A to Z of Sherlock's Darkness

[An A to Z format often seen anywhere else but in Sherlock's fanverse! Readers suggest a topic or word for each letter from B to Z (A already done) and I will pick one and write a one-shot on it. Starring Sherlock, John, Lestrade, Molly, Mycroft, Moriarty, and co. Angst, hurt/comfort, fluff, bromance, and general darkness. Vulnerable Sherlock and protective!OCs. M to be safe!]

Disclaimer: I do not own BBC's Sherlock. All kudos goes to Moffat, Gatiss and Thompson. And the biggest, steamiest, pile of kudos goes to the legendary, genius, and generally sexy human being, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

-A is for Aching-

It started as a dismissible throb in his chest. For all his amazing skills in deduction, Sherlock Holmes didn't think that this small, barely noticeable throb had anything to do with The Woman's death.
In fact, he thought it was because his suit may have been too tight. But he ignored that thought quickly (this suit was his favourite suit after all). It wasn't until the morning after he had confirmed the body was indeed The Woman's, that the throb had started bothering him.
He woke sweating and crying (much to his own chagrin) and the throb in his chest was now a dull ache, intermittent shards of pain running down into his left lung and leaving him breathless. He stumbled out of his bed, bleary from the strangely long slumber, and pulled his silken robe on before staggering out into the lounge.
John was already up and reading the newspaper by the fire when Sherlock stumbled in. The doctor looked up at the scattered detective with a wry smile before putting the newspaper down.
"Morning, Sherlock," John greeted him, amused. "You look like you're ready to tackle the day!"
Sherlock scowled at John as he slumped down onto the couch, drawing his knees up under his chin.
"I am not at my fully functioning capacity, John, and I would appreciate it if you held back any sarcasm until I am more fit to take them."
The detective shivered and closed his eyes, resting his forehead against his knees. John immediately frowned, going into full doctor mode, as he stood and quickly went over to his friend.
"Sherlock?" John lay a hand against Sherlock's forehead and checked his neck pulse with the other hand.
"Do you feel the need to give me a check up now? I just woke up, John," Sherlock's voice came muffled and indignant.
The doctor sighed and leant back on his heels.
"Well, you don't have a fever and your pulse is normal. So what's wrong?"
Sherlock raised his head and shrugged. "Oh I don't know. I'm sure I'll be fine once I've had some tea!"
He stood up suddenly, clapping his hands together, when the ache in his chest sent a wave of hollow pain through his torso. Sherlock sunk to his knees and clenched his teeth, his eyes watering.
"Sherlock! Sherlock, look at me. Look at me!"
He felt John's steadying hands hold him and he glanced up at the doctor's concerned face.
"What's going on, Sherlock? Where does it hurt?"
The detective swallowed and shook his head, unable to talk. He felt as if we was being held together by a fine thread, and that one single word from his lips would cause a cataclysmic disintegration of both body and mind. He started trembling under John's touch and let himself become enveloped in the doctor's arms.
It was then when he finally let himself speak, in John's arms, vulnerable and in pain.
"She…she was amazing, John."
And he let himself fall apart.

Sherlock lost track of time, kneeling there on the cold wooden floorboards in 221B Baker Street, with John holding him tightly as he wept and shook and babbled. Later, he would look back in mortification at his blatant display of human emotions. But for some reason or another, he didn't delete the memory. He kept it safe. In the room where he kept all his information about Dr. John Watson.

-A is for Amazing –

The Woman was Amazing.

a/n

So! Hello, hello! I hope you enjoyed this little sample!
I'm hoping to do an A to Z compilation of one shots (I've seen other ingenious authors adopt this format in Supernatural fanfiction and Doctor Who fanfiction) as I don't think anyone has started one in the Sherlock fanverse!
So this is how it goes.
You readers send me a review, telling me what hurt/comfort/angst/etc situation you would like to see Sherlock in for the next letter.
So now I've done A, the next letter is B. It could be anything such as Bullying, Bulimia, Bat (as in getting hit by a bat lol), Beaten, etc etc etc.
If you have a particular preference for another character to be included in the scene other than Sherlock, let me know as well. I shall take it into consideration!
Okay, so review away if you enjoyed this one shot and would like to see more!
I will try to update this regularly, however I cannot guarantee after next week as I have to fix my laptop. But I will try my best to keep it constant!

So.

It begins.

-Yuki xox