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The piano was glaring at him. He was sure of it. Hamish glared back. When the piano didn’t burst into flames Hamish sighed and returned to his theory. It wasn’t fair. He could read the music just fine and he understood hand positions but when it came to playing the thing it just didn’t sound right. He didn’t want to give up on the piano for this was his fifth instrument in the past three years he tried in a quest to master an instrument. The violin had been the first and had quickly fallen to the wayside as had the clarinet (per his Dad’s suggestion), drums and tuba.
But from all of them the violin had been the worst. Hamish was fourteen when his Papa first purchased him one. It didn’t bother him that he couldn’t play it, it bothered him how flustered and upset his Papa got that he couldn’t play it.
“Hal, it’s really not that hard.” Sherlock said as he tried not to yell but Hamish knew he wanted to. “Now hold it up the proper way, and don’t slouch!”
Hamish looked at the ground, he wasn’t going to cry. He had plans to go over to Matt’s flat to watch the new Doctor Who episode, and he didn’t want to go to his house with red eyes.
“Now try again.” Sherlock ordered.
“I can’t Papa,” Hamish said his voice quiet and scared. He wanted his Dad to get home from helping his Aunt Sarah out at the surgery. His Dad would scold his Papa for being mean. Sherlock narrowed his green/blue eyes at his son. He wasn’t going to just give up like that. “Can we just stop for today?”
Sherlock shook his head. “No, this is easy Hal. You just need to focus and pay attention to everything that I do.”
Hamish huffed as he stood up straight and tried to follow his Papa but he was going too fast and the fact that Hamish’s fingers weren’t as long and couldn’t stretch out like his Papa’s. As he bowed the wrong note Sherlock stopped and looked at him. “Hal, this is a really easy song, I need you to stop thinking about other things.”
“It’s not that easy for me Papa!” Hamish yelled. He never raised his voice. But there was no other way for his Papa to listen to him. He turned and tossed the Violin onto the couch along with the bow and ran up to his room. Sherlock heard the door slam and then lock.
“You’re not going to Matt’s now!” Sherlock yelled up the steps.
Hamish knew that once his Dad got home that he talked with his Papa. He heard a few raised voices and then sulking footsteps heading up to his room. Hamish opened the door to see his Papa standing there and apologizing to his son. Hamish then told him that he didn’t wish to play the violin anymore.
But now as Hamish sat in his living room he wished that he had the ability to pick up the piano and throw it onto the couch to get his anger out. There was a knock on the door Hamish lifted his eyes to see Violet standing in her normal baby doll dress, “piano a bit not good?” she asked him with a warm smile on her face.
Without saying a word Hamish took his hands and pounded on the key’s, let out a moan of frustration and then stood up in a huff. Violet tried not to laugh, but saw that he was really upset about not being able to master the piano.
Sighing, Violet grabbed Hal’s arms and looked at him in his eyes. “It’s okay you know, you don’t have to learn an instrument.” She never understood his deep need to master one. She never asked but she didn’t like that fact he was beating himself up over it.
“But I want to,” Hamish explained to her as he pulled her into a hug. He was slowly growing taller than her, “I want to play a duet with my Papa. He’s just so good at the violin.” Hamish stopped and looked at her. “My Uncle Myccy told me that papa was offered thousands of pounds to play with some of the best orchestras in the world but he refused. He didn’t want to be forced to do something he loved. I just want to share that love of music.”
Violet nodded thought he didn’t really understand, but she wasn’t going to stop Hamish. She had quickly learned that when he set his mind to something Hamish did it. It was the stubbornness he grew up with both his Papa and Dad. “We’ll find you something then.” He told him with a smile on her face as she brushed back his hair that was hanging in his face.
Wrapping his arms around her waist Hamish leaned over and kissed her gently. “Have you tried the triangle?” Violet asked him as Hamish pressed his forehead against hers and they both began to laugh. Hamish kissed her again as he heard his Dad climbing up the steps from work.
“How is the piano going Hal?” he asked his son as he toes off his shoes and set his work on the side table by the couch.
“We can use it for firewood.” Hamish said to him as he looked at the piano. Once again trying to make it explode with his mind. Failing he looked back at his Dad.
“Did he throw a fit in front of you when he couldn’t play?” John asked as he gave Violet a hug.
“No, he had a Mozart moment but it was quickly over.” She told John as she poked Hamish for him to break a smile.
“Well, when you find the right instrument it will click,” John promised his son. “Are you staying for dinner Vi?” John asked walking into the kitchen to make his after work cup of tea.
She laughed, “Of course, it’s Wednesday so that means Chinese.”
John stopped. “Were that bad aren’t we.”
