A/N: Warning for sex! Thanks for reading, please review!
John taps the booklet sitting on his desk. He purses his lips, deep in thought. This is possibly the last chance he'll have to think about this, for the papers and documents need to be in in a few days.
He looks back at the booklet. The soldier on the cover is standing still, just staring blankly at the camera. He's flipped through the book a thousand times and he still doesn't have a decision.
It'd be cheaper than med school, probably. He can make a career of it.
But he's always wanted to be a doctor, ever since he was a young child. Then again, he's also always wanted to be a soldier.
He needs a non-biased person to tell him what to do. His friends and family will all tell him to stay, but he wants someone who can see both sides, someone who can help him see what he wants the most in life. So John gets out his wallet and shifts old receipts and cash around for the card of his school's counselor.
With a deep breath, John dials her number and waits while it rings.
She picks up on the fourth ring.
"Uh… hello?" she answers.
John chuckles. "Hello, Mrs. Steele? This is John Watson."
"Oh, John!" she cries. "How are you John? What can I do for you?"
"I'm good, I'm good. I just… need a bit of help, if you don't mind? If it isn't any trouble."
"Of course it's no trouble, John. Is it… did you want to chat over the phone or is this an in-person problem?"
"Actually, in person would be nice."
"Okay. Coffee?"
John agrees on a place to meet, so as soon as he hangs up the phone, he slips his shoes on and walks out the door.
John waits at the café for five minutes before Mrs. Steele arrives. She's pulling a very angry girl behind her and John can't help but laugh.
She enters the café and ushers the little girl to the table where John is sitting.
"John, I'm sorry. This is Miriam, my daughter. She's clearly unhappy."
"Very unhappy," Miriam corrects.
John laughs again. "No problem. Nice to meet you, Miriam."
The little girl just huffs and sits down.
John goes to the counter to order two coffees and a chocolate milk, and when he returns Mrs. Steele gets right down to business.
"So you're unsure of what to do about school, then?"
John chuckles. "How did you know?"
"All of you are unsure. What's Sherlock doing? I heard about his… incident. How is he?"
"He's good. He's really good. He had a lot of trouble when he returned, we had some trouble, but he's great."
"That's good," Mrs. Steele says. "So what's the ultimate problem, then? Not sure whether to go with him or to your own uni?"
"Actually…" John is cut off by the waiter bringing their drinks. After thanks and Miriam getting a straw for her milk, Mrs. Steele asks John to continue. "Anyway, it's between uni and the military."
"The military? Wow, I'm impressed, John."
"Impressed?" John asks, perplexed. "Why?"
"The military is obviously something not everyone is willing to do. And to leave your mate, that's another thing."
"So you see my dilemma."
"Sherlock can't sway your entire decision, can he? I mean, there must be fear? Uneasiness?"
John shakes his head. "I'm not all that scared."
"Then you must know what the answer is already."
John sighs. "But I've always wanted to go to medical school."
"So do both."
John looks up at her from his coffee. "What?"
"Med school, then military. They don't pass up doctors, John, no matter how old you are when you join."
"Do you really think that's what I should do?"
"Considering the inner debate you're having about which to do, yes I think that's the solution. Do you feel right about that?"
John takes a slow, deep breath. "Actually, I do."
Mrs. Steele smiles at him from across the table. "Well, problem solved. Tell me about the rest of your summer."
John whistles the entire way home. He's so happy with his meeting, he's happy with his decision, and he's happy with everything. All he wants to do is grab his clean clothes from home and get to Sherlock.
The atmosphere is weird when he gets home. Something unhappy is lingering in the house and he immediately feels weird upon entering.
"Uh… anyone here?"
Harry stomps into the sitting room and suddenly a book is being thrown at him.
"Hey!" John shouts.
"You're just fucking like him!"
John picks up the military booklet from the ground. "What the fuck are you talking about?"
"You're just like that freakin' monster who ruined us, John! Following in daddy's footsteps to be a better fucking man?!" With that, Harry weakly punches his chest.
John grabs her arms. "This isn't about him!"
"Oh stuff it! Its always been about him to you!" She breaks free from his grip and steps far away from him.
