Sherlock: Dear John
Title: Dear John
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: Sherlock, John, Mary
Words: ~670
Notes: Written on a prompt by birddi over at sherlockbbc who make my monday weekly :)
John had told him once. Or well, Sherlock had told him and then John had told him and it went like this:
"You've been married once."
"How- Yes. Yes I have."
"But you're divorced." It was a deduction based on John's reaction. "She broke up with you."
"Sherlock," John said in that long-suffering tone, but Sherlock was having a moment of clarity so he didn't bother to listen.
"Why would she do that? - Because of someone else. Of course. And you were in Afghanistan, so she wrote a letter."
"Of course?!"
Sherlock looked at him like John's presence kind of got away from him until now. "Oh," he said.
"Yes. Oh," John agreed. They were silent for a while, then John said, "She wrote 'Dear John' and I knew what was coming. We used to joke about it, so it usually was something ridiculous like 'Dear Mr. Bond' or 'crumpet' or something."
Sherlock just looked at him confused.
"Because of 'Dear John' letters...?" John tried.
"Your name is John," Sherlock pointed out very reasonably.
"Yes. Okay, never mind. You're right. She had someone else and she broke up with a letter."
So that was how Sherlock knew when they met her. Or well, he would have known most of it anyway, he's not very keen when it comes to reading people, but he'd made a point of at least getting the clues for romantic disappointment, obsession and jealousy straight, because it seemed relevant to his work.
John showed clues for all of the above, except for obsession. This one Sherlock deduced from the irrational way John was hung up on her writing 'Dear John' in a letter to him. (Sherlock had memorized, though, never to do that, just in case, even if the probability of him writing a letter to John were remote at best.)
Mary was blonde and reasonably attractive as far as Sherlock could tell. He couldn't very well, as a matter of fact, he based his judgement largely on symmetry and on the attitude of the person in question. Mary hat a symmetrical face and the attitude of a reasonably attractive woman. QED.
She was in no way special, so it was a bit unsettling when he felt John getting still beside him. John was almost always quiet, but not still. Stillness was when his hand lost its ever-so-slight tremor, when there was a battle to fight.
So that was Mary. Sherlock took an instant dislike. It was just so inexcusably stupid to marry someone like John, who was so insanely loyal and faithful and dependable, and then think better of it.
"Hey," John said awkwardly and Mary's smile was a bit guilty.
"Hi. You look well," she said as John said, "How have things turned out with Mike?"
"I-"
"Sorry. I- that wasn't really-"
"No. No, it's quite alright, I guess. I was-"
"Yeah, but-"
And it just hurt Sherlock to listen to so much rambling awkwardness, it really did.
"It didn't work out with 'Mike', whoever that is, but as you can see, Mary is engaged now and the fact that she's pregnant might just be enough motivation to settle it this time," he informed John, who looked an interesting mixture of mortally embarrassed and amused.
Mary was perplexed for a moment or two, then took a deep breath. "Well. Yes. Who are you?"
"Sherlock," John said, "this is Mary."
"The ex-wife," Sherlock added with a nodd and a very fake smile, just to be annoying. He and Mary shook hands. "I told John about you once."
Mary's confusion intensified and she smiled faintly. "So you two are-"
"Yes," Sherlock said, but John ruined it by rambling, "It's not quite- It's-"
"Well," she interrupted John, probably to spare him embarrassment, "it's good to see you're doing well."
John looked at her a bit baffled, which made his face do a series of funny little expressions all of which Sherlock had memorized. He settled for a smile at last. "Yes. Yes I do."
.
(wiki knows about Dear John letters, I didn't)
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: Sherlock, John, Mary
Words: ~670
Notes: Written on a prompt by birddi over at sherlockbbc who make my monday weekly :)
John had told him once. Or well, Sherlock had told him and then John had told him and it went like this:
"You've been married once."
"How- Yes. Yes I have."
"But you're divorced." It was a deduction based on John's reaction. "She broke up with you."
"Sherlock," John said in that long-suffering tone, but Sherlock was having a moment of clarity so he didn't bother to listen.
"Why would she do that? - Because of someone else. Of course. And you were in Afghanistan, so she wrote a letter."
"Of course?!"
Sherlock looked at him like John's presence kind of got away from him until now. "Oh," he said.
"Yes. Oh," John agreed. They were silent for a while, then John said, "She wrote 'Dear John' and I knew what was coming. We used to joke about it, so it usually was something ridiculous like 'Dear Mr. Bond' or 'crumpet' or something."
Sherlock just looked at him confused.
"Because of 'Dear John' letters...?" John tried.
"Your name is John," Sherlock pointed out very reasonably.
"Yes. Okay, never mind. You're right. She had someone else and she broke up with a letter."
So that was how Sherlock knew when they met her. Or well, he would have known most of it anyway, he's not very keen when it comes to reading people, but he'd made a point of at least getting the clues for romantic disappointment, obsession and jealousy straight, because it seemed relevant to his work.
John showed clues for all of the above, except for obsession. This one Sherlock deduced from the irrational way John was hung up on her writing 'Dear John' in a letter to him. (Sherlock had memorized, though, never to do that, just in case, even if the probability of him writing a letter to John were remote at best.)
Mary was blonde and reasonably attractive as far as Sherlock could tell. He couldn't very well, as a matter of fact, he based his judgement largely on symmetry and on the attitude of the person in question. Mary hat a symmetrical face and the attitude of a reasonably attractive woman. QED.
She was in no way special, so it was a bit unsettling when he felt John getting still beside him. John was almost always quiet, but not still. Stillness was when his hand lost its ever-so-slight tremor, when there was a battle to fight.
So that was Mary. Sherlock took an instant dislike. It was just so inexcusably stupid to marry someone like John, who was so insanely loyal and faithful and dependable, and then think better of it.
"Hey," John said awkwardly and Mary's smile was a bit guilty.
"Hi. You look well," she said as John said, "How have things turned out with Mike?"
"I-"
"Sorry. I- that wasn't really-"
"No. No, it's quite alright, I guess. I was-"
"Yeah, but-"
And it just hurt Sherlock to listen to so much rambling awkwardness, it really did.
"It didn't work out with 'Mike', whoever that is, but as you can see, Mary is engaged now and the fact that she's pregnant might just be enough motivation to settle it this time," he informed John, who looked an interesting mixture of mortally embarrassed and amused.
Mary was perplexed for a moment or two, then took a deep breath. "Well. Yes. Who are you?"
"Sherlock," John said, "this is Mary."
"The ex-wife," Sherlock added with a nodd and a very fake smile, just to be annoying. He and Mary shook hands. "I told John about you once."
Mary's confusion intensified and she smiled faintly. "So you two are-"
"Yes," Sherlock said, but John ruined it by rambling, "It's not quite- It's-"
"Well," she interrupted John, probably to spare him embarrassment, "it's good to see you're doing well."
John looked at her a bit baffled, which made his face do a series of funny little expressions all of which Sherlock had memorized. He settled for a smile at last. "Yes. Yes I do."
.
(wiki knows about Dear John letters, I didn't)