Chapter Text
Farewell
Yujin awoke with a start, his heart beating against his ribcage, sending tremors throughout his body. He was late for work- he must've been. He hadn't heard the familiar cries of the constable who would rouse the residents of Baker Street from slumber, yet despite that, sunlight had pricked at his eyelids. He wondered where Holmes was; whether the man had gone to sleep at all last night or whether he'd stayed up with-
Iris. He hadn't heard Iris cry either. He couldn't remember stirring even once from his slumber.
A cold truth began to settle in, a damning realization, but he refused to let it take hold just yet. His eyes still shut, he visualized his surroundings. The little stove was to the left of him, by the windows. The curtains would often rustle in the breeze whenever Yujin had left the window open for a breath of fresh air. His aquarium was much further along, beyond his writing desk. There were shelves upon shelves of dusty English books he hadn't gotten around to reading yet. There was a deep notch in the floor- a remnant of that time Holmes accidentally dropped a knife and it'd landed mere inches from his foot. What a close call that had been; Yujin smiled wryly when he thought of it.
He opened his eyes and willed the visuals to become reality.
Of course they wouldn't.
His bed was not quite a bed, it was a futon. The walls of his room were not brick, they were shoji. His fingers dug into the fabric of his duvet and tears streamed down his face.
He'd left England, Iris and Holmes behind over three months ago. Unfortunately, despite having said his farewells, his old life hadn't left
him
.