I'm actually right in the middle of my first attempt at a Reichenbach reunion fic, which is giving me nothing but trouble, so I wrote this fluffy bit of parent!lock just so I've have something new to publish in the meantime.

This is like a follow up to my first parent!lock fic, The Talk, which is where the title comes from. This is set about five years later when Hamish is a teenager. It kind of helps if you've read The Talk but I suppose you don't have to. I don't want to boss you guys around or whatever.

Anyway, reviews would be just peachy.

And I don't own Sherlock Holmes or John Watson and I certainly wasn't the person who invented Hamish Holmes-Watson either. Someone on Tumblr did that, I think.

The End Of The World All Over Again

Hamish Holmes-Watson had had a miserable day. School itself was always pretty tedious; having to listen to those under-qualified teachers droning on about subjects that either didn't interest him or he'd already learnt back when he was a kid was never fun. But now Hamish suddenly had to deal with the one thing that he'd promised himself ages ago that he'd never waste his time with again – he was in love.

It was only the second time he had felt like this in his life. The first time had been when he was ten and, after some helpful words from his Dad, he'd confronted Emily Green and was almost immediately rejected. After that, Hamish stopped bothering with girls, even though girls had by no means stopped bothering with him. He'd inherited his Father's striking looks, along with the ability to completely ignore almost all admiring glances. Hamish was above all that nonsense.

So this, this was a disaster.

Hamish stomped into 221B Baker Street, only sparing a second's glance at his Dad typing slowly on his laptop and his Father playing his violin before he went into his room, slamming the door behind him. He felt as if he'd only just thrown himself on his bed when he heard a gentle knock on the door. He knew it was his Dad because Father never knocked.

"Hamish," John called through the door. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes, everything!" Hamish shouted, before burying his face in his pillow.

John quietly slipped into the room, Sherlock lurking right behind him. Hamish didn't even bother to look up.

"Hamish, what's the matter?" John asked, sounding understandably worried.

"It's happened again," said Hamish, his voice muffled in his pillow. "I promised myself never again after last time, but it's happened again."

John sat down on the edge of Hamish's bed. "What's happened again?"

"You warned me, Dad," Hamish groaned. "You warned me this would happen and it would be the end of the world all over again."

"Oh God, not another girl," muttered Sherlock, leaning against the doorframe and rolling his eyes.

"Yes, Father, another girl," grumbled Hamish without looking up. "I didn't ever want to fall in love again after the stress of last time. Ugh, stupid emotions…"

"So what's so special about this girl then?" John asked, trying not to smirk.

Hamish rolled over on his back and sighed, staring at the ceiling. "She's perfect, Dad. Scarily so. Her name is Leanne Rogers and she's in my Chemistry class. We're partners for this dull project we're doing so we actually have to talk to each other and everything. But for the first time ever I don't actually mind, and I usually hate being forced to work with other people."

"Let me guess," said Sherlock slowly, narrowing his eyes with boredom. "This Leanne isn't like all the other girls. She's special."

"She is, actually," said Hamish. "So you might want to reign in the sarcasm, Father."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," said Sherlock with a shrug.

John shook his head at his husband before turning back to his son. "I'm sure I said this the last time, Hamish, but you're blowing this all out of proportion."

"No, I'm really not," said Hamish, frowning at the ceiling. "This is so much worse than last time. Leanne is... amazing. Her parents are both criminal psychologists and she's be the top of every class if I wasn't. She reads your blog and everything, Dad."

John couldn't quite keep the smile off his face, but Sherlock just rolled his eyes.

"I still don't see why this is such a terrible thing, Hal," said John.

Hamish looked at his Dad as if he was overlooking the blindingly obvious, irresistibly resembling a fifteen year old Sherlock Holmes as he did.

"This is obviously worse than last time," said Hamish. "The last time it was just some silly crush that I got over in a heartbeat. I only liked Emily Green because she was pretty, but it's different with Leanne. I mean, yes, Leanne is beautiful in the traditional sense, but she's so much more than that. She's not an idiot like everyone else. I don't have to dumb myself down when I talk to her. And, worst of all, she actually wants to be my friend. No one has ever wanted to be my friend."

"She sounds like a great girl," said John. "What's the harm in being friends with her? You guys seem like a good match."

Hamish's frown became more pronounced. "I've never had a proper friend before... except for you and Father and Mrs. Hudson and the skull. But say Leanne and I do become friends; what if she finds out that my feelings for her aren't purely platonic? What if she doesn't feel the same way? What if she was just trying to be nice when she said she wanted to be friends but really she thinks I'm just as big of a freak as all those caveman rugby players say I am?"

"It's perfectly natural to obsess," said John gently. "And it's perfectly natural to jump to the worst case scenario. You're only panicking because you're afraid you might get your feelings hurt, but sometimes that's the only way to get anything done. You can't shut yourself away from people just because you're scared of what might happen, or nothing will ever happen to you. You have to take a chance. You never know, it might be the best decision you ever make."

"Your Dad has a point," Sherlock added. "Everybody needs at least one friend. You can't spend your life talking aloud to the skull, it just attracts unwanted attention."

The three of them laughed as Hamish sat up and leant against the headboard, looking at his parents as he thought about what to do. The knot of worry in his stomach was finally starting to ease up a bit.

"Thanks," he said with a small smile. "You've given me a lot to think about. Social interactions have never been my strong point but this seems like as good a time as any to learn. I mean, you managed to teach Father all about feelings, Dad, so I'm sure you can teach me."

Sherlock rolled his eyes again and left the room to get back to his violin, as John chuckled.

"It took me several years to teach your father about feelings, Hamish," he said, standing up. "So, if all goes well with Leanne, are we going to get a chance to meet the lucky lady?"

Hamish shrugged, feeling oddly bashful. "Maybe."

"I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, son," said John, patting Hamish on the back before leaving the room too.

Hamish sat in silence for a second, staring at the opposite wall with his hands steepled under his chin, before he pulled his phone out of his pocket and sent a quick text to Leanne.

I've given it a lot of thought and I've come to the conclusion that you and I should be friends – HHW

The reply came pleasingly quickly.

Excellent idea. That brings my total of friends up to one. My mother will be pleased – LR

Oh yes, Hamish thought to himself, Leanne really was a perfect match.

Hope you enjoyed, Humble Readers.

xxx