I've sort of invented a background for Sherlock in which he has a friend-type-person in school, I hope it doesn't seem too out of character.
I'm sat at a table nursing a cooling coffee in my hands, waiting for him to turn up. It's quarter to seven.
"Sorry I'm so late. Difficult patient." He sits down opposite me, placing the same scarf from before on the table in front of him.
"No problem."
"I'll just go and order a something. I'm starving. Do you want anything?" He eyes my half-emptied cup and sighs, the tension rolling away as he does so. He's more relaxed now, outside of work and in somewhere he's evidently comfortable.
"Just another coffee please, black."
"You not hungry?"
"I don't eat much." I shrug and drink the rest of my coffee. He walks towards the counter, familiar with the staff, making small talk about their families and jobs. His shoulders aren't hunched over anymore and I'm glad I'll have some small piece of good news to report back. He actually lets out a quiet laugh in response to something the waitress says; she's flirting with him but he doesn't notice. His shirt is still hanging off him but he's unbuttoned it at the top and taken off his tie, changing his whole demeanour. When he smiles, it reaches his eyes, wrinkles forming in the corners.
There's still that tiredness behind his eyes.
"She's going to bring it all over in a minute." He pulls the chair out and drops comfortably onto it.
"You come here often." Running my fingers across the rim of my cup, I realise I'm nervous. I don't know what I'm expecting from this exchange, or what he is. I'm dreading the consequences. It's not really a question, it's more of a statement but he answers me anyway.
"Yeah, all the time." He's studying me. They're so similar in some ways; they both study me, make me nervous. But John's so warm and open and I can't imagine him ever saying something that would hurt anyone, he'd think it through.
"It's nice."
"How did you know him?" Straight to the point, another similarity.
"School. I wouldn't say I was his friend exactly but I was more than an acquaintance. He helped me with homework sometimes and I got into more than the occasional fight for him." The waitress brings over our drinks and we thank her simultaneously.
"Same drink as him." He comments on my coffee as I add two spoons of sugar to it.
"It was my drink first." I sip it and lean back in my chair. "Perfect."
"He never told me anything about his childhood, actually, he never told me much about his life before me. Tell me more, please? How did he get into fights?" I raise my eyebrow and he laughs. "Of course, by being Sherlock."
Thank you for reading, reviews are welcome. Also, what do you think of the similarities between Miss Eventide and Sherlock? Do they work? (there is a reason for them btw, it will become clear in time)