For some reason, James had been out of the flat most of the day yesterday and only returned in the middle of the night. As James got into bed, John stirred and woke up just enough to shift accordingly before falling back asleep. The next morning, he arose to find James was gone again. John just figured that he could function on less sleep than normal human beings – sort of like how Sherlock could, although it was clear that James had a much more rhythmic cycle of sleeping than Sherlock ever would. Slowly, John got ready for the day. Just as he had finished his mourning routine, he heard the front door open. He peeked his head out from the bedroom to find James walking in with two full bags.

"No work today?" John prompted as he yanked on his jumper and headed out into the living room.

Shaking his head, James responded, "I finished everything that needed to be done yesterday. I thought that I might as well fulfil my promise of watching at least an hour of one of these movies with you."

At first, John was going to ask James what on Earth he was talking about, but when he saw a Bond DVD cover through the plastic of one of the bags, everything pieced together in his mind. The movie marathon he had been promised what felt like ages ago. It had only actually been four days, but what with the bombing, he hadn't paid much attention. And yet James had remembered. Not only had he remembered, but he had taken the initiative to retrieve the DVDs that John had talked about. John couldn't help the warmth that filled his chest, no matter how he might despise it.

Shifting slightly, James held out the bags. "Pick your poison," he stated.

John took the bags from James's hands and headed over to the coffee table, setting them down. As he sorted through them, he said, "You didn't have to do this, you know. I'm sure you noticed that I completely forgot about the deal we made. After the explosion… well, you know…" John's voice trailed as he pushed that memory to the back of his mind. If he was still having night terrors, James hadn't said a word.

"I am a man of my word," James responded, sounding a bit bored. "So pick one out. We might as well get this over with."

Grabbing Goldfinger, John replied, "You have to keep an open mind. Who knows? Maybe you might come to love it. And then you'll have to eat your words."

James scoffed as he flopped onto the sofa. "I highly doubt that. As I said before, impossible physics and awful, cliché plotlines hardly interest me."

"Open mind," John reiterated as he headed over to the television and looked for a DVD player. There was none. "Um, James…" he started to say.

"Xbox also serves as a DVD player," James said, sounding a bit bored.

John poked the open button and watched as the machine came to life. Setting the disc inside, he closed it and headed back to the sofa. James already had a controller in his hands. John flopped down onto the sofa, rather excited about this. After all, he was going to watch a Bond movie with someone who hadn't seen it before and wouldn't call out every inconsistency the moment it happened. The movie started, and John was automatically engaged. He didn't think he would ever get tired of re-watching the Bond movies. After all, they had everything a movie would need: action, sometimes romance, other times plain lust, and a great amount of danger. He watched it with interest, though he couldn't help but glance over at James every now and again to gauge his reaction. More than anything, he wanted James to actually enjoy this. Hell, maybe even admit that he was wrong and watch another film. As time passed, James began to shift and squirm. John had seen that before when Sherlock was watching a Bond movie. It had happened right before Sherlock pulled out his laptop and began to update his blog. Slowly but surely, James was becoming bored.

John wanted nothing more than to fix it for him. Getting up, he saw James glance over at him, and he motioned towards the kitchen in explanation. James nodded in response and turned back to the film as John headed over to the pantry. Popcorn might help the situation. It would at least give James something to do. Quickly, he tossed a bag into the microwave and started it before heading over to the refrigerator to get something to drink. He opened the fridge and scanned down. Much to his surprise, he found a can of whipped cream sitting inside. He stared at it for a long moment. After all, he had asked again and again for whipped cream on the shopping list only to never receive it.

"You finally got whipped cream?" John called out, pulling the can out of the refrigerator.

James didn't look back as he said, "I didn't buy you whipped cream because I hate it. I wouldn't know what to do with it if you didn't eat it all. But you just kept requesting it, I figured that you were serious about wanting whipped cream."

"You hate whipped cream?" he inquired as he shook the can. "That's impossible."

Scoffing, James replied, "I assure you that it is most possible for me to hate whipped cream. It tastes disgusting."

