𝓕𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓭𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓹, 𝓕𝓾𝓷 & 𝓕𝓵𝓲𝓻𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 | 𝓡𝓮𝓺𝓾𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓼 𝓞𝓹𝓮𝓷

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Y/N - Your Name
E/C - Eye Colour 
F/N - Friend's Name

-*-

"I wouldn't, if I were you," Sherlock remarked, with his back turned to you, as always, making you wonder how he could even see what you were doing. As you continued to reach out into the container, too focused on the detective consultant who was currently looking through the magnifying device which had taken over your kitchen counter, he finally turned around. Narrowing his eyes at you, he took a step towards you. 

"Unless you feel like burning your fingers off your hands, I would suggest pulling your hand away from that - I doubt it is what you thought it was," he explained, as you blinked at him owlishly, your hand freezing mid-descent. Grabbing your hand, he pulled it away from the container. 

It was then that you noticed that on the container was, clumsily written, "acid - corrosive" and that made you tense up inside, realising what a close call that was. Your cheeks heated up and coloured red in embarrassment as you looked up towards Sherlock. 

"Any reason you were so distracted?" he inquired. 

Your gaze trailing over to a warm spot, you noted that he was still holding your hand, before countering - if without much confidence - with "is the great Sherlock Holmes stumped as to why I might have been distracted? Do you admit that your methods can't solve every mystery?" Despite the words, it came out rather meek and almost embarrassed as the warmth from your hand spread across your body. 

You never considered it characteristic of him to hold anyone's hands and so you couldn't help but be curious. Looking up to him, with a confused e/c gaze, you questioned the gesture quietly. 

He pulled away when he realised that he had been doing. 

"I know why you were distracted," he insisted then, but considering the lateness of the response, he might as well have been making it up as he went along. Trailing his gaze over you, making you shiver, he spoke. "Your pupils are dilated, which means you are either feeling afraid, or you like what you see." 

Your cheeks turned redder at this observation and you had to wonder with a little indignation if you were really such an open book. "Your cheeks are flushed," he noted then, reaching his hand to your face and caressing one side of it. Your legs started shaking slightly. "It could be out of exhaustion, overheating, anger, embarrassment... or you could be flustered."

Swallowing, you felt him reach to your jawline, stroking it, before he found your pulse. He knew that your heart rate had increased in his presence. He knew you knew that he knew. 

"Your pulse is fast. Either out of fear or excitement," he remarked, "and given the fact that you aren't fighting me, or running away from me, I think it might be because of the latter. Though, I also know you like me, because in all the time that I knew you, you always seemed to be able to get the right gift, as if you'd taken the time and the effort to do so because you cared. I just needed to figure out what sort of affection you held for me..." 

He was right of course. You would ask Mrs. Hudson about the sort of food he liked, Watson about the sort of things he did when he wasn't solving mysteries - which was admittedly rarely, given his slight obsession over crime solving - and took the time to look through his bookshelves as subtly as possible whenever he wasn't looking, just to see if getting a book for him would work, and if so, what topic it should cover, or what genre of fiction he liked best. 

It wasn't always simple to get what he wanted. There would also be times when he did not look all that impressed about your gifts. But given that he had admitted to liking the presents you had given him over the years, your heart couldn't help but flutter at his voice right then. 

"I am a admittedly surprised that you are attracted to me, though."

You raised an eyebrow. "Why?" you asked faintly. 

"You never seemed the type to be interested in people like myself," he shrugged. "Granted, Watson is down to Earth for the most part and he sticks around, but yourself? You have a whole other life out there, waiting for you, and plenty of opportunities that aren't me. With Watson he's gotten used to the outrageous and the unlikely because he has lived that life before... but from what I know of you, you lived a perfectly normal life."

"Maybe that's exactly why I like you..." you murmured, tilting your head back a little to look up at him. "You aren't the norm and that's what makes you exciting."

That made him grin somewhat, before leaning in, pressing his lips against yours in a very brief kiss. He pulled away far too fast for your liking and made you feel a little emptier for it. "Exciting, you say?" he drawled out. 

"Yes. Very." Taking back what he stole, you kissed him, this time making sure that it lasted longer, even if you only got a taste of his lips. You could see that you'd surprised him by the quick response as he tensed for a while. And given the fact that he let out a satisfied sigh, he probably didn't seem to mind this. "And I'm guessing I'm not the only one who's excited?" you inquired as you pulled back. This time, your voice was faint because of breathlessness, rather than nervousness. 

"I wouldn't say..." 

As you wrapped your arms around him though, he could only slowly nod. 

"Alright- a little excited, perhaps, but-"

You could see faint traces of red on his otherwise pale complexion as you leaned in for another, deeper kiss, admittedly liking how the tables have turned. He leaned back, possible to steady himself as he allowed you to deepen the kiss and found himself pushing away the equipment which had been using. 

Unfortunately, it wound up falling over the edge of the kitchen counter, with a rather loud noise. 

You both jumped at that, and Sherlock paled somewhat at the scattered items. 

"Looks like I'm not the only one who's distracted..." you quipped, before frowning at the mess. Chances were the detective consultant would be less than willing to clean that up.

And that the worst possible moment, your flatmate had decided to return from their day out. As the door opened, and they stepped in, they proceeded to make their way through the house without ever assuming you might have a visitor here. 

"Y/N, you wouldn't believe the bargains they have in - is that a skull in our living room?!" 

Both you and Sherlock looked away, with you wincing at those words. F/N was probably not accustomed to that sort of thing, having never really met the man you had just met beyond introductions at whatever parties he did go to - which were few and far between - and had no idea what sort of things Sherlock even did for a living. Or just for fun, if the man could have it his way. 

Maybe it wasn't such a good idea for him to come around when he needed a change of environment when he was working. 

When your flatmate finally unfroze, you decided it would be best you cleared up the mess before she entered the kitchen, but in the end you and Sherlock got caught mid-act anyway. 

"Why am I not surprised..." F/N murmured. "Whenever you do something wacky and weird, there's always a male involved..." 

-*-

A/N - Man, I hope this came out even the slightest bit in-character. I haven't really written a Sherlock x Anything before, so...

Also, did the reader's personality change too much throughout, or did the shift seem fairly natural...?