Come have a drink with John~

[drpsychosomatic]

WHO: Dr. John Watson and... you, if you like! As long as you are of legal age to drink, I guess.
WHERE: The most pub-looking bar John can find within a walkable radius of his flat
WHEN: After moving in with Sherlock to their new place in the City
WARNINGS: None really. John's a fairly well-behaved drunk. Mostly.
SUMMARY: John's scouting out a watering

Comments

[andromynous]

As far as weeks in this city went, this one hadn't actually been all that eventful -- for her, at least. Remus going home was something that she was worried about for entirely unselfish reasons, since Sirius wasn't exactly well-known for dealing with situations like the one he found himself in now in positive ways. She'd gotten off work late again, however, so she was in the mood for a pint and a pie. The British-style (emphasis on style) pub was the obvious stop for her, but once she stepped inside ... well, she bee-lined for the familiar (if tired-looking) face.

"Hullo, John."

[drpsychosomatic]

John jumped half a mile, certainly not expecting anyone to recognise him- and it was a fraction of a second too long before the smile slid up to hide the shock. Still, once it had, it was genuine enough- and John was genuinely grateful to have run into a familiar face.

"Oh! Andromeda. Hi. Sorry, I should have called you. Was going to do it the other day, and then Sherlock found some kind of fungus..."

He trailed off with an apologetic smile, more than aware of how ridiculous he sounded.

"Can I buy you a drink? I've only just started."

[andromynous]

Ah, so she'd startled him. She wasn't all that surprised, considering how engrossed he'd seemed to be in whatever it was he'd been doing ... but still. She smiled in return and slipped down onto the stool next to him.

"You certainly can. I'll order food for myself, though -- I'm a tad starved. Somehow managed to miss lunch at work again." Funny how that happened more and more frequently lately. Heh.

"No worries about that. I think we all got a little tied up in things after the debacle that was the, ah, Parade."

[drpsychosomatic]

"You could say that," he agreed easily, a touch of amused weariness to his tone. "Still. We've got a week or so until whichever costumed maniac's turn it is to make the holidays hell drums up something for Christmas. Did you want to get a table for food?"

[andromynous]

"I'm still all right up here. I usually end up shamelessly stuffing my face with pie all by my lonesome up here on any other day. It's close to food from home."

Which is a feat, considering her England probably isn't even exactly like the one in this universe. She peered over to him. "I'm guessing that's what's brought you in as well."

[drpsychosomatic]

"Something like that."

He raked a hand through his hair and pocketed his phone, the first couple of lines of a write-up glowing balefully up at him from the screen.

"What can I get you? I'm not... entirely sure what this is, but it isn't that bad," he explained, indicating his barely-touched pint.

[andromynous]

"I'll have some of that, then." She wasn't exactly an expert on beer, really -- she drank whatever Sirius did more often than not, so she could do the same for John. Andromeda ordered her own food as promised after flagging the bartender over. She wasn't here quite often enough for him to ask her if she wanted the usual, but it was going to get to that point soon enough, she was sure.

"What've you been up to?"

Watch John give all the wrong impressions

[drpsychosomatic]

John indicated a pint for Andromeda on his tab to the bartender, amused to find she was familiar enough with the fare not to need a menu.

"Moving, actually. Sherlock and I found a flat. Not a bad little place really."

Y E P

[andromynous]

It's really easy to be familiar with the menu when you really only order the one thing. Still, she managed a sideways smile for John.

"Oh? I'm happy for the two of you, then -- something a little more private."

[drpsychosomatic]

Oh, god. No. No, no, no. He choked on his beer, colour rising to his cheeks.

"No, I- we're not a couple!" He attempted lamely. "No. I'm not- we're not-- we just live together. Colleagues, you know. He's-"

He cleared his throat, forcing a smile onto his face awkwardly.
"He's just incapable of looking after himself."

[andromynous]

Andromeda couldn't help her clear amusement at that sort of reaction. Well then.

"Ah, forgive me for -- you two just seemed very close, that's all. Just friends, then -- and caregivers at some points. Got it." She reached out to touch his arm gently. "That's good of you."

[drpsychosomatic]

"Oh, no. No, it's fine, we get it all the time," John laughed, clearly embarrassed. "Sherlock likes playing it up to make it worse for me, too. Never corrects anyone, you know. That sort of thing. Uses it to make sure he can monopolise my time. He's a menace."

[andromynous]

"Is that so? I'll keep that in mind, then, when I monopolise your time for myself." She let her lips twitch into a brief smirk and then drew her hand back.

"I think you probably need a break from ... looking after him now and again, right?"

[drpsychosomatic]

John nodded, his smile wry. "He's hard work. Don't- don't get me wrong, it's worth it, but it does get tiring," he confessed. "Very tiring. Especially as he's not actually the Sherlock that I remember, either."

[andromynous]

She considered his words for a moment, choosing her next ones carefully as a result.

"My daughter and most of the others here -- they're from a few years before I am in the war." Which was good and bad, considering. Good because there was already a good deal of back-from-the-dead going on in this place, but bad because she was never sure how much she could say around them.

[drpsychosomatic]

"Sorry," he offered quietly. "You mentioned the war, before. That can't be easy."