"You look bloody awful."
To his own surprise, he said this with a fair amount of force, and most likely louder than was necessary. The bean gasped in shock, running a hand through his hair in disbelief. Idiot! What was he thinking? Saying something like that to a giant!? John swallowed nervously, completely unsure of what to do.
“Eh, that is, wh-what I meant was-“
His awkwardness was interrupted, however, by a very large hand reaching for him all too quickly.
“W-W-Wait!” He practically squeaked, screwing his eyes shut in terror as an uncomfortable warmth enveloped him. But nothing else happened. He was not lifted into the air or completely crushed by a sudden force. Instead, something pressed gently against his chest, over his heart, which was pounding away like a bass drum. He opened his eyes to find that it was the bean’s thumb.
“You’re really real.” The voice was soft and full of amazement. John looked up cautiously. The boys expression was just a bit too curious for his liking.
“Of course I’m real! I could’ve told you that, idiot!”
He hadn’t meant to add that last part, but John was almost past the point of caring. If the bean was going to do something terrible, he had better do it faster or the suspense alone would kill him!
“S-sorry,” the hand was suddenly withdrawn, “I thought I might be hallucinating. My head got hit pretty hard.”
These words shocked the borrower more than anything. A bean was apologizing to him. And after he called him an idiot nonetheless. Furthermore, he hadn’t considered this particular bean to be the type to apologize to anyone. Perhaps his head was more rattled than he had first imagined.
“I saw that.” John said darkly, “those guys beating you up.” He added at the bean’s questioning look.
“Then it was you,” the giant remarked. Now it was John’s turn to look confused. “You made that whistle sound and scared them off.”
“How do you figure that?”
“There is no one else here, thus it couldn’t have been the police. Such a unique and high sound had to have come from something small, yet it was definitely organic, so not a toy whistle. You fit the criteria, although, it was longer and louder than I would have imagined your lungs capable of.”
“Oh, that was good, though I can assure you that my lungs are plenty capable.”
Sherlock brushed it off, but John saw his mouth form something of a small smile. The bean must not be used to much praise of any kind.
“That was a simple deduction. No, the only thing I don’t understand is why?”
The boy’s look changed, his fiercely blue eyes bore into John. He felt as though their very gaze pierced him through with a determined kind of curiosity.
It made the borrower angry.
How dare this bean look at him as though he were some specimen under a microscope. How dare he, especially knowing how John saved his ass. Then again, he had refrained from any kind of unwanted contact, mostly, and was simply asking a perfectly reasonable question.
So John tried to get his whirling emotions under control before responding.
“Common decency, maybe.” Despite his best efforts, a fair amount of attitude mixed with his tone.
The bean’s mouth curved in an amused smile. “But that still doesn’t explain why you would put yourself in danger of being discovered by approaching me, even in my unconscious state.”
John felt himself blush. Really, he knew that he had no good reason for what he had done. “C’mon, you could’ve been dead for all I knew.”
“So you were worried for my well being,” John’s blush went deeper and he hoped to God the bean couldn’t see it. “I find it hard to believe that you would risk your life for that as there wouldn’t be much you could do in a medical emergency. In any case, your actions suggest you need me for something.”
“Stupid! What could I possibly need a bean for?” Though he hated to admit it, even to himself, John did need him. He had no idea where he was and the only way he was getting back in one piece was with the bean’s help.
“A what? Bean?”
“You know, a human bean. It’s what you are, or at least, what we call you.”
“We?”
Crap! John hadn’t meant to say that. He was becoming all to comfortable in this situation. It wouldn’t do for him to reveal any more.
His silence, however, was all Sherlock needed.
“I see,” he thought a moment. “You came with me, in my bag, so you need me to get you back home.”
John didn’t say anything, but the surprise showed clearly in his face. A feeling of dread was growing in the pit of his stomach like a black hole. Things were not going well for him. The poor borrower was quickly losing all sense control and he didn’t like it one bit.
“If that’s the case,” Sherlock stood, though a little unsteadily, and retrieved his bag, setting it down in front of the borrower, “You should come with me.”
“I beg your pardon!?”
“It’s dangerous out here.” Sherlock explained.
“How do I know this isn’t some sort of trap?”
“You helped me out, the least I can do is return the favor.”
Considering his options, John realized that he didn’t have much of a choice. It only took him a moment to make up his mind. “I don’t even know your name, though.” He remarked half-jokingly.
“It’s Sherlock Holmes, I’m surprised you didn’t already know that. We live in the same house after all.”
John replied as he clambered back inside the duffle bag pocket, “To be honest, I only know you people as the Holmes family. I never paid much attention to you or your affairs.”
“I see…and your name?” Sherlock asked in return.
“John, John Watson.”
“A pleasure to meet you, John.” It looked like Sherlock tried to smile, but his face was badly swollen, and the result was not exactly pretty.
“We should probably get back soon, you’re not looking so good.” Not that John was worried about him, he just really needed to get home.
“Not yet,” Sherlock replied, “I’m not going back there just yet.”
“Huh? Wait a second, then where are you taking me?!” This was certainly an unwelcome twist for the unlucky borrower.
“Somewhere we can talk more. I’ve still got a lot of questions for you. Don’t worry, we’ll go home in the morning.”
“That doesn’t make me feel any better,” grumbled John. The bean, he supposed he should call him Sherlock now, was certainly not what he was expecting, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous. John sighed in exasperation, wondering what on earth would become of him…
