Sherlock watched as the ship sailed back to the palace.

He took deep breaths, trying to stay calm. John would be all right, he knew. He had talked to not only the guards, but also with John's doctor, and he had assured him the wound had been, mostly, superficial. He'd wanted nothing more than to go with John and stay by his side until he regained consciousness, but he knew it was impossible. Still, he had made the doctor promise him to tell John to meet him back at the shore where they first met so they could talk.

He stayed watching the now distant ship for a moment, until he remembered.

Mycroft.

"It was about time. I know you're worried about John, dear brother, but honestly..."

He turned around and came face to face with his brother. He seemed far more relaxed now, and he actually flashed a small smile, before returning to his serious demeanour.

"Are you- How?"

"Apparently, Moriarty's... death broke the curse. I assume the other polyps back at Moriarty's garden have regained their bodies back; I already put some of my people on it."

Sherlock swallowed thickly, and he felt a lump rising in his throat. In other circumstances, he would have felt stupid for reacting like this, but now...

"Mycroft, I-"

"It was incredibly reckless of you to go to Moriarty, Sherlock, I think you know that," he said harshly. Mycroft evaluated him for a moment, his eyes softening. "However, I can't deny this is partly my fault. It wouldn't be fair to put all the blame on you"

"I don't regret it," he whispered.

"I know." Mycroft breathed out, his expression melancholic. "Let's go back home, for now. We'll finish discussing this later."

John slowly blinked himself awake. He let out a groan, his hand shooting up to curl around his left shoulder. He could feel the bandages under his hand, and it took him a few minutes to remember what had happened.

"Prince Watson?"

He turned to look at the doctor, who was smiling gently at him.

John licked his lips and asked in a hoarse voice, "What happened?"

"Well, the... trident, thankfully, didn't go in too deep. We'll have to thank your guards for that, Prince Watson. If they had fired that harpoon a second later... Let's just say there would have been more complications."

The doctor got closer to his bed and grabbed the cup of water on the bedside table, placing it on his lips so he could drink.

"I'm afraid it will leave a scar, however. And you'll be uncomfortable for a few weeks, but you'll make a full recovery," the doctor said.

"Thank you." John licked his lips once again. "May I ask... Do you know what happened with Sherlock? I mean, the-"

"The merman?" the doctor asked, looking amused. "Don't worry, Prince; he's all right. He did ask me how long you were going to be hospitalized. I told him you would have to be monitored for around five or six days, and he asked me to tell you to meet him as soon as you were released."

"Where?"

Sherlock laid on a rock, the closest one to the shore he could find. He was quite anxious, he could admit.

He looked down at his tail and ran his fingertips over it, sighing in resignation. He should be thankful for the time he spent as a human, cherish it in his memory, even if he would never be able to go back. He could do that, if John weren't such an important part of it.

He knew they would have to talk about it. Knowing that he may never see him again hurt- but knowing that he could see him often, only to watch his interest fade away over time, until he finally fell in love with someone else? It was unbearable.

"Hey."

He looked up and saw John standing next to him.

"You look exhausted," he said.

"Yes, well. Hospitals do that to you." John's eyes shifted to his tail. "May I touch it?" he asked, hesitantly.

He merely nodded in response. Carefully, John reached out and placed his fingertips on the same spot Sherlock was caressing a moment ago. He closed his eyes, relaxing at John's light touch. A few seconds later, John's hand left his tail, reaching out to cup his face instead.

"Are you all right?" asked Sherlock, pressing a kiss to John's palm.

"Splendid. The guards did a great job at firing the harpoon when they did, otherwise I would have gotten more than a scar and a stiff shoulder." John smiled. "See? I can be smart, too. I knew my plan would work."

Sherlock snorted. "You got lucky." His face turned serious again. "I thought you would die. It would have been my fault, if I hadn't-"

"No, stop right there. It was my idea, Sherlock, and I was well aware of the consequences." He leaned forwards, resting their foreheads together, and he couldn't help but brush his nose against Sherlock's, enjoying the small frown he got in response. "I chose to take the risk, because you're worth it. We are worth it."

He stared at John, a small, sad smile appearing on his face. He pressed a small kiss to the corner of his lips and pulled back, extracting himself from John's hold.

"I should leave."

John shook his head, his eyes pleading. "It doesn't have to end like this. We can-"

"It wouldn't work. You know it wouldn't."

Letting out a harsh breath, John whispered "I love you," and before Sherlock could react, he leaned forwards and kissed him.

A small part of him wanted to push John away, knowing that this would only make their separation more painful, but he dismissed the thought. John was kissing him. He couldn't help but wrap an arm around him, pulling him closer. It wasn't enough; it would never be enough.

Far too soon, they broke the kiss off. John rested his forehead against his, murmuring sweet nothings against his lips, and he simply held on tight, not wanting the moment o end.

Then, with a final, light kiss on John's lips, Sherlock let go.

"He seems interesting. For a human, that is." Mycroft said as a greeting.

They were a few meters away from the shore, John's figure still quite visible from their position.

"Yes, well, if it weren't for that human, you would still be a polyp."

Mycroft hummed. "And I wouldn't have been in that situation if someone hadn't made a deal with the sea wizard."

"I'm not going to apologise, if that's what you're aiming for." He would do everything all over again if he had to. It would be worth it.

"I am," Mycroft said quietly.

Sherlock slowly turned to look at his brother, unable to wipe the look of shock from his face.

"I was squeezing too tight," Mycroft said. "I may have gone a bit overboard in my attempt to keep you safe."

"Mycroft-"

"I only want you to be happy, Sherlock. That's all I ever wanted for you."

John saw Sherlock go underwater after a few minutes, followed by Mycroft soon afterwards.

He was gone.

Swallowing past the lump in his throat, and with a last glance at the sea, he turned around and started to walk towards the castle.

"John."

He stopped on his tracks, but didn't look back. He was obviously hearing things, he couldn't-

"John."

He felt a hand on his shoulders and he turned around, coming face to face with Sherlock.

"Your legs are back," he managed to whisper.

"Mycroft," Sherlock said. "He told me... I can stay. If you want."

A small, nervous giggle burst from his lips. "Oh, I don't know. I think I'm having second thoughts," he said, reaching out to caress Sherlock's cheekbone.

"Is that it?" Sherlock's lip twitched upwards.

"Hmm. Quite dangerous to be around you, to be honest. Maybe I should have gone straight to the palace."

"Yet here you are."

John smiled brightly at him, and Sherlock couldn't help but smile back. He grabbed John's hand, entwining their fingers together, and they made their way back to the palace.

Yes, Sherlock thought. Completely worth it.

Author's notes:

Aaaaand, it's done.

I hope this ending isn't a complete disappointement, and I hope you enjoyed the story. I certainly enjoyed writing it.

Please, let me know if you see any mistakes. Thank you for reading x