Relationship(s): Sherlock Holmes/John Watson

Characters: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Mycroft Holmes, Greg Lestrade, Thomas Nevereux (OC), David Nevereux (OC)

Summary: John winds up in a sticky situation but gets himself out. Sherlock shows up as well and sees what a BAMF he is. Cuddling ensues.

Tags/Warnings: Torture, Blood, Blood Play, Blood Drinking, Vampires, Hand Job, Fluff, Original Characters and Bonding

Mercurial- Part 2

John awoke to the taste of cotton and copper.

Wherever he was it was dark and cold. He could hear pipes dripping somewhere off to his left and there was an empty steel chair positioned in front of him.

He took a moment to check his bonds and noticed with some annoyance that the handcuffs were already starting to chafe. His ankles were also bound and there was a large chain link crisscrossing his chest and winding awkwardly around to the back of the chair. He was gagged with some kind of cloth that tasted of blood. His head was also throbbing painfully and the feel of blood congealing in his hair was quickly becoming uncomfortable.

Off to his right he heard a door slam shut and for a moment the room was bathed in a wash of light. It disappeared just as quickly but at least now John knew that he had been out for quite some time. The light that he had seen was bright enough to be considered mid-afternoon (even compensating for how his eyes were adjusting in the dark).

"Good you're awake." The sound of the chair across from him scraping over the concrete was like a train barreling through his head. John closed his eyes for a moment to try and clear it. When he opened them again Thomas Nevereaux sat smiling across from him.

"Hello John. I'm glad to see that I didn't hit you too hard. Sometimes I forget my own strength." John narrowed his eyes and starting swearing colorfully at him from behind the gag. Thomas merely chuckled and leaned forward to remove it.

Once it was free John spit to clear his mouth. Red painted the ground beneath him and for a moment John watched as Thomas' eyes shifted from silver to scarlet and back again.

John used his tongue to feel around the inside of his mouth and discovered that he must have bitten his tongue when he was struck. He could feel the tear sluggishly release another flow of blood and John swallowed it down distastefully as he glared hatefully at the man across from him.

"So what now? Do you give me the whole 'I only did it because humans don't deserve to share the same air as we do' speech?"

Thomas laughed throatily and leaned back in his chair. "That's actually pretty accurate John, but no. Unfortunately for you I don't have any grand speech planned. Instead I thought that maybe we could get to know each other better." The flick of a blade echoed through the room and John's eyes narrowed to take in rough steel.

"How does this help your bargaining? Damaged goods don't exactly scream good faith." John's voice was level but his heart had kicked up painfully and he couldn't stop his hands from compulsively fighting against the cuffs.

"Normally you'd be right John. But it turns out that your Sherlock has quite the temper when his possessions are taken from him. His vindictiveness caused him to steal something of mine." John watched as Thomas' hand clenched the handle of the blade reflexively. His eyes flashed again and this time they didn't change back to their customary mercury color.

John simultaneously cursed and praised Sherlock in his head for being such an impulsive git. A small part of him was happy that David was probably in the exact same set-up as he was right now but the larger part of him knew that no matter how angry Sherlock was he would never be able to inflict as much pain on someone as the monster currently across from him.

Thomas sat up suddenly and leaned in close. His eyes roamed over John's torso calculatingly and before John could blink he was gone.

Just as suddenly a hand gripped his shoulder from behind. John could feel the bones grinding together roughly. His teeth ground together to keep from crying out.

Thomas leaned over his shoulder and gave him a pat on the shoulder with his free hand. "I'm afraid this might hurt."

The first cut was almost painless. The blade was almost as sharp as a scalpel and it parted the skin like a knife through butter. The next few cuts were decidedly less kind.

If John had to say with certainty he would say that the most painful ones were probably the ones that he made along his fingertips. Those were the ones that let John know that he was seriously in trouble. Not many people were practiced enough to know that the majority of nerve endings in the body were located in the tips of your fingers. Obviously Thomas had done this before.

Eventually John gave up the silent act. After awhile his body simply couldn't find any other way to express his pain and his agony projected itself outward through his screams.

By the time that he finally stopped cutting John's throat was raw and his clothes were ruined. If he listened close enough he was sure that he could have heard the drip drip drip of his blood pooling beneath him. It was spreading out past his shoes in slow motion and John had to fight to stay conscious.

Thomas studied the blade carefully before he wiped it off on the flat of his tongue. He stood slowly and John watched him wearily out of the corner of his eye as he pulled out a cell phone. "Smile John."

The flash went off and John's pupils contracted violently. He turned his head into his shoulder and then winced as the cuts in his neck pulled taut. He heard a crunch as Thomas crushed the phone under his shoe.

