Peaches and Cream and Childhood Dreams
John wasn't particularly looking forward to it.
Sherlock was sort of looking forward to it.
They were both cloaked in silence on the plane ride to Ireland. They both had different reasons for going to Ireland; Sherlock had a case and John had a family reunion. A bona-fide family-fucking-reunion. Not that he'd said that in so many words to Sherlock and he certainly had put on an act when he had been talking with Harry, but his attitude was pretty sour about the whole thing.
Probably the worst part was that Sherlock was going to be staying with them. Not that John expected Sherlock home much, not with a case, but he didn't particularly want Sherlock around his parents, or worse, his sister.
Still, it was going to be awkward as hell and John was not looking forward to it.
"John," Harry greeted, when she opened the door. "You're late! I thought maybe you weren't coming!"
The subtle look in her eyes that John had come to know well through the years was there, and the glass of wine in her hand was a huge tip-off. She'd been drinking... still was, in fact.
Sherlock shared a glance with him, raising his eyes as he followed John into the house.
"Sherlock's here on a case, so we were gathering evidence," John said, setting his suitcase down. "I didn't figure it much mattered. We're here for the weekend, after all." He pulled his coat off.
"Where will I be sleeping?" Sherlock interrupted. "I'm due at a meeting with the cinema's manager in a half hour."
"With John," Harry said cheerfully.
John fixed her with a look. "... Excuse me?"
"There's no other beds!"
Sherlock rolled his eyes. "John, where's your room?"
"Now hang on!"
"Never mind, I'll find it." Sherlock strode off down the hall.
"Sherlock!" John hissed, starting after him.
"John!"
John glanced up as his mother walked around the corner. "Oh... hey, Mum," he said weakly.
"We haven't seen you in forever," she said, wrapping her arms around him.
John hoped that he was appropriately relaxed enough to let his nerves get by without notice. He awkwardly gave her a one-armed hug in return before pulling away. "I've been busy. Sherlock and all..."
"The consulting detective? How is that going?" asked his father, coming around the corner as well. "Still the pompous bastard you said he was in the blog?"
John resisted the urge to sigh. They were his own words, after all. "Pretty much, yeah."
"He's a bad influence," Harry said. "I don't like him."
"Yeah, well, I know you don't," John muttered. "Back in a moment. Have to discuss the... case," he said lamely, picking up his bag and striding back to the extra bedroom. "This is not going to be fun," he muttered, throwing his bag on the bed.
Sherlock glanced up from inspecting an email on his laptop. "What? Oh, family, yes, boring." He looked back at his laptop. "Be back later." He clapped the laptop shut and left it on John's bed before striding out with a flourish of his coat.
"Oh. Excuse me," Sherlock's voice drifted in from the hallway.
"I don't believe we've met."
John swore and hurried back into the hallway. "Sherlock, this is my father, Harold. Dad, this is Sherlock..." he trailed off.
"Yes," Sherlock said, like he had deduced this (and he probably had). Still, he took Harold's hand to shake it before slipping away. "Back later."
"Be careful," John said. He looked away from the place Sherlock had vanished around the corner and back to his father. This was incredibly more awkward than he thought that it would be. "So... uh, how have you been?"
"Good, John. Really good. You?"
John nodded. "Better. Since the war and everything..." he trailed off again.
Harold nodded.
John shuffled his weight awkwardly before pointing to the bedroom. "I'm just gonna unpack a bit..."
"Yeah, right, great. We'll pour you a glass. Linda wants to hear about what you've been up to with that flatmate."
"Yeah, good. Sounds good." John shut himself back in the extra room, moving Sherlock's laptop to the dresser. He sighed and flopped onto the bed, closing his eyes.
The bedroom door opened. John hastened to sit up before he realised that it was only Sherlock back.
Sherlock raised his eyebrows as John flopped back onto the duvet, putting his arm over his eyes. "I forgot my mobile." He rummaged through the duffel bag he had brought for a moment. "Did you want to come with me?"
John sat up again. "Yes. Please."
Sherlock looked at him intently for a moment, sliding his mobile into his pocket.
John sighed and looked away, getting to his feet. "I thought you had a meeting."
Sherlock was quiet for a moment before nodding. "Yes."
John sighed. He had a feeling that Sherlock was picking up on things that he didn't want him to, so he was going to do the best thing to remedy it: put Sherlock on a case and let him run wild.
"Off out, sorry, Mum!" he called as he hurried down the hall. "We've got a lead on our case! We'll be back ASAP!"
Without giving them a chance to respond, he was out the door with Sherlock at his side.
It was a forlorn hope to avoid them altogether, this being a family reunion. But he would postpone the inevitable, the awkwardness and the upset for as long as he could.
Besides, this was his life now. The past was the past and that's where it should stay: firmly behind him and in the shadows.
Warning warning! This is not a snow white, fluffy story. I'm not going to tell you why- I'll leave you to your deductions until it becomes more clear- but I will state at the beginning of a chapter is there is any reason for angst/trigger warnings. With that in mind, you can decide if you want to read this, but I'm not going to state the reason for the warning and spoil the plot.
Anyway, this is just the Prologue. There will be more detail next chapter. I will warn you now: this may be considered slightly (only slightly, on the basis of a caring!Sherlock) OOC at some points. Sherlock appears to be as much as an arse in the previews for Series Three as he does in One and Two, so I won't mess with it too much. Personally, I think a subtly worried Sherlock is lovely.
I do not own Sherlock. Your theories are, as always, interesting for me to read and fuel for a quicker update. :) Thank you!
