A/N: This is the Prequel to Study in Sherlock and John vs Sally about how Sherlock and John met. Hope you like it! :)

Summary: Sherlock and John's first meeting. Prequel to Study in Sherlock and John vs Sally.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sherlock Holmes

The First Meeting

Sherlock scowled as his ever-alert eyes caught the sight of the young couple snogging by the table next to him.

Again.

They had been going at it for the past half an hour – 31 minutes and 43 seconds to be precise – barely coming up for air. Sherlock had never understood in his eighteen years of age the appeal of kissing. He had tried it once, with a girl and a boy, but was unable to figure out what all the fuss was about. He hadn't felt any tingling feeling or fireworks or butterflies during those kisses, which led him to the conclusion that books didn't really know what they were talking about. Or then he was just different, but either way he couldn't understand why the two people could be bothered to exchange spit for such a long time without getting bored. He himself had got bored after three seconds with both of his kissing partners!

Huffing Sherlock turned his gaze away, once again looking searchingly around the small club, which was packed full of people. Truth be told, he would prefer to be anywhere but where he currently was, but one must make sacrifices for one's work.

Sighing in irritation as his gaze once again wandered to the previously mentioned couple – although Sherlock had already deduced that they weren't, in fact, a couple as the girl was cheating her boyfriend with the other guy – he got up and made his way to the bar in order to get away from the sight. He sat down on a barstool and ordered some citrus water to pass his time. His target had still not arrived.

Absentmindedly he registered a blond shortish man in his early twenties sitting down next to him and ordering a pint as well as a girly pink cocktail, which name he must have deleted. A few minutes later a blur of light-brown hair tackled the blond shrieking with her annoyingly high voice.

"Johnny! I missed you Johnny!" She shrieked, her arms around the blond nearly sitting on his lap, and proceeded to "whisper" in his ear. "Did you miss me too baby?"

"Hello Hayley." The blond – Johnny – said and Sherlock thought he could see a hint of irritation flash in his eyes, before he smiled at her.

Sherlock looked at the girl more properly and noticed that it was the same girl that had spent the past hour snogging the brains out of the other guy next to Sherlock's table.

This must be the boyfriend then. Sherlock mused glancing at the couple. The girl was now sipping at her disgustingly pink drink and whispering to Johnny's ear. Just when she was about to kiss him Sherlock decided that he had had enough. There was no way he was going to spend another half an hour watching them snog right next to him.

"Oh would you just stop it already!" He huffed loudly in irritation making the girl and the blond look at him. "I have just spent nearly an hour watching you trying to eat that guy's brains out and I'm not doing that again!" He exclaimed looking at the girl and waving his hand towards a blue-shirted, clearly an athletic guy in the nearby table. "Now go somewhere else!"

"Wha-?" The girl gaped her gaze wandering to the guy she had been previously snogging. The guy happened to look at her at the same time and gave her a cheeky wink. The girl turned to her boyfriend who was looking at her expectantly.

"It's not what you think, Johnny…" She squealed. "He, he's lying!" She pointed at Sherlock.

"Mmmhmm." Johnny hummed clearly not believing her. "So if I go and ask him about it, he has never met you, is that right Hayley?" He asked calmly pushing her off him.

"I-It's not like that Johnny." She tried to stop him but the blond was already on his way. Sherlock watched from the bar as Johnny tapped the blue-shirted guy's shoulder making him turn around. They exchanged a few words and Sherlock saw the athletic guy look at the girl he had been snogging earlier and grin clearly suggestively. Johnny seemed to ask him something and the other guy replied arrogance showing in his body language as he gazed at the girl appreciatively. Johnny clearly found out what he wanted as Sherlock saw him take a deep breath and deck the blue-eyed guy right to the nose before turning to his girlfriend and most likely telling her they were over.

Sherlock found himself grinning at the scene, happy to find finally something interesting. He was honestly surprised at the blonde's actions as he didn't seem to be the type to just go around hitting people. He had deduced that the blond was a medical student, of which it could be concluded that he would be more prone to care for people instead of hurting them, however his actions from few minutes ago told the opposite. Medical student with a temper and a violent strike. Interesting.

Sherlock was brought out of his musings as another glass of citrus water was put in front of him. He looked questionably at the bartender who pointed to his left and Sherlock turned to see that Johnny had returned to his seat sipping his pint.

"It's a thank-you-drink." Johnny told him with an easy grin and Sherlock stared at him for a few seconds. Was this guy seriously thanking him for telling him his girlfriend was cheating on him? Furthermore, he didn't look like a guy who had just broken up with his girlfriend. Wasn't he supposed to be sad about that? Deciding there was only one way to find out he asked:

"For making you break up with your girlfriend?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Exactly." Johnny grinned.

Sherlock's confusion must have shown off his face as Johnny elaborated:

"I have been trying to get rid of her for some time now, but haven't been able to find a good way. Now I didn't have to, so cheers mate!" He raised his glass at Sherlock.

"Not really surprised she cheated." John continued. "She always did seem a bit too easy. I never really liked her all that much; too clingy." He laughed.

