"That was very nice of you, Sherlock. Bravo." John said about half an hour after I had drifted off to sleep. Sherlock had had his eyes closed, not having moved from his previous position. John slowly stood up, and walked over, putting his hand in Sherlock's gently, where it was resting above his head.
Sherlock slowly opened his eyes, tilting his head back to look at John, curling his fingers around the other man's hand and giving it a little squeeze. "Thank you. It seemed the most logical solution. The reason she didn't want to stay in the bedroom is because it's quiet, yes, but also because she doesn't want to be alone. Surely even you have noticed that, John." He scolds lightly as he looks up at the other man. "What better way to reassure her that she's not alone, then to stay close to her? The added benefit being that she can hear my heartbeat, which is naturally soothing for humans." he continues to speak quietly because he doesn't want to wake Sofia up.
John smiled a little, thumb stroking across the skin of Sherlock's hand gently. "You can try to excuse it that way as much as you want, Sherlock, you won't convince me you weren't just being nice, or that some part of you wanted her close as well." he says with a small smile, squeezing the detective's hand again. "It's alright to admit these things, you know." He pointed out to his friend, shaking his head for a moment.
Rubbing his thumb against John's hand to comfort himself, Sherlock looks away for a moment, looking at Sofia who is sleeping peacefully against him. "It is.. more pleasant than I previously thought it would be." He says, glancing up at John, his expression mostly blank but there's a small uncertain, nervous look to him for a moment that only those who knew him well would be able to see. Which would pretty much be John or Mrs. Hudson.
"There, see? That wasn't so hard, was it?" John asks playfully, smiling softly down at his flatmate. "Who knew, Sherlock Holmes, the cuddler." he says with a little chuckle, especially since that earns him a reproachful look from the detective. "Blimey, I just realized something. We got everything else from Sofia, but we didn't get her a phone. We're not going to be able to stay around here forever with her, I have to go to the clinic tomorrow for a few hours, and who knows when you'll get your next case. She'll need a phone eventually." He says before he looks around, then looks Sherlock over. "Tell me you left your wallet in your coat, I don't fancy trying to grab your arse." He says with amusement.
Sherlock's eyebrows go up and he chuckles softly, trying not to wake Sofia. "It's in my coat.." He says as he indicates where it's hanging on the hook with his head, then he releases John's hand, "My, My, Dr. Watson, making assumptions with my money, are we? Should we get joint bank accounts and just make it official?" He says playfully, which is an odd thing coming from the normally stoic detective.
By the time Sherlock says that, John is already searching the pockets of Sherlock's coat, when he turns to Sherlock with wide eyes, a small blush on his cheeks, and then he starts giggling, putting a hand over his mouth as he tries to stay quiet. "Bloody hell, Sherlock.." He says after he's calmed for a few moments. "I didn't even know you knew how to joke like that." He says quietly, amused, as he takes the proper card out of Sherlock's wallet and then slips the rest back into his great coat, before he wanders over to grab his own. "I'll just pop out for that, then, and maybe do the shopping while I'm out." He says before he walks back over to Sherlock. "Do you want anything before I go? You might be there for a while." he notes as he looks at Sofia.
Looking quite satisfied with himself, a small smirk on his lips, Sherlock closes his eyes. "I am an incredibly fast learner, John." He says smugly, then he opens one eye, peeking at John. "No, I just need to visit my Mind Palace and go over this case." He says as he watches his friend.
Nodding a little, John reaches out and squeezes Sherlock's hand again for a moment, thumb brushing against the inside of his wrist. "Right. Well, I'll be back soon." He says before he turns, going down the stairs. Of course, as soon as he opens the door, he sees Anthea standing there, about to ring the bell. "Well. Mycroft has impeccable timing as always." John says with a little sigh. "Are you here to deliver summons or kidnap one of us? You usually wait for me to leave before you do that, though." he says quietly as he glances over the gorgeous assistant.
Anthea was just as surprised, though she covers it before it can flit across her face, giving him a close-lipped smile before she lifts what looks like a black gift bag, paper with rounded paper handles, the logo of a well-known mobile store across the side.
Once again, John attempts not to let his jaw merely drop. "Well. Yes. Right. That was.. quite generous of Mycroft. I was just about to.." He pauses, glancing upstairs for a moment. "Should I be worried about it being bugged, or something?" he asks as he takes the bag from Anthea, peeking inside.
"It's been charged to Sherlock's accounts. It's not been tampered with, Dr. Watson." Anthea says with some amusement. "Sherlock can check if it has been." She says before glancing back at her own blackberry.
