A Study In Love - A Johnlock Fanfiction

Chapter Twenty-Two

I just want to say thank you to everyone who's read/voted for/commented on this! Just got over 100 comments and not too far from 10,000 reads. Still unbelievable. Thank you :)

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"John, so nice to see you."

These were the words John was greeted with when Mycroft opened the door to his office. There was a smile on his face, though John knew that behind his friendly façade, Mycroft was not happy at John's unexpected visit. Nevertheless, he smiled back and walked inside when Mycroft stepped out of the way.

"Please, take a seat."  John did as he was told and sat down in a plush armchair in a corner of the room. Mycroft closed the door, then sat across from John in the other one. He crossed his legs and folded his hands in his lap as he stared at John. John stared back for a moment before realizing that he should probably be the one to speak first, since he was the one who had requested that they meet. He knew it was short-notice but he'd really needed to see Mycroft.

It had been over two months since they'd gone to Lestrade's party, and though Sherlock's nightmares seemed to be gone for good and he was back to working on cases, John still felt like something wasn't right with him. He had been acting very secretive lately, like there was still something he was keeping from him, and John had run out of ideas as to how to get Sherlock to tell him whatever information he was withholding.  He figured that out of all the people in the world who could help him with tips on how to get information out of Sherlock, his brother would be the best person to go to. So, that morning when Sherlock had taken off to Scotland Yard to meet with Lestrade, John had made a quick phone call, and now here he was, sitting in front of Mycroft, twiddling his thumbs while he searched for the right words to say.

"I suppose you'd like to know why I asked to talk with you."

"Something's wrong with Sherlock, and you want my help figuring out what." John looked to Mycroft, who had his usual haughty look upon his face. John let out a sigh and nodded his head.

"Yes, well, sort of. You see… he's been acting a bit strange lately." Mycroft chuckled without humour.

"John, it's Sherlock," he scoffed.

"I know, but I'm not talking about his usual strangeness." John said, slightly annoyed by Mycroft's tone of voice. He wasn't particularly fond of the way everyone spoke about Sherlock, and the fact that his own brother would speak about him in such a manner was even more appalling. Not to mention the way Mycroft always spoke to John as if he were some sort of caveman. He was quite insulted, but continued anyway. "He's been acting stranger than usual. He's a lot…happier and more pleasant to be around, which I wouldn't be complaining about if he hadn't become so secretive as well. You see, he never lets me see his phone, not even for a second. He always has it with him and he's been using it more than usual, but when I ask him about it he just looks at me like I'm insane and then won't speak to me for an hour. He just seems to be more distant and reserved as well. I know he's sort of like this normally, but I feel like something's changed. I've tried talking to him, but I'm not getting anywhere."

"I see…" Mycroft said, leaning back slightly, raising his hand to stroke his chin. It seemed his interest had been piqued.  John smiled to himself before he began talking again.

"I know he's keeping something from me, and I'd like your help in figuring out just what it is he's hiding, or at least tell me how to get Sherlock to, um, open up."

"Have you tried getting him drunk?" Mycroft suggested. "He tends to lose what little bit of a filter he has when intoxicated."

"Well, we went to a party a while ago and he had a few drinks there. But even then I didn't get much out of him. He only told me about the nightmares he's been having."