The Days Like Crazy Rain
John did not want to be that annoying person who said being famous was hard, but damn if it wasn't tiring most of the time. It was not really a story like the ones you usually heard from actors: it was never his dream job, he never really thought he would end up being one of the most acclaimed actors in the country, even making it as far as succeeding in Hollywood. A bunch of events resulting in him somehow being thrown into the show machine before he knew it, yet now at his twenty eight years, it was frankly getting rather tedious.
When he was younger all the lights and the fun were very enticing for him. Having whatever he set his eye on and doing whatever he wanted was brilliant, girls and boys wanted to date him and he felt he really didn't have to do a thing to gain something. Yet now he had new interests, he was tired of people invading his privacy and he deeply regretted not having the time to pursue the thing he actually wanted. He hadn't wanted, needed something in that way before.
That certain something we're talking about was calling him, the nine texts he had sent prior clearly not enough to convey whatever it was he wanted to transmit. John hesitated in answering, but sighed and picked up his mobile. "Hello." He said.
"John." The moment the actor heard his voice he forgot how he could ever doubt on answering when this man was calling. "Coagulation and flocculation techniques are employed for separating impurities from water." He said as if that was the most normal thing in the world to say to start a conversation. It made John's heart ache at how brilliant this boy really was.
"Yeah, don't really know what you're talking about." He commented smiling. Knowing that the curly-haired man was probably continuing some conversation he had not been a part of until then.
"The alibi, John." He said, as if that should explain what he was saying, but the blonde can never really keep up with him. Ever since they met, John hadn't been able to believe the height of intelligence the 23-year-old possessed. Ever since that first time those eyes had looked his way and deduced everything the tabloids never knew about the actor, John was a goner, and he doubted he would ever recover.
The detective had worked as a consultant on his last movie about some book-inspired serial killer that he played, and not only did he provided brilliant insight as to the nature of real murders, but he helped John learn a technique to learn his lines faster; the actor had never really had more fun filming a movie as he did that time.
It frustrated him to no end that he could never really spend time with the genius anymore. Limited only to short phone calls every three or four days in between. While he was shooting in London, their friendship quickly grew, John spending every moment of his free time -and even some moments while working- with Sherlock. But now that he was in Los Angeles again, things were slightly more difficult, and that's exactly why John was unable to pursue what he wanted: a relationship with the curly-haired genius.
Sometimes, in the way they interacted with each other, he thought he could actually have a chance with Sherlock, yet his career was always in the way. Time, distance and the frustrating -and frankly- idiotic opinion of his manager of it being a bad idea if John were just to embark on a romantic affair with someone who was not in the least famous and a man on top of that, made the situation hard to navigate. He could have said: 'damn it all! I'll make it work' and went for it, yet he knew that once the press got a hold on it, they would inevitably ruin it, as they did with everything else. They would destroy Sherlock, and that's something the actor couldn't tolerate, not even for his own desires. At the end of the day, he decided that his genius' well-being was more important to him that anything else and that it wasn't really fair to ask that much of him.
John was completely aware that if he didn't stop conforming and reluctantly agreeing to do what the media expected of him, things were never really going to change. He would be forever stuck on the same page, the same situation, and Sherlock would eventually accept the rejection and move on, yet he didn't know what to do about it.
"What alibi?" He asked his friend, because there wasn't really anything else he could do but to continue with his friendship as if he wasn't really dying inside from the heartache he felt for this boy.
"The suspect, John" He answered, with what John could bet was the characteristic eye-roll he loved to display. "The one that unexpectedly quit his job for 'personal reasons' the exact day someone was murdered at his office?" Sherlock provided further information, yet John could not simply seem to get past one word, one word that was clearly the solution to all his problems; each and every one of them.
He must have spaced out for several moments while he was having this epiphany because Sherlock was saying his name like he had been doing that for a few minutes. The blonde shook himself out of the trance and said with a gasp. "I'm going to quit." He said and the pause the other did let him know he was clearly not expecting that at all.
"I'm going to quit my job." He repeated with more relief and elation that the first surprised time had been. He started laughing with the freedom he felt of actually having a chance of walking away from it all, of going back to enjoying his days as he hadn't in the last year.
All his celebration halted in confusion when the voice on the phone said 'it's about time!' and chuckled along. John was stunned into silence, he had never even considered quitting as an option and now his friend said that he had the answer all along and decided not to tell him? "Before you develop the desire to murder me more than usual, let me say that I knew you were miserable at your current job, I was just waiting for you to decide it for yourself." He explained matter-of-factly.
John started laughing harder, all the tension and fear and apprehension were gone and now he felt he was free to stop delaying everything and start doing something about it. His life was back in his hands, and if he didn't stop hesitating he was going to lose his chance. Never again. "I love you, you brilliant madman." He admitted, for the first time in his life.
"It's about time for that too." The brunette commented and the other could just hear the smile painting the detective's face. He had made it, he had finally found a way to give up his old life, -the one he was honestly sick of- and start a chapter that he knew no one could taint, it was only his and Sherlock and they would be okay. John would see to that.
Author's note: These are the days that we wait to say: you could go away today.
Inspired by the bonus track of Hesitant Alien: Television All The Time.
Hope you enjoyed it.