A/N
Just wanted to get this uploaded tonight for you guys. Especially for Speedyhorse54 who said they would be interested in a new fic. I hope you guys enjoy, this one is going to be something special. 😉 xxx
*Sherlock*
The patter of rain on the foggy cafe windows provides a soft backdrop to the chattering of the people that surround me, their conversations melting into a dull buzz as I scratch out yet another incorrect proportion on my maths homework. My name is called from the counter, and the girl who hands it to me is none other than Molly Hooper, her cheery smile quickly returned as I accept my cup from her.
"Hey, I think I might have found you someone to tutor finally. He says he doesn't know you, but I figured you wouldn't mind because you said you needed someone anyways."
"Thanks Molly."
She nods, smiling softly as I adjust my scarf.
"Enjoy your coffee Sherlock."
I nod my thanks, retreating slowly back to my seat, avoiding stepping on people's feet or bags as I make my way over to the secluded booth by one of the side windows. The door opens a few minutes after I continue my work, an absolutely soaked boy stumbling in as the door is slammed shut from the force of the wind. Not just any boy, but John. John Watson. The captain of the football team. The only person I have been even remotely interested in, especially in a romantic aspect, since I dated Molly Hooper in grade school. He blushes at the sudden attention the sound of the door draws from the other patrons, clutching his well worn messenger bag closer to his side as he makes his way to the counter to order. Molly seems to know him well, the two of them quickly striking up a conversation as his coffee is being made. He seems to be confused about something, asking Molly a question that causes her to gesture towards my corner of the room. He nods, taking his cup and moving through the room to reach, surprisingly, my booth.
"Hey. I'm ummm...I'm John. Watson. From school."
He only seems to grow more flustered the longer I stare at him, so I finally motion for him to sit down across from me as I take another long sip of my coffee. In all honesty, I am just as flustered as he is, almost dropping my cup when I realise that he is in fact talking to me. Voluntarily.
"My friend Molly said you would be able to umm...to possibly tutor me for my chemistry class. If that's not too much trouble. I'm just not understanding anything and she said you were smart and you come here regularly and I need-"
"You tend to ramble when you get nervous. Do I make you nervous John?"
I continue drinking my coffee as he scrambles for a response, eventually settling on a simple shake of his head. I bite my lip, trying to suppress the smile that threatens to break my cool exterior. A slight blush starts creeping up my neck, and I'm sure my cheeks are already red enough for John to notice by now. Even he can't possibly be dense enough to not notice how much of an effect he has on me, and all the girls at school.
"Did you start on tonights homework yet?"
"Yeah. Just let me find it. I'm sorry, I just came in from practice."
I nod, sipping my drink and trying to ignore the triggering of my OCD as a result of the absolute mess that is Johns bag. He finally pulls out a crumpled paper that still somewhat resembles the assignment, smoothing it out with a triumphant grin on his face.
"I did it at lunch."
His grin melts away into a pained expression as I begin marking off the incorrect formulas and equations that he has scrawled out on the already worn paper.
"You need to predict the reactions products before you can begin finding the balanced result."
John looks at me with a confused look plastered to his face, looking almost pitiful with his hair still dripping water and the blueish tinge to his lips. I catch myself staring at him for longer than I should be, shaking my head a tad to clear it and taking another sip of my now cool coffee.
"How ummm...how exactly do I do that?"
He leans over the table as I pull out a sheet of scratch paper, rewriting the first problem and sliding the paper over to him so he can solve it.
"Solve the problem the best that you can, I'll correct any mistakes as you make them."
"Okay."
His voice sounds worried, but also carries a tinge of something else. Almost as if he is nervous about something other than the chemestry. I catch myself staring at him again, noting the way he chews his lip as he struggles to make it through the translating part of the problem.
"Here. If you look at your periodic table, it'll show you all the elements that the written equation has. You write them down, together unless there's a plus sign, then the arrow here, and then you do the same thing on the reactants side."
"So like this?"
John writes down the first half of the reaction, only forgetting about oxygen being a diatomic and therefore needing a subscript of two.
"You forgot your subscript."
I have to explain the diatomics to him as well, lengthening our study session to a steady hour before we realise how empty the cafe has become. John has migrated from his end of the booth to mine, literally pressed against my right side as he struggles through all twenty five problems. We end up just talking after I finish lecturing him on chemestry, getting to know more about each other as we finish our drinks slowly.
"Hey Sherlock, can I ask you a question?"
"That was a question in itself, but yes. You may ask me another."
He chuckles lightly, glancing nervously down at his hands before he inhales deeply.
"Do you think we would be able to do this again? Like study here on a regular basis?"
I nod, trying to conceal the excitement that his question causes me.
"That sounds sufficient. I have violin lessons on Tuesdays, piano on Wednesday, and ballet on Fridays and Sundays. Are you free on Mondays Thursdays and Saturdays?"
"I umm...I've got practice every weekday, but my weekends are free. Unless meeting up after practices is fine."
"Yeah. Whenever is fine for you works. I can skip piano, that's Mycroft's thing anyways, but violin and ballet are nonnegotiable."
He nods, smiling warmly as I write the times down in my calendar.
