Fic: 221B - Package deal

[anarion]

Title: Package deal
Words: a 221B has 221 words and ends with a b-word
Rating: PG-13
Pairings : Sherlock/John
Warnings: none
Disclaimer: Not mine.

Summary: ‘365 days of 221Bs’ challenge: a prompt a day, given by atlinmerrick.






Previous 221b: The games people play


Today's prompt: history

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Package deal


When you meet someone they usually have their fair share of experiences, good and bad. Some they like to talk about, others they don’t. Some are interesting and funny to hear, some are hard and painful. The more of these experiences you share with each other the closer you get (usually).

John never talked to his girlfriends about the war or his injury or his nightmares or even his troubled childhood. Which might be one of the reasons none of them ever got close.

He would probably have tried to avoid talking about it with Sherlock too, but Sherlock, although he was remarkably patient and gentle, kept deducing and then asking the right questions until John started talking.

He held him, equally patient and gentle, when he started crying. And if he cried, there with John in the dark, no one will ever know.

They both felt better afterwards. And closer to each other.

John in turn thought that Sherlock had probably deleted all of his unpleasant and painful experiences. But although Sherlock likes to keep his hard-drive clean and tidy, there is a partition for all the important memories from his past, good and bad.

Because optimists see that it’s your past that shapes you into the person you are today. They call it history. Only pessimists call it baggage.



Next 221b: The price to pay


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AN:
Today's prompt was 'history'.

I'm sorry for not posting yesterday. Real life happened.
But you get two stories today instead. :D








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Comments

[verityburns.livejournal.com]

Wow - not just a sweet and touching story, but an insightful message also - I love it!

[anarion.livejournal.com]

I have my moments. ;)

Glad you liked it, sweetie!

[auntiesuze.livejournal.com]

Wow. That's beautiful! And very profound. Absolutely LOVE THIS.

I think you mean "some are hard and painful" or something like that. :)

[anarion.livejournal.com]

I am very happy to hear that! :)

Yes, I do. Thank you! Deers have nothing to do with this. *facepalm*

[purrculier1.livejournal.com]

'He held him, equally patient and gentle, when he started crying.
And if he cried, there in the dark with John, no one will ever know.'
I had to sit very still for a moment when I read that, out of sheer reverance to how beautiful that line was. Felt like an intruder in something sacred. (stares at Anarion in awe and then starts to cry.)

'They both felt better afterwards. And closer to each other.'
(shared pain lightens the burden, love will help carry the load. my neighbor used to say that about bad times. never truer.)

'Because optimists see that it's your past that shapes you into the person you are today. They call it history. Only pessamists call it baggage.'
I'm going to Thank You *very* hard for that, because it's something I need to remember all to often.(dries tears and hugs Anarion in gratitude.)

Reads AN and looks at current mood:
I hope you're okay?

Edit {sorry} eyes were still a bit blurry.

[anarion.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry for the tears. Unless they were good tears. *hugs back*

And yes, I'm ok. Thanks for asking. :) Just ab bit stressed with work and general life stuff. I fell asleep on my sofa while editing a book and when I woke up I was in no mood to fire up my computer to post the 221b. Went to bed instead. ;)

[chocolamousse.livejournal.com]

Sweet, moving and profound at the same time. I love He held him, equally patient and gentle, when he started crying. And if he cried, there with John in the dark, no one will ever know. They're so lucky to have found each other.

After reading your AN I was hoping things which had happened in real life were good things, and I'm glad to see in your answer to Purcculier1 that you're fine. So you found another job? You edit books? That's great news, I'm very happy for you! :-)

[atlinmerrick.livejournal.com]

That final paragraph should be put in therapy books...it's, as Verity said...an insightful message and something she and I have discussed several times. We may wish things had turned out different in some ways, but if you're happy with who you are *now,* that comes at the cost of *then,* it just does...

Anyway, excellent!

[sabrinaphynn.livejournal.com]

I'm just gonna hug you now. *hug*
I needed to hear that last bit. Thanks.

[kestrel337.livejournal.com]

Lovely. I've always thoguht (well, OK, ever since I got step nined by a family member) that, if I'm happy with where I am now, it's pretty pointless to wish things had been different back then. They may have sucked at the time but they made it possible to get where I got. That being said, it was a timely reminder after a week that can best be described as an exercise.

Hope your stress is the kind that motivates good stuff, not the kind that smooshes.

[rox712.livejournal.com]

I actually started a bit when I saw you calling Sherlock an optimist. Had to think about that.

[anarion.livejournal.com]

And? What do you think?

To be honest, I'm not sure I would call him an optimist in general. I would definitely not call him a pessimist though.

[rox712.livejournal.com]

I really don't know. Obviously notions like optimist and pessimist are boring, but I don't know if reckless and overconfident are maybe synonyms for sherlockian optimism. (and again I don't know if that made sense, you got me thinking though!)

[tracionn.livejournal.com]

Ah, that feels so heavy, and deep, and meaningful and I love all that.
It really took someone like - no, it took Sherlock to look behind that wall John's got around him and the picture of John telling Sherlock his memories and feeling save with him moved me very much. *gulps*

[phoenix-glow.livejournal.com]

And there we have the human condition in a nutshell. Brilliant. Just brilliant.