John blinked as he heard this. Suddenly, an idea washed over him. An idea that he couldn't quite shake no matter how much he might want to. "Oh, James, I'm afraid you're mistaken," he responded matter-of-factly. He slowly strolled back over to the sofa. "You don't have to eat whipped cream in order to enjoy it. There are plenty of other ways to enjoy whipped cream."

James looked back at him in surprise and a touch of confusion. Popping the top off, John quickly placed a dot on James's nose. Just as James went to object, John leaned down and licked it away before grinning. A second passed between the two of them before James's eyes widened in realisation. "Now that is interesting," he hummed, smirking. "I suppose that I might be persuaded to inform you that I was wrong. But I'm afraid that you're going to have to try a bit harder than that."

Raising an eyebrow, John clambered over the sofa and straddled him. "Oh, I ensure you that that was only the beginning." He grinned mischievously. "But first, you're going to have to strip."

Much to his surprise, James didn't argue with him. Instead, his hands shifted up to his shirt, and he began to slowly unbutton it. John watched eagerly as more skin was revealed. Subconsciously, he licked his lips and only realised he had done so after he saw James smirk. Flushing slightly, John dipped down and kissed him. Immediately, James opened his mouth, allowing John slip inside. John hummed in satisfaction as he explored James's mouth carefully and precisely before pulling back. James shifted up enough to remove his shirt before relaxing into the sofa. By now, the movie had become just background noise.

"Trousers, too?" he pressed, grinding up. John gasped when he felt James's erection press into him. "Because that might be a little hard, considering our position."

Rolling his eyes, John got off James entirely. "Trousers, too."

James reached down and slowly unbuttoned them before sliding them off centimetre by centimetre. His pants were tented from his erection, and John swallowed involuntarily as he looked down at them. Quickly, his eyes flickered back up to James's face. James was smirking still. "And the pants?"

"And the pants," John confirmed.

James thrust his hips up on purpose as he slid the pants down. His erection sprang out proudly. As soon as the pants were down, John moved over only for James to shove him back. "No. You're not allowed to touch me until you are just as naked as I am," he objected.

Grumbling under his breath, John set the can of whipped cream on the table before he quickly stripped himself of his clothing. Unlike James, he didn't make a show of it. By now, he was too aroused to just take his time. Besides, he needed this. After what happened during their last coupling, he needed to be in control. James probably already knew this, and that's why he didn't object to John taking over for once. Once naked, he reached over and snatched up the whipped cream. "Wherever you want me to lick, mark it. And do your best not to cover your whole body. If you get me sick, I'll never want whipped cream again, and then we'll never be able to do this again either. And you don't want that, do you?"

"I've yet to decide on that matter," James jested as he took the can. Without a word, John knelt down next to the sofa and watched. James sprayed a small line by his Adam's apple and another one on his clavicle. Two dots marked his nipples and one his belly button. And then he paused above his cock and murmured, "Do I really have to go so far, or is it obvious by now?"

"Humour me," John responded earnestly, waiting for James to make his move.

James shook his head and sprayed a stripe up the length of his cock. "Better move fast," he warned, grinning up at John.

John, of course, needed no other invitation. Instantly, he scooted up and descended upon James's neck. He carefully licked away the bit of whipped cream there, moaning as he tasted it, before nipping teasingly at James's skin. Despite himself, James let his breath hitch at the feeling of teeth against his skin. After a few more laps to ensure that the neck was clean, John shifted down and nibbled at the whipped cream on James's clavicle, making sure to graze the skin in the process. James gasped softly and let his head fall back, much to John's pleasure. It was always nice to get a response, knowing that James tried so hard to keep everything to himself only to fail. He then dragged his tongue across the entirety of the bone, eating what was left. James's breathing by now had become somewhat uneven. John bit at the skin, and James's hips shifted forward a touch. After a moment of processing everything, John bit down onto James's shoulder.

"Oh, fuck!" James exclaimed, going rigid.

