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The forest near their rented cottage is very peaceful. The only sound is the leaves crunching under their feet. Watson and Holmes walk hand in hand while admiring the stillness around them and (though they pretend otherwise) each other's peaceful faces.
"Did you ever climb them, Watson?" Holmes stops and touches the trunk of a tree he imagines would be good for climbing. "As a child?"
"Sometimes, yes." Watson leans his back against the tree and faces Holmes. Holmes thinks he looks very handsome with the boyish glint in his eyes now.
"Did you?" Watson asks gently, knowing Holmes' childhood is sometimes a touchy subject.
"No. There was one tree in my garden that I believe Mycroft used to climb for a short while. As you know, we were never really encouraged to be children, and that included climbing trees." Holmes gives a sad smile and looks at his feet.
"Do you want to change the subject?"
"No!" Holmes looks into Watson's eyes now. "I want to hear all about you climbing trees as a child! If you would be good enough to tell me about it."
Watson chuckles as he launches into the few stories he can remember about climbing the trees in the woods and how he always wanted a tree house but never managed to build one. Holmes listens with a smile as they continue their walk.
"I couldn't climb one now, but I could help you. If you want to give it a go." Watson says with a mischievous glint in his eye.
"Watson, I'm a grown man." Holmes laughs.
"So? That tree there would work quite well."
Holmes looks at the tree and back at Watson.
"Fine!" He laughs.
They stand at the base of the tree and Holmes looks at it intensely, memorising where the branches are.
"Do you trust me?" Watson squeezes Holmes' hand.
"Always." Holmes says truthfully.
Watson spends the next quarter of an hour or so telling him where to put his feet and hands and which branches are most likely to support his weight. When Holmes is successfully in the tree he smiles down at Watson.
"There you go! You did it darling!" Watson beams up.
"I did. And although the view is rather peaceful, I think my joints would prefer it if I got down now."
Watson guides Holmes on how to climb down and laughs as Holmes jumps the last little bit.
"Your joints will certainly not thank you for that."
"Perhaps not, but it was fun and seemed a fitting way to end my little childish exertion. And a fitting end to the day would be curling up in front of the fire, don't you agree?"
Watson links his arm with Holmes'.
"I do indeed."
Together they walk arm in arm to do just that, and Holmes asks Watson more questions about climbing trees.