John was bored.

He'd only been at the conference for a half a day- he still had the rest of the afternoon to go. In fairness the speakers were interesting and he was learning a lot but the hanging around was driving him mad. He started flicking through the contacts in his phone as he poked at the sad canteen salad he had ordered for his lunch. He could text Sherlock, but he'd likely not be interested in hearing about Dr Barnett's slideshow. There was always Harry but given it was a Monday at noon she'd be at work. He stared at Greg's name for a long time. Before all this had happened he might have rung him. Just to chat. But now...

"I'm sorry, this probably sounds ridiculous, but have we met before?"

John looked up at the source of the soft scottish brogue. The man did look familiar, perhaps in his late 30s, fair and slim with twinkling blue eyes behind square glasses.

"My name's David McDonald, I work in paediatrics at Barts."

It fell into place. "Oh right. John, John Watson. I don't think we've actually met but I've seen you at Barts a few times."

"Oh I'm so sorry, do you work there too? How embarrassing not to recognise a colleague..."

"No I don't work there. I just... well... I sometimes help on some police investigations so I end up in the morgue there quite a bit"

"Oh, interesting, you're a police pathologist."

"No, not exactly. It's a bit difficult to explain."

"Sounds much more interesting than reading the lunch menu again. May I?"

"Of course"

John looked at David as he sat down. It was a nice feeling, someone being interested in him. It wasn't going to last though.

"Well, have you heard of Sherlock Holmes?"

"Of course... oh you're that John Watson."

"Yes that's right."

John braced himself for the barrage of Sherlock related questions. "What's it like to work with him?" "Is he really that smart?" or the occasional "Is he single?"

"So you were in Afghanistan? I was there myself for a while with Medicins San Frontiers, in Jalalabad. Where were you?"

"Mainly near Kandahar."

"I have to say I couldn't do what you did. I was terrified enough being in the hospital there let alone going out into the front line."

"Looking after those poor kids though, I saw some of the damage IEDs could do to full grown men let alone children..."

And so they went on. The conversation turned mercifully quickly to other topics (it turned out David vaguely knew Sarah when they were junior doctors and was a keen rugby fan) and they were soon chatting like old friends. John couldn't quite believe it. David had barely batted an eyelid at Sherlock's name. The salad sat untouched for the next twenty minutes as John repeatedly picked up the fork but was too busy responding to David's questions to get it full of food and to his mouth.

In a rare pause David glanced at his watch "Oh, look at the time, we'll be late for the afternoon session. Which one are you going to?"

John looked round. Without him noticing the canteen had emptied, leaving him and David the last at their seats.

"I was going to go to Dr. Hopkinson."

"Oh great, me too."

They snuck into the back of the lecture theatre just after the talk had started, earning them some huffs and stern looks. They grinned at each other and shuffled into the back row.

It turned out they were in the same sessions all afternoon. They chatted to each other in the coffee breaks, swapping stories from their junior doctor days, their favourite films and the irritations of London public transport. At the end of the final session David suggested some dinner at a place he knew round the corner and John readily agreed. It had been a long afternoon and he was starving. Taking in all the information about so may topics, geriatrics, oncology, diseases of the liver... John felt a tug in his mind. Something wasn't adding up. It wasn't until he and David had sat down and ordered their food at the little neighbourhood italian that David had suggested that John realised what it was.

"David?"

"Mmm? Oh this garlic bread is always so good..."

"You said you work in paediatrics?"

"Yes?"

"So why did you go to Dr Rosenbergs lecture? Or Doctor Stephan's come to that? I can't imagine many eight year olds get arthritis or have alcohol related liver disease?"

David blushed and looked down.

"Sorry, I've not been very subtle have I? I thought if we kept talking you'd be more likely to say yes when I asked you out for dinner..."

John's eyebrows jumped up to his hairline. "What?"

David's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh I'm so sorry. I read it totally wrong. You're probably not even gay are you? Listen, forget about it. We'll just have a pizza as friends, colleagues, right? I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

John blinked. So David had been flirting with him? Looking back it seemed obvious, certainly John knew his jokes weren't that funny but David had laughed at all of them anyway.

David looked acutely embarrassed, poking at the garlic bread on his plate. John wanted to say something but what could he say? Looking at him properly now David was very good looking, he was funny and interesting and easy to talk to. But he was a proper (John couldn't think of a better word) gay man whereas John had only just worked out that he might be Bi. David would want a relationship everything that went with it. John had no idea if he was ready for that. He took a deep breath and looked down, he wasn't sure he could look at David while he said this.

"David, you didn't read it wrong. But this... this is something I've only just started working out that I want. Really just in the last few weeks. You're great and I've really enjoyed spending time with you but, I wouldn't want to..." John struggled for the words "deceive you I suppose. I'm not sure what I want, or what I'm ready for. I wouldn't want you to... to waste your time."

John sighed. At least he'd been as truthful as he could. He'd only known David a few hours but he got the he'd respect that. He looked up, ready for the look of disappointment, or worse, sympathy. But David was smiling, nervously, but at least smiling.

"John, I'm sure an evening with you wouldn't be a waste of time on any terms. How about for tonight we just eat some pizza? If you're willing, maybe we can go on a date next week? We can go as slow as you like. I'm in no rush."

John couldn't quite take it in. After hearing how woefully unprepared he was for this David still wanted to go out with him? That was even more bizarre than him laughing at his jokes.

"I think I'd like that."

"Good, now I really would recommend eating the garlic bread while it's still warm. I've been coming here for years. The owner met my cousin when..."

And just like that, they were off again. One topic to the next. All awkwardness forgotten. By the time they'd finished the tiramisu John's sides ached with laughing. David walked with him to the main road and stood with John while he waited for a cab.

"So, how did I do? Did I convince you?"

"Convince me to what?"

"Go out with me next week."

John smiled. There it was again. That warm feeling of someone being interested in him, wanting to impress him, not Sherlock.

"I should say so, I haven't had that much fun in ages."

A cab drew up and John pulled open the door. He turned to say goodbye to David and found the man right up in his personal space. John was terrified for a moment that he was going to go in for a kiss, after everything they'd spoken about. But David just reached out his hand and took John's in a friendly handshake.

"Great, I'll look forward to it. Have a good night John."

"Yeah, you too."

John smiled as he settled into the cab seat, watching David wave him off. For something that wasn't a date, it felt like the best date he'd had in a long time...