The Great Partners' Great Love Revealed

by skyedancer_rae

Summary:

Mikotoba hummed.  “Correct me if I’m mistaken, but I can’t shake the impression that you wish to speak to me about some matter.”

Iris’ grip on his hand tightened.  “I had a question I wanted to ask you,” she said.  “Well, it’s kind of a question.  More like I had a confirmation I wanted to ask about regarding a matter that I had already deduced.”

They turned a corner, and Mikotoba gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.  “Well, you won’t get an answer if you never ask your question.  I assure you that you can ask me anything, and I will answer whatever I can within my power.”

“Okay.”  Iris took a deep breath.  “You and Daddy are in love with each other, aren’t you?”
--
In which Mikotoba goes on a shopping trip with Iris, only for Iris to use the opportunity to discuss some observations she has regarding his relationship with Sholmes.

Notes:

• Translation into 中文-普通话 國語 available: [Restricted Work] by Celerysauce12 (Log in to access.)

A slight AU in that Mikotoba, Ryuunosuke, and Susato don't immediately leave for Japan. Takes place about a week after van Zieks' trial and Stronghart's arrest.

The sun had started its descent toward the western horizon when Mikotoba stepped out of the herbal shop, a potted rosemary plant clutched in his left arm.  Beside him, Iris strode forward with a bounce in her step, a paper bag containing a mixture of seeds including chamomile and lavender clutched in her hands.

“Thanks again for coming with me to purchase more herbs, Professor Mickey,” Iris said, fixing her trademark bright smile on him.  “It’s really nice to have a second medical opinion on which plants will be the most useful to add to my garden.”

“It is no problem at all,” Mikotoba said.  “I’m happy to accompany you on your shopping.”

A part of him had been surprised earlier when Iris had asked him to accompany her to purchase some more herbs for her garden.  Though they had spoken a few times during his visits to 221B Baker Street over the last week, he would have expected her to take Susato or Naruhodou with her.  Instead, she had claimed need of his medical knowledge and waltzed him out the door before he had time to fully process her request.

He supposed that she didn’t get many chances to speak with a fellow doctor.  Most others would look at her age and either be intimidated or refuse to take her seriously.  Their carriage ride to the marketplace had been filled with her brilliant analysis on a recent paper they had both read on recent developments in the latest surgical techniques.  It was a joy to see her entire face light up as she was engrossed in their discussion.  Ten years ago, he could scarcely imagine how the little orphan girl left in his care would grow up, but she had truly blossomed under Sholmes’ care.

And yet—

A pair of too bright eyes stared up at him, the look in them indecipherable.  “It’s a lovely November afternoon, isn’t it?” she asked.  “I think we should enjoy this warmth while it lasts by walking home.”

Every time there had been a lull in their conversation, she had been staring at him with that same unreadable expression on her face.  Mikotoba couldn’t shake the feeling that she was using this shopping trip as an excuse to talk to him about some unknown matter.

Her eyes flickered to the rosemary plant he carried.  “You don’t mind, do you?  I know you’re carrying the heavier of my purchases.”

“Thankfully your rosemary is not that heavy,” Mikotoba said.  The plant had yet to grow to full size.  And while his arms might be sore by the time they returned to Baker Street, he could bare the discomfort if it gave Iris a chance to speak about whatever was bothering her.  “Besides, it’s important to exercise one’s legs, especially when they get to be my age.”

Iris chuckled at that.  “You’re not that old, Professor Mickey,” she said.

Given that his legs still felt a bit sore from the tap dancing demonstration he had been roped into after last night’s dinner, he disagreed with her.  But the exercise would still be good for him.  “Even so,” he said, “lead the way, young Iris.”

She smiled and turned in the direction of Baker Street, her light steps carrying her forward through the crowds.

They walked in silence through the marketplace, passing by various shops and taverns.  Some Mikotoba recognized from his residency in London ten years ago while others were newer establishments that had popped up in the last few years.  It was interesting to see how once familiar streets had changed over the last decade.  He spotted a familiar confectionery on the corner of two busy streets and made a mental note to return tomorrow with Susato.

