Spoilers: Hounds of Baskerville
Ch 23 in which our hero Sherlock is frustrated by the lack of progress.
It turned out that the game of attraction wasn't easy to play. It made no sense and it made Sherlock frustrated and angry as hell. He had no idea how to approach the subject at hand.
He knew enough to notice the attraction on others, to see when they engage in intimate acts but how to get to there seemed as an enigma. It just made no sense.
Sherlock wouldn't be caught dead saying any of things advised or act in such shameful ways.
Maybe he was doing all of this wrong. They had advices for the general public, this was more intimate, this was John Watson and who knew John Watson better than himself.
Sherlock waited for John to go out and took his laptop. The new password wasn't fort Knox either.
He already did examine John's collection of nude women. That made no impact on him whatsoever. Now he searched for something more intimate. He opened his mail and scoured through it searching for the messages to his girlfriends. Surely, there will be a key to John Watson's intimacy.
As he read the messages Sherlock was at first confused and then he just laughed out loud. Those weren't conversations, those were ramblings of barely literal subjects. No wonder his relationships ended so quickly.
Interesting enough, there were no new correspondences since Janette left.
That could mean something but Sherlock wasn't ready to conclude what. Maybe he was just tired.
Sherlock returned the laptop to its place. John hated when Sherlock messed with his private things, as anything was hidden before Sherlock.
This was getting boring. Nothing happened. Moriarty stalled. Why wasn't he attacking? He was already well fed. He was playing with Sherlock's nerves.
This thing with John didn't help either. That was a stupid idea anyway. There was no reason to go through with it. There was no need for Sherlock to indulge Moriarty like that.
A case, a case was what he needed. When they were out and about John was more susceptible, maybe flirtatious even.
"A dead pig?" he lifted his gaze from his newspaper. "No."
"What do you mean no? It'll be fun, there will be even a harpoon involved."
"Hell, no," John lifted his eyebrows and Sherlock went out alone.
The harpooning the pig was less than satisfying. It left him with a feeling of deprivation. He wanted something more, he had a craving.
None of the cabs would take him so he texted John that he'll take the tube. John was like that, he worried sometimes so Sherlock checked in with him. Also, it gave him the sense where John was, that Moriarty still haven't started his game.
After he got cleaned up from the pigs blood, Sherlock decided of what kind of a craving it was. He was desperate for a cigarette, its sweet sour taste spreading across his mouth. The cigarette will fix all his frustration but annoyingly John wouldn't cooperate.
"Please," he pleaded him.
"No," John said unmoved not even slightly tempted.
Why wasn't he tempted? What a man must do to gain his interest? Women only had to look at his way and he was ready to go.
'I'm actually not gay,' he often said but Sherlock heard what that meant even if others were too stupid to notice.
Clearly, he wasn't gay, any woman could have him on a leash if they wanted to. He would do anything to get on their good side. 'I'm not gay' only meant that he was interested in women, not that he didn't see men.
Sherlock saw right through John's vague facade, he would never say 'I'm straight', because he was such a bad liar, not bad, he hated lying. Men caught John's eye but for them he wasn't willing to play, to lean to their desires. No, John Watson with trust issues, despised men, he defied them, he would never let himself be controlled by a man. More so, he carefully avoided being trapped by a man.
Determination to stay on his feet, a soldier's resolve to gain a normal life. That was his goal, to defeat ghosts of his past and have a regular life they all wanted. A wife a child and a placid life of a plant in a house where no one ever yells 'Bored'.
Sherlock didn't have a desire to take that away from him. Surely, one day, they'll get bored of each other's company and John will go on to have that life cured from his addiction to adrenalin.
No, Sherlock only wanted a small favour, but it was such a hard favour to ask. He would rather that he manages to manipulate John to offer his services. Clearly, he felt confident enough on that field to consider himself better at it than Sherlock.
That made Sherlock pause.
Maybe that was an angle, to let John be better than him at something. But that was just silly.
'Stop thinking about it.'
Sherlock hated loops like this one. The answer must be simple but he was awful at simple solutions. Surely, John would know with his steady mind, but he can't ask him can he.
It was disastrous. Like that play of Cluedo. Games were often mentioned to lead into a pleasant evening, but that turned into a catastrophe over which Sherlock was still frustrated. Why couldn't they make up convincing cases with plausible clues?
He needed a case badly or he'll go out and investigate that glowing rabbit just to go out and run some.
Maybe he should try with Cluedo again.
"It's this," Sherlock said to John about the case of the glowing rabbit. "Or Cluedo."
"No," John closed his laptop. "We're never playing that agin."
"Why not," Sherlock was confused by his firm response.
Surely, it was frustrating for Sherlock but why would John care. Then John rose his voice to object Sherlock's solution once more.
"It's not in the rules," he concluded.
"Then the rules are wrong," Sherlock shouted thinking of the all the rules around them that were wrong when the bell interrupted their fight that might go on for some time more.
Their fights tended to last more and more.
There was a moment of silence after a bell.
"Single ring," said John lifting his finger.
Sherlock observed the length of the single ring.
"Client," they said instantaneously.
Client was all that they needed. Something to run after to ease up their nerves. Sherlock quickly removed his gown and put on his jacket.
"Some shoes would be nice too," said John pointedly and Sherlock complied with a low growl.
So, frustration is building up. I love the way they fight on the begining of this episode.