It's Okay [Johnlock One-Shot]

I do not own anything to do with the television show Sherlock. I only own this specific storyline and nothing else. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

Everything was quiet in 221B. Sherlock and John had no case to deal with, to John's relief and Sherlock's slight annoyance. Sherlock was in what he called his "mind palace" whilst John read one of his favorite books. If anyone were to observe the flat, they would have called it normal--well, as normal as 221B could be, what with the severed body parts in the fridge and the skull on the fireplace.

John would occasionally peek up from his book to sneak a subtle glance at Sherlock. His eyes would roam the man's face and hands for just a moment, before quickly shifting his gaze back to the book.

However, John was not the only one pretending to pay attention to something of his own; Sherlock would open his eyes every few minutes when he was sure John wasn't looking. Sherlock would have never admitted it, but he had grown quite fond of his blogger.

Recently, strange things had been going on between the two friends; they would stand closer to each other, look at each other for longer than social protocol called for. Even Sherlock's rude comments about John's intellect had decreased. Sherlock was oblivious in a knowing way; he knew but he didn't. John, on the other hand, noticed and thought it odd, but he wasn't about to ask for it to stop.

Sherlock opened his eyes once more to study John's "concentrated" face. John was actually a bit surprised that Sherlock hadn't called out his page-turning; it was far slower than the pace he usually read.

John lifted his stare from the words on the book and met Sherlock's eyes. He blushed pink and saw a bit of color in his friend's cheeks as well. He thought it had to have been the light; Sherlock was never embarrassed about anything.

Still they kept their gaze. John wasn't exactly sure why Sherlock stare was so different from his usual ones. Sherlock would always stare at John when he was thinking. But then it hit him: When Sherlock was thinking and staring at John, his gaze never faltered, his eyes never flicked back and forth.

This time, it did. Sherlock didn't even notice. His eyes were flickering back and forth from John's eyes to his lips. Once Sherlock realized this, he shut his eyes abruptly. It's impossible, he thought. I was merely thinking and moving my eyes without knowing it.

But despite Sherlock's logical answer, he didn't believe it.

John, after watching Sherlock for another moment, grinned and shook his head. He knew Sherlock didn't know why he did what he did. But John knew. He knew very well why Sherlock was looking at his lips. And as much as he wanted to deny it, he couldn't help but feel a bit happy about it.

The flat was still engulfed in silence, apart from John's erratic page-turning. The two friends were deep in thought. Sherlock was trying to dismiss any idea of his feelings for his flatmate; he firmly believed he had no feelings at all. John, however, was strangely cheerful and somewhat relieved for a reason he wasn't quite sure of.

Sherlock's eyes popped open again, only hoping that John was still looking at his book. Fortunately, he was, which gave Sherlock time to study his flatmate's face, although he already had all of it memorized. He found it oddly easier to think when he was looking at John. Something about him made Sherlock think clearer. Maybe it was his calm demeanor, or his ability to not get flustered easily; Sherlock wasn't sure. Or, maybe, a little voice in the back of Sherlock's mind whispered, it's the fact that John makes you feel differently than anyone else ever could. Sherlock tried to shake the thought from his mind, but it would not go.

The silence was suddenly sliced by John's calm voice, saying, "It's okay, you know."

John was still looking at his book, though he was not reading it. He was awaiting Sherlock's reaction.