I needed fluff. This happened.

Enjoy!~

John decided that he was going to stop dancing around Sherlock. It was getting increasingly tedious, especially when they saw each other in school every day and shared longing looks across the classroom. Even John's rugby team told him to just make a damn move already.

"Just ask him on a date before we go and tell him you fancy him," his mate Greg had said. "We're all getting tired of having to watch you two stare at each other like you're in a romantic tragedy."

When walking to school with Sherlock that morning, John asked casually, "You doing anything after school today?"

"I was planning on stealing all the frogs from Mr. Ruddick's classroom and dissecting them at various points of decay," Sherlock responded. "It should be very enlightening."

John grimaced. "Uh...Okay. First of all, do not steal frogs, Sherlock."

Sherlock frowned. "But-"

"No buts. Secondly, I was wondering if you would like to do something with me after school."

Sherlock perked up a little bit. "Oh? Like what?"

They were about 10 feet away from the front door. John took a deep breath. Now or never.

Sherlock was looking at him expectedly.

John smiled. "Like a date."

Sherlock's footsteps abruptly came to a halt. His jaw dropped and his blush rose from his collar.

John felt smug. "You can, of course, say no, but…" he looked over Sherlock's dumbfounded expression and his smirk widened, "I don't think you're going to."

Sherlock blinked rapidly, mouth closing with a click of his teeth.

Before John walked away he said, "I'll come by the science lab at the end of the day and we can leave together, yeah?"

Sherlock's brain felt blank and cluttered at the same time. He couldn't form a response or really process what was happening for the life of him, and yet a thousand thoughts were racing through his mind.

By the time he finally understood that John Watson just asked him out on a date, the bell rang to signal the start of first period. Sherlock was still standing outside of the building. Damn. He ran into the building.

John felt a giddy, nervous flutter in his chest all day. He didn't tell his friends about it yet, lest the date go horribly wrong. He wasn't sure if Sherlock were open to the idea of a relationship or how he would even act if he were in one, but John was willing to take the risk. When his last class ended, John quickly gathered his books and jogged to the science lab. Time for his date.

Sherlock, on the other hand, was on the verge of a meltdown. He felt like his heart was in his throat all day, which made it very difficult to breathe. He couldn't stop fidgeting in his chair and had to be scolded by every teacher for being distracted. His palms were sweating and he just couldn't bloody think. Why on earth would John want him?

In the lab at the end of the day, Molly asked, "You all right, Sherlock?"

"John asked me out on a date," he grumbled before he could think better of it. John was always telling him to be conscientious of others' feelings. Sherlock knew Molly had a crush on him; had he hurt her feelings?

Sure enough, her smile was a bit tight-lipped. "That's great."

"I don't know if I want to go with him," he admitted. He trusted Molly enough to admit vulnerability to her.

"Why ever not? I must say you two are a pretty good match."

"I don't know what to do!" he tugged at his curls.

"Okay, keep your voice down," Molly hushed when other students looked over at them. "John won't push you, Sherlock. You know that. You can say no."

"But I don't want to disappoint him," he moaned and put his head down atop his folded arms.

"Just talk to John about it," she insisted.

The bell rang and Sherlock's head shot up. "Oh no. He said he was going to come here so we could leave together." He saw students leaving the room. "He's going to be here any second! Molly!"

"Have a nice date," Molly smiled and patted him on the back.

"No, don't leave me here alone!" Sherlock scrambled and wound up falling off his chair.

He heard the tell-tale melodious laugh of his friend, "You feeling okay?"

Sherlock pushed the fringe that had fallen in front of his eyes away to find John standing in the doorway smirking with his hair perfectly tousled and his backpack hanging off his shoulder. Great. That's exactly how to impress John: flail like a bird and fall off a chair. Wonderful job, Sherlock.

"I'm fine!" he snapped and stood up, brushing imaginary dirt from his shoulder and grabbing his backpack.

"Are you sure? You did just fall out of a chair."

Sherlock blushed and bit his bottom lip, looking away from John. "Let's just get this over with," he held out his hand.

John quirked an eyebrow.

Sherlock huffed. "Is it not customary to hold hands?"

John smiled brightly. "Uh, yeah," he cleared his throat. "Yeah, you're right." He took Sherlock's larger hand in his own. "Let's go."

Sherlock tried not to stare at their linked hands. "Where exactly are we going?"

"Well, figured we could go grab a bite to eat at Speedy's. It's close and, well, cheap enough for me to pay for."

"I have money, John." Well, he technically had Mycroft's credit card, but it was the same thing.

John looked scandalized. "You're my date, Sherlock! I'm paying."

Sherlock hoped that John couldn't feel that his palm was sweating. "Oh. Okay."

At Speedy's

John noticed that Sherlock kept bouncing his knee under the table anxiously. His date (yes, date!) was tapping his fingers against the table and he was looking at everything but John.

John smiled and rested his hand over Sherlock's knee and the leg immediately fell still.

