Otsikko: The Study of Manners
Kirjoittaja: Demeter
Oikolukija: Anhaedra
Kieli: englanti
Paritus: John/OFC, John/Sherlock
Tyylilaji: draama, romantiikka, oneshot
Ikäraja: K-11
Vastuuvapautus: Hahmot kuuluvat BBC:n Sherlock-sarjalle, alkuperäiset tietenkin Doylelle, mikään ei minulle. (paitsi noh, liuta naisia)
Juoni: Sherlockilla on ärsyttävä tapa saada Johnin naisystävät katoamaan tämän luota yksi toisensa jälkeen, mutta kun Johnin mitta tulee vihdoin täyteen, paljastuu hänen ystävänsä oudon käytöksen takaa yllättäviä motiiveja - eikä John voi jättää niitä huomioimatta.
A/N: Toinen Sherlock-ficcini, wohoo! (olen edelleen hyvin, hyvin innostunut fandomista!) Vihdoinkin pääsen julkaisemaan - tämä on ollut kirjoitettuna jo tovin. Yhdessä jaksossahan Sherlock kutsuu Johnin deittiä väärällä nimellä, ja mikäpä olisi herkullisempi aihe kirjoittaa pieni ficceröinen. En tiedä onko tämä idea enää uniikki (koska mun lukukokemukset ko. fandomin ficeistä on vielä kovin suppeat) mutta kuinka vain, olihan se pakko toteuttaa. Tämä ei ole pelkästään toinen kirjoittamani Sherlock-ficci vaan myös toinen kirjoittamani englannin kielinen ficci, joten jännitettävää riittää oikein tuplasti.
Olisi oikein ihana kuulla kommenttia lukeneilta. 
+ osallistuupi Multifandom-haasteen toiselle kierrokselle
The Study of MannersJohn leaned towards the woman's face and quickly glanced at her eyes. They were almost shut; she was waiting for it too, patiently, heart drumming in her chest while the air between them seemed to disappear as the tension grew stronger. John could nearly taste her breath, sweet and thick from the pinot noir she had nursed only moments before. He leaned even closer, felt her soft lips pressing against his own---
"John? John! Have you seen my magnifying glass anywhere?"
He felt the familiar irritation grow inside him - not
again.
"John! My magnifying glass! It was on the kitchen table earlier!"
This couldn't be happening. It just... couldn't. He sighed and looked apologizingly at Lacy when he heard Sherlock's voice calling for him again.
"John?"
He was about to answer him, but then Sherlock rushed to the hallway and paused suddenly as if surprised to see Lacy there with him.
"Oh - Cindy! Sorry, I thought you had already left."
As
if.
"Sherlock," John murmured warningly.
"Oh, right! She was the one before Katy! My bad - so Sarah, how have you been?" Sherlock said with a way too pleasant tone in his voice, smiling politely at Lacy, and without even waiting for her to answer, he turned back to John. "So about the magnifying glass, have you seen it?"
John stared at him without blinking. He was unpleasantly aware of Lacy waiting for his response, eager to hear what he was going to say. He was trying to come up with some clever reply which would save both his and Lacy's dignity, but really, all he wanted to do now was tell Sherlock to stuck that stupid magnifying glass up his arse and go to hell as fast as he could. He'd had enough. But all he heard himself saying was: "Bathroom. Top left drawer."
"Thank you," Sherlock said, a smile in his eyes, and he finally left the two of them alone.
"Listen," John started, but Lacy was at the door already.
"Goodbye, John."
"Lacy, please let me explain. That wasn't the first time he's done that," John blurted out before even realizing it.
"Is that so," was all Lacy said before slamming the door shut behind her.
John just stood there. He had seen this happen before with Cindy, Katy, Sarah and a few others, but this was too much. As soon as he'd bring a girl home Sherlock would make sure she wouldn't return. Every single time. He had told himself that that was just how Sherlock was, that he couldn't help himself, but sometimes - like now - John found himself wondering if he should just pack his bags and find himself another roomie.
John wasn't the kind of man who lost his temper easily. He had served as an army doctor; that was a job that required some serious patience. More than once he had been in a near-death-situation and, thanks to Sherlock, near-to-be-killed-and-organs-exploded-all-over-the-street-situation, too. He could take a lot of pressure, but losing seven potential girlfriend candidates in a row was something a man cannot take without hurting his pride and feeling like a total loser.
John didn't think twice. He knew he had to talk to Sherlock - he had to tell him to leave his girls alone. He felt the words dancing on his tongue, ready to escape from his mouth. He would make Sherlock really listen to him this time. He entered the living room only to find Sherlock curled up in his chair, staring at the ceiling.
"What about the magnifying glass?" John asked when he didn't see a sign of it anywhere.
"What? Oh... I didn't need it."
"Oh for fuck's sake," John sighed, disappointed. "Then why did you have to make her leave too?"
"John, tell me one thing. When are you going to drop that act?" Sherlock asked like he hadn't even heard John's question.
"Drop that -- what?"
"Don't you think it's a waste of time to date those women?"
"Now you've lost me, Sherlock," John said, puzzled. "First, they're not
those women, they have names too. And without you there wouldn't even be so many of them."
