Sherlock's POV
I crept up behind John, a feeling of guilt twisting my stomach in knots. I wanted to vomit, but then I'd cover John in my bodily fluids. That would be a horrid way of apologising. Instead, I did only what I thought was best. I spoke.
"John."
John whipped round, eyes wild. His eyes landed on me, and his tenseness slowly decreased. His face was utterly purple, only a few specks of unharmed skin showing. I hated the way he winced every time he breathed, or moved, or smiled, or showed expression. He was so miserable. He was nearly broken, collapsing in on himself, and it was all because of one boy, one horrendously demented boy with an Irish accent and dark hair and serpent's eyes.
"How...what...." John sputtered, his eyes meeting mine. My muscles tensed as he took a step closer and winced.
But he did something completely unexpected.
He lunged toward me and wrapped his short arms around me. He squeezed me tightly, and I could feel him wincing. I wrapped my arms around him loosely, trying not to hurt him any more. His shoulders began to heave. At first I was confused, watching him tremble and heave. But when his tears soaked through my chest, I understood. He was unleashing the internal pain on my chest. I stroked his hair gently as the sobs ripped through him. He smelled of tears and sadness and hatred and misery and...and JOHN, vanilla bean and cinnamon. I smiled as his sobs began to subside.
"Th-thank you," he croaked into my chest. I grinned.
"You're welcome, John."
He finally let go of me, wincing as he did so, and smiled gratefully at me, the pain he tried to mask in his eyes ripping me to shreds. He picked lint from his pyjama shirt and sighed.
"He's like a spider," I blurted, and John stared at me in surprise, startled.
"What? Who..."
"James." I swallowed hard. "James isn't a boy; he's a spider. A spider at the center of a web. A criminal web with a thousand threads and he knows precisely how each and every single one of them dances." I held my breath, waiting for John to call me a freak and banish me from his room.
But he just grinned. "I agree."
John's POV
It was morning. And my alarm was beeping shrilly in my left ear. I groaned and slammed my fist atop the snooze button. I sat up, a ringing remaining in my ear. I could already tell this was bound to be a lovely day.
I shoved my sheets off and swung my legs over the side of the bed, sliding off it and collapsing in a little bruised heap on the floor. I just lay there for a moment, inhaling the scent of lavender and cigarettes.....and then I remembered; Sherlock had been here just last night, standing there as the sobs ripped through me. I sighed, and headed to my door. But something caught my eye, something white, sticking to the window, which was now closed. Someone had taped a piece of paper to my window. I plucked it off slowly and peered down at it. Slanted, curved writing was scrawled across it neatly, obviously done in ballpoint pen. I smiled at the initials at the bottom. SH.
Hello, John. When you read this, you'll probably just have awoken and be in a sort of daze from slumber. Yes, I left, I'm sorry, but I only left because my brother, Mycroft, was nagging me through my mobile phone, sending me various texts of threats and such, so I was forced to leave your warm bedroom and reside to my enormous, cold one. On this note you will see my mobile number, and if you wish to get in contact with me, simply text or call these digits. And I am not lying when I say you are a privilege, and I am so very fortunate to have met you on the day I did, and I apologise dearly, John, for not stopping the spider. I'll have you know, though, I was dying inside as it happened. I'm sorry.
867-5309
~SH
I grinned down at the note. He had given me his digits. I never thought anyone in their right mind would give their number to ME, of all people. The only numbers I had currently were those of my mother, father, and sister, and they rarely texted me as it was. I grabbed my phone and entered the number, then sent a small, simple text, but a text, nonetheless.
You're forgiven, and thanks.
-JW
I set down my phone and resided to the restroom.
Maybe it wasn't going to be such a bad day after all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN: These past few chapters have been so depressing, I'm so sorry.