Hamish smiled at his Dad and then took Violet’s hand as they headed up to his room. Leaving the piano to rot if pianos could rot. As they got into his bedroom Violet flopped down on Hamish’s bed while he walked over to his record player and put on one of his favorite Beatles album. As the record began to play Hamish sat down in his chair and looked over at Violet as she seemed to be thinking. “Guitar.” She said.
“Yes, that is a guitar.” He joked with her. Violet looked at him narrowing her eyes and cocking her head.
“No you nutter.” She corrected him. “How about the guitar. You always are listening to the old Rock music.”
Hamish looked at her and tried not to laugh.
“No, I’m being serious here Hal.”
Hamish was about to open his mouth to answer her but he was cut off by John’s yell to ask if Hamish would go and get his father off the roof. Hamish rolled his eyes and huffed. Violet bit her lower lip not asking Hamish. Lately Sherlock had been spending long hours on the roof of 221B studying the bees that had made their hive in the siding of the next building.
~~~
Hamish didn’t think about the guitar again till he saw Matt’s old one at their next Doctor Who marathon. “Hey, can I look at that?” he asked as he slid to the edge of his chair to reach over and grab it.
Matt glanced up from watching the 12th Doctor doing something crazy with the 11th Doctor’s companion. “Yeah, why? I thought you said you would never pick up another stringed instrument after the violin incident.”
Hamish looked at him, “Violet thought it might be a good fit for me.” he explained to his mate.
Matt smiled, “Sure, I’m sure it’s out of tune. I haven’t touched that in years. It didn’t go over so well a clumsy person like me and the guitar.”
Hamish didn’t care; he knew how to tune an instrument in his sleep. Getting up he grabbed Matt’s guitar and then sat back down. Placing it in his lap he moved his hands to form the A key. Hamish took a deep breath and gave it a strum. Matt paused the TV and looked over Hamish. Hamish moved his fingers to the D key and gave it yet another strum.
The strings didn’t break; he didn’t want to cry from the horrible sound. His hands seemed to slide over the neck of the guitar with grace and ease. “Violet sure knows you,” Matt laughed. “Now all you need to do is sell the piano.”
Hamish shook his head as he played a few more keys. Noticing the guitar was a tab out of tune. “No, I think my Papa is going to use it for an experiment. Or firewood.”
Matt laughed and he played the TV. He told Hamish that he could barrow the guitar till he had enough money saved up to buy his own, and well as practice on it to make sure it was going to work between the two of them.
~~~
Hamish bought sheet music and began to teach himself how to play. He tried to do it when his Dad and Papa were out of the flat for he didn’t need his Papa standing over him telling him how to properly play.
After a few months of playing the acoustic guitar Matt and Violet had convinced Hamish to go and get an electric one. They both accompanied him to the music store where he saw a TARDIS blue one on sale. He knew he needed to get it, so he forked over the money and made his first big purchased in his 17 years of life.
Hamish was very excited about his purchase.
Sherlock on the other hand wasn’t.
The tall man groaned loudly as the sounds of the guitar upstairs drowned out the sounds of his violin, yet again. “John make it stop!” Sherlock cried out as he covered his ears.
John looked up from his newspaper, removing his glasses he looked up at his husband. “You wanted him to play an instrument. Now you get to deal with him practicing.”
Sherlock glared at John. “The violin, piano and even the stupid clarinet sounded nice. But that,” he said pointing with his bow up to their sons’ room. “That isn’t music!” he said. He placed his hands on his hips and looked at John.
He raised an eyebrow at his husband, set his paper on the table next to him and cleared his throat. “I’m not stopping him.” He waited and stood up and blocked Sherlock from moving. “And neither are you for that matter.”
Sherlock huffed, turned and began to sulk at the window as he tried to play his violin but the guitar over powered him. John shook his head as he heard footsteps; he smiled when he saw Violet who wasn’t in her normal cloths.
“I’m doing laundry and had to make my grandmother think I went to the gym.” She said to John as she gave him a hug. She looked over and Sherlock, she was going to ask what was wrong when she heard the Doctor Who theme music coming from Hamish’s room.
Sherlock tried to control it but he turned around, his eyes narrowed at Violet as he stuck his bow and pointed it at her. “You!” he hissed Violet jumped back and was afraid of Sherlock at his moment. “You are the one who told Hamish to play the guitar!” Sherlock began to move towards her when John blocked Violet.
“And he likes it, and is good at it,” John added glaring at Sherlock for being a tit and then he turned over and looked at Violet. “Run! Before he starts his rant.”
Violet took that as a good warning and took off running up the steps. Soon the ‘horrid noise’ (according to Sherlock) stopped. Smiling Sherlock was able to play own music.