Sherlock steepled his hands in front of his face, fingertips touching each other. He didn't say a word, but John couldn't help noticing that he looked fairly satisfied with himself. Why on earth had he even imagined they could have a decent conversation about this subject? Clearly that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. But still, he needed to know.
"Why is it so impossibly hard for you to remember their names? It seems like you're not even trying."
"I am," Sherlock answered simply.
John didn't miss a beat.
"Like hell you are!" he shouted, the rage in his voice surprising even himself. Sherlock though - he didn't even blink.
"I've told you this before. There's no extra space to store unimportant information in my brain."
That's it, John thought.
That's finally it."So what you're saying is... my date, my girlfriend, my possible future wife... doesn't interest you? That's not important to you in the least?"
"Correct. It doesn't seem important to me."
John was speechless. The two men stared into each other's eyes for a long moment until John, not able to stand it anymore, turned on his heels and marched off to his room. He needed some time on his own.
Before he shut the door, he heard Sherlock speak.
"I remember
your name."
*
John lay in his bed, trying to study Sherlock's earlier behavior. It wasn't like this had been the first time he'd wondered what the hell was going on inside his friend's head but, truth be told, he didn't always even have to understand. He trusted Sherlock a great deal and Sherlock trusted him, and as they lived and worked together it was enough. They didn't doubt each other's actions or manners anymore; they made a duo which worked perfectly. But when it came to his private life...
John sighed. This part was a big mystery to him. He'd understand Sherlock's actions if there were something wrong with the woman he dated -- like with Katy, who had seemed to be a really sweet and charming school counselor until Sherlock had come into the room and started a little chitchat before John had even had time to introduce him to her. Sherlock had asked how the work at Tesco in Aldersgate Street was, had she actually been on a shift while it had been robbed only a week ago late Friday night? And had she had time to tell John she was in fact in an open marriage with her long term partner? And what about her stepdaughter, what school did she go to?
Katy's face had turned bright red and that had been enough evidence to John. She had left quicker than anyone else before and once again, John had been left standing in the hallway speechless, trying to mouth some words.
"My pleasure," Sherlock had said with a smile sparkling in his eyes, and John was sure as hell those words had come straight from his heart.
In that case with Katy John hadn't been angry with Sherlock but himself; how could he have been fooled so badly? But what had happened today was different. Sherlock had made a woman leave once again, he had said things that had hurt John's feelings; that much was for sure, but then he had said something completely different, which was out of character for Sherlock.
Could it be a clue? A little hint which would help him solve Sherlock's odd behaviour around women?
And then it hit him. It felt like he had spent a long time in a dark room, and suddenly someone came in and turned the lights on, as bright as the ones in his office, showing every single detail with sharp edges as clearly as daylight. John had only one question left: how hadn't he realized it before?
He rose from his bed and hurried back to the living room, forgetting he was supposed to be angry at the other man at the moment. Sherlock was still in his chair, now reading today's paper.
"Sherlock?"
"Mmh," he answered, not even lifting his eyes from the paper.
"I... I figured it out," John said, words suddenly hard to find.
"Really," Sherlock said even though he didn't sound very interested in what John had to say.
John took a deep breath. He knew the magic words so he chose carefully what to say next.
"I solved it. The case."
"What case?" Sherlock snapped, this time turning his head to actually see John.
"You," John breathed and as he did, their eyes got locked into each other's. The room was quiet, really quiet, John could hear himself breathing heavily, but not even the faintest noise escaped from Sherlock.
"Have you really," Sherlock finally said and gave John a small, warm smile. It wasn't until then John was a hundred percent sure he had been right; Sherlock's smile confirmed the truth.
"Oh God... So you really are... I always thought it was some sort of a joke or something."
"Did you find the joke funny, John?"
John hesitated. "Tempting, to be honest."
The smile on Sherlock's face grew wider. John found himself smiling too. Had it been like this to Sherlock all along? Why did it took so long for him to understand the real deal between the two of them?
"Glad you finally got it too," Sherlock said like he were reading John's thoughts, but then again - like that were something out of the ordinary.
"What about the..." John said, but he didn't need to finish; Sherlock knew what he was talking about.
"With all due respect to the autonomy of your body, I've never liked sharing what's obviously mine," he said matter-of-factly. John gave a short laugh and took a step closer to Sherlock.
"Is that clear?" Sherlock kept going, as if to make sure they were still on the same page.
"Crystal", John confirmed as he bent down and pressed his lips against his friend's, inhaling the familiar scent of him. It was supposed to be an experimental try to see how it would feel, to kiss Sherlock, but then something unexpected happened.
Sherlock answered the kiss.
That's something John would've expected to happen with any girl possible, but Sherlock, he was different. This was the first time John could recall Sherlock acting like a normal human being in a situation that included even the smallest bit of romantic tension. Sherlock was actually doing something sexual, John realized, and the thought of it made his knees go weak.
That, of course, didn't go unnoticed by Sherlock. He quickly moved his hands behind John's thighs, pressed him closer to himself and kissed him gently, slowly, a wet tongue licking John's lips and
oh god it was already making him hard. Which was, like John realized seeing the look in his friend's eyes, something Sherlock was aiming for.
But John didn't mind at all. And that didn't go unnoticed by Sherlock either.
