"Booooring!" (sick!Sherlock, BBC Sherlock)

[Sophie<3]

Hi everybody!

I've been really obsessed with Sherlock lately, and I never thought I'd be able to write any fanfiction, because the British English is really hard for me to do, and Sherlock simply isn't easy to write, in my opinion. But today, I kept fantasizing about a sick Sherlock, and I knew that the only way to stop those obsessive thoughts was to finally write something down.

So, here it is, my first ever Sherlock fanfiction. Please let me know what you think! Oh, and there are no spoilers, so anybody could read this.

Have fun! Love you guys! <3

"Booooring!"

Living with Sherlock Holmes was challenging on an ordinary day. Over the last year, John had slowly come to terms with the fact that he was now a full-time babysitter for a... what was that term again... highly-functioning sociopath.

Never before, though, had he been in the position to take care of an ill Sherlock, and after just a few hours he could tell that this particular job was more than tiresome.

As a doctor, John had noticed the symptoms of Sherlock's cold right away. He'd been overly aware after just the first sniffle, and then watched for a little while as the consulting detective's state of health slowly but surely deteriorated. After eleven sneezes and countless sniffling, John had finally asked him how he was feeling, to which Sherlock, in his usual cocky manner, had replied: “I have a cold, John. I thought it was obvious. You call yourself a doctor, don't you?”

Of course, Sherlock hadn't even considered acting on that observation. To him, a cold was as trivial a thing as eating or sleeping. The need to take rest or stay warm were things that, in his opinion, didn't apply to him. When John had suggested the former, Sherlock had shot him a shocked look, as if the very thought was simply ridiculous.

It had taken at least two hours of arguing, reasoning, threatening, and finally begging on John's part until Sherlock had finally agreed to let his doctor friend take care of him.

“Okay”, John sighed, exhausted. “You're in bed, finally, you're drinking your tea, you took the pills I gave you...”

He stopped to look at Sherlock suspiciously. “You did take them, didn't you?”

Sherlock sniffled and glared at John. “There would hardly be any point in not taking them, would there? Really, John, I have a cold. It's not like I've turned into an idiot overnight.”

“Of course”, John sighed in exasperation. The illness was making Sherlock even more irritable than usually.

“So, where was I”, he mumbled. “Right, you took the pills. Do you need anything else?”

Sherlock, who was sitting upright in his bed, the cup of tea in his hands and the blanket that John had covered him with earlier now covering his lap only, gave him an annoyed look. He was about to make a snarky remark (John could tell from the look on his face), when suddenly, his expression changed. His nose twitched and his eyelids started fluttering. Quickly, almost rushed, Sherlock handed John the cup of tea, before sneezing into the air openly.

“Huhhh'ESHH! Heh'eeeshh'ah!”

“Right”, John said. “Tissues.”

Sherlock was still sneezing when John returned from the bathroom with some tissues, which he handed Sherlock, who at least had the courtesy to turn his head as not to sneeze on John.

“You know, some people cover their sneezes”, John remarked sharply. “Interesting that you haven't picked up on that yet. I thought you notice everything.”

“I do”, Sherlock replied stuffily, and briefly wiped his nose with one of the tissues, then. “But it's more hygienic not to cover, everybody knows that. I was doing you a favor, John.”

“Oh. Really?”

“Well, either that or I was just too lazy to cover. You decide.”

“Fine. I choose the first option. And now you should try to get some rest, Sherlock.”

“Boo”, Sherlock said, almost lazily.

John frowned. “Excuse me?”

“Boo”, Sherlock repeated. “I hate sleeping.”

John huffed. In as calm a voice as he could manage, he explained: “I realize that. However, sleeping is very useful when trying to recover from an illness, such as the cold you're currently suffering from.”

“I'm not suffering”, Sherlock interrupted immediately. “Don't be so dramatic.”