As they left the main shopping district behind, the crowds around them began to thin.  Iris slowed her steps so that she walked beside him instead of in front of him, but her lips remained pressed in a thin line.  Silence accompanied them for several minutes until they were the only ones walking on their side of the street.

They were only a few blocks from Baker Street when Iris reached out to grab his hand, squeezing a touch too tightly.  When he glanced down at her, he found her gaze fixed unwaveringly on him though she still did not speak.

They walked hand-in-hand for a moment before Mikotoba said, “Is everything all right, Iris?”

“Yes!”  The word burst from her a bit too quickly, and for a moment, her gaze flickered to the side.  “I mean it.  Nothing is wrong.”

Mikotoba hummed.  “Correct me if I’m mistaken, but I can’t shake the impression that you wish to speak to me about some matter.”

Iris’ grip on his hand tightened.  “I had a question I wanted to ask you,” she said.  “Well, it’s kind of a question.  More like I had a confirmation I wanted to ask about regarding a matter that I had already deduced.  Or more accurately that Susie and I had already deduced.”

He frowned at that.  At first, he worried that her question would be about her birth parents.  Iris knew now that he was the doctor who had delivered her and cared for her during her first month of life, but she not been told the full story of her birth yet.  And while she deserved the truth—a matter he and Sholmes had agreed to reveal before his upcoming departure to Japan—that was a conversation that Sholmes and Lord van Zieks should also be present for.

But Susato knew the truth of Iris’ parentage, so that would not be a matter that the girls deduced together.  So what did Iris need confirmation on?

They turned a corner, and Mikotoba gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.  “Well, you won’t get an answer if you never ask your question.  I assure you that you can ask me anything, and I will answer whatever I can within my power.”

“Okay.”  Iris took a deep breath.  “You and Daddy are in love with each other, aren’t you?”

Mikotoba froze in the middle of the sidewalk, staring down at her with wide eyes.  Across the street, a trio of maids giggled at some joke as they made their way home, and he was thankful that there was no one else around them to eavesdrop. 

A part of him really should have expected this question to come up earlier in the week.  Iris and Susato were both so brilliant and observant that he should have expected them to pick up on the exact nature of his relationship with Sholmes.  Yet the shock of her question momentarily stole his voice.

“Why do you think that?” he finally asked.

Iris’ eyes were the calm blue of a cloudless sky, not a single drop of uncertainty or judgment in them.  “I was really confused the first two nights you had dinner with us,” she said.  “Because Daddy was so different around you, and I didn’t understand why.  But then I realized that it was his smile.”

“His smile?”  Mikotoba frowned.  “I suppose Sholmes did smile a lot during dinner and our post-dinner conversations, but that didn’t strike me as out-of-place.”

“It’s not that he was smiling,” Iris said.  “It was the way he was smiling at you.  I’ve seen loads of Daddy’s smiles.  And I realized early on that several of those smiles were just for me.  His ‘Iris Smiles’ are different from his normal ones, you see.  But I realized the other day that I had never seen one of his ‘Mikotoba Smiles’ before.”

“I see,” Mikotoba said, unsure of how else to respond.

Iris took a few steps forward, tugging on his hand so that he would follow her.  “I asked Susie after dinner the other day, and she said the same thing about you.  That she had never seen you look at someone like you look at Daddy.  You have your normal smiles, and you have special smiles for Susie and Kazie.  And you even have one just for Runo.  But those are all different from how you smile at Daddy.”

Mikotoba swallowed.  Though a part of him dreaded the answer, he asked, “And how do I look at Sholmes?”

Iris’ brow furrowed in thought.  “Like you could stare at him all day and never be bored,” she finally said.  “Like there’s nowhere else you’d rather be in the world than by his side, groaning at his terrible jokes and listening to him recount stories you’ve heard countless times before.  Like Daddy’s the sun, drawing you into his orbit.  Did you know that every time you two start on opposite sides of the room, you inevitably end up side-by-side as if pulled in by some magnetic field?”

