A/N: Sorry for the wait, but I made it longer, so I hope it was worth the wait! Please review! xoxo :)

Chapter 7: Sexy and Loved

In his underground cell, John decided to play the ABCs game, a game he had played with Harry as a child, on road trips. John smirked remembering the cruder versions they had played, describing some of the more horrid relatives when Mum and Dad weren't around. The game involved finding a word for each letter of the alphabet, whether it was animals, foods, or describing a person, which they had often done and not with the politest of words. Now though, now he was so fucking bored, he would do anything to pass the time, even this game. As an exta challenge for his brain, he was going to see how well he knew the alphabet backwards... not like Sherlock was around to judge his alphabet, not that Sherlock probably considered it important to know the alphabet backwards… but anyway that was besides the point. He supposed he would do the ABCs of Sherlock to pass the time. John snickered as that really was a hilarious way to describe it.

"The ABCs of Sherlock… okay lets start at the end, Z would be zealous. I know he would hate being called that but the energy he puts into a case or a good murder, there is no better word!" John chuckled to himself as he imagined Sherlock twirling around in excitement after discovering a serial killer.

"Y is young because he is sulky like a child, but also his excitement takes over him and his eyes sparkle and he loses years in his face. Besides, he's younger than me, so that works too. X is… fuck, I don't know any descriptors that start with X…" John paused thoughtfully, "Nope, not even wasting the time trying to think of that, I guess I will have to go with exciting, that's close enough and a pretty obvious choice for him.

"Hmmm, W is witty, though he is always surprised when I get his jokes and snark and V... is vindictive, especially towards a certain brother of his!" John smiled thinking of Sherlock's sneer when he was battling wits with his older brother. Sherlock hated Mycroft lording things over him.

"U is unique, though I could easily also say underweight. That man is all skin in bones, I'm pretty sure I can count each of his ribs! T is thrilling… no talented –no terrible! Haha, yes he can be terrible to people but he is also talented and thrilling so it works I guess."

John leaned back against the wall as he pondered the next letter. A soft smile fell on his face as he said "S… S would definitely have to be sexy."

Lestrade gasped as he heard John describe Sherlock as sexy. Sure everyone thought they were shagging, but to have rumors confirmed. Then he glanced at Sherlock who seemed to be in a bit of shock. Oh. Not confirmed then.

"Sherlock, are you alright?" Lestrade asked him. There was no response. Sherlock's eyes were wide as saucers as he stared at the screen.

"Sherlock?"

Unaware of his spectators, John continued on, nonchalant, casually naming off adjectives to describe Sherlock.

"R is rambunctious, Q is quizzical because he always wants to know why something does something else.

"P is posh, I mean seriously that coat and those suits he wears? Even his shampoo is ridiculously expensive, but noooooo, he needs something special to deal with those curls! O is observant, can't really top that one. N is maybe negligent –of the law (John chuckled) or naïve, he is definitely naïve to certain social niceties or intimacies, especially friendships." John smiled fondly as he thought of how he had told Sherlock he was his best friend. The shock and confusion on his friend's face had been amazing and a little sad. John wanted to make sure Sherlock always knew he had him as a friend from that point on.

"M is manipulative, that son of a bitch, god does he ever know how to get what he wants. Maybe I'm too easy on him sometimes though, no I definitely am. Oh well... L is lazy.. or lanky, that git with his stupid long arms and legs... But no, I think he doesn't know it, but the best word to describe him for L is loved."

John smiled faintly as he imagined his flatmate with his mess of curls and manic grins and nodded, "Yeah, loved definitely works the best, he may not know it, but he is definitely loved by many people, not just me."

Sherlock finally came out of his shock to whisper shakily, "John thinks I'm sexy?"

Lestrade laughed at first, but his laughter died off as he saw the confusion in Sherlock's eyes. Sherlock seemed so lost and confused, now was not the time. Lestrade knew Sherlock had a hard time with emotions and that he didn't understand how John was even friends with him, but that he counted it as a blessing now. Knowing that John thought he was attractive was a step past friendship that Sherlock couldn't quite grasp.

"Maybe that's something you should ask him yourself once we get him back." Lestrade suggested cautiously.

Sherlock nodded as he turned his attention back to the video monitor.

Donovan entered at that moment to talk to Lestrade after her break was over. She came over to the monitor in confusion when no one noticed her presence.

"What's going on?" she asked, coming to stand right beside them. "Did you find a clue?"

Both men startled at her entrance.

Lestrade looked at Sherlock and answered, "Not yet, John is just playing a game to pass the time."

"What is he playing now?" She asked curiously, but also a bit exasperated, because she had listened to John recite nursery rhymes for 3 hours last night. She turned to the screen to pay attention.

"M is manipulative…" she heard coming across the screen.

"Oh my god, is he describing you?" She asked with laughter at Sherlock.

He gave her a curt nod, acknowledging the question and going back to ignoring her.

"That's hilarious, I can't imagine what funny things he has to say about –" and she stopped mid sentence at the smile on John Watson's face and his words, 'he is definitely loved by many people, not just me.' Her first instinct was to confirm they were together. But the soft intake in breath and the wide eyes of the one and only Sherlock Holmes next to her, made her hesitate. Did he not know?

"You didn't know?" She asked him incredulously.

Sherlock didn't answer her, staring at the screen as a soft "John" fell from his lips.

Sally stared at him, "Sherlock, did you not know?"

Sherlock started at his name and looked at her in confusion, coming out briefly from his mind palace, "Know what?" he asked.

"He follows you everywhere and into any kind of mess. He will do anything you ask. And the way he looks at you? I thought you were observant! You didn't see it?"

"See what?" Sherlock asks again, furstrated but appearing almost fragile in his complete confusion.

"That he loves you!" Donovan said in exasperation.

Sherlock looked at her in disbelief, his eyebrows curving in to a ponder what she said and then he shook his head. "That's not true. He doesn't mean it like that… he can't." Sherlock bit his lip in a second of visible confusion before he turned back to the monitor, ignoring the other spectators.

Donovan looked like she wanted to say something more but one look from Lestrade quieted her instantly. How could the Freak not see what everyone else did? She had thought he knew and was using John because of it. Now it definitely seemed like that was not actually the case.