A Greaser!Lock Romance

A Little Experiment

She was terrified to say the least, but I absentmindedly soothed her worries as I placed the goggles on her, making sure the strap was secure before tossing a lab coat around her shoulders. "Put this on."

"We aren't doing anything dangerous, are we, Sherlock?" she asked nervously as I began pouring chemicals.

"Of course we are. What do you expect?"

"A vinegar and baking soda volcano?"

"Oh, come now, Joan. That's child's play. This-" I watched as a little puff of smoke rose from the test tube. "-is science."

"We aren't going to get hurt, are we?"

I couldn't help but smirk as I turned on the Bunsen burners and watched as the liquid began to boil. "I can't say, Doll. I've never done this before."

She paled considerably, and I felt her hand latch out, snaking its way into mine and making me completely freeze for a moment. It was a strange feeling, the small, soft hand in my own rough and calloused one, and I can't say I completely protested the action. It felt strange, but it was the good, new kind of strange, the kind of strange that made it feel good and right, like her delicate hand simply belonged in mine.

"Sherlock!"

I snapped out of my reverie to find that the chemicals were now boiling, and I had turned the burners up too high.

"That could possibly be a problem," I remarked quietly, almost instinctively moving in front of Joan and tucking her behind me as smoke began to fill the room. "Doll, just stay calm and get on the ground so you don't inhale the smoke. I'll take care of this."

I pried off my lab coat, holding it over her nose and mouth until she replaced my hands with hers and seemed to understand what I was getting at. If the fumes were toxic, there was no way I was going to let her inhale that. I, on the other hand, didn't care about breathing it in as I worked at the burners, switching them all off, opening every window, and fanning the blasted smoke out of my bedroom.

"Well, I've learned one thing from this experiment," I said with a slight smile, coughing into my sleeve as I helped Joan up.

"And what's that? That you could've killed my best friend? And I do mean you, by the by."

I outright grinned.. "No, that trial and error proved correct. I just created a non-toxic, gaseous form of arsenic."