John collapsed into his armchair with an audible sigh it had been a long day at the clinic. An endless parade of small wailing children with colds and worried geriatrics convinced that they had the latest outbreak in bird flu that they heard about the other evening on the news. Gently rubbing his fingers over his temple he attempted to work away some of the stress of the day as he gathered his strength in order to get up and go fix himself I nice cup of tea.
As the kettle began to whistle the sound of the water boiling already beginning to relax him, he heard the clatter of his roommate returning to the flat.
"Sherlock I was just making a cup of tea would you like one?" John yelled out, already grabbing a second mug from the cabinet doing his habitual inspection for any dangerous residue left over from one of Sherlock's experiments before using a dish.
"John you must see what I was able to get from Molly today!" Was his roommates reply with the excited tone of a young boy showing off a new toy.
"What's that then?" John asked. He was then grateful for his medical and military training because it was only the combination of the two that kept him from spilling two boiling hot mugs of tea on himself when he rounded the corner into the living room only to confront his roommate proudly brandishing a container with a severed head. The face was swollen and covered with red splotches and patches of shingles indicated adult chicken pox. The most disturbing part was the small patch of necrotizing fasciitis, which had begun on the left cheek already exposing a portion of the muscle and tendons below. Every side of the container was marked with biohazard symbols and labels and John was at least happy to see that the required safety seals where still in place.
"What the hell Sherlock! You do not have the proper safety equipment to be doing any kind of research on a flesh eating bacteria in the house!" John shouted. He generally was not too off put by his roommates experiments as long as he kept them a reasonable distance away from anything edible and clearly labeled containers but this was crossing a line. He was not a pathologist but he remembered enough from his medical school rotations to know that the labeling on that container was indicative of a viral or bacterial infection that had a high probability of becoming airborne.
"Don't be daft John I do not plan to break any of the seals on the container I simply plan on observing and logging the progress of the necrosis. I have only missed the first couple of hours post mortem. I could use my observations in later investigations." Sherlock explained.
"I don't understand why you couldn't do your observations at the labs at Barth," John lamented, "But I suppose that is as close to reasonable as I can expect from you Sherlock, but you need to keep that in your room where Mrs. Hudson will not see it and you are definitely not keeping that skull." John replied smirking at the last part and offering Sherlock his mug of tea.
"No, no I have no need for a replacement skull that is what you are here for" Sherlock replied distractedly waving a hand in dismissal of the tea and moving toward his room still staring into the container like an excited school boy.
John shook his head as the genius disappeared into his room unsure if the man had intentionally made a joke or legitimately saw him simply as a replacement to his old skull, which Mrs. Hudson had hidden away. Letting it go for the moment he placed Sherlock's tea down on the end table by the sofa and proceeded to get comfortable with his own mug in his chair. Grabbing his laptop to check the latest news and his email. It was a couple of hours before his eccentric roommate re-emerged from his room.
"John, why did you make me a cold mug of tea?" Sherlock asked with some confusion picking up the offending mug.
"What…Sherlock I made that for you when you got in hours ago. Just stick it in the microwave." John replied amazed at how oblivious his highly observant friend could be to the passing of time.
"I cant I currently have an experiment in the microwave." Sherlock replied, gracefully collapsing in his chair.
"SHERLOCK! You agreed not to do experiments in the areas I need to prepare food. You are going to end up getting one or the both of us ill one of these days." John shouted his face turning red.
Sherlock dismissed his roommates concerns with a hand wave. "John I will not allow you to poison yourself and I am aware of the location of all my ongoing experiments. You worry far too much. "
"Whatever its your funeral" John mumbled angrily under his breath. Knowing it was a loosing battle to continue with Sherlock at the moment. He knew by now that nothing would dislodge his friends strange belief that a laboratory and a kitchen could co-exist without issue.
