“Come in!” I yelled. I didn’t bother looking up when he entered. “You’re late. I mean, it’s not like you want to listen to them blab.”
“Well sorry to hear that dear.” Mrs. Hudson answered. I sat up with surprise, not wanting to look like as much of a wreck in front of her.
“Mrs. Hudson, what are you doing here?” I asked. She always liked to talk, but never actually cornered me like this. She closed the door, so that only meant one thing, Molly told her.
“I’ve heard about what’s been going on.” She said simply.
“You know, the reason I go to people to talk usually means I don’t want others finding out.” I snapped.
“I believe you’ll need all the help you can get.” She pointed out, sitting on the corner of the bed and smiling kindly at me.
“I’m fine!” I hissed.
“Don’t be so nervous dear, it’s completely natural to have a crush, and I’m just here to help you.” She assured.
“I don’t need help!” I insisted, but for some reason she has a talent for completely ignoring me.
“Now, I know that this particular crush might be a little bit more complicated since you’ve never had any form of relationship, and  highly doubt John had ever had a boyfriend before…”
“I know, really!” I growled.
“I think that you should tell him how you feel before he goes in, but don’t do anything he wouldn’t be comfortable with.”
“Mrs. Hudson, thank you, but I could work that out by myself, you don’t have to worry about me, and when you go tell Molly everything I’m sorry do tell her to keep her nose out of my business. That goes for you too.” I added with a frown. I didn’t need their mentoring; I didn’t want to hear about this pathetic crush every other hour from one of them.
“I just think you…”
“Sorry, should I stay out?” John’s head was poking through the door, looking a bit awkward.
“John! No, she was, just leaving actually, goodbye Mrs. Hudson, thank you for your advice and feel free to ignore everything about my life from now on.” I said quickly, feeling my cheeks glow as I practically pushed her away. How much had John heard?
“No really, if I’m interrupting something I can always just go away.” John assured, leaning in and out of the door guiltily.
“It’s fine dear, it was nothing really.” Mrs. Hudson said, patting his shoulder and giving me an encouraging smile before leaving the room.
“What was that about?” John asked as he closed the door behind him.
“Molly and she have been bugging me for a while about making friends around here, like, other mentor things. I think it’s just a scam for me to spend more time with Molly really.” I shrugged, scooting backwards so I could lean my whole back against the headboard.
“Sorry for interrupting, I didn’t really hear anything.” he muttered.
“John, I assure you that your timing was perfect. I don’t want to hear them talk to me and I certainly don’t need friends.” I said with a smile.
“Obviously you need a friend just to sleep peacefully.” He remembered.
“Sleeping peacefully is a lot more difficult for me.” I objected.
“Then you do need friends.” John pointed out.
“I don’t need friends, I only need you.” I defended. John smiled rather shyly, and I just remembered that sentence could probably be interpreted many different ways. I hoped he picked the less awkward one; I wasn’t ready to tell him, not yet. Unless he confessed first, that would make my life way easier. John walked over and flopped onto the bed, laying horizontally and leaning his head on his elbows to look up at the wall with the tributes on it. I only had enough time to pull my legs back to avoid being crushed.
“I guess I’ll be seeing them at the interviews then.” John muttered.
“I guess so. Who do you think will be ranked best?” I asked.
“The boy from one, I think he’ll get an eleven or twelve.” John guessed.
“And how about you, what do you think you’ll get?” I asked. I extended my legs over his lower back, sort of pinning him down. John didn’t seem too bothered by that, in fact he only glanced at me with a glint of amusement.
“I think I’ll get a four or five, if I can find out what to even do.” He shrugged.
“What are you best at?”
“Nothing, I don’t do anything right.” He muttered.
“You could tap dance.” I suggested. He broke into a fit of laughter, which brought a smile to my face.
“Did you really just suggest that?” he asked through laughs.
“It was a joke. You know what those are I hope? It’s when someone says something not quite true to try to make another person laugh.” I pointed out.
“Well, I’m pretty sure I can cross that off of my list at the moment.” he decided.
“Probably a good idea.” I agreed.
“I can try hacking stuff up with a knife, you can’t really mess that up.” John shrugged.
“I think you’ll be fine, don’t worry.” I assured, wiggling my toes a little bit for encouragement. John just smiled, letting his head drop onto the bed with a defeated groan.
“Let’s not even think about it now, let’s just focus on what’s now.” I suggested.
