a/n: teaser for the new parent!lock story i'm wiring. i'll be publishing it here and on a03!

john walked into the house behind sherlock, keeping his hands on his gun tightly as he scanned the area. he looked over at the detective and gave him a nod before heading up the stairs as sherlock continued down the corridor. another officer followed john upstairs and john signaled for him to check the rooms at the end of the corridor while he checked the first two. he opened the door to the first room, holding his gun out as he scanned it, putting it down instantly. it was an infants room. then he heard the noises from the corner and walked over to the crib, peeking in it to see a baby boy lying on his back, kicking his feet as he gurgled up at john.

john clipped his gun into his holster and reached into the crib, picking up the child gently, holding him against his shoulder. "be good, yeah?" he asked softly as he walked to the changing table. he bent down and picked up what he was guessing what was the diaper bag and set it on the top of the table, packing it with diapers and clothes as he bounced the boy in his arms.

"rooms are clear." the officer said from the door of the room.

john turned to him and nodded. "go back downstairs. tell them i'll be there in a second."

the officer nodded slowly, watching the doctor with the baby before walking away.

john packed some toys in the bag as well and before he left the room, he grabbed the small blanket from the crib, tossing it over his shoulder. he walked downstairs, going straight outside and to the police car sherlock was standing at.

"was he upstairs?" sherlock asked, pointing at the baby.

john nodded. "was there anyone?"

"both parents were dead in the kitchen."

john sighed as he gently rubbed the boy's back. "he can't be more than five months old."

the boy started to fuss softly as he kicked his feet.

"take this." john said, giving the diaper bag to sherlock before starting to walk around with the boy, bouncing him softly as he spoke to him.

they got back to the yard and john sat in the conference room with the boy sleeping on him as sherlock and greg spoke outside. the parents didn't have any living relatives the baby could go to and it was too late at night to have a nanny come and get him. his name was calum and was only six months old. the poor boy had to grow up in an orphanage and john wished the best for him. he did have a chance. he had a patch of ginger and blue eyes and knowing people's choice in children, he'd be one. they tried to have a woman from the yard take him for the night since she had children and baby supplies, but he cried very time they took him from john. they ended up giving up and that caused sherlock and greg to speak outside.

greg came into the conference room with sherlock behind him. "you have to keep him. there's nothing we can do as of right now." greg said to john.

"and i told him the flat isn't fit for an infant like him." sherlock said to his boyfriend.

"and i told you that we're keeping him until we can get him to separate from me." john responded. "now, we have to go to the store and get supplies for him." he said as he stood slowly.

sherlock huffed out a sigh and grabbed the diaper bag off the table, leaving the conference room in a fit of rage.

"i have a travel crib for when my nephew visits if you want to borrow it." greg offered.

"that'd be great, greg." john said softly. "i'll text when we leave the store." he whispered before walking out of the conference room with calum still sound asleep.

they went to tesco and got basic baby things. formula, bottles, baby food, diapers and wipes and whatnot. sherlock was acting like more of a child than the actual child and john wanted to smack him, but he couldn't risk waking calum up. when they got back to baker street, greg was waiting for them inside with hudders then left after he gave the crib to them. they set the crib up in the living room, gently putting calum in it with out him waking up.

"he's just so cute!" mrs hudson exclaimed softly.

"yeah." john said as he looked at the sleeping baby. he looked into the kitchen and saw sherlock sulking over a mug of tea.

"i should be off to bed then. it's getting late." she said. "if you boys need any help, i'm right downstairs."

"thank you hudders." john kissed her cheek before watching her walk out of the flat. he walked into the kitchen and sat at the table across from sherlock. "what's the matter, love?"

"i don't think keeping calum is a smart idea." sherlock admitted, looking at the doctor across him.

"it's only for a few days."

"but we're not ready for this. i'm not ready for this." sherlock said, his complete train of thought going to all the bad things. "the flat is a disaster and he could get hurt on something and i don't know a single thing about child care so you'll be the only one doing the work and you're going to get attached to him. i already know it."

john took his boyfriend's hands. "calum is only going to be here a few days. i am not going to get attached and i will teach you how to care for him. it's alright, love."

sherlock let his head hang. he looked over at the travel crib in the living room then back to john. "what if we do get attached?"

