"Sherlock, maybe we should take this opportunity to chat a bit." John said once they stepped outside, then he looked around, motioning and leading him over to the side, still in view of Lestrade's office, but in a quieter portion of the office. "I think we need to talk about what's going on. With you and Sofia. And.. me." he says in a confused tone as he watches Sherlock.
The taller man sighed and rolled his eyes a bit. "I should have known this was coming." His voice was nearly a whisper, conscious of how his baritone tended to carry, except when talking in quieter tones, during which his voice blurred together and no words could be distinguished. "For being the epitome of a British Male, you are very eager to talk about your feelings." He teased, smirking slightly as he looks at the older man in front of him.
John smirked a little and nodded. "I just like to know where I stand. At least what your intentions are, Sherlock. This isn't some experiment, this isn't something you can just toss away when you get bored."
Another sigh, this one frustrated. "John." He pauses, gathering his thoughts but he got his doctor's attention. "This is not.. this has not.. been an experiment. Having Sofia in the flat has made me realize a few things. When you mentioned finding her attractive the other night, it hit me. I didn't like your girlfriends because they took you away from me. Selfish, but it seems that somewhere along the way you've made me have feelings for you. With your cuddly jumpers, and trying to take care of me, patching me up after cases.." he sounded scolding, but there was an affectionate quality to it. "And yet, I do care for Sofia. I also know myself. I would be difficult in a relationship to say the least. I'm a difficult man to live with. I have little experience in relationships, I am not inherently romantic. Who could look over those flaws? You and Sofia seem to be coping rather well. I care for both of you and find you attractive." he explains, pausing to make sure John was following. "It may not be traditional, but I have determined that the three of us in a relationship is the ideal situation. There will be times when I want time alone, a day, a week, where I will aggressively reject physical affection." he says, lowering his head toward John quietly as he talked. "In those situations, you would have Sofia, and Sofia would have you. Likewise, you and I balance each other out. That's why we're so good together, John, why we work well together, why we can live together. You compliment me almost perfectly. You have more experience with relationships, that much is obvious. Sofia finds both of us attractive, and if this morning is any indication, she is open to the sort of relationship I am thinking of. I'm not sure how this will work, John, but that is my plan, those are my intentions, my hopes, and desires. The only thing left is to ask if you would be comfortable with that situation." he says simply as he watched the smaller army doctor in front of him.
John listened, a little shocked as Sherlock laid everything bare, obviously having been thinking about this for a while, and he had given it a great deal of thought. John owed it the same consideration, and instead of responding right away, he frowned slightly in thought as he let everything go through his head, considering it carefully. He went over that morning, waking up with the two of them in the same bed, cuddling. The lack of nightmares. The incident in the kitchen, as well as in the cab today, how easy it was to settle Sofia in with him and Sherlock, how she almost completed a hole he didn't know was missing in their symbiosis. "You're right, as always, Sherlock." He finally said with a little smile. "And yes, I think I will be comfortable with this." He says with a little nod, resting his hand on the detective's arm for a few moments, looking into his eyes and nodding once more.
Relaxing visibly, Sherlock let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding when he heard John's words, nodding a little. "Thank you, John." he says quietly as he continues to watch him. "You may come up with further objections later when your mind has had a chance to come to terms with my proposal. Please bring them up. I would rather get rid of any and all doubts at the very beginning rather than having the fear of them hanging over me." he finally said, watching John closely, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his coat.
With a small smile, John just nodded, squeezing Sherlock's arm gently. "Of course, Sherlock. You know my mind takes a bit longer to process things than others." he teases with a little smirk, letting his hand drop from his arm. "Anyway, I think we'll all have a bit to get used to it and ease into it if it's what we want. I can't see Sofia jumping into a relationship right now, and honestly I don't think that would be very healthy, do you?" he asks, scratching the back of his head for a moment before smoothing down his short hair, for a little longer than necessary, thinking about how he needs a haircut.
Sherlock just examined John's actions, eyes focused on him for a few moments before they wandered around the room. "Yes, quite. I think we should help her so far as we are able, continue along the path that we are on." He says calmly as he looks around. "We will let Sofia be our guide. Agreed?" He asks as he looks at his blogger, waiting for a nod before he continues. "We should go back toward Lestrade's office, in case Sofia needs us. If we spend much more time over here talking in hushed, secretive tones, then people will talk." He speaks the last part with obvious sarcasm, since it's something John always brings up, and he smirks at his friend, amused.
With a rueful shake of his head and a little laugh, John smiled. "They do little else." He jokes before he heads back toward the glass office, door still closed, meaning they had little else to do besides wait.
"By the way.. do I even want to know how much those clothes cost, that we got Sofia?" John asks skeptically, leaning back against the wall slightly, arms crossed over his chest.
A small smirk ghosts across Sherlock's face for a moment. "Probably not, John. But they are excellent quality and she seems to be happy with them. Spending a little more money will not harm my trust fund." he says quietly with a smirk.
"God, I don't even want to know.." John said with a shake of his head, dropping his head and putting one hand across his eyes.