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Saturday’s without a case meant that John did grocery shopping. John had informed Sherlock that morning that he too would be coming with him and Hamish. He had been working on an experiment in the kitchen for almost 48 hours straight, the man needed to be around people and see the sun light (the little there was in London at this time of year) and get fresh air. Sherlock wanted to protest but he grumbled, grabbed his coat and headed out with John and their son.
“Do we have a lot to get?” Hamish asked as he put on his gloves as they walked down the steps toward the front door.
“Not a lot Hal,” John promised him as she showed Hamish the list. “We can pick up dinner when we are there or get a take away.”
Sherlock opened the door and told John, “Takeaway, I am still in the middle of the usage of the kitchen and there is no way you will want to cook in there.”
John shook his head as he waved down a taxi. All three climbed in as they driver brought them to Tesco. “Don’t run off either stay with either your Papa or I,” John told Hamish as he got a trolley. Getting the list out John went over it again to see if anything was missing. When he looked up both Sherlock and Hamish had disappeared.
“I can shop in peace,” John said to himself as he picked up a few bananas, a carton of blueberries. He recently found out that Sherlock would them by the handful. As well as he picked up four big red peppers.
That was Hamish’s new food that he was fixated on. John knew that he liked the pepper for the deep red color. John felt he should worry about the fact that his son liked red for it looked like blood but he saw it with Sherlock’s experiment’s, in case files that he looks through even when told not to, as well as the occasions when Sherlock and John come back to the flat with a bloody noise and other injuries from a brawl they had with a common bad guy. Slipping the peppers into a bag John then made his way to get bread, milk and Sherlock’s bloody chocolate biscuits he eats by the box.
“Papa you looked bored,” Hamish told him as he stood next to Sherlock as he grimaced; they changed the packaging of his chocolate biscuits.
“I am,” Sherlock told his son. “This shopping interrupted me and my experiments and I was on the breakthrough with something. I just hope that the results don’t get altered by the lack of my presence in the flat. Your Dad seems to think I need to get out and be with people,” Sherlock told him as he grabbed three boxes and then the peanut butter and chocolate ones for Hamish. “But I don’t.”
“Well,” Hamish said as he helped Sherlock carry the biscuits. “We could do an experiment here; you always say you can do an experiment wherever you are.” Sherlock smiles as he looked down at his son. Ruffling his brown straight hair, he knelt down and looked at him in the deep blue eyes.
“We do still have the data from the other three stores,” Sherlock said to himself. He took the biscuits from Hamish. “Okay, you know what to do. Hide but look like you are supposed to be there, we can’t have the workers saying they found a missing child until I go up to the front desk.” Sherlock looks at his watch. John would have gotten all they needed and would just be walking idly for any other food they would need. “And remember the biggest rule of them all,” Sherlock said.
Hamish put a hand on his Papa’s shoulder. “Don’t let Dad see me.”
A smile spread across Sherlock’s face as he kissed the boy as he went running. Sherlock got up. He needed to give him at least a few moments to hide.
John was coming out of an isle when he saw Sherlock talking to one of the workers. He felt bad and didn’t know if he should get him away for the girl might end up in tears from Sherlock informing her about something in her life she didn’t care to know, but his concern soon left him as he saw that Sherlock had several boxes of his biscuits under his arm. John was about to turn down the next isle when something he hears over the P.A stops him.
“If anyone sees a six year old boy, four feet tall, blue eyes dark brown hair. He is wearing jeans and a Doctor Who shirt please bring him up to the front.”
John stopped, his head turned as he rolled the trolley over to Sherlock. “What is going on?” he asked him.
“It’s it obvious John?” Sherlock asked him putting the biscuits into the trolley. “Hamish has gone missing.”
“Jesus… again? He has been doing this an awful lot lately Sherlock, it’s not a good sign,” John told him as he tried not to panic.
Sherlock nodded. “Kidnapers aren’t an imaginative bunch,” he admitted.
The poor girl who called for help looked like she was going to cry when Sherlock mentioned kidnappers. “I’m sure your little boy is fine,” she explained with a smile.
