The One Next Door

Marriage is Just So...Possible?

John sat on the end of the couch, but being the child he was, Sherlock lay down horizontally with his head in John's lap, just so that he could play with his curls once more. It's been a while since the two of them had be been brave enough to even sit close to each other, and now Sherlock didn't really care. They were going to leave tomorrow anyway.
"You are so needy." John laughed, but never the less he poked Sherlock's cheek and ran his fingers through Sherlock's hair. Sherlock smiled, looking up at John with love.
"Are you still up for the omelet completion?" he asked.
"Course I am, I need to prove to your mother that she's superior to everyone." John shrugged.
"Don't do it for her ego, it' already swollen." Sherlock assured.
"Well, I think it would be nice anyway." John insisted.
"And now with you, I kind of think half the people on the block are going to have to turn off their hearing aids just so they don't have to listen to her brag about what a wonderful boyfriend her son has." Sherlock pointed out.
"I'm not...wonderful." John insisted.
"Oh stop it John, just stop it!" Sherlock laughed. "That's all she seems to be able to say about you, to boast about how nice you are, and your excellent manners, and I heard her mutter to dad about how handsome you were."
"Your mom was commenting on how handsome I was?" John asked in disbelief.
"That's all I could talk to Molly about after the painting." Sherlock shrugged, running his thumb over John's cheek just to try to demonstrate how absolutely perfect John's face was.
"Ya well, I'm not handsome." John insisted. Sherlock closed his eyes in annoyance, not wanting to say anything too deep because his father was sitting in an arm chair a couple of feet away.
"You make bloody Aphrodite look like a cave troll." Sherlock decided.
"Aphrodite is a woman!" John pointed out.
"Which should be even more embarrassing for her, because a mere mortal man managed to out beauty her." Sherlock pointed out.
"That 'mere mortal' is you then." John decided.
"You two are disgusting." Mycroft decided. Sherlock looked up quickly, to see Mycroft having returned from kissing his umbrella upstairs.
"Oh, it's you." Sherlock muttered.
"Of course it's me; we're living in the same house!" Mycroft defended.
"Yes, you're right, remind me to disinfect myself when I get home." Sherlock muttered to John, who just laughed a little bit. "Why are we disgusting Mycroft?" Sherlock asked, setting his head back down and letting John loop his fingers around his curls.
"All that...affection, the cheesiest of complements, it's horrific." Mycroft decided.
"Don't you mean ghastly?" John asked mysteriously, and Sherlock smiled proudly.
"Aw, he's learning, they do grow up so fast." Sherlock said proudly. Mycroft scowled, sitting on the couch and turning on some pathetic documentary about business managing. The rest of the night was kind of dull, Sherlock spent half of it making fun of John for his purse, and Mrs. Holmes kept insisting on taking it back and buying him something more manly. Mycroft, of course, was whining all the livelong day about how cuddly Sherlock and John were being, when in fact they were being kind. Sherlock was only leaning into John's shoulder, they weren't even holding hands. Dinner was small, Mrs. Holmes just put together some sandwiches with the leftover ham, and no one ate more than one, their stomachs still full from the delicious lunch they had. Then Mrs. Holmes turned off Mycroft's documentary (no one except Mycroft seemed to care) and made the most of the cheesy Christmas movies the Hallmark channel still dared to play. They were, if possible, even worse than the ones the night before. It seemed to be that they took the cheesiest, most pathetic, predictable plot, and just added Christmas to it, making their first kiss purely off of mistletoe and a little bit too much to drink. Sherlock's first kiss, in his mind, was much more romantic than anything the Hallmark channel was able to cough up. Just as the 'romantic' part was coming up, Mycroft cleared his throat and made some pathetic excuse about having to drive the next morning, so he had to get some sleep. Sherlock was sure that his brother's sleep habits were the least of his worries, but Mycroft was so disgusted by any type of romantic entanglement that he refused to observe it, even in the Hallmark Channel's pathetic attempts to make two robots seem to have feelings for each other. With some hasty goodnights and a glare from Sherlock, Mycroft went up to his room, his fancy shoes clicking against the hardwood as he finally left.
"He's so whiny." Sherlock sighed, leaning even closer to John and snuggling his head into the crook of his neck.
"I see the relation then." John decided.
"I'm not as annoying as he is." Sherlock defended.
"It depends on who's point of view you have." John shrugged.
