When they get into the car, Sherlock remains silent, but he stays close to John's side, taking his hand and squeezing it a little as he thinks over the last five minutes. He turns his head to look at John silently, just watching the little doctor. He wonders if the blonde has any idea of the enormity of what he just said. In his entire life, he can count on one hand the amount of times anyone has ever told him that they loved him, but it never really seemed sincere before, but John seemed sincere. Not wanting Lestrade or Mycroft to know what insecurities he's feeling, he hesitates before he leans over toward John, cupping one hand around his mouth in the way children often do when they whisper to their friends, and keeps adults from reading lips.
"Did you mean what you said?" Sherlock whispers into John's ear, glancing at his little soldier for a few moments, looking a little confused as he frowns slightly.
A little surprised when he sees Sherlock leaning toward him, John looks over at the brunette though the corner of his eyes, listening to the whisper before he looks at Lestrade and Mycroft. He knows that this must be something the detective doesn't want the adults to know about, so he plays along, looking at Sherlock before he leans in with his hand around his mouth to whisper in return. "I meant everything I said, but which part, specifically?"
And this is the part that makes Sherlock feel a little awkward, he shifts as he looks at John for a few moments, squeezing the doctor's hand before he leans over to whisper again. "About.. loving me.. how I am?" He pulls back and looks at John, aware of the curious stares of the 'adults'.
For a few moments, John just stares at Sherlock in shock, jaw dropping a little since he can't believe that the other boy would doubt how anyone would feel about him. Then his expression softens and he smiles a little before he nods a little, leaning in to whisper to Sherlock. "Of course I meant it. You're my best friend. Just as you are." He then pulls back to smile at Sherlock before he releases the other boy's hand to pull him into a tight hug, rubbing his back a little as he holds him.
This definitely makes Lestrade and look surprised and Lestrade's eyebrows go up as he glances at the elder Holmes brother to see if maybe he knows what's going on, but seeing the equally as surprised look on his face, the Detective Inspector merely turns back to watch the boys. As ever, as thick as thieves.
A little surprised, Sherlock blinks a few times and then he puts his arms around John, returning the hug tightly and then hiding his face against John's shoulder, ashamed of his weakness but he can't help it, he clings to John for a few moments, feeling like he wants to cry but besides a small little hitch in his breathing he refuses to let himself cry, finally taking a deep breath and starting to move back from John, looking into the deep blue eyes of the little army doctor for a few moments, and he tilts his head forward to rest their foreheads together for a few moments, letting his eyes close and he relaxes a little before he slowly leans back and nods. "Thank you." he says in a quiet tone, pulling his arms back and then taking John's hand in his, his controlled mask firmly back in place as he glances over at the two 'adults'.
A little surprised, but not minding it, John holds the detective and even goes so far as to stroke a hand over his hair slowly for a moment. He releases Sherlock when he pulls back, resting his hands on the bruentte's shoulders before he nods quietly with a small smile, closing his eyes for a few moments before he breaks it. "You're welcome." he says with a little shrug, not thinking there's any big deal about it. He then turns back toward Lestrade and Mycroft, deciding to be a little mischeivious, he gives them a big, fake, innocent smile.
Looking from the boys to Mycroft, he shakes his head. "I didn't miss this feeling. I have a bad feeling they're plotting against us." he says as he tips his head toward John and Sherlock for a moment. "Used to feel that way when my kids were young, too. I always felt like they had secrets, and most of the time they did." he says as he looks at them suspiciously. "I am hoping you're going to tell me that Sherlock was not a troublemaker when he was little, and that we just have to worry about John."
Having been watching this exchange closely, Mycroft considers the situation. Because of his intelligence and general disdain for humanity, Sherlock never had friends growing up, which was something that truly concerned the elder Holmes brother, but he was away at school and there was little he could do for his brother. He always wondered if that might impede his development, especially as he continued the trend of being decidedly anti social and continued not to have any friends into his adult life. Until he met John Watson of course, then things began to change, and it was all for the better. But now they're children again and Mycroft gets to see a little of what Sherlock could have been like if even one person was his friend, if one person had looked at him not as freak, but as a lonely little boy who was too smart for his own good. If just one person had bothered to look a little deeper like John did, so many things could have been different.
Finally, Mycroft nods quietly to Lestrade. "Unfortunately I wish I could tell you that, Inspector. But Sherlock was quite mischeivious as a child. He went through a phase in which he was very interested in engineering, and created very elaborate traps. Mummy was not pleased." He says before he adds, "And of course, there was the time in his life where he just wanted to be a pirate." He says as he arches an eyebrow at Sherlock. "He was actually created a working cannon." he says as he looks at Lestrade, before he looks back at Sherlock and John. "I believe we may be in a little bit of trouble." he says in a surprisingly calm tone as he looks from one young boy to the other.
