Chapter Text
It was a quiet afternoon in 221B Baker Street. John was working on prepping dinner for the night while Sherlock was trying to help Rosie settle the argument between her stuffed animals.
“So is the puppy being the mean one?” The detective was a genius in most areas, but raising a toddler? Toughest case he has ever had.
“No, Sherlock! The puppy is being picked on!” The way Rosie said his name sounded like ‘Shorlock.’ “The elephant is the one being a twat!”
“Rosie! Language!” John shouted from the kitchen.
“It’s not like I called him a bastard.” Rosie looked up at Sherlock as she said it, as if he were to agree with her.
“Rosie!” John was coming out of the kitchen now. Rosie was giggling at the scolding she was about to receive.
“Alright, potty mouth, looks like you are going to have some pasta tonight for dinner. Are you excited to see Uncle Greg?” John had picked her up and was now carrying her around the room as Sherlock started to gather the toys that were laid across the room.
“Yay! Greg!”
“Alright, do you need to go to the bathroom now or are you ok?” John paused in front of the bathroom on the way to Rosie’s room.
“I’m ok.” Her head was resting on her father's shoulder.
“Ok. Let’s get you into some comfy clothes before Greg gets here.”
John went into Rosie’s room to help her change. She was more independent now at 3, so all he really needed to do was make sure she didn’t put on her princess dress as pajamas. Sherlock had finished cleaning the living room and was now in their room changing for the reason Greg was coming over: a date.
“Let me know if you need any help!” John was now coming into the room and saw Sherlock standing next to the bed, shirtless.
“I could use some help if you're offering.” Sherlock looked at John with a smug expression.
“Oh, piss off,” John said with a chuckle as he went into their closet to grab an outfit. Nothing too fancy, but a basic suit to wear to the restaurant. When he came back, he kissed Sherlock.
“We really need to work on her language, you know,” John said as he rested his head against Sherlock's chest
“She will be fine. She is already the smartest one in preschool.” Sherlock looked down at his partner and smiled.
“Yeah, because she lives with a genius.” John stepped away and started to tie his tie. “Greg will be here soon, so we should probably be ready to go right away. I still can’t believe we are getting the chance to leave for a night.
Sherlock began to adjust his tie as well. “Be careful; you might jinx it.”
“Daaaaaddd!” John let his head fall as he stood in place for a second with a sigh, then he went out of the room towards his daughter.
“Whaaaat.” He replied, matching her tone as he went towards her room.
Sherlock laughed at the two people he loved most. About 2 years after Mary’s death, Sherlock began to understand that the feelings he was having towards his best friend were love. To him, John wasn’t just his friend who lived with him and was the parent to Rosie; he was his rock that kept him together and made him realize that maybe life was worth living. Lestrade is one of the only people who know about them. They had very private lives, and when they went into public, like tonight, they would keep up the facade for their safety. Nobody wants to kill the best friend of someone but their lover? That is a target that neither of them wants shot at.
“Sherlock! Greg is here!” John shouted from the living room. Sherlock took that as his cue and went to join the rest of his family.
“Well, you clean up nicely.” Lestrade was in more casual clothes and was holding a container of cookies.
“Yeah, yeah, save your jokes, Graham.”
“Better than a bed sheet, ain't it?” John had a soft smile on his face as he looked up at Sherlock.
“Oh, you would prefer it.” Sherlock then turned to Greg.
“Please do not call us for any reason other than a 10. Anything less than catastrophic means nothing to me.”
“Glad you still care about the people of London, and you got it. I made sure that nobody calls me tonight unless it’s an emergency, so go and have fun.” Lestrade then whispered so Rosie couldn’t hear.
“I even took tomorrow off in case you two have too much fun and are hungover tomorrow.” He said with a laugh. Sherlock and John both rolled their eyes.
“Okay, it’s almost time for us to go. I have pasta in the fridge that can be reheated for dinner, so that should be good, and her blanket is in the dryer for tonight. She should be good on everything-”
“John. Relax. You do know this isn’t my first time with a toddler, correct?”
“Yeah, sorry, I’m probably just nervous about leaving her. Oh, her potty training sheet is on the bathroom door if you could follow that. Just kinda ask her if she needs to go every hour.”
“Alright, got it. Anything else?” This time Sherlock jumped in.
“Just make sure she doesn’t do anything I would do. You’ve raised kids, and they are still alive. I have full faith in you, so let’s leave before someone needs us.” He was starting to pull John towards the door.
“Bye, Dad!” Rosie was already taking her toys out of the box again and wasn’t even looking at them.
“Bye, Rosie! We will be back later tonight! I love you!” John was shouting as he made it to the door.
“Have fun tonight, you two; you deserve it.” Greg was starting to head over to the couch by Rosie. “Take all the time you need. Enjoy your night out!”
“Thank you again, Greg,” John said sincerely as he shut the door behind them. They then left the flat and hailed a cab.