Flatmates should know the worst about each other

by Ariane DeVere

There are many things that John has to tolerate now that he lives with Sherlock, but nobody ever prepared him for this.

A 221B (221 words with the last word beginning with 'b')

Flatmates should know the worst about each other

It's worse than the drugs busts; worse than the terrible times when there's no case and Sherlock prowls around the flat, bored and dangerous; worse than the terrible times when there is a case and Sherlock flares around London with no thought for his own safety or that of others; worse than the times when a case goes on too long and Sherlock is pale, exhausted and trembling from lack of both food and sleep.

It's even worse than the few heartbreaking times – thankfully very few – when Sherlock can no longer resist the call of his old addictions and John comes home to find that it's not nicotine patches that Sherlock has been applying to his arm.

In all of these scenarios, John is at Sherlock's side, quiet, supportive, ready to defend him, protect him – or die for him.

It's still a shock whenever Sherlock's anguished voice cries out John's name, disturbing John from his sleep or from a doze on the sofa. The fear in Sherlock's voice is horrifying and John wants to bury his head under a pillow and pretend he can't hear it.

But he's in this for good and bad, and so John sighs tiredly and once more pulls himself to his feet and goes to defend and protect Sherlock by retrieving the spider from the bath.