"How do you ever put up with me?" Sherlock asked, mystified.
"You constant whining is a small price to pay for your love." John insisted. Sherlock would've said something in response, but he heard the sound not unlike Molly's squeals over where his mother was sitting, who was trying to act as normal as possible.
"I think you've got a fan over there." Sherlock decided.
"I have a lot of fans Sherlock, how else am I going to stay cool in the summer?" John asked.
"Boo." Sherlock decided.
"Shush, he's going to confess his love!" Mr. Holmes insisted.
"Oh, sorry, let's all focus on the scripted movie romance instead of true love over here!" Sherlock snapped.
"Shush Sherlock." John insisted, tapping him on the shoulder to get him to shut up. Sherlock groaned, but kept his mouth shut as hunky guy number two ran through the snow storm to declare his love for stereotypical 'normal' blonde supermodel girl.
"This is pathetic." Sherlock muttered.
"You're pathetic." John snapped. Sherlock opened his mouth to answer, but his sentence was cut off when John's phone rang, that loud, annoying sound that had interrupted so many of their conversations.
"Who is it now?" Sherlock groaned. John pulled out his phone, holding up the screen so Sherlock couldn't see, and groaned.
"It's my parents; I suppose they want to wish me a Merry Christmas." John groaned.
"Do they know where you are?" Sherlock asked.
"I never really got around to telling them, excuse me." John decided, lifting Sherlock's head up so he could go upstairs to answer the call. Sherlock didn't know why he had to go upstairs; it wasn't like his conversation with his parents would be vulgar, but whatever floats his boat.
"That was his parents?" Mrs. Holmes asked.
"Ya, he won't be a minute." Sherlock shrugged.
"Have you met them?" she asked.
"Why, worried you're going to have rubbish in-laws?" Sherlock asked with a laugh.
"They're actually called co-in-laws." Mr. Holmes pointed out.
"Well sorry." Sherlock sighed.
"Have you met them though?" she asked again.
"No, I have not met them, but I'm sure they're fine." Sherlock decided.
"I hope they like us." Mrs. Holmes decided.
"We're very likeable darling, we'll be fine." Mr. Holmes insisted. Sherlock laughed with doubt, but didn't say anything in case he permanently damaged his mother's ego.
"Why are you thinking about co-in-laws? Do you think there's a chance you two will get married?" Mrs. Holmes asked.
"You're so desperate for grandchildren it's almost sad." Sherlock decided.
"It's a fair question Sherlock." Mr. Holmes pointed out.
"Yes, alright, I'd love to marry him. I don't know what his viewpoint is, but I'd love to." Sherlock decided.
"Well, you father and I discussed it the other night, and we permit it." Mrs. Holmes decided.
"You discussed it?" Sherlock asked in disgust.
"Yes, it's a reasonable question, especially if he comes and asks for your hand." Mr. Holmes did that.
"Your father did that with my parents." Mrs. Holmes pointed out.
"Oh, I was so scared, I was sure they wouldn't approve." Mr. Holmes agreed with a laugh.
"But look at us now, happy as can be. And I think you have the possibility to be happy with John." Mrs. Holmes pointed out.
"Well, I'm not sure I'm the one you should tell, but that's nice." Sherlock sighed with annoyance, staring blankly at the TV screen while it flashed boring infomercials for Christmas lights, half off, since Christmas was over.
"Well, I know that since he's a man, and you're a man, that you're probably not too worried about accidental pregnancies, but you still have to be careful, there are all those diseases...." Mrs. Holmes started.
"John, hurry up!" Sherlock yelled.
"It's serious Sherlock, listen to your mother." Mr. Holmes insisted.
"I don't want to listen to my mother." Sherlock pointed out. "I'm a grown adult, I know what not to do."
"I hope for your sake that you do, because if..." Mrs. Holmes' sentence was cut off by John walking down the stairs, shutting off his phone and looking confused.
"You called?" he asked.
"Ya I called, what took you so long?" Sherlock asked.
"What's so important?" John asked.
"Nothing, I just missed you." Sherlock shrugged.
"Well, since I'm up, I might as well go to bed." John decided.
"That's my cue." Sherlock agreed, holding out his hand for John to pull him off of the couch, suddenly too lazy to use his legs.
"Good night Mr. and Mrs. Holmes, and remember, omelets in the morning, be warned." John insisted.
"I won't get too confident." Mrs. Holmes agreed with a smile.
