***A/N***

"If I had fifty-three minutes to spend as I liked, I should walk at my leisure..." -Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

This is just a bit of a teaser for the much longer story over on AO3 (28 chapters as of this posting, and still a WIP. My co-author is working on the 29th as I type this note, actually). John and Sherlock have actually gone on a holiday at the beach… Specifically on one of the tiny islands of Greece. A few things to be aware of… Ioanna is a lady from the village, and a friend of Sherlock's late mother. Kya is mixed breed shepherd dog who belongs to a local farmer, but has adopted the boys as her own. John and Sherlock are epic best friends, and in this alternate universe, physical contact is not something they shy away from (the story on AO3 is tagged "handsy but platonic." Nothing sexual by any means).

Since Sherlock's morning routine, no matter how he tried to hurry, involved the unenviable task of reigning in the wild mop of curls, John took first turn in the loo. He showered and shaved quickly, noting the lack of dark circles under his eyes and worry/exhaustion lines around his mouth, despite having barely slept the night before.

John felt more energized than he had in years.

He pulled on blue swim shorts and his old worn grey RAMC t-shirt.

"All yours." John stopped short at the scene before him. Sherlock lying on the floor, under Kya, and they were wrestling over one of Sherlock's ridiculously expensive socks. It had been tied into a complex series of knots? "Uhm..."

"She doesn't have any toys in this house, so I made one."

"Right. Well, now she has a taste for expensive socks that smell like you. Good luck with that." John laughed. "Shower's free. I'll make tea."

"Don't think you've won. We'll finish this later." Sherlock relinquished the sock knot to Kya with a huff, scratched behind her ears, and headed off to get ready.

John discovered the tiny kitchen was without a toaster. A true travesty, really. He was reluctant to turn on the oven just for toast, and decided against it. Instead he cut thick slices from the loaf Ioanna had wrapped up for them. He found the small pots of honey and fig preserves he'd picked up in town. Then made an actual pot of tea and loaded everything on a tray.

He decided to take their breakfast to the small table on the patio, and was basking in the warmth of the sun when Sherlock stepped out. Hair artfully tousled, berk, yet another pristine linen shirt, and…

"Purple? You have purple swim shorts?" John almost dropped his tea.

"Aubergine." Sherlock corrected, and reached to examine the pot of honey.

"Wait. Before you do anything, try this." John handed his own slice of bread over to Sherlock. He'd spread the preserves on thick and then drizzled it with the honey. It was pretty damn fantastic, if he did say so himself.

Sherlock studied the concoction for a moment, took a large bite, and hummed in delight. "I don't care what anyone says about you," he mumbled around a full mouth, "You, John Watson, are a genius."

"If people are saying disparaging things about me and you aren't handling it, we need to talk." John smirked and held out his hand. "Now gimme. That's my breakfast."

Glancing at John's hand, Sherlock shoved the remaining slice of bread in his mouth. "Ooopth."

"Charming." Rolling his eyes, John fixed himself another slice of bread and poured more tea into his cup. "I thought we could walk the other way around to town, see more of the island?"

Humming his consent, Sherlock was clearly preoccupied. He had to try the bread plain, as a control sample. Then the bread with just preserves. Followed by the bread with just honey. And then he could experiment with different honey-to-preserve ratios…

"Right. I'll just leave you to it." John couldn't help but laugh as he cleared away most of the tea things, and left Sherlock alone to experiment. He washed the few dishes he had and decided to pack a small knapsack to take with them as they explored.

"John?" Sherlock brought his plate and the empty pots to the sink. "We're going to need more honey and preserves."

"I assumed we would," John laughed.

"And also, the cherries."

"Right."

"Maybe some figs? And I had some cured olives at the party, we'll need some of those."

"All right," John laughed. "Nice to see the food agrees with you."

"And I with it." Sherlock grinned. "I wonder if Ioanna could spare a loaf of bread. Oh, or honey cake... What's this?" Sherlock picked up John's knapsack.

"A few supplies to take along while we're exploring." John sat down to pull on his shoes.

"Supplies? John, you worry too much."

"Just a couple bottles of water. My wallet and pocket knife. Sunscreen. A towel..."

"A towel?" Sherlock wrinkled his nose. "That seems unnecessary."

"I read once that you can't really trust a man who goes on an adventure without one." John shrugged and grinned mischievously. "You never know what or who we'll come across. Besides, what if we swim?"

"Ah, Hitchhiker's Guide." Sherlock nodded in appreciation. "Fine. I'll concede the point."

"Okay, but that's my towel. You'll have to bring your own."

Sherlock sighed and feigned frustration. "Do you mind if I put my towel in your bag? And my wallet?"

"Since you asked so nicely. Put your wallet in the small pocket with mine, next to the first aid kit."

"First aid kit?" Sherlock cocked an eyebrow at John. "Really?"

"I know us." John shrugged. They both looked down at John's right foot.

Sherlock huffed a laugh. "I guess it's true."

"Hmm?"

"You can take the doctor out of the army, but you can't take the army out of the doctor."

John gigglesnorted. "Ha ha. Sherlock Holmes and his incomparable wit, ladies and gentlemen. He'll be here all week."

"Idiot." Sherlock laughed. He tossed John the knapsack, and reached out for his hand. "C'mon. Let's go explore."