A moment later and Thomas took his seat again. His eyes were almost shining now. Instead of the original scarlet they had deepened to a dark maroon. What little light the room contained seemed to be absorbed ruthlessly into their depths. John felt a hysterical laugh bubble up in his throat from the thought.

Thomas smiled. "I'm glad you've still maintained your sense of humor John. You'll need it before we're through."

John glanced at him and rolled his eyes. Thomas' eyes narrowed at his impudence.

"Perhaps we should start again." John's head lifted at the tone. His voice had cut like a whip in the silence and John wanted to know if he looked as unhinged as he sounded.

Sure enough Thomas' whole body looked like a rubber band that was being stretched too far. His skin was practically glowing in the darkness. John's mind began to race with the implications.

How long had he been feeding from David? If it had been longer than 3 years then he had entered the addiction phase. He wouldn't be able to function sanely much longer than 2 days without feeding from his bonded source. Everything suddenly made much more sense.

Sherlock had taken David in an attempt to smoke Thomas out of hiding. The closer Thomas got to the second day the more desperate he would be to regain David. None of John's blood would do him any good either because he would still need the specific proteins in David's blood that had been created when they bonded. Thomas wouldn't be able to survive past a week without a taste of David's blood.

David wasn't in a much better situation. The bond that they shared would drive him insane if Thomas didn't drink from him. While Thomas gained specific proteins from David's blood it also created a safety protocol within his DNA that both strengthened him and kept him safe from other vampires. If another vampire drank from him the protein markers would attack the vampire's cells and make them extraordinarily ill. That was why bonds were considered serious endeavors for both parties involved.

All of this begged the question, why kill the other people in the first place if he had already formed a bond? Just for fun?

John watched as Thomas stood and started pacing. The blade flicked back and forth between his hands and John studied his movements. He was getting slower, less graceful.

He turned suddenly and pinned John with his gaze as if he could guess what John was thinking. "Perhaps your Sherlock needs further incentive."

"Fuck off."

Thomas' lips curled back in a snarl and he took a step forward. John leaned back as far as his chains would allow but Thomas' hand on the back of his neck stopped his retreat. "You stupid little human! You think that he's coming to save you?! You think he's so clever, well I can assure you that he's not!"

By the time he finished his diatribe he was practically foaming at the mouth. John's body tightened in preparation for another attack. Thomas moved the knife down to the juncture of his groin and thigh and pressed. The venom of his voice seeped into John's soul. "Do you think he'll care for you when you're broken? Will he piece you back together again?"

The knife cut a little deeper and John could feel the blood welling up beneath it. He took a deep breath and tried to regain some sense of mental calm.

Suddenly Thomas straightened and glanced toward the door. His fangs pulled back and the sound that he made had the hairs on the back of John's arms standing on end.

He glanced back at John and John realized that he was out of time. If Sherlock truly was here then Thomas wasn't going to let him walk out of here alive.

For a moment John froze. His body relaxed and his mind stalled. He was filled with an immense feeling of serenity. He blinked. Thomas was starting towards him with the knife again and John held his breath waiting for the perfect moment. It came when Thomas was only a few centimeters away from him.

John shoved backward and the chair tipped towards the floor. His legs came up with the chair's and he connected hard with Thomas' hand. John could just make out the sound of the blade skidding off into one of the far corner's of the room.

Thomas paid it no heed. Instead he seemed to have lost all control of his more favorable mental faculties. He looked like a wild animal now. His lips had practically disappeared because all John could make out were teeth and gums. His eyes were like laser points, his pupils had contracted so that they seemed almost non-existent. He began clawing at John with his bare hands, tearing away at the skin of his cheeks and what was visible of his chest.

John used all of the energy that he had left to roll the chair to the side so that he could get up onto his knees. Thomas landed on his back and John grinned. He threw his head backwards and connected solidly with Thomas' nose.

From beside them the door caved inward. John made out the sound of another inhuman snarl before Thomas' weight was suddenly gone from his back.

The chair was lifted and he screamed as the chains rubbed against the copious amount of cuts littering his chest and torso.

Lestrade's face appeared in front of him and John could see his lips moving but he couldn't hear his words. The Doctor in him knew that he was going in to shock. His mind started to shut down and John could feel the cold sweat gathering at his temples.

He could feel Lestrade removing the cuffs from around his wrists and his arms fell limply to his sides. The chains were the next thing to go and finally the ankle restraints were gone too. John felt like an empty shell.

John blinked and Lestrade was gone. He was closer to the floor now but his head was currently cradled against someone's shoulder. John's eyes closed as he tilted his head to the side.

