John came home from clinic to find Sherlock sprawled across the couch, staring up at the ceiling. Several nicotine patches were stuck on his left arm like leeches.
"Case?" John asked, putting down the takeaway on the (relatively) clean table.
"No."
"You haven't had a case in weeks."
"Lestrade hasn't called for me in weeks," Sherlock replied.
"I see," John replied. John cleared his throat and went into the kitchen to put on the kettle.
"What's this about the patches then?" John asked.
"Three patch problem. Molly Hooper isn't responding to my texts."
John rubbed a hand through his sandy blonde hair.
"Send her flowers," he suggested. "That's what I always do when a woman is mad at me."
"Dull."
"Chocolates? Women love chocolate."
"Don't be tedious John."
The kettle whistled and John went to make tea. He set Sherlock's down on the coffee table where it steamed up like smoke. Sherlock watched it until he grew bored and then turned to where John was sitting in his chair.
"Winning will require a complex plan," Sherlock said.
"So this is all a game to you? I don't think Molly would appreciate that," John said. He handed Sherlock the tikka masala and Sherlock took it without comment. An occasional thank you would be nice. John knew he shouldn't hold his breath. Sherlock sat up, peeling the patches away and dropping them to the floor. He picked up his tea cup and held it in his hands without drinking.
"Getting a bit weird now," John said five minutes later.
"It a complex problem," Sherlock said, taking a sip of his cooling tea.
"Anything in that mind palace about courting a woman?" John asked.
"Quite a bit surprisingly. Most of it is generic. Hold eye contact, make compliments, buy small gifts. I want something more...unique."
Sherlock didn't touch his chicken. They sat in silence and eventually John took their cups and saucers into the kitchen to put them in the sink.
"Dammit Sherlock! What did I tell you about experiments in the sink!"
Sherlock laid back down on the soda, fingers steepled together. His great brain buzzed with activity, all of his focus turned to Molly Hooper.