Thirty-Six Questions to Fall in Love

Autumn at Regent's

"You're earlier than I expected," Sherlock said matter-of-factly as John approached him at the park. The leaves on the ground were a bright red; perhaps the most beautiful red John had ever seen.

"I'm surprised you had a prediction," John replied. "Well, actually, no, I'm not."

Sherlock motioned to a bench next to them, his nose red from the chilly air, his breath steaming out of his lungs. They sat down, John crossing one leg over the other and Sherlock keeping his level with each other. They turned just enough to both maintain eye contact without making their necks sore. John slipped Sherlock his answers from earlier and Sherlock asked the next question.

"Make three true 'we' statements each. For instance, 'We are both in this room feeling...'" he recited, and John took a few moments to think.

"Well, number one," he listed, "We both enjoy one another's company. I hope."

Sherlock nodded. "True."

John stared at the blue-and-green eyes ahead of him, noticing the occasional brown or gold fleck sprinkled inside them. "Two: We're a damn good crime-solving duo."

Sherlock smirked. "I find the culprit and you shoot them in the head through a second-story window of a different building."

"Precisely," John smirked back. "And lastly, we both care very little about what most other people think."

Sherlock narrowed his eyes. "Why do you say 'most people'?"

"Well, there's no way that every single person on the face of this planet is someone we couldn't care less about the opinions of," John says. "There's always at least one person that's an exception."

Sherlock looked away for a moment. "Well put."

"Well, what are your three things?" John asks, and Sherlock takes no time to think before firing off.

"We both have a strained relationship with a sibling. Both of us are still terribly single, even after getting two-thirds of the way through this experiment. Who would've thought. And lastly, we both are adrenaline junkies completely fixated on every aspect of risk and danger because it's just so exhilarating." Sherlock said, his mouth turning up into a small smile as he looked John in the eye. "And being absolutely exhilarated is better than any high, any inebriation, any kind of sex or danger or drugs."

John gave a small chuckle. Sherlock furrowed his brow.

"What is it?"

"It's just..." John paused, shaking his head and keeping his unblinking gaze on Sherlock's. "We've got so much in common, you know. You'd almost expect this experiment to work."

Sherlock nodded. "But we're trying to prove it wrong."

"Oh, yeah," John replied.

"Next question: Complete this sentence: 'I wish I had someone with whom I could share...'"

"Oh, easy," John answered immediately. "Interests, experiences, and that one countryside cottage I told you about earlier."

"Oh, yes," Sherlock replied. "Well, luckily for you, almost everyone on the planet would be willing to share a cottage and the rest of their life with John Watson himself." He smiled sheepishly at his own joke. Joke, or whatever else on Earth that could have possibly been.

"And you?" John asked. Sherlock repositioned himself on the bench, kicking a few red leaves away from below his feet.

"Adventure," he said. "I love adventure. And if I love someone else, one would think that would go together quite nicely."

John nodded. "I agree."

Sherlock took a breath. "If you were going to become a close friend with your partner, please share what would be important for him or her to know."

"Does this question even count?" John asked.

Sherlock's eyes flicked down to his hands and then back up. "What do you mean?"

"Well," John began, "Aren't we already friends at this point?"

Sherlock smiled a bit, although he tried his hardest to conceal it. "I suppose," he replied. "But answer it anyway."

"Alright," John agreed. "I'd tell them that I'm a complete asshole when it comes to uninvited heads in the fridge."

Sherlock grinned. "And I'd tell them that I'm the culprit when it comes to uninvited heads in the fridge."

John laughed. "Yeah, that's fair."

Sherlock's cheeks and nose were bright red, making him look small and fragile in the autumn air. He relayed the next question with an underlying tone of anxiety, but John luckily didn't really notice.

"Tell your partner what you like about them; be very honest this time, saying things that you might not say to someone you've just met," he said. "And I can go first, to get this out of the way."

"I find it unfair that you've had time to prepare your answers," John said, only half-meaning it. "But go ahead."

Sherlock swallowed, and John patiently waited beside him, knowing he was completely stepping out of his comfort zone and needed a moment. He kept their eyes locked, however. Oddly enough, this wasn't even awkward or difficult to do anymore.

"Truth is," Sherlock said finally, "I like many things about you, John. I like your personality. I like the way you walk. I like the way you speak. I even like you when you're angry." He took a nervous breath, unable to keep eye contact constantly for this question and temporarily glancing away. "In short, I just really like you, as a whole, as a... as a human."

John smiled, as if he knew something Sherlock didn't. Which was almost impossible, but perhaps this was an exception. "Thanks, Sherlock... You aren't going to believe this," he said, "but I was going to say the exact same thing."

"-Oh!" Sherlock replied, looking surprised, and also very pleased. "I... Good. I mean..."

John stared expectantly at him until he finally added the part of the reply that best reflected his thoughts.

"Thank you, John."

John nodded. "Course."

Sherlock didn't end the session so abruptly this time. He blinked confusedly at John for a few moments, John blinking unknowingly back. After all this, though, he finally diverted his eyes and slowly stood up.

"I've got business to do," he announced. "Something with a teacup, or teapot, or... museum or something."

"Oh," John announced. "Alright, yeah, you should... go do that."

Sherlock nodded silently, adding a long pause to the conversation before saying, "If you're not busy, I think..."

John looked expectantly up at him, waiting for the rest of the sentence.

Sherlock took a preparatory breath. "Well, you could join me... if you want to, I mean," he said. "We can share another one of those adventures."

John promptly stood up. "Are you asking me to fill in for the love of your life? You did say you wanted someone to share adventures with."

Sherlock smiled faintly. "That I am," he said. "So what do you say?"

John smiled, tucking his hands into his pockets and walking over to him. "That sounds absolutely exhilarating."

So, half of the last set of questions out of the way, they walked down the park path in the direction of the street to hail a taxi. Because, exhilarating or not, walking wouldn't be the most enjoyable way to get where they were going.