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It is a lovely morning, at least, as lovely as a regular summer morning in London can get. John walked into the kitchen/living room of their shared apartment, witnessing a rather strange Sherlock Homles walking up and down the room, seemingly waiting for something. When Sherlock noticed his sudden appearance, he slightly jumped and right after he cleared his throat, approaching Watson.
“Johnnn, you have risen from the sweet but firm grasp of dear sleep!” He said with a smile, lightly grabbing John’s good shoulder.
“Yes, I can see that, Sherlock” John replies with a soft smile; looking at Sherlock with a peaceful expression.
They locked eye contact for a moment. John was at peace; happy and Sherlock was surprised. After a good moment, Sherlock broke their eye contact, turning his face away to hide the slight blush on his face. He cleared his throat.
“So, if you don’t have anything to do today, Sherlock, I’d like if-” John brought his hand to scratch the back of his head.
“Shhh my dear Watson. There is no point in saying what you’re about to say because we have a mystery to solve!” He took a small letter from his pant pocket with a big smile, John frowned slightly.
“Oh, um, you know I thought that maybe we could do something else because it is my-” He tried again to make Sherlock listen to him however he was unsuccessful once again.
“Shhhhhhhh, listen!” Sherlock shushed him by bringing his index finger to John’s mouth. John seemed quite upset but quickly recovered due to Sherlock’s unusual energy levels. He was remarkably entertaining today.
Sherlock opened the letter and proceeded to read aloud its contents:
Dear Sherlock Holmes, there has been an issue with my mother. She always seems to be out of the house; only returning along with the sun and a new pair of flowers at hand. She also always mentions how much she loves spending time at parks. I and my father are very confused about this phenomenon. I would like to come by your office however I am considerably ill at the moment, resulting in me not being able to stray too far off my residence. All of this to say that I would very much like for us to meet at the famous restaurant on Oxford Street on 8 p.m. I will be attending our little gathering with my father. The bill is on us, naturally. If you want to bring anyone you believe can help with our particular case, we would be honored to have them as well.
Kolrehs Semloh
“Well, who knows what that woman might be up to! John, will you be coming with me? Something’s telling me that this mystery is going to be a fun one!” Sherlock is so excited that if he were to play the violin, he would for sure break it.
John exhaled calmly before answering. “Okay Sherlock, you seem very greatly excited for this particular case. It would be disgraceful of me to not come along” He smiled softly and crossed his arms, watching Sherlock intently.
John could see Sherlock’s eyes sparkle with excitement.
“Thar’s correct! Now, please get ready for our little excursion” Sherlock stated, putting the letter back in his pocket and reaching for his trench coat. Only halting at John’s unexpected protest.
“Wait, Sherlock, where are we going? It is still 10 in the morning! Plus, we haven’t eaten breakfast nor drunk tea yet!”
Sherlock stopped to contemplate John’s argument. After about π seconds later, with a sigh of defeat, he retorted back: “You are right John; however, I really want to go out now! It appears as though the sun will pay a visit soon”
John sighed “Can’t we eat something first? Do we really need to leave this instant?” Defeated, he turned to leave for his bedroom to get ready when he heard Sherlock taking off his trench coat and hanging it on the coat rack.
“No, no, you are absolutely correct. For someone to be able to work at their fullest potential they must not be hungry. Let’s eat first” He warmly smiled at this companion, making them exchange smiles.
And so, they ate a wonderful meal for breakfast. It was something close to what they ate when they celebrated something. That fact made Watson ask Sherlock what the occasion is today. Holmes just answered that Mrs. Hudson happened to just have a good day today; henceforth the better than usual breakfast.
“Well, that was an outstanding treat, wasn’t it?” Sherlock hastily stood up, running for his coat once again. John hummed in agreement and went to get ready himself.
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“Well Sherlock, if I may ask, where exactly are we going?” Watson questioned while walking besides Sherlock. The weather today was rather cloudy; still, it showed some signs of the sun coming out for a visit. John would greatly appreciate that if it were to happen.
“Considering that the woman we are looking for lives somewhere along Oxford Street, we shall stroll around the aforementioned street for now; looking around for a place where a woman might want to spend her hours. Of course, we will also get ready for the dinner at the restaurant and since I am bringing you along, whatever you want to buy to get ready is on me” John, refocused his focus on Sherlock after previously observing the still cloudy sky. Sherlock fixated his gaze on Watson at that last part, having an inviting smile on his face.
“Sherlock it is fine, you don’t have to pay for anything. I want to come of my own volition anyways, plus, it is my-” Talking with his hands, Watson tried to reason with Holmes.
