Title: Soothing His Fears
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Will Graham/Sherlock Holmes
Fandoms: Hannibal/Sherlock
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Sherlock faces a fear that he's been trying to hide from himself.
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Will Graham or Sherlock Holmes, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Hannibal and Moriarty were both dead.

That could only be seen as a good thing, Sherlock thought as he leaned back in his seat on the plane, closing his eyes. His greatest enemies had been vanquished.

He and Will had nothing to fear any more. There was no reason for him that feel that they were still being pursued, or being watched. The two of them were safe.

Then why did he have the feeling that there was still something hovering in the background, watching them, throwing a black pall over the happiness they could have for the rest of their lives? He didn't know, but he just had the feeling that their troubles weren't over yet.

There was no reason for him to feel like this. Yet that nameless fear still lurked in the background, ready to jump out at him with teeth and claws at the ready.

Why did he feel this way? This fear didn't seem to be the same as the fear that he'd felt for Will when he had known that Hannibal was still out there with his sights set on Will.

No, this was a different kind of fear entirely.

With a start, Sherlock opened his eyes, stifling the small gaps that came to his lips. Will was asleep beside him, and he didn't want to wake his boyfriend.

He knew exactly what that fear was, and why he felt it. He didn't have any idea why he hadn't thought of this before; now, the reason for the fear seemed crystal-clear to him.

He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to find another case that interested him, and that he would become agitated and snappish with Will, as he had done with Watson when they worked together. And he was terrified that Will would get tired of dealing with that attitude and leave him.

Of course, if he did act in such a fashion, Will would be entirely justified in leaving. He would probably do so himself if he was in the other man's place.

But it was something that he couldn't bear to think about.

Losing Will would be a fate worse than death for him. If he lost the man he loved, then the bottom would drop out of his world. There would be nothing left to live for.

Will kept him going. Will gave him a reason to live, a reason to hope for a happy future. The future that he'd never before thought it was possible for him to have.

Without Will, he would be lost. He would be nothing.

Oh, he would still be the world's first and foremost consulting detective -- probably the only one. But there would be an empty hole in his life that work could never fill.

Work had been enough before Will had come into his life. When he had thought that he'd never find love, that it was for other people but never for him, he had thought that his life was complete, that he didn't need anything else. He had been so wrong, and now he knew that.

Falling in love had made him strong, but it had also made him vulnerable. He had more fears now that he was happy than he'd had when he was alone.

Now that those walls had come down, he was beset by many more worries than he'd had before. Mainly worries for Will and his safety, worries for the future of their relationship.

Did everyone who fell in love feel like this? How could they not?

Sherlock sighed softly, resting his head back and closing his eyes. He didn't want to have these worries. He wanted them to go away, to leave him in peace.

But, of course, they wouldn't. He would have to wrestle with them, beat them back, and lock them away. He couldn't let himself worry about every little thing in his life with Will.

Will was a strong man. He was perfectly capable of taking care of himself; he'd proven that time and time again. But he didn't have to be alone any more. Now, he had love in his life; Sherlock was on his side, and had his back. And the same was true for Sherlock; Will would always be there for him.

There was no reason for these worries to nip at his heels. If he and Will had any disagreements, they would work things out. And he knew that more cases would come to him.

He wouldn't have to fight boredom again, the way that he had done when he was alone. Because, simply put, wasn't alone any longer. His life was full now.

He had Will. He didn't need work to make himself feel complete. Not any longer.

Will wouldn't leave him because of his moods. And he wouldn't let himself be snappish and discontented. He had nothing to feel that way about. Not with Will by his side.

These fears were irrational, but he still had to talk to Will about them. He couldn't allow any barriers to stand in the way of their relationship. Any time he had doubts or fears, he had to talk them over with Will. That was the only way that they would be able to work through any problems.

He couldn't keep himself to himself any longer. There wasn't only himself to think about now. He had to consider Will's feelings and his needs, too.

Somehow, that thought made him feel much better.

He had someone to look after now. Someone who depended on him -- and what was more, he had someone to lean on when he needed a shoulder.

He wasn't being dependent. He wasn't being weak. He was simply being a man in love -- and that was something to be proud of, not to fear.

Sherlock smiled, feeling that he'd managed to soothe his fears.

He took Will's hand, hoping that they could both sleep during the long flight back to London.

***