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[dawn_is_breaking]

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[dawn_is_breaking]

Ah, I see.

[She tilts her head to one side.]

You're the older sibling aren't you?

[hadbadays]

[ He actually isn't, but rather than say anything, he tilts his head slightly with a smile. ]

What makes you think that?

[dawn_is_breaking]

You have a sort of responsible protective older brother vibe.

[hadbadays]

[ It's meant as a compliment, he knows, and he doesn't let the smile fall. She'll have to forgive the way it twitches for a moment, though, the way it turns strained if she's paying attention. The truth is, he didn't really have much choice but to be the responsible one. He had to make sure to keep them out of trouble best he could, or she'd ... Well. ]

Must be the doctor in me speaking. She's five years older than me, actually.

[dawn_is_breaking]

[She's almost always paying attention, it's just how she is after years of training, so she catches the slight twitch and decides to gently change the subject.]

Must be.
How's the crossiant by the way? I bought a few extra in case you'd like to keep one for later or if you'd think Sherlock would want one.

[hadbadays]

[ Gentle as it might be, it's a pretty obvious subject change. Or maybe that's his 'trust issues' talking. Either way, he inwardly curses his inability to control his expressions like Sherlock can. ]

Might be the best thing I've ever eaten, but that's probably the hangover talking. Sure you don't want them?

[ Lately, he seems to be collecting people who feed him. ]

[dawn_is_breaking]

[She lifts an eyebrow at him, smiling.]

Hangover hrm? At the pub late last night?

[When he offers her a crossiant she gently shakes her head.]

No thank you, you keep them. My appetite still isn't exactly what it used to be.

[Grief does that to a person and honestly she doesn't want to think about how much weight she's dropped because of it in the last few months.]

[hadbadays]

[ He nods, a little absentminded, and folds the bag of croissants up before he grabs his cup again. Very late, and he got to come home to this. He really needs to stop going out when Sherlock's on a case. ]

Thank you.

[ Even though he should probably eat one more, he also really wants to get this cleaning done, so he downs the rest of his tea in one sweep. ]

[dawn_is_breaking]

[She takes another sip of her tea and then places it on the table, rising up off the couch.]

Shall we get going with cleaning? It looks like you already started when I arrived but it will go much faster with two of us tackling it.

[hadbadays]

[ Clapping his hands to his thighs, he stands resolutely, and heads for the kitchen while he speaks. ]

Yeah. Put it off enough. I grabbed an extra pair of gloves for you. Don't touch anything with your bare hands, and wash them thoroughly when we're done.

[dawn_is_breaking]

[Dawn follows behind him, smiling a little to herself at the expression on John's face as he looks like a man preparing to climb a very steep mountain or one who is about to fight a grueling battle.]

All right, thank you. Is there also a dedicated garbage bin for things?

[hadbadays]

Yeah. Under the table, there.

[ He gestures with a hand, then grabs the gloves he'd been using, carefully putting them back on. ]

[dawn_is_breaking]

Okay great.

[Before she puts on the gloves he's set aside for her she ties her hair up and pulls off the large cozy knit sweater she is wearing, not wanting to get it ruined.]

All right, where should we start? Do you want to break it down into small sections or you take half and I take half?

[hadbadays]

Well-- The table's just about done, so you could get started on the cupboards.

[dawn_is_breaking]

Sure thing, uh...do you have a small stool I can stand on to get the top parts?

[She asks with a smile as Dawn is only about 5'5"]

[hadbadays]

[ Yeah, he can't reach all that easily either. ]

Oh, you can just take one of the kitchen chairs. I put them against the wall behind you.

[dawn_is_breaking]

[She glances behind her and nods, pulling a chair over close to her for when she'll need it. She starts to clean slowly and methodically, taking care to get into all the cracks and crevices.]

So did you go to the pub by yourself last night or were you meeting up with friends?

[hadbadays]

[ While she works on that, he gets to work on the fridge. ]

Friends. I'm not so sad that I go out drinking on my own, yet.

[ No, he doesn't have hang-ups about alcohol, what do you mean. ]

[dawn_is_breaking]

[She chuckles and throws him a teasing smile over her shoulder.]

There's something wrong with going out for a drink on your own? Hrm...no one told me that.

[hadbadays]

[ He shrugs. ]

I don't know, I guess it depends. A 30-something doctor like me? I think that's pretty sad.

[dawn_is_breaking]

Maybe if you make it a habit every night, but I don't think there's anything wrong with having a drink on your own every once in a while no matter what your age.

[She pauses and gives him another smile.]

And when you phrase it like that John you make it sound like you're some ancient old man, you're still a spry 30 something year old. You aren't even middle age yet.

[hadbadays]

[ That gets a chuckle. ]

I guess you're right. Sometimes I sure feel like an ancient old man, though.

[dawn_is_breaking]

Don't worry, I feel similar sometimes. It probably has something to do with the type of lives we lead.

[hadbadays]

I think you're right. No doubt I'll be grey soon.

[dawn_is_breaking]

I think you'll look very handsome with grey hair, like a true distinguished gentleman.