John turned to Sherlock, “Are you putting me on, Sherlock where is our son?!” John asked him a little annoyed at the calmness of Sherlock, he knew the man to well if Hamish had really gone missing he would of called in the bloody British Government.
“I don’t know, that is why I asked the nice people of Tesco to find him,” Sherlock said looking down at John.
John pushed his lips together. He wasn’t going to yell at him. Not in the store and he wanted to wait till both of the culprits were there to yell at. But he couldn’t help it. “How the hell can you teach our son something like this Sherlock, you are bloody mad you know that right,” He hissed at Sherlock as Hamish came walking toward them with a nice lady who had Tesco name tag on. “You think this is a game- this is not a game you this is unbelievable,” John said as he shook his head. He was dealing with another child, a 40 year old man child.
Hamish came up to his dad and Papa with a smile on his face, “you forget these on the list Dad,” Hamish told him as he handed John two cans of the Heinz beans.
John took the beans and nearly threw them into the trolley as he turned; his face was red with anger as the vein in the side of his neck was showing. Sherlock knew he was in major trouble. “He is now lying, are you happy?” John asked as he thanked the lady and went to check out.
Hamish a little confused as John made him hold onto the trolley. “Dad am I in trouble?”
John laughed, “Oh yes, I will have a word and a punishment for both of you,” John looked at his son and then turns and looks at Sherlock. “When we get back to the flat. Now all I want to do is check out and leave. I have been embarrassed enough.”
Hamish looked up at his Papa, Sherlock nodded as he needed to get John calm and rational again. “John”-
John put up his hand. “So help me Sherlock if you don’t stand there and be quite as we check out you will be sorry.” John threated him as he saw the store manager walking up to them. “Christ, you see what you have done,” he said to him.
“Hello Gentleman, I’m glad you found your son,” he said.
“Yes, your system is very good and fast at responding to the code of a missing child,” John said Sherlock began to empty the trolley for him.
“Yes, we would like to think so,” he explained to John. “While we do appreciate and support you shopping here at Tesco, we have those systems in place in case there was a real emergency, not one that was fabricated like that one that we saw displayed here today.” John nodded his head as Sherlock went to pay for their groceries. “So we do wish that you not return to his location.”
“Yes,” John said clearing his throat. “I am truly sorry for the actions of my son and husband they were out of line and very inappropriate to have in a store. And I understand fully why we are no longer able to shop at this store, or the other three closer to our flat,” John said as Sherlock looked down at the ground.
The ride home was silent. Sherlock paid the taxi and they headed back up to the flat. John told them to sit the bags down. They went over to the couch and sat down. “Sherlock what were you thinking? What you did in the store today was no joke, it was wrong.” John scolded him.
“It was an experiment John; we wanted to see how fast the reaction time was to a missing child.” Sherlock said trying to defend what he did by using science.
“I don’t bloody care that was the fourth store; I think it’s safe to say after the second one we knew how there system worked! It’s not a game.”
Sherlock folded his arms over his chest, “They wouldn’t have known it was a game until you started to yell at me.”
John scoffed. “Sherlock what if Hamish really went missing. No one would believe you when you told them,” John pointed out to him.
“You would.” Sherlock said looking up at his husband. John pressed his lips together and just gave him the look. Though John has been giving Sherlock the look for over six years and over a million times the man was still not immune to it. Getting up Sherlock grabbed his violin and headed into their bedroom. The door slammed shut. John could hear Sherlock reopen it and then shut it properly.
John then turned his attention to his son. Hamish’s eyes would not look up at John; he knew he had done wrong. At least he was getting there with not doing wrong. “I’m sorry Dad. Papa said you wouldn’t get upset. But we did learn that they were much quicker here at this Tesco than the first one we went to.”
John shook his head as he sat down next to his son. “They probably warned them about you and Papa.”
Hamish giggled as he looked up at his dad, his eyes glasses over with tears. “Is Papa still in trouble?”
