself from reaching out to take William’s hand into his.
“You are not gonna lose /me/,” he reassures him, starting to softly rub his hand with his thumb.
He would normally hesitate about saying something this forward so soon after starting seeing someone but he can’t really stop himself when William looks so vulnerable. And it’s not like he doesn’t mean it; he really does, he means it with all his heart.
They may have only known each other for a few months, but to Sherlock it feels like years. William awakened feelings inside him that he didn’t know he was capable of having. The excitement he had after their first meeting quickly turned into something more, without him realizing. One day he just wanted to get to know this mysterious young professor and the next he was already in love, trying to figure out what to do about his emotions.
So, even if it’s embarrassing to talk about his feelings, he is going to do it.
“I know we’ve only been going out for a short while, but I really wanna stay by your side,” Sherlock says, staring at their intertwined hands. “If you also want that,” he adds after a moment, just to be sure.
William squeezes his hand, making Sherlock look up.
“I really want that,” he admits.
There is a fond smile on his face, different from all the ones he has given Sherlock before. This one looks so sincere and full of emotions that Sherlock can’t help but lean forward and give him a chaste kiss at the corner of his mouth. He tries to move back again after it, but William puts his free hand on the back of his head, stopping him.
“Be my partner?” William whispers softly, pressing his forehead against his. Sherlock probably wouldn’t have heard him if they weren’t so close already.
“Gladly,” he whispers back almost immediately.
They are both smiling like idiots at this point, leaning against each other, enjoying this moment where everything feels right in the world.
And then Sherlock tilts his head up and connects their lips.
At first, it’s hard for both of them to stop smiling and kiss properly. But then William tugs on his bottom lip and the mood quickly changes, the kiss turning more passionate. Sherlock copies William’s usual move, burying his hand into the blond’s hair, enjoying how soft it feels against his callused skin.
William, never one to be left behind, briefly separates their lips, lightly pushes on Sherlock’s chest and says, “Down.”
Just this one word makes Sherlock tremble with excitement. He quickly understands William’s intentions and very willingly lies down on the couch, letting the other man climb on top of him, straddling his hips. Their mouths connect again instantly.
Having William like this, on top of him, so close, is the most intoxicating feeling Sherlock has ever experienced. Not just his heart; all his organs feel like they are about to explode. His entire body feels warm, the affection he feels for the other man at this moment almost making him lose his mind.
Sherlock lets his hands wander up and down William’s body, encouraged by the sounds he makes. He eventually manages to get them under William’s shirt, finally feeling more of the warmth of his body head on. William lets out a delicious little gasp, but right as Sherlock is about to celebrate and make some teasing remark about winning today, the blond man leans down and bites on Sherlock’s neck.
At this point, Sherlock has definitely lost his mind, getting shivers all over his body.
But it’s okay.
As long as it’s William, he doesn’t mind losing.