Chapter Text
Sherlock crouched in the alleyway, breathing hard as the transformation pains started in his spine. His nostrils flared as he picked up a familiar scent, and he chuckled under his breath.
“I might have known you’d be gracing my evening with your presence again, John” he said quietly, and John stepped out of the shadows guiltily.
“How did you know I was there?” he asked, and Sherlock laughed again as he grew, his skin melting away.
“I could smell you” he managed to say before the transformation took a complete hold of him. John stepped back as the dragon bowed his head beside John, who reached out hesitantly and patted the dragon’s snout, causing the dragon to almost purr.
“That’s nice”
“You said you could smell me, but how?” John asked, and the dragon laughed.
“Even when not in dragon form, my senses are somewhat advanced than a human”
“I suppose I didn’t think of that. Can I get a ride?” John asked eagerly, and the dragon laughed again.
“I should start charging for this. Sure, you can have a ride. What happened to your fear of heights?”
“I don’t know. I am trusting you not to drop me though” John replied, scrambling onto the dragon’s back.
“You should trust me, John. I won’t hurt you”
“Sir?”
Sherlock’s head snapped up. He had been engrossed with his experiment that he hadn’t noticed the door open. He switched off the blowtorch and set it down, pulling off his goggles as he turned to face John, who was stood awkwardly by the desk. He smiled.
“What can I do for you, John?” he asked politely, and John blushed slightly.
“I... I’m going now, and I wanted to give you this to say thank you” he mumbled, reaching into his the bag at his feet and pulling out a large wrapped parcel, which he handed to Sherlock, who looked surprised.
“Thank you John. You shouldn’t have got me anything, really, I was only your tutor for a year” he said, setting the parcel down on his desk.
“That’s okay. I’ll probably see you around, I’m coming back to the sixth form in September” John said with a shrug, and Sherlock grinned.
“Good to hear. I’ll probably see you around, then. Oh, and before you go, if something happens and I don’t see you again, well, I’m glad I met you. You’re an intelligent young man, John” Sherlock said, reaching into his jacket pocket and handing John something flat and shiny.
“Is this... is this one of your scales?” John asked incredulously. Sherlock laughed.
“Of course. I have plenty”
“Did it hurt?”
“Course not. It actually fell off when I grazed against the wall the other night. It happens occasionally, but they grow back. A bit like hair, I suppose” Sherlock said, and John smiled up at him.
“Thank you, Sir” John said, tucking the scale into his pocket and leaving quickly. Sherlock watched him go and sighed. It was rare for him to feel anything, but he was rather fond of young John Watson.