Work Text:
–*6 ½ years ago*–
Sherlock Holmes- you admitted to everyone that he had been more than a little odd. That didn’t stop you from moving in with him- you became very good friends over a little time too.
You met him through a mutual friend- she was going by Mary Watson these days. You often all went out together- her, John, Sherlock and yourself. After Mary and John got married and John moved in with her, you had to move out. Sherlock offered it to you and you took it, always loving the way his place was situated.
You started helping Sherlock on cases, making you guys almost inseparable.
“When are you two tying the knot?” Mary joked the one night over dinner between you all. You were probably well in the twentieth time she had cracked this particular joke.
“I better know soon so I can move around my schedule, Sherlock.” John added, putting his hand on the back of Mary’s chair- always the one to help her.
“You’ll be the first to know.” You giggled, grabbing your drink and bringing it to your lips. Sherlock remained silent but smiled slightly, seeing as Mary and John both seemed to have a little alcohol in their systems.
Walking out of the restaurant, you both asked them if they were alright and they insisted they were fine- just taking a taxi back to their place.
Your apartment was only a couple of blocks away so Sherlock offered his arm and you both walked back together.
“They are very amusing people.” Sherlock spoke up after a moment with a chuckle.
“They are.” You giggled back, “They assume everyone who lives together has to fall in love, get married, and pop out children.” You paused after your joke.
“Babymaker t.m.” He stated out loud making you burst out laughing.
“I don’t see you liking children.” You spoke up. “I could only imagine what you would do if there were tons around you.”
“I like some children. The well behaved ones are alright.” He defended himself almost immediately.
Your eyebrow raised in surprise, “Okay then. I stand corrected.” You threw your hands up in mock air defence, stepping in front of him and turning to face him. He smirked, staring into your eyes.
“Look out!” A guy standing near you both pulled you out of the way of a cyclist coming down the street, missing you by a couple of inches.
“Woah.” You breathed, turning to him, “Th-thank you.”
He looked towards the cyclist for another moment, nodding, “He didn’t even slow down, what a-” He met your eyes, stopping. “Pete.”
You laughed, “Yes, I agree… he’s such a Pete.” Sherlock chuckled next to you.
He shook his head, “I’m sorry- I’m Pete.” He offered his hand, smiling to you and nodding towards Sherlock.
“I’m Y/N.” You nodded, shaking his hand, “This is Sherlock.”
He shook his hand after a moment too, Sherlock trying to work on his manners since you constantly mocked him for it.
“Sorry for saving your girlfriend.” Pete nodded.
Sherlock sighed, “She isn’t my girlfriend- since that’s what you were clearly searching for.” He pouted a little, “Obviously.”
You nudged him in the gut a little, smiling towards Pete. “Well, thanks Pete. We should be heading home now, I appreciate the non-beating that went on tonight.”
“Always a good night.” Pete chuckled.
“Not likely.” Sherlock almost wasn’t audible.
You turned to walk and Pete called after you, “Could I call you tomorrow? To check on you, of course.”
You felt a blush creeping into your cheeks, turning back. You looked him over again and he seemed harmless enough, “Okay.”
“Really? I mean, cool.” He nodded, pulling out his phone. You typed in your number and waved goodnight, him waving back.
You looked over at Sherlock within a minute after leaving, and he was frowning, “What?”
“He doesn’t seem like your type. He isn’t particularly attractive, he seems dull already, you’ll get bored of him within- eh- I’ll say a year. Including time for the puppy dog love to wear off- if you get that far. So why even start?”
You laughed, putting your arm through his, “Maybe I’m still willing to take that chance, Sherlock.”
He hummed, continuing towards your place.
“Don’t worry, Sherlock. You’ll still be my favorite, most intriguing person.”
“Good, don’t want to put that in jeopardy.” He smirked towards you.
–*5 years ago*–
“Alright, alright.” You called into the phone, hanging up and sighing.
“How is Pete?” Sherlock popped the P, seeming annoyed.
“He’s being a jerk.” You leaned back, rubbing your stomach.
It had been a whirlwind romance- you had eloped only 8 months in. You had truly felt something with him, you knew it-so you had moved in with him. Within a couple of months, you found out you were pregnant. You were a little worried but Pete was overjoyed, insisting that he would pick up more hours at work to help with the incoming costs.
“Are you okay?” Sherlock stooped down in front of you, looking a little worried.
“I’m fine.” You smiled to him, trying to control your breathing. “I just need a little space from him. He’s gotten so overbearing. He doesn’t trust me around anyone- he’s upset I’m here.”
His face tightened, “You don’t need him. You’re better than him.”
You breathed slowly, nodding a little and rubbing your stomach. “I’m just trying to stay calm. Everything is going to be alright.”
Sherlock continued to stare as he backed a couple of steps away, grabbing his violin and starting to play a slow tune. The baby was his favorite audience to play for, and it had started calming you down almost immediately.