"Why is Mycroft helping out so much?" John asks, suspicious. "The clothes, the toiletries, the phone, opening up Sherlock's trust fund to him again. He could have done that any time, but he only did it since we've been looking after Sofia, and practically implied it was so that she could replace the things she lost when her flat burned." While he may seem like an idiot next to the great Sherlock Holmes (and most everyone does), doesn't mean that John Watson is stupid. He was intelligent enough to go through medical school with good grades, clever and brave enough to be promoted to Captain in the army. Which means that even John Watson can put together some of the things that have been happening in the last few days. And in the months since he's moved in with Sherlock, Mycroft has kidnapped him, visited once or twice to try and get Sherlock into a case, but he never gave gifts, and he's had plenty of opportunity to let Sherlock back into his trust accounts. He knows enough about the Holmes brothers at this point, and things in general to know that Sofia is the difference. The presents and the visit, all point to how Mycroft seemingly is trying to encourage Sofia's presence in 221B. After this revelation, John frowns at Anthea. "Is Sofia one of Mycroft's agents?" He asks in a sharp tone.
Anthea merely chuckles. "You are cleverer than Mr. Holmes gives you credit for, Dr. Watson." She says, before she smooths out her face again. "No, she is not working for Mycroft." She says before she adds, "That is really all I can say. Goodbye, Dr. Watson." She says, still slightly amused as she turns and heads back to one of the many mysterious black cars.
Shaking his head, John forgets about the shopping, closing the door and heading back upstairs slowly, looking at the black bag. "Your brother bought Sofia a phone." he says, still sounding a little confused about it all.
Mention of his brother snaps Sherlock out form his Mind Palace, where he was going over the case, but also going over how both Sofia and John have integrated themselves into his life to such a point that he doesn't think he could function properly without them, now. "That's.. unusual." Sherlock says suspiciously as he looks over at John.
"That's what I thought." John admits as he looks at the bag, setting it on the coffee table. "Mycroft's assistant, Anthea or whatever she's calling herself today, assured me it isn't bugged but that you could check it if you felt like it. Also, she said it was charged to your accounts. I assume she meant the trust fund." He says as he looks at the bag as if it might explode.
"Mmm. It probably isn't bugged, Mycroft wouldn't be so obvious. We'll just have to disable the tracking on it, not too hard." Sherlock says dismissively. "What's more interesting is why my brother would bother being so thoughtful about a girl he's never met." he says, and since one arm is trapped by Sofia, keeping him from entering his 'Prayer position' as John likes to call it, he just flexes his one hand where it rests above his head, rubbing his thumb across his fingers in thought.
Watching his flatmate with some amusement, but also with some growing affection, John shakes his head. "I have a theory about that, actually." he offers as he looks at the detective. He waits, and when Sherlock just arches an eyebrow questioningly at him, he smirks and continues. "The first time I met your brother, he was impressed that I refused his money. I take it he's tried something like that before and others have taken the money. When I left, thinking back on it, he almost seemed approving of me. He hasn't tried to chase me off. So he must have approved of our friendship in some way. If he really is concerned about you as much as he says, and he really is the British government as you say, then it would be easy to make me disappear without anyone knowing, yeah?" He asks, waiting for some response from Sherlock, but the other man jut lies there, blinking at John with an impassive face.
"Alright, fine." John says as he sees that Sherlock isn't going to respond in any way. "So, Mycroft let me be, let us become flatmates, friends. Probably expected me to be your keeper in some form or another. And heaven help me, but I fell for it, I've been looking after you since the Study in Pink." he says thoughtfully, but he looks amused more than anything else. "And now.. Sofia shows up in our lives. Arguably the only woman you've ever shown interest in, yeah?" he asks as he watches his friend. "If he had wanted, if he had insisted, he could have sent her to a facility to help her recover from the drugs, or have pulled strings to get Lestrade to remove her." He says as he looks at Sofia, shifting and sitting on the edge of the coffee table. "Not only did he not do that, but he bought her clothes, toiletries, he came here probably with the intention of seeing her, gave you access to your trust fund. Something he could have done any time in the last few months, but didn't until the precise time we needed the extra money." He notes as he watches Sherlock, leaning forward on his knees. "And now, he shows up with a cell phone for her. He wants her to stay here with us. He's encouraging it, maybe because you're actually interested in her, Sherlock. Afterall, if I can tell you are, certainly he can. He's doing it in his own odd, Holmesian way, but I think that's his intention." John concludes as he reaches out and brushes a lock of Sofia's hair back from her face so it won't wake her up, causing her to shift slightly but not wake.
