Dragon Sitting
I've done this one before, but we never picked up and I thought I'd try something new... Thank you to the person with the prompt. You were brilliant. I can hardly wait to continue! <3
Stranger: Is this Dr. Watson? MH
You: Perhaps... Who is asking? -JW
Stranger: This is Mycroft Holmes. I work for the British Government. We were just reviewing your file. MH
You: Reviewing my file...? For what reason? -JW
Stranger: We are looking for candidates for an experiment. You fit the bill for what we are looking for. Will you accept? MH
You: I might. What is the experiment on exactly? -JW
Stranger: We would like to see how a new species interacts with humans. MH
You: A new species...? What species are we talking about? -JW
Stranger: They are closely related to lizards. MH
You: To lizards...? Alright. I mean, it's not like I'll ever get the chance again. -JW
You: To lizards...? Alright. I mean, it's not like I'll ever get the chance again. -JW
Stranger: Alright. I'll bring it over in half an hour. I will be checking in on it so what happened last time does not happen again. MH
You: What happened last time? What do you mean by that? -JW
Stranger: we tried this once before. Unknown to us, the other candidate enjoyed taking his anger out on smaller things. MH
You: Oh. As in... The caretaker abused it? -JW
Stranger: Yes. We got it out before he could do permanent damage, but the grief and mental anguish killed it. MH
You: Oh, bloody hell... That's disgusting. Jesus. -JW
Stranger: Yes. Do keep in mind that they intelligent creatures, but blindingly loyal. MH
You: I shall. I couldn't even imagine hurting it. -JW
Stranger: I am almost there. I'll give you a run down of how to take care of it. MH
You: Of course. The doors unlocked. -JW
You: Would you like some tea? -JW
Stranger: Tea would be lovely. MH
You: Right. I'll get started on that then. -JW
Stranger: It wasn't long until a black care pulled up and several men got out, one of them being Mycroft Holmes. He made his way towards the door to the flat and knocked. Politeness dictated that you always knocked. Even if the door was unlocked. Mycroft was holding onto a small box and the men behind him were carrying much larger boxes full of the things that John would need in order to take care of his new pet.
You: This was all new. In fact, John wasn't sure it was actually happening. What if it was all a hoax? Some little prank? Pulling out two mugs, he licked his lips and tried to settle himself. He'd known soon enough anyhow if the man didn't arrive. However, John was actually... /Excited/ by the prospect. Hearing the knock, the blond forced himself to calm and grasped his cane tightly as he made his way to the door. Pulling it open, he shuffled to the side and took in the sight of the man, most likely Mycroft Holmes, and the several minions behind him. Not a ruse then. "Sorry, my apologies. Do come in."
Stranger: Mycroft gave John a small smile. "It's no problem, Dr. Watson. My men will just get something set up." He walked inside and them men followed in after. They opened the boxes and started to set some things up and pulled things out that John would be needing. "We brought you an egg. We've found that they attache more to humans when hatched by them." Once a tank was set up in the corner with bedding and a heating lamp, Mycroft made his way over and opened up the box. He pulled a black egg out that was the size of a chicken egg and placed it under the lamp. "Once you've noticed that it's crack, you must break a hole in it. It decreased the chance of him drowning in the egg."
You: It was a whirlwind of movement after that. The men set things up and then... Well, there was all the hustling about and John was quite enthralled until the last moment and an egg appeared. So it had to hatch? Interesting... "Right. So I give him a bit of a help-certainly don't want him to drown. Just pop a hole and leave him be until he's out?" He inquired, moving closer to look at the egg. Such an interesting shade. "You said it was like a lizard...? What is it specifically? Or is it not named?" He inquired, standing up straight to take stock of everything else. "And you said you had information... Obviously. What will I need to buy for the little critter? Do you know its diet?"
Stranger: "Yes. Just let him come out on his own. Make sure to wipe him down when he comes out and let him dry out in the lamp. His scale will get hard like that. Feel free to let him out of the tank if you want, but keep an eye on him a bit. We've named him Sherlock." Mycroft sat in one of John's chairs. "He'll eat mashed up fruits at first, but when his teeth start to come in I would suggest switching to fruit chunks. I've heard of them eating insects as well, but some of them don't like it. Depends on what he prefers." Mycroft pulled out his watch and checked the time. "His species is officially known as Dragon. They like to horde things they find valuable. If you find something missing, he might have taken it and hidden it. Keep him warm. Don't let him get too cold. A heating pad is a wonderful idea and if you can find somewhere for him to horde up and make a nest out of that would be good as well."
