"Well, then. Where are we off to, then?" John asks as he catches up to the taller man after half jogging a bit, looking up at him before he looks around since that really didn't take as long as he was expecting.
"Hm? Oh. Back to the flat of course." Sherlock says as he gives John an odd look as if wondering why he asked such a stupid question. "I have a few things to analyze, and then I unfortunately have to wait for the body to get to the morgue." he says with a long-suffering sigh as if it's the biggest inconvenience in the world to wait for the stupid people to do their jobs. Which in his mind it probably is.
Nodding a little for a moment, John considers as he watches the man next to him. "Right. Well, I'm sure you don't need me around for that, I'd like to wander the city a bit, see what's changed." he says as he looks around slowly. As much as he wants to spend his time with the brilliant detective, he also wants to go see some of the places that he remembers.
Sharply turning his head toward the smaller army doctor, Sherlock considers him for a few moments. "What - why?" He asks, sounding genuinely confused. "Things change all the time you'll never see everything that's changed in the time that you've been away. What could possibly be so interesting that you would rather just... wander the city?" he asks in confusion as he looks at the doctor.
Smiling a little for a few moments in a tolerant way but also in a way that speaks so much to the contained frustration at the brunette's lack of empathy, John looks away to compose himself before he looks back at Sherlock. "Because I went to University here, I spent a lot of time here as a kid. It's nostalgic, being back after so long. I wouldn't expect you to understand, but I've been abroad for quite a few years, Sherlock, and I'm finally home. It's interesting spending time with you, yes, but there are other things that I want to do while I'm back." He explains patiently, hoping that this won't turn into some sort of argument.
"Right. Don't get lost, then." Sherlock looks John over for a few moments, then shakes his head. "You certainly didn't dress for London in the winter." he says before he removes the scarf from around his own neck and secures it around John's. "There." He says with a nod of his head. "I'll text you, should I get any new information." he says before he turns walks away, raising his hand in a backwards wave before he adjusts his flipped-up collar and then puts his gloved hands back into his pockets and continues on back toward his flat.
A little stunned at the thoughtfulness, John loses the ability to speak for a moment since the emotions seem to have cut off all of that. After swallowing, he manages to squeak out. "Right, then." And he turns to hail a cab to take it further into London. Once inside the cab, he turns his head a little and takes a deep breath, noticing a rather unique scent on the scarf which is only lightly laced with the smell of cigarette smoke, which makes John smile despite himself.
It takes a few hours before John gets tired, so many things having changed. He goes to a few of his old haunts, gets lunch at a pub he used to frequent, even stops by St. Bart's, though he doesn't go in there, knowing that they are too busy to entertain a nobody like him. Still, he sees quite a few things, and notices all the little changes, invigorated by the city. Of course, he also gets a bit chilly. As with everything, it seems, Sherlock was right, he did not exactly have clothes that equipped him for a London winter. Which causes him to stop in a shop to get some warm leather gloves at the very least. he's just about to turn toward the counter when he spots something which makes him grin a little. The perfect present for Sherlock Holmes, at least he thinks so.
After getting the present gift-wrapped and paying for those as well as his gloves, John steps back out into the cold, inordinately pleased with himself. And of course, that's about when he gets a text, not even having realized that he had a phone on him. It seems that Sherlock must have slipped it into his pocket at some point, another thing that makes John feel pleased and wanted. And being wanted by a man like Sherlock Holmes is the greatest high he knows.
Interesting results. Come at once if convenient. - SH
If inconvenient, come anyway. - SH
The second text arrives within a few moments of the first and John just shakes his head for a few moments before he hails the nearest taxi and gives the man the address to Sherlock's flat, enjoying the ride in quiet amusement, even giving the driver a bit of a tip because he got him there so quickly.
Of course it isn't until he arrives at Sherlock's door that he realizes he doesn't have a key, but instead of knocking he takes a chance and just tries the handle, shaking his head for a few moments when it opens. "Bloody hell, Sherlock, you really need to lock your door." he says as he steps inside. "Anyone could come in." he says as he takes his bag to the bedroom he's using, hiding it in his suitcase before he comes back out, removing his scarf and jacket to lay them over the chair that he's claimed as 'his' while he's there.
Sitting perched over his microscope at the kitchen table, Sherlock barely responds, briefly glancing over at John, watching his progress until the doctor comes back into the room, at which point he goes back to pretending he isn't paying attention. "Knew it would be you." he reassures. "You don't have a key to the flat afterall. And I am in the middle of an experiment which requires my attention, I couldn't very well get up and go to the door if you happened to get here during a critical part." he says as he adjusts the knobs, making notes on a small notebook beside him, before he finally lifts his head to look over at the doctor, examining him for a moment. "You seem to be in a rather good mood, but not because of a woman or intercourse." he says thoughtfully. "What is it, then?" He asks in frustration, it only eluding him because it's not something he can deduce, and it's emotional which is a bit of a blind spot for him.
