Sherlock and Archie bursted through the flat door, laughing wildly while holding their ice cream cones with chests heaving from running. "I didn't think you'd do it!" Sherlock managed to get out as Archie pulled out a pinkie toe from his pocket and laughed."I told you all I'd need is 5 minutes and a piece of thread!" Archie squealed out in his prepubescent voice, smiling up at Sherlock who beamed back at him.
*30 minutes earlier*
"Molly, I need to see the body." Sherlock glowered, the little boy standing slightly behind him.
"You know you can't bring the boy." Molly awkwardly attempted to get Sherlock to follow the rules.
"Did they give you a raise?" Sherlock's eyebrows shot up and he glided to where she was and began circling her with more tiny deductions. "Hair trim, only 2 inches. Implies you want to still be feminine but any shorter would possibly lose the attraction of…. Who? Someone new?" Sherlock went on as Molly squirmed under his presence, arms dangling before crossing them in discomfort. Sherlock glanced up at the little boy and winked and in a smooth movement the boy got into the morgue and Sherlock continued to entertain Molly.
"Or perhaps you just wanted a little guilty pleasure- a spa day of sorts. Glowing skin, hair trim, new shoes. Oh Molly, you are seeing someone aren't you!" The boy popped back from the room, made eye contact with Sherlock, before they both took off running.
"Nice chat!" Molly yelled after them before going back into the morgue in frustration to see what the little boy did.
"Now tell me how you did it!" Sherlock said as he sat back into his chair. Archie sat down across from him in Johns chair.
Simple. Take the string. Tie it around the toe. If the body is fresh enough, as it was, the toe will come off in no time with a little tug. Thankfully Sherlock didn't say any of this out loud. He simply watched the boy go on with his story, fascinated by how excited he was, and the way his left hand twitched with excitement and the ice cream driped onto the carpet that hasn't been cleaned in over 3 weeks. Archie soon finished his adventure and looked expectantly over at Sherlock to see what's next.
"So, the deal was ice cream and I was true to my word. Now. How about a little violin lesson?" Sherlock stood and looked down at the boy.
"But, I don't have a violin." Archie didn't know much about Sherlock, but he knew that no one was allowed to touch his violin.
"I had something arranged." Sherlock said reaching behind the couch and bringing out a child-sized violin. What Sherlock didn't tell Archie was that his mother insisted on him learning something productive, and not just deductions and murder. Sherlock agreed because even a sociopath like himself still sometimes needed music. Archie picked up the instrument, unsure of how to even hold it properly. Sherlock bent down to help him tighten the bowstrings and place the chin rest on the violin. After the basics were done, Sherlock picked up his own violin and tuned it.
"Now, repeat what I do back to me." Sherlock said with his eyes closed, in sweet concentration. He played an open G and Archie managed to squeak something out in mimic to him.
I could really go for a fag.
Stop that. You are clean now.
Sherlock nodded then played an open D. Images of rolling up his sleeve popped into his head. He saw the tiny holes in his skin.
I said stop that.
Archie scratched out another note, making Sherlock's skin crawl. Blood. Peace. Calm. I want it. I need it. Just play one more note. Hold it together.
Sherlock played an open A for Archie to copy. The screams from the violin triggered more thoughts of how lovely it is when he is on drugs. No noise, no emotions. Just bliss he thought as he played an open E. The noise that came from the little boys violin clawed down Sherlock's perfectly tunes ears and he couldn't control himself anymore. Sherlock threw his own violin out of his hands and snatched Archie's, throwing it against the wall, taking his gun tucked in his pants and shooting the violin as it splintered into wooden shards.
It took a couple of seconds to register that due to the abruptness and well, the gun, Archie was most likely frightened. The thing was, so was he. Sherlock knew what he had just did will scare little Archie… His little protégé… Archie… He slowly turned around to see a little boy with his jaw dropped, eyes welling with tears.
"Archie" Sherlock hardly whispered as he tossed the gun onto the couch. Archie stood up from the ground where he fell as he went into shock and began crying. Sherlock heard the flat door open and slam; John and Mary must have gotten a call the minute the gun went off. "Archie- wait!" Sherlock chased after the boy as he ran to the door. Archie ran into John and Mary, and Mary took the startled little boy into her arms.
