John: Doctor, Soldier, Friend
Author's Note: I want to apologise for what happened last chapter; I uploaded it and it went wrong so I deleted it and uploaded it again. It confused me so it probably confused you too. I apologise.
John Watson is a doctor, a soldier. John is a friend, a colleague, a shoulder to cry on. He's a lover, a husband. He's calm, controlled, collected. John is brilliant and normal and special. John is so many, many things.
Mrs Watson will always say that John was the calmest baby. He barely ever cried or threw tantrums. Even as a child he was more interested in making sure everyone else was okay. He followed around his big sister and was always there to help her. He was a sweet child and teenager; so cuddly and adorable and warm. She still thinks those things but it embarrasses him when she says it... especially around Sherlock. Sherlock agrees with her though that doesn't make John any less embarrassed. Sherlock and Mrs Watson don't care.
Mr Watson thinks his son is strong, sturdy, smart and reliable. John was always there to help out around the house, even when he hit puberty and spent half his time chasing girls. He would always drop everything to help his dad work on the car or the house. He was always there to put away the shopping and cook with his mum. John was, is, always there.
Harry has always thought her brother is an annoying little prick, ever since her parents brought him home. Of sure, he was adorable, with big blue eyes and sandy-blonde hair. Yeah, he was pudgy and warm and made cute little gurgling sounds. But that was when he was a baby. As a child he stalked her, dressed like her, wanted to be here. As a teenager it was so he could hang out and hit on her mates, including her first girlfriend. As an adult John was always throwing his two-cents in; lecturing her about her hair, her weight, her drinking (really, Harry wasn't surprised when her little brother started dating Sherlock Holmes. The boy had some very gay habits.) Despite all that, despite annoying the absolute SHIT out of her, Harry loves her brother. He was always there to pick her up from hospital or sit with her while she sobered up. He talked to her through her many break-ups and breakdowns. He even offered his shoulder when she and Clara got divorced. John was always going to do great things; was always going to care for as many people as he could. But he always, always, cared about her, no matter what. Afghanistan couldn't keep John Watson from caring about his family. He's annoying, yeah, and so bloody lecturing. But Harry loves her brother. He's... he's her brother.
Sarah always liked John, she still likes John, even though he basically dumped her for Sherlock Holmes. Oh yes, at the time it was because Sherlock needed him, not because John was in love with him (not yet anyway). John is a good doctor. Sarah knows it. He's good with patients no matter how young or old. He's good at taking care of sick people and making them better. He's good at being there for people. Sure, sure, he drops everything to run off after his flatmate, but John's still reliable and good company. He can have a soft sense of humour or a dirty one. He knows how to flirt with any woman no matter what age, weight, height, ethnicity. He's good with women, that John. He's so unassuming; he sneaks up on you and suddenly BAM, he gives you that smile. John is a good man, a very good man, despite his odd devotion to Sherlock and their weird life. John is... he's a doctor. He's strong.
Mrs Hudson thinks John is a god-send. He takes care of Sherlock and keeps the taller man out of harm... well, mostly out of harm. John's there to stop the experiments getting out of hand, to stop the flat becoming an absolute disaster zone. John is sweet and caring; he sits with her and has tea and biscuits. He listens to her complaints and her stories. John has time for everyone; he's always there for everyone. He's there for Sherlock. Mrs Hudson worries about Sherlock but less so when he's with John. John is a saint. Mrs Hudson loves her boys. She loves John the most (shh, don't tell Sherlock).
Dimmock thinks John's a good bloke. Utterly mad to be married to Sherlock Holmes. But still, good bloke really. Patient, reliable, sturdy... Dimmock thinks he's cute too, especially in those jumpers. No, wait, he did not say that. Nope. Absolutely not 'cause Dimmock's not gay, got it? He's NOT gay... he's not... shit.
Sally likes John. She thinks he's weird to throw his lot in with Sherlock Holmes (and then MARRY him!) but she still likes him. John is a soldier so he's brave. He gets all calm and in-control when faced with danger. He can stutter a bit, fumble over himself when he doesn't know what's happening or when Sherlock looks at him in that way, but stick a gun to his head and John turns into Mr Robert. Is John weird? Sally thinks so. Is he brave? Sally definitely thinks so. Is he good for the Freak? Sally most definitely, one hundred percent, thinks so. John Watson is a good sort and he makes Sherlock Holmes a better man. She just hopes Sherlock doesn't rub off on him too much.
Anderson doesn't particularly like John. Oh yeah, he's nice; the bloke's always nice to everyone. But he comes in all 'I was a doctor in the army and know everything' and steals Anderson's job, his thunder. He makes Anderson look stupid and Anderson gets enough of that from the Freak. Yeah, yeah, John's a good doctor, Anderson isn't denying that. But can't the man get another job? One that keeps him away from crime scenes? And does he have to stare at the Freak like a love-sick puppy? And does he really, really, have to punch anyone who says more than one bad sentence about Sherlock Holmes? There's one thing Anderson knows about John Watson; the man has a killer right-hook.
Anthea loves Doctor Watson. He's good for Sherlock; he keeps Sherlock out of harm. That makes Mycroft Holmes happy. And that makes Anthea happy. Her job is easier when Mycroft doesn't have to worry about his brother. And he doesn't have to worry because John takes care of Sherlock. John is strong. He's smart and sweet and reliable. Anthea really does like Doctor Watson. It was cute when he hit on her and Anthea has to admit, the man has balls; he hit on her twice. Anthea's never let a man hit on her twice. Oh, she'll flirt, she'll smile, but she never lets them think they have a chance. Only Mycroft Holmes is allowed to overly flirt and Anthea doesn't mind. He's charming, he's her boss, and he's gay. Anthea doesn't mind when John Watson does it either because John's cute. Maybe Anthea shouldn't have rejected him. He really does look adorable in those jumpers...
