For your information, I'm not a die-hard Twilight fan. I was simply presented with many descriptions of Sherlock and couldn't get the image of him as an undead out of my head. Though I know he goes out in the day, I guess I'm just going to have to incorporate something to protect him as I go along. I'm thinking this may have more than one chapter. Rated M for sexy times in Chapter 3
The Mating Game
"We're out of jam, John." Sherlock muttered as he looked past the groceries in the fridge for his latest experiment.
"Honestly?" John asked incredulously, "I just bought a new jar a week ago."
"Mrs. Hudson came 'round for tea."
"Oh yes, that woman does love her jam and biscuits." John sighed. "Could you get some today? I'm a bit tired. Didn't sleep well."
Sherlock had eyed John that morning and quickly noted the purple bruises under his eyes, the paleness of his cheeks, and the tiny frown lines around his mouth. A quick survey of his pajamas showed the kind of wrinkles caused when one tossed and turned. Nightmares, he had surmised. Now, in the afternoon, John looked a bit better, but he was still pale and drawn. As much as he wanted to, he really couldn't go to the store. It was too bright today, too dangerous.
Though it pained him to say so, a curt "Can't" escaped him.
"Dammit Sherlock! You, of all people, must see how tired I am. I haven't had a good night sleep in—" He cut off the words.
"A week." Sherlock supplied, knowing he was right.
John chose to ignore him. "Every once in a while you could go to the shop and get food. Maybe it's too mundane for the great Sherlock Holmes! Can't pick up bread, or milk, or jam? It would take less than ten minutes, but oh no! Sherlock has to do experiments on the coagulation of blood after time in the microwave, or test how far earlobes can stretch after being pounded!"
"I've never—"
"Maybe he has to check the decomposition of testicles when in the sun or—"
"I can't go outside because it's sunny—" Sherlock blurted out before he could stop himself. He closed his eyes and turned away. Damn, he'd been able to keep his secret from John for the past year, why had he blown it now? He silently cursed himself in every language he knew, which was quite a few.
"Too sunny? Did I hear you right? You're afraid of the sun? We've been out in the sun before, what the hell kind of excuse is that? Too sunny, if I've ever—"
While John was ranting, Sherlock quickly went through his options. He liked John well enough, more than he cared to admit. (Though he had seen the looks John gave him when he thought Sherlock wasn't looking, part of his mind reminded him. Quiet, I'm thinking, he told it.) He trusted him more than he had trusted most people, and he rarely trusted anyone. John had been in the army, so he had seen many horrifying things. This most likely wouldn't scare him away. But, he may prove hard to persuade. He quickly came to a conclusion and cut John off.
"It is true, John. I've kept this from you, it seems, for as long as I can and now it's time to tell the truth. I don't know if you'll believe me and I certainly hope it doesn't make you think twice about living with me."
John looked at Sherlock with his eyebrows raised, "What are you going on about?"
"I'm a vampire, John." There was no point in trying to get around saying it. Sherlock didn't care and John needed to know exactly what he was dealing with.
Not to his surprise, John let out a laugh. "A vamp- Sherlock, what kind of idiot do you think I am? I may not be the great Sherlock Holmes, but-"
"Don't call me that. Do you want proof? Fine." Sherlock walked up to John and opened his mouth. He closed his eyes, flexed slightly, and felt his bicuspids elongate. They weren't as dramatic as many people believed them to be, (movies these days, his side-thoughts commented) barely a centimeter longer than ordinary, but John noticed. He wasn't as great an imbecile as so many people he knew.
The frown lines on his face deepened fractionally and John's breathing became the smallest amount shallower. At this proximity, Sherlock could even feel his heart beating faster than average. Was he scared of him? (Maybe it's because you're so close, maybe you should back up, his mind commented again. Right, good idea.) Sherlock took a step back.
John snapped out of his reverie and his eyes focused on Sherlock, who had closed his mouth, opened his eyes, and stepped back exactly 4 and ¾ inches. He seemed to struggle for words, the resolve formed in his eyes and he said exactly what Sherlock expected.
"That's why I never see you eat. You don't eat, you drink—Blood. Where do you get it?"
Sherlock smiled without humor, "Mycroft used to fetch me prisoners that had been put on the death penalty." He shuddered. "Tasted horrible. All of them were malnourished and generally had been smokers. That's how I became addicted to nicotine…. Well, now I just get blood from the blood bank. I tell them I use them for experiments and use a stolen ID or Molly gets it for me. I always tell her it's for experiments."
John's eyebrows twitched, his expression bemused. "So, you don't kill people?"
"Only if I have to, only when the situation calls for it."
John sat down in the armchair and looked up at Sherlock. "Have you ever wanted to kill someone who doesn't deserve it? Or feed off of them?"
"None that I can recall, I find the impulse easy to control"
"Ah. So why can you go out in the sun? Aren't vampires supposed to" He made an explosive gesture with his hands "poof in the sun?"
Sherlock grinned, "Very descriptive doctor, yes, generally we do go poof in the sun, but not when we're full. As long as I've eaten recently, I have enough protection under my skin to withstand the sun's heat. Even if I haven't, I won't explode or anything. Vampires simply have no melanin left in their bodies, hence, no sun protection. My skin would burn very badly, very quickly."
"So that's why you're so pale? Well, any of you… As for the sun thing, can't you just…. wear sun lotion?" He blushed at the question, aware of how silly it must have sounded. Sherlock noted how pretty the red stain across his face looked.
"Seems comical, doesn't it? It wouldn't be enough of a shield by itself. There is no melanin, zero protection. Sun block merely lends an aid to your skin."
"Right," he paused. "My flat-mate is a vampire. Well, I'm off to the shop." John paused again and laughed at how blasé his statement sounded. Still chuckling to himself, John grabbed his wallet and headed out the door.
Sherlock smiled as he watched him leave. I'm not looking at his arse, he told himself strictly. Of course, the only person he couldn't lie to was himself. He turned around as the door closed and shook his head to remove the image of John walking away.
John was done asking questions for now, but he knew there would be more to come.