Hero Down

The trouble with sleeping all day is that one is awake all night. For a time John watched Sherlock set about, absorbing the case file Mycroft had handed over. Later he decided to go find a late night snack in the kitchen. Courtesy demanded that he return to Sherlock with what he had found. Carefully he laid the bowl of grapes on the bed between them. Sherlock, of course, would never eat if there was a case to solve as if the distraction of digesting was too much for him to bear. Above them there were obvious sounds of lovers pounding the walls. “Your brother seems to have a healthy appetite.” John stated.

“What?” Sherlock responded, half pulling his attention away from the case.

“That wild thumping sound… it’s Mycroft?”

“Yes, yes… a man of great appetites: food… money… fornication.” Impatiently Sherlock waved John quiet as he continued to read.

“And you don’t have any?”

Sherlock set down the case. “On the contrary… I see how he overindulges and stop myself before it even begins. I don’t want to be like him.”

“In the process you deny yourself of every joy life has to offer.”

“Yes, exactly.” Sherlock picked up the case once again.

“That’s not healthy.” John stated, wrapping his arms around his knees. “Denying your true nature just isn’t healthy. It leads to unnecessary stress.”

“Thank you, Doctor John.” Sherlock refused to look up from his case. “Ah… so the mistress was last seen with the naval plans…”

“I mean it!”

“I shall get right on eating a nine course meal right after I finish this case…” Sherlock responded absently.

“That’s not the part I meant.” John sighed, resting his head against his knees. Watching and waiting John finally reached out and took a grape in his hand, absently eating it. Picking up another he reached out and pressed it against Sherlock’s lips. Obligingly Sherlock opened his mouth and took the grape, his lips pressing against John’s fingers for a moment. Encouraged John tried another and another, secretly thrilled that Sherlock would eat out of his hand.

After a time Sherlock sighed as he chewed thoughtfully. Casting a look at John he picked up a grape and pushed it against John’s lips, his finger accidentally slipping in along with the grape. John licked the invading fingertip with mirth in his eyes. Quickly Sherlock pulled his hand away sucked on his damp fingertip thoughtfully. “Why don’t you go for a swim? You haven’t been able to try the pool yet and it’s a warm night. I just need to read a few more pages and then I’ll come join you.”

“I don’t have any swim trunks.”

“Why do you need them? No one can see you.”

John got up from the bed and went out onto the patio. The light for the pool was off and the waters dark. But the moon shone down brightly upon the surface. It was private enough. Slipping out of the underwear he had been wearing, John eased his way into the pool.

It was near enough the temperature of the air and enveloped him completely. Ducking under the water he swam across the pool, suspended between surface and bottom. Surfacing, he took a deep breath before going back. The moonlight made strange light patterns on the pool bottom. Looking back he saw a dark mass enter the water. Again surfacing, he tried to make out who had entered the pool. It was difficult to see into the water and he nearly screamed with something grabbed him and pulled him down a moment before letting him go.

Coming to the surface he heard Sherlock’s laugh next to him. “Don’t do that!” John splashed water at the detective in annoyance. “I thought you were reading.”

“I was.” Sherlock replied, dipping his nose and mouth into the water.

“Done now?”

Sherlock shrugged a bit… a feat while treading water.

John stared at his friend in the moonlight, his hands occasionally breaking the surface as he moved to keep from sinking. Casually Sherlock leaned forward, his lips brushing John’s for only a moment. Then with a smile he pulled away and swam off to the shallow end.

John felt his cheeks burn and he allowed himself to sink to cover them with water. His eyes watched Sherlock pull himself out of the water and reach for a towel to wrap up with. The detective returned to the villa. John slowly made his way back to the shallow end and got out. Hastily he took the towel and dried himself off before pulling on his underwear. As he re-entered the bedroom he spied Sherlock on the bed, wearing a towel and reading the file as if nothing had happened. “All of that for a kiss?”

Sherlock set aside the file. “John… I think you should know that your happiness is very important to me.”

“And yet you insist on abducting me when I’m on a date.”

Sherlock smiled to himself at that. “I do, don’t I?” Taking a deep breath, he rubbed his face a bit. “When Moriarty had you… so many things raced through my mind.”

John sat down on the bed, facing his friend.

“Things I wasn’t even aware of until that moment… about you… about us. I just knew I greatly anticipated when I could be with you… and you running off to Sarah hurt. You should be running off to me.” Sherlock bit his lips a moment and shifted his gaze to the ceiling. “Then… Moriarty had you. And I realized at that moment that I was about to lose something I’ve never had in my life… something I never imagined I could have. I mean you’ve gone beyond what anyone else would give me. You’ve never called me a freak or a weirdo… you just accepted me… sometimes with annoyance but you’ve never run away.”

Gently John laid a hand on Sherlock’s bare shoulder.

“He had you… and he meant to kill you. He said he would burn me… and he meant by taking the one person in this world that had any sort of spiritual connection with me… you. I was terrified. If I lost you… oh god if I lost you I think I really would follow you.” Sherlock rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands.

John reached out and wrapped his arms around Sherlock, hugging him tightly.

“If that’s what love is… then I guess that’s what this is. I need you, John as I’ve never needed anyone in my life. But I can’t stand the thought of losing you… not to a madman. And he would destroy you to destroy me. I can’t believe HE figured out what you meant to me before I did! If I had known… I would have tried to protect you. I would have Mycroft hide you away so Moriarty could never touch you!”

“Like how… in fantasy stories… often the villain’s heart is hidden so he cannot be destroyed.” John whispered.

“Villains like Moriarty don’t have hearts…” Sherlock replied. “But I would hide you away to keep you safe. That’s why I agreed to come here… with you… while Mycroft gets rid of Moriarty for me. It hurts my pride… but I can’t think of anything else to do.”

John gently caressed Sherlock’s back, trying to heal the wounded heart before him. “I don’t want to be hidden away. I want to be at your side. I’m a soldier… not a damsel. I would like the chance to protect you too if I can… I knew that the first night I spent with you. The cabbie…”

Sherlock broke for a moment, allowing a sob to escape.

“You have to stop leaving me behind, Sherlock.”

Sherlock nodded against John’s shoulder. “I’ll try.”

John pulled away and kissed Sherlock’s forehead. “Anything you want… you only have to ask… nicely. No commands.”

“I’ll try and remember that too.”

John guided them both down to lie on the bed. “You’ve had an emotional evening… you should rest.”

“I can’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing.” Sherlock’s arms wrapped themselves around the doctor.

The thumping upstairs resumed. It had been silent for a little while but it resumed with a vengeance. “My god! They are like rabbits!” John cried.

Sherlock chuckled and snuggled closer to his companion. “Maybe someday we’ll have that intimate a friendship.”

“If you can stand being with me…” John sighed.

“Of course I can…” Sherlock whispered.

--End