“Don’t get too sentimental.” He commanded.
“Of course not, but we’ve only got a day until, you know, that.” I pointed out.
“What are we supposed to do, cry about it?” he laughed.
“No, just enjoy this time we have before it.”
“What, do you want to tell each other secrets or play truth or dare?” he laughed.
“Truth or dare John?” I asked.
“No, that’s stupid!” he debated. I just glared at him with an eyebrow raised.
“Truth.” He groaned. I thought about that.
“Who’s your crush?” I asked with a laugh, but secretly hoping the answer would be me.
“Well, there’s this girl back at home, Mary Morstan, she’s been my crush forever, but she never noticed me really. God, she was beautiful though.” He admitted. My heart sank a little bit, but just because he had a crush on a girl doesn’t mean he can’t be with me. 
“Don’t say was. When you come back in that crown she’ll have to marry you.” I laughed, but cringing as I did so.
“Truth or Dare Sherlock?” he asked. I groaned, I knew that I’d get the old crush question, and I’d love to avoid that if all possible.
“Dare.” I decided. John smiled mischievously, and I knew whatever he was planning, it couldn’t be good.
“I dare you…. To go out in the living room, balance a plate on your head and pretend you’re an alien.” He decided.
“How long?” I groaned, but I could tell this was going to be hilarious for all of us, if not humiliating.
“As long as it takes someone to play along.” He said after a bit of thought.
“Are you trying to ruin my reputation?” I asked with a laugh.
“Course I am, now get out there!” he demanded.
“You’re going to be watching I presume?” I guessed. John pushed my legs off of him, making me get up and go to the door. With one last smile I walked out the door, hearing people talking in the living room. I was going to really regret this, but I walked to the table and got a plate, holding it to the top of my head and walking over to where I saw three heads, Molly, Mrs. Hudson, and Irene were all talking with hot chocolate.
“Oh, Sherlock, are you okay?” Molly asked, looking around at the others to see if I wasn’t just some wild hallucination. I almost lost it right there because I heard John start to laugh from where ever he was watching from.
“Who is this Sherlock you talk about? I am Sher…bot…” I muttered, trying my absolute best to sound like an alien but at the moment all I sounded was stupid. Their faces were priceless, Mrs. Hudson looked like she was completely terrified, Molly looked rather disappointed, but still confused, and Irene looked so annoyed at the world, as if curing the day she ever met these losers.
“What?” Mrs. Hudson asked.
“Take me to your leader.” I said in my best impression of a robot, walking with stiff legs over to Molly, who I knew might play along.
“Sherlock are you drunk?” she asked cautiously. Not recently no.
“Take me to your leader.” I insisted, holding onto the plate the best I could and biting my tongue to prevent from laughing. I heard what sounded like a thud from my room, so John must’ve fallen over with laughter.
“Sherlock honey why don’t you go back and rest a little bit.” Mrs. Hudson insisted.
“I am Sherbot, take me to your…” I broke into a fit of laughter, almost falling to the floor like John did. “Oh my god I can’t do this anymore!” I exclaimed between heavy breaths. The entire tom looked all too confused, but I put the plate on the floor and ran back to my room, laughing way too loud to be normal. John had collapsed on the floor, as I had guessed, but I just shoved him inside with my foot and closed the door again behind me.
“Oh my god, that was the most humiliating thing…” I gasped.
“That was absolutely… golden.” He agreed, almost wheezing with laughter.
“You just want to make me look like an idiot.” I said, straighten up and getting myself under control. Once he got himself together again he stood up, wiping tears from his eyes and complaining that his cheeks hurt from laughing too much.
“Truth or dare, John.” I said rather harshly. He thought about that, as if it was a life changing decision.
“Well, I know you’re going to torture me more, so truth.”
“Oh come on, live a little.” I protested.
“Fine, dare.” He decided, making me smile. I always could do the obvious thing, make him kiss me, but that would be the worst way to get a guy to like you ever. I thought about it for a moment, and then smiled evilly.
“Go out there and lick the window a lot. Complain that it tastes like chicken and then come back in.” I decided with a laugh. John groaned, but I guess he thought it was better than being an alien. He walked out the door, and I peeked my head out the door to watch with amusement. John walked into the living room, where whatever conversation they were having was cut off.
“Is Sherlock okay? He was… What in the world!?” Molly exclaimed. John was apparently licking the window, I couldn’t quite tell from this angle. He turned back around, sighing.
