John first meets him at St. Bart's. John knows instantly that he is his sub. The one he has waited thirty-three years for; the one that he wasn't sure existed. Most bonded pairs meet by the time they're in their early twenties, the exceptional few meet as children– it's like the strength of their bond refuses any other possibility– but early twenties was ten years ago for John. Of course he'd be abnormal.

He comes in behind Mike and waits for introductions, "John, this is Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock, John Watson."

The absurdly tall brunet that is his sub doesn't look up at the introduction and instead finishes what he's doing with the microscope. He looks up after, sees John and freezes. It's only for a second or two but John spots it. If he– and John should really start calling him by his given name, he knows his subs name! John had been waiting for so long that he thought it wouldn't happen– wasn't already pale, John has no doubt that Sherlock would have turned white.

Sherlock's first words to him, along with a look of abject disgust masking fear, is, "No."

John knows fear. He's done two calls of duty. He knows its nuances intimately. Sherlock is good but that's not something he'll ever be able to hide from John. Dread curls in his stomach.

"Pardon me?"

"I said," Sherlock pauses to look at him as if he were daft, "'No'. I have no need of a flatmate nor do I desire one, especially from you."

John is baffled but at the same time he's not. He knows fear, has seen a number of different reactions to it. Sherlock seems to have gone with a good defence being a good offence. John holds his temper and concern because he knows it won't get him anywhere.

"Have we met? I don't think I've done anything to make you upset with me."

Sherlock looks up at him, posture stiff and arms crossed. John frowns. Sherlock is angry, defensive. "I don't need a dom, I'm perfectly capable of making my own decisions. Go away."

John begs to differ but he doesn't point it out. From what he can see– and this is a cursory glimpse– Sherlock's skin is pallid, he's far too thin, he's got bags under his eyes, and is far too twitchy. He's not taking care of himself. His sub could do with a few orgasms, sleep, and a meal– though not necessarily in that order. John can see all this and he hasn't even been in the room for five minutes.

It's also interesting that Sherlock associates decision making with a dom. All pair relationships are different, are based on the needs of the individuals in the bond. It doesn't necessarily have to be taking over someone's life and making all their choices for them; it can be as simple as intimacy, cuddles, or sex.

Sherlock looks like he can use some of that too. John decides to be blunt. Sherlock seems like the type to appreciate that.

"You might not need someone to make decisions for you but you do need someone to take care of you. And the reason I'm here is because you do need a roommate."

"I do not."

John raises an eyebrow– really? That's what Sherlock is going with? He looks at Mike, the coward, who has made himself scarce in a corner. "Mike, can you tell Sherlock the reason you brought me here?"
Sherlock scowls, lips pursing. John tries to keep himself from staring at them but knows he's been caught when Sherlock's lip curls and the brunet takes a small step back. "I don't want you for a roommate."

John smiles, "Who better than your dom?"

Sherlock smirks back, "A broken dom couldn't handle me."

"Excuse me?"

"Afghanistan or Iraq?"

John starts, "What?"

"Which was it: Afghanistan or Iraq?"

"Afghanistan, how did you know?

"The way you hold yourself and your haircut says military, no tan lines above the wrist, and a psychosomatic limp. That means wounded in action, which can only be Afghanistan or Iraq. You've been damaged, a broken dom can't handle me."

"I'm going to let that one go. That will be your only free pass." John could say that what Sherlock was doing was poking an angry tiger. You did not provoke a person when you had a hardwired biological imperative to obey them. It wasn't a one-way street– a dom's instinct was to do whatever was necessary for their sub– but it did tell him that Sherlock was deliberately trying to provoke him. What was his brilliant sub trying to do, or prove?

He takes in Sherlock's features again. His boy needs a dom. He looks starved for attention, touches, and meals. John can't erase what happened in the past but he can do something, about the neglect that was obvious in Sherlock, now. "You're my sub so I'd like it if you cooperate on this and agree to let me live with you but that cooperation isn't necessary."

He thinks it was only fair to warn his sub. John is a take no prisoners kind of guy because those prisoners have a tendency to come back and bite you; he'd rather be extremely clear now. Because there are rules regarding doms and subs– bonded or not– and those rules basically say John can do pretty much whatever he wants to/with Sherlock as long as he does not abuse him or damage him unduly without his sub's agreement– and not the forced kind, there are methods in place to tell. Come hell or high water, John is not going to be kept away from his sub any longer than he has to be.

Sherlock's eyes are shining, his cheeks flushed, and his lips curled in revulsion when he looks at John, "I'd like to see you try. You'll find that more difficult than you believe."

