Canis Lupus Familiaris

Tailwinds

The pale detective pulled his dark coat tighter around himself, bracing against the frigid winds. The icy tailwinds pushed the detective's coat collar flat against his quivering black curls, as he marched toward his flat.

Sherlock scraped his shoes on Mrs Hudson's obnoxious holiday rug; he ground his heel into the bristly grinning snowman. He scraped the slosh off his shoes, partly out of spite and partly out of respect for his landlady's wood floors.

"Sherlock?" Mrs Hudson tittered about the tall man feverishly. "You've been out all day! Go on! Upstairs, dear. John's gotten you a gift!" She motioned him upstairs with a slight flick of her hand.

"Why?" Sherlock pulled his scarf undone and shook out his snow-wet hair.

"It's Christmas!" She trotted away and called to John. "John, dear! Sherlock is home!"

"Thank you, Mrs Hudson. I'm certain he wouldn't've deduced that himself when I walked in the door." He kissed her once on the cheek and softened his expression slightly. He lept up the stairs and called back an obligatory, "Merry Christmas, Mrs Hudson."

Sherlock anxiously shut the door behind him, throwing his coat and scarf to the nearest chair, awaiting Johns aforementioned gift. The other man stood watching, mug in hand in the doorframe of the kitchen. Sherlock's eyes scanned the rooms and acknowledged the popping warmth of the fire oozing into his cold form.

John stepped into the parlor and set down his mug to pull the detective's wet jacket onto a hook. "I can't believe you worked today. On bloody Christmas!" John shook his head, chiding Sherlock's behavior.

"Criminals don't stop for trivial holidays, doctor," Sherlock rebutted from his now sprawled-out form atop his sofa. "I don't see why I should care about Christmas," the disdain seeped from Sherlock's voice like melting ice.

"The point is Sherlock you should care because I've gotten you a gift," John evaded an explanation for the holiday completely, knowing that the stubborn brunette would argue his way out of any of John's justifications with quick wit and a touch of arrogance. The army doctor shuffled to Sherlock's sofa only to swiftly pull the taller man's legs onto the floor and taking their former place.

Sherlock let out a small noise of disapproval and surprise. "What're you doing now? Clearly you've got something to show me but the sweeping gesture indicates something rather large. John what's going on?" The detective spoke quickly following his train of thought, raising an eyebrow at the blond.

John let out a somewhat shaky breath and turned to grab a sizeable box, hidden by the bulk of the sofa they both resided on. "Please don't try to deduce. Just once I'd like one of my gifts to be a bloody surprise," he half muttered as he pulled the box onto their laps. "We'll go on then. Open it," the shorter man nudged the box closer to Sherlock.

"John," Sherlock's stoic façade cracked, displaying genuine surprise and elation. "Thank you." The detective thanked the other man before even opening the box and John gave a groan knowing that Sherlock had already deduced the content of the package. Holmes's slender fingers lifted the top of the box to display a young puppy, seemingly smiling at the pair.

"I know she's not the same as Redbeard, but I thought we might be able to use a dog," John scanned Sherlock's face looking for signs that his actions were not taken in an ill manner. His shoulders seemed to tighten in anticipation as Sherlock pulled the puppy to his chest.

"Thank you, John," he allowed a small smile to grow on his face while he pet the young pup. John seemed to soften into a more relaxed state as Sherlock's smile grew into a beaming grin. He appeared at a loss for words as he melted into John's warm embrace.

"You're very welcome Sherlock," he placed a sweet kiss onto the detective's still blithe awestruck lips. He couldn't help but smile as he leaned into his captivating flat mate. Sherlock's walls and restrains seemed to vanish and John filled him up with a warm wholesome feeling of home. And he was happy.

"Merry Christmas, Sherlock."