Sherlock stared at him wide-eyed.

"Relax, Sherlock," John squeezed his knee.

Sherlock held back a whimper of surprise. He could feel the warmth of John's hand through his school trousers. "I am relaxed," he defended breathlessly. "I'm absolutely fine."

John let go of his knee to grasp Sherlock's hand on top of the table and swept his thumb over the knuckles soothingly.

Sherlock felt his face heat up and he turned away to look out the window.

"You sure?" John asked.

Sherlock had always rolled his eyes when he overheard John use his charisma on their female classmates. He thought John was being stupid and painfully ordinary. He had no idea that being on the receiving end of John's affection would be so wonderful.

Sherlock looked back to him and swallowed. "I don't understand you, John. Why do you want to do this?"

"Do what? Take you out?"

"Yes." Sherlock felt his palms sweating again.

"Because I like you," John said matter-of-factly. "A date is when two people who like each other go out and have fun." He frowned a little. "Do you not like me?"

Sherlock opened his mouth to respond, but closed it. Of course he liked John. There was nothing he disliked about John. He had been pining for him since their first year of high school two years ago. But he would screw everything up. He didn't want to lose John's friendship.

"I do like you," he said after a moment. "How could I not?"

John was relieved, "Then what's got you so nervous?"

Sherlock looked down at their hands on the table. "There's no reason for you to want me. Aren't you straight?"

John shrugged, "Bisexual, maybe."

"Still. You could date anyone in school. I'll just ruin this."

John rolled his eyes. "Sherlock," he brought the pale hand to his lips and kissed it gently, "Stop worrying. We'll work this out together. That's how this works. I want to date you. I like you a lot. I've liked you for a while now. "

Sherlock felt the tips of his ears turn pink.

John smiled adoringly. "I never knew how cute you are when you blush."

Sherlock made a strangled sound and hid his heated face in his hands. "Jooohn!"

"God, I could kiss you right now."

Sherlock inhaled sharply and moved his fingers apart to see John. He was smiling and licking his lips. Oh god.

"Stop teasing and just kiss me!"

The other patrons in the café looked over at them. John resisted a face-palm and put money down on their table. "All right, let's get out of here," he took Sherlock's hand and led him outside. John pressed Sherlock up against the black door of a flat next door, cradled Sherlock's face in his hands, and kissed him gently.

Sherlock wrapped his arms around John's shoulders and kissed him back. John's lips were warm and soft and fuck Sherlock didn't know what he was doing. Wait, wasn't he supposed to open his mouth? He had read that in a book. Sherlock tried that and was pleased to find that he successfully deepened the kiss. John made a little mewl of pleasure when Sherlock hesitantly poked out his tongue to trace his bottom lip (Sherlock had read that, too).

Someone cleared their throat behind them. Crap, they were still in public.

An older lady was smiling at them. "I'm sorry to interrupt boys, but you're leaning against the door to my flat."

Sherlock and John stepped down onto the sidewalk. John smiled apologetically, "Sorry, ma'am."

She waved a hand, "Oh, it's fine. Love young is beautiful! You can get back to kissing once I've gone in."

John turned back to Sherlock when the woman entered her flat. He chuckled, "We really should find someplace private to do that."

Sherlock, still a tiny bit dazed, nodded. "Yes. That…that was very good."

"That's an understatement." He sat down on the step to the flat and motioned for Sherlock to sit next to him.

He did.

John moved his hand to Sherlock's curls and ran his fingers through them. "God, I've wanted to do that for the longest time."

Sherlock smiled meekly. "You can whenever you want."

John nuzzled Sherlock's nose softly with his own. "You okay now? Not worrying anymore?"

"I don't think I'll ever stop worrying, but I feel better," Sherlock confessed.

"You know," John swept Sherlock's fringe away from his eyes, "I'm a bit of a romantic."

Sherlock snorted, "Obviously."

"Yeah, yeah. Well, that means I'm not doing any of that friends-with-benefits nonsense."

Sherlock's heartbeat quickened. "What are you saying, John?"

"I'm asking if you would be my boyfriend." It was a statement, not a question.

Sherlock may have stopped breathing. His heart may have been so loud he thought John could hear it. "I….Yes!"

John's smile was beautiful enough for Sherlock to save to his Mind Palace.

John kissed his cheek. "Wonderful." He rested his forehead against Sherlock's. "This could work."

"I agree," Sherlock whispered against his lips.

They kissed only for a few moments, remembering that there were people walking by, before John hugged Sherlock and whispered in his ear, "Just wait until I've got you in private-maybe in my bedroom, or yours, or maybe even the school bathroom-and I'll take off this," he tugged at Sherlock's blue scarf, "and kiss that pale, beautiful neck of yours."

Sherlock's face flamed and he hid it in John's neck. "Jooohn! Stop it!"

John laughed and totally ignored the looks they were getting from passers-by.

Sherlock couldn't help but smile. Yes, this could work very well.

John is so naughty. ;)

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