Jim Moriarty: I. Own. You. [COMPLETED]

Chapter Seventeen: Back to normal? Unlikely

After the experience at the pool, both John and Sherlock had been keeping a close eye on you. It was hardly surprising considering you'd been kidnapped but being watched almost 24/7 was beginning to take its toll on you. You'd become much more angry towards everyone, even Molly who was just trying to help.

No one blamed you though, saying it was a natural reaction. After all, it wasn't every day that you'd found out your former best friend was now a scheming psychopath. Soon though, people began to grow tired of your attitude towards them, until only Sherlock, John, Mrs Hudson and occasionally Lestrade could endure being in the same room as you.

In short, you were becoming detached from your friends and keeping yourself to yourself. You found it hard to trust what anyone said, even if it was as simple as what they'd done at work that day. Sherlock soon went back to his old arrogant self after acting worried for a few days. Being worried, you'd decided, didn't suit Sherlock.

During the past few days you hadn't been going to work, just laying across your sofa in your flat, staring up at he ceiling. John had explained to your boss that you were currently 'undergoing some stress' due to 'family issues.' Only those who needed to know knew about what had happened at the pool. It wasn't something police wanted to be leaked into the public. The fact that a serial killer was on the loose didn't tend to sit well.

You rubbed your eyes tiredly and checked the clock. 12:37. The last time you'd looked at it, it had been 10:11 and that could only have been five minutes ago, surely not two hours. With a groan you closed your eyes and leant back on the sofa. Maybe you were going mad.

"Y/N?" A voice muttered softly from the hallway.
"Yeah?" You asked, moving position so that you were sat up on the sofa and now longer lying across it.
"Can I come in?" The voice spoke again, this time a little louder.
"Yeah."

Sherlock opened the door and stepped inside, glancing at the room. You watched his every movement from the sofa, waiting until he too was sat down.
"What do you want Sherlock?" Your voice was monotone. There was no sense of curiosity or confusion in it as to why he'd come. If Sherlock noticed this then he didn't say anything.

"I was wondering how you were doing." He replied lamely. You snorted and turned away from his piercing blue eyes that had begun to bore into your mind.
"Shouldn't you know already? You and John have been watching me after all." Sherlock didn't reply, he just continued to stare at you, not once looking away.

A few minutes later he spoke again.
"You confuse me Y/N." You raised an eyebrow and turned back to meet his steady gaze.
"How so?" This time the curiosity in your voice was evident and you just managed to catch Sherlock smile at it for a moment before it was gone.

(Loads of talking from Sherlock coming up right about...now)

"You confuse me because I don't know how I feel about you. Only a month or two ago we'd be meeting outside the hospital and arguing for all we were worth. I thought you hated me for that. Then when John moved in with me I was able to leave you alone because I thought that was what you wanted but you seemed to be even more irritable. I'm not good with emotions but I like to think I can work people out. You're one person I can't quite deduce. When I first met you, your family life and childhood was easy to work out. What I couldn't tell was how you felt at that precise moment. And that annoyed me so I started to look out for things. First I'd see what you acted like when I argued you with you. You were usually quite sarcastic or just plain angry. Then how you felt when I was nice to you. Suspicious generally, as though you were confused that I was being nice."

Sherlock sucked in a deep breath whilst you thought over what he'd just said.
"Are you trying to say that you were never actively angry or annoyed with me when we argued? That it was all just for some experiment." You spat out the last word like it was something vile. Sherlock shook his head.
"This was obviously only after you moved into here. Before that, when I was looking for someone to share my flat with, I did get actually frustrated with you. But that doesn't matter."

You wondered if you should say anything else on the subject but decided it was best not to. If Sherlock continued to talk about how you were just an experiment of his you might slap him. Finally, you opened your mouth to speak again.
"So, did you find out how you felt about me?" Sherlock didn't reply. You placed a hand on his arm and looked at him worriedly.
"Sherlock?"

"I like you." He blurted out suddenly. His outburst shocked you a little but you gave him a small smile.
"I like you too Sherlock, despite being mean constantly to you. I don't hate you." Sherlock sighed and shook his head.
"No you don't understand. Even I don't understand. Emotions, I hate them." You frowned. Where you missing something?

"What don't I understand?" Sherlock looked up and once again stared straight at you.
"You don't understand that I-" He paused, "-I like you." This time you were able to hear the enunciated 'like' and finally realised what he meant. Your eyes widened and you looked at Sherlock, mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"Oh, I er- Sherlock I'm flattered, honestly I am but um- but I don't like you in that way. I'm sorry but I just don't see you like that." Your face was flushed red from embarrassment and Sherlock's was very similar to your own. He stood awkwardly and nodded a farewell before leaving your flat and going upstairs to his own.

You were left to sit on the sofa, surrounded by the very familiar room but a very unfamiliar atmosphere.

A/N PLOT TWIST, WHO SAW IT COMING? Most of you I expect 😅. Rightyho, to get one thing out of the way. I probably won't be able to upload chapters as often as I'd like due to revision and exams so you'll have to bear with me whilst I'm doing all of this. Also, I'm going to be editing the chapters soon. Just checking for grammar mistakes or typos etc so if you see that some of my previous chapters are being updated or uploaded again then that's what is going on. Other than that, I hope you enjoyed.

Baiiii-L