Title: Madness and Love
Pairing: Johnlock!
Warnings: None, unless you have a problem with slashy love.
Summary: Ebony is having nightmares, and Sherlock will not have his daughter go to sleep with nightmares. John does so love them both, and adorableness shall ensue.
Rating: K :3
Disclaimer: I do not own Sherlock BBC does, and they do a bang up job with it.
In the kitchen of 221B Bakers Street, John and Sherlock sat across from each other in amiable silence. Their evening tea sitting before them, the pair had fallen into a comfortable pattern with each other. The kitchen table that was usually covered with scientific equipment and odd substances from Sherlock's experiments was surprisingly clear. Even the fridge lacked its usual human parts. John sat with his laptop in front of him, working on yet another blog entry, while Sherlock sat with a book. However, Sherlock's book was going unread. Instead, he was gazing at his husband in awe of the concentration his blogger had.
John's eyes flickered up to Sherlock for a second, but quickly took his attention away from the blog. "Is there something on my face?" John asked.
"No, there's nothing on your face," Sherlock stated. He looked at his partner, the one person who had managed to bring him down to earth and taught him to love, with admiration.
The doctor smiled. Then, the pair heard a small voice call out with little footsteps slamming on the stairs. "Daddy!" a sobbing, little voice called. A small girl of no more than five ran into the room, throwing herself on Sherlock's lap. Her face was buried in the slender man's chest as his arms immediately wrapped around the little child. Sherlock looked at John for a moment as he smoothed a hand over the little girl's raven hair. John looked just as scared as Sherlock. "I had a nightmare again," the girl said into his chest. She looked up at him with blue eyes that matched his own, but they were filled with tears. Her cheeks were flushed pink, and streaks from where the tears had flowed down her face were evident.
Sherlock stood up with the young girl gathered in his arms. "Come on, my darling," he cooed softly. "Say good night to your dad, Ebony, and I'll go up with you." The little girl nodded to her one dad. He set her down, and she went straight to John's waiting arms.
John hugged his and Sherlock's daughter tight. "Good night, Ebony," he said, kissing the top of her head lovingly.
Ebony's pale arms squeezed around his neck, and shortly after she ran back to Sherlock. She gripped his pajama pants tight before he reached his slender fingers down to hold Ebony's tiny hand. "Come along darling," he said, leading her up the stairs to her room.
As he tucked the young girl in her bed, he too kissed her head. "Now, my darling, what were these dreams about?"
"Fire and dragons and death… I'm scared," Ebony sobbed from her bed. Sherlock sat in the chair beside her bed, close enough for her to keep his fingers clenched in her small hand. Unbeknownst to both of them, John stood just outside the bedroom door. "Am I mad?" the little girl asked.
Sherlock gave the child a rare, soft smile. "Of course you are." Fear briefly passed over his daughter's face. "But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are."
A smile spread across Ebony's face. "Is that why you and dad love each other?" she asked innocently.
Sherlock squeezed the girl's hand lightly. "Yes, dear," he replied softly. "When two people's madness fits together, we call it love."
In the hall, John was beaming ear to ear. He always did enjoy the small definitions of love that Sherlock gave. For all the times that John had told his partner that he didn't understand love, Sherlock had proven him wrong a hundred times over. "Now, my dear Ebony, it is time for you to sleep. Nothing bad is going to happen to you. We will be right down stairs."
The lanky man exited the room, leaving the door open just a crack. He turned to find his husband smiling at him. "I sometimes forget…" John began.
Sherlock tilted his head curiously. "Forget what, John?"
"What a good father you are." This brought another smile to Sherlock's face. John took his husband's hand as they descended the stairs. John and Sherlock each retrieved their respective books. When John sat down, Sherlock leaned over his husband to press a kiss to his lips. The doctor put a hand on the pale man's cheek, drawing him deeper into the kiss.
When they broke apart, Sherlock moved to lie on the couch with his head resting on John's lap. Each opened their book, and read in a comfortable silence. Hours passed in companionable coexistence. Ebony was fast asleep, not a peep coming from the room at the top of the stairs. The clock ticked by until it struck midnight. John stirred when he heard the chime of midnight. "Sherlock," he said. His husband's eyes did not leave the book in his hands, and there was no sign of Sherlock even realizing he was being spoken to. Same old Sherlock, John thought with a slight chuckle. "Sherlock," John repeated, moving his leg to get the man's attention. Sherlock finally looked up from his book. "It's midnight, love. We should go to bed. Ebony will be up early, as always."
"But I'm not tired," Sherlock practically whined.
"Sherlock," John said, raising an eyebrow. The look in his eye left no room for argument or discussion. Moments later, Sherlock conceded to his husband. The two left their books on the coffee table, and headed back to their bedroom. As Sherlock moved about the room, pulling off his robe and climbing into bed, John found himself admiring his husband again. He saw that the once cold-hearted man had changed into the loving and caring father and husband John knew so well.
"You are truly amazing," John said as he crawled in bed beside him.
"You know you do that out loud?" Sherlock told him before pressing a kiss to his husband's lips. "I do so love it."
John held his husband close to him, kissing him gently. "Good," John told him between kisses. "You may be a pompous ass sometimes, but you are the only man I want."
The doctor had decided long ago that this is what he wanted: to fall asleep next to the love of his life with their daughter sleeping just up the stairs. He hadn't realized how much he had wanted it until he got it. Once he had it in his grasp, John was determined not to let it go.
"I love you, John," Sherlock admitted as he curled up to sleep.
John hugged his husband close. "I love you, too."