“That window tastes like chicken.” He decided.
“That’s nice dear. Has Sherlock been giving you alcohol?” Mrs. Hudson asked with legitimate concern, but John just ignored her, walking back to the room. I laughed, but not nearly as hard.
“You are such a bad influence on me; I swear you’ll get us both killed before the games even start!” John laughed, shutting the door again and climbing back on the bed. I pushed him over and took back my spot on the headboard, John lying over the end again, so took that opportunity to put my feet over him again, just for the fun of it.
“Truth or dare?” he asked.
“Dare.” I decided. I still didn’t want that crush question to come up, because according to the rules I had to confess.
“Lick my foot.” he decided, taking off his sock and wiggling his toes in the air.
“No way, that is completely unsanitary.” I objected.
“Come on, it’s a dare!” he hissed.
“Doesn’t mean I have to do it.” I pointed out.
“This game does have rules you know, there are consequences.” He pointed out.
“Okay, what are they?” I asked.
“If you don’t lick one of my feet, you have to lick both.” He decided.
“That’s completely not fair!” I defended. He raised his foot up to my face, and just the smell was enough to make me sick.
“This is pathetic.” I defended.
“Do it!” he demanded. I closed my eyes tight and, with terror, stuck out my tongue as far as I could. Instead of tasting a foot though, I heard a very feminine scream, and unless John had gotten voice surgery I knew someone had walked in. I opened my eyes and saw Molly white faced, peeking into the room and looking horrified.
“Not what it looks like!” I said immediately.
“Have you two been drinking, or doing some type of drug?” she asked.
“Sherlock really wanted to know what my foot tasted like, so, being the gentleman…” I slapped him in the side of the head.
“We are wasting our time with a game of Truth or Dare, and no we haven’t been under the influence of any drug.” I assured. It looked like a ton of bricks had just been taken off of her shoulders.
“Thank god, I didn’t know what to think! But could you please keep your game to yourself? We’re talking out here.” she pointed out. I nodded, and John gave thumbs up before sticking his foot in my face for Molly to see. I shrieked like a little girl, falling over myself to clean my face off while he laughed. Molly laughed nervously, but she closed the door without another word.
“You absolute jerk!” I exclaimed, filling a towel with soap and water and washing my face off, aggressively trying to get whatever nasty germs he had off my skin.
“You’re such a girl.” He laughed as I came out, wiping off my wet face with my shirt.
“You’re the one who suggested this!” I defended.
“You were the one who wanted to play a game!” he pointed out.
“Got me there.” I admitted. “Molly’s probably terrified of both of us now.”
“Didn’t she think we were in a relationship or something?” he asked.
“Oh ya, that…” I muttered, wishing he kept that little detail out of this conversation.
“Stupid.” John decided, but he left it at that, which I was thankful for. I didn’t like him calling it stupid though, I knew he had no idea that I liked him, but still.
“I guess the adults ruined our game.” I decided with annoyance.
“Maybe just in time I guess.” He agreed. I flopped on my bed, I didn’t want him to leave yet, but a part of me knew he wouldn’t.
“You know, you may look mature and professional, but in reality you are the biggest kid I’ve ever met.” John decided. I cracked a nervous smile, hoping that wasn’t the only way he saw me.
“At first I thought you were a terrified wimp, whom I’d be ignoring for the rest of my life, but here we are, I actually consider you my only friend.” I said with a nervous smile.
“You know what, that might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.” He decided.
“Then you’ve been tuning out of everything I’ve ever told you.” I decided. I flopped back on the pillows, laying horizontally next to him, but leaving a good distance apart. He raised his hand up and ruffled my hair, making my heart melt into a pile of goo. I wanted to do something to return the favor, but I just sat there like a lovesick idiot.
“I guess you can’t go off first impressions.” He shrugged. I sighed, should I tell him, could I tell him? Not now, I didn’t want him to run away from me, he’ll probably think I’m a complete freak. If I had to mess up, it would be better to have him leave me for only one night than an entire day. He looked up at the clock and looked quite surprised.
“It’s nine thirty already! I should be off; this will probably be the last good night sleep I’ll have in a while.” He muttered, but I tried to ignore that comment. “You’re welcome to the chair, if you were waiting for an invitation.” He added. I smiled thankfully at him and told him that I would be there, and watched as he walked back out the door, all that was left of him was the soft shut of the door.