Of Fear and Fright
"John, do not move" Sherlock ordered in a low and forcibly calm voice.
John immediately halted all movement; he stood frozen as Sherlock approached him stealthily from behind.
"What is it Sherlock?" John asked, the panic in his voice carefully hidden as he stared unblinkingly at their bathroom sink.
"Just…a little arachnid" Sherlock said gently as he lifted his gloved hand slowly.
John felt Sherlock's warm hand on his left shoulder; he felt it swipe hastily across his back towards his other shoulder, speeding up as it reached its destination.
Out of the corner of his eye John saw a very large black tarantula fall to the floor with force and he jumped back in shock, knocking into Sherlock. Sherlock grabbed hold of the Doctor with both hands; attempting to right himself and avoid slipping on the tiled floor, the taller of the two balanced them both with little effort.
"Jesus, Sherlock, that's a – it's a – where did that come from?" John stammered, his breathing pattern rather hyperventilated.
"Oh, it was an experiment" Sherlock said calmly as he leaned back against the wall, still with a hold on the shorter man.
They both watched as the Spider stalked slowly toward the base of the toilet.
John shivered as it disappeared from view.
"Is it poisonous?" John asked with a clenched jaw.
"No, its harmless, just escaped the tank is all" Sherlock said as he watched the toilet dubiously.
"I don't want it in the house, Sherlock" John huffed, still seemingly frozen within the Consulting Detective's grasp.
"It's ok, John, I'll get it when you're finished" Sherlock muttered as he released John slightly.
John scoffed "You are not leaving me in here with it" he shouted incredulously, "Really, John, it's just a spider" Sherlock said with a smirk.
It was then, that John realized he was only wrapped in towel, with another towel around his neck, yet Sherlock was fully clothed; coat and all.
After a moments' indecision; John decided to just relax against the detective, after all, it wasn't as if they didn't know each other well.
"Thank you, Sherlock, for getting it off me" John said gently, leaning his head back but still keeping an eye on the toilet.
Sherlock's brow furrowed, but he allowed his chin to rest against John's temple in a moment of weakness.
"Quite alright, John" Sherlock murmured.
After a minute or two of silence, John's heart rate had calmed. He stood once more to his own two feet and turned round to look at Sherlock, the taller man dropped his arms from around his flat mate but remained propped up against the tiled wall.
"Call me when it's gone" John said firmly as he walked through the hallway to the kitchen for a much needed cup of tea.
The next day, John's decidedly unmanly squeal from the bathroom echoed around the small flat as a morning greeting. Sherlock immediately swept towards the sound, bursting through the wooden bathroom door in time to see John hurriedly wrapping himself in the shower curtain.
"John?" Sherlock asked as he scoured the bathroom for the culprit.
"You didn't get rid of the spider, Sherlock" John said in a slight squeak whilst attempting to hide behind the thin material. The shower was still running and steam emanated through the open bathroom door.
"Hmm, yes, it disappeared for a while and I couldn't find it" Sherlock said as he looked towards the toilet. "Where is it?" he asked dully, looking to John with raised eyebrows.
John wordlessly pointed to the wall above the mirrored cabinet. Sherlock noticed the shock and obvious fright on John's expressionful face, more obvious perhaps were the tears streaking his friends' face. He decided that this time he had better deal with the criminal in question directly without a moments' delay.
Seeing the spider above the cabinet, Sherlock disappeared briefly and came back into the bathroom a moment later with a cake tub. The clear plastic held scones, John's scones.
"Oh, John, can I use this?" Sherlock asked calmly as he held up the item over the bath to show his flat mate what he was referring to.
"Yes, yes, anything, please just get rid of it" John said hurriedly, still wrapped up in the wet curtain. Sherlock thought it best not to tell John that the white material had become more or less see-through as it got wetter; instead he headed for the wall. Standing on top of the toilet lid, Sherlock opened the scone tub and in one easy scoop and click – contained the spider within.
Sherlock wordlessly and elegantly jumped back to the tiled floor and walked out of the bathroom.
John sank to the bath's enamel in shaken relief, the hot water still streamed down upon him as he tucked himself up, recovering from the episode.