You: Dragon. /Dragon/. He was taking care of a dragon named Sherlock. That was... Well, Christ. This was a bit flabbergasting. Staring at the egg, John sat there in silence for several minutes attempting to wrap his head around the whole thing. It wasn't fake, was it? Everything seemed so... Realistic. Running his fingers through his hair, he took a step closer to the tank. "Dragon... Right. Fruit isn't hard to come by and I'll give him a bath when he makes his appearance. Do you have any ideas as to when that might be?" He looked back at Mycroft just before the timer for the kettle went off. "Sorry, go on." He spoke, moving to the small kitchen to get their tea put together. "Would you like milk or sugar...? Perhaps honey?" John inquired, not sure how the Government Official might take it. Christ, his whole wardrobe pulled together couldn't likely meet the price of the man's three piece suit.
Stranger: "Two sugars," Mycroft said, glancing at the egg. "He should hatch within the next couple of days or so. We're not sure on the exact day. Hard to tell. It's when he thinks he's ready that he'll try and come out." He took the mug from John, thanking him, and took a sip. "We've left some gold jewelry behind for you to give to him. It's something the mother dragon would do to her child. Give him a few gold pieces to start collecting." Mycroft took another sip before checking his watch. "My time here is up. Text me if you have any questions or concerns. He'll grow quickly in the beginning, but it should tapper out after awhile." Mycroft stood up. "Enjoy your new pet, Dr. Watson. I'll drop by soon. Laying down newspaper in a corner would be a smart idea. For when he needs to use the loo." With that last bit of information, Mycroft took his leave.
You: John listened to the male, taking in the next information before giving a nod. "Right, right... Well, thank you for all this then, Mr. Holmes." He spoke, gesturing to the ebony egg. "Quite a new chance and it gives me something to do. I'll keep you updated, tell you when he hatches, hell... I'll even send you little pictures of him if you'd like." The blond chuckled, guiding Mycroft to the door as a good host might do. "Well... Good night then. Drive safely, and thank you again. I'll go egg watch now." He smiled, waiting until Mycroft was out the door before he locked it up and made his way back to the egg. From there, he just watched in contemplation. "Sherlock... Now, that's an interesting name, but then so is Mycroft. Well, Sherlock, I am John Watson. I wonder when you'll hatch... I wonder what you'll look like. Will you eat bugs? Or strictly fruit? Christ, you might even enjoy meat."
Stranger: The egg made no motions. Just sat until the heat lamp. For the next five days it was like that. No sign of anything even in the egg. Until, around midnight at the end of day five, a crack appeared in the egg. It remained that way all night. Just a single crack in the shell of the black egg. The dragon inside sleeping after finally breaking the shell. Once morning broke, he started up again, pushing on the area that had weaken enough to break and attempting to get the shell open so he could crawl out.
You: The blond was certain the dragon wasn't going to crack the egg for at least another three days. Minimum of two. There was no sound, no movement, nothing for the egg, but John didn't stop talking to it. Some occasions, he even stroked the egg wondering if the dragon-/Sherlock/-could feel it. The fifth day, when he decided to buy some fruits to give it all time to ripen, he heard the faint ticking creak of something slowly cracking. Without giving it a moment's hesitation, John moved to the egg and tried to bite back the excitement. "Well then... Seems today is the day then, huh, Sherlock?" He inquired, doing as instructed by creating a small hole in the shell.
Stranger: Sherlock found a small hole, something to grasp and push on. The shell fell away much easier thanks to the help and he eventually made it big enough to crawl out of. His was covered in sticky slime that made it hard to breath. His scales were all black and his eyes a piercing blue. His movements were clumsy and uncertain, testing out legs that never walked before and lungs that were breathing for the first time. Once he was out of the egg completely, he lay on the bedding, closing his eyes and intending to dry the slime out in the heat of the lamp. He only slightly smaller than the egg he had come out of.
You: It was fascinating watching the creature come out and John almost forgot about the bath. "Just one moment, Sherlock... We've got to get that slime off and I doubt it's any good for you." He spoke, moving to grab a medium sized bowl to fill with warm water. From there he picked up two flannels and carried it out to the incubation tank only to hesitate. This was a dragon. This newly born creature was a dragon and he was going to be taking care of it. This creature was going to be dependent on him for God knows how long... Dipping the flannel into the water, he sucked in a deep breath and lifted the creature up in one hand to begin cleaning it off. "Hopefully you like this... I'm already too nervous to bloody hold you."
Stranger: Sherlock opened his eyes when he felt the heat of the lamp move away, confused at first until he sniffed at what was holding him. This must be his, then. His 'mother' of sorts. The one to care for him. He let out a mewl or a nose, the sound soft and calm. He stood stick his tongue out, having it come in contact with John's skin for a taste of this new care giver. He liked him already. He smelt of what he would always know as home and he smelt of safety. He closed his eyes, letting his head rest on John and let him do as he pleased. He trusted this large creature already. He had no doubts that they were good and that they would care for him. He would let them do as they wished. He was squishy, his scales soft and bendable. They had yet to harden and felt more like skin then the scales of a lizard. The slime was sticky and hard to remove, but it came off after some time. Sherlock licked at the flannel when he came close to his face. He was curious about it. He opened his eyes to stare at the flannel and then look up at John, nuzzling the closest part of his hand that he could.