Greg Lestrade might just be in love with John Watson. Not in a 'I-want-to-have-sex-him' kind of way but in a 'Thank-fuck-someone-in-my-life-isn't-insane' kind of way. Greg loves how John calms Sherlock down, how he makes the genius more human. Sherlock was a nut job before John, now he's closer to being just crazy. And John is normal, you know? Greg likes that John's normal. He can have a beer with John, can laugh with John. He can talk about the footy and Doctor Who and his boyfriend. He can complain about work and not be called a dickhead or an idiot. John is easy to talk to, Greg likes that. John is always understanding; he doesn't judge, he just listens. John is incredibly brave too. He throws himself into danger on a weekly basis. Plus, you know... he lives with Sherlock and has sex with him. The guy is fucking brave as hell. He's Greg's best mate.
Mycroft Holmes knows how to read people. He knows how to read everything in a three-second glance. He saw that John was brave, that he was above average in intelligence. He saw that John wasn't scared of him, that he loved danger and mystery and a good cup of tea. He didn't see that John could care so much about his little brother. He didn't see that John would make Sherlock happy in more ways than anyone could imagine. He didn't see that John loved Sherlock and that Sherlock loved John, not until much later. John Watson has the ability to surprise Mycroft all the time. He surprises Mycroft with his caring, his honesty, the way he can block everything out and focus on the important things. He surprises Mycroft by seeing the best in people, by refusing to believe the worst until he has no choice. John is good for Sherlock... at the end of the day, that's all Mycroft cares about. John cares about Sherlock so Mycroft cares about John.
Sherlock Holmes thinks John is a good doctor. He is sturdy, strong, able to multi-task and focus on one thing completely, blocking everything else out. He has soft, skilled hands that are always still. He has the ability to talk to people; relate to them, calm them down, make them feel safe. Sherlock thinks John is a good soldier. You can tell John was a soldier. Everything about him screams military; his hair-cut, his clothing, the way he holds himself and walks. John is efficient and tidy, he can make himself seem taller and stronger than anyone Sherlock knows. The way he stands, all rigid and strong and... John. John is a good friend, Sherlock knows from experience. John barely knew Sherlock that first night yet followed him into hell, saved his life, shot someone for him. John is loyal; he'll always be there for his mates. He's there when Greg needs him, he's there when Mycroft needs him. And most importantly, he's there when Sherlock needs him. Sherlock loves everything about John. He loves his dark blue eyes, his brown-grey hair cut all short (it goes fluffy in the morning and Sherlock adores it... not that he'll ever say it outside the bedroom). He loves that John thinks tea can fix anything. John makes tea when Sherlock is sick or tired or hurt or fighting with his brother. John takes care of Sherlock, Sherlock loves that the most. He cooks and cleans and tells Sherlock he's smart. He takes away Sherlock's cigarettes and drugs. He makes sure Sherlock sleeps and eats and does his laundry. John is reliable and calm and funny and strong and sexy and wears a lot of jumpers (Sherlock especially loves the red-and-black striped one... he likes to think of it as John's Sex Jumper). John is everything to Sherlock. He makes everything better. He makes sure Sherlock gets cases and doesn't fall off the wagon or smoke too much. He's... he's everything to Sherlock. He's John. He's a doctor. He's a soldier. He's a friend and colleague and husband and brother and son and lover and... and he's Sherlock's. He's Sherlock's John.
John's never thought he was anything special. He's always been short and had dark blue eyes. He's always been broad-shouldered and thin. He's plain; John thinks he's plain. Yeah, he's always been a good multi-tasker. He has the ability to block everything out. Everything unimportant becomes white noise as John focuses. It makes him a good doctor, a good soldier. Sometimes it makes him a good friend because John can push through all the shit and see what's important. It's how John realised he loved Sherlock and vice versa. Sherlock's annoying habits, his words, his unbelievable spitefulness became white noise, garbled voices in the distance. John only saw the love. John never thought he'd get someone like Sherlock, not just because he's brilliant but because... well, he's a he. But Sherlock... he has the ability to change your sexuality apparently... and John loves it. Sherlock is brilliant and amazing and exotic. John is normal, ordinary, average, nobody. But then... maybe that's a good thing. Sherlock and Mycroft are brilliant and yet sometimes they're so miserable. Sherlock gets bored and shoots the walls. Mycroft gets bored and starts wars. When John gets bored he flicks on the TV, goes to the pub, reads. Maybe there's something to be said for being normal, ordinary. John can ground Sherlock because he's human, can't he? He can be Sherlock's moral compass, his tether to earth because he's normal. John loves Sherlock but he doesn't want to be Sherlock. He sees how hard it is... okay, so maybe John's okay with being normal. He can enjoy a cuppa, a football game, Doctor Who. Sherlock can't; he's too brilliant. John is... normal. Maybe that's what Sherlock sees in him. Maybe John's normality makes him special. John thinks that sounds insane... no, he knows it's insane. Well, he never said he was sane, did he? He married Sherlock Holmes, after all. Sherlock's brilliant. John's normal. John likes that.
Author's Note: Okay, so another chapter comes to a close. Amazing that this has chapters as I planned it as a one-shot. Interesting, it keeps happening to me! Well, feel free to review or curse or throw something, preferably not at me.
Oh, and the next chapter will be about Greg Lestrade because I love him.
Cheers!
I live to entertain.
{IBegToDreamAndDiffer}