"Arachnophobia" Sherlock's voice boomed above him. John didn't move, he continued to stare at his feet as the hot water flushed over him "Fear of spiders" the taller man continued as he observed his friend closely.
"John, are you ok?" Sherlock asked with sudden concern once John had not replied.
John still did not answer but wrapped his arms around his legs instead.
Without a beat of hesitation; Sherlock clambered into the bath fully clothed and sat down opposite the Doctor, his legs crossed.
John looked up then, taken aback by Sherlock's concern filled eyes.
Without words, John let go of one of his legs and reached out towards the detective, his hand quivering, his eyes pleading.
Sherlock raised his own hand and intertwined their digits in the space between them. Hastily, the younger of the two pulled John toward him and wrapped his long arms around the wet Doctor; he rocked them back and forth gently like his mother used to do with him. It was the only thing he knew to do.
"I am sorry, John" Sherlock said apologetically. "I had no idea how they affected you".
They stayed in the shower until the water ran cold, by which time; Sherlock's clothes had been soaked through. Lunging forward, the detective grasped the taps and turned off the flow of water; consequently dislodging John from his lap.
Standing up, Sherlock began to remove his wet suit trousers, socks and shirt, throwing them into the bath behind him. He reached for one of the bath towels and wrapped it firmly around himself, before reaching for the second bath towel and turning to John.
Throwing the second towel over his shoulder, Sherlock took a hold of John's right hand and hoisted him easily to his feet. John looked a little sheepishly up at the wet haired detective as he attempted to cover himself with his left hand.
Sherlock smirked as he wrapped the large towel around the soldier, placing it under his chin and rubbing the ends of the material across John's back comfortingly.
"When did you get so, empathetic?" John whispered softly in the quiet room.
"I'm not, John" Sherlock said automatically.
"What's this then?" John asked, his eyes were red and his face was puffy, his skin was shrivelled from too much water intake and Sherlock stopped his administrations immediately to scour the older mans' face.
"I don't know" Sherlock mused thoughtfully, squinting his eyes.
"I hate spiders" John said, promptly changing the topic. "There was so many in Afghanistan. They were everywhere; they get into my nightmares almost every night. I would wake up to see them on my leg, wake up to the sound of them walking on the roof of our trailer…god" John's voice broke as he looked at Sherlock's bare shoulder in morbid thought.
"I didn't think anything scared you" Sherlock said off-candidly.
John snapped his gaze up to the taller man's face now in surprise.
"Well – I mean – that I have never seen you so affected by something" Sherlock corrected with a nervous glance down at John's towel – covered body.
John had no control over his actions as he leaned onto the detective, seeking comfort. Sherlock's eyes widened as John's wet hair came into contact with his angular jaw, having no idea what to do, he continued his attentions on drying John's back with the towel, desperately trying to ignore the exquisite sensation of John's warm breath ghosting across his neck.
"Thank you, Sherlock" John murmured somewhere beneath the taller mans' chin.
Sherlock then decided to wrap his arms firmly around the shorter man; an odd sensation of severe protectiveness took hold of him as he grasped John tightly.
"The spider has gone – and I will endeavour to keep them from you at all costs" Sherlock said gently, his voice vibrating between the two men.
It was this moment that Mrs Hudson and Lestrade reached the top step of 221B.
"Sherlock, you have a visitor" Their landlady called out before rounding the corner and through the open bathroom door.
John, surprisingly, didn't budge from his snuggled position as the two men stood in the empty bathtub in towels; Sherlock looked at the two invaders calmly as if everything was normal.
"Lestrade, kindly wait in the living room, Mrs Hudson make the tea. John, get dressed." Sherlock ordered in a low commanding tone. John only answered with a burying manoeuvre as he dug his face into Sherlock's neck, unable to move his hands due to the massive towel still draped around him.
The landlady and DI walked briskly towards the living room sharing a smirk.
"Don't tell them, about the…spider" John mumbled into Sherlock's neck, the taller man gulped nervously at the sensation.
"Secrets are safe with me, John" Sherlock said in a whisper before pulling away from the Doctor, smiling down at him encouragingly.
There was a clarifying moment between the two men as they gazed at one another in silence before, simultaneously, moving towards each other to share a brief but intimate kiss.
