When John doesn't break up with Laura after the incident with the scalpel Sherlock gets into an argument with him over it. The day John comes back with his hand no longer bandaged, a nasty scar snaking across his palm but a smile on his face and announces that Laura has a surprise planned so Sherlock shouldn't expect him home Sherlock snaps.
If you're a masochist I don't mind whipping you chained to your bedpost until you cry in agony but at least let me do it safely, because this is not safe.' Sherlock yells grabbing John's scarred hand and making him wince as he pulls at the recently healed wrist. He pulls John's fingers open forcing his friend to look at the still painful line running across his palm.
John gasps and tries to pull his hand back but Sherlock's grip tightens forcefully. 'Sherlock, you're hurting me.' John pleads trying to bend Sherlock's fingers away with his other hand.
'I thought you liked that.' Sherlock spits venomously and a look of hurt flashes across John's eyes.
Something shifts in John's gaze and his stance goes from slightly cowering to ram rod straight and then he swiftly punches Sherlock in the face with his free hand. It's his right hand and not as strong as it would have been if he had been using his dominant hand but it still makes Sherlock reel backwards, releasing John as his hands fly up to instinctively protect his face.
John glares angrily at Sherlock. 'Unlike someone I know Laura never uses emotional blackmail, she never assumes to be the centre of my attention and if she hurts me she actually apologises so fuck off and get some perspective.' John yells and without so much as picking up his jacket he storms out of the flat leaving Sherlock stood frozen in the middle of the floor, cheek throbbing and mind reeling.
John's words swirl in his mind and he is reminded of Baskerville. Of snapping at John that he doesn't have friends and the way John had stormed off afterwards. The strange panic he felt at seeing John run off, leaving to be with the woman who was bound to hurt him again made Sherlock's insides squirm just like it used to when he would steal treats from the pantry even as he knew that mummy would find out soon enough.
John does come back that night, despite whatever surprise Laura had for him but he doesn't speak to Sherlock. Instead he locks himself in his room and ignores Sherlock's texts. Sherlock can tell that John is hurting, he avoids being in the same room as Sherlock and when he has to in order to pick up a book or make a cup of tea he moves stiffly. What Sherlock can't deduce is if the awkward movement and the staying away is a way to avoid Sherlock or a way to hide the fact that he has been hit again. He isn't sure it really matters.
This goes on for two days and on the third John's heading off to work without a word prompts Sherlock to actually ask for help, something he is loath to do.
What do you do when you have a friend who is being physically abused, who will not end the relationship when they accuse you of being more abusive than their abusive partner? SH
He looks at the message and cringes… it sounds like he's writing to an agony aunt but then he supposes that in a way he is. He hesitates as to who to send it to and in the end decides that if he's going to make a prat out of himself he might as well do it properly and so he enters three numbers. Lestrade, Molly and in a moment of desperation Mycroft. It is no more than thirty seconds before his phone pings with a response.
Report the abuse to the police and learn some manners, and stop pestering me with trivialities. MH
Sherlock sighs, why he expected anything like useful advice from his brother he never knew. Then the phone pings again.
If the victim is important text me details. Name and address of victim and perpetrator, I'll put someone on it. Is it the landlady? We have no record of current partners. MH
Sherlock blinks for a moment, almost about to consider the possibility that Mycroft actually cares, but then the phone bleeps again and he pushes that thought away, though he stores Mycroft's offer of assistance away in an easily reached drawer in his mind palace. Then he opens the next message.
Is this for a case or do you genuinely want to know for someone you care about? GL
Not a case. SH
Oh shit, is it someone I know? Is it Molly? I'll come around after work, we'll find a solution, John will surely help. I'll text him have him join us. GL
NO. Don't text John. I'll come to your office at five. SH
Sherlock sends off as fast as he can staving off disaster. He can't imagine what John would say if he knew Sherlock was discussing his predicament with Lestrade.
Finally Molly's reply arrives, almost fifteen minutes after Sherlock had sent his request.
Talk to her. Support her. Try to get her to report him. You're a good friend Sherlock. I always knew you were. There are support networks. I can get you details. If she wants to speak to a woman give her my number. I'll call you tonight, or are you coming in this afternoon as you said you might? Molly.
Sherlock shook his head. In his line of work statistics and stereotyping were essential but there was still something rather interesting about the fact that all three individuals he had asked for help in this case had assumed the victim to be a woman and the perpetrator a man. Sherlock wondered slightly if he would have assumed the same if he had heard that request and hadn't seen the bruises John tried to hide all the time. After all, he had assumed that Harry was John's brother the first time they had met.