Holmes bumped into Watson hard when a dirty kid pushed him his direction, cutting John off. Catching his balance off guard, Watson nearly fell himself, yet, he was able to catch both himself and Sherlock. Perhaps the military doctor instincts woke up from their slumber?
“Sorry good Sirs!!!” The kid shouted while running away to who knows where. Some kids nearby -like the one that pushed them- were laughing hysterically.
“Sherlock are you okay?” John asked -with a hint of worry in his tone-, still holding Holmes in his arms.
“Yes, I am perfectly fine” Sherlock cleared his throat trying to calm down his nerves.
…
“You know you can get off me now?” Watson playfully asked, Sherlock stilled for a millisecond, only after jumping off John’s grasp.
“Yes, you are right” He put his hands in his coat pockets, looking away. “I swear what criminals? These pesky children will be the death of me!” Sherlock lightly joked and they continued on their way.
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“John, would you like some ice cream! I see a man selling some over there!” Sherlock exclaimed. He seemed really active today, that put a smile on his face; he was glad.
“You know my stand on ice cream, but, let’s say today I can make an exception” John stated.
“Then come on! The man is leaving!” Sherlock originally went to firmly grab John’s hand, but instead opted tugging at John’s sleeve, forcing him to ran with him to get ice cream.
A lot of people side eyed the two.
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Taking their ice cream, they walked to a nearby park. It had lots of tall trees and greenery that didn’t really look green under this cloudy weather, but rather green-greyish.
“You know Sherlock, this doesn’t really feel like an investigation-” John sheepishly admitted. Once more scratching the back of his neck and closing his eyes.
“Are you criticizing my methods, Watson?” Sherlock dramatically enquired, looking offended. “Are you perhaps spending too much time with officer Lestrade? I thought you were better than this” Sherlock faced away from John, looking at the newly formed awesome view.
Finally, London saw some sunlight.
They both stopped what they were doing to take in the gorgeous and alluring view. After a minute or so they resumed their little squabble.
“Haven’t seen a sun like this in weeks” John lowered his head to look at Sherlock and remembered what they were discussing beforehand. “Ah, no, Sherlock. I would never do that. it’s just that, the Sherlock that I perceive right now is miles away from the Sherlock that I observe when he investigates” John states teasingly, wiping his face with his handkerchief to clean any ice cream residue.
“Really?” Sherlock brought a hand to his face, looking troubled. John clears his throat.
“I didn’t say that it is a bad thing, you know, just different in its own unique way. Umm, oh! How about we go there, that part of the park has some pretty aesthetic flowers! Perhaps, the woman we are looking for could hang around there” John pointed at small meadow full of stunning white flowers.
“Affirmative, that could be a possibility” Sherlock lowered his hand however still thinking about something. John side-eyed him with a pang of concern
The flowers Watson was talking about were white Gardenia flowers. They took up a small part of the park, though one can say that they were the highlight of it.
“They are beautiful and smell superbly!” John lent down to smell them better. “They are astonishing” ‘Just like you’ Something in Sherlock’s brain thought it picked up.
Sherlock smiled faintly moving away; now sitting on a nearby bench.
“You don’t like them Sherlock?” John slowly stood up, taking his time before approaching Sherlock.
“Gardenia Jasminoides. Pretty dandy flowers, native to Asia and Africa. They love their warm climates. In spite of all that, I know them because of what they symbolize. They had been used in a murder of a couple I’ve read about. The murderer threw Gardenias at the partner they loved but didn’t have the guts to admit it to them before they got married with another” Sherlock looked at John with a bittersweet smile. Then, he moved his gaze at the flowers.
“Therefore, they symbolize secret love?” John inquired. Only innocence evident in his tone. He most likely didn’t understand his bittersweet smile. He sighed.
“Positive, one of their meanings is that. They also symbolize admiration, purity and innocence” Sherlock crossed his arms, still looking at the flowers.
“You didn’t answer my original question though. Do you like them?” John turned to face Holmes. Sherlock looked saddened for a moment, then he laughed in irony.
“Frankly, I don’t care about flowers. Sometimes they help solve a mystery and I appreciate them for that, however, that’s it” Sherlock abruptly stood up from the bench.
The cloud concealed once again the beaty of the sun, making everything greyish again.
“Regardless, if you like them, take one or two. It will liven up the place at home. They might also filter some of the pipe smoke” John stood as well.
“Honestly, I really favoured them! However, I fear that they might die if we just put them in water” Sherlock put his hands in his coat pockets while looking far away in the distance.
“We can ask Mrs. Hudson for how to take care of them, I am sure that she knows” Holmes shrugged. John put placed hand on his shoulder briefly.
“I’ll trust your judgment, Sherlock Holmes” John giggled and picked up two flowers. Sherlock scoffed.
