~*~ It's hot, Kat's feeling crummy, and I've been craving ice cream. This fic wrote itself.
Warnings: Cavity inducing sweetness.
Musical Muse: The movie RED
Disclaimer: I don't even have ice cream, much less anything to do with either fandom.
For my Kat. Hope you feel better!
~*~Frosty Giant~*~
Sherlock liked to believe himself about ordinary distractions like the weather. He turned his collar up in the rain, stole a jumper from John when it was cold in the flat, and went on with his business. But even he had to admit, as he pushed his hair away from his sweaty forehead again, that the mugginess that invaded all of London was growing too much to bear.
The fact not just he and John, but Loki was well, were in a flat with a broken air conditioner did not make matters easier. Loki claimed innocence regarding the faulty air conditioner, and as he was obviously more miserable than either Sherlock or John, Sherlock was inclined to believe him for once. He hadn't stopped complaining about the heat since the first warm day, and didn't appear about to stop. He also had been rather unhappy about their automatic assumption that he had been behind the out of order machine.
They would have all holed up in the basement, where it was much cooler, but the fresh batch of mold that bloomed up the walls prevented them from doing so. So the trio was trapped in the stuffy flat, with every fan blasting at full power. Sherlock was trying to concentrate on work, Loki was slumped on the couch in nothing but a pair of boxers, and John had been trying to watch telly until Loki's moaning drove him from the living room and out of the building. He had barely paused to pull a t-shirt over the undershirt he had been lounging in, before leaving the flat without a word.
After John's departure, Sherlock and Loki didn't say anything, but they did exchange looks. They may not have had the wordless communication down like Sherlock and John did, but Sherlock did know enough by Loki's expression that he hadn't meant to drive John away. Sherlock shrugged and went back to work, wondering if Loki had understood that he meant that John would be back soon enough. It was too unbearable to linger outside.
Sherlock wondered though - just another mystery to add to the pile - if Loki was a "Frost Giant", like he claimed, why he didn't attempt to cool himself down with the magic he claimed he had? Not that he doubted his friend's abilities - he had seen him turn blue several times during the winter, and witnessed small, unnoticeable bits of magic - but the plain discomfort evident on his face made him wonder if Loki just lacked the right amount of power, or if he was suffering on purpose. He was the type. The many mysteries of Loki could wait for another, cooler, day, Sherlock decided as he went back to reading.
A rather loud thud startled Sherlock from his current case file. Expecting anything from a head to a bowling ball, Sherlock was in fact surprised to see a gallon tub in front of his face instead. It was so close, he could see the condensation dripping and feel the cold radiating against his face. It was actually rather refreshing.
John set a plastic bag on the table, next to the tub of ice cream, and through the opaque material Sherlock could see sprinkles, chocolate sauce, and various other toppings. Loki had followed John into the kitchen, and was rifling through the bag with an expression of growing glee. A sweet tooth was the last thing he would have expected a god to have, but there was no denying that Loki loved nothing more than sweet Earth treats. John had picked an excellent way to apologize for the air conditioning argument earlier.
"What is this?" he asked, poking the sweating tub with a finger. John smiled as he cracked the lid off. Thanks to the heat, it was already melting and soft, perfect for sundaes. Sherlock tried to fight down a childish shiver of happiness as he moved his papers off the table.
"Its ice cream." answered John as he hunted down clean bowls and spoons.
"What's ice cream?"
John gave him a puzzled look as he began scooping the frozen treat. "You've never had ice cream?" He sounded surprised, but Sherlock didn't feel the same. They didn't seem to have cows on...wherever he was from. Loki had been overly suspicious of the milk in the fridge from the beginning. They never had gotten around to telling him how they got the milk from the cows, and that, perhaps, was for the best.
John handed Loki a bowl brimming with vanilla scoops. "It's made of cream and sugar, and that's all you should need to know." he spoke with a smile. "And you can put chocolate and whatever you want on it."Loki's face lit up at that.
Sherlock accepted his bowl as Loki began pouring chocolate sauce over his dish. By the time Sherlock had added just the right amount of natural strawberry topping, Loki had thrown everything available to his bowl, resulting in a sticky colorful mess that was threatening to spill over.
Loki didn't seem to mind. He was happy, delighted, his eyes lighting up the way they so rarely saw. At the first bite of over-sweetened confection, his eyes closed in bliss and pleased noises spilled from his throat. John smiled in triumph, and Sherlock noted that after his own first bite, the heat and humidity didn't seem as strong.
They ended up eating far too much, and all had uncomfortable stomachs for a time. It was worth it though, because Loki stopped whining, John could watch his telly in peace, and Sherlock had new materials to experiment with. And next time, they could introduce Loki to the wonders of flavored ice cream with mixed in toppings, and see what he thought of that.
Sherlock would bet his microscope he would love it.
~*~ Hope you enjoyed!