"I don't want to join because of him, I want to join for me. I want this Harry, and you have no idea how hard this decision has been."
"So you're just going to run away and leave everyone here? Leave mum, leave Sherlock?"
John rubs his eyes. "Harry, you don't understand-"
"You just want to be more like him."
"Oh, and you don't. Drink yourself half to death every night? The military was the only good decision he made and if that is the only thing that makes me like him then fine. So be it."
John turns towards the front door, forgetting about his clothes and instead just wanting to get to Sherlock as quickly as possible.
He reaches for the doorknob before Harry speaks up. "You'd better spare Sherlock before you turn completely into him."
John is in her face in a flash. He's so angry that he wants to yell, he wants to make her cry, but he simply whispers to her.
"Don't you ever fucking dare imply that I'm ever going to hurt Sherlock, do you understand me? Don't you fucking dare."
She looks like she's about to cry, and John feels bad about being the one to make his sister cry, but what she says is unforgivable. He leaves the house before they can exchange anything more.
Clement directs John upstairs when he enters the house. He runs straight to Sherlock's room and doesn't knock before entering.
Sherlock's laying on his bed, but he sits up when John enters.
"John?"
John marches over, climbs onto the bed, and straddles Sherlock's thighs.
He grabs Sherlock's face with both hands; Sherlock's eyes grow wide.
"You know I'll never hurt you, right? You know I'm never, ever going to hurt you?"
Sherlock nods. "I know."
"And you know I'm never going to be anything at all like… like my father."
"Yes, of course."
John feels Sherlock's hands on his back. John's hands shift to tug the end of his hair. He stares at Sherlock's face; his expression is so open and John wonders how someone can be so beautiful.
"You are so beautiful."
Sherlock licks his lips. John can't stop himself from kissing Sherlock, and Sherlock kisses back just as eagerly.
They kiss hotly for long minutes, John's hands tugging Sherlock's hair, Sherlock's hands shifting over John's back. Their tongues swirl smoothly and Sherlock moans into John's mouth.
John's brain snaps back to reality; they haven't had sex other than Sherlock wanking John once or twice, so John knows they need to slow down.
Just as John is about to get off Sherlock, Sherlock unzips and unbuttons John's jeans.
"Uh… Sherlock-"
"I want you, John."
"You do?"
Sherlock bites John's neck, then flips John over onto his back.
They shed their clothes quickly, and Sherlock gets the lube from his bathroom.
"Are you sure about this?" John asks as Sherlock climbs onto the bed to kneel between his thighs.
Sherlock nods, his hand slipping down between John's legs.
"Are you sure?" Sherlock asks.
"Yes, but-"
Sherlock kisses John slowly. "Then shush," he demands, reaching for the lube.
John laughs, so Sherlock kisses him again, laughing against his lips.
Once John is ready and begging for Sherlock to get on with it, he feels the head of Sherlock's cock against his hole.
"God, Sherlock… yes…"
Sherlock licks his ear and presses in.
John moans. "I missed you…"
"John…" Sherlock sighs, sounding distressed. His head snaps up and he stares down at John. He looks panicked, scared, vulnerable.
"Hey, hey," John cradles Sherlock's face. "Relax. You're okay, baby."
Sherlock takes a deep breath, then he kisses John and pushes in more.
In slow minutes, Sherlock builds up a steady rhythm and moans with each thrust. John cries out, purely in joy, but he's still worried about Sherlock. He doesn't want to hurt Sherlock, for Sherlock to be hurt by this, but he feels so good.
Sherlock reaches between them for John's cock, at the same time letting out a deep groan and John feels him coming deep. John's own orgasm approaches almost instantly, and he clutches Sherlock so tightly that he's afraid he's broken Sherlock.
Sherlock pulls out and slumps down, resting his head on John's chest. John runs a hand through his hair.
"I love you," John whispers into Sherlock's damp curls.
Sherlock lifts his head to look at John. "I love you so much, John."
John hugs him tight, loving the feel of Sherlock's weight on top of him more than the feeling John just gave him.
John thinks about telling Sherlock his plan now, but he's so content and he doesn't want Sherlock to feel upset, so he closes his eyes and holds Sherlock tight while they takes a long nap.