"then we get attached. simple as that." john stood from his chair. "come on, it's late and we should get in bed."

through out the night, when calum woke up john got up each time, going out to rock him back to sleep or change him before going back to bed. at one point, john didn't come back to bed and calum hadn't cried the rest of the night.

when sherlock woke up, he went out to the living room and found john on the floor with calum next to him and a barrier of pillows. calum was awake, kicking his feet as he chewed on his fist. sherlock went over to him and picked him up, holding him like he saw john did. he stood in the living room and stared into the distance while he thought about the basic care of a child. he also thought about what john would do. he went into the kitchen and took out the formula from the tesco bag and one of the bottles they purchased then read the instructions of how to make a bottle.

when john woke up, he noticed calum wasn't next to him and sat up instantly, looking around then seeing sherlock sitting at the kitchen table with him. he let out a sigh of relief and stood up, stretching his arms above his head.

"he seems to be enjoying it so i believe i made it right." sherlock spoke as he watched the boy eat. "i wasn't sure what to do then i thought about what you do when you wake up and realized that you eat."

john walked into the kitchen and kissed sherlock's head, looking at calum who was staring up at them as he drank the bottle. "you did good."

"so i was supposed to feed him?" he asked.

john nodded. "yes. you were supposed to feed him."

sherlock sighed in relief. "okay good."

the rest of the morning was spent of john teaching sherlock how to change a diaper then sherlock sitting on the floor and playing with calum as john made breakfast. during breakfast, mrs hudson came up and messed around with calum as the boys ate, speaking to them about how they should adopt him. after they finished eating, they sent mrs hudson back downstairs, john taking calum and sitting down with him.

"i think hudders is right." sherlock spoke.

john looked over at the man hunched over the kitchen table, looking into his microscope. "really?"

"yes."

"positive?"

sherlock looked over at john. "i said yes. do you not think i'm being serious?"

"no, it's not that. it's just last night you were saying that we shouldn't even keep him for the night."

"well, i've changed my mind." sherlock responded, turning back to his microscope.

john scoffed softly. "he's grown on you, hasn't he?" he asked.

"...no."

"i knew it!" john exclaimed softly, careful not wake the sleeping baby on his chest. "call lestrade and ask when the nanny is coming. we'll talk to her about fostering." john could see the detective smile as he took out his phone.

the nanny came around one. she was a nice lady, but her attitude changed when she discovered that sherlock and john were together. she wasn't happy about it, but that didn't change the way she acted about knowing they wanted to foster.

"again, you don't have to just foster, you can adopt him." she said, watching both men look at each other.

"would that be better?" john asked. "i mean, neither of us have any experience with this type of thing. we don't know what we're doing, really."

"well, if you choose to just foster him, there would be another chance a different family could adopt him instead. and if you're serious about taking him in then i suggest adopting."

john looked down at the boy that was sitting in sherlock's lap, chewing on a teething ring. he then looked at sherlock. "adoption." sherlock said, looking at the woman. "we want to adopt him."

she smiled. "that's great! do you have paper and a pen?" she asked.

john got up, going to the desk and ripping a piece of paper from his notebook and getting a pen, handing them to the woman. she wrote something on it then handed it back to john. "one of the best adoption agencies in the area. give them a call and they'll tell you more information about adoption." she said.

"thank you." john said with a smile.

"you're welcome. cheers!" she said before leaving the flat.

john turned and sat on the floor across from sherlock, smiling at him and calum. "this is... something." he said with a small chuckle.

calum looked at john and leaned foward, falling, but john caught him in time and lifted him playfully in the air, kissing his cheek before sitting him in his lap.

sherlock smiled at the two. "i'll call." he took the paper from john, standing up.

"after you do that, we need to go schedule calum an appointment and then go out and get stuff for him." john said.

sherlock nodded before walking into the kitchen.

john looked down at the boy and smiled, causing him to giggle.