This is the edited and re-uploaded version but still not beta-d.
Words: About 1000
John kicked the front door shut behind him and proceeded to climb the seventeen steps up to their flat, laden down with enough shopping to last them at least a week, if not two, so long as Sherlock didn't experiment on any of it despite John's 'food is for eating' rule. He staggered into the kitchen and dumped the plastic bags on the table where Sherlock was sitting at his microscope and started unpacking them.
"John I need your help with an experiment," Sherlock said absentmindedly, not looking up from the microscope.
John paused from putting food in cupboards and turned to stare at the back of Sherlock's head warily. Experiments that involved John usually didn't go well for him.
"What kind of experiment?" He tried to keep the suspicion out of his voice but failed miserably.
"I want to see how being in the presence of another person affects the quality of sleep," Ah so it was going to be one of those experiments.
"So basically you want to sleep in my bed, with me … for science?" John said, rubbing his hand over his eyes in a long suffering manner.
"Exactly," Sherlock looked up from his microscope and turned to face John, "I got a better night's sleep when I shared a bed with you than I have, well, ever, as far as I can remember. So I want to compare the quality of sleep when sleeping in close proximity to another person to sleeping alone to see if there is any scientific evidence that sleeping with a partner is produces a better quality of sleep."
There was a short pause. Sherlock had assumed that John would be fine with this and wasn't even expecting an answer so had turned back to his microscope and was now fiddling with the dials. John, however, looked slightly like a goldfish, opening and closing his mouth until he managed to reconnect his brain to speak properly.
"No,"
"Excuse me?" Sherlock hadn't been expecting John to object to his experiment. It wasn't as if it was going to be a dangerous experiment. It would hardly affect John at all other than the possibility of them both getting a better quality of sleep for the duration of the experiment which would benefit both of them. He could not see any reason at all for John to object.
"I said no, Sherlock. I will not be your lab rat again,"
"But it's for science!" Sherlock turned to John and put on what John had called his 'puppy dog eyes' and managing to look like a spoilt child who had just been told he couldn't have the toy he wanted.
"I said no,"
"Please?" Sherlock tried. Using good manners usually turned John into putty in his very capable hands.
"You are not sleeping with me. End of." John turned away from Sherlock to continue putting the shopping away in their various cupboards, concentrating a lot more on the task than was strictly necessary.
"It isn't like you had such a terrible experience last time, John," Sherlock wasn't going to give up that easily.
"Sherlock, I said no and I mean no."
Sherlock opened his mouth to continue his protest but closed it again when he caught sight of Johns withering glare and chose to flounce over to the sofa instead in a dramatic sulk. This wasn't going to be the end of it though. Oh no. Sherlock would get his way no matter what it took.
.oO0Oo.
John made it almost three days before the mention of Sherlock's new experiment again. He knew it was coming; Sherlock would never just give up on trying to get something he wanted that easily. In fact John doubted if he had ever given up on trying to get something.
John had been sitting in his favourite armchair with a cup of tea and a book when Sherlock had burst through the door, dripping wet from the rain. Little droplets of water fell from his sodden hair and coat to pool on the floor around his feet. His already too tight purple shirt was clinging to his chest, outlining every muscle perfectly. John found himself gazing at said chest for rather longer than necessary and ducked his head down to glance at his book, carefully folding down the corner of the worn page and setting it aside before looking up again to the, now pacing, Sherlock.
"Why are you so wet?"
Sherlock turned to look at him, an expression of complete disgust at John's stupidity on his face.
"It's raining, John. Surely even you could have noticed that," John didn't even bother taking offence at this sort of statement anymore and simply rolled his eyes.
"Yes, but why are you so wet? You were in the morgue, it doesn't rain in there. It couldn't have taken you that long to get a taxi, you're dripping!"
"I walked home," Sherlock stated simply, turning back to his pacing.
"You walked home? For god's sake- Sherlock it's over a twenty minute walk and it's tipping it down,"
"I needed to think,"
"You couldn't have done that in the cab?"
"I wanted to walk," Sherlock waved his hand vaguely, still pacing, leaving wet footprints from one end of the room to the other. He was starting to shiver slightly now but was either ignoring it or hadn't noticed how cold he was yet. Probably the latter, knowing Sherlock.
"Yes but you got soaked," John ignored the glare at his obvious statement, "You'll catch a cold,"
"No I won't," Sherlock waved his hand dismissively, wrinkling his nose in distaste at the statement.
"Yes, Sherlock, you will. You aren't superior to the common cold. Especially when you go off gallivanting around London in the pouring rain without an umbrella. Take off your wet clothes and go have a warm shower, you look freezing, I'll make you some tea to warm you up," Sherlock ignored him completely.
"Why won't you let me conduct my experiment?" He said, as if they had been talking about that all along.
"What?" John often found it hard to keep up with Sherlock's sudden topic changes.
"You heard me," The shivers were getting more violent now, racking Sherlock's whole body with harsh shudders.
"Yes but I don't know which experiment you're talking about. You have lots of experiments you wish to conduct that I won't allow you because they would probably result in one of us being poisoned or the house being burned down," John knew exactly which experiment Sherlock was referring to but didn't particularly want to tell Sherlock why it's not normal to share a bed with your male flatmate when you are completely straight.
"The sleeping experiment, John, do try to keep up," Sherlock snapped, his voice scathing. "It's hardly going to end up in the house being burned down, is it? I don't understand why you object-,"
"I object because I would rather you didn't invade my privacy any more than you already do," John cut across him, "which is a lot. I think I deserve a few hours every night of privacy so I can actually get some sleep without feeling uncomfortable,"
"My bed is just as comfortable as yours," Sherlock had stopped pacing now and was staring at John, a thoroughly confused look on his face. "In fact it is probably more comfortable. I don't see why-,"
"You know that isn't what I mean,"
"You mean it would make you uncomfortable sharing a bed with me? Why? We've shared a bed before," Sherlock stopped pacing to look at John confusedly. "You didn't object then. In fact you seemed rather content when you woke up," There was a small puddle forming at Sherlock's feet now as the water dripped off his coat and onto the wooden floor.
"That was different, Sherlock. I am not talking to you about this right now. For god's sake go and take a shower and put some warm clothes on or you really will catch a cold," Sherlock made to object but John cut across him, "GO, Sherlock. We can talk about this later but I don't want to have to look after you if you get sick. You already act like a child half the time, I don't want to know what you're like when you're ill,"
Sherlock stood glaring at John for a few seconds before pushing his sodden coat off his shoulders and allowing it to drop to the floor in a wet heap before flouncing off in the direction of the bathroom.
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