“Oh yes,” John told him. “And so are you. No Doctor Who tonight.”
Hamish’s eyes grew wide as he almost fell off the couch. “But Daddy!” John knew he wanted to watch it, for he never used Daddy unless he wanted something really bad. “I said I was sorry, you said when you do something wrong and you say sorry then you are forgiven.”
John nodded as he got up and headed to the kitchen to put the groceries away. “Yes, but your actions have consequences Hamish.”
Hamish looked at his dad, as a tear rolled down the boy’s face. “But it’s a new episode…. I need to see what happens.”
John shook his head no and kissed Hamish on the top of his head. “Your Papa’s punishment will be just as bad.” Hamish was more upset with himself than his papa and headed up to his room and told John he would be there till dinner. Once John finished putting away the food he walked into the bedroom. “You my friend get to sleep on the couch tonight,” he told Sherlock. “Oh and you can’t do your experiment either.”
Sherlock set the violin down as his eyes grew wide. He had the same expression as Hamish did when he was told he couldn’t watch Doctor Who. “John, I need to or else all the data will be for nothing.” Sherlock pleaded with him.
“Should have thought of that before you wanted to play fucking hide and go seek in Tesco,” he told Sherlock. “Actions have consequences Sherlock.”
Sherlock headed out and plopped himself on the couch. John shook his head; Hamish and Sherlock were too much alike. After changing John called and got some Chinese takeaway. Hamish was still up in his room brooding, John went up and brought him an eat off tray for dinner. Hamish thanked him as John left.
“Are you eating or are you going to be a child and refuse to?” John asked as Sherlock rolled over on the couch. Putting the Telly on, John recorded Doctor Who for his son and then turned it back off. “Sherlock, you don’t know how”-
“I was wrong,” Sherlock mumbled.
John stopped and leaned forward in his chair. “Come again?”
Turning over Sherlock got up and made room for John on the couch. Setting the tray on the coffee table John took his place next to Sherlock. “I was wrong John, that wasn’t something I should have joked around with it’s a serious matter and I am sorry.”
John looked at him as he put the Chinese food onto a plate. “You just don’t want to sleep on the couch tonight.”
Sherlock shook his head as he took John’s hand and looked at him in the eyes. “I should have thought about it before I did. I know what was going through your head when they paged Hamish even if you didn’t show it. I am sorry and I will never do that again.”
John nodded as he saw that Sherlock was sorry. “Good,” he said leaning forward and kissing him. “Where are they?” he asked not opening his eyes as he pressed his forehead against Sherlock’s.
“In the top drawer of the dresser,” Sherlock said as he laid his head on John’s shoulder. “Just give them back to Mycroft they are his.” John chuckled as he handed Sherlock the plate of food. “Harsh don’t you think taking away Doctor Who?”
“No, I took away your experiments for the evening to,” John reminded him. “But I guess I had ulterior motives for that one.” He admitted as he put a few dumplings onto his plate. Sherlock smiled as he leaned over and kissed John again on the side of his mouth. “Settle down there we need to eat and then get Hamish to sleep before any grownup fun can begin.”
Sherlock moaned as he sat back into the couch. “Am I grounded from getting us each a glass of wine?” Sherlock asked John. “After all I think you banished me to the couch.”
“No, you would be punished if you didn’t,” he laughed as Sherlock set his plate down and headed up to the kitchen. Once they had finished with dinner Sherlock cleaned up the food on the first floor when John went up to check on Hamish, he had fallen asleep on his bed, he had his pilots hat on. John pulled up his duvet to cover him. Taking the hat off his head John hung it up on the hook on the wall. Giving him a kiss he turned off the lights and shut the door to his room. He headed down the steps and back into the kitchen with the garbage.
“Asleep?” Sherlock asked John as he tossed the paper containers away. He nodded his head as Sherlock wrapped his arms around John and kissed the back of his neck. “Can I serve my punishment now?” he asked into John’s ear.
Turning around, John wrapped his arms around Sherlock’s neck and kissed him gently on the lips. “You would be in trouble if you didn’t.”