I Never Do

A Pleasant Surprise

The Holmes family live in a luxurious house, with enough room for Sherlock to run around and drain his energy. Mycroft spent most of his time in their private library, reading books on law and politics. Their parents spent most of their time either talking aimlessly over tea, or relaxing outside in their backyard.

Sherlock's favorite room happened to be his father's study, because that's where the giant wall of nothing is, as he liked to call it. His father said that he could put anything he desired upon the wall, and so Sherlock pinned maps and paintings and posters all over. His father boasted proudly over his son's work, which made Sherlock grin like crazy.

Sherlock's favorite thing to do around the house is play pirates. He explained the game to Mycroft and their father, and the two happily agreed to play. Mycroft kept Sherlock distracted long enough so that their father could roam around the house, leaving little pieces of treasure for the boys to find. Any time Sherlock found something, he'd scream 'treasure!', then run around looking for more.

Mycroft would chase Sherlock all over the grounds. Eventually, it turned into a race. Whoever found the most treasure would get two desserts after dinner. Mycroft, of course, knew where everything was, but it always made him happy to see Sherlock shout with joy as he found whatever was hidden, so he would always go looking elsewhere so that his brother would find everything.

Their parents picked up on what Mycroft was doing, and they couldn't be more proud of him. After Sherlock would go to bed, they promised Mycroft that he could have an extra helping of dessert, as well, but he politely declined, saying that watching Sherlock be happy is far better than anything else he could be given.

***

Sherlock has a secret that he hasn't told anyone - not even Mycroft, and he tells him everything. He was waiting for the right moment to reveal it, which is where we find him now, gathering his family in the living room. It's their mother's birthday, so Sherlock figured that this would be his gift to her. He didn't know what else he could possibly give besides his love.

Everyone but Sherlock sat down. He walked to stand in front of mummy and held out a hand, which she took in her own.

"Hello, baby," she smiled. "What did you want to tell us?"

Mycroft and their father were looking at Sherlock, worried. Sherlock seemed to be trying to keep his free hand steady, but it is shaking and twitching, a clear sign of his nervousness.

Mycroft came to kneel beside his baby brother. He took the shaking hand in his and held it tightly. "Take your time, Sherlock. It's all right. Whatever it is, we're here for you, okay?"

Sherlock nodded slightly, his eyes downcast. He squeezed Mycroft's hand before pulling it back. He looked up, past his mother's shoulder. It's the best he could do.

He opened his mouth, took a small breath, and spoke.

"Mummy," his voice croaked. He'd never used it before, so it sounded small and broken.

His mother gasped, his father nearly fell out of his chair, and Mycroft just smiled.

"Daddy," he spoke again, much steadier this time. His father looked close to tears.

"My My My," he chanted, turning to look at Mycroft, or rather his neck. Mycroft moved closer to Sherlock, silently asking for permission to touch him, to which Sherlock jumped in his arms. "My," he whispered, wrapping his arms around his brother's neck.

Their mother cried alongside their father, and Mycroft held on tight to his brother. That night they celebrated this milestone by going out to a very fancy restaurant with the promise of any dessert of Sherlock's choosing.

When they got back home, they half-expected Sherlock to continue talking, but he seemed to only speak when it was important to him. Otherwise, he used his hands, which was more than okay for them.

***

Sherlock, though the fun and loving child that he is, has very few bad days; but when he does happen to stumble upon one, it's like he's been through hell and back.

Today seems to be one of those days.

His parents decided that it would be a nice day for a walk out into the city. Mycroft was skeptic about it because of Sherlock, but he agreed that even he needed to get out of the house for a while.

The first hour or so went by fine, but then lunch came around, and it was rush hour. All around them people began to mill about, talking loudly, moving quickly, shoving, running, walking.

Mycroft looked over at Sherlock, who was being carried by their mother. Although he could walk fine on his own, he didn't do well doing so out in public just yet, and for this reason exactly.

He seemed to appear fine, until it got to be too much for him. He started to pat his hands against mummy's shoulders, whimpering quietly in her ear. He shoved a few fingers in his mouth and bit down on them. Mycroft moved to pull them out before he drew blood, but Sherlock screeched.

Their mother turned her head to look at him.

"What's the matter, Sherlock?"

Sherlock could only continue to whimper in agony. She gently pulled his fingers free of his mouth and he screamed. She let go and he put them back in, sniffling quietly.

"Is it too much? Do you want to go home, baby boy?"

He nodded and lay his head down on her shoulder. He pulled his fingers out of his mouth and made a grabbing motion at Mycroft, who was carrying a bag with Sherlock's emergency blanket, toys, foods, etcetera. Mycroft pulled out his plush bee and handed it to Sherlock, who happily tucked it underneath his chin and closed his eyes as he began humming to himself. He never failed to put himself to sleep.

They went home and put Sherlock down for a nap while they went their own ways. Mycroft went to Sherlock's room to watch him sleep. In case he had any nightmares, Mycroft would be there for him.

Their mother went to go take a nap herself, and their father went to go fishing at the pond just behind their house.

Sherlock slept peacefully while Mycroft fell asleep alongside his baby brother, arms wrapped around him, protecting him from all the evil in the world. He made a promise, a vow of you will, that he would do anything for his brother. He's going to stick to that promise, no matter what, even in dreamland.