A/N: Here's the second half of the Christmas chapter! No warnings needed. Hope you enjoy, please review!
Extra A/N: Shameless plugging of my newest story A Sherlock Carol. If you haven't read it, please give it a read!
The rest of John's family arrives in the afternoon, and they all say hello to Sherlock, even if they are just quick "hi's". John's cousin, Jeanette, hugs Sherlock tight and smiles as wide as she can when she says hello to him.
"I just turned fifteen, you know?" she says, and he quickly excuses himself.
Sherlock stays next to John all evening, which isn't odd. They help set the table and set out the food, and Dawn thanks them profusely.
"You boys have been such a help today, thank you!" She kisses John's cheek and hugs Sherlock.
"You're welcome, Mum," John says. Since they're alone, John tells his mother his plan. "I'm going to tell everyone about Sherlock and I."
Dawn pauses and bites her lip.
John looks at Sherlock, who looks scared.
"John, I don't..." Dawn starts. "I'm fine, love, I told you that. But everyone else..."
"I want Grandma to know," John says. "If not anyone else, just her."
Dawn runs a hand through her hair. "Oh honey, Grandma knows!"
John's jaw drops. "What?!"
"She asked, so I confirmed. I'm sorry, John, I didn't know you wanted to make a grand announcement."
"What do you mean she asked?"
"Just a little while ago, when you two disappeared, she asked if you've taken your friendship to the next level. I told her you had."
"What'd she say?" John asks.
"She said it's wonderful," Dawn says, distractedly fixing a fork on the table. "You know your grandmother, John. You could probably kill a man and she'd say he deserved it, then make you a pie afterwards."
John sighs, half in relief and half in exasperation. "I wanted to tell her."
"I'm sure she'd love it if you told her, John," Dawn says, patting his arm. She smiles at Sherlock too, then leaves the boys to talk.
"Well...I guess I'll tell my Grandma later, then," John says.
"And everyone else?"
John shrugs. "Obviously my mum has no problem with telling someone if they ask, so it's alright."
Sherlock nods.
John takes his hand and squeezes it tight. "I love you," he says, then pulls Sherlock close and kisses him.
"I knew it!" they hear in a high-pitched voice.
They break apart and see Jeanette watching them.
She laughs. "I totally knew it."
"Jeanette-" John tries.
"Don't worry, I won't say anything," the teen says. "Way to go, John."
John rolls his eyes and shoves his cousin. "Shut up. Don't say anything."
"I won't!" she cries, then takes her phone out and leaves the room.
Their early dinner is awkward. Jeanette is seated next to John, who is next to Sherlock. Jeanette's two sisters are near them, but Harry and Clara are near the adults.
None of the teens talk, which makes it awkward, and all through the meal, Jeanette and her sisters never put their phones down. They're busy viciously texting away, and John can't help but watch them. He thinks they're being rude, but he can't say anything to his cousins.
Then John's phone vibrates in his pocket. He rolls his eyes, feeling like a hypocrite, and takes his phone out.
From Sherlock Holmes: They're talking about us.
John looks up at Sherlock, looking confused. Sherlock eyes his phone, so John replies.
To Sherlock Holmes: What? Who?
In seconds, there's a reply.
From Sherlock Holmes: Your cousins. I thought they were, so I just glanced at Emma's phone and saw the text, "I saw them kissing!"
John sighs when he reads it. He exits out of his conversation with Sherlock and sends a group text to his cousins.
To Jeanette Williams, Emma Williams, Sara Williams: Stop gossiping about Sherlock and I! It's none of your business! Thanks a lot, Jeanette.
All three girls get the message at the same time, and each of their jaws drop. They glance at John, who raises an eyebrow at each of them, then they all get back to their phones.
From Jeanette Williams: They don't count!
From Emma Williams: Don't be upset, it's not like nobody expected it.
From Sara Williams: Oh who cares if you're a big poof now, John?
John lowers his phone and glares across the table at Sara. "Don't call me that!" he shouts, not caring that he yelled it in the middle of dinner.
Everyone at the table looks at the kids.
"You're dating a boy, John! Isn't that what you are all of a sudden?!"
"What?!" Fiona, their mother and Dawn's sister, cries.
"You don't have to use that word, Sara!" John shouts. "And no, it's not all of a sudden!"
Sherlock slumps in his chair and downs the last of his glass of wine. Harry pours herself more.
Fiona speaks up again. "John is…"
Dawn directs her attention to her sister. "Dating Sherlock? Yes, and if you've got any sort of problem with that, you can say it to me and not my innocent son."
