The Exception (sherlock x reader)

Chapter 21: Calm Before the Storm

"Sherlock, I don't want to assume what you feel or what you want," You avoided Sherlock's gaze, to worried about what you might see when you looked into his eyes. "But I know what I feel for you is something I haven't felt for a long time and I don't want to pretend that I don't want to be with you."

"(Y/n), I care for you, but-"

"Oh, don't say that, don't give me any buts. Why can't we just leave at we both want something more."

"But," Sherlock insisted. "I do not want to antagonize Moriarty if it puts you in any more danger."

"I'm done letting him control my life." You stared almost defiantly at Sherlock. You refused for Moriarty to be the reason you couldn't be together. "I feel like you should be more worried about the danger this puts you in than me."

"Oh, I am confident I can take him down when the time comes," he smirked at you, and you pulled him closer to you.

"Then there's nothing to worry about." You kissed Sherlock again and let any doubt or worry dissolve.

~Time skip, 3 months~

It had been almost three months since the last "present" Moriarty left you and since you and Sherlock had admitted your feelings for each other beckoning at the beginning of a fun and occasionally awkward relationship. You weren't entirely certain what Sherlock had done with the letters because when you visited the next morning they were nowhere to be seen and that was more than fine by you. The radio silence had been unsettling, especially because you knew that at any moment he could reinsert himself back into your life, but you did your best to live in the present when you were around John and Sherlock. You assumed he knew about your and Sherlock's relationship, if not from his spies then from the tabloids that began to key in on your closeness with the evermore popular consulting detective. 

In spight of the awkwardness the media attention could bring, you couldn't deny that you were enjoying your time tagging along with the boys to solve the crime. Just yesterday Sherlock closed a case involving a genetically modified rabbit that could glow in the dark. Thank god for that case too, Sherlock was getting so bored you began to worry he may pick up a cigarette or something stronger to keep his mind occupied. Now, the three of you sat around in the living room on a search for the next case and recounting the crazy events of the last one.

"Honestly Sherlock, I thought you were crazy for taking the missing rabbit case." John

"It was crazy to accept the case." You corrected teasing Sherlock a bit while you made a cup of coffee. The case had been a bit of a long one between traveling, the stress of breaking into a top-secret military base, and thinking you were being chased by a modern version of the Beowulf.  Sherlock walked up behind you and kissed your cheek before rushing off to his room. He had been spending more and more time in there working on cases he said, but you and John weren't convinced. You sighed and joined John in the living room who was reading the paper with a cup of tea. 

"Still don't know what he's up to in there?" He asked you.

"No," you shook your head. "I had hoped this case would've given him some amount of satisfaction so he would maybe take a break."

"I don't think he's ever taken a break in his life." You laughed at how true that statement was. Sherlock required a constant challenge and nothing seemed to be able to change that. You picked up a paper from the stack that had been delivered that morning to find Sherlock splashed across the front page. 

"What mystery can't this hot shot solve?" you read aloud. "They're absolutely ridiculous."

"True, but we have to be careful. I wouldn't count the reporters as our friends by any means." You nodded in agreement. You weren't exactly fond of the attention especially since it made it all that much easier for Moriarty to keep tabs and even possibly control your life. Still, it brought more clients and more cases which was making it easier on John mostly who felt a little more relaxed about finding new clients. You sat in silence for a while with John reading and relaxing from the crazy few days you both had been dragged through by Sherlock. That is until a loud crash came from Sherlock's room and you heard him spitting some muffled profanities around. 

"I feel like I should check on that." You said as you swiftly stood and made your way to the end of the hallway. You knocked on the door but had no response. He could be in his mind palace, but he didn't seem to be in a calm enough state for that to be what was going on. You opened the door a crack to see Sherlock standing in the middle of the room just behind his somehow crooked bed and staring intently at his wall with his hands clasped under his chin in his usual thinking pose.

"Sherlock-" you started which caught his attention. He spun around and looked shocked at you coming in the door.

"(y/n) wait-" You did not wait. You walked in and examined the mess in the room. You quickly notice the missing bedpost that accounted for the crookedness of his bed and the papers that were plastered over his wall accounting for why he was so interested in it when you walked in. 

"What happened? We heard something and I got a bit worried, are you ok?" You gave Sherlock your attention as you looked him over making sure he hadn't done anything too wild and hurt himself in the process. It was more common an occurrence than you'd like to admit. 

"I'm fine," Sherlock stated, a slight hint of worry in his eyes as well mirroring your own. He sighed and pulled you into a hug. It caught you by surprise just because of how tight he squeezed you, it felt like a desperate hug. 

"What are you working on?" You questioned with the side of your head tucked against his chest, his head onto of yours. 

"I should have told you about it sooner, I just hoped I could figure it out on my own." He sounded defeated as he spoke, something Sherlock rarely was. He loosened his grip on you and you turned in his arms so you could examine the wall. All over it was different letters in Moriarty's handwriting, the letters he sent you. There were also some other seemingly random photos of people and places you didn't recognize immediately. 

"Are you trying to find Moriarty?" You asked, still taken aback by the shock of seeing the letter again.

"More so trying to figure out his end game, but finding him too would be nice," Sherlock stated and gave you a hug from behind. His arms wrapped around your waist and set his chin on your shoulder. "I just want you to be safe and I cannot give the slightest guarantee with him breathing down our necks."

"Thank you, Sherlock." You leaned into him, thankful to have someone else to lean on.