Thank you for the great response from the first chapter, I will upload twice a week! Also, the rating will probably go up to M in the next few chapters so check the warnings at the beginning of each chapter!
Over the next few months, every time either man had a nightmare, they would wake up together in the same bed the next morning. It didn't happen a lot, but whenever John woke to Sherlock screaming, there was no hesitation in John's walk to the younger man's room. The doctor would talk or hum until he woke, and after an understanding look, both with fall into a relaxed sleep. Sherlock no longer flinched away from John's touch whilst caught in a nightmare, but instead leaned into the touch and woke up quicker. Some nights, John woke up to his own nightmares to find Sherlock curled up in his bed beside him.
It was never uncomfortable when they both woke up, not even on the first night. But the situation was never spoken of. John was yet to learn what the detective is constantly troubled by in the night. All he had to go on was screams and pleads of "please" or "don't". However, Sherlock never pries into John's dreams, so the soldier grants the same respect and doesn't expect explanations from the younger man either.
"You're thinking too loud." Sherlock groaned. He was currently lying down on the sofa, filing information into his mind palace, just as he always does post-case.
"You should be glad an idiot like myself is thinking at all." John joked, completely past being disgruntled by Sherlock calling him stupid.
John see's Sherlock think for a second. "Good point, Watson." The detective nods.
John carried on with his Guardian crossword. 1 Across: A kitty making love in an apartment on a waterbed? (6). What in the actual hell, thought John. He was getting tired of the Guardian's stupid clues.
"Afloat." Came a voice very close to John's ear.
John jumped slightly at how close Sherlock was to him. "Bloody hell, Sherlock. Warning next time?"
Sherlock moved to his chair and sat on top of the backrest, his feet residing where a normal person would sit. He steepled his fingers under his chin and looked to be deep in thought.
"You have a date tonight?" Sherlock questioned.
"How-?" John exclaimed looking up at Sherlock. "Never mind, you know everything."
Sherlock didn't reply, instead looking intensely at the doctor through his eyelashes.
"I better get ready actually. Here, you finish the crossword, I'm terrible at the cryptic ones." John said whilst getting up from his chair, putting the newspaper on the arm of Sherlock's chair.
"John?" Sherlock finally spoke, making John stop and turn around just before he reached the doorway.
"What?" John asked, moving back to the chair and sitting down. It wouldn't take him too long to get ready anyway.
"How long are we going to ignore the attraction between us?" Sherlock said steadily. His tone was the same level that you would use when asking about the weather.
John didn't reply, but instead felt his mouth drop slightly as he stared at the detective. He wasn't expecting that.
"Your eyes dilate when you look at me, especially when you check to see if I'm naked in bed before climbing in with me. Your pulse spikes when your hand brushes against mine. And whilst you cannot deduce, I am surprised you haven't seen the very same physiological reactions happen to me, too." Sherlock said, again speaking as if he was reading a shopping list.
"I-, I- um-" John stuttered. He felt like the wind had been taken out of him. He really hadn't expected this.
Sherlock waited for John to form words. Sherlock was 87% sure he was right in his deductions that John had feelings for him, but now he had actually spoken his observations aloud, he began to doubt himself. He was, after all, inexperienced in matters of the heart.
"You said you were married to your work?" John questioned, slightly breathless. He couldn't believe this was happening. Hope soared in John's chest. Please God, don't let this be one of Sherlock's 'experiments'.
"And I was." Sherlock shrugged.
"You-? You have romantic feelings for me?" John asked, making sure he was completely sure about what Sherlock was saying.
"Yes, obviously." Sherlock drawled.
"Obviously?" John exclaimed. Both men continued to stare at each other. John did not know what to say, and Sherlock was slipping into a silent panic that he had completely misjudged the situation.
The detective slid down from the backrest to the seat of the chair, crossing his legs in front of himself for comfort.
"I must have misread the situation. Don't let me keep you, John. Mary is waiting." Sherlock said, breaking the silence and moving his gaze to anywhere but the soldier.