"Why would you date her in the first place then?" Sherlock asked. He really didn't understand what the point was.

Johnny shrugged. "She was a good shag."

"It wasn't the first time she cheated on you." Sherlock said curious about the other man's reaction.

"Really? How'd you know?" Johnny asked curiously. Sherlock frowned at that. He didn't appear angry at all, only curious. Weren't normal people angry at being cheated? At least that's what Sherlock had concluded from his observations on normal people. Yet Johnny had showed hardly any anger at all even towards his – now ex – girlfriend, he had kept calm the whole time. The only thing in his behaviour that referred to any kind of anger was the fact he had punched the guy his girlfriend had been kissing. Still, why wouldn't he feel any anger towards the other people the girl had cheated on him with?

Moving his thoughts to a new room in his mind-palace for closer studying, Sherlock focused on answering Johnny's question, curious to see how he'd react to his deductions.

"The state of her knees for one. She had clearly been scrubbing floors before she came here and not with the same guy as she was snogging earlier – he hadn't met her before today – and not you because clearly you came here straight from a lab and haven't had sex in the past three days. She also had the smell of at least four different aftershave on her, none of which you or the other guy use. There were also four different types of hair caught in her clothes – too much to be just a result of a passing by." Sherlock explained swiftly leaving Johnny to gape at him.

"How the hell can you know all that?"

"I observe."

"How could you observe that I haven't had sex in three days or that I came here from a lab? You're not stalking me are you?" Johnny asked with a grin.

"Easy. You carry the distinctive smell of a laboratory with you and I had already deduced that you were a medical student. I would say you were practicing a surgery on a dead body before you came here, judging by the dried blood on your neck as well as the faint smell of decomposition. And what comes to you not having had sex in three days, I can deduce that from your body language as well as the fact that you look tired, as you have been no doubt studying none-stop for your final exams before the term ends."

"That was… brilliant!" Johnny exclaimed in wonder.

"It… It was?" Sherlock asked taken aback. That wasn't the response he usually received when he deduced things about someone. Johnny was getting more interesting the more he talked to him.

"Absolutely amazing!" Johnny nodded grinning.

"That's not what people usually say…" Sherlock said.

"What do they say?" Johnny asked curiously.

"Piss off."

John burst out laughing and Sherlock couldn't help but join him.

"Somehow I can imagine that." Johnny laughed taking a sip from his nearly empty pint. He leaned his head on his hand on the bar as he turned to look at Sherlock again with a smile. "So you never did tell me your name."

"Neither did you." Sherlock countered.

"But you heard Hayley say my name."

"Well if you insist on me calling you Johnny." Sherlock said pointedly, changing his voice into high-pitched as he said the name.

Johnny grimaced before laughing at Sherlock's imitation.

"Point taken." He laughed before offering his hand. "John Watson."

"Sherlock Holmes." Sherlock shook the offered hand.

"Sherlock." John said as if tasting the name. "Different and unique like you, I like it." He said grinning at Sherlock. Sherlock could feel John checking him out and felt himself blush – something that had never happened to him before. "So what more can you deduce about me?"

Sherlock licked his lips contemplating whether or not he should continue. He was starting to like John, which was something when Sherlock was in question as he didn't like anyone. Taking in John's open and expectant expression, however, he decided to just go on with it.

"Well, like I said you're a medical student, training to become a surgeon. You're also athletic and have played rugby for half of your life, I'd say, but have quit recently because you hurt your shoulder and don't have much time for it because of your studies. You come from a poor family and wouldn't be able to afford med-school if it wasn't for the scholarship you received. Your father was a military man, but has been dead since you were a child. You have an older brother, but you don't get along with him because you don't approve his drinking habit and you worry about your mother because she tends to suffer from depression from time to time." Sherlock finished unconsciously holding his breath as he waits for John's reaction.

It takes a few seconds – though for Sherlock it feels like minutes – for John to speak.

"That. Was. The. Most. Brilliant. Thing. I. Have. Ever. Heard." John said amazed, grinning widely.

Sherlock let out the breath he only now realised he had been holding and gave a small smile.

"Did I get anything wrong?" He asked curiously.

"Well, Harry's my sister." John grinned as Sherlock cursed.

"It's always something." He muttered making John laugh.

"I'm curious though, what made you think I had a brother?"

"Your shoes." Sherlock replied swiftly making John look at his dark blue converses.

"What about them?"

"Well they are clearly hand-me-downs as they are one size too big for you and the colour is dark blue, which is usually associated with men, hence a big brother." Sherlock concluded.

"Yeah, well Harry always was a bit of a tomboy and she's bigger than me, of which she always remembers to remind me." John said with a slight grimace.

"So seems to be the way of elder siblings." Sherlock hummed in agreement sipping at his water. "My brother never fails to remind me how he is smarter than me, though I do tend to disagree with that."

