Baldr and Höðr (The Trouble with Mistletoe)
Title: Baldr and Höðr (The Trouble with Mistletoe)
Summary: Sherlock learns about a Christmas tradition and is determined to make it work to his advantage.
Rating: PG
Pairing: Johnlock
Warning: Fluffy Christmas fluff. :)
Mistletoe. That was new. John saw it in the doorway to the kitchen, strangely off to the side of the doorframe. It hadn't been there earlier.
"Sherlock?" He called, continuing into the kitchen. An acknowledging grunt came from the sofa. "Is the mistletoe your doing?" Another mostly noncommittal noise.
John smiled, shaking his head, and went on making tea.
That evening, John's girlfriend, Hannah, came over. John had already planned to pull her aside and kiss her under the mistletoe since it was so close to Christmas, but when the moment came, the sprig was gone. He sighed and kissed her anyway.
Once she left (she had said she didn't like spending the night because of Sherlock's violin habit), John confronted his flatmate.
"So what was wrong with the mistletoe?" John asked.
Sherlock didn't look up from his laptop. "Why should there have been something wrong?"
"Well, you had it up and now it's gone."
"Oh, yes. I used it. Experiment. Why?"
John fumbled for a moment. "Well, Hannah was over. I thought it would be nice to follow tradition."
Sherlock waved his hand dismissively. "You seemed to have no problem kissing her regardless." John rolled his eyes.
"Well, she's supposed to come over on Christmas Eve. I'll get more mistletoe before then."
The next morning, John bought another sprig and hung it in the kitchen doorway again (centered this time). Hannah came over while John was changing his shirt (at Sherlock's suggestion since John had been baking), so Sherlock let her in.
"Oh, hello Sherlock." She said, unsure as ever.
"Hello, Hannah!" Sherlock smiled. "Come in. Would you like some tea?"
Hannah stared dumbly for a moment. "Er, sure. That would be nice."
Sherlock walked into the kitchen, stopping short just past the doorway. Hannah had been following behind, looking away as if searching for John, and ran into Sherlock.
"Oh, sorry." She squeaked.
"No problem at all." Sherlock replied, smiling to himself. He turned on the kettle before the mistletoe caught his eye. "Oh, you shouldn't stand there. Here," He reached up and pulled the bunch down. There were a number of weevils crawling around on its surface.
Hannah screamed. John came running. There was shouting and hysterics that ended in Hannah rushing out, vowing to never return.
"What did you do?!" John accused.
"I saved her from having weevils drop on her head. Or yours."
"There were no weevils on that this morning! Why do you always do this? I want to have girlfriends, Sherlock. I have every right to! But I can never keep them around because you're always scaring them off!"
Sherlock stood quietly as the kettle clicked off. He regarded John carefully.
"What?" The doctor finally asked.
"If you observed more often, you'd probably notice the pattern."
"I have noticed the pattern. That's what I'm saying."
"There's more than one."
Sherlock walked back over to the sofa where he pulled his laptop over and just sat. John made tea to calm down and think before walking over and sitting next to Sherlock.
"Alright, just tell me. What am I missing?"
"It's said that a woman who stands under the mistletoe and is not kissed will not marry for another year."
"Yeah, heard that one. What's that got to do with-" Then it clicked. "Sherlock, we've been going out for three weeks!"
"And in that time, you've seen each other almost every night and she's been visiting you at the clinic. You've already made out in your office and very nearly had sex in a broom closet, not to mention the number of times back at her flat. You mentioned her in your case write up from last week and you planned to take her to Angelo's on New Year's Eve."
John's voice was suddenly very soft. "And why does that matter to you?"
Their eyes locked. It wasn't as if it had never happened before, but this time Sherlock's "we both know what's going on here" face was appropriate. They did both know what was going on even if neither really knew what to do about it.
At least for a moment. John's tongue flicked out over his lower lip, his gaze easing down over Sherlock's face. When Sherlock wet his lips similarly, John leaned in carefully.
The gentle contact sent shivers down John's spine, set Sherlock's hands trembling. It was more a meeting of lips than a kiss, but it was warm and sweet. John touched their foreheads together.
"How long had you been planning that?"
"Six days."
"Prick."
And that sent them kissing again. This one was real, open-mouthed, but no less sweet. Hands were buried in curls and checked shirts, fingers hooked in belt loops and cupping sharp cheekbones.
It was a very merry Christmas without Hannah.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: According to Wikipedia, there's an old Norse legend that goes like this: "Baldr and Höðr are rival suitors, and Höðr kills Baldr with a sword named Mistilteinn (Old Norse "mistletoe")." I thought it was awfully fitting. :)
This was also inspired by this fanart.