"I had a good time, Sherlock. That's all. I enjoyed seeing the places I used to hang out and how things have changed." John points out, shaking his head a little for a moment since he's slightly amused. "So, what did you find, then?" he asks, walking closer and clasping his hands behind his back in a relaxed parade rest.
That amuses Sherlock slightly, practically preening as he looks at his microscope, and then glances back at John, trying to figure out how much he can prolong his deductions. But he can already see John becoming restless. "I found two foreign hairs on the victim's clothes. One of which was feline, belonging to a Siamese cat, the other was human. Female. Which means they are either the killer who wants to be caught for the terrible deed that she did, or she is connected to the man and wants justice for his murder which she does not believe is being investigated thoroughly enough. Likely the latter." he says as he looks at John. "Blunt force trauma tends to be inflicted by a man. If it were a woman they would have been caught already, they tend to be flustered, nervous, give themselves away in a way that even Scotland Yard could see, statistically speaking of course." He explains, sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest, looking rather pleased with himself.
Nodding a bit as he listens, he can't help but smile faintly and shake his head once. "Bloody hell, how do you keep all that information in your head?" he asks with a note of awe in his tone. "Doesn't tell us much about the killer, though, or the person that moved the body. Besides the person is female and has a cat." he points out, sounding almost a little disappointed.
"Oh, but there is so much more, John." Sherlock says with a slightly mischievous curl to his lips as he smiles. "I analyzed the hair further. Chemical composition tells me that she used to be a junkie, she's dyed her hair twice in the past year, she's lived in London all of her life, and she would have recently discovered that she's pregnant. Another indication that she might have wanted justice for the dead man. Also, she moved a body from the morgue and dressed him in period clothing. Not only does she have access to period clothing - likely from some sort of storage locker - but she was able to dress a corpse. Either she has very little to no qualms about doing such things which would indicate sociopathic tendencies, or she's merely used to being around dead people. Mannequins at the very least. That narrows the field significantly, don't you think? I've already narrowed down the list of suspects from what Lestrade sent me about the people connected to our John Doe." he says as he reaches over blindly and unerringly picks up a stack of papers that have red circles around a few of the names, putting it back down afterwards as he watches the older man expectantly.
That is a little more what John was expecting, and as such he gives the appropriate response. "That.. is amazing. How you put that all together. Absolutely brilliant, Sherlock." He marvels as he watches the man in front of him, seeing the pleased look come across Sherlock's face which only makes the doctor smile more and cross his arms over his chest. "So what's the next step?" He asks as he looks into those captivating blue-green eyes.
"Now, my dear Watson, we are off to the morgue!" Sherlock says after checking his phone when it beeps. And just like that, he goes from calm and relaxed to a maelstrom of energy, quickly hopping up. He grabs his phone and slides it inside his suit jacket pocket before he strides over to retrieve his coat, swinging it on. "Oh, come on, John! What are you waiting for?" he asks when the other man just stands there trying to figure out what's going on.
It does take a moment for John to respond, but more because he's stuck on the 'my dear Watson' bit, his brain taking a moment to catch up. "Right. Sorry." he says before walking over and putting his jacket and gloves back on. "Here." he says as he offers the scarf back to the detective now that he won't be needing it.
For a few moments Sherlock regards the scarf and shakes his head. "Keep it. You need it more than I do." he says before he finishes buttoning up his jacket, striding toward the door.
With a small nod, John loops it around his neck, making sure that he has the loaned phone. He also spots Sherlock's keys sitting on the counter and he shakes his head, grabbing them on his way out and making sure the doors are locked. Of course, he finds Sherlock out at the curb, holding the door of the cab open for him.
"Hurry up, John!" Sherlock yells to him in frustration before he ducks into the cab, practically bouncing with impatience, fingers tapping on his knee as he waits inside the cab for the other man to get in, then he gives the address to St. Bart's.
With a dramatic roll of his eyes, John strides forward quickly and slides into the cab, pulling the door closed behind him. When he hears the address his eyebrows go up and he smiles. "I was trained t Bart's." he says thoughtfully. "You forgot your keys, you bloody idiot." He points out after he snaps out of it, holding out the key ring to the younger man.
"Did I?" Sherlock asks mysteriously. "My mistake." he says as he casually takes the keys, but he looks far too pleased with himself, like the cat that ate the canary. Or like a genius that just got his friend, the army doctor, to do exactly what he wanted him to do.
Well now. I was almost late on this one, but turns out I'm not! And I am having super fun writing these two together, it's going to be so interesting when I eventually go back to letters for a bit. I have tons of big plans for these two. At this rate this story is going to be like a 100 chapters long! :) Also.. watching fanvideos while writing this is strangely helpful. I cannot even imagine the time and creativity it takes for those folks to scour for the perfect clips and scenes to put to music.
By the way, if I have any artistically inclined followers out there, I would love to have a proper cover for this story, it certainly will be one of my longest and most involved. So if any of you come up with anything, I would love to see it! As always, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Also, bit of a spoiler, but I need something for Sherlock to give John for Christmas, so any ideas on that would be appreciated as well. :) Thanks in advance!
Reviews/Comments welcome!