His cheek brushed against something soft. The smell of antiseptic, wool and copper wafted up at him and John couldn't help but smile. It had to be Sherlock. John's body instantly relaxed back into the embrace.

Sherlock was running his fingers through his hair anxiously. "Can you hear me John?"

John tried to nod but it came out more like an aborted attempt at a wordless hello. Sherlock pulled his head back against his shoulder and turned him a little so that John could see his eyes.

They were blood red. "John, I need you to listen to me. I need to feed you some of my blood. You won't make it to the hospital without it. Do you understand?" Sherlock's eyes were wide with worry and John felt like he was dreaming. "John. Will you do it?"

John almost laughed out of the sheer ridiculousness of the whole situation. John had been waiting for a moment like this since he had first set eyes on Sherlock Holmes. But this isn't how he wanted it to happen.

John shook his head and Sherlock inhaled sharply beside him. "John, you'll die without it."

"Can't. Won't do that to you." Sherlock frowned openly at him.

"What are you talking about? I'm trying to save your life."

"You deserve to bond with someone you love." John could feel his lips go numb and his arms felt like two lead weights.

Sherlock was gaping at him. If John wasn't dying he would have laughed. A speechless Sherlock Holmes was something to be treasured properly. Unfortunately John didn't seem to have the time.

"John. You…are a complete git." John blinked at him in confusion. "I could only ever bond with someone who understood me. And the only person that will ever understand me is you."

John shook his head again. "I'm dying Sherlock. You want to save me. It's what you do and it's one of the reasons that I love you. But I won't let you ruin your life just to save mine. You're my friend but a bond is for more than friends."

It was Sherlock's turn to shake his head. "You are my friend. My best friend. But I would be lying if I said that was all that you are to me." Sherlock grabbed John's chin then and lifted it carefully. Before John could ask what he was doing Sherlock kissed him.

John froze and cursed his bad luck that the first kiss he shared with Sherlock he couldn't feel. Sherlock pulled back and licked his lips reflexively. "John. You have to say yes."

For a moment John paused and took in everything he could about this moment. Sherlock's curls had fallen in his eyes and his skin was as pale as snow. He looked terrified. Terrified of losing him.

"Yes."

Sherlock exhaled and quickly bit into his wrist. He pressed it gently to John's cold lips. John took a tentative lick and almost moaned with rapture. Sherlock's blood was an entire sensory experience. He could taste his favorite tea, the biscuits that his Mother made for him when he was young and a bowl of really good curry. He could smell fresh cut grass and new books. He could hear Sherlock playing his violin and feel the wool of his coat under his fingertips.

John bit harder and Sherlock moaned above him in response. The blood was pouring down his throat now and John could start to feel his limbs responding to the power of it. It was like his body was knitting itself together again. He wouldn't heal completely but his body would recover enough to keep him alive.

Finally John released Sherlock's wrist. John slumped backward into Sherlock's chest and giggled. Sherlock laughed as well. "You know this exchange goes both ways." Sherlock glanced at him to assess his seriousness.

"Yes it can. It doesn't have to though if you don't want it to." John punched him lightly in the arm.

"And you thought I was a git." Sherlock laughed brightly again and John smiled up at him. Sherlock ran his fingers through his hair as the emergency care workers entered through the crushed door.

John sighed as they loaded him onto the stretcher and started pushing him out. Sherlock stood up and quickly made his way to his side. He grabbed his hand swiftly and pressed a quick kiss to the top of his knuckle. "I have to finish up with Lestrade but I'll meet you at the hospital." John nodded and squeezed his fingers lightly.

"You better." Sherlock merely chuckled.

John was released from the hospital two days later with strict instructions to feed again before he tried doing any strenuous exercises. John blushed but assured the Doctor that he would be well taken care of.

Since it was daylight John had Lestrade pick him up from the hospital to take him back to the flat.

It was quiet when he finally arrived. Sherlock's door was closed and John smiled fondly as he hung up his jacket.

Most of his wounds had healed nicely but the claw marks on his chest were still feeling pretty raw. John made his way down the hall and pushed open the door. Sherlock had fallen asleep with one arm on his chest and the other lying open beside him. John had to pause at the blatant invitation.

Soon though he was moving towards the bed. He didn't bother undressing because honestly he was exhausted.

So instead he just lay down and curled himself into Sherlock's side. He breathed in Sherlock's unique scent for a moment before he carefully lifted Sherlock's arm up and over his shoulder. Within seconds he was finally, blissfully asleep.