Summary: Sherlock learns about a Christmas tradition and is determined to make it work to his advantage.
Rating: PG
Pairing: Johnlock
Warning: Fluffy Christmas fluff. :)
Mistletoe. That was new. John saw it in the doorway to the kitchen, strangely off to the side of the doorframe. It hadn't been there earlier.
"Sherlock?" He called, continuing into the kitchen. An acknowledging grunt came from the sofa. "Is the mistletoe your doing?" Another mostly noncommittal noise.
John smiled, shaking his head, and went on making tea.
That evening, John's girlfriend, Hannah, came over. John had already planned to pull her aside and kiss her under the mistletoe since it was so close to Christmas, but when the moment came, the sprig was gone. He sighed and kissed her anyway.
Once she left (she had said she didn't like spending the night because of Sherlock's violin habit), John confronted his flatmate.
"So what was wrong with the mistletoe?" John asked.
Sherlock didn't look up from his laptop. "Why should there have been something wrong?"
"Well, you had it up and now it's gone."
"Oh, yes. I used it. Experiment. Why?"
John fumbled for a moment. "Well, Hannah was over. I thought it would be nice to follow tradition."
Sherlock waved his hand dismissively. "You seemed to have no problem kissing her regardless." John rolled his eyes.
"Well, she's supposed to come over on Christmas Eve. I'll get more mistletoe before then."
The next morning, John bought another sprig and hung it in the kitchen doorway again (centered this time). Hannah came over while John was changing his shirt (at Sherlock's suggestion since John had been baking), so Sherlock let her in.
"Oh, hello Sherlock." She said, unsure as ever.
"Hello, Hannah!" Sherlock smiled. "Come in. Would you like some tea?"
Hannah stared dumbly for a moment. "Er, sure. That would be nice."
Sherlock walked into the kitchen, stopping short just past the doorway. Hannah had been following behind, looking away as if searching for John, and ran into Sherlock.
"Oh, sorry." She squeaked.
"No problem at all." Sherlock replied, smiling to himself. He turned on the kettle before the mistletoe caught his eye. "Oh, you shouldn't stand there. Here," He reached up and pulled the bunch down. There were a number of weevils crawling around on its surface.
Hannah screamed. John came running. There was shouting and hysterics that ended in Hannah rushing out, vowing to never return.
"What did you do?!" John accused.
"I saved her from having weevils drop on her head. Or yours."
"There were no weevils on that this morning! Why do you always do this? I want to have girlfriends, Sherlock. I have every right to! But I can never keep them around because you're always scaring them off!"
Sherlock stood quietly as the kettle clicked off. He regarded John carefully.
"What?" The doctor finally asked.
"If you observed more often, you'd probably notice the pattern."
"I have noticed the pattern. That's what I'm saying."
"There's more than one."
Sherlock walked back over to the sofa where he pulled his laptop over and just sat. John made tea to calm down and think before walking over and sitting next to Sherlock.
"Alright, just tell me. What am I missing?"
"It's said that a woman who stands under the mistletoe and is not kissed will not marry for another year."
"Yeah, heard that one. What's that got to do with-" Then it clicked. "Sherlock, we've been going out for three weeks!"
"And in that time, you've seen each other almost every night and she's been visiting you at the clinic. You've already made out in your office and very nearly had sex in a broom closet, not to mention the number of times back at her flat. You mentioned her in your case write up from last week and you planned to take her to Angelo's on New Year's Eve."
John's voice was suddenly very soft. "And why does that matter to you?"
Their eyes locked. It wasn't as if it had never happened before, but this time Sherlock's "we both know what's going on here" face was appropriate. They did both know what was going on even if neither really knew what to do about it.
At least for a moment. John's tongue flicked out over his lower lip, his gaze easing down over Sherlock's face. When Sherlock wet his lips similarly, John leaned in carefully.
The gentle contact sent shivers down John's spine, set Sherlock's hands trembling. It was more a meeting of lips than a kiss, but it was warm and sweet. John touched their foreheads together.
"How long had you been planning that?"
"Six days."
"Prick."
And that sent them kissing again. This one was real, open-mouthed, but no less sweet. Hands were buried in curls and checked shirts, fingers hooked in belt loops and cupping sharp cheekbones.
It was a very merry Christmas without Hannah.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: According to Wikipedia, there's an old Norse legend that goes like this: "Baldr and Höðr are rival suitors, and Höðr kills Baldr with a sword named Mistilteinn (Old Norse "mistletoe")." I thought it was awfully fitting. :)
This was also inspired by this fanart.