You and Sherlock

The Neverending Day

You were unashamed to admit you'd had Chinese takeaway twice today and were happy that, with John, the two of you simply sat down and ate in near silence while the bustle of a closing restaurant. 

"So, guess we should head back then?" You snapped your fortune cookie in half, looking up at John. He nodded, a faint smile brushing his lips. 

"Yeah, 'suppose so. I may deck Sherlock, though,"

"I wouldn't blame you," You shook your head and laughed. "That was almost inconceivably rude and selfish this evening."

"Yeah well," John lifted a shoulder, "It's Sherlock."

"I'll drink to that," you held up half the fortune cookie in mock toasting style. Idly, you glanced down at your fortune.

Something wicked your way comes. 

Ugh. You shivered and crumpled up the paper. John tilted his head in askance.

"Nasty fortune I got --" You uncrumpled the paper and shoved it towards John, whose face furrowed.

"Well damn. My fortune just says 'a place of peace is a place with pineapples,' which I frankly am not even sure is true," John shrugged it off and shrugged on his coat. "Alright, you ready to head back?"

You nodded, leaving the two terrible fortunes on the table, and the two of you walked back into the night. 

***

When you reached the threshold of 221B, you paused. Realistically, you needed to shower and get yourself to bed as quickly as humanly possible. However, the closer you'd gotten to the building, the more livid John had grown. He'd spent the last ten minutes of the cab ride over staring a hole through his court-mandated appearance paper. John was generally a patient man, and Sherlock was a very socially oblivious man. So, yes, you definitely wanted to watch John attempt to rip Sherlock a new one and Sherlock completely miss the point. Was that selfish? Probably. But it would certainly be an entertaining end to the seemingly neverending day you'd had.

And that was how you found yourself silently trotting up the stairs behind John, who'd grown more visibly agitated with each passing step. Promising yourself you'd only stay for a few minutes, you watched as John flung open the kitchen door and then came up to an abrupt stop as John slammed it shut. Letting yourself in the living room, Sherlock stood at the fireplace. The mirror was covered completely with pictures of ciphers and -- pictograms? Sherlock's head was lowered into a book, and you figured that was why he didn't seem to react at all to John's incredibly theatric entrance. That is until, without lifting his head or bothering to move at all, Sherlock noted, in his disinterested voice:

"You've been a while." 

You thought John's face turned three different shades of purple at that. Fists clenched and shoulders rigid, he stormed into the living room and turned to Sherlock. 

"Yeah, well," John narrowed his eyes at Sherlock, voice so tight you were surprised he was managing to let out enough air to speak. "You know how it is. Custody sergeants don't really like to be hurried, do they?"

John started pacing, a cold grimace on his face. 

"You know, Y?/N and I were there quite a while." He turned sharply on his heel, voice sarcastic and dripping in faked flippancy. "Just formalities: fingerprints, charge sheet -- oh!" He whirled to Sherlock as if he'd just remembered something important. "And I've gotta be in Magistrates Court on Tuesday."

"What?" Sherlock clearly hadn't heard a word and wasn't remotely interested. 

"Me, Sherlock!" John said angrily. "In court, on Tuesday." He put on a mocking accent of the officer who'd arrested him. "They're givin' me an ASBO!"

"Good. Fine." Sherlock still wasn't paying attention, and frankly, it was pissing you off, too. 

"You wanna tell your little pal he's welcome to go and own up any time?" 

Sherlock slammed his book shut, evidently irritated.

"This symbol: I still can't place it." Putting down the book and turning to face both you and John, he walked over and tugged the jacket John was currently taking off back onto his shoulders. 
"No, I need you to go to the police station."

"Oi, oi, oi!" John yelled indignantly as Sherlock turned his and steered him to the door. You stepped forward.

"Sherlock -" you started, but he cut you off.

'"... ask about the journalist."

"Sherlock!" You threw an arm out in front of John and glared at the blue-eyed detective manhandling him. "Sherlock, you oblivious meatbrain, we just got back from the damned police office."

Sherlock paused. 

"You were at the police station?" His brow wrinkled. "Why?"

"Oh, Jesus!" John flung his hands up exasperatedly. 

"Your friend -- Raz? Yeah, he framed John for his vandalism." 

"Well, the journalist's personal effects will have been impounded. Get hold of his diary or something that will tell us his movements." He shrugged on his coat. "And that's far more important than this supposed-framing, Y/N."

He grabbed your elbow and guided you down the stairs. You shot John an incredulous look, and he only rolled his eyes, still (justly) irritated. Out on the street, Sherlock continued.

"Gonna go and see Van Coon's P.A. If we retrace their steps, somewhere they'll coincide."

He stormed off down the street. John turned to you and sighed.

"Yeah," you shrugged. "I'm not going to this Visit-The-Police-Station-Part-Two. This day has been neverending and unlike you and Sherlock, I have a real job." 

"That's fair," John gave you a half-hearted smile. "Goodnight then, Y/N,"

You smiled back, assured that Sherlock was in good hands, and stepped back over the threshold into 221B. You watched John hail a cab and climb in, and a flicker of movement caught your eye.

A petite woman with dark hair and an oriental-designed blouse stood on the other side of the street. What had caught your eye was the reflection of the camera lens as it had taken a picture of John climbing into the cab. Evidently not noticing you, the woman backed away from the light of the streetlamp and faded into night.

Shivering, you resolutely shut the door and tried to shake off your unease. 

A/N: Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed! Please vote and comment as you wish. Updates to come again soon.