"Good night Sherlock!" Mr. Holmes called.
"Yes, I suppose it is." Sherlock shrugged, and with that he took John's hand and walked up to their bedroom. When they got to the hallway, Sherlock noticed Mycroft's eyes peering through the partially opened door, but the moment they came up the stairs he shut it quickly.
"Real sneaky Mycroft!" Sherlock laughed, knocking tauntingly on the door before walking into his own bedroom.
"What's he spying on us for?" John asked.
"I have no idea. If he doesn't like the idea of romance, then he really shouldn't be watching us should he?" Sherlock agreed with a laugh.
"That's alright; maybe if he sees how happy you've become, he'll start to try to find his own partner." John suggested.
"The day Mycroft picks a partner is the day the world ends." Sherlock decided.
"If he did open himself up to relationships, do you think he'll be gay as well?" John asked.
"Why, are you going to leave me for Mycroft?" Sherlock asked with a disgusted laugh.
"No, god no, just wondering." John said innocently.
"Well, I can't tell you. I haven't seen my brother show any signs of emotion, family, friends, pretty women, attractive men, I don't know." Sherlock shrugged.
"Does he actually not like anyone, or is he just stubborn?" John asked.
"He's stubborn, definitely. I used to be just like him, until I realized how stupid it was not to love." Sherlock laughed.
"When was that?" John asked.
"Midway through college, when the boys started to become increasingly attractive." Sherlock admitted.
"Aw, you're so cute." John laughed, ruffling Sherlock's hair.
"I'm not cute, I'm the darkness." Sherlock insisted.
"You're the cute darkness." John decided with a laugh. Sherlock just rolled his eyes, but they changed into their pajamas and slid under the blankets, Dudley all snuggled up in his bed, and John turning off the lamp.
"All that present opening, I'm exhausted." Sherlock decided.
"Well, big day tomorrow, got to get my beauty sleep." John sighed.
"What big day?" Sherlock asked with a scowl.
"I've got to crush your mom in an omelet contest." He pointed out.
"You're such a charmer, it's ridiculous." Sherlock decided.
"I'm not a charmer; I still think your father doesn't approve all that much." John sighed.
"They approved you." Sherlock pointed out.
"Approved me?" John asked.
"As in, they told me that you had their permission to marry me." Sherlock pointed out.
"Oh, great." John said, his smile evident even in the darkness.
But that's ages away; you still have time to be a secret drug lord or secret assassin." Sherlock shrugged.
"Honestly Sherlock, it's not that far away." John muttered.
"So you don't deny it?" Sherlock asked with a laugh.
"I deny it, of course I'm not a drug lord. But I'm not joking. I would marry you right here, right now, without any hesitation whatsoever." John insisted.
"Is that a hint?" Sherlock asked.
"It might be." John agreed.
"Do you think your parents would like me?" Sherlock asked.
"Who cares what they think? I want to spend the rest of my life with you, the rest of my wonderful life with you and only you, because any future without you just seems black and white." John insisted.
"Are you saying I'm a rainbow?" Sherlock asked.
"I'm saying you are everything." John insisted, pressing a kiss to Sherlock's nose under the blankets.
"I agree, one hundred percent, I would marry you as well." Sherlock agreed.
"Then why don't we?" John asked.
"Are you in a hurry?" Sherlock asked.
"I don't just want to be your lowly boyfriend, that's childish term. I want to be your husband." John insisted.
"As do I, but once again, I'm broke, you're broke, and engagement rings cost half a soul. Let's wait it out just for a little bit, just so that one of us can save a little bit." Sherlock decided.
"Let me do the ring shopping." John insisted.
"This is a problem for another day, and another place, definitely." Sherlock decided.
"Why, what's wrong with your parents' house?" John asked.
"Mycroft's probably listening right now." Sherlock muttered.
"I don't care." John decided.
"Good night John. You need all the rest you can get for your big competition tomorrow." Sherlock laughed.
"I'll crush her like a bug." John decided.
"Don't actually do that, she is my mother, remember." Sherlock pointed out.
"It's a simile Sherlock darling, not literal." John insisted. Sherlock just rolled his eyes, but scooted closer to John, letting the other man wrap his arms around Sherlock's chest and snuggle closer.
"Things are going to change Sherlock, and when they do, they are going to be amazing." John decided.
"They already are." Sherlock insisted, and with that he closed his eyes and let the rhythm of John's breathing rock him to sleep.