Sherlock X Reader One Shots || 𝐹𝐿𝑈𝐹𝐹 + 𝑆𝑀𝑈𝑇

"What Are You Looking At?" (Part 2)

Why is Sherlock so nervous, she's just a person. He had decided after all not to cancel the meeting (he didn't dare call it a date, even though he really wanted to. He'd never had one of those before). This morning he'd been wracked with anxiety, but now felt a little excited by it---more than a little---he could feel his heart beating quickly in his chest as he pushed the door to the tea shop open, entered timidly, eyes scanning the slightly crowded room. He stopped as they fell on Y/N, sitting at a two-person table in the corner, a thoughtful look softening her face as she daydreamed. She looked even nicer than Sherlock remembered. Pretty. Too pretty to look at. Well, He wanted to look at her, but he was afraid that if he did he'd do something stupid like blush. And he was determined not to do that.

"Y/N," Sherlock greeted as he approached, smiling genuinely for the first time in a while. He's blushing already.

"Sherlock! Hi, it's great to finally properly meet you." Y/N held out her hand for him to shake, her soft fingers curling around his own sending a tingling sensation shooting up his arm.

Had it not been so pleasant he may have wondered if it was a heart attack.

Y/N gestured at the seat opposite herself, a steaming mug of tea and plate of ginger snaps set out on the table. "I ordered for you, I hope you don't mind."

"No, I don't mind, they're my favourite," Sherlock said in quiet bewilderment "How ever did you know?"

Y/N's lips tugged up at the corners in a way that made Sherlock's stomach do some kind of backflip. "I noticed you eating one at the cafe yesterday."

Surprised: "You noticed me in the cafe?" He didn't feel like the kind of person people notice (especially not people like Y/N). He hadn't felt noticeable for a long time. Hadn't bothered to try to be noticeable, even gone out of his way to not get noticed. He didn't know why, he wouldn't say he was socially anxious, per se, he'd just rather people didn't look at him too much. It was easier to be someone people don't notice when it was your choice not to be noticed. He'd rather elude people's notice then be starved of it.

"Yes." Y/N's cheeks turned a pastel pink and Sherlock felt comforted a little that he wasn't the only one that was nervous. "That's one of the reasons why I was so glad you invited me here. I have to admit that I may have been sneaking peeks at you over my novel."

Sherlock didn't know what to say to that. 'Would you like to move into the spare room in my apartment?' sprang to mind, but he didn't want to scare her off. That always happened; he'd meet someone actually worth talking to, open his mouth and they'd leave. He didn't want that to happen with Y/N.

There were lots of things he didn't want to happen with Y/N. Like not being noticed. He wanted her to notice him, that he was wearing a brand new jacket, was clean-shaven and had spent fifteen minutes this morning doing his hair. 

Accidentally being rude. That's another thing he didn't want to happen. Sometimes he can't help it, he'll say something he shouldn't to someone who didn't deserve it, their smile fading and being replaced with hurt, then anger as they tell him to fuck off. Which he usually deserved. He didn't want that to happen, he didn't want his stupid mouth to say something horrible to Y/N (not that he could ever think of something horrible to say to her) and her to walk out of his life forever. There's a lot more, but the point is, he had a mental list of things he didn't want to happen.

His list of things he did want to happen was even longer.

Sherlock joked, not believing what she'd been implying for a second: "Did I have ginger snap crumbs on my face or something?"