Chapter Text
William slowly opened his eyes. They felt very heavy. He touched his left eye, which was bandaged, and gently removed the bandage. William closed his right eye; it was completely dark. His left eye was not functioning. William tried to remember what had happened to him recently; he should have been preparing for his and Louis's move to Durham. But why was he here now? William walked slowly and looked out the window. This wasn't London. This was America.
“America? Why am I in America?” he thought to himself. William left his room and encountered one of the nurses.
“Oh! You're awake! I'll inform your guardian, and you can go back to your room for a checkup first.”
“My guardian?”
“Yes, Mr. Antrim, your legal guardian here. You can wait in your room for a moment, I'll call the doctor” she said before leaving William. William was confused. He didn’t know anyone with the last name Antrim. He decided to walk back, looking for Louis or Albert. Maybe they were using a different last name while in America, though William didn’t understand why they would do that.
His steps felt very slow. For some reason, William could feel his steps were heavy, as if something was holding him back. Weighing down his heart. He walked in silence. His head was still a bit dizzy, and he was still trying to remember the events that had occurred recently before he opened his eyes. Was there an accident? Or something unexpected? Why was he suddenly in America? William groaned softly as his head ached from trying to recall everything that had happened recently. But more importantly, where were Albert and Louis? Why weren’t his two brothers here? Why was he alone? If there had been an accident, were they both safe?
William’s footsteps suddenly stopped on the hospital roof. He walked over to a chair there and sat down. William looked at the scene before him. For the first time in his life, he felt that the world he was looking at was incredibly beautiful. William smiled slightly. From up there, he could see children playing, adults gathering and chatting. Everyone looked so happy. William touched his cheek. He was surprised to feel tears falling from his eyes. What was this? He had never cried over something so simple before. He closed his eyes. It felt completely empty. Something felt wrong, but he didn’t know exactly what was wrong with him. He didn’t know why his steps felt so heavy. He didn’t know why there was a heaviness in his heart, as if his heart had been struck by a very heavy stone. It felt very strange to sit and gaze at this world.
William could sense someone behind him, walking toward his seat. His mind told him to stand up and leave, but his heart urged him to stay seated. The person sat down right next to him. William was confused; he could feel the other person smiling at him.
“Thank you, Liam,” the person said. William remained silent. He was confused. Why was the person next to him saying thank you? He glanced over briefly. He didn't recognize the person, not even their voice. Who were they?
“I'm sorry, who are you?” William asked. William looked at the person. He could see the surprise on the face of the person sitting next to him, and could see that they were confused as they looked at William. Something was wrong. “Do I know you?” William continued.
“Liam, don’t be joking.” William looked at the person in confusion. William was certain from the accent that it wasn’t an American accent. That meant the person was also a British citizen like himself. Strangely, William didn’t recognize him at all, yet he addressed William so friendly.
“Oh, William! You’re awake, huh?” William turned around and saw another person. This time, William was certain he was American; his accent and the way he carried a gun confirmed his hypothesis. “Oh, we haven’t met yet! I’m Henry Antrim, you can call me Billy!” Henry Antrim? His guardian?
“Sorry, who are you guys? Why am I in America?” William realized his situation was unfavorable. He couldn’t find Albert and Louis, and the man named Billy had the same last name mentioned by the nurse earlier. In other words, something must have happened for him to end up in America, and these two were watching over him. He didn’t want to act rashly. William looked at the man beside him again. His face was pale, and there was no sign he wanted to answer. Before William could ask again, the man who had been sitting next to him stood up and pulled Billy away to talk, a bit farther from William. This was the perfect chance to escape, but for some reason, his heart felt heavy. As if it wasn’t allowing him to run away. He had never listened to his heart before, but now it felt like his heart was screaming to be heard.
“William, can you come with us for a moment?” he asked. William simply nodded. For now, it was better to go with the flow. He didn’t know anyone in America. He didn’t even know if his colleagues or Albert or Louis were in America, so it was better to go with the flow. He would think of a way to escape later if there was anything suspicious about these two people. For now, he hadn’t sensed anything suspicious.
