Hello everyone. I'm here with another Late-night story (yes, I've finally decided to accept that I can't keep copying links for every fic and just made a masterlist instead).
Once again, I couldn't sleep, so I wrote another Jim Moriarty x reader fic (hence the name "Late-night stories" for my fics).
You were fuming. You were supposed to have a full night's sleep so you could function at work tomorrow (today?). And yet here you are, awake, at 40 minutes past two.
Life was really unfair. Why couldn't you just sleep in peace? Why did your stupid overthinking traitor of a mind decide to wake you up and replay yesterday all over again? Like you weren't already stressed enough.
Why couldn't you just let go? Why was it such a problem for you?
You turned around, forcing yourself to think about anything else. That's how you fell asleep in the first place. Exhausted, thinking about an upcoming personal project, while the radio plays in the background, calming you down.
Well, the radio was still playing, something that always made you feel better.
Not tonight, you thought bitterly.
You look at your work table. Your phone should be charged by now. You really didn't want to look at the screen so late into the night. You were determined to let your eyes rest.
You turned around. The radio kept playing. Your heart was beating fast in your chest. A headache was beginning to emerge.
You stood up and took your phone from the table. Lying back in bed, you thought about what to do. You really needed to talk to someone right now. But who?
Uncle Sherlock was probably awake. You had called him before when you couldn't sleep. You knew he would listen to your rambling until you tired yourself out.
You hesitated. John was complaining to you yesterday that he pulled an all-nighter because of Sherlock and that now that the case was done, he really wanted to rest. He was too old for this shit - his words, not yours.
You were also afraid of waking up Rosie. They were both staying at 221b for the night. So, being the saint you were (you could hear Jim's snicker in your head), you decided against calling.
Next, you thought about uncle Mycroft. And, nooooo. Not happening. While you were sure he would answer, he would probably send someone to check on you immediately. And you were not looking forward to setting off a red alert in the country because assholes from work pissed you off.
Next, you thought, again, of calling your parents. They were always the first people on your mind you wanted to call.
Grandma had passed away recently, and you didn't want to scare them by calling so late at night. The only time anyone ever called any of you late at night when you were home was if something serious was wrong. With how hard your father was taking the loss, you didn't want to make things worse.
You considered calling other family members or friends, but decided against it. That only left...
You jumped a little in bed, surprised you said it out loud. You usually had a better grip on yourself.
Let's just get this over with so I can finally go to sleep.
The phone rang three times before an annoyingly attractive voice answered.
'Isn't it beyond your bedtime, pet~'
You considered ending the call. Who the heck does he think he is?
Your mouth moved, repeating after your mind. He chuckled. That damn chuckle that always made butterflies fly all over your stomach.
'You're thinking out loud, pet. You must be exhausted, you are being unusually careless ~'
You sighed. He was right, though. No need to pretend, he would just get angry or bored and end the call. Neither of which was ideal. You wanted to let John rest, not make him work overtime running after Sherlock because you set Moriarty off.
You were honestly surprised he didn't start taunting you again. You almost wanted to tease him about getting soft.
You wouldn't risk it. No matter how tempting it was. So, instead, you decided to tell him exactly why you were calling before he threw a tantrum.
'I had a bad day yesterday, and my mind keeps playing it on loop, so I can't sleep. I need to wake up in', you looked at the clock 'less than three hours. That is, if I actually manage to fall asleep until then'
He listened with the patience he only had with you, it seemed. Or maybe that was just your wistful thinking. Regardless, he didn't interrupt you or end the call, so it was a win.
'Oh, is that little worm bothering you again?'
You froze. Of course, he knew. Why were you surprised. He had eyes everywhere.
You really didn't have a filter today. You could hear him lifting his eyebrow over the phone. You weren't sure how, but you just knew he was amused.
'Shame, and here I thought you finally decided to accept my offer~'
'Hah, no thank you. I'm keeping that one for when uncle Sherlock pisses me off for the last time'
He laughed. You joined him. Laughing like two maniacs. You were afraid the neighbours would call the police. While the walls were thick enough that you usually didn't hear each other, it was also the middle of the night.
After the laughter died down, you continued.
'I'm serious, though, don't kill my colleague. Yeah, the guy is an a-hole, and I wish he would fall down the stairs and break his neck every time I see him. Or, you know, just get fired. But I don't want to be the reason either of those happened. I do have a conscience'
He listened to you with minimal interruptions. That can be arranged, you heard him say, to fall down the stairs and break his neck, part of your little speech.
You were a little surprised by the term of endearment, those butterflies coming back with vengeance.
How eloquent. You face-palmed with the hand not holding the phone. He scoffed.
'My, you must be extremely exhausted. You are even slower than usual~'
You were so surprised by your own boldness that you froze again. Mouth hanging open in disbelief. You chastised yourself for cursing. You had this superiority complex where you thought that not swearing put you above other people. Ordinary people, as he liked to say.
As his laughter died down, you gave a quick apology.
'No need', he chuckled. 'I'm not angry at you, pet. In fact, I'm quite amused'
'Of course you would be', you mumbled, butthurt.
'Can you... can you talk to me until I fall asleep?'
Your voice was so quiet, you weren't sure he heard you. After a while, you got your answer. He started with his day, then mentioned what he was currently working on. He recently took up teaching math at the university again. You asked if he could sneak you in one day so you could listen to one of his lessons. That pleased him to no end. You knew not to stroke his ego too much, but since he was doing this for you, that was the least you could give in return.
You turned around. The radio playing some old song, mixing with his steady voice.
