This is being cross-posted from Ao3. It was originally posted on 7 December 2020.
This is a gift for one of my very best friends, GaeilgeRua! I truly hope that you enjoy this little Christmas tale. Thank you for always being there for me. I adore you bunches and I wish you a wonderful holiday season! Happy reading!
Beta love goes to GaeilgeRua for allowing me to use her Grammarly subscription. Any other mistakes you find are my own and I'll deal with them whenever. Much love, xxDustNight!
Disclaimer: Sherlock belongs to PBS & BBC America. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this creation.
Prompt: Secret Santa gift exchange gone wrong. Or was it right?
It was Molly's idea, of course. She was always trying to find ways to get them all to be cheerful and festive for the holidays. Mrs Hudson only encouraged her, and that was how they all found themselves being randomly, and secretly, paired up for a secret Santa gift exchange this year.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, John stared into the fire and tried to think of a gift to get his person. As he was contemplating gifts, Sherlock came into the living room and plopped down at the table. He opened John's laptop and began working on whatever it was he'd started tinkering with that morning. He'd told John to avoid the computer, and after the last time John found gruesome crime scene pictures, he heeded the warning. It was about thirty or so minutes later, when Sherlock broke the silence.
"I'm your secret Santa this year," Sherlock said without glancing up from his laptop. "What do you want?"
John closed his eyes and exhaled sharply. "Ugh," he groaned. "You are? It's not really a secret anymore." Leave it to Sherlock to purposely spoil the fun of their secret Santa exchange.
"I don't know what to get you, and Mrs Hudson was no help either. She suggested mittens. You don't need mittens." Sherlock never even blinked as he continued to type away at whatever it was he was working on at the moment.
Picking up his empty mug, John wandered into the kitchen to make a fresh batch of tea. "Honestly," John said slowly, "I don't really need anything, so whatever you want to get me should be fine."
"So if I got you a tie you would enjoy that?" Sherlock said without humour.
Setting the kettle on the stove and lighting it, John turned and glared at his friend. "When have I ever really worn a tie other than for a formal event?"
"I don't know," Sherlock said, finally glancing up from the computer. "Maybe if you can get a date in the New Year you will have reason to wear a tie."
"Are you saying I can't get a date?" John said, stepping into the living room and crossing his arms. "Because I can. I had a date just last week."
Sherlock narrowed his eyes in glare and returned his focus to his project. "The shopkeeper. She stuck around for what, four hours and twenty minutes before faking a headache to get out of shagging you."
Rolling his eyes, John turned away from the consulting detective and returned to the tea. "I don't see you trying to date."
Sherlock chose not to reply either because he didn't feel like it or he'd gone back to ignoring the world around him. Sighing heavily, John made his tea and went upstairs into his room just to get away from Sherlock for a while. Sitting down on the edge of his bed, he sipped at the scalding tea before placing the mug on the nightstand.
Opening the drawer, he extracted the bit of paper he'd picked the other day when Molly had come by. Unfolding it, he looked at the name scrawled there. 'Sherlock' is said. Closing his hand around a scrap of paper, John flopped backwards on the bed. Of course, he had managed to get Sherlock for the Secret Santa exchange. He couldn't have picked someone easy like Lestrade or even Mrs Hudson.
Now he was tasked with finding Sherlock something he would enjoy before Christmas eve. Two days remained, which was probably why Sherlock was trying to gauge what he wanted too. They would have to exchange gifts and John had absolutely no idea what to get his friend. He could take Sherlock's suggestion and get a tie, but John couldn't afford the high-quality ties Sherlock tended to wear.
On the clinic's salary, John was very much restricted in what he could afford this holiday. His and Sherlock's caseload had been light the past few months as well, so there was not a lot of income to speak of if he was honest. Whatever he came up with would have to be inexpensive, yet sentimental, or at least functional. Staring up at the ceiling, John hoped that inspiration would come to him before Christmas eve or he would be forced to get his friend a gift card.
Christmas eve arrived, and John felt nervous about what the evening would entail. He'd decided at the last minute on a gift for Sherlock, and he still wasn't sure if it would be understood. It was subtle and explained exactly his true feelings for his friend. Staring at the little red box, John bit his lip in thought. Sherlock had been his friend for quite some time, but if he was honest with himself, he hoped for more. This gift would hopefully show Sherlock that there was more to life than solving cases.
Making sure his holiday jumper looked alright with one last glance in the mirror, John exited his bedroom and walked down to the living room. The festivities were already in full swing as Mrs Hudson and Molly were making sure there were nibbles and drinks ready to be enjoyed in the kitchen. Lestrade was talking to Sherlock by the fireplace, sipping some whiskey. He nodded to John as he appeared, and John nodded back.
Mycroft would be joining them later, John supposed, once the initial party had settled down for the evening. Molly bounced into the room and gave John a half hug and a cup of freshly spiked eggnog. "Thank you," he said as he accepted the drink and took a sip. It wasn't as strong as he would prefer, but it was just what he needed to get his nerves under control.
He met Sherlock's gaze and nodded to his friend before carrying his gift to the tree. Setting the box under the tree, John drank some more of his beverage as he listened to Molly talk about the morgue and some upcoming cases he and Sherlock may be interested in after the New Year. Knowing that Sherlock and he had each other for the secret Santa exchange was distracting him from focussing on the party. He wanted to get the gift exchange just to get it over with, and then he could either accept that Sherlock didn't feel the same as he did or they could move forward together.