They took William to the doctor’s office. In the room, William underwent several tests. He knew these tests were to check his brain. He was also asked various questions, especially about what he remembered. William could see the two men, who had been accompanying him all along, were shocked by his answers. What was wrong? What were they hiding? Should William escape right now? It wouldn’t be difficult to escape now, at least in his opinion.
Both of them brought William back to his hospital room. William sat on his bed. No one spoke. The atmosphere was quite tense. William knew that the two men in front of him were carefully choosing their words. He didn’t know what they were planning, but he was already thinking of a way to escape.
“May I ask? Who are you and what business do you have with me?” William finally asked. He watched their suspicious movements closely, ready to use force if necessary.
“Liam, you really don’t remember me?” asked the man with darker hair. William shook his head. “My name is Sherlock, Sherlock Holmes. We both worked in America, and yesterday you accidentally had an accident that led to you being hospitalized here.” he said. A lie. William was certain it was a lie he had made up. He had never planned to work in America. His life’s goal since childhood had been one thing: to reform the caste system in London. What use was it for him to go to America? Even to the point of having to work here.
“I don’t know if I should trust you or not. But, as far as I remember, I applied to be a lecturer at one of the universities in Durham. I’m certain I never planned to work in America,” said William. William had inadvertently revealed some information about himself, but it didn’t matter because he felt the two people in front of him were trustworthy. He trusted his instincts.
“Do you remember Albert and Louis?” Sherlock asked. William furrowed his brows in confusion. Sherlock knew about his two brothers.
“Yes. Do you know them?” Without answering William’s question, Sherlock and Billy seemed to be talking again.
“Liam, please listen to me carefully, okay?” Sherlock said. William just nodded his head in confusion. “At first, okay I was lying, I'm sorry. You’re in America, you’re on the run. Whatever plan you have with your two brothers, it’s putting you, your brothers, and your associates on the run. That’s when you met me and Billy. You were involved in a major accident during the chase, and we had to bring you to America at the request of one of your associates and your brother, Louis.”
William listened in silence. He didn’t want to believe Sherlock’s words so easily. He knew that Louis would likely ask someone to protect him and ensure his safety. He knew that Moran or Fred might also help Louis in his escape. But it was impossible for their plan to be exposed so easily. They hadn’t even started most of their plans yet. They had just—ah… what about the Eden case? Did someone leak it? Or did someone know about the case? But who? The plan was going smoothly, with no obstacles so far. He had also been keeping a close eye on Eden for several days after the case, and there were no signs that he would leak anything to Scotland Yard.
“How can I trust you?” William asked again. Billy walked towards him and took something out of his pocket. William was shocked when he read what was written on the paper. " To explain, the US government became interested in William when they heard about one of his plans that was leaked. At first, we also wanted to take your two brothers, but since they were also being chased, we couldn't find them. At the same time, we were also interested in ponytail-senpai. However, as ponytail-senpai mentioned during the chase, you had a minor accident, so we had to bring William to the United States.” His explanation made perfect sense. The evidence in his hands was also clear. For now, William would trust them. Besides, if what they said about him being on the run is true, it would be better for him to hide in America now.
“Liam, you can’t contact anyone here. All your movements will be monitored by the government, so if anything happens, please tell me, okay?” Sherlock said. William looked at Sherlock, who was smiling warmly at him. For some reason, tears suddenly welled up in his eyes, startling the two people in front of him.
“Whoa! William, why are you suddenly crying?” Billy panicked. He handed William the handkerchief he was carrying.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know why either. But I understand my position here. Is there anything I can do to repay your kindness?” William said.
“For now, just rest! We’ll handle the rest. You’ll be staying with Ponytail-senpai, is that okay?” William nodded. At least for now, until he found a definitive answer about himself and the strange feelings in his heart, he would follow the plan set by the two people in front of him. He was also certain that he would be closely monitored, so for now, he wouldn’t try to contact Louis or Albert.