“You know he is doing this for you.” John said to Sherlock. Stopping he turned to look at his husband. “All this, learning to play an instrument. It’s all so he can have something in common with you, something that you two can enjoy doing together.” Taking a seat John picked up his paper again. “Keep that in mind. Now, what do you want for dinner?”
~~~
The silent, yet loud battle between violin and guitar went on for weeks. Hamish had tried fruitlessly to find a song good for both the guitar and violin that his Papa would approve of playing. If he even agreed to playing with Hamish.
Hamish stared mournfully at his guitar before searching the internet to try again. He just pulled up the web search when he heard his Dad calling for him. Getting up off his bed Hamish opened the door, “Hamish? Can you assist us with something?” John called. Hamish was about to step out when John added. “Papa wants you to bring your guitar.”
Furrowing his brow a tad confused Hamish walked back into his room, grabbed his guitar and slid it into the case, sliding the strap over his back he headed down the steps. He noticed that Papa was M.I.A but Hamish grabbed his coat from his Dad’s hands as they headed on down to the main level of their flat. John told Hamish Sherlock was waiting for them. Hailing a taxi John opened the door and his son climbed in and he slid in after him. Giving the driver an address they headed on their way.
Hamish said nothing; he pulled out his mobile and then stopped as they pulled up to Royal Albert Hall. As the taxi stopped John told Hamish that his Papa was inside waiting for him. Before he got out of the taxi Hamish looked at his Dad a bit worried. But John promised to be in right after he paid the driver.
Hamish headed out and walked up the building. Two things crossed his mind. The first one was that his Papa was trespassing and he was going to get arrested with him. Having to call Violet for help for his Papa would refuse to call Uncle Myccy. The second was that this was a trap. That his Papa was eaten by aliens and that they were luring him in to eat him as well. Both sadly seemed plausible at this point.
Pushing open the grand door he saw that his Papa was sitting there on the stage. “Papa…” Hamish said a bit confused as he descended down the main isle of the grand hall. Sherlock stood up and smiled, Hamish saw there was another chair, with an amp and a music stand. He also noticed that his Papa’s violin looked different. As he got closer he saw it wasn’t exactly his Papa’s violin, as it had a solid body and was hooked up to an amp. “Papa? What’s that?” Hamish asked as he motioned to the violin he was holding.
“In a case we just finished a violinist owed me a favor. I told him about my son’s desire to play with me but how he could only play the guitar, and preferred the electric one at that, and he came up with a solution.” Sherlock explained as he held up the violin. “The electric violin.” Sherlock smiled as he brandished the instrument. “I also have some sheet music if you are confident enough in your capabilities.”
Hamish eagerly jogged up the stairs and onto the stage. He looked out to see the huge concert hall; he then turned back and looked at his Papa, looking down he saw the sheet music. “Seems fitting.” Hamish tried to compose himself and not show how excited he was.
As the two Watson-Holmes boys got settled John walked in and took a seat in the middle of the concert hall. His son looked more than excited as he plugged in his guitar and took a seat. Hamish grabbed his pick that was tucked away in the strings on the neck of the guitar. John then looked over and saw the look in Sherlock’s eyes. He was just as excited to play with his son, though he had many years of practice suppressing his excitement.
Hamish took a deep breath and began to read the music and play. Sherlock turned his head and looked at his son and saw how fast and poetic like on the guitar. But soon it was Sherlock’s turn. He held his violin and began to play alongside his son.
John grinned as the music sped up fat. He had glanced at the music Sherlock had picked and he giggled to himself. “Flight of the bumble bee.”
How horrendously appropriate, it sounded like Sherlock and Hal too. Fast and loud. When the song ended John stood up and clapped for both of his musicians. On stage Sherlock began to put the violin away when he had to stop his movements due to Hamish hugging him hard. “Thank you Papa.” He said.
Sherlock looked at his son. He wrapped him into a hug. He never realized how much this meant to Hamish to play with him. “You were-” Sherlock was cut off by his son.
“Okay.” Hamish said as he saw his Dad walking towards them.
Sherlock shook his head. He placed his hands on his shoulder shoulders and looked at him. “Brilliant. Fantastic and extraordinary.” He told him.
Hamish’s blue eyes lit up at his dad’s praise. “Really?”
“Yes. And if you keep practicing you will be even more brilliant and fantastic than you are now.” Sherlock stopped and looked at Hamish pulling his son, his teenage son, into a hug. He smiled as he tried to hide his face, for he knew John already knew he was getting tears in his eyes.
John stood there as he smiled at his husband. Proud of both of his boys.