A/N: Hey! I know that it has been a long time but here's another Sherlock fic! It's the same concept as "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" so if you haven't read that one, go read it. /shamelessly promotes own work
Warning: Might be a bit OOC for some of you, but I tried to tone it down. Also, not beta-ed so beware of rogue typos.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, be it from Winnie the Pooh or Sherlock. Any resemblance to other fics is purely coincidental.
If You Live to be a Hundred…
"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you."
-from Winnie the Pooh
"John. Talk." were the first two words that the world's only consultant detective had uttered in nearly a week. Understandably, his flatmate, John Watson, nearly choked on his tea.
"Umm... What exactly do you want to talk about?" asked the doctor as he took a nearby napkin to soak up the bit of liquid that did manage to slosh out.
"Anything. Anything to keep my brain working. I feel it dying," came the typical overly dramatized answer in a deadpanned voice.
However, to John, that was as close as a desperate cry for help that he would ever get from his friend.
"Okay. Hm. Let's see. Well, you asked for it so don't go complaining about it being too boring," the doctor warned. It wouldn't be the first nor the last time this happened.
As he saw no confirmation from his companion, he decided to ask the first question that popped through his mind.
"To what age do you want to live up to?" John asked randomly, wincing slightly at how his brain couldn't have come up with anything better. If Sherlock's slightly blank expression was anything to go by, he probably wasn't very impressed either.
However, the fact that he actually seemed equally pensive spoke volumes about his current level of boredom.
"Hmm, despite the predictable and boring nature of the question, I do suppose that there is still something worth exploring within it. Considering all the factors that can be taken into account in order to calculate the optimal length of life, the question can actually be quite interesting..." Sherlock considered John while he spoke. "Impressive, John... To think that your brain can actually conjure such question in such unpredictable timing... I must congratulate you, even if I'm guessing, quite correctly if I may add, that you weren't expecting anything deep out of it."
John could only offer him the quick, customary smile that he often does whenever he doesn't know how to answer.
Sherlock stared at him for a few seconds, before going back to his musings.
"While I certainly do know that the human brain can only do so much, I do wish to live a fairly long life; however, my wish seems almost impossible, considering my line of work. On one hand, if I live until my brain's capacity of functioning properly starts decreasing, I'll be able to die with my dignity intact. On the other hand, I'll be confronted with the thought of never ever solving another case again, which is easily worse than death. Such ambivalence..."
Sherlock stopped his monologue and turned to John, who was sipping his tea and calmly reading the newspaper, waiting for the detective's analysis to end, instead.
"What about you, John? Despite my claims of your predictability, you do manage to surprise me on rare occasions and I do find such instances entertaining. I would like to hear your answer on this matter, in hopes of getting something that might allow me to answer in return," Sherlock looked expectantly at John, waiting for his reply.
At this, John simply folded his newspaper and placed it on the table, movements slow and pensive. He then stared at Sherlock.
"Well, I guess that the answer's pretty easy for me. I couldn't be bothered by all of those calculations. In my opinion, as long as it follows this principle, then I'll be content: if you live to be a hundred, then I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so that I never have to spend a day without you, despite you being as insufferable as you are."
A/N: So, I hope that you enjoyed this little baby ficlet. I had fun writing it because it's so short and hopefully, inspiration will hit again soon! So until then, please leave a review with an idiom/quote (source included please) that you would like to see appear. ^^