John glances over at Sherlock for a few moments after listening to that bit of information that Mycroft reveals, and he shakes his head. "A working cannon. Why am I not surprised?" he asks curiously, then he shakes his head, and looks out the window for a few moments, before he turns and cups his hand around his mouth as he leans in to whisper to Sherlock for a few moments. "You are a bloody idiot. You're lucky you survived to adulthood. And yeah, just whispering to mess with Lestrade and Mycroft." He whispers before he pulls back and grins a little at the other boy.
Arching an eyebrow as he looks at John, Sherlock considers that for a few moments, shaking his head at the sheer foolishness of what John is doing. Still, the idea of messing with Mycroft is an appealing idea, so he nods a little before he leans in to whisper back to John. "I was always very careful. I had safety precautions. You are far more devious than I gave you credit for previously." For a moment, he stops, pulling back to look at John, tilting his head curious before he leans forward to continue his train of thought, whispering to John as he glances over at Mycroft and Lestrade. "I wonder if you were always like this, or if being younger has brought this out in you."
Giggling a little both because the whispering tickles a little and because of what Sherlock says, John shrugs a little as he looks over at Sherlock, giving his hand a little squeeze before he glances at Mycroft and Lestrade, then looks back at his friend. "There's something freeing about having the mind of an adult, while being perceived as a child. I think I was always a little devious, but it waned as I got older." He whispers, agreeing with a small nod of his head, then the car pulls to a stop outside a department store, and John moves away from Sherlock a little so he can peek out the window, nodding a little. "I think Sherlock and I are capable enough to choose our own clothes." He announces before he pushes the door open and half-drags Sherlock out without letting go of his hand.
Following John quickly, even though he has little choice in the matter, Sherlock smiles softly, even laughing a little as he follows John through the sliding doors of the shop. "We have to wait for Mycroft at least, John. He will be the one paying." he points out but he walks quickly after the young blonde as they wind their way through the racks and toward where the children's clothes are, with John having snagged a basket from somewhere.
"They can find us. It's not as if we'll be hard to find in the children's section." John points out as he looks over at Sherlock for a few moments, before he considers. "Bottom up." he decides, dragging Sherlock over to quickly toss some of the basics in the basket, socks and underwear, then he drags him back over toward the actual clothing. "You need to wear something other than children's suits." He decides as he looks at Sherlock. "Time to get you some jeans and t-shirts." He decides with a little smile as he heads toward that area, both for himself and for the detective.
A little bit amused at John's sudden passion for shopping, Sherlock follows his doctor around, before he nods quietly. "Believe it or not, I did wear t-shirts and jeans when I was a child. I never had a fondness for jumpers, though." he notes as he plucks at John's jumper for a moment, then he starts looking through the pile of jeans to find what he thinks his size will be. It's not like he ever checked it when he was younger, so he's not exactly sure, so he grabs a pair and holds it up to his hips to check the length and general sizing before tossing a few pairs into the basket.
"I wonder if Mycroft has any picture of you when you were younger.. the first time." John says as he looks over at Sherlock with a little smile. "I'd like to see that." He says with a small snicker, grabbing the right sizes for himself as well, some slacks but mostly a few different kinds of jeans, considering things for a few moments before he shakes his head a little. "You know.. this may not have been planned, and it's really annoying in some aspects, but in others... It's interesting. And almost kind of nice, in a way. To just.. go back to being a kid for a little while.." he says quietly as he looks over at Sherlock.
Considering his friend for a few moments, Sherlock nods a little. "I am not as bored as I thought I would be. But I miss the Work. I miss doing cases with you, John. Maybe Lestrade can get me a few cold cases to work on." he says in a slightly hopeful tone, before he sighs, finally crossing his arms over his chest. "Surely there is a quicker way of doing this, couldn't we order it? I don't like shopping." He states in a slightly pouting tone, looking around at everything sullenly, getting a slight case of sensory overload with all the choices and styles adn everything.
Shaking his head a little since he was kind of expecting this behavior from Sherlock, John just smiles a little. "Alright, well, if you don't like what I buy for you, then you can't complain. Since you're not going to participate." he says with an impish grin as he looks at Sherlock for a moment, going up on his toes to pull down a pink shirt off the nearest rack, holding it up to Sherlock and tilting his head as if appraising it and seeing if it's worthy of being purchased. Only when he starts to put it in the cart does he find it snatched out of his hands and firmly placed back on the rack by an unhappy detective.
"No, thank you." Sherlock finally decides as he looks at John warily as if the seemingly younger man, before he sighs a little as he realizes he's been tricked into shopping. Not only that, but he is fairly certain that John will follow through on his threat to make Sherlock wear something truly hideous if he doesn't choose his own clothes.
About then is when Lestrade finds the two, and he's not looking too happy about being ditched at the car, shaking his head as he watches the two children.
"You two better be bloody happy I am used to kids. You don't just run off like that, I don't care how old your brains are. Not saying you have to hold my hand, just stay within sight."
Ok... sorry about that, uploaded the wrong chapter! This is better, I hope. :) I have a feeling that these two are going to be troublemakers for Lestrade. Hope you all enjoy!
Reviews/comments welcome!