He hadn’t known, and he could not think of a single counterexample to contradict the girl’s claim. 

“You look at each other like you’re in love,” Iris said, her grip on his hand tightening.  “And last night, when Daddy got you to show off your tap dancing, I noticed how you two were in sync from the first step, completely caught up in each other and the music.  Like you were both in your own world.  When Daddy played the last few notes, I remember the way you both just stared at each other.  As if you wanted to linger in that moment forever.  That’s when I knew for sure that you loved each other.”

 Mikotoba’s breath caught in his throat.

“So I talked with Susie last night, and we agreed that we had to ask you two about it,” Iris said.  “Except she thought it would be awkward if she asked you about this.  And I thought it would be weird if I asked Daddy.  So we switched places.  Except I don’t think Susie got to ask Daddy anything yet because he disappeared right after breakfast; something about locating a missing cat for one of the neighbors.”

Sholmes had sent a telegram to Mikotoba’s hotel room, inviting him along to investigate some case.  But he had neglected to mention his location, and when Mikotoba hadn’t found him by lunch time, he had elected to return to 221B Baker Street instead.

And apparently walked right into Iris and Susato’s plan.

“Well?” Iris asked, staring up at him with those too bright eyes.  “Were we right?”

What use was there denying the truth when she and Susato had seen it so clearly?

“You were,” Mikotoba said.  “I am in love with your father.”

It was the first time in ten years that he had admitted the words aloud, and they lingered around them for several steps, their weight slowly sinking in.

Beside him, Iris looked just as calm as earlier, a soft smile tugging at her lips.  Her hand still held his tightly.

Still, a part of Mikotoba had to ask.  “Does it—”  His words cut off as they rounded a corner near a bank and nearly collided with one of the tellers leaving the building.  It took a moment to find his voice again.  “Does it bother you?  That we’re both—”

Iris was silent for a moment.  “When Daddy first told me about you—back when I thought you were my Daddy—I used to ask about you all the time.  And I imagined what it would be like when you returned home.  What kind of adventures you and Daddy would go on, what kind of adventures you’d take me on.  But eventually I stopped asking about you because I could tell it made Daddy sad.  I knew that he missed you dearly over the last ten years.”

“Iris…”

“And now you’re here.”  She smiled up at him, eyes a little watery.  “And I don’t think I’ve ever seen Daddy as happy as when he’s beside you.  So why would I be bothered by you when you make Daddy so happy?”

“Your father makes me happy as well,” Mikotoba admitted.  “When I first met your father, I was still grieving my wife.  I didn’t think I could ever love again, and a part of me felt like I would never feel joy again.  But as my friendship with your father grew, the sorrow that clung so fiercely to me began to dissipate.  I learned to live and laugh again.  And at some point, I realized that I was in love with him.”

Iris squeezed his hand.  “When you tell Susie that, I bet she’ll tell you how happy she is for you and Daddy as well.  We can both see how you two complete each other.  That’s why we wanted to talk to you about this.  So you don’t have to hide your relationship from us anymore.”

The warmth in her gaze suffused through Mikotoba.  “Thank you, Iris.  For your acceptance.  There aren’t many people who can match the compassion you display so effortlessly.”

She blushed at the praise before letting her gaze fall down to the sidewalk.  “I actually have a second question if you don’t mind.”

“I did say you could ask me anything.”

“Can I call you Papa Mickey then?  At least when we’re in private?”

For the second time that day, her words rooted him in place.

“It would make sense,” Iris pressed on.  “You’re Daddy’s partner after all.  Plus, you’re Susie’s daddy, and she’s my big sister.  And Kazie’s kind of like my second big brother.”

“I have hardly done anything to warrant such a title from you,” Mikotoba said, throat a little tight.  “But if you wish to address me as such, then I would be honored to be considered a father figure for you.”

