|| Be Her Guard || Sherlock Holmes x Reader

|♢| Chapter 16 |♢| Secret Between Us

When Sherlock had shaken you awake at exactly six this morning, telling not asking you to accompany him to a meeting with Mycroft, you had been hesitant. Despite wanting to be a supportive girlfriend who protects her boyfriend from the teasing of his older brother, you couldn't exactly say you aren't a little afraid of the man yourself.

Interactions between you and Mycroft had always been few and far in between, providing you with very little context about how the older Holmes son may feel towards you, but what you did know for certain was that you had once overheard a conversation between the two brothers where he had warned Sherlock not to get too close to you.

The comment as well as thought that he must disapprove of your existence in his brother's life had pricked your heart even back then, but being Sherlock's friend, you disregarded it for the most part. Things have changed, however, because now you're Sherlock's girlfriend which means Mycroft, if you allow yourself so much as a second to consider the possibility, could very well be your brother-in-law one day, giving you all the more reason to fret over his options.

One of the highest honors within a relationship is having both families approve of it, something you had always failed to achieve with the Timmons family no matter how hard you tried, but Sherlock is far more important to you than Apollo ever was, therefore, what your families think really matters to you.

You know your own parents, while a bit put off by Sherlocks...strange personality, approve of him overall because they had seen firsthand how he fought to protect you against Apollo and you can feel confident saying that Sherlock's parents approve as well, after all, his mother had always been your biggest shipper. You're sure she'd be calling every day for a wedding date once she finds out you're actually dating now which left your remaining worry as Mycroft, so one could imagine the mix of surprise and solace you felt when the older Holmes brother suddenly congratulated the two of you during a midpoint of banter the two had been sharing.

Sherlock, who'd never admit it to a single soul even if they beg, shares a portion of your relief, although, he'll claim it's only because he expected Mycroft to rant about romantic relationships being a distraction, not that he secretly likes feels pride in his brother approving of you. Either way, Sherlock didn't enjoyed the redness that had been brought to his cheeks whenever Mycroft began mentioning how happy he is for his 'baby brother' or asking for further details, but it had all been worth it to hear you gush the entire cab ride home, so thrilled to finally have a boyfriend's family approve that you had forgotten to ask what was in the bag that Mycroft had handed Sherlock as the two of you left.

You lead the way into the flat with a somewhat giddy smile, Sherlock following directly behind you with a slightly assumed one of his own which acts as a total contrast to the irked expression he had carried throughout the earlier portion of the morning.

"You're back fast," John comments from his seat, glancing up from the book he's been reading since Sherlock had so kindly broken his laptop in his previous fit of anger yesterday.

The detective in question lazily drops the heavy bag he's been holding onto John's lap while passing by to flop down on his usual seat, offering no explanation until John asks," it's a new laptop. Courtesy of Mycroft in return for a favor."

"What was the favor? I didn't think you two even talked about business," you point out from the kitchen where you're filling a glass of water for yourself.

"That he got to see you and embarrass me," Sherlock grumbles, still clearly annoyed that his brother wants to be invested in his life.

Meanwhile John takes the laptop out of the box to study it. It's a far more expensive model than the last, so hopefully Sherlock doesn't go breaking it, too.