"It's my right and bonded pairs aren't separated for a reason." He's not fighting about this; he's already said his piece. And he's right. Bonded pairs aren't separated after they meet because one of two things happens: they either go mad or they die. John has no intention of letting that happen to either of them. He's only just met Sherlock but he's already quite attached. His sub is perfect.

Sherlock doesn't cooperate, and John wasn't really expecting him to– there's a story behind this that he'd be very interested to find out– so John looks into other options. Going through the DSCE, Dominant Submissive Committee for Equality, would work but would take months to go through. John isn't willing to wait that long to live with his sub. He could stalk him but Sherlock doesn't seem unobservant and that would get him brought up on charges with the same committee. John goes with the third option. He might have been invalided home but that doesn't mean he wasn't damn good at what he did and that he didn't save a lot of lives. More than a few people, with the means to get him the information he wants, owe him a favour or two. He might still get into trouble but not nearly as much as with the first two options. After all, as Sherlock's dom, it's his right to look into these things. He might even say it's encouraged; he's just doing what any good dom would do to take care of their sub.

It is by looking into this avenue that he meets Mycroft.

John is in the park waiting for a contact with the information he requested when a car rolls up. The window rolls down and a young Indian lady looking at her cellphone says, "Get in."

John looks around. She couldn't possibly be talking to him? He's fairly certain he would have remembered meeting her before; she's pretty. He doesn't move from the bench.

The lady sighs and looks up from her phone, "You're John Watson, please, get in."

When people that you aren't acquainted with know who you are it's never a good thing; his reputation doesn't precede him that much. His eyes narrow, "I don't think I will."

"My boss would like to meet you. It's concerning Sherlock Holmes."

John gets in the vehicle.

They're driving for about twenty minutes when the car pulls into a warehouse. "I guess we're here then?"

"You are."

John gets out of the car and watches it drives away. He takes a quick look around, scoping the area for windows, exits and things that can be used as possible weapons. When he's done, John walks further in until he's in front of the only other person he can see in the warehouse.

"I'm assuming you were the one that wanted to meet me?" he asks, looking over the man. He has auburn hair and is wearing a three-piece suit, with an umbrella in one hand. John finds it odd because it's a pretty nice day and the weather forecast isn't predicting rain for another two. Well, he's certainly seen people make weapons out of stranger things.

"I am. I'll get straight to the point, John– may I call you John?"

John's eyes narrow and he make a feel free gesture. He could be petty and request to be referred to by his last name– and he does consider it– but he'd really like the man to get to his point. By now he doesn't think he'll be meeting with his informant but he could be wrong, there's also the matter of getting on with his day.

"Alright, John, your…inquiries garnered some attention. What is your interest in Sherlock Holmes?"

"I don't think that's any of your concern," he answers.

The man smiles, "Everything involving Sherlock is my concern."

"Why?"

"Because I make it so."

Did this man have a God complex? "That didn't answer my question."

The man smiles benignly, " I suppose it didn't."

John meets the man's eyes, smiles back. Neither smile reaches either of their eyes. "Who are you to Sherlock?"

"Just an interested party."

John resists the urge to huff, "You seem to be going to a lot of trouble for just an interested party. You're going to have to give me more than that if you want an answer from me."

"There are always other ways to get answers from you, if I must. However, your cooperation would be much more appreciated and simpler."

John remembers thinking along the same lines when he decided he'd be living with Sherlock, he doesn't think it's a coincidence. "I'm sure. Threatening to torture me doesn't make me want to be agreeable. So I'm going to ask you one more time before I leave, who are you?"

The man studies him for a moment before he answers, "Mycroft Holmes."

"A relative of Sherlock's then?"

"Elder brother."

Oddness seems to be a genetic quirk then. "Alright then, Mycroft. Can I see some proof? You already know who I am, after all."

John watches as Mycroft presses a finger to his bangle and a 3-D image with his picture and name underneath pops up, every one has an ID like it that connects to their money as well as anything else requiring identification. The ID can't be faked because it's implanted into you when you're born and hack-proof. "Okay," John nods, "Why am I here?"

"I want to know why you're looking into Sherlock and trying to get his address."

"Why does it matter to you?"

"Because I constantly worry about him and if you're a threat, I'm afraid I'm going to have to eliminate you."

"I'm Sherlock's dom." John has the pleasure of watching Mycroft's eyes go wide even as the hand around his umbrella clenches. He doesn't get the impression that Mycroft Holmes is a man that is surprised often.

Mycroft clears his throat, "That's not possible. We are currently searching for Sherlock's dom to arrest him for abuse."

