Sherlock had been acting weird not just weird really, really weird. There had been no destruction of the flat and everything was clean and pristine the way that John had left it when he left for work… three days earlier.
Nothing had been blown up. There were no mysterious and most likely illegal, substances that had morphed into nearly sentient globs of goo anywhere to be seen in 221B. There had even been a total lack of people storming from the flat in tears once they had begun to take cases again. The man had even stopped torturing his violin in the middle of the night and if that wasn't cause for worry John didn't know what was.
Now had it been anyone else the sudden lack of disturbance and destruction would have been perfectly welcome as it would be perfectly normal for other people. But for Sherlock this behavior was downright horrifying. Sure three years hunting down people like a vicious bloodhound, and wasn't that just an ironic comparison, was bound to change a man even one that was set in his ways as deeply as Sherlock Holmes was.
John was actually starting to become worried and if he didn't have proof that Sherlock wasn't, he would have thought that Sherlock had begun using again. Sure he had been mad at the twat for showing up at the door and saying "Hi, John. I'm alive. Will you make tea?" But that had been over a month ago and that anger had long since faded. It had been replaced by relief and happiness that his friend had granted his one more miracle.
It wasn't as though he didn't inquire though far from it actually. When he started to notice the absence of the… Sherlockness, for there was no other word for all the little idiosyncrasies that made Sherlock who he was, he had asked Sherlock if he was okay. But that inquiry and the others that would follow were all met with an "I'm fine John nothing to be worried about," and then at that moment like magic his phone would sound and they would be rushing off to a case for Lestrade.
That was different too. Anderson and Donovan were still idiots though they were marginally nicer than before but despite the small change they were still idiots and still shagging each other apparently. Sometimes John wanted to meet Anderson's wife and just ask why she stayed married to him since everyone and their mother was aware of the affair.
Today they were being dumber than usual, according to Sherlock, john honestly couldn't tell since in his opinion they were acting like they normally did, so just like old times he put there not-so-secret-affair out there and that caused John to think the question again "Tax cuts." Sherlock whispered in his ear after seeing that question on his face and that of course led to John breaking his rule, which had been reinstated after the fall as the rule had been null and void without Sherlock, and giggling at a crime scene.
Later that day John had noted that those insults had been delivered in way too calm a fashion. That was it he needed to know what was wrong and he needed to know now before he went nuts. Of course some would argue that he was nuts already but he really couldn't care less about that at the moment. He was at the end of his rope now. He quickly marched from his room and down to Sherlock's in a decidedly militaristic fashion. 'It's a sad day when I go crazy from the lack of craziness' John thought to himself shaking his head slightly.
A minute later he was in Sherlock's room where the not-so-mad- at- the-present- genius had spent most of his time while he was in the flat, which wasn't actually all that often now that John thought about it.
"Sherlock is there something wrong?" John asked once again but this time he was going to get a satisfactory answer no matter what he had to do.
"Everything is fine John." Sherlock said in a distracted tone.
"No it's not." John said. "You haven't been acting like yourself and it's really starting to worry me."
Sherlock turned and looked at John and for a moment John could see a bit of sadness cross his face before the detective schooled his features.
"Everything will be fine." Sherlock said knowing that John would catch the slight change in the sentence.
"Can you at least promise that it isn't something dangerous?" John relented seeing that he would get no more out of his best friend.
"I promise." Sherlock said and with that John marched out of the room satisfied for now.
Once John was gone Sherlock covered his face with his hands. This was exactly why he didn't do sentiment. It was far too much potential for things to go wrong and he was hurting the very person to whom he was trying to express the sentiment. He sighed he had realized long ago that John was special in that regard he always had him messing around in the murky waters of feelings. He just hoped that he was doing something that John would appreciate. Sighing once more he got back to work.
The next day all had been prepared for the surprise. They had no case and all the people that he needed to be there had nothing else pressing to accomplish that day. By the time that he and John were back in the cab he only had one invite left to give.
Plucking the envelope out of his coat he handed over to John.
John eyed him a bit more suspiciously than he thought was necessary, because it wasn't like he was using him as an experiment or anything, and quickly opened it. The white card inside said 'invited. Come home at six-thirty. Very important. Sadly it won't be dangerous.' In fine print it said 'for you at least.' In the seconds it took him to read the card he realized that they had arrived home.
"What am I supposed to do until six-thirty?" John asked incredulously since it was only four o'clock.
"Something," Sherlock responded and then the cab zoomed of taking John along with it.
When six-thirty eventually came around John arrived at the flat. He was surprised to see that it was cleaner than before and that Greg, Anderson, and Sally were seated in the flat obviously invited to whatever this was.
As John sat Sherlock came from his room carrying an I-pod and some speakers.
"I wanted to-"Sherlock started but at that moment Mycroft walked through the door.
"What are you doing here?" He growled at the minor government official.
"Checking up on you dear brother. It seems that you have been a bit too quite as of late and I was worried."
"You were not invited." Sherlock said still angry.