Iris shot forward, the force of her skinny arms flying around him nearly enough to knock him to the ground.  She buried her face in his side.  “Thank you, Papa.”

Mikotoba adjusted his grip on the potted rosemary plant so that could wrap his free arm around her shoulders.  “You’re welcome, Iris.”

She truly was an extraordinarily compassion, generous, and loving girl.

After a moment, Iris pulled back.  “We should get back home now.  After all, we have to tell Susie the good news.”

He did owe his daughter a proper explanation of his relationship with Sholmes.  “Right.”

Iris offered another one of her brilliant smiles before she took his free hand again, leading them the rest of the way to their home on Baker Street.

As the building came into view minutes later, Mikotoba was surprised to find Naruhodou sitting on the front steps, awkwardly fidgeting with the armband wrapped around his right bicep.

“Runo!”  Iris jogged forward, refusing to relinquish Mikotoba’s hand and forcing him to speed up after her.  “What are you doing outside?”

He startled at Iris’ shout, glancing up sharply at them.  “Ah, Iris, Professor Mikotoba.  Welcome back.  How was your shopping trip?”  There was a curious glint in his eyes as his gaze flickered between them, and Mikotoba wondered how much Naruhodou knew about Iris and Susato’s deductions.

“I asked a question first,” Iris said, pouting.  “Why are you sitting all alone outside?  It’ll get chilly once the sun sets, you know.”

Naruhodou’s smile turned a touch strained.  “Erm, well, Mr. Sholmes returned about fifteen minutes ago, you see.”

“Oh, so Susie and Kazie are talking with him right now?”

Mikotoba felt a touch of dread in the pit of his stomach.

“Yes, about, erm, what we discussed last night, and so…”

“The answer’s ‘Yes’ by the way,” Iris supplied helpfully.

Naruhodou’s gaze jumped instantly to Mikotoba.  So the girls had discussed the matter with him and Kazuma.  “I see.  Congratulations, I mean, to the two of you.”

Mikotoba accepted his words with a nod.  While he would appreciate Naruhodou’s easy acceptance later, a more pressing concern had his attention.  “Would I be correct in assuming that Susato and Kazuma are currently grilling Sholmes over our relationship?”

Naruhodou winced.  “Kind of.  Mr. Sholmes kept dodging the question, and Kazuma wasn’t having any of it.  And you know how Kazuma can get a little…intense.”

Yes, Mikotoba was all too familiar with how single-minded Kazuma could be in pursuit of a goal and how Sholmes’ evasive answers were likely to rile him up.  “Well then,” he told Iris.  “Shall we go save my partner?”

Iris giggled.  “Of course, Papa.”

Naruhodou made a surprised noise behind them as the pair opened the door to step inside.

“ANSWER THE QUESTION, MR. SHOLMES!!”

Mikotoba winced as Susato’s and Kazuma’s voices carried down the hallway.  It seemed his partner’s half of the conversation was not going as smoothly.

“The answer’s ‘Yes’!” Iris yelled as she kicked off her shoes in the entryway, scurrying inside to the living area.

Mikotoba followed seconds later and found a harried-looking Sholmes cornered by the fireplace, Susato and Kazuma standing on either side of him to cut off whatever escape he had been trying to make.  The teacups sitting on the metal chest in the center of the room showed that the conversation had started civilly at least.  With a sigh—half-fond and half-exasperated—Mikotoba set Iris’ rosemary plant down at the edge of the room.

“We were right, Susie,” Iris said.  “Daddy and Papa Mickey are in love with each other.”

Sholmes’ eyes shot wide open at that, darting over to Mikotoba.  Though whether he was shocked more at Iris’ casual declaration of their relationship or at her new title for Mikotoba, Mikotoba couldn’t tell.

“You shouldn’t look so shocked, Sholmes,” he said.  “Our daughters are quite observant after all.  It was only a matter of time before they caught on.”

Sholmes spluttered a wordless response.

Susato walked over to her father.  “Thank you for telling us,” she said.  “I’m incredibly happy for you and Mr. Sholmes.”

