His Great Game (Sherlock x Reader)

Chapter 18: A New Case

(Your POV)

The next several weeks went by quietly. Mycroft dropped in to check up on us on Sundays, but other than that, there was almost no movement in or out of the flat. John was in and out to Sarah's or his job, while I went out for a walk every evening. It had become my stress-reliever; all thoughts of Moriarty or the still visible word on my neck were gone once the cool air hit my face. It was doing wonders physically, too. I felt better, physically and mentally. Like I could take on anybody- Moriarty included.

Sherlock never left the flat, spending most of his days on the sofa in his mind palace. He would only sleep or eat every couple of days, and that worried me. He needed food just like every other normal human being. Not that Sherlock could be defined as normal. Occasionally, Mrs. Hudson would pop in with tea and biscuits. Sometimes Sherlock ate them, but mostly he didn't. He just laid there on the sofa. Since that was supposed to be my bed, I ended up stealing his most nights. Might as well, he wasn't paying attention enough to care.

It was all so strange. The three of us hardly said a word to one another- not out of anger or contempt, but simply because none of us could find the words to say. The silence made me want to scream. I had gotten myself a job, finally. Lestrade had graciously offered me a paid position as consulting detective. Basically, I followed Sherlock around and helped out with the cases. Nothing new, but now I was getting paid for it. However, this last week had held no new cases for our little trio. Considering this, it was a miracle that Sherlock hadn't attacked the wall yet.

So with all the silence and inactivity, you can imagine my surprise when I came home from a walk one evening to find the flat bustling with life. Mycroft and Sherlock were seated in the living room, chatting away about something or another. John was busy in the kitchen making coffee for everyone. I took a deep breath in. Mm... Smells just like a coffee shop.

"Smells great, John! Sherly, I'm home!" I sang out as I closed the door softly behind me. I practically bounced over to his chair and ruffled his hair, embarrassing him in front of his brother.

Mycroft chuckled. "Sherly?"

"Shut up." Sherlock mumbled, blushing.

I headed over to the bathroom to change out of my athletic-wear, giving Mycroft a pat on the shoulder on the way out of the living room. "Good to see you, too, Mikey."

Mycroft groaned. "Oh, brilliant. Are you going to call me that all the time, now?"

I stopped in the doorway of the bathroom. "Oh, sorry. Does it really bother you that much?" I made myself sound genuinely concerned.

Mycroft let out a small sigh of relief, thinking I was going to drop the nickname. "Yes."

"Then yes, I will." Mycroft scowled and I gave a sly grin, locking the door behind me. Not wanting to have to steal one of the boy's rooms every day to change, I had decided to keep all my bags stowed under the sink in the bathroom. I changed out of my clothes into ripped, acid wash skinny jeans and a gray tee. I quickly took my hair out of its ponytail and shook it out, then replaced my sneaks with comfy socks and headed back out to the living room.

"Ah, (Y/n). Excellent, now we can begin." Mycroft's voice carried from the living room, where he was still seated in John's chair. John sat on the coffee table nearby. I headed over to join him, grabbing a cup of coffee from the kitchen first. Sherlock was grinning, trying not to bounce out of his chair.

"What is it?" I asked, sipping my drink. It wasn't often Mycroft stopped by, so I figured it must be something important.

"We've got a case!" Sherlock practically yelled, grinning. John smiled, too.