Longer chapter, but there's Q and Bond! Hope you all enjoy, and remember, reviews/comments are welcome!
John laughs a little as he looks at his friend and he nods quietly. "I promise you, I won't abandon you to your relatives." he says as he sips his scotch and keeps them away from most of the others who gladly avoid Sherlock. "Alright, alright.. I'll bite. Why is Ford's date so interesting?" he asks, having lost track of where they went in the crowd though he's sure that Sherlock could say exactly where they went.
Looking rather pleased and a little smug, Sherlock looks down at his blogger and he nods. "Interesting because he has a military bearing, obviously a great deal of training. You can see it just by the way he moves. Constantly looking for threats and exits. I would say he's in a very dangerous job, puts his life in danger almost every day. But he's protective of Ford. Not just because of his affection for him, there's something more. More like a bodyguard, he wants to make sure Ford is safe. That stems from work rather than personal feelings." he says as he looks at John. "You do that sometimes when we're around Anderson or Donovan." His tone turns thoughtful as he continues to examine his friend. "He's also comfortable. He's been in this sort of situation before, in a party like this. He's used to faking social situations. Oh, look.. Mummy has found them." he says as he indicates where he can see her approach the two.
"That's because you always piss off Anderson and Donovan and I have to make sure they don't hurt you." John says as he looks at the detective, shaking his head a little. He then looks over to where the two are, frowning a little. "It doesn't look like your mother is quite so pleased to see them as she was you." He notes thoughtfully as he watches the body language of the two men.
"She was nicer to me because she thought I was dead for two years. I imagine that might have changed her feelings toward me and what I do for a living." Sherlock explains as he looks down at John a little again, before he sighs, fidgeting a little, starting to get a little stir crazy now that he can't do more interesting like try and figure John out some more.
Thankfully he doesn't have to wait for long, because after Q and Bond are finished talking to Mummy, they start to head in their direction. "Here they come." Sherlock mutters to John, watching him before turning in his attention and his body toward the two.
"Sherlock." Q says as he approaches the two, his eyes focused on Sherlock. The detective takes note that the two men were holding hands when they approached but that Q let go when they get close enough.
Reaching out, Sherlock takes Q's offered hand and gives it a firm shake, knowing that they are not the type to hug or do other emotional things. "Ford." He says neutrally as he flickers his gaze over his brother, taking in how he is from his hair, the fit of his suit, the condition of his hands, the fact that his brother doesn't even flinch when he knows what Sherlock is doing.
"I see you've gotten the interrogation with Mummy over with." Sherlock says, having noticed the way the conversation was going between the two of them. "Your argument with Mycroft obviously didn't put her in a forgiving mood toward you, I see." He nearly spits their eldest brother's name, but otherwise remains just sort of detached in his tone as normal, aware that John was watching the interaction with interest beside him.
Q just nods, holding his brother's gaze steadily. "Yes, she's enough to send me into a bloody drinking binge. Which I almost would have if it weren't for James." he says, before he looks at the double-oh at his side. "Sherlock, this is James Bond, a friend from work. James, this is my brother Sherlock." He introduces, and Sherlock gives a mental sigh at the idiotic social conventions but he narrowly keeps from rolling his eyes.
Turning his attention toward Q's friend, Sherlock looks him over, reaching out and shaking his hand firmly. "Nice to meet you." He says politely, gaining a surprised look from the otherwise silent doctor at his side. "Convention says that I should threaten your life, if you deign it necessary to hurt Ford." He says in an almost bored tone, again barely restraining himself from rolling his eyes. Despite what skill he would have in hiding a body from his experience at crime scenes and his meticulous nature, he has the feeling that he wouldn't be able to defeat a man with James' obvious combat skill. "But I can see that you wouldn't purposely do that, despite the fact that you put your life in danger on a regular basis. He cares a great deal for you, otherwise he never would have considered letting you come to meet the family. You think that you didn't give him a choice, but then if you truly believe that you don't know my brother that well afterall." There is a slightly disappointed tone to his voice when he stops speaking, looking the older man over again. It's barely there, but he notices the slight surprise that flickers over James' face, and the twitch in his hand as if he wants to reach out for Q and protect him.
James returns the shake and he smirks slightly as he looks at Sherlock. "Well, you already know that I have no intentions of hurting your brother. I had to nearly beg him to even give me a chance. I wouldn't waste such an opportunity. I'm well aware of what a catch he is." he says with a smirk and a wink in Q's direction, before he looks at John curiously.
John has been watching this interaction curiously, having never seen Sherlock with any of his family except for Mycroft, so each of these new interactions is interesting to him. Despite what he might have first thought, he can tell that Sherlock cares a great deal about Q, probably the first of the family that John has met that Sherlock seems to actually care for.
Sherlock seems to catch the look that James gives John and he looks at his blogger for the first time during this conversation. "Ah. Yes, this is Dr. John Watson, my flatmate and best friend." he says proudly as he motions to him, just shy of showing him off. "John, this is my youngest brother Ford, and of course as you obviously just heard, his friend James Bond." he says with some sarcasm in his voice, once again disliking social conventions which in this case say he should re-introduce Bond even though everyone clearly just heard who the man was. his attention turns back to James after a moment, watching his reactions and body language.
