Proof

A/N: Anderson and Donovan are their usual acerbic selves and John has the urge to put them in their place. I don't own Sherlock in any of its iterations; I'm just borrowing someone else's toys. All hail Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Moffit/Gatiss

Implied M/M relationship

John and Sherlock approached the crime scene; Sherlock striding ahead eager to see it and John coming up half a step behind eager to watch Sherlock work. The pavement was wet from a recent rain and the blue lights of the police cars glinting off the last remnants of puddles made the whole world flash with a muted glare. John had stopped only for a moment to talk with Lestrade about what he already knew even though they both knew Greg would just tell Sherlock the same thing when he followed them back into the house. Both Greg and John heard it and Lestrade simply pinched the bridge of his nose while John's face pinched in a sour expression.

"Hello freak. Here to get your rocks off on another dead body?" Sally Donovan had no professionalism whatsoever in John's mind. He knew she was a decent detective and she, like everyone else, didn't like being called out by Sherlock's ability to observe. Despite this John wanted to slap her across the face when she spoke to Sherlock. "Oh look, the sidekicks here too," sneering in John's direction.

"Enough" Lestrade sighed before John could snap something in return. Instead he remained silent and followed Greg into the house and up the stairs to the master bathroom where Sherlock was already leaning over the full tub, half of it with water and blood, the other half with dead body.

"This is…was…Amanda Cranston; married to Mr. Steven Cranston who was away at a solicitor's conference in Germany for the last week. Yes, his alibi has been check by witness accounts and CCTV for the events of the conference and he is going to be available tomorrow afternoon when he arrives back in country. Amanda was a medical technician at a local laboratory. Other than that I haven't gotten much info on her." Greg rattled off the basics waiting on Sherlock to do what it is that he did. John walked over to the tub with a pair of purple nitrile gloves and his sleeved rolled up preparing to dip his hands into the water to do a cursory examination; he could do a more complete one at the morgue later if needed. Dipping his hands beneath the cold water in the tub John gently lifted the woman's hands out so he could check for self inflicted or defensive wounds. There were no marks on the insides of her writs or on her hands or arms anywhere, nor were there any indications of a wound or struggle on any part of her John could easily see.

"Well, she clearly bled out but I can't tell from where yet. There is nothing I can see here until she is lifted from the bath and I don't want to disturb anything that may be down there until it's been processed fully." John spoke shrugging and looking a little apologetic at Greg and Sherlock. Greg just nodded and accepted that answer and Sherlock looked as if he was pleased that John refused to ruin a crime scene. John snapped the gloves off and tossed them into a bag that was set up for just such a thing and moved to stand next to Greg and let Sherlock go back to working.

Sherlock, for his part, strode around the moderately sized, tiled room, and picked up the odd item here and there to inspect it either by looking, sniffing, or touching. He then made his way over to the tub and began to slowly examine the body. Sherlock stood up and prepared to speak when the second most annoying voice broke through the silence of the room.

"Oh God! Why are you here?" Anderson leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed across his chest and his face was set in its permanent scowl. "I know that you think we need him to 'help out' and all but really this is better left to the actual professionals." This last comment was directed at Lestrade who just stood there with his hands in his pockets. Donovan had come to join in the jeering at this very moment and now tweedle dee and tweedle dum effectively blocked the doorway back to the master bedroom; all of their attention placed on Sherlock. Before he could even begin to run down the list of observations about them: Anderson's wife out of town again, Donovan staying over…again, the idiocy of both of them, they started in on him with a renewed vigor that John had previously not seen.

"How much longer till it's you that we're chasing down?" Donovan started in first.

"I wager it'll be before the year is out." Anderson sneering, "The cases just aren't as interesting anymore."

"I think your right David," Donovan said giving Anderson a side glance before returning her gaze to Sherlock. "We all know you can't have a relationship with a real person, just the dead ones."

