John felt infinitely better after getting some fresh air. He didn't fancy trying out any new places and Octavia hadn't seen his usual haunts so they settled for a rustic pub on a quiet side street near the apartment. "Sherlock even join you for a pint?" Octavia inquired after John's expression had lost most of its murderous sulk.
"Sometimes he tries, yeah."
Octavia laughed. "Tries? As in orders a pint which he never finishes?"
"Right. You could feed half of Afghanistan on half- or uneaten meals and drinks he's ordered through the years. He just gets sort of carried away." A slight smile began to play on John's features as he recalled what Sherlock was like when he was on a case. The enthusiasm was contagious, the very air between them sparkling with energy. On hindsight some of that electricity may not have had much to do with murder and mayhem at all. John wondered if Sherlock had realised this as well.
"It's great to see you again, you know," John offered as he opened the door for Octavia. "I knew you were taking the train in today, so I'm sorry you had to walk into a row like that."
"Don't worry about it. The company was looking for someone to scout out some stuff in London and Edinburgh and I jumped at the chance. I know it's rather soon after my last visit, but I didn't get to spend a lot of time with Mum before since he was out of town. She's a pretty sought-after lecturer. For her retirement sure doesn't mean sitting on her laurels. Plus I wanted to catch up with you guys. After getting that vague text and photo from Sherlock I figured out some of what had happened. My brother in an actual functioning relationship - this I needed to see for myself."
"I don't know about the functioning." They settled down at the counter. The pub was half-empty, mostly student-looking younger folk seated in the booths in groups, music not playing too loud. It was early evening still. They ordered two pints.
"How was it that you actually got together?"
"I don't know exactly. It just sort of happened. Like it had already happened before, in a way. I don't know how to explain it, really. I'm seeing a whole new side of him, now. You wouldn't believe it from what you saw today, but he's happy, he really is."
"How's that, then?" Octavia inquired, receiving her drink from the bartender.
"Bloody scary!" They laughed. "He follows me around and participates in everything, like a cat that keeps following you around the flat and even though it has no idea how to do any household stuff it sort of sticks his paws everywhere."
"I bet he'd love that comparison."
"I've been described in so many nasty ways by him through the years it's high time I paid him in kind."
"He's got me against the wall, you know - -" John opened, until he realised the double entendre. "Drives me crazy, I mean. Not that he didn't manage that before, but it's different now." John sipped his pint. "I know I am being quite sensitive about what people think about him, about me, about us, but it's all so new. I don't think anybody else than Sherlock Holmes could just waltz into a thing like this, shrug and embrace it like it was the easiest thing in the world. I don't know how to not care! Or not be embarrassed by the annoying stuff he does and how it reflects on me. I've chosen him, which in other people's minds says something about me. He has bloody messed up my whole life, my whole idea of who I am and I've let him, haven't I?"
"People will find out eventually. What will you do then?"
"I know they will. The only thing I hate that Sherlock is taking away all my control over how and when it happens. Anyway, enough of me complaining. How're you?"
"Fine. Nothing new, really, apart from my brother sending me strange photos. I saw Mycroft the other day, you know."
John raised his eyebrows. He knew there was no love lost between Octavia and the older Holmes brother. "How was that, then?"
"As you would expect. He is courteous, but bursting with compulsive curiosity over my life and the need to contain me somehow as an asset of his. He'll never change, but I know how to keep him at an arm's length now. He is rather baffled by your relationship, you know."
"Really? I was under the impression he has been predicting this from the start, right down to those happy announcement quips right when we first me. I didn't even know he was Sherlock's brother at that time. Black cars, warehouses - I thought he was some sort of a criminal kingpin, a notion which Sherlock shot down rather quickly."
"He does love that James Bond cloak-and-dagger routine of his. No, really, all this has proven to be quite confusing for him. He never expected this level of commitment from Sherlock."
"I'm not sure how Sherlock would even define commitment. I don't know if he'll eventually grow tired of me if I'm no longer useful or unpredictable or amusing or accommodating to his idiosyncrasies."
"Don't sell yourself short, John. He loves you, you know."
"It doesn't always feel like it. Sure, he seems to enjoy all the non-work related stuff we've taken up doing lately -" John almost blushed which Octavia thinks looks rather adorable, "-but I really don't know what I can expect from him. With anyone else when you're in a relationship certain parameters are in place and you know how to function but him it's like trying to romance an alien. One minute he doesn't acknowledge I even exist and the next moment he's ready to literally lock himself in the bedroom with me for days on end. Sorry, too much information."
"Adults here, eh? I'm just happy he's decided stuff like that can happen to him as well and not just to other people. Judging by your blog's comment section you're not a stranger to discussing stuff like this with a sister?"
John grimaced. "Harry's quite nosy."
"If you wanted easy you wouldn't be where you are," Octavia offered.
John spread his arms in resignation. "I know, I know. But does it have to be THIS hard the whole time?"
"Have you ever considered that the reason he's telling everyone is that he's happy and proud and not just because he's an obnoxious idiot? Which he is, of course, bless him, but still."
John swallowed a mouthful of beer. It was rather easy to dismiss many things Sherlock did as just Sherlock being himself. Perhaps John really ought to observe more.
John's phone beeped and he fumbled around his jacket. "Guess who," he retorted before finding the phone in his breast pocket. He turned it so that Octavia could read the message blinking on the screen.
JOHN? SH
He couldn't resist.
SHERLOCK?
The reply came in a matter of seconds. YES, VERY CLEVER. WHERE HAVE YOU DISAPPEARED WITH ALICE? SH
ANNOYING, ISN'T IT?
I WON'T CONTINUE THIS DISCUSSING IF YOU KEEP MOCKING ME. SH
John sighed. LAMB&FLAG ON GORMLEY STREET.
WILL YOU BE LONG? SH
John raised his brows. This was new. He glanced at Octavia. She shrugged.
WHY? YOU WANT TO WRESTLY SOME MORE AND CONTINUE BEING A PRAT? He texted.
No reply came.