Though Iris had already reassured him about Susato’s reaction to learning the truth about his relationship with Sholmes, Mikotoba was still relieved by the warmth and sincerity of her smile.  He pulled her into a hug, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.  “I’m sure you still have plenty of questions.”

“Of course,” she said.  “My father is courting the Herlock Sholmes after all.  But I mainly wanted you to know how happy I am for you.  You and Mr. Sholmes just seem so much happier when you’re together; you truly are the world’s greatest partners.”

He and Sholmes truly were blessed with the world’s most wonderful daughters.

“Really, Mr. Sholmes,” Susato added, pulling out of her father’s embrace to scowl at the man.  “You couldn’t have just told us?  Iris and I wanted to let you know that we supported you and that you and Father didn’t have to hide around us.  There was no need to keep dodging all of our questions.”

Mikotoba hid a smile behind his hand at the exasperation in his daughter’s voice.

Sholmes let out a choked noise before he found his voice.  “My dear, perhaps next time you could start with that instead of flinging accusations at me about my relationship with your father as if I’m in some kind of interrogation.  And you!”  He turned to face Kazuma, brandishing a finger in the boy’s direction.  “You have your answer now, so you can kindly cease this hostility.”

Kazuma’s scowl deepened, and he kept his arms crossed in front of his chest.  “I want you to admit the truth to my face.”

Sholmes sighed.  “Yes, Mikotoba and I are in love, and we have been in a long-distance relationship for the past ten years.  Are you satisfied with my response now?”

Kazuma regarded Sholmes in silence for a moment.  Then, he uncrossed his arms only to rest a hand against the hilt of his saber.  “Professor Mikotoba has been very generous to me over the years, and I owe him much.  So if you ever hurt him…”

“Mr. Asougi.”  Sholmes’ expression took on a rare, serious countenance.  “Mikotoba is my dearest and most treasured friend.  I value his companionship—his love—immensely and would never intentionally harm him.”

“So long as we’re on the same page,” Kazuma said, letting his hand linger on the sword for a moment longer.

Sholmes huffed another sigh, meeting Mikotoba’s gaze across the room.  “Really, Mikotoba,” he said.  “Your boy here is most unreasonable.”

Kazuma glanced back at Mikotoba only to hastily look away, pink dusting his cheeks.

A part of Mikotoba felt as though he should say something about Kazuma’s habit of jumping to threats and aggression as a first response, but the larger part of him was flattered that Kazuma cared for him so strongly that he would threaten Sholmes.  It also brought to mind the distant memory of Genshin seated calmly across from Sholmes, casually tending to an unsheathed Karuma.  “You shouldn’t be too surprised, Sholmes,” he said, walking toward them.  “After all, this isn’t the first time an Asougi has threatened you with a sword for my sake.  At least Kazuma didn’t draw his.”

Kazuma frowned at that, glancing sideways at Sholmes.  “My father threatened you?”

Sholmes rolled his eyes.  “A case Mikotoba and I were investigating took a near-fatal turn, and I left Mikotoba quite worried for a few days.  Your father was rather cross with me and sought to ensure that I did not put Mikotoba through a similar experience a second time.  He made his point clearly.”

Before Kazuma could comment further, Mikotoba stopped him with a gentle hand on his shoulder.  “Kazuma, you know that you don’t owe me anything, correct?”

Kazuma kept his gaze fixed on a point just to the side of Mikotoba.  “So you’ve said before,” he said.  “But I am still extremely grateful for everything you’ve done for me.”

Mikotoba placed a second hand on Kazuma’s other shoulder, squeezing softly.  “And I am honored that you care so deeply for my happiness and well-being.  But I don’t want you to feel obligated toward me.  You have never owed me a single thing, understand?”

After a moment, Kazuma nodded.  Only then did he meet Mikotoba’s gaze.  “You’re happy with Mr. Sholmes?”

“Immeasurably.”

Kazuma offered him a faint smile.  “Then I’m happy for you, and wish you two the best.”

