A Photo Of John

Chapter 2

Sherlock quietly turned the beloved photo over and over in his hands, then softly placed in onto the desk. He stood up, and picked up an old brown leather book with torn binding at the sides. The book was titled in faded print: " The Short Yet Significant Life of A Bumblebee". Sherlock flipped to the first page and started to read, softly pinching the fine, yellowed paper between his fingers. A few hours later, he had finished the book, and thoughtfully placed the book back onto the shelf. He sat and pondered the contents for a while until he was struck with something odd. John had not left his room since Sherlock had started reading, had his cover been too harsh? Maybe he was sleeping. " I doubt it" he murmured. He then he silently rose and crept towards John's room, cautiously avoiding the parts of the floors that made creaks. He was now directly in front of his door and determined whether to knock or silently open the door. He opened the door, he didn't want John to push him out anymore. But he could imagine why he would. He was merely a heartless bastard to him, he never revealed that he did care and worry about John. He couldn't bear to feel rejection from him, so he wore his mask like he had been born with it. John was laying across his bed, half in a fetal position, wrapping his arms around his chest like he was just barely holding himself together. His face was red and raw covered in tear stains and ( thank god ) he was asleep. The crying must have worn him out, he felt guilty for making John cry so much. He sat down on his bed and softly stroked his soft light hair, wishing he could never wake up. It was so easy to be around John when he was asleep because neither of them were forced to put up walls, they could just be them , all the complexities dulled down. Sherlock was calmed by John's slow, steady breathing and felt the urge to lay his head on his shoulder. Suddenly John's eyes fluttered speedily until he jolted out of his stance and sat up.

" S-Sherlock?"

Sherlock blushed furiously. He jumped up from John's side on his bed and felt foolish for thinking he could get away with it.

" John. I wanted to... apologize"

" Apologize?"

" For my inexcusable behavior this morning, I shouldn't have called you an idiot under any circumstances."

John's eyes grew wide, Sherlock had never apologized for making him feel inferior. He straitened up.

" Thank you Sherlock. I was a little more upset about the blackmailing bit, mate." He humorously added

" Well you don't have to worry about that, that wasn't re-" Sherlock grew pale. Future note: think before speaking, especially around John.

John grew confused "What do you mean it wasn't real?"

" Nothing. Just forget it." Sherlock stalked to the window and looked out, mostly to hide his flushed face.

John stood up. He wasn't going to let it go, Sherlock foretold by his stance.

" Sherlock, were you lying to me?

" How about we go out to eat tonight? There's barely a scrap of food in the fridge."

" Sherlock. Stop changing the subject."

Sherlock spun around quickly, not realizing John was so close to him. Suddenly their faces were a only a few inches away and he swore he saw John blush. But why?

" If you insist, we could discuss the matter over dinner?" He could feel his warm breath on his face, it smelled like a mixture of jam and tea, unsurprisingly. What was surprising was that Sherlock found it rather... alluring. " Snap out of it" he thought to himself.

" That sounds good, I haven't eaten in a while." John was about to turn away when he turned back and stared into Sherlock's deep bluish green eyes. He had a serious expression on his face. He meant business.

"We will discuss this." No question.

" Of course we will John."

John smiled, and Sherlock grinned back. He loved when John smiled, when he laughed. Only John's smiles were contagious.

They both left his room and grabbed their coats. They quickly pattered down the stairs and stepped outside to hail a cab.

John looked at Sherlock more closely. There was a certain glow about him, like he was... John smiled. Like he had let his wall down just a little lower.