You: John's heart melted at the mewl and the way Sherlock interacted with him. The bloody thing was adorable and he simply couldn't help himself from using the smooth callus of his thumb over somewhere more meeting. Somewhere he couldn't break really. "Look at you... All small and sticky. God, this slime is bloody hard to remove. Next time, can we skip all that...? I'm ready to soak you." He joked, his voice soft and exuberant with his elation at the dragon's appearance. He didn't trust giving the creature a bath, not quite yet, and he was almost done anyhow. He rolled Sherlock over in his hand, checking his body for anymore sludge or slime. When he finished, he rubbed his thumb over the dragon's back and up his neck as gingerly as possible. He just wanted to hold it, getting acquainted with its gorgeous gaze and the weight of it in his hand. He might not have the chance again. "You're bloody adorable... Very cute and small. I wonder how big you'll get. Size of a horse? God, that would be a mess... I'd have no room for you." He chuckled, moving the creature back into the light to set him down.
Stranger: Sherlock sighed at the sound of his caregiver, for they could be nothing else, and relaxed at the touch. It was nice. He knew his caregivers sent was being rubbed onto his scales to show possession and he was okay with that. Caregiver would smell like him too in the end. He was then put back in the light to bake for awhile. He would harden his scales like this. They would end up feeling just like a snakes in the end. Hard, yet flexible. He lay in the "sun" stretched out. He only moved to get the heat on his other scales. He would stay like this for as long as it took, which turned out to be most of the day. Once his scales were hard enough to please him, he stood up, his eyes opening. He took a bit of the shell from the egg and laid it in the sun as well. He would keep it. It would be his first treasure. Shell bits. He walked around in his tank, his legs having grown much strong in the time he took basking in the light of the lamp.
You: The short man watched the dragon laze throughout the day while 'dragon proofing' the whole flat. He put together somewhere for the dragon to go to the restroom and had even found an hold heating pad hidden away in the linen closet. He would likely need to update soon considering how hot it became, but it would do for now. He'd just wrap it in several fabric. With the flat proofed, John mashed up several different bits of fruit, the ripest ones he had that wouldn't make the dragon sick. Well, he hoped it wouldn't. He'd feed it to the creature soon, but first... Removing a small bit of gold from a bag Mycroft had left behind, John looked at the ring and gave a nod before moving to where Sherlock was exploring. "I hope you're not picky... I've brought you a birthday gift." He smiled, moving beside the tank. "What do you say, hmn...? Curious to see it, Sherlock?" John continued before holding up the gold ring before the light. Just to let it shine.
Stranger: Sherlock had been busing himself with just sniffing out the tank and checking out where he would live from now on when he saw something glint in the corner of his eye. His head swiveled to find the source and found gold shining in the light. He noticed a gold ring in the fingers of his caregiver and felt a swell of love in his chest. He scurried over as quickly as he could, grabbing the ring with his mouth and tugging it out of John's grasp before dragging it over to a corner of the tank. He started to dig, pushing the ring into the tiny dent he had made in the bedding, and the pushing the bedding over it. He laid down on top of it, trying to act nonchalant about the whole thing. Like he didn't have a gold ring just under him. Like he wasn't laying there to protect it.
You: It was all rather comical. Sherlock just seemed so bloody ecstatic about the small bit of gold and the way he dug and laid over it-he couldn't help but laugh. It was adorable, but he knew better than to say or do anything. He didn't want to see if Sherlock could breathe fire. "I didn't see a thing... Now enjoy yourself, yeah? I'm going to get you something to eat." He concluded, rubbing Sherlock's head with just the tip of his index finger before leaving him be. He disappeared into the kitchen only to return three minutes later with a small bowl and spoon. "Right... I hope you like watermelon. I thought it best to start with this considering it's just water." He spoke, moving his chair beside the tank and sitting. "Now, come eat, Sherlock." He ordered sternly, giving the dragon a firm expression as he scooped some of the fruit out.
Stranger: Sherlock took the petting in pleasure, his eyes closing as he was pet. Then the petting was gone and he was confused for a moment. Had he done something wrong? No, he heard John's footsteps not too far off. It wasn't long thought that he smelled something delicious and had to move from his spot over the ring. What was that? That amazing smell? He sought it out, finding the watermelon and starting to lick it up. He mewled happily, his body tensing up for a moment as he stomped his legs a bit. His eyes closed and pleasure of food just rolling off of him. He showed his enjoyment for the food before going back to eating it. He licked up the watermelon in tiny bits, filling his mouth and messily eating it before licking up more. He continued to eat until his stomach felt like bursting. He let out a huff and laid down, not wanting to move for some time with as full of a tummy as he had.
