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4:30pm
“This is our best case yet! The drama, the romance! It’s like, uh, one of your soap operas!” John exclaimed on their way back to the flat. “I mean, yea, but you’ve also said this about every other case” Marianna was right, he had said this about every case before.
“No, it’s true this time! What do you think, Sherlock?” John had also said this before, but this time, “hmm, yes, yes of course,” this was not how Sherlock would usually respond.
“You alright, mate?” “Sherlock, you have been kind of quiet since the case ended.” Both John and Marianna probed, concerned for their friend, Sherlock broke away from his train of thought,
“I’m fine.”
Marianna and John did not believe this. Sherlock and been acting strange, more strange than usual. A different type of strange. Nothing had been odd about this case, to John at least, but John was no Sherlock. It was a usual case, a Romeo and Juliet type story. Two families can’t agree with each other, two teenagers fall in love, death and destruction, a classic love story. Nothing about that bothered John.
4:55pm
When the trio got to baker street, Marianna went to her flat, and the boys to theirs. As they entered the flat, Sherlock was still..the way he had been on the way home, John still lacked the words to describe it. Distanced, maybe. In his own head, but not in the way John had grown accustomed to. Eh, he’ll be fine. It was Saturday, he remembered. Movie night! John yells down the hall as Sherlock approaches his room, “Movie night tonight! It's your turn to pick!” John swears he hears a faint “mhm” as response, but he won’t actually know if Sherlock was listening until 8:30 tonight.
John wasn’t excited for whatever documentary he would choose, but it wasn’t about the movie, it was about spending time together. It didn't matter what was happening, as long as they were together.
8:00pm
221b filled with the smell of popcorn and the sound of Marianas laughter. John was in the kitchen getting the snacks, Mariana, was also in the kitchen, “doing nothing productive” according to John at least,
“Are you going to help or….” John asked, pouring the popcorn into 2 bowls.
“Eh, I’m just gonna sit here”
“Are you sure you don’t want to help Sherlock pick out a movie? Maybe try to convince him to not put on that one documentary about those American Tylenol murder cases…?”
“Yea, no there’s no way, I’m not that charming. Speaking of Sherlock, is he less..” “distracted?” John finished, “no, he’s been like that since the end of the case” John picked up the bowls and handed one to Mariana, “nothing a movie can’t fix?” She asks, “exactly.”
8:05pm
The duo made their way into the sitting room, where Sherlock was already sitting on the couch, remote in hand. “What are we watching tonight, mate?” John said, handing the bowl of popcorn to his roommate, and taking a seat next to him.
“How to lose a guy in 10 days.” Sherlock answered,
“A.. rom-com?” Mariana was rightfully confused, as anyone could figure, this was very out of character.
“Yes.” The detective asserted finishing the conversation and starting the movie.
Mariana sat in the lounge chair adjacent to the couch and shared a look with John. They hadn’t thought this before but something was seriously wrong with Sherlock.
9:55pm
The movie was good, they thought. Well, John and Mariana thought, no one really ever knows what Sherlock’s thinking. Mariana loves anything cheesy and romantic, and John, he would never admit it out aloud, but he had a soft spot for romantic comedies.
Sherlock sat for a little bit, after the credits of the movie rolled, deep in thought…. Or analyzing maybe? The two others in the trio just let him be as the other man walked Mariana to the door.
“Are you going to figure out what's wrong with him?” She asked
“Yea,but he will come around, he always does, you know?” John was good at hiding it, but he was worried, something felt different then the other bouts of quietness.
“Of course, yep, no point in worrying,” she breathed “Goodnight Sherlock!” She yelled into the sitting room.
“Goodnight, Ms. Hudson!” A voice exclaimed.
John and Mariana shared a chuckle.
“Night, see you tomorrow”
“Night, John”
The doctor wandered back into the sitting room to clean up what was left of the popcorn, and also to check on a certain consulting detective. Popcorn bowls in hand, John spoke, “did you like the movie? It doesn’t seem like something you’d usually watch huh?”
“Yes, I suppose so. The movie gave me some interesting data. I believe that I’m approaching a conclusion.”
John finally had an idea of what was going on. He put the popcorn bowls down and sat down next to Sherlock. “Data? Conclusion? You investigating something, mate?”
“You could say that.” Sherlock scooted slightly closer to the doctor.
“Are you going to tell me what it is or….”
“No.” Sherlock stood up “I should be getting to bed.” John sat there, dazed as Sherlock almost rushed to his room. slam!
Two things about the conversation stood out to John. One, Sherlock was going to bed before 5 in the morning. Two, there was a look in his eyes John had never seen before, he couldn’t place it. Embarrassment? He had never seen Sherlock look like that.
8:00am
John was making some coffee in the kitchen when a disheveled and clearly very tired Sherlock emerged from his room.
“Good morning, sleepy head!” John was trying to cheer him up, because he could still tell something was up.
“Good morning, Watson” Sherlock said while stretching, and then sat down at the dining table.
“Coffee? Tea?”
“Tea, thank you” John poured his coffee and then opened a tea bag and got Sherlock’s tea steeping. There was a sense of inevitability in the air of 221b this morning; something was going to happen, and John knew it. “Did you come to your conclusion last night?”
“Sort of..” Sherlock responded, and John brought his tea and his own coffee to the table and sat down, “John, what do you think about relationships?” It seems like all Sherlock could do these past few days was shock John.
“I won’t pretend I have the best track record with them, why?” There was a moment of complete silence as Sherlock put sugar in his tea, “oh my god Sherlock! Has someone caught you fancy?”
“That’s what I’m trying to determine. I.. am struggling.. with this case.” Sherlock hesitated to confess.
“Well, recap me, do your wet stone sharpening thing.” John finally knew what was wrong, the great consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes, was in love.
“Right, our case yesterday, revolved around romantic feelings, and it got me thinking about a..uh certain person”
“Uh-huh” John acknowledged, he was unsure how to feel about the fact that his best friend was in love. John didn’t know this, but he was a bit jealous.
“So, I did the only thing I thought to do, investigate. I started with the movie” Sherlock continued, he was now standing, slightly pacing, “A rom-com, an outside perspective of romance. It gave me a new way to look at my own complicated feelings.”
“I came to a theory,” Sherlock approached John, both of their faces beginning to warm, “a theory I am now going to test.”
Sherlock leaned down, meeting John’s height while sitting. Their faces centimeters apart, and he kissed him. John’s heart was pounding, it was about to jump out of his chest. The only words that could climb up his throat and out of his mouth were,
“You have morning breath,” then he kissed Sherlock again.
Sherlock stood triumphantly, “my theory was correct, I am in love with you, John Watson.”