The statement sounded funny, coming from somebody who was currently as pale and red-nosed as Sherlock was. Before John could say anything in response, Sherlock's nose twitched again and he sneezed another round of harsh sneezes, again without covering, then sniffled wetly and miserably.

“Bless you”, John said sympathetically.

“Oh, dod't give be that concerdd look”, Sherlock replied stuffily from behind a tissue. “The odly reasod why you react to mby cold like this is your...”

“Oh, just blow your nose already”, demanded John, who wasn't interested in his friend's insights at the moment. Sherlock obeyed, not without another glare at John.

Next, he dropped the used tissue, letting it fall onto the ground next to his bed, apparently too weak to even attempt a throw at the bin, and John sighed and sarcastically said: “No problem. I'll just pick it up later.”

“I didn't ask you to take care of me”, Sherlock replied provokingly.

“Yeah, well, somebody needs to do it. And I just happened to be living with you.”

Sherlock started coughing and John immediately felt guilty for snapping at him. He was Sherlock's friend and his doctor. Now was not the time for their usual bickering.

“Want to drink some more of your tea?”, he asked gently.

“No. It tastes horrible”, Sherlock replied stubbornly, yet still accepted the cup and took a few sips.

“I'm sorry. I'll ask Mrs. Hudson to make you some later. Is that what you want?”, John asked calmly.

“No”, Sherlock replied with a deep sigh and another sniffle. “I want some distraction.”

“What are you talking about?” John scrutinized the sick man with a frown. “In your current state, you can't possibly be...”

“booooooored....”

John sighed. “Really, Sherlock?”

“Yes!” The consulting detective sat up straight with sparkling eyes. His voice sounded horribly raspy when he said: “I want a case! Something to take my mind off of...”

“Stop, Sherlock”, John interrupted calmly but firmly.

“What, John?”

“You look feverish. Let me feel your...”

Sherlock did what he could to evade the doctor's hand. Eventually, though, he had to cough again and John strategically used that moment to place his hand on Sherlock's forehead.

“Hm”, he said with a thoughtful look. “You do feel a little warm. Maybe I should get the thermometer...”

“Oh, please. That's ridiculous.”

“Is it, though?”

“Please, don't.”

John paused to think for a moment, then said: “Fine, I won't. If you promise to lie down this instant.”

Sherlock groaned, then coughed some more. Finally, he complied. “Do you know that you are a real pain, John?”, he asked with a voice so husky, the sound made John wince.

“Well, and you're quite possibly the worst patient I've ever had!”

Sherlock smiled a little at that statement, possibly mistaking it for a compliment.

John sighed deeply as Sherlock closed his eyes and sunk deeper into the pillows. He had to resist the urge to brush a stray curl out of Sherlock's forehead, or at least pull the covers up to his ears. The consulting detective looked so incredibly vulnerable with his face so pale and his nose all red and sore. It touched John Watson in a way he had never expected.

He sat and watched as Sherlock sniffled, and started taking deep breaths, apparently exhausted from their recent argument. He looked so calm, almost peaceful.

Just when John was certain that his friend had fallen asleep, and was about to leave the room, feeling relieved, Sherlock spoke up, saying only a single word. “Booooooring.”

Within the next two seconds, his bright blue eyes flew open and he forced himself back into a sitting position.

John felt like banging his head against a wall. “I said... sleep!”, he tried desperately.

“I said... boooored!”, Sherlock retorted. “John, I want to...” He broke off suddenly. “Huh'ITchhHH! Hehhhh'ITCHH'eh!! EKSH'ooh!”

“Sleep and get better?”, John tried.

Sherlock sniffled, then wiped his nose, looking lost for a moment until his usual stern look returned. “Solve something. A case.”

“Is there absolutely nothing I can do to get you to rest?”, John asked, feeling tired himself.

Sherlock looked at him with bright eyes. “Entertain me.”

“You're saying that even though your body is tired, your brain isn't?”

