A Convincing Desguise

❶ CHAPTER ONE


Sherlock was not in 221B when John got back from work. This was not very unusual though; the detective was often at the yard verbally abusing anyone that irritated him or experimenting in the morgue at saint Barts. Sherlock had a habit of deducing anyone who was being "irritating" this usually meant anyone who wasn't himself, or if he was lucky, John too.
John went into the kitchen to fix himself some tea.
It had been a surprisingly quiet day at work and he had managed to do his paperwork before the surgery had closed which meant he hadn't needed to stay behind to finish it.
He vaguely wondered what Sherlock was doing, he had picked up a new case yesterday. He seemed to think it was quite a simple one, something about a rich banker's death. Not one where it seemed likely he'd end up getting shot at and chased along the rooftops of London. Anyway if Sherlock did need him he'd message John. He pulled his phone out of his back pocket and changed it back to normal.
He had to put it on silent at work after one day Sherlock had decided to text him every minute, telling how dull it was without him at the flat and how infuriatingly slow the time seemed to be going and how dare all the criminals take a day off today.
John was almost hoping someone would get murdered soon.
ALMOST.

He decided to go to the pub this evening. God knows what sort of time Sherlock may get home and John needed some company, even if it was in a noisy smelly Pub.
Also John was on the roam for another girlfriend; Mary, his last, hadn't survived Sherlock's deductions. She was a beautiful lady, long red hair and dark green eyes. He thought he had finally found the perfect girl.
God he had hated it when she left, her eyes red and mascara running. Sherlock had been yelled at for a many few hours afterwards, John getting no response from him though. He found it infuriating to no end; he wrecked every one of his relationships. John new his ranting was going straight through Sherlock's head and being deleted instantaneously, but he did it anyway.

The outside air was chilly and it had gotten dark since John had returned home. It was only a brisk short walk to the closest pub and John found himself actually enjoying it. The yellow light from the small bar was spilling out into the dark street, he could hear people laughing and having a good time. He stopped and checked his phone before walking in in case Sherlock had texted him.  Not a single text, he considered calling Lestrade if he wanted to join him. That was what he told himself anyway, he wasn't ringing to see if he was with Sherlock or anything. God Sherlock is adult, John, so why do you keep worrying over him?
Greg answered sounding tired.
He explained that Sherlock had been in this afternoon, deducted at 1000 miles an hour and then leaving saying something about luring and the wrong shade of lipstick on the jacket.
John thanked him and told him to get some rest, which Greg agreed on gruffly.

The pub was well lit and crowded.
John positioned himself at the dark wooden bar and ordered a beer. While he waited he scanned the room. "Taken, too old, married but her sister isn't."
John had become more able to deduce things about people he saw, there were obvious thing such as the couple sitting in the corner holding hands; not a good pick up there. There were also less noticeable things such as a ladies ring and the fact that her hair was not recently died meaning she had regrowth, she also had stains and something that looked like snot on her clothes. "Married with young children obviously," he said quietly to himself as he accepted the cold beer.
He scoffed realising how mental he must have just sounded to the barman,
and how much he had reminded himself of Sherlock.
Her sister though, a year or two younger. He could tell they were related by their profiles as they turned to look at him.
He met both of their gazes then looked away, realising embarrassingly that he had been staring at them for a number of seconds.
He could hear them giggling and he looked back, seeing the younger sister smile back at him.
He nodded to her and raised his beer smiling.
She nodded back grinning warmly to him.