Fancy a pint? GL
God, yes. Let me check with Mary, see if she needs me to take the baby tonight. JW
All set. Meet you at the pub around 8? JW
See you then. GL
John could tell when he arrived at the pub that something was bothering Lestrade but he figured he'd let the older man broach the topic if he wanted. Sometimes, pub nights were just about sharing a few pints and unwinding. Other nights, the two men ended up talking til all hours, commiserating and sharing stories. They started getting together when Sherlock was away (that was how John thought of Sherlock's fake death, 'being away'), continued after John met Mary and through Sherlock's triumphant return.
For most of the night, Greg was fairly quiet. Answered John's questions about work and his kids, asked after Mary and Elizabeth but other than that, the DI was silent, brooding.
After four pints and little conversation, John had enough. "Alright, out with it. What's bothering you?"
Greg shrugged his shoulders half-heartedly. "I'm an idiot, is all. Same old, same old."
"What are you on about?" John bumped his shoulder against Lestrade's. "You're not an idiot. Sure, you may not be a genius like Sherlock but —"
He stopped talking when he saw the other man flinch at Sherlock's name. "Is this about Sherlock?" Greg didn't flinch again but instead seemed to shrink in on himself.
John hated seeing his friend unhappy and aside from when Sherlock revealed himself to be alive, the doctor couldn't remember Lestrade smiling much.
"I don't want to talk about it." Greg drained his glass and nodded to the bartender for another.
John wasn't sure how to proceed. He knew Lestrade had feelings for Sherlock and had since before Sherlock went away. John didn't discover the DI's feelings for his best friend until one night at the pub right after John has met Mary. Lestrade was drunker than usual and told John how his biggest regret was never telling Sherlock he loved him before he died. That it was too late now. How happy he was that John found someone and that John should hold onto tight to her and never let her go.
That was a long time ago. Lestrade never mentioned his feelings for Sherlock after that night and gave every indication he'd moved on or gotten over the detective. Looking back, John realized that Lestrade hadn't really dated anyone regularly. He went on a few dates but nothing stuck. John could see now that Greg was pining for Sherlock and had been too distracted by the great consulting idiot to give anyone else a chance.
Greg leaned his elbow on the table and rested his head in the palm of his hand. "I should stop drinking."
John was thrown by this non sequitur but rolled with it. "Do… you… think you have a problem? Are you drinking more often than usual?"
Greg shifted a bit and turned his head in his hand to look blearily at his friend. "Wha—? No. Nothing like that. It's just… I just… say, or worse do, really stupid things when I'm drunk. Sober Greg always has to pay the price for Drunk Greg's stupidity."
"Ah. Any stupid things you've done in particular? Or are you just painting all your drunk actions with a broad cloth?" John sipped at his drink patiently. He knew Greg would come out with it eventually. He just had to wade through the verbal gymnastics it took to get there.
"Sober Greg is a responsible guy, yeah? High enough rank, respected at the Yard. Sure, I have the divorce under my belt but that's practically fashionable now. Plus the kids are nearly grown and honestly they took it better than me or the ex." Greg reached for his glass, missed and sloshed beer on his hand. "Ah, fuck." He slurped at his hand and used his jacket to mop up the spill.
John reached over and thrust a napkin at him. "Stop using your sleeve, you berk. And I think you've had enough for now." John moved the half empty glass away from Lestrade before he signaled over to the bartender and got his friend a water and some more napkins.
"See, Drunk Greg is messy, too!" Lestrade struggled out of his jacket and tossed it over the back of his stool. "Can't do anything right."
"Lestrade, come on. Everyone is messy when they're drunk that's where the phrase 'sloppy drunk' comes from. It's a thing! It's not just you. What did you say, or do, that's got you in such a twist?"
Lestrade dropped his head in the crook of his elbow. He muttered something into his shirt.
John leaned a bit closer to hear Lestrade. "What's that? You don't have to talk about it if you don't want. Just sometimes, talking can help."
"I said, I told Sherlock I loved him and then I kissed him." Greg said, loudly. Thankfully the pub was loud and no one heard his declaration.
John nodded. "About time, mate. How'd he react?"
"Wha—? Huh? What?" Lestrade shook his head and scrubbed his face. "He didn't. I left. Then the next day, he asked me to come by Baker St and like a fool, I went. Sherlock told me he loved me. Which is bollocks and I told him so and then I left. Again."
John shook his head slowly. "Seems like Drunk Greg is handling things better than Sober Greg right about now."
Lestrade wasn't certain he was hearing John correctly. "What?"
"You were right earlier, Greg. You are an idiot," John said, plainly.
"What?" seemed to be the only word Greg was capable of thinking or saying. So he said it again.
"You know how hard it is for Sherlock to do what he did right? Tell you he returns your feelings? To talk about his feelings at all? And you what? Told him he was wrong and left? And let me guess, you've avoided him since then, am I right?" John slanted a look at his friend, who nodded sheepishly.
"Well, you've got yourself in a right situation. You need to fix this. Sherlock likes to pretend he doesn't care or that he doesn't feel emotions like the rest of us, and maybe he's right. Because he feels them so much deeper and stronger than ordinary people do. Why do you think he wraps himself up in so many layers of disdain and derision? His attitude is his armor. Plus his ridiculous coat." John paused and finished his drink.
Greg gaped at him and said in a small voice, "I like his coat."
John ignored that interjection and continued. "The way I see it, you threw his feelings in his face so I wouldn't be surprised if he's got his shields up to full strength. But I know you do love him, you have for ages. And he loves you back. And that's wonderful and worth fighting for." John stood and put on his jacket. He rested a hand on Lestrade's shoulder and the other man looked up at him.
"So, go fight for him." With that parting shot, John left Greg to mull over what he said and plan his next move.