For someone who was called immune to human emotion, he sure knew how to help you.
You had nodded off at some point, waking later with a blanket over you- you saw the side of his face being lit and shadowed by the setting sun.
You gasped, “How long have I been out?”
“A few hours.” He looked over, “Do you feel better?” He asked as he stood and walked over towards you, helping you stand up.
You nodded, giving him a hug, “Thank you so much.” Tears formed in your eyes, “God, I’m sorry. I’m an emotional wreck right now.” You sniffed, “And I have to pee again, I’m such a mess.”
“You are wonderful. Glowing.” He led you towards the bathroom. You got out and had cleared your face. He looked down, sadly, “You’re leaving.”
“I have to.” You spoke in a whisper.
“I’ll call you a cab.” He gave a small smile- it didn’t reach his eyes.
–*Present*–
You sighed, completing your day’s work. You were a secretary, nothing special- it wasn’t a bad job, just not one you could get into. What a mess your life had become.
You hated your job but it paid well enough for you to stay. Pete had been almost a faint memory now, you both getting divorced shortly after you had your daughter. You lived on your own, a couple of blocks from work- it was a small two bedroom apartment. Making ends meet was still hard, since your soon to be five year old was already in first grade- at a prestigious school.
You smiled, looking at her picture on your desk- it was of the two of you only a couple of weeks ago- baking cookies at your mother’s house. You had gotten flour all over you faces but looked happy.
You took your bag and made your way home, grabbing your daughter from Mary and John’s house where they had been watching her.
“Mommy!” She laughed, running to you.
“Hi honey! How’s my little Claire Bear?” You giggled, always ready with nicknames for her.
You made dinner for the two of you and watched a disney movie- she had already started questioning the motives for the characters and you sighed, trying to change the subject.
“You ready to see Uncle Sherlock tomorrow?” You grinned, pulling her into your lap and kissing her forehead.
“Yes!” She giggled, “He’s funny, I like him.”
“Me too.” You smiled, laughing.
–
The next day, you went to Sherlock’s before heading to lunch together.
“Uncle Sherley!” She ran up to him and he swooped down to hold her.
“Hello my little Claire- de- lune.” He chuckled, spinning with her.
You smiled and your heartbeat quickened a little, he had been calling her that since you named her. And she was the only person that could get away with calling him Sherley- something that Mycroft often stated was the best thing about this little youth.
“Hello there, mommy dearest.” He walked up with her in his arms, giving you a kiss on the cheek.
“Hi there, Sherlock.” You grinned, kissing him back on the cheek. “You’re in a particularly good mood.”
“Of course I’m in a good mood- I get to hang out with my two favorite ladies.” He grinned to you both, “It’s been a couple of weeks.”
“I know,” You sighed, “I haven’t had off in a while. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.” He grinned, “You’re here now.” He hadn’t broken eye contact with you and you looked down, blushing.
“Ready for lunch?” You asked as he walked to the window with her.
“I already have food on the way.” He chuckled, “I figured it would be faster. And you seem to like it here more than in a restaurant.”
You giggled, “So do you!” You pointed, Sherlock had bought board games (Sherlock!) for you all to play.
After a game of connect four- which you lost to your five year old, not your proudest moment- you got a call. ‘Work’.
You held up a finger and walked to the other room, opening your phone.
“Hello? Yes- No, I can’t.” You paused, “How much?” Your voice lowered, “Why? No. I’ll call you back.”
You walked back into the room and found Sherlock and Claire staring at you. “I have to get to work,” You bit your lip, “I’m going to try Auntie Mary or Uncle John to see if they can watch you, okay?”
“I want to stay with Uncle Sherley.” She pouted, and Sherlock stood up, bringing you towards the edge of the room.
“I would like to watch her, if it’s alright. I promise I won’t work on any cases while she’s here.” He bit his lip a little, looking into your face.
You paused, unsure. “Well, it’s only for a couple of hours.”
He grinned, seeing you break down, “You will not regret this.” He promised, winking, “We’ll just play games or read and whatnot until you get back. Besides, it isn’t like I haven’t watched her before.”
“With supervision.” You giggled, you hadn’t seen him this excited in a while. “I’ll keep my sound on for you so call me if you need something.”
“Alright-” He smiled, answering the door to the delivery man, quickly opening the bag after finishing the transaction and handing you a container of food. “We’ll see you after our day of fun.” He spoke louder.
“Yay!” She jumped up, running around in a circle.
“Alright, love. I’ll see you later. If Uncle Sherlock does anything naughty, call me.” You kissed her and gave her a hug before walking back towards Sherlock. “She better be in one piece when I get back.” You giggled, kissing him on the cheek and giving him a hug, “Thanks for this.” You whispered in his ear before walking out.