“I take it everything is all settled then?”  Naruhodou’s voice carried from the front entryway, and he poked his head into the living room, slowly stepping inside.

“You!” Sholmes snapped, pointing a finger toward the young man.  “So the spineless coward returns after abandoning me in my hour of need.”

“You could have just answered Kazuma and Miss Susato honestly,” Naruhodou responded, staring flatly at Sholmes.  “I had no reason to interfere in your conversation.”

“No reason to interfere?”  Sholmes placed a hand over his heart as if he had been wounded.  “I was being hounded on all sides, and you decided to just slip out of the room and ignore my plight.”

“Kazuma-sama and I may have gotten a bit carried away,” Susato admitted.

“A bit?” Sholmes asked.  “My dear, I assure you it was more than ‘a bit.’”

“Maybe you should have tried a subtler approach,” Iris said.

Kazuma snorted.  “Susato tried subtle.  It didn’t work.”

“And you were a touch too direct, Kazuma-sama,” Susato retorted.

“Well,” Naruhodou said, stepping in before the conversation could devolve into an argument.  “At least we know the truth now.”

“Indeed,” Sholmes said.  “And since we have you all here, I think it’s time for a proper reintroduction.”  He slung an arm around Mikotoba’s shoulders, pulling him in close.  “Allow me to introduce, the love and light of my life, the other half of my soul—”

“Daddy.”

“Yes, Iris?” Sholmes asked, frowning at the flat tone in her voice.

“If you’re going to be mushy about Papa Mickey, can you do it in a different room?”

Sholmes blinked once.  Twice.  Then, a smirk began to tug at his lips.  “Are you telling me you don’t want to hear me wax poetic about how much I love—”

“No.”

The answer was instantaneous and unanimous as Iris, Susato, Kazuma, and Naruhodou all leveled flat looks in Sholmes’ direction.

Sholmes looked entirely too pleased with the response.  “Is that so?”

Mikotoba just sighed and buried his face in his hand.  “Sholmes.”

“No, Mikotoba, I don’t think you realize just how potent a weapon our children have just handed us.  All I have to do is declare just how much I adore your entire existence, and--”

“Mr. Sholmes, I will remove you from this room by force if necessary,” Kazuma said.

In the background, Naruhodou muttered something about not being anyone’s child.

“Is that so?” Sholmes asked, a challenging note to his voice.  “Well, let me start by saying that my dear Mikotoba—”

Kazuma stalked forward.

Sholmes scrambled behind Mikotoba, maneuvering the man to stand between him and Kazuma’s approach.  “Mr. Asougi, you are being most unreasonable.”

“Sholmes, stop antagonizing our children.  I won’t help you if they decide to evict you from the room.”

Sholmes sniffed loudly.  “And here I thought you loved me.”

“I do love you,” Mikotoba said, meeting his gaze.  He delighted in the way Sholmes’ gaze softened and his cheeks took on a dark blush.  “Dearly.  But I will absolutely stand aside as Kazuma drags you from this room if you’re going to be immature about this.”

“Fine.”  Sholmes let out a dramatic sigh before stepping out from behind Mikotoba.  “I will restrain my affection for you.  Now then.  Allow me to introduce my beloved partner, Yuujin Mikotoba.”

Sholmes smiled tenderly at him.  The love and mirth in those green eyes were still as much of a warm embrace as they had been over ten years ago when the two of them had first admitted their feelings for each other.  And now, they could bask in the warmth of their love amongst their family, who regarded the pair with soft smiles.

Mikotoba returned Sholmes’ smile and reached out to take his hand.  “And this is my love and partner, Herlock Sholmes.”

Notes:

Kazuma is 100% the reason Susato's conversation with Sholmes derailed so spectacularly, and he is not sorry.

I've had this story idea marinating in the back of my mind for several weeks now, but it finally came together yesterday when I started writing it. Hope you enjoy!

Update: I drew some sketches for how the conversations with Mikotoba & Sholmes played out. You can view here: twitter or tumblr .