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They briefly went back to their house to inquire about the flowers to Mrs. Hudson on how to take care of them. John -brightly smiling- closed the door to their apartment holding a pot with the two flowers planted inside of it.
“Mrs. Hudson said to let it bask in the morning sun behind a closed window. She also said to water it whenever the upper soil gets dry. Anyways, what’s next on the investigation list?” Watson asked a currently melting in his armchair Holmes.
“Are you okay?” John asked -his smile faltering slightly- while approaching him from the front of the armchair. “Do you have a fever or something else?” John set the pot on the nearby coffee table and raised his hand intending to touch Sherlock’s forehead to measure his temperature, but Sherlock suddenly stood up.
“No, I am fine, just a bit sleepy is all” Now that’s a bold lie, he was just thinking about what happened today and now is flustered. He really hopes it doesn’t show on his face.
“Are you certain?” Watson asked, a concerned look written all across his face.
“Quite confident” Holmes quietly exhaled. “Now, would you like to buy a new suit for this evening? Since your last got torn up in our last adventure.” Sherlock somberly cringed at the memory. “Bill’s on me, of course; because if I had acted faster, it wouldn’t have gotten torn” ‘nor would you had gotten hurt’ Sherlock scratched the back of his neck, feeling responsible for what had happened.
“Sherlock you don’t have to pay for that, it’s fine. I could had saved myself a week of unnecessary pain if I had been a tad bit more careful” Watson protested however Holmes didn’t hear a word.
“Come on, see it as a gift of appreciation for all the times you had to hear my violin without your own volition and for all those times you had to witness my peculiar experiments” Sherlock walked to the door and grabbed his trench coat off the rack, patiently waiting for Watson. Watson scoffed in amusement and stood up.
“Alright, I’ll come. But first let me find a good spot to put the flowers” John looked around, pondering about his current predicament. “How about the kitchen window? I believe it to be a lovely spot for the flowers!” John went to the aforementioned location and placed the flowers.
“I reckon they look great there, now, let’s go because we are running late. It is 3 p.m. already!” Sherlock noted and left through the door the moment Watson grabbed his coat.
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They walked for quite some time before they arrived at the clothing shop. Taking in the beaty of the city.
“Afternoon gentlemen, how could I help you today?” The employee approached them with a warm but tired smile.
John eyed Sherlock as if waiting for him to say something. Gut he didn’t, he didn’t know what Watson was looking for.
“I’d like a dull dark blue suit, please” John told the employee. The employee gestured in a direction inside the shop. “This way” He said, that smile never leaving his face. John followed him, making Sherlock wait at the registry. Of course, technically, he could follow them; however, something told him to not go.
After a rather extended amount of time, Watson appeared in front of Sherlock dressed in a dull navy-blue suit. It fit him perfectly. Too perfectly in a way.
“What do you think? I consider this suit looking really nice one me” John showed off the suit; chuckling slightly. Sherlock’s gaze was pinned on John’s figure. The only thing he could think was: beautiful, wonderful, magnificent, handsome, fascinating, flawless, awe-inspiring, the best being in the whole world-
“-lock? Sherlock! Okay, you seriously seem to not be fine” John waved a hand in front of Sherlock trying to catch his attention. The employee was by his side looking confused and worried as well.
“wha-what? I-…” Sherlock shook his head trying to come back to his senses. Okay, something is really wrong and he has an inkling as to what it is. However, now he could only clear his throat.
“Ugh, you are right. I feel somewhat unwell today” His head was spinning awfully. Who could have figured that the ‘machine’ Sherlock Holmes himself could feel those kinds of emotions. What kind of machine was he if he had the capacity to experience emotions? Not to mention these kinds of emotions.
Watson gave the employee a ‘thank you we are okay here’ look, resulting in him leaving the duo alone.
…
“Uh, to answer your original question, yes, this this suit goes well on you” He looked at Watson with that mask of a smile. He was experiencing everything on after the other both good and bad. This
mental roller-coaster of today’s was taking a toll on his phycological and mental stamina.
“And yes, let me pay so we can leave” Sherlock swiftly paid for the suit and waited outside for Watson to change so he can get some fresh air. That’s when his head cleared a bit. That’s when he got flustered about his thoughts moments before. What was he thinking? He could feel his heart beating faster, his breaths coming and going in a short irregular rhythm. That’s when his oh-so-right square logic decided to kick In. Same sex relationships are regarded as a mental illness and people are executed if they are found guilty of it. Simply put, it’s a death sentence. And even through all that, what are the actual chances John will reciprocate his love? At the end of the day, he is objectively annoying and-
He could feel the tears creeping in. Just how long had it been since the last time he cried? No, he can’t cry right here, right now. He is out in public, what will other say? Rumors can spread dangerously fast. Plus, what will John say when he-
“We can leave now! Thank you, Sherlock” John came out of the shop; happy but still looking worried. And when he took another look at Sherlock, his worry deepened.
