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[Sherlock shakes his head, dropping the hand that's in John's hair to his shoulder instead.]

We've got different opinions on certain things.

[Which means in Khan's eyes, Sherlock will never be good enough and in Sherlock's eyes, Khan will always be a threat. Whether it's a personal threat or one against Wendy Lin, it will always be there. So far - at least not since the beginning of May when they'd argued about it - Khan hasn't been a threat to his relationship with John. He's not sure if he trusts him to continue not interfering directly after today.]

[ John knew that. But he continues to stare at the other man, waiting for more until he has to ask, ]

And? Is that it?

[ He felt it had to be more than that because even he and Sherlock had different opinion on things but that hasn't prevented them from becoming engaged. ]

[Sherlock considers John's question. He's got the suspicion that this is one of those questions that can either pass or lead to an argument. He wants to avoid an argument at all costs, but he's not sure which answer would do that. So he stays silent for a bit while he thinks.]

No.

[Which isn't really an answer without him explaining it.]

It's not because of you, but you're in the centre of it because you're the reason we have to interact.

[Honesty's worked well for him before, but it's also had a disastrous effect on occasion.]

[ John appreciates the honesty, even during the times it leads to arguments or fights because he would rather know than not. And so far, what he's hearing isn't making him made or feel offense. He's just wanting to understand. ]

I don't--you think you have to interact because of me?

[Sherlock's eyebrows pinch a bit as he tries to decide if it's a trick question.]

Today, there's no other way to look at it.

[If he can forgive John for inviting Khan over for this pow wow, then he hopes John can forgive him for pointing it out for what it was.]

In the past, sometimes yes and sometimes no. I'd say two-thirds of our interactions over the last several months have been concerning you and the last third, Wendy Lin or other Technicians.

[ That first point is true. John had already apologized for it, though. It had been a bad idea on his part and a forced one on top of that.

John looks down, sighing and pulling away. ]

I'll make sure it doesn't happen again.

[ Looking back up at Sherlock. ]

At least not by my hand.

[ Which is the best he can do. If they really want nothing to do with each other, then John will make sure it isn't because of him (the wedding non-withstanding). ]

[Sherlock doesn't hold John when he tries to move away, but he reaches forward to keep his fingers on his arm for as long as he can before dropping his hand.]

As long as you don't throw us in a room together when neither of us is in the mood to see the other, then it shouldn't be a problem.

[He really doesn't like how much it sounds like he's siding with Khan against John, but it's one thing that they agree about. The two of them have their own rules and ways of working things out with one another that can be civil if a bit pretentious.

And because both of them care about - love - John, there's no way they will be able to avoid one another entirely.

It's just that sometimes Sherlock will need reassurace that John doesn't care about Khan in the same way.]

[ He feels his mouth quirk at that, ]

I doubt I could throw either of you anywhere.

[ And while John does care about Khan, in a surprisingly deep way, he loves Sherlock. He wants to be with and marry him. But if his lover needs assurance, John can give him that. ]

Edited 2014-09-07 22:09 (UTC)

[Sherlock's amused by John's literal take on his comment. He appreciates the dry sarcasm despite the situation.]

Even if neither of us would resist?

[Well, he wouldn't resist. Much. There's really no telling about Khan at this point.]

[ He snorts at that, ]

That would never happen.

[ Meaning: 'both of you are too stubborn to never resist such a thing'. ]

Well, we wouldn't resist enough to make it impossible.

[Sherlock corrects himself. It seems things are going fine between himself and John, though his already fragile relationship with Khan might be more fractured than before. It hardly matters to him as long as they only count on one another when John is in danger.]

[ John smirks a little more at that, ]

You almost sound like you're encouraging the idea.

Heavens, no.

[Stop that, John. You're making him want to start smiling more.]

I might have stood up to him today, but I know he could have easily killed me with two fingers if you weren't there to bare witness.

Oh, don't be ridiculous, Sherlock.

[ A beat. ]

He'd only need one.

[For just a moment, Sherlock thinks that John's going to defend Khan's character and he's steeling himself for that. But then it turns into that and he loses himself to laughter.

After a few seconds of that, he's shaking his head.]

Oh God, that was stupid, wasn't it?

[He means standing up to Khan like that.]

[ John easily falls into that laughter with Sherlock, nodding his head. ]

A bit.

[ Although John has done much worse (he remembers smashing that bottle against Khan's head...). Not that he's going to tell Sherlock about that. Or how Khan had left half of his face swollen from one punch.

He just leans up against the counter next to Sherlock, grinning. ]

Almost would have been attractive if it hadn't been so stupid.

[Sherlock calms down after a few unsuccessful attempts at doing just that. He holds his hand over his middle for a couple extra seconds before he drops it to the side. It's close enough to almost touch John, but not quite there.]

Almost?

[He smiles a bit at that.]

I don't know if that means I should try harder or to back off.

[Because he could be just as possessive as John tends to be. It's less natural only because he's less inclined to believe himself suitable for romantic endeavours.]

[ He laughs a little more at that, shaking his head. ]

Depends if you want to be dead for our wedding.

[ He reaches forward and gives a few gentle tugs on the front of Sherlock's shirt, wanting him to come in closer. ]

Or, just don't threaten Khan.

That's a macabre thought. Would you still marry my corpse or would you wait for me to come back?

[Sherlock follows John's unspoken request, stepping close enough that they're touching in several places.]

But I see your point. Can't guarantee I won't threaten him again if he ever does anything to you intentionally or otherwise.

[He leaves it out, but he means harmful or otherwise, too.]

Can hardly marry you if you can't say 'I do'.

[ He keeps his hand on Sherlock's shirt, pressing at the skin through it. ]

I think you just want a reason to growl at him. Acting like my own personal guard dog when I thought we agreed you were a giant cat.

[Sherlock just shrugs at John's argument.]

Oh, everyone would already assume I'd say 'I do' anyway. I could write it out with a witness just in case.

[But he really wouldn't want John to get married to his corpse. He wants to experience it. He wants that particular ceremony to be between him and John because it's supposed to mean something. He wants the 'most important day' of his life to coincide with the most important day of John's.]

Guard cat?

[Without really thinking about it, Sherlock's hands go up to touch John. One hand on his elbow and the other at his waist. Almost like they're going to dance.]

[ John's still smiling as he closes the distance, resting his forehead on Sherlock's chest. ]

Well, guard cat, you are expected to be there.

I will be very cross if you aren't. Just so you're aware.

[Sherlock's smile softens quite a lot when John lays his head on him like that. He kisses the top of John's head, then he rests his chin there.]

I suppose I can behave myself since you're asking nicely... wouldn't want to miss the most important day of my life, anyway.

[He moves his head back.]

Oh, that's right. You don't know how to dance.

[ John hums his agreement before Sherlock adds that little statement. He raises his head, brow furrowed, ]

I can manage well enough, thank you very much.

[ Formal dancing? No. But to say that like John didn't know how to dance at all? He was going to take issue with that. ]

Edited 2014-09-08 05:53 (UTC)

No, I've seen you.

[Sherlock's talking about formal dancing and he doesn't realise John isn't.]

But that's fine. I know your learning style well enough and if I could find something to record it, I could write out something to practice with.

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