Rage swells in John and he takes a deep breath, "I am Sherlock's dom. I don't know who you're searching for but I knew it as soon as I saw him in St. Bart's three days ago."

"That may be so–"

"It is," John interjects.

"But you still won't be able to pursue a relationship with Sherlock. He's… damaged."

John looks straight at Mycroft and says, as slowly and calmly as he can– because while he's sure that Mycroft is saying this with Sherlock's best interest at heart that doesn't stop John from wanting to attack him, "There is nothing wrong with him. He is my sub."

"Wishing for that does not make it true. Sherlock was broken by his previous dom and is in no state for another relationship now, especially not one with another dom."

"It is my right. You know why the laws are in place, why every dom and sub pair that are meant for each other shouldn't be separated once they meet. People have gone mad when they were kept away from their other half."

"I'm not going to allow anyone else to hurt Sherlock."

"And I'm not trying to hurt him. Would you rather him dead or insane?"

"He's is not capable of–"

"Let me determine that."

"I can't allow that. It took years for him to voluntarily talk to people, let alone permit human contact. You would only damage him further."

John's heart hurts to hear that but he can't let this go. "Who says I'd make it worse? Sherlock needs someone to care, to take care of him. He may have been worse off before, with that other person," because John isn't calling that piece of shit a dom, he doesn't deserve the title and John is very much looking forward to meeting him at some point in the future, "but he's not doing that much better now. He is pushing himself to his physical limits. I doubt I could do much worse to Sherlock than he's doing to himself right now."

"It's a risk I'm not willing to –"

"Everything is a risk, Mycroft. I have one question for you: are you with your sub?"

Mycroft sighs, "Yes."

"So you know who they are, met them in your twenties, maybe were even their first dom?"

"Yes."

John nods and smiles slightly, Mycroft already seems to know where he's going with this. "So I'm assuming that you love your sub, and would be willing to do almost anything for them. And perhaps that even took time to build up, but maybe it didn't– maybe the two of you connected right away. So tell me, if you were in my situation and you knew your sub was right there, would you give up because of what someone else told you, without even trying because someone said they were too damaged?"

John knows he has Mycroft by his expression. "I'm an experienced dom. I know how to handle sensitive subs and Sherlock is mine. He's perfect and I've waited thirty-three years to meet him. I don't plan on letting him go." He doesn't push or say anything else about because he knows he's made his point. "I'm going home," he makes his way toward the warehouse door and wonders if he should ask Mycroft where they are to call a cab.

Before he gets to the door he says one last thing, it's only fair to give warning and John does try to be fair when he can be. He can even understand Mycroft's point of view because John has a sister– and even if she doesn't deserve it, he would kill for her. The only difference is he knows that Sherlock belongs with him and that he can help him. He also knows that his intentions are good even if Mycroft doesn't, so he'll try and meet him half way. "Either help me or step aside."

The next day he receives a bulky package in the mail. When he opens it the first page he comes across is Sherlock's address. He doesn't even question how Mycroft got his own location. John is starting to get the impression that Mycroft can make the impossible happen; he's scarily efficient. The following pages look like a medical file and John stops himself from reading it.

He's already been pretty heavy handed concerning Sherlock so perhaps if he shows a little trust in his sub, Sherlock will in time return it and tell John about the file himself. John is willing to wait. He's not going to invade Sherlock's privacy or judge him for something that happened in the past because regardless of what Mycroft thinks, Sherlock isn't broken now. That means those files don't concern John beyond Sherlock's limits.

John has the information he needs– thank you, Mycroft– so he decides to pay a visit to 221B Baker Street. He doesn't bring anything because he'd really just like to talk to Sherlock– stay in his presence so that his own instincts can calm down for a bit– and he's trying not to send his sub into a panic. He's quite sure that they're going to need a period of courtship because of the piece of shit so some negotiating will be necessary.

When he knocks on the door a short, old lady opens it. "Can I help you?"

John blinks at her, he supposes that he should have expected someone besides Sherlock to open the door. "Ah, yes. I'm here for Sherlock."

"I'm his landlady, Mrs. Hudson. Sherlock doesn't tend to give people his address. And who are you, my dear?"

One look at her tells John he's not getting in unless he explains himself. "I'm John Watson, his dom."

Mrs. Hudson looks startled for a moment before she moves out of the way of the door, "Oh my, I think you'd better come in. We certainly have a bit to talk about."

Seeing as Mrs. Hudson is Sherlock's landlady, John can only agree. If he's lucky then maybe he can save himself the trouble and find out if Mrs. Hudson has any extra rooms to lease.