You had really done that- you left your child with Sherlock Holmes. You hoped services wouldn’t be called on you, you giggled to yourself, calling work and letting them know you would be there shortly.
—–
You knocked on the door lightly, cheeks blazing. He opened the door a moment later with a huge grin on his face, which quickly faded after seeing you.
“What happened?” His tone was serious, pulling you inside and grabbing the box from your hands.
“The usual. They begged me to stay longer and I told them I had to leave.” Your tone was soft, seeing Claire asleep on the couch, a blanket wrapped around her -noticing the violin was out. You wept a little and he brought you into the other room. “But they wouldn’t take no and said if I left I might as well pack up my things. So I did.”
He pulled you into a hug after setting your stuff down on his bed. He just held you for a while, letting you speak and mumble.
“What am I going to do?” You sobbed softly, “I can’t afford Claire’s tuition without a job- let alone our apartment. Or food. God, I’m going to have to plead them for my job back.”
“No, you are not.” He pulled your puffy face up to meet his eyes, “You are going to live here for a while. We will find you a job that won’t treat you like that.”
“I can’t rely on you for everything.” You shook your head, starting to hyperventilate.
“You have never relied on me. You have done everything by yourself- I’ve practically begged to help. Let me take care of you. Of Claire. I want to more than anything.” His eyes searched your face, seriousness in it. You nodded after a few minutes, silent. You heard stirring in the other room and wiped your face, walking out.
“There’s my favorite.” You smiled, hugging her as she was waking up.
“Mommy!” She giggled as you tickled her a little.
“Did you have fun with Uncle Sherlock?” You asked, brushing some hair out of her face.
“We went over scientific reactions!” She jumped up on the couch, “Built a volcano!”
“A volcano?!” You laughed, turning to Sherlock with a raised set of eyebrows.
“She is going to be an excellent scientist.” He nodded, grinning.
“Then we talked about how he loves you- and then he pulled out the violin.”
“Wait, what?” You chuckled, confused. Looking back at Sherlock, his face had turned red and he cleared his throat.
“He says your the only woman he’s loved- and then he starting playing my favorite song…” She looked over, annoyed that she had to re-explain.
“Clair- de-lune.” You absently answered, a million things running through your mind.
“You got it!” She jumped, “Do you love him too? Huh?”
You waited a moment, getting your shirt tugged on by Claire, pulling you out of your thoughts. Your mouth spread into a slow grin, turning to look at Sherlock who was still flustered. “I do.” He met your eyes and read your face. He didn’t know how to take this, “He’s the only man I could ever truly love- I know that now.” His face was even more red, understanding what you meant.
“You still love me too, right?” She asked, looking up.
“Of course my little E-Claire.” You giggled, tickling her tummy as Sherlock came up to grab her and spin her around. You played more games with her and he ordered more take out for the night.
“How do you feel about staying with Uncle Sherlock for a little while?” You tilted your head later, eating a couple of bites of food.
“Mm. I think I would like it.” She nodded.
“Think?!” He asked, “What am I missing?”
“You don’t have a tv. I like watching it with mommy at night.”
“Well you can bring your tv.” He grinned and you were surprised, knowing how much he hadn’t cared for it, “And then you’ll have to show me all of your movies because I haven’t seen any of them.”
“None of them?!” She gasped and he shook his head. “I can start a list.”
“Please do.” He laughed as she ran to find paper and a writing utensil. His eyes moved back to your face, a blush forming across his face again, “So you love me?”
You shrugged, giggling, “You’re alright.” You winked to him, waiting for Claire to fall asleep that night.
He stood after you closed the door to his room.
“You really shouldn’t have given her your bed for the night. She’s not going to want to go back to her bed.” You laughed lightly as he grinned.
“Well, I’m glad she’ll be comfortable tonight.”
“But you won’t. Sherlock- it’s going to be cramped in here.” You started, fiddling with a button on your blouse.
He stepped closer, raising your face to his and leaning in- his lips gently meeting yours. You gasped against his mouth, making him grin and kiss you even harder, sweeping his tongue across your lip making you shiver. Your hands came up to his hair and he sighed as you ran through his curls.
He pulled away a little and leaned his forehead on yours, “I’ve wanted this- you- for so long.”
You giggled, “I didn’t know- didn’t think you could think of me in that way.”
“I have never stopped, since before Pete until my last breathe.” He shook his head a little, meeting your lips again.
“I think I’ve always loved you. How foolish of me to not realize it.” You kissed him again.
—–
Over the next couple of months, you moved in together. Sherlock started taking cases he found a little more dull, you taking some of them as well. You were private investigators part time, together- and the rest of the time you helped him with the greater cases- his files getting locked up in a filing cabinet in his room, his idea.
Sitting on your desk- the picture of you and Claire (Sherlock claiming it was his favorite picture of you) and another picture of the three of you, together and smiling in the apartment.