A/N: Just a little stand-alone story that can be treated as part of my canon (the series starting with Vacant Room). I've been sneezing and congested for quite a while and has inspired my writing this. So, I gave John the sniffles. Sorry, John!

The Sherlock Holmes series belongs to ACD. The programme Sherlock belongs to Gatiss and Moffat.

The Viewpoint of Dr. John Watson

A sneeze is a funny thing.

A sneeze can be described by one in the medical profession, such as myself, as a sudden expulsion of air through the nose and mouth caused by irritation; be it foreign particles, allergies, or a virus. Most simply call it a nuisance.

Currently, so do I.

I've been sneezing and sniffling for well over two days now. I've ensured that I carry a small pack of tissues and some hand sanitizer wherever I go now. I sneeze at the oddest times, too. In the middle of conversation, during silences, it doesn't matter. My nose isn't discriminate.

Secretly, I'm starting to wonder if I'm developing an allergy to tissues. Not just one particular brand, mind - ALL tissues. I swear, every time I go to blow my nose, it results in one or two sneezes launching from my nostrils. And I'm a rather loud sneezer, I might add. Mrs. Hudson can hear me from outside the front door to the flat. It's ridiculous.

When one sneezes, it's customary to give a response. "Bless you" is the typical one, though some delve into the German one, gesundheit. Why that language in particular's version came into popularity in English speaking countries, I have no idea. I'm no linguist.

Sneezing multiple times consecutively also holds various meanings in various cultures. For example, in Spanish, first say "salud," which is roughly "to your health." For two, say "dinero," "money," giving the sneezer a wish of prosperity. Three, say "amor," or "love," wishing them, well, love. I think there's a joke that if there's a fourth, you say "medico" which is basically a call for a doctor because you are in serious need of medical attention if you're sneezing four or more times in a row.

I've also heard that in Japan, if you sneeze once, you're being talked about. If twice, someone's going to be mean to you. If three times, someone's going to be kind.

What about seven times?

I've pulled out every nasal/congestion/cold medicine I can find over the counter. I've tried every home remedy I can think of. Everything short of giving myself a bloody nose. Who'd have thought, huh? A doctor who can't cure a simple case of the sniffles?

I feel miserable. Mostly annoyed. Damn my nose. Damn my sinuses. And - dammit, I've run out of tissues. Again. That's, what, the fourth box I've gone through? Today?

I sigh, am about to put on my coat to run out and buy some more bloody tissues... when I hear footsteps coming up the stairs. Someone comes in with two grocery bags full of three boxes of tissues each.

It's Sherlock. He looks like he's about to catch cold, what with the tip of his nose turned red. Same with the tops of his ears.

"Figured you'd gone through every box in the flat already, so I went out and got more. Oh, and I texted Mrs. Hudson while I was out. She's making soup for you down in her flat. Didn't think you could smell it, what with your nasal clogging," he says setting the bags down and opening a new tissue box. He hands the box to me. I snag a handful and smile at him.

God bless my flatmate.