“John. My brain is never tired. I thought you knew that.”

John sighed. He realized now more than ever before that a mind like Sherlock's was a burden more than it was a gift. Coping with a constant mental underload was more than an ordinary person could take, and thus it wasn't really surprising that Sherlock's ever-eager, brilliant mind did not tire, even when his body crumbled.

Therefore, John decided, the only way to get Sherlock to sleep and get the rest he needed, was to give him what he wanted.

“Fine”, he said. “Don't get up. Let me just get something.”

He returned with his laptop. As usually, there were lots of emails, inquiring about all sorts of things, all possible cases. All of them were of the kind that Sherlock solved within minutes, if not seconds, but, John mused, maybe it would be enough to keep the sick genius entertained.

When he returned, Sherlock was coughing harshly, body trembling.

John couldn't stop himself from exclaiming: “That sounds horrible! Want me to get you some cough syrup?”

“Maybe later”, Sherlock croaked. “Cases first.”

“Alright.” John sat down with a sigh. “You sure you're up for this?”, he inquired with one last concerned look at his ill friend.

Sherlock groaned in response. “Start already!”

“Okay, sure.” So John began reading out emails. Obviously, this was having a positive effect on Sherlock, who started relaxing, sinking deeper into the covers, while solving case after case with his cold-ridden voice.

“She's sleeping with her son's math tutor, who comes to their house every Thursday.”

“The neighbor. She's been jealous of their wealth ever since the incident on Halloween.”

“It's his daughter-in-law. She needed money for an abortion that she told nobody about.”

John didn't even ask Sherlock how he knew any of these things, not wanting him to talk anymore than he needed to.

As time passed, Sherlock was interrupted by his own coughing or sneezing more and more.

“That's enough”, John said gently after at least an hour, while closing his laptop. “Your voice is almost gone, Sherlock.”

“Can we do... deductions?”, the detective asked feebly. “Mycroft and I always used to... Huhh'ESHHhh! Do that... when I was sick... He'd just give me an object and I would try to deduce as much as possible... Hehhh'EKK'shooo!”

“Not at the moment”, John said.

“Why not?”, Sherlock asked without opening his eyes. “I want to... Huhh'GGnn'chh!”

“I know. Bless you. But I don't want to, Sherlock. I'm tired, you see.”

“Oh...”, Sherlock whispered hoarsely. “Fine...”

John sighed a silent sigh of relief. It looked like Sherlock was finally giving in.

“Feel better”, he said. “I'll be in the living room if you need me. When you wake up, I'll have soup ready. You need to eat something.”

“Then... can we... do deductions?”, Sherlock whispered, his voice almost entirely gone.

“Sure”, John said, smiling at the fact that Sherlock's brain really didn't get tired, even when its owner was beyond exhausted.

“Sleep tight, Sherlock”, he said and closed the door as quietly as possible.

The End

So, how did I do?

Love, Sophie

[Hedgehog]

I think it was a good story and in character for both of them. Thank you for writing it.

[ID2006]

You did AMAZING! Love love love it.

[KickingUpTheDust]

Aaaaawwww, i love this!

[stargazer]

Good job. I loved it.

[AngelEyes]

Very cute!

[MyOwnPrivateSFC]

Aw! Very good! I think you nailed both of them. Silly Sherlock....

[beatlelover22]

This is so sweet! I love the title, "Booooring!" haha, so Sherlockesque. And I also thought it was hilarious when John was like, "Y'know some people cover their sneezes!" LOVED it!

[Zuki]

So cute! I've been missing some Sherlock tics on the forum and this came at a good time. It was great to read!

[Hygge]

Love it! I'm not all the way caught up on sherlock yet lol, late to the party, some I'm always scared to read sherlock fics cus I don't want to see any spoilers hehe. So glad you mentioned this was spoiler free and I loooove it

[Melody]

Omg Sophie this is great I love it and their both so in character!

