The Actuality In Our Reality (Chapter 4)

Ships In The Night

The two new pals laid on the beach together, John digging his elbows into the sand as Sherlock rested his arms on his bent knees. Both of them were unclear on their situations, how they'd collided in each others worlds, and they now chatted together trying to figure out the jumbled puzzle.

"But, how is this even real?" Sherlock asked, waving his hands to show some support to his discomfort. "You're in my head. At least, I think so."

"Just because it's in your head doesn't mean it isn't real," John concluded, rolling over to one side and releasing some pressure off his tummy.

"Then, are you my ideal person or something? Shoot, that came out extremely wrong. Backtracking; so are you just a very solid looking ghost or what?"

"I'd be highly offended if I was," the blond inputted, glancing up at his new friend. "Hit me if you want proof that I am indeed alive."

"Um..." The brunette was hesitant but changed the subject. "I won't hit you, I'll just tap you." And when he poked the kid's shoulder he did find a layer of skin and bone that was solid.

"So..." Holmes mumbled, recovering from the awkward means of body contact, "tell me; how did you get here?"

And thus Watson went off on a long explanation. "Well, you see, I have this mirror in my room. I have no idea why, my mum just put it there when I was a baby, and I started to think if there was anything mysterious about it. I know, most normal children would consider it to just an ordinary piece of glass, but something about the way mu reflection waved in lines back at me made it seem like it was meant for something more."

"What, you mean like a transport or something?"

"Exactly that," John said amazed, pupils wide, and Sherlock grinned at his own brilliance. The shorter boy went on. "And so, when the actual glass faded and transformed one day before my own eyes, I knew I had been right all along. So, the curious and urgent kid that I am touched the portal, and I wad magically taken to a new place. At first I thought it was a mistake, a joke even I was so thrilled, but I knew better. I had the greatest times in all sorts of lands."

"And so you just showed up here today? Just like that?" Sherlock asked baffled, and slight bewildered at the twitchy tale.

"Oh no!" the littler kid piped up. "I discovered its power a while ago. But everytime I step into it again, I am transferred to a different environment. I've been to at least a few dozen worlds."

"That's odd."

"Remarkably. So, I only spend one day on each adventure. But then when I return back home to reality, no time has passed. When I have in fact been gone for hours, I go back and end up in my room to be treated like nothing ever happened; like I am reliving the past."

"Like you get a second chance," Holmes added on.

"Precisely."

"Elementary, my dear Watson." The comment made John giggle. His smile suddenly molded into a frown, and he didn't understand the next bit of the debate.

"But, if I'm here now, then this is the only time I'll see you, right?"

Sherlock sighed and bent his head down. "That would be shameful."

"But if I go back, I'll never be able to return. I won't be able to communicate with you anymore, regardless if we just met. I want to get to know you better."

"Same."

The younger kids sandy hair blended in with the ground, and they both listened to the smooth waves for a while before John spoke up again and Sherlock proposed a theory. "So what do we do."

"There is only one option here, Jawn."

The little boy's ears opened up a bit wider and he sat up straighter. "What did you call me?"

"Jawn. I like it. It has a nice ring to it."

"Are you proposing a nickname?"

"Problem?"

"Absolutely not."

"Good."

"So, what's your idea?" Watson questioned.

"Well, if you can't leave since you won't be able to return, then you'll just have to stay with me forever."

The opportunity was there for the taking, but there were downsides to the plan as well. "But...then when I do leave, it will be goodbye forever, right?"

"Well..."

"Like, I'll have to go away from you for eternity, after I spent so much dedication getting to know you?"

"There's always a disadvantage to friendship."

And then in alarm, Sherlock found his new buddy curled up next to his side, head muzzled into his ribs. "Then this better be an unforgettable infinity," he simply pronounced, smiling with such cuteness that Sherlock didn't ever want to let go when he wrapped his arms around the blond in a loving hug.

Using the power of his mind, Sherlock controlled the settings of his mind palace, making the sun fade in the sky even though it only must have been noon. He called it more romantic that way, and the red, orange, blue, and purple blended together above their heads like a painting. As the dying yellow sphere was gobbled by the distant ocean water, John's eyes shut and they were left under a navy blue blanket, stars littering the galaxy above. A far off wooden ship swayed on the water, and Holmes wondered what sort of arguments were occurring on board.

Staring at the moon, a shooting star blasted by the silver crescent. Singing a lullaby by the water side, Sherlock rocked the smaller kid in his arms and sent his buddy off into a deep sleep, the lights leaving John's eyes. But the blond was still able to talk before he drifted off for a long awaited thrill they would encounter the next day. They would be an inseparable duo. The pirate and his captain.

"All of the stars..." John muttered from under the brunette's arm, happy in his position. "So beautiful."

Holmes smiled as well. "Even though some stars refuse to shine, you will always continue to burn bright. You're my conductor of light."

Sherlock's chest shifted a tad as the skin on Watson's cheeks folded upwards, his grin from ear to ear. "I like that. I like that very much." They curled up side by side on the shore, lying in the shape of a heart with their bodies.

"My Jawn."