"Ow!" John gasped, slicing his finger an a piece of smashed test tube that lay on the kitchen table, "Sherlock, will you please clear up this glass?" he added as he hunted for a plaster.
Sherlock and Mycroft were sat opposite each other in the living room and they both inhaled as the scent of John's blood entered the air. The two Holmes brothers were vampires, a fact that they'd somehow managed to hide from the rest of the world. Only MI5 knew the truth and they were more than happy to take on an immortal to serve as a civil servant for all eternity. The Holmes brothers fed almost exclusively from the cold and dead blood that Molly supplied from the morgue. It tasted and smelled appalling, meaning Sherlock had no difficulty at crime scenes. Live blood, however, was a different matter entirely. It was fresh and warm and smelled delicious.
"Coming John." Sherlock said, getting to his feet and moving towards the kitchen.
Mycroft didn't move, his knuckles white as he held on to the umbrella with a steely grip. He liked John and he knew that Sherlock had come to rely on the human. He preferred not to think about the future, when John died or when Mycroft would have to kill him for discovering their secret. They'd killed others over the years, as humans had a habit of gossiping and leaving revealing diaries as inheritance. Mycroft was careful, making sure that the two of them were always protected from the glare of the media. Or rather, that had been his job before Sherlock had become a worldwide phenomenon. It was harder now, with the press watching Sherlock. It meant that they couldn't be seen together, for fear of investigations revealing Mycroft's secret. The eternal civil servant had never been photographed or painted and there was no written record of him anywhere. He was a ghost in the system and that made him even more of a target for the media.
"Your bloody broken test tubes were just lying in the way again! If you break things, put them in the bin! Honestly Sherlock, it's like you do it deliberately!" John exclaimed as he put a plaster over the bleeding cut on his finger.
"Sorry John." Sherlock replied, sweeping the glass into the bin with the palm of his hand.
John watched him curiously. The more time he spent with both Holmes brothers, the more suspicious he became. When Sherlock was on his own, his actions could be excused as purely 'Sherlockian', but when Mycroft also displayed similar actions, John knew they had a secret. He'd watched them both inhale deeply in the living room whilst he'd hunted for a plaster.
"What is it then? You two, I mean." John said as he casually began making tea.
"I don't know what you mean, John." Sherlock replied dismissively, but even John didn't miss the way that he looked to Mycroft for help.
"Are you aliens? Like in Doctor Who?" John joked.
"Don't be ridiculous, John." Sherlock laughed.
Mycroft watched the two of them, his eyes cold. It would be a shame to have to dispatch John Watson so soon, but he couldn't risk letting him live. He got to his feet, swinging his umbrella a little as he walked calmly towards the kitchen.
"Mycroft. It's just John. He wouldn't say anything." Sherlock said, jumping to his flatmate's defence.
"He suspects. A rumour would do us both damage, brother mine." Mycroft replied, his dark eyes locked onto John.
John began to back away and Sherlock moved between them.
"Mycroft. Please. Can we not change him?" Sherlock tried again to negotiate with his elder brother.
"That is your solution, brother mine? To change him? You begged me to change you and have spent the last five centuries complaining about it." Mycroft chuckled.
"Five centuries?" John gasped, "You're vampires."
"Yes, little human." Mycroft sneered, "Get out of the way, Sherlock. We can feast on him together."
"Mycroft. No." Sherlock said, standing his ground, "John will keep our secret."
"On your head be it, brother. One word and I'll destroy him, his family and everyone he's ever spoken to." Mycroft hissed before he turned away.
"I wasn't expecting that today." John admitted before both he and Sherlock began to laugh.
"My brother is terribly dramatic, John. I do apologize. You're safe as long as you keep our secret." Sherlock chuckled.
"I will be watching, John." Mycroft called before he left the two flatmates in peace.