[Sophie<3]

D'awww... you guys! Thanks so much! I'm sure I'll write more Sherlock fanfics in the future! This has been a tremendous amount of fun!

I think it was a good story and in character for both of them. Thank you for writing it.

Thank you for commenting! And I'm glad you thought they were in character! (:

You did AMAZING! Love love love it.

Aww... thanks, girl! You're too sweet!

Aaaaawwww, i love this!

Thank you so much!

Good job. I loved it.

Thanks! And I saw you wrote something for Sherlock, too, right? I'll have to go read that!

Very cute!

Thank you! That's my favorite compliment! Haha! Btw, I love your signature!

Aw! Very good! I think you nailed both of them. Silly Sherlock....

Hehe... really? Thanks so much!

This is so sweet! I love the title, "Booooring!" haha, so Sherlockesque. And I also thought it was hilarious when John was like, "Y'know some people cover their sneezes!" LOVED it!

Aww, thank you!! I'm so glad you liked it! <3 And yeah, I just couldn't really imagine Sherlock covering his sneezes! lol

So cute! I've been missing some Sherlock tics on the forum and this came at a good time. It was great to read!

Oh, that's great! Good thing I posted it when I did!

Love it! I'm not all the way caught up on sherlock yet lol, late to the party, some I'm always scared to read sherlock fics cus I don't want to see any spoilers hehe. So glad you mentioned this was spoiler free and I loooove it

I'm really glad I mentioned that it was spoiler free, then, because I almost forgot. Thanks for reading and leaving a comment!

Omg Sophie this is great I love it and their both so in character!

Thanks so much, Melody! I'm so happy you liked it!

[BlobOfGodness]

10/10 for the Johlock feels. ARG! I loved that.

[sapphiremint]

Aww this was so cute, the dialogue between the two was on point <3 sick sherlock

[matilda3948]

So great!!! You got the John/Sherlock banter down really well.

[Sophie<3]

Aww... more replies to this little fic! You guys are the best!!

10/10 for the Johlock feels. ARG! I loved that.

Thanks so much! It was my first Sherlock fic and Johnlock was more implied, so I'm especially glad you liked it! (Okay, I admit it... I'm well on my way to become a Johnlock shipper myself... <3 )

Aww this was so cute, the dialogue between the two was on point <3 sick sherlock

I'm so glad you think the dialogue was in character! I had fun writing it and I'm happy you enjoyed reading it!

Sick Sherlock is the best Sherlock, right?

So great!!! You got the John/Sherlock banter down really well.

Thanks so much, matilda! Your comment made me super happy!

[HoneyBunny]

“I said... boooored!”, Sherlock retorted. “John, I want to...” He broke off suddenly. “Huh'ITchhHH! Hehhhh'ITCHH'eh!! EKSH'ooh!”

“Sleep and get better?”, John tried.

Sherlock sniffled, then wiped his nose, looking lost for a moment until his usual stern look returned.

That part creates such an adorable mental image! I can SO picture him looking all lost and young and needy. Awesome fic, Sophie!

[SomeoneRandom]

Super cute. Nice job, Sophie!

[Sophie<3]

You guys are so amazing!

“I said... boooored!”, Sherlock retorted. “John, I want to...” He broke off suddenly. “Huh'ITchhHH! Hehhhh'ITCHH'eh!! EKSH'ooh!”

“Sleep and get better?”, John tried.

Sherlock sniffled, then wiped his nose, looking lost for a moment until his usual stern look returned.

That part creates such an adorable mental image! I can SO picture him looking all lost and young and needy. Awesome fic, Sophie!

Thank you sooo much, HoneyBunny! I had a really cute image in my head when I wrote it, so I'm glad I managed to communicate that to you! (:

Super cute. Nice job, Sophie!

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it and took the time to comment!

[luckyleprechaun]

This was nice! I can't really comment on characterization (I've never seen it), but the dialogue and action was excellent!