Organised Chaos - Sherlock x Reader

LXXXV • 85

"I've finally got it!" Sherlock pumped his fist in the air like a sports fan cheering on their favourite football team. He'd been traipsing about the flat for several hours now- ever since you'd given up Cluedo. He'd been mostly quiet apart from the occasional incoherent mutterings and the sound of his pacing, so this proclamation startled you.
"God, Sherlock, you scared me!"
"Sorry. But I finally have it! I know what to do."
"And what's that?" Your voice softened.
He answered your question with one of his own. "Are you working tomorrow?"
"No."
"Good, because we're going out tonight."
You raised your eyebrows. "Since when do you go on dates?" You asked with a smirk.
He narrowed his eyes. "It's not a date, it's a stakeout. You are invaluable to my work, therefore I'd like you to come along."
You grinned. "A stakeout? I don't suppose you've informed Lestrade of this?"
"Of course not, he'd want to come. And I can't have that, he's loud and impatient."
You shook your head with a smile, suppressing your urge to inform him that he too was often loud and impatient. "And how are you going to pull this off?"
"I've come to the logical conclusion that the children are being kept somewhere within a half mile radius of the river, perhaps in a private cabin relatively near-"
"Sherlock, slow down. I can barely keep up."
"Sorry." He made an effort to speak more slowly. "A private cabin relatively near the bank. Therefore, my hypothesis is that the children are being taken by the cook from the Home, brought to this riverside cabin, and held there until they are ready to be disposed of." He sighed, then continued. "That in mind, I figured we could go down to the riverside and see if we can find a cabin that seems most likely. If we can, I think it would be wise to keep an eye on it."
You nodded. "Sounds feasible."
"I hope so. It's my only idea." He looked reluctantly propitious, as though he was truly afraid it would be a worthless endeavour.
"It's 3:00 now. When did you want to leave?"
"Around six." He replied, absentmindedly.
You sighed, knowing exactly what he was thinking about. "You gotta stop worrying about them, Sherl. It's only going to slow you down."
"I know." He responded, biting his lip. "It's hard."
"It is." You said with another sigh. "But we gotta make an attempt. For their sake."
He nodded and sat down next to you. "How do you just stop?" He asked in despair.
"Think about something else. Distract yourself." You scooted closer and leaned against his shoulder.
He grinned down at you. "Are you trying to be my distraction?"
You laughed. "No, that wasn't my intention."
"And what if I recruit you?" He asked, tilting your chin up.
"What did you have in mind?" You asked, raising your eyebrow. You saw him glance at your lips, just for a second, then look back to your eyes. You felt your heart rate speed up.
He gave a small smirk. "Your heart's racing."
"Yeah it is." You said, almost under your breath.
"And why's that?" He asked, matching your tone. You knew that he knew exactly why, that he was just torturing you.
"Figure it out, genius." You replied, a smile playing on your lips.
"Fine." He said. "Let's experiment." He leaned down and kissed you, his hand still on your wrist. "Mmhmm. That worked." He smiled at you when he pulled away.
"Well done." You said, your eyes half closed.
He kissed you again, his hand now on the back of your neck, holding you close to him.

******

"I don't get it." It was a clear night at the river and you were lying on your back next to Sherlock. "Why do people hang on to their sentimentality about little dots of light in the sky that come and go?"
You laughed. "It's not sentimentality as much as just appreciation for beauty. The stars are far larger than the earth itself, you know."
"I don't actually. Why does it matter? Why does one even need to know the size of the stars, or even the planet? They're only going to stay in the same general area most of their lives. So why does it matter?"
You grinned. "Don't worry about it, Sherl."
He was quiet for a moment, looking back up at the stars. Then; "I do appreciate beauty."
"Do you now?" You asked, without looking at him.
He sat up. "Yes, I do. I appreciate you."
You felt heat rise to your cheeks and you were sure you had turned beet red. "You're not usually so mawkish." You said, trying to stay cool.
"I was actually being entirely serious." He replied, calmly.
You sat up as well and realised he was staring at you.
"Sherlock." You said, swallowing hard, trying to keep your eyes on his. "We need to concentrate on the case."
"Right." He said, looking away. He fixed his eyes on the comfortably situated cabin near the riverside that you'd been watching for a couple of hours already. There was a short stone path leading down to a private pier and a boat docked nearby. It had seemed your best option.

You had arrived at 6:30 after Sherlock had thrown the bare necessities- including two sleeping bags and a collapsible tent- into a bag and fairly dragged you out the door.

You stared at him now, watching him watch the cabin. He was completely still, sitting on his coat, which was spread out like a blanket beneath him. His knees were gathered to his chest and his arms were wrapped around them, his left hand loosely grasping his right elbow.
You wondered if he could feel it- the way most people could- when someone was staring at them. If he could, he showed no signs of it, remaining stock still save for the slight rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.
After a few long moments, you felt your eyes get heavy. You glanced at your watch and you were shocked to see that it was already nearly eleven.