Intrigue Me | Johnlock Teenlock

33: Revealing

"John Watson."

I could hardly contain myself as I walked anxiously to the front of the hall to collect my brown envelope. I felt a light tap on the small of my back once I shuffled past Sherlock but could not look back, for I was instantly met with a line of professors waiting to shake my hand and the headmaster holding out my results. After each "congratulations" and "well done" from the smiling teachers, I scuttled back to my row and tried to conceal my now growing nerves, looking down at my bouncing knee to avoid the glances of the other graduates. Twenty more minutes and I could find out if my hard work had been worth it.

~

"You first." I smiled, biting my lip apprehensively.

"No, you."

"Oh please, Sherlock. You go first."

"Fine." He huffed, tearing open the envelope and pulling out the piece of paper that would ultimately determine his future. His eyes instantly lit up and I couldn't help but feel my smile impossibly widen knowing he had passed. I held onto his arm to pull the paper towards me, reading each grade carefully.

Biology A*
Chemistry A*
Psychology   A*
Further Maths   A*

"I'm so proud of you!" I gasped, throwing my arms around him and squeezing him as hard as I could. My feet were involuntarily trying to jump, causing us to wobble around, holding onto each other tightly. I felt my chest let out a sigh of relief and my smile didn't leave even after we had separated. I had no doubts that he would receive spectacular results, but seeing each perfect grade printed clearly in black and white created a feeling of intense happiness I had not anticipated. He deserved every mark.

"Your turn."

Taking a shaky breath, I nodded and peered down to my hands, watching my fingers hesitantly reveal my own piece of white paper. Sherlock peered over my shoulder, reading every word along with me.

English A*
Sociology A*
Further Maths A+
General Science A*

"I did it! Oh my God, I've passed everything!"

"With flying colours. You've done wonderfully, John."

I couldn't believe it. I had gained four A-levels, and only one was below an A*. I couldn't have been more gleeful, especially knowing that the person who mattered most had gotten everything he wanted too. This day marked a milestone in our lives; we were now ready to move on and start our lives with every door that we could possibly wish for held wide open for us. College was officially behind us. Though, a tight ball of worry sat uncomfortably in the pit of my stomach and my elation was suddenly met with dread and anxiousness. Any other student would have been relieved to know that this was their last day of school, that they were leaving for good in two days and would never have to sit through another class if they didn't want to. But I still hadn't told Sherlock about my plans to move away, and I knew that this secret couldn't be kept any longer; it had been left as long as it could. I had to say something soon.

~

"Sherlock." I finally began, having found any words impossible to say on the walk back to our dorm. "Have you, erm, got a minute?"

"Hm..." he nodded, waiting for the kettle to boil. "What for?"

"I think it's better if we sit down."

Reluctantly, he sat beside me on the edge of the sofa and tried to scan every inch of my face for a clue as to what was coming next. Trying desperately to ignore this and focus on what I was about to say, I held his hands in mine and kept my eyes fixated on my thumb running over his knuckles. The lump in my throat was restrictive and I couldn't utter a word. I crossed my legs to prevent them from fidgeting but the one on top continued to swing back and forth.

"John, for heaven's sake, what is it?"

"It's... it's a bit difficult to say, I guess..."

"You can tell me anything, you know that. What is it?"

It was now or never. He had to know. And I had to tell him. The day for me to leave was almost here and he needed to know beforehand, however difficult it may be to admit the secret I had been hiding for so long. After a deep breath, I decided to blurt out the sentence quickly before I could hold any of it back.

"I'm joining the army."

My eyes looked up hopefully, praying to meet his. Instead, the beautiful blue orbs were fixed solely on the ground for a short while until he hesitantly stood up and wondered back over to the kitchen, head cocked to the left. There, he rested one hand on a chair and allowed the other to hang by his side. I couldn't tell if he was trying to process the information I had given him or staring vacantly into space. I could think of nothing else to say, so I decided to give him some time to accept the news.

Minutes passed and the deafening silence was becoming all too much. I couldn't sit here any longer, and so I forced myself to retreat to my bedroom. I could hear the kettle boiling once again but he didn't ask if I wanted a drink. I pulled out my bags and suitcases from the wardrobe and began to fold my t-shirts, packing them away neatly. After a couple of minutes, I could tell Sherlock was standing in the doorway, watching on as I took more of my clothes down from the hangers. Closing my first case was heartbreaking and I rubbed my eyes roughly to prevent any tears from falling, concealing sobs within heavy sighs. I knew that this was hard enough for him without me adding to the emotional turmoil, so my own cries were muffled by my need to stay strong. I had to go and that was that. There was no point making this any harder than it already was.

"When are you going?" He asked in a quiet voice.

"Tomorrow."

I couldn't bear to look back at him, knowing that I would never be able to leave if I saw his trembling lip and downcast eyes. My voice was ready to crack and so I tried not to say more than a word. I wanted to apologise a thousand times over, but I knew that I would only start crying louder. We couldn't even spend one more day together. This was destroying me inside. But I knew I would come back for Sherlock. One day.