Undeterred by Sherlock's attitude, John even finds it a little bit amusing. Afterall, he knows that for Sherlock, this is downright charming. He's actually a little surprised that the detective has managed to be this nice so far, he hasn't really insulted anyone all evening. For a moment he wonders if that might have something to do with his influence, but he doubts it. John smirks and finally reaches out to shake James' hand. "Nice to meet you." he says with a nod of his head. "We should really grab a pint sometime, if your Holmes brother is anything like mine, you'll need someone to vent to." He says with a sense of amusement as he looks at the other man. He's being friendly and trying to find some common ground.
James chuckles a little. "Quite the contrary, I think I aggravate Ford more than he bothers me. I find him quite adorable actually. Of course, it's not as if we live together, and honestly we don't know each other quite as well as I'd like." He says before he looks John over rather obviously, eyes settling on his ribbons for a moment, recognition flickering over his face as he understands what each of them stands for. "I would take you up on it anyway, Dr. Watson, but I'm afraid I travel quite a bit for work, and I imagine I'll prefer spending my down time with Ford." He speaks quietly with a slow little grin, tone having clearly suggestive undertones that makes John blush lightly at the things that are implied they might get up to.
Q's eyes go wide for a moment and Sherlock notices an uncomfortable shifting as he first looks at James in what could be considered a scolding look, and then turns his attention back to Sherlock. "How many is it this time, Sherlock?"
"Twelve. Less than last time." Sherlock says casually as he looks around the room. "Oh. Thirteen." he corrects himself as he sees something he didn't before in one of their relatives. It's an easy thing to slip into, a question he's been asked many times, but not since they were young. He and Ford may never have been as close as brothers might traditionally be, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't care about him.
John and James exchange a glance, the former just shrugging, and the doctor decides to ask a question, "What are you two on about, or is this a secret Holmes thing that us normal people can't know about?" he asks, crossing his arms over his chest in exasperation, planting his legs apart a little, preparing for the possible confrontation, or being told that he's an idiot for not seeing something that he should have before. That, and he's a little more intimidating like that, at least in his dress uniform.
What John actually gets is the opposite of a confrontation. He gets a sly little smile as Sherlock looks at him out of the corner of his eye, turning slowly to look at him, smug yet playful. A smile that usually means trouble but at the moment it just makes John's heart beat faster and makes his breath catch in his throat for a moment. It's really not fair that a smile like that can do so much to him.
"Ford and I used to play a game. He didn't gain Mycroft's and I's deductive skills, or at least he had no desire to develop the skills." Sherlock finally explains with a small smirk at his brother, then he turns his look back to John. "During family functions, he used to ask me how many of our relatives were cheating on their spouses or significant others. We never went into details, I would merely relate a number." He says, looking at Q with an odd sort of affection. "It's something we've not been able to do for a long time." And it's something that he's glad to share with John, and happy that he can still do with Q no matter what has happened to them in the last few years.
"And yet you still counted." Q points out, a fleeting smirk gracing his features before he glances sideways at James, looking slightly amused as he watches the older man, finally turning his attention to the two in front of him.
John looks a little surprised, and he shakes his head a little, pinching the bridge of his nose, but he chuckles a little. Only in the Holmes family would that be considered any sort of game. But he can just imagine a young Sherlock using his deductive abilities, things that normally would piss people off but that he saw so easily, for a game in a way to connect to his younger brother. Or even a young boy impressed by his older brother's abilities, asking him to show off for him. No wonder Sherlock enjoyed showing off so much.
"Blimey. Trust you to have the strangest way of showing brotherly affection, Sherlock." John notes, his tone full of affection for the detective, shaking his head for a few moments as he smirks up at the taller man. "You are ridiculous." He adds, laughing a little and relaxing his stance, his hands going down loosely to his side as he smiles comfortably at his friend. Glancing back at Q and James, he notices one of James' arms moving as he apparently either put his arm around Q or at least reached behind him, smiling before he addresses the two as a couple, since that's obviously what they were, or rapidly heading toward. "So, you two me through work, then?" He asks curiously as he turns his body more fully toward them instead of toward Sherlock.
James nods a little and he smiles. "Yes.. I'd been working there for a while but I had recently been on a.. vacation." he says after a few moments, looking at Q. "Believe it or not, I have to take my orders from Ford most a lot of the time, he provides me with equipment I need." He says with a little smirk. "It started with just talking over the phone, his posh voice in my ear and I admit that I have a rather bad habit of flirting." He says with a small smirk. "Surprisingly, he flirted back at me, as long as we weren't in the same room."
Q just snorts a little. "As if you listen to anything I say." He shoots back at James, making John snicker a little since he can completely relate to that. "Half the bloody time you do the exact opposite of what I tell you to do." He points out with a note of frustration in his tone, giving James a little glare. And that just heightens John's amusement as he looks between the two, before he gives a significant glance to Sherlock, sort of a 'remind you of someone?' type of look.
