Carry On Until

[madimpossibledreamer]

Main Points:
BBC's Sherlock, Standverse (John has a Stand)
Summary: Sherlock is still trying to decipher John.
Word Count: 360
Rating: Gen

           “Are you all right?” Sherlock asks, and John shakes his head, transferring his gaze from the window to his friend.
           “Sorry?”  Whatever had been asked, he hadn’t heard.
           Sherlock steeples his fingers, the dissecting gaze like John’s a brand-new puzzle.  “You’ve been acting odd ever since Sally called me a freak.  Again.  You don’t like it when anyone’s rude; a little odd, really, considering I’m likely to be rude myself, but it’s bothering you more than usual.  Why?”
           John works his jaw.  This would be a good time.  And yet…not at all.
           It’s a restaurant.  There are people around.  He can’t be sure Moriarty doesn’t have people here.  He actually can’t be sure that there aren’t bugs or people around or anything anywhere.  And after the pool, he’s fairly certain Moriarty has to be interested in him.
           He doesn’t have the energy for this.  He’s maintaining Right Where I Belong most of the time, now, because he’s paranoid, now.  He doesn’t know how Sherlock hasn’t noticed by now being his usual reckless self hasn’t earned him near enough scrapes or bruises.
           And he’s taken too long to answer, because apparently his face has answered for him, since Sherlock keeps up his interrogation.  “Ah.  You take it personally.  Why?  The company you keep, or…?”
           By now, his face has given away the truth, that it’s more personal than that, and he knows Sherlock deserves to know, is getting restless, can’t wait any longer, and knows also that he wants to tell, being unable to talk about it is tearing him apart, and he’d never thought it’d be this hard.
           But he doesn’t want to lose a friend.  Despite the fact that he already is, that the secret is tearing them apart.  And worse, he doesn’t want to give Moriarty the clue he needs to go find and unlock a Stand.
           So he bites his lip.  Maybe he can give Sherlock clues.  Lead him into the correct answer, hope Moriarty doesn’t get there first.  “Remember our conversation about monsters.”
           “What kind of evidence could lead a man like you to believe he’s a monster?” Sherlock’s incredulous.
           “Obviously, the persuasive kind,” John whispers.