"Jesus Christ Sherlock! What did you do!" John yelled at the man in the doorway. Sherlock looked very serious and disconnected from the people in the flat. He turned and walked into the flat leaving the three in the hall. Mary hugged the boy to her chest and lifted him up.
"I'll take him with me for now." Mary said to John before walking back downstairs. Marching up the stairs, John entered the flat and closed the door.
"Sherlock, what the hell! You had one job, and it was to give the boy some damn violin lessons!" John looked around but couldn't find Sherlock.
"Sherlock?" John's mind clicked and he ran into the kitchen where he saw Sherlock with the spoon over the flame.
"Sherlock NO!" John ran over and tackled Sherlock to the ground, causing the white power to fly over the two of them. The frail tall man struggled under the weight of the other man. "You promised me! You promised Archie! You promised you were done!" John said, tears coming up in his eyes as he pinned Sherlock to the ground for some answers. Sherlock looked so weak and pale against the dark floor. His eyes were vacant and wouldn't meet John's gaze. "Sherlock. You promised." A tear from John's eye fell onto Sherlock's cheek. The consulting detective finally looked at the man.
"Why are you crying? It's me who's losing it." He said matter-of-factly. "I'm aware of my promise it is just so difficult John." Sherlock said sitting up and taking a shaky breath. John backed off of him and they sat together on the kitchen floor, side by side. To John's surprise, Sherlock started to cry into his shoulder. John awkwardly wrapped his arm around Sherlock to try and comfort the man who never needed affection, never needed help. Downstairs Archie was doing the same with Mary. The young, frail, little mini Sherlock, crying because Sherlock messed up, again.
How could I? I promised?... "I won't try to use again John." Sherlock said after calming down, his eyes red and puffy. "I promise." John looked at his sociopath. He knows he shouldn't trust him, but he does. He always trusts Sherlock. The doctor stood up and reached his hand down to help Sherlock up. When Sherlock was finally standing John hugged him. His arms wrapped tightly around the man's tiny waist. He could feel the muscles in Sherlock tighten from not being used to a proper hug. Sherlock's long arms finally made their way around John's neck and hugged him back holding the doctor closer to him than ever.
It wasn't until Mary cleared her throat that they stopped hugging and straightened themselves out (no pun intended.) Little Archie was holding Mary's hand and standing behind her as he did earlier with Sherlock. The fear in his eyes and body language hurt more than Sherlock expected.
"It's getting late. We better get him home." Mary said quietly, looking down. "Right." John nodded and shuffled a bit away from Sherlock. He turned back around and looked Sherlock in the eye. "Promise?" Sherlock looked distressed.
"Promise." His low voice lied back.
He watched from the kitchen as the three of them left him alone. Always alone.
Being the dare devil he is, Archie left his house early that morning for his lesson with Sherlock. He was still a little frightened, but he wasn't dumb. Sherlock has some emotional issues and the little bugger knew it. Even the strongest people fall sometimes. He opened the door to the flat with ease, since Sherlock never locks it. "If someone wants to break in, they're going to. Might as well not pay for the damages as well." Sherlock once told him as they were looking over a murder case. The little boy ran his fingers through his curly hair as he walked up the stairs, trying hard to be silent in case Sherlock was sleeping. But it was much worse than sleeping. Archie walked in to see a Sherlock asleep on the couch, his left sleeve rolled up, upper arm tied with a rope, and little holes in his skin. Archie has seen enough drug cases to know what Sherlock was doing. The syringe lay on Sherlock's untucked dress shirt. The little boy walked over and picked up the syringe, walking to throw it away in the kitchen. He came back and cleaned the rest of the mess Sherlock made with his addiction, including the excess white power Archie managed to clean off the table with a wet sponge. After he was finally done, the boy reached his fingers out to take Sherlock's pulse. There was still a heartbeat. He untied the rope from Sherlock's arm and threw the rope away as well. The little color Sherlock has in his skin finally ran back into his arm when Archie returned. He heard Sherlock stir and Archie's body tightened up with fear. He just observed the drugged man try to move his head with no success. Archie climbed onto the couch and curled up, putting his arm around Sherlock's torso and nuzzling his head into his chest.
"It's going to be okay Sherlock. You are going to be fine." The young boy's voice cracked as he began to cry on the consulting detective's dress shirt. Before Archie knew it, he was asleep as well.