"John Hamish Watson. Academic Honors." The vice principle announced, as John crossed the stage to receive his diploma. He felt a bit like a prat but he couldn't care too much. He was graduating today and attending Oxford in the fall as a pre-med major. He looked out at the crowd to see his Mum, sister, and aunt waving proudly. He moved his tassel and waved back. He walked back to his seat and reached into his pocket for his cell phone looking at the screen. He clicked on the text Sherlock had sent and felt a mixed pang of affection and disappointment settle in his heart.
Sorry I couldn't be there. Working on something for Mycroft. Congrats. Love you. SH
He sighed and leaned back into his chair. He wasn't surprised that Sherlock hadn't been able to come. He'd told him last week that he was working on something incredibly important for his brother and would be pretty busy for the next few weeks. His boyfriend had been acting strangely for the past month or so. He could almost date it from the day he'd gotten his acceptance letter and had found the brothers arguing. Sherlock had become consumed by some case for Mycroft and had been distant and preoccupied. When they did spend time together, it was mostly just Sherlock dragging him to bed so that he could sleep curled up against John. He was trying to be understanding and supportive but the dark circles under Sherlock's eyes were becoming more and more pronounced as the weeks dragged on. Sherlock was eating less and becoming gaunt and skeletal. John tried his best to get him to eat more when they were together but Sherlock was almost impossible to convince these days.
He put the troubling thoughts out of his mind as the last of his classmates walked across the stage and claps erupted from behind him. He exited the gymnasium quickly and was pulled into several hugs between his family members. They took pictures and he found Molly to congratulate her before his family pulled him out of the building back to Debbie's flat for cake and presents. Molly was actually attending Oxford as well so it wasn't like he wouldn't be seeing her again. He was opening the card from his mum when a check fell out. He grabbed it and his eyes bugged out as he saw the amount.
"Mum…" He began to protest but she cut him off.
"That money is yours, John." She said firmly. "That's all the money that you've been giving me over the years to help with bills. I decided a long time ago that I couldn't take your money, so I put it in a savings account for you. That's all of it."
"Mum…" He said again feeling his throat constrict with emotion. He wrapped his arms around her tightly trying to convey his appreciation through the embrace. She must have understood because when they broke apart she was wiping away tears.
"Alright, squirt." Harry said happily. "Here's what Clara and I got for you."
He opened the present and raised an eyebrow at the engraved flask. "Really, Harry?"
"You'll need it." She said firmly.
"Thanks, I guess." He said shaking his head lightly.
They were just cutting into the cake when the doorbell went and Harry went to answer it. She came back quickly and rolled her eyes as Sherlock followed her into the flat. John ignored her and met his boyfriend in the hall letting Sherlock pull him into a quick kiss. John took in Sherlock's appearance and felt his breath hitch painfully at the exhaustion on his boyfriend's face. The taller boy perceived John's worry and tried to smile his reassurance. He kissed John lightly one more time before handing him a gift then dragging himself off to John's bedroom to sleep.
"Is he alright?" His mum asked anxiously.
"He's just busy helping his brother." John assured them.
"He didn't even come to your graduation." Harry accused in a heated whisper.
"Shove off, Harry." John said firmly. "I really don't need any relationship advice from you. How's Clara by the way?"
"Fuck off." Harry huffed darkly before stomping off.
"John." His Mum scolded lightly. "That was unnecessary."
"Well," He said. "She doesn't have any right to comment on my relationship."
"She's just being protective." His Mum said. "She cares about you and doesn't want to see you hurt."
The room fell into an awkward silence and the party broke up quickly after that as everyone went to get ready for bed. Harry and Mum were sharing the other guest room. He walked quickly back to his room still carrying the gift that Sherlock had given him earlier. He opened the door quietly and stripped down to his pants and a t-shirt before crouching next to his sleeping boyfriend and running a hand through his hair. Sherlock roused slightly at the touch and opened one bleary eye to stare at him.
"Have you opened your present?" Sherlock said roughly.
"Not yet." John said, moving to sit with his back to the headboard.
"Well, go on then." Sherlock said rolling onto his back to get a better look at the boy he loved.
"One sec." John said before reaching under the bed to pull out a small present and handing it to Sherlock.
"You didn't really get a graduation." John shrugged after taking in the confused expression on the taller boy's face. "I thought you deserved a gift though."
Sherlock shifted into a sitting position and faced John. "On the count of three then?"
"Three." John whispered and they both ripped at the badly wrapped presents. John pulled out a leather book and flipped it open letting his breath hitch a little. It was a picture book full of images of him and Sherlock. All of them were candid. If John didn't know better, he'd say they were all taken from CCTV footage, but that was impossible surely. Pictures of them laughing, holding hands, kissing, arguing lightly, dozing against one another. John felt a lump form in his throat. It was wonderful. He glanced up and frowned at the pained expression on Sherlock's face.
"Sherlock?" John asked worried. "What's wrong? Do you not like it?"
