a/n: i literally gave up capitalizing ten sentences in. no joke.

John got out of the car, watching Sherlock as he stepped out of his flat, adjusting his cuffs. His mouth watered at the sight of sherlock dressed up. The deep purple shirt clung to his chest as the buttons looked like they were about to break. The blazer was the same way. He had seen him all dressed up before, but it was different this time. Sherlock was a meal from the heavens and john wanted to devour him.

"You're drooling again." Sherlock walked up to John who was turning red.

"Hard not to." John smirked up at Sherlock, placing a hand on his chest to stop him from making a move. "We have to attend dinner and I won't be able to if you kiss me right now."

sherlock whined softly, pouting his lips. "baby.."

john sighed and rolled his eyes, caving in and giving sherlock a peck on the lips. he opened the car door. "in or we'll be late."

sherlock snuck another kiss as he got into the car, scooting into the middle seat so john could get in as well. when he got in the car started moving and sherlock placed a hand on his knee. "anything i need to know?"

"just be honest with them. my father is a well rounded man and my mother likes to be in control. they'll ask questions about your parents and i know you don't like to talk about them, so just dismiss the question politely, they'll understand. they'll also ask questions about your personal life and manners are important."

sherlock nodded, inhaling deeply. he looked ahead of him, looking at city lights through the windshield.

"hey," john said softly, rubbing his hand over sherlock's. "it'll be alright. you got this."

sherlock took john's hand, kissing his knuckles. "i know." he said then intertwined their fingers together. he wasn't nervous about meeting john's parents. he was nervous about telling the truth. what john would do. how he would react. if he'd be angry or be accepting. it would be a mystery until it happened.

they walked into the house hand in hand, john's parents waiting on the other side of the door to greet them. sherlock saw where john got his blue eyes, blond hair and round face from. he was spinning image of his mother. as far as his father went, sherlock saw where he got his height and how he held himself from him.

"sherlock holmes," sherlock said with a smile as he shook hands with mr. watson.

"hamish. please." mr. watson said with a smile.

sherlock gave him a nod then let go of his hand, looking at mrs. watson with a smile.

"marie." she said then shook shelrock's hand. "dinner should be ready in a few minutes. we're excited to have you here, sherlock." she said with a smile.

sherlock smiled back, placing his hand on the small of john's back. "i'm excited to be here."

"shall we sit?" mr. watson asked his wife.

mrs. watson nodded then started walking down the corridor, her husband following then the young couple behind him.

sherlock lightly rubbed his thumb over the fabric of john's shirt, kissing the boy's head before they sat down. sherlock acted quick and pulled the chair out for john, allowing him to sit before pushing the chair in then sitting himself.

"so, sherlock," mr. watson started once the food was placed in front of them. "who are your parents?"

sherlock looked over at john and john gave him a nod and a smile. he looked back at the elder man across from him. "harold and sylvia holmes. sir." 

"your father is a great chemist. met him once, but he only mentioned what i'm assuming is your brother. never spoke of you."

sherlock places his hand on john's knee, giving it a light squeeze to reassure him. "i don't have the best relationship with my family."

"oh, sorry for asking." mr. watson apologized.

"it's fine." sherlock reached for his wine glass, taking a small sip as he glanced at john, seeing him staring at his roast with a blank expression.

they all ate a bit before mrs. watson asked the next question, "did you go to school and study?"

sherlock cleared his throat, setting his fork and knife down then placed his hand on john's knee again. "i studied business at harvard. i was going to do law school, but it just wasn't my thing i suppose."

john removed sherlock's hand off his knee.

"john said you work at a diner. why don't you do something better with the degree you have?" mrs. holmes asked.

"yeah," john turned to sherlock. "why don't you do something better?"

sherlock looked at john before turning to the woman diagonal from him. "i wanted change. something other than the high class life." his gaze fell to john who was squishing a roasted potato with his fork, the anger building up in him.

"well, would you be willing to enter that kind of life again?" mr. watson asked.

sherlock changed his gaze to the man across from him. "for someone i love. of course."

john dropped his silverware on his plate, getting up from his chair as it scraped against the wooden floor. he looked at sherlock, hurt, before going into the kitchen. mr. and mrs. watson looked at sherlock and sherlock excused himself, taking his napkin and putting it on the table before getting up and going after john.

"you went to harvard?" john asked, enraged. "your father is the famous chemist and your mother is a mathematician who has two books published and you never thought that you should mention it to me?"

"i never thought it would matter."

"not matter?!" john was boiling hot at this point. "relationships are built on trust, sherlock! not deciding if something is worth telling the other!"

"and i know that! i thought you would just leave me then marry charles! that's all you talked about the nights we were together, getting married!" sherlock was going to fight back. john had to understand. he never expected to be invited to dinner.

"that doesn't beat the fact that you lied to me!" john shouted, losing his cool. he turned around and took deep breaths, wiping his face with the sleeve of his shirt before turning back around. "i thought i could trust you."

"and you can." sherlock reached out for john, but john moved away.

"i'm not sure any more." he sniffled. he hugged himself, starting to feel the cold wind now that he was calmed down.

"you can trust me, john." sherlock stepped closer, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.

john didn't make eye contact with him. he looked over his shoulder, focusing on the side of his house. "i can't. i'm mad at you." he sniffled, wiping his face. "go home." he walked around sherlock, his heart snapping in two as he walked back to the door that lead into the kitchen, leaving it open for sherlock. he went back into the dining room, standing at the table as he looked at his parents. "sherlock is going home and i will be turning in for the night."

"oh, well, we'll have to meet up sometime again, sherlock." mr. watson said to the waiter.

sherlock smiled at the two. "of course, sir. thank you for dinner, it was lovely."

"any time, dear." mrs. watson said with a smile.

sherlock turned, his smiling fading as he headed to the front door, taking his coat off the rack. he watched john go up the stairs as he pulled his coat on, hearing his bedroom door close with a soft thud. that's when sherlock opened up the front door, leaving the house.

when sherlock got back home, he went up to his flat and changed his shirt, grabbing his apron off the back of the sofa then heading downstairs to the diner, joining in on the diner rush. he went unnoticed by angelo for about an hour before angelo noticed him in the kitchen.

"you're supposed to be at a dinner." angelo said. "what're ya doin' back here?"

"john got mad and told me to go home. so i went. i need that fish and chips." he said before leaving the kitchen, plates stacked on his arms as he served a family table. he smiled at the family then turned around, his smile dropping as he thought about how he hurt john. how he lied to him. the way john looked at him when he walked past.

when closing came, angelo sent sherlock upstairs, telling him he'd close up. of course, sherlock refused, but then angelo told him he needed to think about what he was going to say to john to make up. so that's exactly what sherlock did. he went upstairs, changed, then lay in bed, staring at his ceiling as he thought about what to say to john. he hadn't received a text or anything like that, but he wasn't shocked. this was the first time john was ever mad at him and he'd forgive him. right?

sherlock was up all night, thinking about if john would forgive him or not. and it was driving him insane. his birthday was in a few days and the idea of taking john out popped into the waiter's head. it would be a great idea if john agreed to meet him, so hopefully he would. hopefully.