From "Let You Kiss Me." Mostly, of course, I want to know what happens next ...
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"How about..." John walks over to the sofa, sits on the vacant cushion. "Just ask me to stay."
"It's a very short-term answer," Sherlock says, turning towards John. "People stay as long as there is personal incentive for them. My expressed wish for you to stay would only influence your decisions until a more pressing emotional connection was formed with someone else."
"Maybe you should man up," John hears himself say. "Maybe you should be the one I form an emotional connection with."
There's a breathy huff of laughter and then Sherlock freezes, head turned to John. "That wasn't a joke," he announces slowly.
Sherlock looks surprised, like before his eyes a penguin just turned pink and started singing Ave Maria. John doesn't miss the quick glance Sherlock shoots down at the arm with the nicotine patch, the split-second he takes to remind himself he's clean.
"I'm serious."
"John, I'm not--" Sherlock starts, and then, "There are many reasons--" and finally, "That's completely irrational."
"You like me," John replies. "You think I'm the least annoying person in London."
"I said the least annoying person I'd met. I really can't speak for the entire Greater London area." Sherlock frowns and adds, "I simply meant that I endure your company more easily than anyone else's. It wasn't a vow of undying adoration."
"And yet, you're sitting here concocting schemes to make me stay," John says, high on the impossibility of it all. "Let's make this easy. I like you and I'd be fine with kissing you on a regular basis. So tell me you like me and you want me to stay, and then kiss me."
"I think you're oversimplifying matters," Sherlock says but he doesn't sound unhappy about it. More… cautious.
"You just like everything being so complex you're the only one who can figure it out," John replies easily. "Try it. Worst that happens, you can go back to your Machiavellian plots."
"Niccolo Machiavelli would approve of a slight amount of deception for the greater good of all, but that's not what most people mean when they say Machiavellian."
"You're stalling," John teases.
Sherlock looks as if he's not sure if he should smile or not, but he wants to. "I'm thinking."
"Any time now."
"I spend more time with you than I ever anticipated spending with a flatmate and despite all facts that should suggest otherwise, I find myself…" Sherlock takes a deep breath, shaking his head. Then he meets John's eyes, leans forward and says, "I like you. Stay," and kisses John softly.
That's the sixth time Sherlock kisses him. After that, John stops counting.
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"How about..." John walks over to the sofa, sits on the vacant cushion. "Just ask me to stay."
"It's a very short-term answer," Sherlock says, turning towards John. "People stay as long as there is personal incentive for them. My expressed wish for you to stay would only influence your decisions until a more pressing emotional connection was formed with someone else."
"Maybe you should man up," John hears himself say. "Maybe you should be the one I form an emotional connection with."
There's a breathy huff of laughter and then Sherlock freezes, head turned to John. "That wasn't a joke," he announces slowly.
Sherlock looks surprised, like before his eyes a penguin just turned pink and started singing Ave Maria. John doesn't miss the quick glance Sherlock shoots down at the arm with the nicotine patch, the split-second he takes to remind himself he's clean.
"I'm serious."
"John, I'm not--" Sherlock starts, and then, "There are many reasons--" and finally, "That's completely irrational."
"You like me," John replies. "You think I'm the least annoying person in London."
"I said the least annoying person I'd met. I really can't speak for the entire Greater London area." Sherlock frowns and adds, "I simply meant that I endure your company more easily than anyone else's. It wasn't a vow of undying adoration."
"And yet, you're sitting here concocting schemes to make me stay," John says, high on the impossibility of it all. "Let's make this easy. I like you and I'd be fine with kissing you on a regular basis. So tell me you like me and you want me to stay, and then kiss me."
"I think you're oversimplifying matters," Sherlock says but he doesn't sound unhappy about it. More… cautious.
"You just like everything being so complex you're the only one who can figure it out," John replies easily. "Try it. Worst that happens, you can go back to your Machiavellian plots."
"Niccolo Machiavelli would approve of a slight amount of deception for the greater good of all, but that's not what most people mean when they say Machiavellian."
"You're stalling," John teases.
Sherlock looks as if he's not sure if he should smile or not, but he wants to. "I'm thinking."
"Any time now."
"I spend more time with you than I ever anticipated spending with a flatmate and despite all facts that should suggest otherwise, I find myself…" Sherlock takes a deep breath, shaking his head. Then he meets John's eyes, leans forward and says, "I like you. Stay," and kisses John softly.
That's the sixth time Sherlock kisses him. After that, John stops counting.