"You have a brother too?" John asked intrigued and Sherlock froze shocked. Why did he tell that to John? He never spoke about himself let alone Mycroft if he could avoid it and here he was opening up to a total stranger. There was just something about John that made him feel at ease…

"Sherlock?" John said his name drawing him back and he realised the older man was still waiting for an answer.

"Ah yes, and older brother, Mycroft." Sherlock said with a slight grimace.

"Mycroft?" John said clearly amused.

"Mummy always loved odd names." Sherlock scowled.

"Doesn't mean it's a bad thing." John said. "I quite like your name. Sherlock." He said sensually as if tasting the name and Sherlock felt a shiver run down his spine. "Like I said, it's unique just like you." John looked at him with dark eyes and Sherlock felt like the room had suddenly gotten very hot.

He looked around trying to distract himself of how aware he was of how close John seemed to be when suddenly he saw the reason he had been at the club in the first place. A blond man in a green shirt, black trousers and a leather jacket was just heading to the exit and without a second thought Sherlock dashed after him leaving John staring after him.

John cursed silently wondering if he had been too forward with his flirting, if that had been the reason Sherlock left in such a hurry. He felt sad as he had really liked Sherlock and his brilliant mind and wouldn't have minded getting to know him better. He was the most intriguing person John had ever met and with those looks he couldn't help but feel attracted towards the younger man. But if Sherlock didn't feel the same John would have been satisfied with just having the genius as his friend. Even having just met the man, John was sure that with Sherlock around his life would be much less boring, so with these thoughts in his mind John left a few notes on the bar counter and dashed after the mad genius who had just disappeared through the door.

As he stepped outside there was no sight of Sherlock, but John jogged forward hoping to get a glimpse of the man somewhere. He continued towards the local park when suddenly he heard fighting sounds from a nearby alley. John ran to the alley and saw his mad genius engaged in a fight with two other men. John was amazed at the skill Sherlock displayed, holding his own against the two men who clearly had more muscle than he did, but there was no way John would leave him to deal with the men by himself.

He ran towards the fight and took hold of the smaller of the men punching him straight to the nose before hitting him in a nerve thus dropping the man to the ground unconscious due to the pain. He turned to look at Sherlock just in time to see him take down the other man. When the second man was lying on the ground unconscious as well, Sherlock straightened up wiping blood from his face, which John saw was caused by a slightly broken lip.

Sherlock turned to look at John, his face calculating, before he said:

"I had them covered."

John huffed out a laugh shaking his head at the absurdity of the situation.

"I'm sure you did." He said. "I just helped you take care of them faster."

They shared a grin and then they were both laughing, clutching at their sides.

Wiping his eyes, Sherlock opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again as sirens started howling and soon the alley was surrounded by the police.

John followed intrigued as Sherlock talked with the police officer who took his deductions (something about a poison, a dealer and a killer) in a stride, which meant that this was not the first time they had met and John was even more interested to learn what it exactly was that Sherlock did. He too was asked a few questions, but soon he and Sherlock were given permission to leave and they walked away together from the scene.

"That must hurt quite a bit." John commented after a while, referring to the shiner on Sherlock's face. "You really should put some ice in it."

"I'm fine." Sherlock brushed him, but couldn't hide a wince as he blinked.

"Come on, I live just a few blocks from here. I have some first aid supplies there and I think it would be better to take a look at you lip too."

"Fine." Sherlock muttered sulkily as he winced again, feeling as his eye swelled.

After a ten minute walk they arrived at John's apartment and John sat Sherlock down on his arm chair before pulling out his first aid kit and a bag of ice.

"Put that over your eye." He said handing the ice bag to Sherlock who silently complied, wincing as he did. "So do you want to tell me who those two guys were that we just beat up?" John asked as he started applying the disinfection on Sherlock's wounds.

"The smaller one in the leather jacket was a dealer who was providing a rare slow-working poison to a serial killer. He was the reason I was at the club today. I deduced that he was a regular there and was searching for him tonight. I finally saw him leaving and tailed him to the killer, but unfortunately he noticed my presence before the police arrived and you know the rest." Sherlock said wincing again as John touched his lip.

"Keep still." John muttered his hand cupping Sherlock's cheek and finger trailing his lip to get better access.

"So you didn't run off because I was too forward in flirting with you."

"What?" Sherlock frowned.

"Well, you just dashed off after I flirted with you so I assumed…" John trailed off looking at him and suddenly they were both very aware of how close they were to one another. Sherlock felt his breath hitch as he stared into those blue eyes and felt John's warm hand on his face trailing at his lip. John Watson did things to him that Sherlock had never experienced before and for the first time Sherlock actually wanted to kiss someone.

They looked at each other straight in the eyes for what seemed like forever and later if asked neither could pin point who moved first, but suddenly their lips met in a softest and sweetest kiss and Sherlock could admit that he finally felt it, the spark, the tingle, the fireworks, whatever people wanted to call it and he didn't want it to end.

End it did though, and they were both breathless afterwards, but grinning like lunatics and it was not long before Sherlock captured John's lips again, his injuries forgotten.

Maybe kissing wasn't so bad after all.

Not with the right partner.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me what ya think!

- Dalnim