You: "You like that? It's called Watermelon, Sherlock. You seem to enjoy it." He smiled, giving the dragon as much as he would take. He didn't want to overfill the creature and given how it lazed there after eating... John took inventory of how much he had eaten for future reference and decided to cut back the amount just a bit. He'd adjust it as Sherlock grew. "Well... I'm glad you ate. Especially that much. Let me clean up a bit and perhaps I'll join you, hmn?" He suggested, leaving his seat to put the rest of the watermelon that Sherlock hadn't eaten away. It didn't take long, not even a minute, before he was in his seat again and petting the creature. "Everything seems to be going off at a good start... Your restroom is just right there, let's hope it's not a struggle to figure that out, hmn?"
Stranger: Sherlock pressed up into John's touch when he felt it again. It was nice to be given attention. He attempted to climb up into John's hand, his claws gripping his skin as he tried to pull himself up onto his hand. It took two tried before he was climbing on the back of John's hand and steadily going up his arm. He sniffed at John along the way, the jumper proving harder to manage than John's flesh had been. It moved and slipped as Sherlock tried to climb. He mewled loudly every time his grip would slip, but held on tight. He continued to climb until he reached John's shoulders where he lay down. He kept on John's shoulder, pressing his face into John's neck and mewling softly there as well.
You: While Sherlock explored, John nannied. He kept his hand to the side in order to catch the dragon as he moved. His worst fear was Sherlock slipping and he didn't dare allow the dragon to slip far. Each mewl was adorable in its own right, but the blond was just a bit too worried to enjoy it. It wasn't until the dragon had nestled itself against his neck and shoulder that he relaxed. He could maneuver this way. "Come on then... We'll go watch some crap telly together. Maybe you'll like it?" He spoke, standing up slowly while also bringing the hand opposite of his shoulder side to hold Sherlock faintly in place as he walked. His flat was small, just a tiny bedsit really. He sat down on his bed and leaned against the wall so Sherlock couldn't fall from behind. Turning on the telly, he flipped through channels for several minutes until finally content.
Stranger: Sherlock had been enjoying his time on John's shoulder and stuck his tongue out a few times to give him a taste or two before he heard a sudden noise. It made him jump at first, unsure of what it was, before his eyes focused on the screen of the telly. He stared at the moving images on the screen, interested by them and curious as to what they were. He watched for a long while, not moving expect to breath, and only blinked one eye at a time so he could keep his eyes on the moving pictures. They were beyond fascinating. they were things of wonder. He wanted to know more. See more. He was particularly interested in some detective movie that came on. He leaned towards the telly more, his body tensing up a bit as he watched, his eyes glued to the screen.
You: John couldn't look to see what Sherlock was doing, but he could feel movement. He'd known the sound had scared him, but it would scare any unborn baby. He kept the volume fairly low, ensuring that it didn't hurt the sensitive ears or give the telly a chance to scare the dragon again. He knew Sherlock was enjoying what they were watching by the way he moved. How he knew that, he wasn't certain, but it felt... Right. Gut instinct more like. "Detective show, huh, Sherlock? I bet anything would suit you fine, but this looks like a good show. We'll give it a try." He murmured softly, not realizing that it was getting fairly late and close to his bed time. "Did you see that? Christ, that was... Brilliant. How did he know about the wife?"
Stranger: Sherlock watched, completely enraptured with the show. It was obvious to him. He had picked up on it. Well, he thought he did. It was hard to tell. He was up until the show ended, the murderer caught and the day saved. He yawned, moving to crawl under John's jumper to get ready for bed himself. He wormed his way under the jumper and laid down there, starting to fall asleep the moment the cloth was over his body. He gave John a lazy lick before his body started to relax and then he was out for the night. Asleep and snuggled up under the jumper and against John's skin. The smell of John and safety entering his nose.
You: As much as he would have liked sharing the bed with the dragon, he was far too worried about possibility hurting him. John wasn't the best at sleeping anyhow. He let Sherlock sleep for an hour or so, watching another show, until he deemed it time to get under the covers himself. He held the dragon to his chest and stood up slowly so as not to jar the creature. He carried Sherlock over to the tank and lowered the light so it wasn't as bright but still giving off warmth. From there he set the heating pad down, wrapped in several blankets to lessen the heat and set a small dry and soft flannel over the dragon's form. "Good night, Sherlock... I'll see you in the morning." He murmured tiredly, petting the dragon's head before he turned the lights off, changed into his night clothes, and crawled under the covers.
to be continued...