John doesn't tell Sherlock that his mother said he should stop hanging out with the other boy so much, or that it caused a huge fight, but a week later it's blown over. They go out together for their six month anniversary two weeks after the fight with his mother, and everything is positively perfect.
"So," Sherlock starts after the waiter leaves. "Clara says you two are going to start studying together for your upcoming exams."
"Yep," John replies. "We just thought it'd be easier to split the packet and then share notes. The exams aren't for a month, not until like two weeks before school ends, but we got the packets yesterday and wanted to start."
"That's a great idea," Sherlock says. "If I were in the class with you, I'd gladly help."
John smiles. "I know, but then we'd just end up having sex instead of studying."
Sherlock grins. "You've found my plan and it's not even happening."
John laughs. "I knew you had ulterior motives."
Sherlock leans over and kisses John quickly, before they can think about anyone noticing.
John still looks uneasy, and Sherlock obviously catches it.
"John, don't you think you should be comfortable with this by now?"
John frowns. "It's not that I'm not comfortable with it—"
"You're clearly uncomfortable. You won't hold my hand in public, you won't kiss me. Your mother doesn't know we're together. Does your sister even know?"
John looks down at his lap. "Well, I—"
Sherlock sighs. "Look, I…I feel like it'd be selfish of me to say to get over it, to tell them all or else I won't be with you, but I want you to be happy. And I don't feel like you're completely happy."
"I am completely happy, I promise. I'm so happy with you."
"With me. You're not happy with yourself."
"Since when did you turn so philosophical?"
"Since I started caring about you."
John looks up into his eyes. Sherlock looks so genuine and caring, John knows it's a look only reserved for him.
"I love you," John says in a normal tone. Usually, he'd whisper it or he wouldn't say it if he thought anyone would be able to hear, but he says it knowing fully well that anyone could hear.
Sherlock slowly smiles. "I love you, too."
John grabs Sherlock's hand. "These past six months have been…god, thinking about it, I can't believe I'm sitting here with you."
"Why is it surprising?"
"Because I liked you so much," John replies. "Because I hoped every day that I could at least have the courage to talk to you."
"And why didn't you?"
"Because you're you, you were so far out of my league I wasn't even playing the same game as you. Hell, you're still out of my league but you seem to have started sharing the same feelings for me anyway."
Sherlock chuckles. "John, you have no idea how much I liked you before we started talking."
John's eyes widen in shock. "What?"
"That day I went into the lab to help you with your experiments? I didn't give a toss about your experiments, I just wanted to talk to you."
John laughs. "Why on earth would you have possibly felt that way about me?"
Sherlock suddenly looks annoyed. "Why on earth wouldn't I?"
"Because I'm..."
"I promise, John Watson, if you say one bad thing about not being good enough for me I will punch you."
Sherlock hates when John is down about himself, so John can tell Sherlock is serious. "Ok," he says, "I'm sorry."
Sherlock nods curtly and takes a sip of his water. "You know you're every bit perfect for me."
John doesn't, not with years of bullying and a continuation of the bullying on the internet. He's constantly reminded that he's not good enough for Sherlock.
"Hey," Sherlock whispers, now almost whispering in his ear. He continues, "I love everything about you. You're amazing."
John can't help the smile that creeps across his face. "You're the amazing one."
Sherlock shrugs. "I can't argue there."
John laughs. "At least we agree on something."
Sherlock smiles, then leans over and kisses his cheek.
"I want to kiss every bit of you," John whispers much later when they're laying in Sherlock's bed. He climbs up on his knees while Sherlock turns onto his back and stretches out like a cat. "I might just do that," John says, picking up Sherlock's foot.
Sherlock flexes his toes. "Not my foot!"
John grins and kisses Sherlock's big toe. Sherlock laughs and tries to squirm away, but John kisses the arch of his foot before Sherlock can yank it away.
When he lowers his foot, John wiggles onto his belly and pushes Sherlock's jeans up his ankle. He gets a line of four kisses before Sherlock's skinny jeans are too tight to push up his calf.
"If I'm going to go any further, I'm going to have to get these terrible jeans off."
Sherlock scrambles to get his jeans off, then John resumes his kisses up both of Sherlock's thighs. When he meets Sherlock's underpants, John starts to suck bruising kisses into Sherlock's inner thighs. Sherlock squirms under John's lips. John kisses further up until he's nuzzling the bulge in Sherlock's pants.
"Just take them off," Sherlock begs.
John doesn't argue, he gets Sherlock's pants off in record time. He licks and sucks while Sherlock moans and writhes under his touch. His breathing quickens, his hips stutter against the bed, and short minutes later Sherlock is pushing up into John's mouth and coming with a deep groan.
"God, John..."
John climbs up Sherlock's body with a satisfied grin.
"You're amazing."
John kisses him deeply.
After Sherlock takes care of John, they put their pants back on for bed. Sherlock begs John to spend the night, which John gladly agrees to do.
"I love you," John mutters, followed by a wide yawn.
Sherlock chuckles. "You're adorable."
John's yawn is cut off by laughter. "Did Sherlock Holmes just say adorable?"
"Only because you, John Watson, are adorable."
John kisses his nose. "Go to sleep, my love."
"Ok. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Sherlock."
They both fall asleep fast, clutching each other tightly.