“What happened Sherlock? You are worrying me today” He placed a hand on his mate’s shoulder.
Sherlock hadn’t cried; yet, his eyes were wide open and his breathing short and quick. He took a deep breath to calm down. John staring at him intently; full of concern.
“How about we go home first?” He answered with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes while looking at John. Watson’s expression full of worry and confusion, complied.
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Arriving home and ignoring the worried looks Mrs. Hudson gave them, they entered their apartment. First entered Sherlock with Watson following suit and closing the door behind him. Sherlock walked up to the coat rack and hung his coat, after that he walked a bit away from John and made sure he was fully turning away from him. John was standing in the doorway unmoving and silent.
John wouldn’t start the conversation, he knew better than that, he understood that Sherlock needed time. Sherlock -at this current instant in time- was tense as heck. A long and loud exhale was heard. Sherlock looked at the pot of flowers at the kitchen window and once more laughed in irony. Tears were creeping again, but he willed them to not drop -at least not now.
“Let me start off with admitting that there is no ‘Kolrehs Semloh’, it is just my wonderful name backwards” He turned around to face John whose gears where turning, made apparent by his troubled expression.
…
“Wait, don’t tell me you orchestrated this whole ‘mystery’ just to-” The realization in his eyes was obvious, Holmes warmly smiled.
“No, you wouldn’t do that-” John brought a hand to his mouth in surprise.
“Happy Birthday John Watson!” John spread his arms like a show host opening their show, not expecting the embrace that followed.
“Sherlock you are so sweet! I thought you had forgotten, but I guess I was yet again pleasantly surprised by the awesome Sherlock Holmes!” Watson lightly laughed in Sherlock’s chest. Holmes’s arms were still spread like an eagle’s wings.
“Oh, Watson” His voice broke as he uttered his companion’s name and reciprocated the hug. The tears poured out, the dams had officially broken.
“But, wait, that doesn’t explain why you seemed a tad bit off at some parts of today” John pulled away from the hug to look at Sherlock’s face. He could clearly see the tears spilling from his eyes. He could have sworn that that was the first time he had seen Sherlock Holmes cry. His breath hitched.
“Wha-” Sherlock stopped him by closing his eyes.
“John, I didn’t want today to be the day, but I guess it cannot be avoided any longer” He opened his eyes. First looking at the floor, then he glanced at John, but quickly retreated looking at the ground with a soft huff.
John watched him intently, slightly tightening his grip of Holmes’s shoulders. Sherlock smiled a defeated smile and looked at John.
“There is no easy way to say this, but- Please don’t hate me after this” Sherlock covered with one of his hands on of John’s hands.
“I could never hate you, not in a million lifetimes, Sherlock Holmes” ‘my conductor of light, my Sherlock Holmes’ John said in a serious tone. That comforted Sherlock slightly, perhaps making the confession even a little bit easier. He shifted his gaze at the pot of flowers, inviting John to do that too.
“Now John, let us play a memory game; what do those flowers symbolize again?” He couldn’t bear witnessing John’s reaction, he promptly closed his eyes, bracing for a slap -or two or yelling or anything else people might do when they hear those kinds of news.
Instead, he felt John’s hand cupping his face sweetly. And some moments later-
a
…
kiss.
He swiftly opened his eyes to meet John’s closed ones. He was caught completely off guard. In all of the outcomes of this confession that he contemplated, he didn’t give a second thought to this reaction; which, in his now crystal cleared head seemed pretty likely, considering John’s actions. Well, now who’s the one that sees but doesn’t observe?
He quickly closed his eyes and returned the kiss.
After an unidentifiable interval of time, they parted; gasping. Both the former military doctor and the boxing champion were almost knocked out, must have been a rough kiss then, ey?
“I- I have no words!” Holmes exclaims elated and gasping for air.
“Then- don-n’t say anything” Watson responded with a hint of mischievousness, gasping as well.
They locked eye contact; both filled with determination and hope.
“How long have you been feeling this way?” Both didn’t hesitate to inquire. They both laughed aloud.
“I believe we need new flowers” John commented mischievously, looking at them.
“Negative, I think they still fit” A hint of melancholy evident on his face, John understood.
…
“Yeah, you are right” He said glancing at a particular kitchen counter.
“Regardless,” Sherlock started but stopped when he looked at John.
“How about some wine, Sherlock Holmes? I think it fits the occasion, don’t you?” John smirked, locking eye contact with Sherlock.
“Gladly, John Watson” Sherlock smiled like never before, he was truly happy and he believed that he would start feeling this way more often from here on out.