At first, John worried he might have misinterpreted everything. He had thought that James might not actually like it a little rough. That maybe James didn't want to be marked or claimed somehow in return. But after he pulled back and saw the look of unadulterated lust on James's face, he knew that his guess had been right. He gently kissed the mark he just made before shifting down. Already, the whipped cream was starting to melt a bit, forcing John to lick up what was trailing down James's sides before proceeding. Latching onto one nipple, he sucked the whipped cream away before nibbling at it until it became erect. He quickly shifted over to the other one and repeated the process. Only this time, his hand lightly pinched and teased the other one. James arched his back, letting out a soft, low moan of appreciation. Smirking, John released the nipples before kissing his way down James's chest and stomach. He hovered above the filled belly button and glanced up at James for but a second. The whipped cream was now partly melted inside his belly button. Lightly, he flicked his tongue out and barely touched the top of the whipped cream with it. His eyes remained locked on James's face as he slowly dipped his tongue entirely inside and lapped the whipped cream up. Instead of finding James staring down at him with half-lidded eyes and his mouth slightly dropped, John found a man on the verge of laughter. Then suddenly, he began to giggle. John froze a moment, not understanding and a bit hurt by the response.

"Ticklish," James explained. "Didn't know until now."

Pride restored, John smirked before licking the inside of his belly button more. James started laughing hysterically as he did so, asking John to stop. He thrashed underneath John as he pinned him down. Hands braced against John's shoulder, he pushed down in an attempt to get John off him. The attempt was feeble as his body wracked with laughter. Suddenly, he thrust his hips up in an attempt to throw John off. John remained firmly locked, however, bound and determined to finish what he started. Once he could barely taste the whipped cream anymore, he complied with the wish. James was gasping for breath now, and he tried his best to glare down at John only to fail.

"Something to say?" John pressed.

"You're a git."

Raising an eyebrow, John clambered onto the sofa, positioned himself between James's legs, and replied, "A git who's about to suck your cock."

James looked like he was about to retort when John dragged his tongue across the glans. After that point, it seemed that James lost his train of thought, his hands flying down to lace themselves in John's hair. The whipped cream had half-melted, dripping down James's cock and onto his balls and inner thighs. Swooping down, John quickly cleaned up what was dripping, causing James to moan and spread his legs that much further. He shifted back up to James's erection and slowly licked from top to bottom, only removing about a centimetre of whipped cream with every swipe. By the time he reached the base, James was practically humping the air. His hands tightened in John's hair, and he couldn't help but smile as he watched James fight for control over his body. Slowly, he shifted up and wrapped his lips around James's cock before sliding halfway down and sucking up. James let out another small moan and bucked up, causing John to pull off entirely.

"Not this time," he stated. "This time, I get to suck you as I want."

James groaned as he heard this, but he relented nonetheless. His hands left John's hair gripped the sofa underneath him as John resumed sucking. Going down only halfway required for him to make up for the missing distance with one hand. In the meantime, his other hand began to fondle and knead James's bollocks. James arched his back in order to keep himself from thrusting as John did so. John poked the tip of his tongue at the slit of James's erection before sinking back down. This time, however, he went all the way to the bottom and used a bit of teeth as he dragged up the shaft. James went rigid underneath John, and he felt James twitch in his mouth. He was getting close to the edge. Wanting nothing more than to see James tip over, John slammed his mouth down to the base again and swallowed around James's cock, causing his mouth and throat to constrict around it. James shook underneath John, and John repeated the movement once more.

"J-John," James called out breathlessly.

He knew exactly what was trying to be conveyed. Giving a rough suck up, he used his teeth again. James went tense underneath him before screaming as he came into John's mouth. Instinctively, John swallowed the bitter seed as he continued to suck James through his orgasm. As soon as he was spent, James collapsed into the sofa. He was panting and dishevelled, and it looked incredibly fitting. Smirking, John lapped at what was left over before pulling up and away. He spat in his own hand and sat back, idly stroking his own erection as he watched James try to regain himself.

"So? Do you hate whipped cream now?"

Chuckling, James answered, "It still tastes awful."

"But do you hate it?" John pressed.

A moment of silence passed between them before James murmured, "No. I don't hate it anymore."