Mycroft didn't even see a reason to reply and merely sat himself down in an empty spot.
"Well if I wasn't going to be embarrassed before…" Sherlock mumbled.
"You care to tell us what this is all about?" Lestrade asked.
Sherlock took a breath and walked over to the mantel so that he could see everyone as he spoke. "Well I saw some of the repercussions of my return and I figured that I owed certain things to certain people. So this is something for John. Those two are," he indicated Donovan and Anderson, "are here to be witnesses and stir up the rumor mill at the Yard, you're" he pointed at Greg "here to see that I do things nice for John since I'm still sure that you want to maim me for what I did. He" he pointed at Mycroft "is here because he is a nosy older sibling who I would disown if Mummy hadn't forbidden me from doing so when I was four."
"Really you were four when you tried to disown him for the first time?" John asked in disbelief.
Sherlock shrugged. "He had stolen my teddy bear," he said as though it made it okay.
Sherlock picked up the I-pod and fiddled with it for a second. "I found a song that says everything that I can't. It took a long time for me to arrange it on the violin and actually get it recorded." He shifted nervously. A slow violin melody started and Sherlock closed his eyes and waited on his cue.
There's nothing I can say to you
There's nothing I could ever do
To make you see
What you mean to me
All the pain the tears you cried
Still you never said goodbye and now I know
How far you'd go
I know I've let you down
But it's not like that now
This time I'll never let you go
I will be all that you want
I'll get myself together because you keep me from falling apart
All my life I'll be with you forever
To get you through the day and make everything okay
The music lulled for a bit before the next verse so Sherlock to the chance to look at the people in the room and for the most part he could only spot disbelief that he could sing this well.
I thought that I had everything
I didn't know what life could bring
But now I see
Honestly
Now he looked straight at John the next two lines was one of the parts that made this song really apply to them.
That you're the one thing I got right the only one I let inside
Now I can breathe 'cause now you're here with me
He saw John smile and just like that he wasn't nervous anymore because John approved of this.
And if I let you down
I'll turn it all around because I will never let you go
I will be all that you want
I'll get myself together because you keep me from falling apart
All of my life I'll be with you forever
To get you through the day and make everything okay
This was the another part here that meant a lot and he looked over at his friend once more to convey that he really knew that this was true and he was saying it not only because it was the lyrics but because he actually meant it.
'Cause without you I can't sleep
I'm not going to ever let you leave
You're all I got
You're all I want
Without you I don't know what I'd do
I could never live another day without you
Here with me
Do you see?
You're all I need
Finally he had reached the last repeat of the chorus of the song and goodness the it was just so them and he had to wonder if the artist of the songwriter had just used them as a template for this because it was just so accurate.
I will be all that you want
I'll get myself together because you keep me from falling apart
All my life I'll be with you forever
To get you through the day and make everything okay
He closed his eyes as he sang the last note of the song and listened as the remaining notes of the violin faded. Then there was silence and for a split second he wished for the apocalypse or at least encouraged a huge hole to magically appear, however illogical that wish might be, and swallow him..
In the next second John crashed into him and hugged him hard.
"Can't breathe John," Sherlock gasped.
"Sorry," John murmured and he loosened his grip a bit but to Sherlock's surprise he did not let go of him.
Able to breathe once more Sherlock relaxed into the hold and hugged him back. "People will talk you know," he said with a smile.
"That's what people do," he replied pulling out of the embrace.
"You're a liar." Donovan said.
John readied himself for a fight.
"You said I was here to spread rumors. What would you have me say huh? 'Hey guys the freak can sing really well' or perhaps something along the lines of 'the freak is actually human and not as sociopathic as he would like us to think.'" She said with a smile.
John smiled at her. Donovan really wasn't so bad after all he mused to himself pleasantly startled at her veiled compliments. Now if she would only break it off with Anderson…
Anderson merely scoffed in an annoyed fashion not having anything to say and that made John break out in giggles.
Sherlock threw him an amused look.
"I'm in the Twilight Zone right? Donovan's being nice, Anderson is speechless and it's not do to a Sherlockian insult, the world hasn't imploded due to the lack of sibling squabbling, neither of you better dare deny it because all you two do is squabble, Lestrade hasn't had to do any damage control even with all of us in one room at the same time, and Sherlock has sung me a song that he both learned the lyrics and how to play it on the violin and that has told me that he cares about me and that he needs me too. So I am in the Twilight Zone yeah?"
In that moment of silence they heard the eerie theme of the Twilight Zone.
"Creepy," Mycroft said softly.
As hypocritical as that was coming from a man who followed people via camera and kidnapped people in posh cars the people in attendance couldn't help but agree with the statement.
A/N I didn't know how to end it so here it is. I was listening to I Will Be and I thought it fit John and Sherlock well thus this was born. Anyway I don't own them and I admit that I changed the song lyrics just a bit because I imagined that Sherlock would sing it slower since the song is set to violin and not drums and piano like the song is.
Anyway R and R as always and thx for reading.