Both seemingly surprised by their actions, they separated fully. John coughed a little as Sherlock turned away abruptly, exiting the bath and walking from the room.
The two men were still wide-eyed as they met once more on the landing after they had dressed appropriately.
Entering the living room awkwardly together, Sherlock allowed a few glances to his flat mate's back before settling himself in his leather armchair and turning his attention towards the DI.
It was six days before Sherlock and John had found their first lead on the case that Lestrade had brought them. Just as Sherlock crouched down to examine the body in amongst the thick British fog; Lestrade approached John quietly.
"This case is taking so long…is Sherlock ok?" Lestrade whispered; his back to the consulting detective no more than 100 yards away.
John turned toward Lestrade. "I don't think anything's' wrong, he is human, he does occasionally get stumped by the odd case" John smiled, his tone mirroring the Detective's whisper.
"Distracted, I think" Greg whispered back with a knowing smile.
"Distracted?" John repeated with a furrowed brow.
"Come on, John, something was going on last week when I saw you two in the bathroom. I think Sherlock–" Lestrade sighed as he examined John's face; "-is more than fond of you, and visa versa"
"I can see how you were promoted to Detective status, Inspector" Came Sherlock's unfazed drawl from behind Greg. The badger haired man closed his eyes in shame.
"This man was one of the magicians. He attended two children's parties before he died…at the hand of the second birthday boy's father" Sherlock rounded off in his dull monotone.
The fog that surrounded them was having a strange effect on the Doctor as he gazed up at Sherlock with a parted mouth, watching that brilliant brain in action.
John was suddenly victim to a flashback to that morning in the bathtub. The kiss that was never mentioned but that had happened.
"John, come on, we need to get to the Yard" Sherlock's voice brought John back to his senses with an ungraceful bump and he blinked his eyes in quick succession to stop them from watering, he looked up at the marvellous man in question. Wait…'marvellous'? Where had that come from?
"We'll discuss it later" Sherlock said in a commanding whisper after he had taken a step into John's personal space.
Lestrade had already disappeared into the fog and John was momentarily entranced by Sherlock's breath ghosting across his own face.
"John" Sherlock said quietly as his lips curved up into a smirk "It's rude to stare" he continued, his hand suddenly grasping John's hip. The shorter man gasped and Sherlock watched his pupils dilate.
Somewhere behind them in the pea-soup-like fog, the Detective Inspector called to them;
"Sherlock? I can't see anything, head back up here, I have a car waiting" Greg called in his rough London accent.
Something crossed Sherlock's ice blue eyes that looked a lot like mischief. He cocked an eyebrow up and – if possible – intensified his stare on John's dark blue eyes.
"Right in the middle of a crime scene…we could get away with anything…right under their noses" Sherlock whispered, his face looming closer to the dumbstruck Doctor.
John watched him with a mixture of helplessness, excitement and horror until his eyes closed of their own accord.
Sherlock's lips were soft and gentle as they touched John's timidly. Without further encouragement John sprang into action; immediately burying his hands into Sherlock's dark curls and bringing him closer to the shorter man as he feverishly kissed back. After a minute or two, the two broke apart, breathing heavily.
"We'll be right there" Sherlock shouted back to the DI without removing his eyes from John's.
"We need to talk about this" John murmured as he stared back, dropping his hands from the younger man's neck.
"Later" Sherlock whispered, pressing a chaste kiss onto the shorter man's lips before he walked away.
It was obvious to John that Sherlock's version of 'talking about this' was not what John had in mind from the moment the two men entered 221B. With John being pinned to the wall forcefully by a consulting detective that had latched onto his mouth with his own, it was kind of difficult to form coherent thoughts.
"Sher-" John gasped as he managed to break them up for air before the younger man attacked his mouth once more.
"Sherlock" John tried again.
"John, either talk or let me continue, we cannot do both" Sherlock stated firmly as he placed his hands skilfully on the physician's torso, pinning the man in place.
John panted wildly as he looked into Sherlock's wolf-like eyes.
He knew it was futile to fight this man.
He knew it was impossible to deny his feelings any more.
He knew that Sherlock could take anything he wanted from John, and that John himself would enjoy every second of it.