Chapter Seven – A Moment

Sherlock was laid out on the couch.

"Bored."

He had only muttered it, but as John was walking into the room, he heard him loud and clear.

"Two cracked ribs, one bruised, broken arm. You're not doing anything for awhile, so get used to it."

Sherlock scowled at the other man as he sat in his usual chair, flicking out the newspaper and settling in to read.

"Why are you over there?"

John folded the paper down and raised an eyebrow at his flatmate.

"You're injured," he said slowly. "You're laying on the couch. If I sit with you, you'll have to change position. I don't want you uncomfortable."

"But it's alright if I'm bored?"

John rolled his eyes, got up, and sat on the floor next to Sherlock, his back against the couch. Sherlock draped an arm around him.

"Better?"

"Still bored."

John chuckled.

"Would you like me to read to you?"

"God no."

They were silent then, but only for a short time. Sherlock was incapable of stilling his thoughts and he was often incapable of not speaking them aloud. So, very quietly, he asked John what was on his mind.

"Are we together, John?"

John went very still, and then sighed.

"I suppose it's time to deal now."

"I think it may be past time," Sherlock chuckled, wincing at the pain in his ribs. "I just need to know, can I consider you mine? I already do, by the way, but I suppose you have a say in whether you think you belong to me or not."

John outright laughed and turned his body to face Sherlock without dislodging the other man's arm from around him.

"I realized long ago you thought I belonged to you, even before I found out how you felt. You're very possessive, you know."

"Yes, glad you see it. So, can I openly dissuade potential suitors? Make it clear that you are spoken for?"

"Good lord, Sherlock. Yeah, I guess you can. So long as one of the ways you 'mark your territory' isn't to piss on me."

"Bah, nasty business, that," Sherlock shook his head, wrinkling up his nose. "Unsanitary."

John huffed out a laugh and kissed the man on the couch. When he pulled back, he pressed his forehead to Sherlock's and they shared a warm smile. Then, doing his best to hide the pain it caused, Sherlock shifted onto his side and pressed himself to the back of the couch.

"Lay next to me?" he asked, almost shyly.

John thought to protest that it would be too painful for him, but decided that the detective might be better for the close contact. Gingerly, he crawled up onto the couch and draped his arm over the other man's shoulders and began pressing kisses to his face. Smiling, Sherlock ran his hand over John's side. When John finally kissed him properly on the mouth, running his tongue over Sherlock's bottom lip to gain entry, the dark haired man allowed his hand to pass firmly over the doctor's backside and squeeze. He was encouraged when John moaned and deepened the kiss instead of pulling back. After awhile, they pulled back, both breathless, but Sherlock didn't let go.

"I desperately want to make love to you," he whispered, taking in John's flushed cheeks, wet mouth and eyes so dilated they were almost black.

"That would be awful on your ribs," John finally managed to reply.

"That wasn't a no."

"No, that wasn't."

"Damn my ribs. I want you."

"Fine, give it your best shot, but it's going to hurt."

Kissing him with a hunger he was certain he had never felt before, Sherlock rolled and shifted them until John was pinned beneath him on the couch, panting in arousal. Sherlock, on the other hand, lost all sense of the fire he had been feeling and nearly passed out from the pain his efforts had caused.

"Damn, my ribs," he moaned weakly, burying his face in John's neck as the smaller man ran his hands soothingly over his back.

"Let's just wait a bit for this, yeah?"

"Damn it!"

TBC

A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this sucker up! And it's short, to boot, so sorry about that as well. I've started working twelve days in a row and then getting a weekend off. It's really not a big deal, but I have to get adjusted to it lol.

Anyhow, who agrees with poor Sherlock? Damn it, indeed :).