John smiled smugly as he heard this. So he had won, although that hardly came as a surprise anymore. Suddenly, James leaned forward and batted John's hand away from his own erection. He gave it a few strokes, and John gasped, leaning back and bucking up into James's hand. A pair of teeth grazed at his exposed neck, and he reached up to lace his fingers through James's hair. Meanwhile, his hips found a nice rhythm. James stilled his hand and tightened it, allowing John to have control and fuck it as he pleased Their lips met, and the kiss was surprisingly tender. Their tongues swiped at each other before sliding past. Neither of them fought for dominance, as that was not what this was about. Of course, John wasn't entirely sure anymore what it was about, but he was hardly going to complain.

James gave a twist of his wrist before swiping his thumb across the sensitive glans, causing John to let out a muffled moan. His next thrust came a bit harder and faster than the previous ones, prompting James to repeat the action. Before he knew it, John was practically screaming into the kiss and coming hard into James's hand. Their mouths broke apart, both of them panting. Glancing over at the telly, John noticed that they had missed a good half an hour of the movie. He let out a sigh and glanced back to find James watching the television with a little more interest this time.

"We might have to watch Bond a bit more often if it makes you this assertive and adventurous," James declared somewhat jokingly. He looked back over at John with a bright smile.

John scoffed. "You should have told me earlier that you wanted someone more assertive. How was I to know? After all, you have a tendency to just take over a situation. Actually, I believe you once said something about preferring to act before needing to react."

"It wouldn't kill you to try to take over every now and again, though," James pointed out, his mind obviously clearing up from the haze of hormones. Even his eyes were becoming a bit clearer. "Keep me on my toes."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Do that," James ordered lightly before shifting uncomfortably. "I need to take a shower."

John smirked slightly as he heard this. "Go for it then. But you owe me an hour of Bond after you get out. I'm holding you to your promise, James, whether you like it or not."

"I owe you a half an hour of Bond at the most. I will have you know that I did manage to get through an obscene amount before you, may I point out, decided to change the activity from movie watching to sex."

James had a point with that one. Not even John could deny that. "Forty minutes."

"Thirty-five," James negotiated.

"Thirty-five and Italian for dinner," John countered, seeing how far he could push this. Besides, he had been craving Italian for the last couple of days. It was just one of those random urges he got now that he wasn't in total control of his own meals.

James pressed his lips together for a long moment, as if he was seriously debating whether or not to agree. Of course, John knew that it was all an act. Italian take away was hardly a hassle for James. After a long moment of silence, James conceded, "Fine. But you have to call it in."

"Why me?" John inquired, more interested in the answer than put-off by the request.

Shrugging, James responded, "I have my reasons. You order the food, and we have a deal."

"Deal," John gave in, his curiosity growing. "Will you ever tell me why you're forcing me to order?"

James shrugged as he rose to his feet. "Maybe. Maybe not. Could be that you figure it out all by yourself. Could be that someone else tells you. Who knows? I have faith in you, though. I think you could work it out on your own if you really wanted to." With that, he stretched and headed off to the bathroom.

John watched the door shut before he let himself get lost in his thoughts. What was the point of James letting him order dinner? Maybe it had something to do with Mycroft. But that would be assuming that Mycroft had the time and resources to bug all of the restaurants in London, which John was sure he didn't. So then maybe it was to goad Mycroft later on, once John was released. After all, James had used that excuse all the other times he took John out.

Suddenly, it hit him. John stared at nothing for a long moment as the thought drifted over his consciousness. James was making a statement, but not to Mycroft. No. This wasn't about Mycroft anymore. He was making a point to John. This was a mark of trust. Heart swelling, John couldn't help but smile softly as he realised what was going on. James trusted him to not try to escape, and that meant a lot to John. After all, James couldn't even trust his employees. Save for Moran, of course. But he felt like he could trust John. And that very fact also pained John as he remembered that this was all temporary. That his time here at this flat would expire, and it wouldn't matter how much James came to trust him. He would be returned home to 221B, and everything he had gained here would be lost. But then again, he would have Sherlock and Mrs Hudson back. He would get to travel wherever whenever and enjoy his banter with Lestrade and his work at the clinic again. Besides, he wouldn't want to be kept for the rest of his life. That much he was sure on. Even so, he wished there was a way to merge both lives. With a sigh, John buried his face in his hands and cursed himself once more for falling in love with such a complicated man.