The Rules of Fair Play Do Not Apply 3/?
I was completely overwhelmed by the response to the last chapter. Apparently I need to mention real life and my promiscuity in regards to comments more often :D
Ch 1
Ch 2
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The terms of engagement are straightforward. They may each kiss John once and may use any excuse to touch him, but all other advances must be made by Dr. Watson. The first one who John confesses he loves is the winner. To the victor will go the spoils. The loser can sod off.
John returned from upstairs, now clad in a generic green button up that didn’t fit right and a patched coat. It isn’t quite what Jim had hoped for, but it is a marked improvement over the jumper. Jim made a mental note to have the windows at 221B fixed and to rig the heating. Also-find plausible excuse for destruction of all John’s clothes, particularly jumpers, and convince the man to allow the purchase of designer replacements.
“One point on which we are entirely in agreement,” Sherlock commented, having no trouble following Jim’s thought process. “The first half should be accomplished with relative ease. It might take our combined efforts to achieve the second, however.”
“Fine,” Jim said sharply, thinking. He needed to come up with a complicated crime that he could use to completely humiliate the detective and impress John. No murders then. Pity, Jim had a flair for those. Elaborate embezzlement scheme? Counterfeiting, maybe?
John glanced back and forth between the two consultants. “Have you two had a row?”
Sherlock shot him an icy glare. “I do not,” he said seriously, “have ‘rows’.” He sniffed, insulted by the very idea.
“Fine, started a feud or whatever you want to call it.”
“We’ve decided to play another game,” Jim offered. He knew from his surveillance that John hated it when Sherlock kept things from him, and he felt John would appreciate the effort to keep him informed.
A long pause while John thought. “Is it going to negatively affect anyone outside this flat?”
“No,” Sherlock responded.
“Well, you two have fun then.”
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Sherlock made his first move that afternoon while John was at the surgery. Jim stuck around, knowing it would backfire spectacularly and wanting a front row seat.
John, looking tired and haggard, trod slowly up the stairs to his room. There was a long pause, and then the footsteps returned with force to spare. John’s usually expressive, emotive face was perfectly blank - the way nature stands absolutely still before a natural disaster.
Jim had to fight incredibly hard not to grin like the madman he was. He didn’t think he’d ever been this excited about anything since he first got started in the criminal world. This was so much better.
“Sherlock,” John said, voice soft and calm. “Would you kindly explain why my room looks as if it has been set ON FIRE?” His volume increased on every word.
“Because it has,” the consulting detective replied as he tuned his violin.
“Why? And so help me, if you say it was and experiment I am going to wring your scrawny little neck, Mycroft be damned.” Sherlock said nothing. “Do you have any idea how much this is going to cost to fix? Everything I owned was in there, Sherlock. Everything. Where the hell am I supposed to sleep?” A long, deep sigh.
“You could sleep in my room,” Sherlock offered, expression, carefully blank. John’s glare quickly shut down that idea.
“I need some air. And I’m kipping at Sarah’s tonight. Don’t wait up.”
John slammed the door behind him.
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Part 4
Okay, so does anyone have any ideas for the shenanigans Jim and Sherlock will get up to trying to win John over?
Ch 1
Ch 2
----------------------------------------------------
The terms of engagement are straightforward. They may each kiss John once and may use any excuse to touch him, but all other advances must be made by Dr. Watson. The first one who John confesses he loves is the winner. To the victor will go the spoils. The loser can sod off.
John returned from upstairs, now clad in a generic green button up that didn’t fit right and a patched coat. It isn’t quite what Jim had hoped for, but it is a marked improvement over the jumper. Jim made a mental note to have the windows at 221B fixed and to rig the heating. Also-find plausible excuse for destruction of all John’s clothes, particularly jumpers, and convince the man to allow the purchase of designer replacements.
“One point on which we are entirely in agreement,” Sherlock commented, having no trouble following Jim’s thought process. “The first half should be accomplished with relative ease. It might take our combined efforts to achieve the second, however.”
“Fine,” Jim said sharply, thinking. He needed to come up with a complicated crime that he could use to completely humiliate the detective and impress John. No murders then. Pity, Jim had a flair for those. Elaborate embezzlement scheme? Counterfeiting, maybe?
John glanced back and forth between the two consultants. “Have you two had a row?”
Sherlock shot him an icy glare. “I do not,” he said seriously, “have ‘rows’.” He sniffed, insulted by the very idea.
“Fine, started a feud or whatever you want to call it.”
“We’ve decided to play another game,” Jim offered. He knew from his surveillance that John hated it when Sherlock kept things from him, and he felt John would appreciate the effort to keep him informed.
A long pause while John thought. “Is it going to negatively affect anyone outside this flat?”
“No,” Sherlock responded.
“Well, you two have fun then.”
------------------------
Sherlock made his first move that afternoon while John was at the surgery. Jim stuck around, knowing it would backfire spectacularly and wanting a front row seat.
John, looking tired and haggard, trod slowly up the stairs to his room. There was a long pause, and then the footsteps returned with force to spare. John’s usually expressive, emotive face was perfectly blank - the way nature stands absolutely still before a natural disaster.
Jim had to fight incredibly hard not to grin like the madman he was. He didn’t think he’d ever been this excited about anything since he first got started in the criminal world. This was so much better.
“Sherlock,” John said, voice soft and calm. “Would you kindly explain why my room looks as if it has been set ON FIRE?” His volume increased on every word.
“Because it has,” the consulting detective replied as he tuned his violin.
“Why? And so help me, if you say it was and experiment I am going to wring your scrawny little neck, Mycroft be damned.” Sherlock said nothing. “Do you have any idea how much this is going to cost to fix? Everything I owned was in there, Sherlock. Everything. Where the hell am I supposed to sleep?” A long, deep sigh.
“You could sleep in my room,” Sherlock offered, expression, carefully blank. John’s glare quickly shut down that idea.
“I need some air. And I’m kipping at Sarah’s tonight. Don’t wait up.”
John slammed the door behind him.
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Part 4
Okay, so does anyone have any ideas for the shenanigans Jim and Sherlock will get up to trying to win John over?