Prompt: Heat, from trustingHim17

I had hoped, once I finally found rooms of my own, that my recovery would hasten. I found it horribly dull to be forced to remain at home all the time, and I wished to return to my profession as soon as possible so I might recover somewhat from the financial ruin I had suffered while in army service.

But the winter of 1881 proved to be hard and cold, and I soon found that, used as I was to the temperatures of India, I could not venture out of doors without succumbing to a fever. Even within our rooms, the draft often aggravated my wound and left me with little strength to do anything but sit in the armchair by the fire. Nights were the worst, as the temperature dropped and the wind howled, I lay awake shivering, unable to stay warm.

Throughout this, I endeavored to keep my new fellow-lodger from realizing my struggles. I was mindful of how Stamford had described him - as someone who would be willing to slip a friend the latest vegetable alkaloid as an experiment, though equally willing to take it himself - and my own observations of him as an aloof, highly rational fellow meant that I doubted I could expect sympathy from him. It was not that he was a cruel fellow, simply that such emotions seemed not to occur to him. He certainly was kind enough to apologize for his habit of violin playing at all hours, though I hardly minded as he was perfectly willing to play my favorites in recompense for any annoyance he had caused me. But I confess that as much as he fascinated me, I also found myself intimidated by him, for he was utterly unlike anyone I had ever met and already I had seen evidence of his masterful personality. Sherlock Holmes was not a man who suffered fools, or weakness, gladly, and while I heartily agreed with the former, I bitterly resented that I was now among the latter. I sought to make myself as unobtrusive to him as possible; not only was I afraid that I would be forced to move out, but I dreaded losing the only source of any interest in my life.

Tonight, however, I would not be able to remain peacefully in my room, which seemed to let in every blast of cold air that blew against the house. I got up and slowly made my way down to the sitting room, trying to be as quiet as possible so I might not disturb Holmes, whatever he was doing. I had found he often stayed up late in the nights doing chemical experiments or engaging in other studies which were utterly mysterious to me. I had no wish to disturb him if he was awake, and wished less to do so if he was sleeping. I had already noticed that my fellow-lodger seemed to find nights as difficult a time as I did myself, though I am sure for different reasons. I would not give him reason to wish to break our agreement, as I would not be able to afford the price of these or any rooms alone.

On reaching the sitting room, I found it cold and dark, Holmes apparently having long since gone to bed. The fire had gone out, no doubt hours ago as Holmes rarely noticed whether it was lit or not. I attempted to light it again myself, though my hands shook so violently with shivering that I dropped the wood I was holding and winced as it clunked against the grate. Holmes was a light sleeper and almost certainly had heard that.

"Watson?" As I expected, Holmes opened the door to his bedroom and, seeing me struggling with the wood, hurried to my side. "What is the matter?"

"Nothing," I said, though my teeth chattered so I was hardly able to get the words out. "I could not sleep and thought to sit awhile by the fire but-" I sighed, deeply embarrassed at my weakness.

Holmes simply took me by the arm and hoisted me up, sitting me in my usual chair. "Watson, you are positively frozen," he said. "Sit there. I shall light the fire."

This was said in such a commanding tone that I did not dare disobey, however much I did not wish to be beholden to my fellow lodger. I should have been embarrassed to accept such help from a friend, and while I found him a pleasant enough fellow to share rooms with, one could hardly call Holmes and myself friends.

Yet for all his cold, aloof nature, Holmes soon had a bright, cheery fire burning and, with a look I might have called concerned in anyone else, brought me a blanket from the settee and laid it over me. "Thank you," I said gratefully, for wrapped in a blanket in front of the fire I was at last warm. "I find the cold intolerable since my return from India."

"I can well imagine you became used to heat," Holmes said.

"The thing is that when I was there it was the heat I found intolerable," I said with a chuckle. "It is so very warm and damp that I often felt I was drinking the air rather than breathing it. Yet now I would find that more pleasant."

"You shall get used to our British weather again," Holmes said. "It is only a matter of time, I am sure. You have improved much already in the month since we took lodgings here."

I had not seen or felt any such improvement, and my thoughts must have shown upon my face, for Holmes laughed. "You forget my turn for observation, Watson. I assure you I have seen a great improvement in you. You have put on a stone at least and the timbre of your voice is much stronger."

This was most gratifying to hear and I took heart that I would not be a recluse forever. "Thank you," I said. "I did not wish to disturb you tonight."

"It is no disturbance, and if you had, it is only fair, as I have disturbed your sleep on many an occasion already," Holmes said.

"Oh," I said. "Stamford said, well, he made you sound rather a cold fish." I recalled this with some embarrassment now, for I felt he was doing Holmes an injustice.

Holmes smiled and said, "I have an interest in maintaining a situation that is comfortable for me, and I know I would have difficulty finding another lodger for this place. Certainly not one so forgiving of my flaws as a fellow-lodger."

I caught a glint in his eye that told me I was not wrong in imagining that he was not merely so self- interested in this matter. But knowing already of his seeming discomfort with emotions, I said nothing to indicate that I saw through his ruse.

He is quite the most interesting fellow I have ever met, and I am very glad to have taken Stamford up on his introduction. I know not what would have become of me this winter if I had not.