Sherlock didn't come home for about a week, and refused to answer John's phone calls, which had never happened before. John was, however, not as worried as one would expect him to be since he'd been given a heads up from Mycroft that his brother was currently living with/annoying the hell out of Lestrade. John used this time to try and get his ducks in a row before attempting to explain everything to Sherlock. John wanted to prove how big of a misunderstanding everything had been, and most of all, he wanted to be with Sherlock, and not in a friendly sense.
Mrs. Hudson, bless her, had spent the entire week helping John move back into 221B, putting his stuff in Sherlock's room and turning John's old room into a nursery. John's plan was absolutely to surprise Sherlock, and hopefully it would break the ice and prove to him that he'd over-reacted the other morning. John kissed Hamish and handed him to Mrs. Hudson, looking around the flat happily.
"I think Sherlock is going to be pleased. Just one thing to do now, will you babysit my son for a bit?" Mrs. Hudson smiled and pinched his chubby little cheeks.
"Of course dearie, he is so precious!" John thanked her and grabbed a stack of legal files, running excitedly out to his car. Today was the day, the day he filed for divorce and custody of Hamish. John wasn't so sure he could win a custody battle against Mary, especially since he was going to be listing Sherlock Holmes as a secondary parent, but he was going to fight with all his might and knew Sherlock would support him.
Meanwhile, Sherlock was growing very bored. Annoying Lestrade had only been fun the first couple of days, and now he was about ready to explode.
"God your stupid little lives are all so dull." Sherlock griped, sprawled about on the floor of Lastrade's office. There hadn't been any exciting or challenging cases and as much as he hated to admit it, he missed John terribly.
"Then why don't you go home? We've been begging you to all week!" Greg snapped, earning an amen from both Anderson and Donovan. Sherlock closed his eyes, attempting to go to his mind palace, though that was impossible with all the people in the room. Besides, all he saw when he closed his eyes was John. Maybe he had reacted rashly, but how else was he supposed to feel with John behaving so sweetly towards that…that…and there it was. Right there was why Sherlock had always pushed away emotion; emotion was painful, especially for people like him, people loved by none.
"Except for one. Except for John. He loves me." Sherlock whispered aloud, earning an odd look from Lestrade. Sherlock sat up very suddenly, deciding he needed to see him.
"The freak is talking to himself." Donovan complained, to which Sherlock simply smiled bitterly at. He was actually thankful for her comment, which only reaffirmed his epiphany. John was the only person in the world that could and did love him, and he couldn't throw it away over something as petty as John's marriage to Mary Morstan. It was a problem, but one he could solve, and he practically ran outside to catch a cab ride home.
John got home first, grinning to himself as he pulled out a grocery bag. He had stopped at the store on his way back from the courthouse, picking up a small sample of blue paint and a card. He wanted the moment when he told Sherlock the news to be special, and this required a bit of creativity. Mrs. Hudson held Hamish very still while John dipped his tiny hands into the blue paint and pressed them softly into the inside of the card.
"I don't allow cats, you know." Mrs. Hudson said with a gesture to the fat tabby John had brought with him after he'd officially moved out of Mary's house, as he wrote in the card.
"Mrs. Norris? Aw c'mon, out of all the cats living with Mary and I when we were together that one was my favorite. Even Hamish loves that cat, don't you son?" Of course Hamish only kicked his little feet at the sound of his father's voice, as that was all he could do, but it seemed to pull on Mrs. Hudson's heart strings nonetheless.
"Oh…alright. But if this, Mrs. Norris, as you call her, damages anything in this flat you'll be paying for it." She tried to sound stern, but she and John both knew she had completely folded. It was about this time that the door swung open, Sherlock rushing in with a look of pure loneliness in his eyes.
"John…" John turned to look at his friend, who stared at the cat curiously as it rubbed up against one of his legs.
"When did we get a feline companion? While cats are superior to dogs I rather prefer hedgehogs…"John just shook his head, his eyes dripping with affection.
"You're an idiot, Sherlock." Sherlock immediately rushed towards him, their lips colliding and their tongues dancing. Sherlock sighed and cupped John's cheek, questions etched deeply into his ever-curious expression.
"What are you doing back here?" John nuzzled into Sherlock's hand and smiled very gently, snaking his other arm around the detective's waist.
"I live here. Hamish and I moved in shortly after you left. He took my old bedroom." Sherlock looked as if he'd just been struck.
"Does that mean…? What am I talking about, of course it does, you wouldn't be standing here if it didn't." He rambled, a bright, contangeous smile lighting up his face as he excitedly assembled his long fingers under his chin. John almost shyly handed him the card, once more seeming to catch Sherlock off guard.