John awoke to Sherlock's soft lips carefully kissing their way across his neck. He sighed happily and arched into him meaningfully. Sherlock paused and inhaled subtly.

"Hello John."

"Hello Sherlock."

"How are you feeling?"

John laughed and pulled back a little so that he could see Sherlock's eyes. "I know something that might help me feel a little better." Sherlock's grin spreading across his face was like John's own personal brand of sunshine. It made him feel lighter and fuller than anything else in this world could.

"What would that be?" Sherlock's eyes were glinting mischievously and John could feel a shiver working its way down his spine.

"You're Sherlock Holmes aren't you? Deduce." Sherlock wrapped his hands gently in John's hair and moved him a little further up the pillows.

"You have to say yes" Sherlock whispered. John swallowed convulsively and put his hands on either side of Sherlock's face. Sherlock leaned into them and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again his eyes were the color of fresh roses.

"I'll always say yes." Sherlock smiled at him and John smiled back. "Now bite me before I lose my patience."

Sherlock laughed and angled John's neck to the side with the hand that was still in his hair.

He buried his nose against his pulse point for a minute and inhaled. He moaned softly and took a tentative lick. John's heart rate skyrocketed. He was sure that Sherlock could hear it and that only made him more excited.

Finally Sherlock pulled back and John looked up to see his fangs come out. Sherlock took one last second to admire the sight of John spread out beneath him before he leaned in and bit.

John gasped audibly and gripped Sherlock's shoulders tightly. The feeling was better than anything he could have ever imagined. He was hard in a matter of seconds and Sherlock bit deeper in response.

John writhed for a minute and tried to arch closer. He couldn't even feel the cuts on his chest anymore as Sherlock settled his weight over him to control the pace. Sherlock gripped the back of John's neck tighter to keep him from getting his neck torn open. John was oblivious to the danger though. All he knew was that Sherlock Holmes had his teeth in his neck and it felt fantastic.

John lost total control when he felt Sherlock's hardness against his hip.

"Please Sherlock." Sherlock groaned loudly against him and pressed harder. John felt lightheaded and euphoric. He had never felt this good in his entire life.

Or at least that's what he thought until Sherlock tore the button on his trousers open. As soon as Sherlock's hand wrapped around his cock John keened. "Sherlock. God, just let me…"

He tried to reach underneath him to get at Sherlock but Sherlock immediately released the hold on his hair in favor of grabbing his wrist.

He pulled back suddenly and John could see the blood staining his lips. "No John, I've waited far too long to have you in my bed." John was about to open his mouth in protest when Sherlock kissed roughly. His tongue darted out and swept into John's mouth like he owned him. When he was done they were both panting. This was the kind of kiss that he had been waiting for. "Let me take care of you."

John couldn't do anything but nod weakly as Sherlock tightened his grip. John's breath hitched in his chest and he collapsed further into the pillow. Sherlock's stare was all consuming. He watched John like he was the only thing in the entire world that had any meaning. Like John's pleasure was the only thing that mattered anymore. Like John mattered.

John came to the sight of Sherlock biting his own lip. Their blood mixed into a single drop and John leaned up and licked it off. Sherlock's body arched into a bow before he slumped forward and crushed John into the mattress.

"Did you just…?"

Sherlock nodded faintly before he managed to lift himself off from John and settle beside him. John laughed for a moment out of sheer surprise and Sherlock glared at him. John shook his head in denial and Sherlock rolled his eyes. "It's because you're irresistible. It couldn't be helped."

John snorted and Sherlock wrapped his arm around him to drag him closer. He licked lightly over the slowly oozing wound in his throat and the marks closed instantly. All that was left was a small blood trail that Sherlock quickly rid him of and two small pink scars directly over his pulse point. Sherlock studied them proudly for a moment before he allowed John to settle back against his shoulder.

John tried to hide his yawn but Sherlock saw it anyways and used his free arm to haul the comforter up the bed and over John's shoulders. "Don't you have a case you need to work on?"

Sherlock shook his head and squeezed him tighter. "I think we can claim a night for ourselves, don't you?"

John yawned again and nodded. "I completely agree."

John grabbed Sherlock's hand tightly and wound their fingers together. Sherlock admired them for a moment before he turned his attention to John's face. His eyes had closed and his breathing had evened out. In sleep his features had evened out and his lips were curled back in a relaxed smile. Sherlock couldn't help but admire his beauty before he closed his own eyes.

The sound of John's cell phone resounded from the hall and Sherlock smiled. They wouldn't be taking any calls tonight, Sherlock would make sure of that. Once John woke up he was going to make sure that they made up for lost time.

After all, they had both been gits. Now it was time that they became geniuses.