At long last, Molly announced that it was time to exchange secret Santa gifts. Everyone at the party congregated in the small living room of 221B Baker Street. Molly told Mrs Hudson she could go first, and the landlady graciously gave her gift to Lestrade. From there, everyone went around handing out gifts to their secret person. When they reached a lull, Sherlock stepped forward and extracted an envelope from his coat pocket.
"Merry Christmas, John," he said and handed the envelope to his friend before stepping away again. It was apparent that he was a bit uncomfortable, or maybe rather, nervous, at having to complete the gift exchange.
Curious, John slipped his thumb into the seal and opened the envelope. Peeking inside, he was surprised to find some sort of tickets, but he could hardly believe what he saw. This was a most extravagant gift, one that he would not have expected, especially from Sherlock Holmes.
"What's this?" John asked as he continued to stare into the envelope.
"Tickets." Sherlock clasped his hands behind his back and blinked once. "Two tickets to Spain for you to use with whoever you wish."
"You bought me a holiday?" John asked, extracting the tickets and staring at them numbly. Glancing up at Sherlock, he said, "This must have cost a fortune."
Sherlock shrugged. "It's nothing. I thought you would enjoy a break. You and whoever you choose to go with is set to leave on Friday."
John felt warm in the face, fully aware that the others were watching. He cleared his throat and tucked the tucets back into the envelope. "Thank you, Sherlock. This was a very thoughtful gift."
"You're welcome," Sherlock replied, glancing away.
It was finally time for John to give his gift. Bending, he retrieved the red package from under the tree and handed it to Sherlock. "Oddly enough, we ended up as each other's Secret Santa this year," he said with a smile. "Merry Christmas, Sherlock."
Sherlock slowly unclasped his hands from behind his back and accepted the gift. "Thank you," he said quietly, almost as if he hadn't known John was his secret Santa.
Waiting with bated breath, John watched as Sherlock carefully undid the messy bow and lifted the lid off the box. Reaching inside, Sherlock revealed the photo frame John had a shop in central London personalized. It had taken some convincing, but Mycroft had given John an old picture of Sherlock's brother Victor. It was a very sentimental gift, and John hoped that Sherlock understood how much thought he'd put into it.
"John," Sherlock began and then paused. "This is… This is good." The consulting detective frowned at his choice of words as if he were disappointed in himself, but when he met John's gaze, there was a brightness to his eyes.
"I'm glad you like it," John said, understanding how moved his friend was by the gift. "Mycroft helped me with the photo. I thought you could use a reminder of your best friend."
Nodding, Sherlock settled the photo frame back into the box and replaced the lid. Setting it aside, Sherlock moved to stand in front of John and took hold of his shoulders. Staring into his eyes, he said, "Victor was my best friend when I was little. For you to take the effort and convince Mycroft to hand over a photo of him was quite brilliant. You, John, are my best friend and so much more. Thank you."
Then, surprising not only John but everyone else in attendance, Sherlock leaned over and captured John's lips in a tender kiss. John's eyes had barely closed when Sherlock had backed away and then promptly fled the room. Standing there in shock, everyone listened as Sherlock made his way downstairs and exited the flat. John, ignoring the stunned friends around him, hurried after Sherlock before he could get too far down the street.
"Sherlock!" he called, thankful when the infuriating man stopped and turned. As he caught up to him, John slowed to a walk. "Why did you leave?"
"I was afraid you were embarrassed," Sherlock explained, pursing his lips. "I didn't mean to reveal my affection for you in front of everyone else."
"It's fine," John said, a lopsided smile on his face. "Best reaction to a gift I've had in a long time. I enjoyed it."
They both laughed, knowing John hadn't had much luck dating recently. It was clear they both knew why now. He was in love with Sherlock, and it was a relief to John that Sherlock appeared to have feelings for him as well. They were quiet a spell, and then Sherlock cleared his throat.
"I thought Molly had me again this year," Sherlock admitted with a smirk. "She usually manages to get my name."
"I was surprised I got your name too," John said, as he tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans. It was cold tonight, and he'd rushed after Sherlock without thinking to grab his jacket.
"Do you like your gift?" Sherlock asked, staring down at John. "I wasn't exactly sure what to get you, but Molly suggested a trip. I now realize that she may have orchestrated this entire thing."
"You may be right… And of course, I love your gift," John rushed to say. "I never expected a gift as grand as a holiday. I honestly thought you would get me a tie."
"You're worth far more than a tie, John," Sherlock said, narrowing his eyes.
Warmth spread through John, and he reached out and took hold of Sherlock's hand. "I love you," he said before he could stop himself.
Sherlock's eyes went wide, and then a smile lifted the corners of his lips. "I love you too," he replied and then closed the space between them for a second time that night.
Both John and Sherlock knew that they should probably return to the party, but they were in no hurry. For the first time in a long time, they both knew what they wanted, and that was one another. Maybe it was by chance, or perhaps Molly assured they got each other's names for the secret Santa exchange. Whatever the case, it was all the push that they needed and now that they had revealed their feelings, there was no going back.