"I filed for divorce today." He explained as he nervously watched his lover read. Sherlock's expression changed so many times throughout the course of reading the card that his impending reaction made John extremely anxious. He gingerly touched the little handprints embedded in the parchment and his eyes welled with tears.
"You want me to be his other father?" John nodded, studying Sherlock's expression and praying the other male wasn't made uncomfortable by this.
"John I…I don't…do you really think it wise to raise a child with me? I'm not exactly role-model material and people…people think I'm―" John cut him off.
"I don't care what people think." Sherlock shot him a look, though he was still holding the card as if it were made of gold.
"Yes you do." John shook his head and laid his hand on Sherlock's arm, squeezing it gently.
"I admit to caring a great deal about whether or not people thought I was gay for a long time, but anytime I've cared what people thought of you, was because it pissed me off when people couldn't see how magnificent you are. Donovan warned me, the night I moved in with you, that you were a psychopath. Sherlock, ignoring her and finding out who you really were is the greatest choice I've ever made. And on top of that, you're wonderful with Hamish, he likes you more than he likes me." John admitted with a laugh, his breath hitching in the back of his throat as Sherlock leaned in to give him a sweet kiss, much like the first one they ever shared. He was unable to verbally give John an answer, he just couldn't, so he gave a nod of his head and a thousand watt smile. It was understood. John pulled Sherlock into a tight hug.
"Thank you." It was Sherlock's turn to shake his head.
"No, thank you, John." They just sort of awkwardly stood there for a bit, staring intensely at each other before Sherlock's phone rang.
"I'm busy, bother someone else." Sherlock said immediately as he answered it, earning a scolding look from John. Sherlock's mood immediately crashed as he heard the voice that rang out on the other end of the line.
"Is that any way to talk to an old friend, Mr. Holmes?" Sherlock had to bite his tongue lest he swear in front of the child that was officially kind of his.
"I'm hanging up now, Mycroft." There was a sigh on the other end.
"I knew I should have phoned John instead. He's nicer to me." Sherlock wasn't amused.
"Yeah, you should have." Sherlock hung the phone up and reached for Hamish, who squeaked happily in Mrs. Hudson's arms.
"I want to hold my step-son." Mrs. Hudson gladly handed the baby over and John grinned as wide as a Cheshire-cat.
"We kind of have to be married for him to have that title." Sherlock only winked and it furthered the smile on his companions face, until his phone began ringing as well.
"Don't answer that, John." Sherlock demanded, earning a roll of the eyes from Watson.
"Oh hush, I could tell by the way you were on the phone that it was your brother." John muttered as he pressed accept and held the phone up to his ear.
"Mycroft?" Sherlock tried to ignore the conversation, giving his attention to Hamish, who was tangling his tiny little fingers in one of his curls. Sherlock couldn't understand what it was about this particular child, but it hadn't taken long at all for him to become completely and utterly attatched.
"You should keep a better leash on my brother, Dr. Watson, I thought you'd taught him better manners." John sighed into the receiver and plopped down in his chair in aggravation.
"He's my boyfriend not my dog." John mumbled this mostly to himself, but both Mycroft and Sherlock heard him loud and clear. Both men softly uttered 'what?' at the same time, and it was only then that John realized his mistake. He and Sherlock both blushed, and Mycroft was just down-right dumbfounded.
"Well…nice of you to finally admit it. I guess I knew it would happen sooner or later, though I largely expected it to be later. Congratulations." John didn't reply, his eyes fixed on Sherlock, who had resumed their earlier session of eye-sex.
"Well anyway, I need the two of you to get in the taxi I've sent to your flat. Please don't ask why, just do it. All will be explained in due time." John didn't want too, but he didn't figure he had much of a choice, knowing Mycroft.
"Is it safe to bring the baby?" There was a long silence, John suddenly realizing that Mycroft had no earthly idea about his and Mary's baby and what he obviously must be thinking. There was a click, Mycroft having hung up on him to call his brother back. Sherlock's ears were nearly blown out when he answered, having all sorts of questions screamed at him. Instead of explaining, Sherlock decided to just play it out, figuring Mycroft would put the pieces together eventually.
"I didn't know I had to inform you of when I decide to make offspring." John put his head in his hands.
"Sherlock…" Sherlock just smirked and hung the phone up, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at his counterpart.
"Looks like we have to go to Mycroft's. Plenty safe for our love child, he assured me." John groaned, getting up from his chair and smacking Sherlock lovingly.
"You're such a dick."