John moved to kneel in front of the detective, placing his arm slowly the other man's knees slowly as not to startle him.
"You didn't. Misread that is. You're right. Always right, Sherlock." John said softly, struggling to form a complete sentence.
Sherlock let his eyes meet John's again. Thousands of unspoken questions ran between them. Only seconds must have gone by, but the tension between them grew to the point you could almost cut it with a knife.
"May I-?" Started John.
"Don't be boring, John." Sherlock replied, his voice low and possessive.
At that, both men surged towards each other. John slid his knees up to the seat of Sherlock's chair and cupped his hands around the other man's chin. Similarly, Sherlock uncrossed his legs and placed them either side of the doctor's, letting his hands find a home on John's waist. Finally level, their lips met.
It started soft and gentle, both telling each other without words how long they had wanted this, and more importantly, how much they cared for the other. However, Sherlock soon shocked John by taking lead. Becoming impatient with the slow pace, Sherlock tightly held the doctor's waist pressing his lips passionately into the doctors. Taking advantage of the older man taking a breath, Sherlock ran his tongue along the parted lips, moaning slightly when the doctor responded by meeting his tongue with his own. As Sherlock's tongue reached the edge of John's lip, the soldier fought for dominance. John pulled his body up to its full height, and snaked his hands around the younger's mans face and tangled his fingers into the soft curls. Pulling the hair slightly, John forcefully pressed his lips back against Sherlock's, moaning in return when Sherlock responded fervently. John's mind was clouded, but not enough to realise he hadn't felt the other man pull away to breathe yet. Slowing down the pace, John pulled the younger man in for one last slow and tantalising kiss. Pulling away, John looked deep into Sherlock's eyes, trying to convey just how much he meant to him.
Sherlock took in an extremely welcome deep breath, keeping his eye's fixed on John's. He couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the fierceness of the soldier's gaze. He blushed slightly; he had never been looked at so intensely.
"Bloody good job Mrs Hudson didn't walk in." Said John, breaking the silence. Both men laughed at the running joke, slipping back into their easy-going rapport. John didn't move from his position, and instead slipped his hands down from Sherlock's hair and knotted their hands together on the detectives lap. John may not be able to deduce people like Sherlock, but he knew after such a big declaration to the older man, the detective would need reassuring he felt the same.
"Why did that take so long?" Sherlock questioned.
"I can't read people like you, Sherlock. Why did it take you so long?"
" I couldn't be sure. You are much more experienced in matters of the heart. I thought for sure that you would have noticed my feelings, and given me hints to whether you felt the same. Because you didn't, I kept second-guessing myself. But when I deduced you were seeing someone else, this feeling in my stomach told me I had to know either way." Sherlock confessed.
John couldn't stop looking at Sherlock in awe. It has finally hit him that this brilliant, gorgeous man returned his feelings.
"You're amazing." John breathed.
"I'll never get used to that." Sherlock laugh self deprecatingly. Looking back into John's eyes, he asked, "So… What are w-"
Sherlock was cut off by John's mobile ringing.
"Ignore it." John said, looking for his phone to turn it off. Instead of seeing Mary's caller ID like he expected, it was Lestrade's. There were over ten messages and now a missed call in the last fifteen minutes. The last one read:
Please John, Sherlock's phone is off. The third kid has just gone missing, every second counts in cases like this. Ring me. – GL
"Another girl has gone missing. They're finally calling you on." John said, knowing the spell between them was going to have to be over.
"Well, we best be going." Sherlock replied, not moving.
Neither of them wanted to leave the moment, although they both knew they really did have to go. Greg was right, every second counts in child abductions. Resolve settled in both men's eyes, and John slipped off the edge of the chair, pulling Sherlock up with him.
"Well come on genius. The quicker you solve it, the quicker we can get back to this." John winked. The soldier earned another blush on the pale detectives high cheekbones.
Please let me know if you're enjoying this story. I don't have a beta so any pointers are most welcome!