Beautiful Distraction - Sherlock X Reader

Chapter 31 - (Disasterous) Christmas Party

MERRY CHRISTMAS MY DUDES!!!! (or merry crisis if you will)
Although, technically it's not Christmas, unless they rescheduled it for August. But never mind, maybe someone will read this on Christmas AND if it's Christmas with John and Sherlock, it's Christmas everywhere!

꧁꧂

The months that passed after that day were a nightmare, especially for John. Sherlock and (Y/n) seemed to grow further and further apart by each passing day, stressing him out not only because he wasn't able to talk to her without Sherlock giving him the cold shoulder for the rest of the day, but also because his ship was slowly sinking.

He saw the irritation welling up inside (Y/n) every time a moan would signal that Sherlock had received yet another message from Irene Adler and he was sure Sherlock had noticed it too, but he never seemed to have ignore it. The more she tried to get through to him, the more effort he made to slip further away. It's come to the point when he was as cold towards her as he was towards complete strangers, or made Anderson and Donovan.

(Y/n) was crushed. At least twice a week, she would call John to come downstairs and she'd cry, trying to figure out if she'd done something to upset him. Sure, she did read that one message on his phone, but Sherlock wouldn't've held a grudge against her over that for such a long time. Even Sherlock himself said it when she tried apologising for it.

Flashback

"Sherlock, I'm sorry! How many times do I have to apologise until you stop with all of this?"

"You can keep saying 'til the end of time, as far as I'm concerened, because I don't care. I was over that before I confronted you about it." He'd dismissed her, not sparing her a glance.

"Then what is it? Tell me so I could make it right."

"You can't."

Then he'd slammed the door right in front of her nose.

End of flashback

Every day she seemed to be going paler and paler, having less energy, John and Mrs. Hudson had noted. She would go to work earlier than necessary, avoiding everyone, and from Greg's reports, they found out that she was working without a single break, usually staying overtime. She never came home before midnight, only occasionally spending a couple of hours with John.

As for Sherlock, he was keeping up with his stone-cold act, and not even he knew if it was just an act or was he truly feeling fine. All the attention she paid to Irene that day surely made him feel left out and (he was finally ready to admit it) jealous. As soon as he'd realised, he made sure to take those emotions and lock them away, something he hadn't done in a while, hoping it would work just like it used to work before.

All in all, situation in Baker Street seemed to have worsen by each passing day and on the Christmas Eve it reached its peak.

꧁꧂

"Coming!" (Y/n) shouted upon hearing the doorbell ringing and hurried to open it. "Dan! You're early!"

"Hi!" He smiled, giving her a quick hug. Once they parted he took a good look at her, raising his eyebrows.

"Nice outfit."

"Hey! I'm dressed to impress!"

"Impress five-year-olds?" He asked, eyeing her Rudolph slippers and a sweater that said "ALL THE JINGLE LADIES" and had reindeers doing he dance drawn above.