With this ring… (Sherlock BBC Fanfic)
AN – Set after promises kept. Sherlock gives John his first wedding ring (pre slash)
Now that they were an actual married couple, Sherlock supposed that John would like an actual wedding ring. John was a quite traditional man with traditional beliefs – what made him so interesting was the way he could discard or bend those traditions as required by the situation in front of him. He didn't stick to rigid behaviours, which made him hard to predict. Sherlock really enjoyed that aspect of John.
That didn't mean that Sherlock didn't want to mark their formal step into partnership. With Moriarty still at large, it would be impossible to give John a wedding ring – a gold band would be impractical in any case, as it would snag on the gloves John wore to work or at the crime scenes he attended with Sherlock – but there must be another way to mark the situation between them.
So while John recuperated from his injuries – there were daily physiotherapy sessions to attend now, not to mention the exercises he did at home when he thought Sherlock wouldn't notice – Sherlock began researching ways to give John a wedding ring that wouldn't be noticed as a wedding ring by their criminal mastermind stalker.
Jewellery was right out. With the exception of a watch and a phone, John didn't wear jewellery and so the sudden appearance of a ring, wrist adornment, necklace or piercing (even a nipple or belly ring would be detected eventually) was right out. Mycroft had repaired John's phone and watch while Sherlock was waiting for his partner to wake up, so there could be no symbolic replacements there. If he did so now, Moriarty would probably be able to deduce its importance; just by the way John treated the object.
An item of clothing was also out. He couldn't expect John to wear the same thing day in, day out – not to mention that Moriarty would pick up on that peculiarity straight away as well. John's coat and scarf had been ruined at the Pool and would therefore need to be replaced, but giving the man a scarf as a ring substitute just didn't sit quite right. It was too… impersonal.
The problem with finding a personal item of Sherlock's to give to John was that John already had equal rights to Sherlock's belongings. Just as Sherlock felt completely free to make himself at home with any of John's possessions, the same was also true for John – he was just more polite about it. John usually checked first, or if Sherlock was away informed him afterwards, when borrowing an item of Sherlock's. It was a pointless but endearing habit of his flatmate – Sherlock had no intention of copying it.
There were very few things in the flat that weren't seen as communal property. The most important of these was Sherlock's violin. John didn't touch it – ever. He would touch the case if it was shut, moving it carefully with both hands to a safe flat surface while cleaning, making sure to put it back exactly where it had been once he was done. Sherlock thought he was being a little overly careful about the instrument at times, but appreciated the gesture – he'd once had a flatmate that had kicked the case, which had resulted in several broken toes and a hasty removal of personal effects. The violin would be a perfect symbol to give to John, but as Sherlock had no intention of stopping his playing on the instrument, that meant he would be taking it back on a regular basis, and that simply wasn't done with wedding rings – or at least the only person who would insist on having their ring returned often was a cad.
John didn't touch Sherlock's chemistry set often – usually only in an emergency when it was boiling over or otherwise endangering the flat's occupants. Sherlock could give John a piece of the glassware from the set – in fact he could probably etch something onto the surface first to make it more personal – but whatever he gave to John would need to be replaced, which lessened the symbolism of the gift. He might as well buy a clean beaker or Erlenmeyer flask to present to John. Certainly his partner… husband… would prefer something unused, but that meant it was also impersonal.
Which led Sherlock right back to where he started. What did he have that John knew he valued, would accept as a temporary wedding ring and wouldn't be too difficult for Sherlock to give up? Everything in the flat had a purpose, after all…
The skull. Sherlock had been in the habit of talking to the skull when musing over a case. Then John had moved in and taken that function over without even really thinking about it. Although his remarks were not always as helpful as the skulls silence had been, Sherlock had become accustomed to a certain dynamic when he was mulling over a case aloud.
Decision made, Sherlock bounded over to the mantelpiece and picked his skull up, examining it closely for a moment and buffing it with a sleeve to remove the small amount of dust that had accumulated on its surface. His timing was perfect, because just as he was considering if it would be better to place the skull upstairs on John's pillow or find some way to wrap the gift – people liked gift wrapping, there were entire stores devoted to it, therefore it must have some sort of significance – the front door unlocked and John's sure tread started up the stairs.
He was moving more easily now, which Sherlock appreciated. It meant he was healing, which also meant he would be able to attend crime scenes and other such parts of their work soon. Sherlock positioned himself in the middle of the room and waited, the skull held aloft in both hands.
"Hello, Sherlock," John looked surprised for a moment and then shrugged out of his coat, wincing a little when the movement pulled at half healed injuries.
"John, this is for you," Sherlock stated, "We can't have more traditional markings on each other, but you're a traditional man and so I thought you might like this to stand in the place of a wedding ring."
John took the news well, blinking in surprise but not shouting or otherwise scoffing at the skull and Sherlock's intentions.
"I… thank you, Sherlock. I don't have anything for you, though," John frowned, "Had I known…"
"Not necessary," Sherlock waved a hand in dismissal, "I'm hardly the traditional type of husband, am I?"
"True," John replied and then smiled, seeming to come to terms with the idea all at once, "I'll treasure it."
He took the skull from Sherlock with both hands, smoothing his thumbs over the parietal bones gently before turning and making his way up to his room. Sherlock followed and watched as John cleared a space on his dresser especially for the skull, taking a moment to fuss with it and then stepping back.
Pleased that his spouse – and John had accepted the word husband with equanimity – fully understood the importance of his gift, Sherlock clapped his hands and whirled, heading for the door.
"Tea, John!" he called over his shoulder, "And then I want to go over the Milliner's case with you."
"Right," was the quiet reply and Sherlock beamed as he headed back to his couch and his case notes.
END
Disclaimer – characters and settings as depicted in BBC series not mine. No money being made. Plot is mine.