Sherlock breathed in, his head leaning slightly towards the right.
"You're an interesting man, Dr. Winthrop." Sherlock said. "Quite intelligent."
"Thank you." Trey nodded, "And please, call me Trey."
"Trey, then." Sherlock said. "I will agree to your test on one stipulation."
Trey lowered his head, signaling for him to continue.
"John has full access to the results from any test," Sherlock said, "and he can choose to postpone my getting of the results, as well as forbid me from getting them at all, if he so desires."
"Interesting request." Trey said. "May I inquire as to the reason?"
"I want to make sure the tests are as accurate for your research as possible. If you find out something that I would consider undesirable, it would be too easy for me to subconsciously skew the results as to prevent any more uncomfortable topics from popping up." Sherlock explained. "John knows me well, he knows what I would consider uncomfortable."
"Interesting... the level of trust the two of you share is incredible." Trey said, his eyes examining them both with fascination. "Unusual, considering you are not blood relations. You have what would be considered the ideal friendship."
"Your initial observations are correct." Sherlock said. "The fact that you started so quickly is a testament to your interest and dedication to your chosen field. It also implies that this is more than a job to you. It is your life. You don't have to try to evaluate people, it's second nature, possibly even first, depending how far back your interest in the human mind developed."
"You carry what would be considered an intimidating persona, yet your body language doesn't usually reflect that. It could be your frame implying it, but while you're tall, you're also quite slim, so not the frame." Trey said, taking his turn. "Your gaze is strong, but rarely meets others' eyes. Gaze does occasionally meet the eyes, and when it does, it is strong and unwavering. So why the initial adversity to eye contact?"
"You gather information from multiple sources, including but not limited to body language, vocal patterns, tone regularity, general mannerism, clothing clues, posture, and impact on others in the vicinity. You also pay a good deal to first impressions which is unusual given your profession, implying that you have some what unorthodox methods that more closely cling to the objectivity of science."
"Am I the only non-genius here?" John asked.
Sherlock went quiet, his attention instantaneously redirected at John.
"Of course not, John." Sherlock said, almost in disbelief. "If you conglomerate the whole of your abilities, you display skills and intelligence that qualify at the genius level or above, despite how wide spread those abilities are. While reigning slightly below mine, they are still remarkably above the average human being."
All of this was said as though Sherlock couldn't believe that John were stupid enough to believe that he wasn't a genius.
John felt uncomfortable as Sherlock continued staring at him for a moment, as if to enforce his words.
Only when Sherlock and Trey resumed their deductions did John actually process what exactly Sherlock had said to him.
If you conglomerate the whole of your abilities, you display skills and intelligence that qualify at the genius level or above, despite how wide spread those abilities are. While reigning slightly below mine, they are still remarkably above the average human being.
He called me a genius.
John couldn't help but smile slightly to himself.
Leave it to you Sherlock, to insult someone while calling them a genius.
John was drawn back to the real world by the feeling of Sherlock staring at him.
"What?" John asked.
"What were you thinking?" Sherlock asked.
Interesting. No hesitancy in eye contact with John. Another indicator of trust.
Trey watched as John changed the subject.
"Uh, nothing." John said. "Nothing important. So... Uh... When will you start the testing?"
John turned to Trey.
"I arrange my own schedule for the most part, so we can start when ever you have the time." Trey said. He glanced to Sherlock. "I'd appreciate it if you could have your basic background information sent to me. I'll email you a format to use. Just fill it out and send it back to me, alright? Oh, and I'd appreciate it if you did one as well, John. You two seem to be very close, it would be useful to have information on both of you."
"Sure." John nodded.
"Great, we can arrange a second meeting over text?" Trey said.
"Of course."
Trey and John ate their meals as they chatted, Sherlock picking at his here and there.
John subconsciously grabbed Sherlock's fork and divided Sherlock's food into sections, tapping one with the fork.
Sherlock frowned and grunted, seemingly annoyed. However annoyed he seemed to be, he did begin to eat from the section of food John had pointed to.
To Trey's amusement and confusion, John was still fully immersed in their conversation despite the little interference.
He was telling Sherlock how much food he had to eat. Trey realized. And they both acted as though it was completely normal. John wasn't even thinking about it. He did it subconsciously, just as a parent would their child. How complex can this get? From what John's told me they fight like siblings and have fun together like friends. And apparently John has at least somewhat taken the roll of a parental figure to Sherlock, in that he can tell him how much to eat.
It was then Trey realized that John was looking at him expectantly, as though he were supposed to answer a question.
"Could you please repeat that?" Trey asked.
"I was asking you if you were alright." John said. "You sort of just stopped talking."
"Just observing, thinking." Trey said. "Sorry, I lost track of the conversation."
Sherlock and John walked back to Baker St. after they had finished at the restaurant.
"So," John started, "What do you think?"
"Of what?" Sherlock asked.
John frowned.
"Of Trey, of course."
"Oh." Sherlock acknowledged with a slight lowering of the head. "Quite competent. He's an admirable scientist. He did better than expected."
"Alright." John nodded, looking quite satisfied. "Good."
A/N: Sorry I didn't update for awhile, I was running low on inspiration for this story. This chapter seemed to be dragging its feet for me, so I hope you liked it. Reviews are always appreciated.