Sherlock catches the glance from John and sniffs indignantly before he glances between Q and Bond for a few moments, trying to figure out things from the vague details and what he knows of Ford's new job. And then he realizes exactly what is going on, and where Ford must be working, but also why Bond carries himself the way he does, and why his name sounds so familiar. He ran across people who knew that name more than once when he was tracking down Moriarty's web. "I see." He nearly mumbles to himself, then he chuckles and smirks a little, eyes lighting up, feeling particularly proud of himself too.
"Oh, I know that look. Don't do it, Sherlock. Not on Christmas Eve, and not to your brother." John says in a firm tone, putting his hand on the other man's arm to try and get him to focus. The detective has been doing so well and John doesn't want him to ruin the night by saying something that he shouldn't or revealing something about someone.
Q sighs, apparently knowing that look as well., shaking his head a little. "Please restrain yourself, Sherlock. I do need to keep some secrets." He tries to reason with his brother, swaying toward James a little, which Sherlock notices. It's a slight bit of comfort that Q seems to take from James' presence, Sherlock notes, filing that away for further study.
Sherlock looks over at John briefly after he looks away from Q and Bond, brows drawing together as he considers both their words. And as much as he might want to show off and usually doesn't care what people think, this night has been really good. And he hopes that after dinner and such John will still let him kiss him, so for once he considers the feelings of others and just nods slowly. "I understand." He says quietly, his eyes focused on John's for a few long moments, his body unconsciously turning slightly toward the doctor as he follows his previous train of thought, eyes flickering down to his lips as he thinks about kissing him in the bedroom and how after that John had come up to him voluntarily and even seemed to welcome the kissing.
After that, the atmosphere turns a little awkward since Sherlock is still staring at John and now the doctor has noticed and is staring back at him in confusion. James looks over at Q for a few moment before clearing his throat. "Come on.. why don't we leave these two to the discussion they desperately want to have. It was a pleasure to meet you both." He says as he slips his arm a little further around Q's waist and tugs him away.
John nods a little to the others. "You too." He says distractedly before he looks at Sherlock, looking at his intense gaze and licking his lips a little. "What is it, Sherlock?" he asks in concern, touching his arm again gently for a moment to try and snap him back to himself.
Glancing down at John's lips again, Sherlock is mesmerized for a moment as he sees the doctor's tongue come out to wet his lips, and then his eyes move back to John's as he speaks. "Come along, John." He says in firm tone, grabbing John's hand to make sure he does come with him, before leading him down the wall and through a door into a study, glad that it's empty, he pulls him a bit further inside before turning to look at him.
"Sherlock! What the bloody hell are you doing?" John demands, a little annoyed now as he gets dragged about like always, stopping a few feet into the room to glance around briefly before he looks up at his flatmate. He finds out what's going on soon though as cool, pale hands come up to hold his head in place as Sherlock's head dips down and he gives John a firm, intense kiss, nipping at his lips experimentally.
To say that John is surprised is an understatement, but he's certainly not displeased with the situation, responding to the kiss with equal intensity as he slides his hands under Sherlock's coat to clutch at his waist. Finally, they have to break apart to breathe, and John gasps a little as he pulls back, taking a few deep breaths and staring at Sherlock. "Blimey. You are far too good at that." He murmurs as he stares at the other man. "Want to tell me what that was about? Not that I mind..."
Sherlock pauses as he looks at John, letting his hands drop to his shoulders. "I.. I don't know. I didn't want you to be angry with me because I thought perhaps then you wouldn't kiss me again tonight, and then I started thinking about how much I want to kiss you again." The detective explains, giving a little shrug as he continues to watch the doctor in front of him, looking him over slowly for a few more moments.
Hearing that makes John chuckle a little, moving one hand up to place it along Sherlock's cheek for a few moments. "Oh, Sherlock. It's good to know how very human you are sometimes." He says quietly with another smile. "That little smile you gave me earlier, when you were going to show off how clever you were was devastating to me." He says honestly, shaking his head again before he smiles. "You are going to be the death of me, Sherlock." he says quietly with a small groan and a little shake of his head. "It would have been easier if I hadn't ever noticed how bloody good looking you are." he says, thumb stroking over his cheek softly.
"Do you regret your realizations?" Sherlock asks, knowing that he can't go back to how things were before this, his mind has latched onto it and now he wants to know everything about his flatmate. From how he'll look first thing in the morning, to how he tastes, and what every inch of him looks like.
"You ridiculous man. No, I don't regret it. I'm just saying it would have been easier." John reassures with amusement as he finally lowers his hand and shakes his head again.
Sherlock is relieved even if he doesn't show it, and he nods quietly, smoothing his hands out over John's shoulders, making sure his uniform isn't ruffled at all from their brief encounter before he nods approvingly.
"Easier, but certainly not as fascinating at this new development."