It took a few moments, while John shifted uncomfortably under Sherlock's gaze, preparing himself for a scathing remark on his own idiocy. "You're right, John." Sherlock finally says, a little surprised as he watches John. "It is all very unusual, very unlike my brother, and seems to be aimed at keeping Sofia in Baker Street, at the very least, though the rest remains to be seen." he says as he considers it. "Normally I would reject anything coming from my brother in such a manner, but I can't bring myself to with Sofia. We've already discussed my feelings on that matter." he says, not wanting to discuss it again. "I'm impressed, John. I must be rubbing off on you, that was an excellent deduction." he finally says, watching John for a moment, before he lowers his arm and reaches out to put his hand over one of John's, considering it as John turns his hand and clasps them together. "I never noticed what a tactile person you are, John. You're a very caring individual, that much was obvious from the moment I saw you." he says quietly, glancing at Sofia to make sure he wasn't waking her up with his talking, aware that his voice is low enough to cause his chest to rumble a bit. Once he sees that she's still sound asleep, he looks back at John. "But I never noticed how.. appreciative of touch you are, or how much you.. seek it out." He says softly as he focuses on their hands together.
Of course, the consulting detective was right, and John didn't try to dispute it. He's always been the sort to offer comfort through touch, show affection through touch. He's had to change his habits a lot since living with Sherlock since the man seemed to despise touch so much, with all his clothes he uses as armor every time he goes out, protecting him from the world. But John's gotten to see a softer side of Sherlock, the detective in his pajamas is a refreshing view, and let John know he felt comfortable around the doctor. "Well, I've had to stop a lot of things I might otherwise do, when I moved in here. You've always rather been obvious in your dislike of being touched. Except from Mrs. Hudson, at least." he says with some amusement, looking down at Sherlock's hand in his, surprised that the younger man reached out to him, rather than the other way around.
A small sigh is given from Sherlock, his fingertips stroking along John's palm, learning the texture and calluses of his hand. "It's.. not that I don't like to be touched, John. It has more to do with sensory overload. I see everything, all the time, I can't shut it off. My mind processes everything." he says as he looks up at him. "Not being touched is my way of focusing, not letting myself get too overwhelmed." he says simply with a little shrug. "I do enjoy touch. But even in a relationship, I have a feeling I will have days where I do not want to be touched." He notes as he looks up at his flatmate, continuing the gentle exploration of the other man's hand, which John allows, and finds oddly endearing.
"I should have known it had something to do with that bloody brain of yours." John says, poking him lightly in the forehead with his free hand before he chuckles a little. "It's alright, Sherlock. We're all going to have things like that, I'm sure. I'm sure I'm still going to get pissed at you and storm out of the flat, but I always come back." he says quietly, glancing down at their hands, turning his over at Sherlock's urging, smirking a little. "Nice to know that in general, you're not averse to being touched, though. Bit of a relief, actually. I do tend to be a bit touchy-feely sometimes, I suppose. And.. it's not necessarily anything.. big, you know." He says, wanting to clarify. "Things like this, little touch on the shoulder, the arm.. Just.. I don't know.. just a little something to let me know the person's there, that they're aware I'm there." He says as he considers it.
Taking all of this information in stride, Sherlock nods a little. "I understand. You'd like this from me, more, especially because you think that I ignore you during cases, or during my experiments. Which is quite true." he says with a little nod of his head, giving John's hand a squeeze.
"I didn't say that. You don't have to change for me, Sherlock." John reassures, returning the squeeze, before he grins. "Mmm. There is one thing I have to do, though." He says as he digs into the bag and pulls out Sofia's new phone, starting it up and waiting, trying to figure it out for a moment before he finds the camera, grinning a bit. "This is too cute to pass up." he says with a smirk, waiting until Sherlock is done pulling a face and his face is smooth again before he takes the picture, sending it to his phone before he chuckles. "When she's awake, we should get a picture of all three of us. I know, you don't like photos as a rule, but.. it would be nice." he says with a small shrug, putting the phone back in the bag.
Sherlock smirks a little. "Weren't you going to do the shopping?" he asks, tilting his head back and stretching out his arm above his head again. And like that, the mood was broken.
"Yeah, because it would kill you to pick up the milk once in a while. You're lucky you have a good excuse this time." John says as he points to Sofia, smirking a little. "I'll be back in a bit." he says, patting Sherlock's arm in a friendly fashion before he heads back down and out toward the shops.