"Listen—" Fiona starts, then begins discussing things with her sister.
"At least I'm only dating one boy," John says to his cousin. "Unlike you. Who was it last year? Bobby and Tyler?"
Sara points a finger at him. "Now you listen, you little—"
Nobody notices John's grandmother stand from her chair. All they hear is her hand smack the table.
Everyone instantly pauses.
"Thank you," Lucille politely mutters. "Now, everyone stop your damn fighting. It's Christmas."
Everyone starts at once. "But—"
"No buts!" she tells the group. "My darling John and his lovely boyfriend, Sherlock, are not hurting any of you. You girls leave him alone. And Fiona, if I hear you say to your sister that she's raising her kids wrong ever again…well, let's just say that you had better not."
Fiona and her daughters fall back against their chairs.
"Now, anybody else?" Lucille asks.
Everyone shake their heads, so Lucille sits back in her seat and begins eating again.
Jeanette nudges John to get his attention. He looks at her, still feeling angry.
"Sorry," she says, "I didn't think—"
John wraps an arm around her shoulders. "It's ok," he says, sideways hugging her.
From down the table, Emma says sorry, too.
"I thought it was going to happen eventually," she says.
John smiles up at Sherlock. "Yeah, me too."
Sherlock tries to smile, but he can't.
"Hey," John rubs his shoulder. "You ok?"
Sherlock nods, then begins to pick at his food again.
Sara doesn't apologize to John, and that doesn't really bother him. She just eats her food while everyone else begin to talk, but she doesn't participate.
After their grandmother distributes gifts, everyone leaves. While saying goodbye, Lucille tells John that she loves him very much and that she's proud of him, so John doesn't really mind everything else that happened that evening. All he wanted was for his grandmother to be ok with it anyway.
Harry and Clara leave not long after everyone else does, and Dawn tells the boys goodnight. They retreat to John's warm bedroom, and they snuggle up in John's bed.
"Do you want your gift yet?" John asks, holding Sherlock's cold hands close to his chest.
Sherlock eagerly nods.
John kisses his nose, then disappears. Sherlock's gift is under the Christmas tree, so he rushes downstairs to get it.
When he returns, Sherlock is sitting cross-legged on the bed with a large box in front of him.
"Oh?" John mutters, going to the bed.
Sherlock pushes the box towards John, as if nervous. He has the look of a little boy who had made a macaroni necklace for his mother. He looks proud.
John smiles and hands Sherlock his gift. "Here you go, baby."
Sherlock eagerly grabs it and rips it open. He gasps when he sees what it is. "Records, John? These are marvelous!" He grabs John's face and pulls until their lips are touching. They smile while their lips are still together.
Finally John pulls away, and he delicately unwraps his gift. The box is quite large, but it's obvious that whatever is in the box isn't the same size.
Inside the box, there are millions of pieces of packing peanuts.
"What the hell?" John mutters, digging through the peanuts until he feels a smaller box.
He pulls it out and is shocked to see the latest and greatest iPhone. His jaw drops. "Sherlock…"
"You like it?"
"Yeah, I bloody love it! But…" John sighs. "I can't accept this, love."
"Why?" Sherlock isn't even looking at him; he's busy taking out and examining the records. "Yours is a piece of shit and your mum wouldn't 'waste money' on a new one."
John picks up his current phone. The screen is chipped and he can barely hear through the speaker, but that doesn't change the fact that the gift was way too expensive.
"This is way too much, Sherlock. Way too much."
Sherlock lowers the discs and looks at John. "I want you to have it. You need it. Love is taking care of someone, and I'm taking care of you."
John cracks a smile. "But…"
Sherlock grabs John's hand. "You need it. If you dare try to give it back, I'll dump you."
John smiles wider. "Alright. Thank you, Sherlock."
Sherlock leans over and kisses John once more, then lays back on John's bed to spin the records around above his head.
The boys fall asleep for a while, holding each other close, but Sherlock has to go home around two in the morning. He groggily gets out of the bed and pulls his coat on, all the while John sloppily grins at him and tries to pull him close again.
"I have to go," Sherlock says, chuckling when John tries to grab his bum to pull him closer. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Okay…" John finally accepts.
John walks him downstairs and they kiss at the door.
"I love you so much," John whispers against Sherlock's lips.
"I love you too," Sherlock says back. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas, baby."
Sherlock smiles, kisses him again, then turns to leave.
John falls asleep right after Sherlock leaves, and he's very happy about his Christmas.