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Title: Bank Holiday
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Will Graham/Sherlock Holmes
Fandom: Hannibal/Sherlock
Rating: PG-13
Table: Table 2, 20 in 20 Challenge, tv_universe
Prompt: 17, Holiday
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Hannibal Lecter or Will Graham, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

"What's a bank holiday?" Will asked Sherlock, curiosity in his blue eyes. "Is that like a national holiday in the States, like Christmas day or something?"

Sherlock nodded, amused by Will's lack of knowledge about something that he'd been used to all of his life. "That's exactly what it is, love," he answered. "It's really just a holiday. It's called a bank holiday because all of the banks are closed."

Will laughed softly, shaking his head. "Another term that's different for me that I'll have to get used to," he murmured. "But it's not a hard one."

"That's been a bit difficult for you, hasn't it?" Sherlock asked.

"What, getting used to some different ways of saying things?" Will considered the question, then shook his head slowly. "Honestly, no, not really. It's not like I hadn't heard some of those terms before; I've just never used them on a daily basis."

Sherlock nodded, absurdly relieved that such things didn't seem to be much of a problem for his boyfriend. He wanted Will to be comfortable here, to feel at home.

There were times when he worried that Will wouldn't adapt to life in London, but from what he could tell, the young man actually enjoyed living here. Still, he couldn't help wondering if there was a part of Will that had to mourn for what he'd left behind in Wolf Trap.

But he wouldn't ask. Somehow, it seemed like an invasion of Will's privacy to do so; if he wanted to talk of the past, then he would bring up the subject.

Did that mean that he was getting better at being more compassionate with people, more sensitive to their feelings? Sherlock had to smile at that idea. In the past, everyone would have said that he was the most insensitive person they'd ever known.

Falling in love with Will had changed him a great deal.

In the past, he would have been railing at the bank holiday, hating the fact that he might need to do some bit of research that involved a place that was closed for the day.

But now, he could let that slide; he wasn't becoming lazy in his work, just more realistic. He didn't expect everything to go his way, or demand that special arrangements be made for him because of who he was and what he did. His ego was .... well, dwindling.

No, not that, he told himself. He was simply learning how to behave more .... for lack of a better word, like a normal person would.

And to his own surprise, he was discovering that he liked himself much better now. He didn't feel that he was as apart from the rest of the world as he had been before.

Maybe that was odd. Maybe he should feel a little resentful that he was no longer out on the edge, able to look dispassionately at other people and not feel that he was a part of their society. Maybe he should be afraid that he would lose his edge.

But somehow, he didn't feel that way. Loving Will hadn't made him less than what he had been; rather, it made him more of a person.

Sherlock liked the changes that had been wrought in him.

"What do you say to the two of us taking a holiday?" he asked Will, the idea coming to him in a rush of inspiration. "We've been working terribly hard on this case, and I don't think that slaving away and worrying ourselves over it is getting us anywhere."

He felt that he needed a break, a respite. Maybe he would be able to see things more clearly after he'd a day of not thinking about the case.

Will needed a break, too; anyone could see that. He obviously hadn't been sleeping well lately, though he'd said nothing to Sherlock about that. There were dark circles under his eyes; he looked as though he'd been worrying about something, and Sherlock wanted to know what it was.

Maybe Will would open up about what was obviously bothering him and talk more freely about how he was feeling if they were both more relaxed.

Will nodded slowly, a small smile on his lips. "I didn't think you would want to take a break until this case was solved," he said, his voice a little hesitant. "But I've been thinking that we both need a break, before this drives us both insane."

Sherlock had to smile at his choice of words.

"I've been called insane often enough before not to like hearing that word in relation to me," he said, keeping his voice soft. "And I certainly don't like applying it to you."

Will smiled at that, his blue gaze meeting Sherlock's. "Sorry about that," he said, his own voice as soft as Sherlock's had been. "I didn't mean it that way. And yeah, taking a break sounds great. Let's go out and do something relaxing. Just spend some time together."

"Time together away from all of this," Sherlock told him, taking his hand. "I have the definite feeling that we both need it. I think it will do us both some good."

Yes, they needed a break. A holiday, just for the two of them.

Sherlock knew that they'd both enjoy the time spent away from the case, and he hoped that they'd return to it rejuvenated, ready to tackle the questions again.

Now the question was: What sort of holiday should they take today, and where should they go? Sherlock knew that he had the answer without thinking about it -- a trip to the countryside, just for the day. It would do them both good to get out of the city.

"I know exactly where we should go," he said with a smile, taking Will's hand. "And once you hear my idea, I think you're going to like it."

***