Blood
Sherlock hates the color red. It was the most hated color in the world, at least sometimes. On day when John peels a red apple for him and slice it into tiny pieces so he would eat them he like the color of the apple. Or when John would kiss him until they had to breathe and look into each other faces, seeing the red lips. He likes red then.
But now he hates it.
He steps out of his trousers, the still wet piece of clothes fell down and let red prints behind. The same happens with his once white shirt. He had let his suit jacket and coat somewhere in the hall behind. He couldn't wear them right know. They needed cleaning. The coat needs cleaning the jacket would be thrown into the bin like the rest of his clothes.
As he had peeled himself out of the last pieces, two soaked socks, Sherlock steps into the Shower, closes the curtains and let the water fall on him. He should notice that the water was icy cold or that he was shivering, but he didn't. The only thing he notices was that the water changed to the color red.
Sherlock had to close his eyes as he saw John´s dog tags didn't stay clean ether. Red. Everywhere was that hateful red.
John hates to see his boyfriend like that, barely holding it together and nearly breaking down. What could still happen. He picks up Sherlock´s coat and puts it into a back for cleaning. The jacket is thrown into a plastic bag.
John didn't bother to knock. He wouldn't get an answer anyway. On the floor was the rest of Sherlock´s cloth. Soaked and ruined, they would all have to go. He liked that shirt, John thinks sadly. He leaves the bathroom again to dispose of the clothes.
John returns into the bathroom, shed quickly from his own, still clean clothes and climb into the tub too. First thing he does is changing the temperature. He didn't touches Sherlock right know. He was clearly on the edge and everything could push him over. But John knew how to deal with this kind of situations by know. It wasn't the first time.
"Love? Let me wash your hair." Slowly reaching for the bottle of Shampoo and squeezing a bit on his hand. Sherlock, who didn't let him call 'Love' outside the flat, hadn't moved so John touched him lightly at his shoulder to turn him to him. He massages the shampoo into the filthy black hair on his partner´s head. John tries like always to ignore the empty eyes. It would take a bit of time for Sherlock to find his way back.
The once white foam was now pink. "Love I will wash out the shampoo now. Close your eyes." But Sherlock didn't move, John lifts the hand that wasn't holding the showerhead to cover carefully Sherlock´s eyes.
After the hair was done John moves over to get the soap and a sponge. "Love, I will wash your body now. Stop me if I do something you don't like." Starting with Sherlock´s red hands, John travels up the arms over chest and back, followed by the feet, legs and genital area. He took special care of his dog tags around Sherlock´s neck because they were very important for his lover. They are the sign of their connection. John gave him the tags as a promise, to be here for him so he would never feel lost or lonely again.
The water changes from red to slightly pink until it had loses all color and only a few bits of soap swam between their feet.
The water begun to cool down. "Love I think you could use some tea now." John turns off the water and climbs out of the tube. He leads Sherlock by his hand out and dries him off with a towel. After Sherlock was dry, he helps him into fresh clothes. Just a pajama trousers and a t-shirt. John gets dry and changed too in under a minute to get to the far more important part.
"Love let's sit a bit on the sofa before we drink our tea." Taking Sherlock´s hand they walk over to the sofa and John places Sherlock´s head in his lap. Sherlock was still starring emptily but his body starts to relax under John's hand and whispered words of love.
Sherlock felt warmer. The cold hand that gripped his heart starts to lose. He had lost today. He couldn't save that person he was supposed to save. If he had been faster he wouldn't have to hold the lifeless body of the teenage-girl. He would have got a hug probably. From her and her parents but so he so shattered hopes and destroyed lives.
John´s hand is warm. It is always his warmth that keeps his heart from freezing. His word of love, his touch and his presence. John was everything, his love and without him he wouldn't be here. But still the girl didn't survive her kidnapping. John told him it wasn't his fault, they had been contacted too late to save her and still Sherlock felt guilty for not saving that girl.
His eyes start to see the real word again. It was their living room and Sherlock could finally hear John talking to him with his hand in Sherlock´s hair. He moves a bit to see his boyfriend´s eyes. To make sure he was alright.
"Welcome back love." Sherlock smiles, he likes to be called 'Love' knowing that in the safety of their flat John could call him that without making him a target by showing people how deep their connection became.
John always welcomes him back after an episode of that. He helped and Sherlock didn't know what he was even doing. He can´t remember but John stops the breakdown, the self-harm that follows such a breakdown and makes him find his way back.
Without talking Sherlock reached out and pull John´s head down to him and their lips meet. Soft and slowly transferring the feeling of love and trust and gratitude to the love of his life. They breathe the same air and are still alive to continue their love and the fight against the cruelty of this world.
John melts in Sherlock´s arms. He was getting worried. Sherlock had needed a long time to come back to him but now everything was alright. He hates cases like that. Cases that didn't end well and they hadn't been able to change the outcome.
The person who hurt his boyfriend tonight escaped from a mental institution. He believed he could finally give his body to the devil when he would sacrifice 12 female virgin. For that he kidnapped 12 girls over a week and let them bleed out altogether. The blood was collected in a huge basin. For the ritual, the suspect had to take a bath in the blood to give his body to the devil.
Insane yes and they came too late. The girls were already dead and as the suspect tried to run away Sherlock tackled him and they both landed in the blood. They had ended with a solved case, 12 dead girls and a suspect that would go back to his room in the mental institution with a new lock on his door.
John had taken Sherlock´s hand and led him from the crime scene into a waiting car (probably Mycroft´s doing) to get them home. He had seen Sherlock´s eyes and knew they needed to get away from the world. Just the two of them were needed for the next step in a case like that.
He focuses back at Sherlock who had stopped the gentle kisses and moved his mouth next to his ear. "Thank you for getting me back to you." Sherlock´s whispered word only heard by John made him think everything will be good but the blood covered detective with the empty look in his eyes will be another picture of horror in John´s collection of nightmares.