Sherlock had finally gathered his momentum again under the unusually long onslaught of digs and found his voice. "Why would I try to relate to dead people when I have a relationship with a live one?"

John watched Sherlock's face as he quickly shot him a short glance. One that no one would have seen if they weren't looking, and Sally and David were never looking. It had been a few months since John and Sherlock had taken that final leap of faith into unknown territory and become more than flat mates/colleagues/friends. The few people who mattered knew; Mycroft, Molly, Lestrade, and Mrs. Hudson. Everyone else could sod off as far as they were concerned. John could feel the heat rise in his gut listening to the two biggest imbeciles insult his lover and in an offhanded way him, not that they knew it.

"You…in a relationship? Who on earth would be stupid or crazy enough to be in a relationship with you?" Anderson was grinning maniacally.

"Oh God!" Donovan suddenly had a horrified look on her face. "I bet he's stalking someone. You know like those sex perverts that think the other person is in love with them but they aren't."

Anderson broke out into outright laughter, doubled over while Donovan had a smug look on her face. "How bad of a deduction is that?" she asked looking for all the world like she had finally gotten one over on the great Sherlock Holmes. John, Sherlock and Greg stood there silently under the barrage; Greg wanted to respect John and Sherlock's privacy, John watched Sherlock's face fall further under the stone slab of indifference he assumed when something really cut to the quick and he didn't want to show any weakness. Finally Anderson collected himself and when he stood erect again he pointed at Sherlock.

"If you are truly in a relationship I want proof because frankly I think you're bluffing." Both Sally and David resumed their earlier stance, blocking the door with expectant looks on their faces as if daring Sherlock to either provide the proof or be made the ultimate fool of. Neither one of them really expected Sherlock to be able to prove he could be human by connecting to another human being and so they waited patiently to continue laughing at him. The one minute that dragged by seemed to last for hours as the silence of the room grew to such oppressive levels that it could be cut with a dull knife. To John it seemed like the world had slowed down to a frame by frame point of view and he could see the shifts in Anderson's face as he decided to continue to berate Sherlock, but before he could finish breathing in John broke the silence.

"Sherlock?" John was watching the younger man as every face in the room turned to look at him. He didn't speak loudly but to John it sounded like a gun had gone off in the quiet of the room. Sherlock's eyebrows rose as he turned to face John while Sally, David, and Greg all watched him as if they had forgotten he was there. John strode the few steps over to the tall, lithe man and without warning cupped Sherlock's face with both of his hands and kissed him full on the mouth. It was tender and slow and Sherlock went from wide eyed surprise to heavy lidded contentment as he let John slowly caress and tease his lips as his hands slid into the short hair on the back of John's neck and he gave a soft appreciative moan.

Lestrade smiled and leaned back on the counter with his eyes in the floor to provide what privacy he could. Anderson and Donovan looked shell shocked. John slowly broke the kiss and whispered to Sherlock. "Finish up and let's go home. I have more proof to provide you." Sherlock's cheeks pinked a little before he gave a wan smile and whispered back. "Yes John."

John stepped back and took up residence against the counter next to Greg who gave him a solid pat on the back and they both turned to face Anderson and Donovan who had not moved in through the entire exchange. Donovan had her mouth hanging open and Anderson looked green and like he may be sick.

Sherlock quickly finished and whirled around to face Lestrade and John.

"Yes well, I'm done here. Lestrade, I'll come by in the morning to fill you in, I have more pressing matters to be handling." Sherlock's gaze shifted to John as he spoke. He turned sharply on his heel and made for the door. "Out of the way you idiots." As he shoved passed the two in the door who had still not managed to budge.

"The next time you go seeking proof of something maybe you should heavily consider what that proof might be and if you can handle it or not." John spoke coolly but with just enough edge to brook no objection.

"Come on John!" Sherlock shouted up the stairs from the main floor and John shoved his hands in his jeans pockets, nodded to Greg and strode out the room to follow the call of his love.