peter pan references! sort of. maybe. either way, i had him on the mind while writing this. hence, the title.
to die would be an awfully big adventure
john sometimes wonder what life would be like if everyone was like sherlock.
Sometimes, John dreams up lives of the people he and Sherlock (mostly Sherlock) solve crimes for. Never the bodies—he doesn't know if that is because his conscious decision to respect the dead men and women, to leave well-enough alone, seeping into his unconscious, or just coincidence—but always the clients.
And the clients live.
In his dreams, there is no ordinary—sometimes, everyone has wings; sometimes, everyone runs on roof tops. Everyone is intelligent, observant—miniature Sherlocks slipping through time, while dying for lost causes.
He and Sherlock are behind it all, of course—even in reality, they are the ones to show everyone how amazing life could be if they were only brave enough to close their eyes and look.
But then John wakes up (from a violin a text a shout) and doesn't forget the dreams, but knows that if everyone craved/lived adventure like he and Sherlock, the thrill would never be the same.