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John had never tried to do something like this before and to be honest five minutes in when he’d turned around to see Chris with a bright blue hand print on his nose and Sasha slowly sliding a line of red paint across the table with her chin he’d been sure that he’d made a terrible mistake especially as he had less than an hour before Lestrade was due home from his early morning run.
Lestrade had taken to running early on a Sunday morning when John was home to look after the twins and no matter how many time John had offered him breakfast in bed for his birthday Lestrade had been determined to run as normal although he had offered to return to bed when he got home if they really wanted him to.
John had seen a strange side to Lestrade in the run up to his birthday and it was one he wasn’t sure he fully understood. Lestrade had seemed to become more stressed by the day and also slightly nervous so John had finally decided to stop contesting the run and to take the opportunity to help the children make a very special present for their dad instead.
John had bought Lestrade a pint size tea cup for his birthday, there were many occasions where Lestrade had been settled on the sofa with one or other of the children asleep on his knee and had run out of tea in his cup. John thought the best solution to the problem was a bigger cup and it was a very special kind of cup, opposite the handle was a beautiful photo of Sasha and Chris and either side of the photo were white spaces just big enough for little handprints.
John had thought it would be simple to get beautiful handprints of the children onto the mug because somehow in ordering the thing he had forgotten every second of his previous experience with Sasha and Chris.
With just seconds to spare John had managed to return the painted mug to the box to dry, to shower both of the children and to wash the kitchen table, As he heard the front door open John turned to the children with a grin on his face and his finger to his lips.
“Shush, don’t tell daddy, it’s a surprise.”
Chris and Sasha giggled in their highchairs and John opened the kitchen door, surprising Lestrade with a birthday kiss.
Lestrade’s birthday breakfast was pancakes with fresh fruit and yogurt and they ate at the kitchen table because John wasn’t quite sure how they’d get strawberry and blackberry juice out of the yellow flowery sheets that were on their bed. For half a second John’d considered it would be a good excuse to get rid of the sheets that could only possibly have been bought my Joyce but he’d discounted the thought as quickly as he could.
Lestrade tucked into his breakfast like a man who’d just run ten miles and John smiled as he watched him enjoy it. John enjoyed having someone to spoil on their birthday and he loved watching Lestrade smile and laugh.
“You didn’t have to do this you know, it’s only my birthday.”
“This is just the start isn’t it kids? There are presents next.”
“Presents?” Lestrade looked almost uncomfortable as he asked the question and John got up and walked around the table crouching down next to Lestrade.
“Go on tell me what I’ve done wrong.”
“Nothing, oh God you’ve done nothing wrong John, sorry this is just weird, sorry.”
“In what way is getting presents for your birthday weird? You bought me a present for mine.”
“I know I did but that’s different, well it’s not I know but, Oh just ignore me Ok?”
“No not OK, it’s your birthday and we’re going to spoil you because we love you.”
Lestrade’s face broke into a smile as he looked up to see both Chris and Sasha smiling at him with fruit pips in their teeth and yogurt all over their faces.
“That’s better; you have a very sexy smile you know.”
“Not as sexy as yours.”
Lestrade leant down to kiss John. “So when do I get my present?”
John glanced from Lestrade to the twins and back again
“Given the smell and look of you lot I’d say after we’ve made use of the new family shower!”
About an hour later the four of them were washed, cleaned and in new, none smelly or fruit covered clothed and John was hoping Lestrade hadn’t noticed the small blue hand print on the one towel he’d forgotten to remove from the bathroom after the earlier clean up.
“Presents then tea and cake I think”
John ushered Lestrade onto the sofa and handed Sasha a bag
“Give this to daddy darling.”
Sasha passed the bag over and Lestrade took it eagerly, pulling a large cardboard box out of it.
“Just what I wanted, a box to keep things in.”
Chris turned around and glared at Lestrade in a way that on an older child he would have sworn meant ‘Ha Ha, very funny’ and Lestrade huffed out a laugh as he set about the sticky tape and pulled the mug from the box.
Had John not been the gentleman he was he would have pointed out the tears that slowly fell from Lestrade’s eyes but instead he kissed Lestrade’s cheek and left him with his children while he collected the birthday cake from its hiding place in the kitchen cupboard.
John thought that candles and singing might be a step too far for Lestrade on his first experience of a Doctor Watson led birthday celebration so he cut pieces of cake for the four of them before carrying them through to the living room
“Don’t make too much mess you two or you for that matter.”
“I promise I’ll be careful doc but I suspect these two will be needing their third shower of the day within the next ten minutes.”
John looked at Lestrade, trying to look confused even though he knew exactly what he was talking about,
“Third?”
“Well I might not be DI Lestrade anymore but I think even I could just about fingerprint match the towel you tried to hide from me in the bathroom to my amazing mug.”
John sighed theatrically and sat down next to Lestrade and curled up into his side
“We can’t hide anything from you can we?”
Lestrade slipped his arm around John’s shoulder.
“Thank you for taking the time to try.”