"It's a key." Sherlock said quietly.
"Yeah," John flushed. "Figurative, of course. I don't actually have an apartment yet, but I thought…I'd give you a copy of my key when I do. That way you can come anytime you want."
"John…" Sherlock said brokenly.
"I'm sorry." He felt his face burning. "It's a stupid idea…"
John didn't get to finish his thought because Sherlock was pulling him close and kissing him feverishly. John felt something twist painfully in his chest at this onslaught of frenzied kisses and caresses. This wasn't right. Something was wrong.
"Sherlock." He said firmly pulling away. "What's going on?"
"I love you, John." Sherlock said resting their foreheads together. "You're everything. You know that, right?"
"Yes." John answered. "I know. But that doesn't actually explain what's gotten in to you. Is it about the work you're doing for Mycroft?"
"Sort of." Sherlock sighed. "I'm doing this for us, John."
"Doing what?" John asked feeling his anxiety level jump.
"It should only be for a few months." Sherlock rushed. "No more than four or five. But this case is incredibly important and I have to go."
"Five months?" John asked dazedly. "You're going away for a case?"
"We'll talk every day." Sherlock continued. "IM, phone calls, texts, whatever you want, but I have to go."
John studied his suffering boyfriend silently before pulling him into a gentle kiss. "It's that important?"
"Yes." Sherlock sighed.
"I'll miss you, you insufferable git." Attempting to force a smile on his boyfriend's tortured features.
He felt all of the tension drain out of the taller boy and he shifted so that Sherlock was lying curled tightly around him with that head of curls tucked under his chin.
"I love you, John." Sherlock said quietly.
"I love you too." John answered. "When do you leave?"
"Next week." Sherlock whispered.
"Alright." John said. "The picture book?"
"So you won't forget about me." Sherlock answered like it was the most logical thing in the world.
"I don't think that's even possible." John said quietly.
"Even so." Sherlock said firmly.
They both drifted off to sleep soon after that. John woke as the early morning light was filtering in his window and felt his heart swell at the feel of Sherlock still tucked impossibly close to him breathing deeply in soothing sleep.
0000000000000000000
JW: Call your mother. She's frantic.
SH: I'm much too busy right now.
JW: CALL YOUR MOTHER. If you have time to text me twenty times a day, you can call the woman who spent twenty-seven hours in labor shoving your arse into the world.
SH: John…
JW: That's right. She told me. While she was crying into the phone. Call her.
SH: Fine.
JW: Thank you.
SH: How are classes?
JW: A lot less terrifying than I had envisioned. There's a ton of papers, but it's interesting.
SH: Sounds dull.
JW: I'm much too busy to be dull. What about you?
SH: I spent an entire week in the basement of a bordello.
JW: Why?
SH: Do you really want to know?
JW: Ya know what. No. I really don't.
SH: Just as well. I couldn't tell you anyway.
JW: Your brother's incredibly obsessed with that whole "need to know" philosophy.
SH: He's completely insufferable.
JW: He's not so bad. He showed up last week and took me out for a pint.
SH: I'm going to kill him.
JW: …Why?...
SH: Because he gets to see you and I don't.
JW: How much longer? It's been four months already.
SH: I know. I'm sorry. Things are taking a bit longer than I had anticipated.
JW: I'm a fucking saint, you know that right?
SH: Completely angelic…except when you're moaning as I suck you off…
JW: NO! I'm not doing this right now. I'm in the library, for fuck' sake.
SH: Come on, John. It's like a challenge. You love a challenge.
JW: Fuck off, you lusty giraffe. What do you want for Christmas?
SH: You in my bed, naked. Touching yourself as I watch.
JW: I hate you. If you don't stop, I'm signing off. I'm not walking back to my apartment with a hard-on. Again.
SH: Spoilsport.
JW: So, tell me. What tricks have you taught yourself today?
SH: I'm actually a fantastic grifter.
JW: A what?
SH: A grifter. A thief who steals things by manipulating their mark. It's easy once you turn their insecurities against them.
JW: Mycroft has created a monster.
SH: A highly proficient one. At least give credit where it's due.
JW: I miss you.
SH: Same here.
JW: Don't get me wrong, you're incredibly brilliant, but why exactly did Mycroft need you to do this. Surely he has hundreds of other people at his disposal.
SH: The situation demanded it. It was the most logical solution.
JW: Hang logic, I'm incredibly lonely and horny as fuck without you here.
SH: I knew it.
JW: Of course you knew it. What I want is for you to fix it.
SH: The minute this entire mess is cleaned up, we'll spend an entire month in bed. Just you, me, and my chemistry set.
JW: …Seriously, I'm a fucking saint.
SH: Fuck, I have to go. The pizza's done and I still have to break into the safe before the poetry reading wraps up.
JW: You make no sense.
SH: I love you.
JW: I love you. Be careful.
SH: Always.
SH signed out.