Sherlock 1. Chapter 1

The Gershwin Theater, 222 W 51st St, New York, NY 10019. John Watson had the address memorized by heart now, though he hardly needed it; all he had to do was step into a taxi that morning and say 'Gershwin Theater', and the cabbie had him there in no time. Still, his dream was coming true and John was determined to commit every single detail to heart.

He stood outside the building, looking up at the marquee in stunned silence. Wicked. It was all happening so fast. One moment he had been entering Uni as a theater major, the next moment, he had gotten the call to report here at 3PM on a Monday to run the sound board for his dream musical. Tightening the strap on his messenger bag, John went in through a side door and found himself standing in the seam shop amid the rush of the final stages of set designing and building. People were everywhere, moving set pieces, painting things, using power tools; it was a loud, messy sight to walk into for his first time working on Broadway. "Excuse me?" John tapped a scene painter on the shoulder. "I'm looking for Brandi? The Stage Manager?"

"She's over there." The painter pointed to a brunette woman giving orders to a group of people who were building what appeared to be a statue.

John weaved his way through the maze of power tools and construction and waited for Brandi to stop answering the question of the statue builders before saying, "Hi! I'm John Watson."

"Ah, yes! Our lead sound technician! I'm the Stage Manager, Brandi." They shook hands, then, looking at her watch, she said, "You're really early, John."

"Yeah, I was so excited to get started that I just kind of showed up early."

Brandi smiled. "First time in the big leagues?" John nodded. "Well, I'll put you to work." She laughed. "That's an interesting accent, by the way. Where are you from?"

"London, actually. Born and raised."

"Awesome! Our male lead is from London, too."

"Really?"

"Yes. You'll meet him tomorrow, though, when all the actors come in for the first mic'd stage rehearsal. C'mon. I'll show you around."

Brandi took him on a short tour of the theater, showing him the costume shop and dressing rooms, as well as the prop room and other aspects of Gershwin, before ending at the sound board. "And here is where you will be spending all of your time over the next several months."

"It's beautiful." John set his bag down and ran his hands lightly over the sound board. The lights and knobs and switches glittered like new, but somehow felt familiar under John's capable hands.

Brandi laughed a little. "I'll leave you two to get acquainted. Your sound team should be here soon and you all can get started prepping for the actors and getting to know the system. By the end of today, you should have labels on mics and a list of any sound repairs that need to be made. There shouldn't be any, but you never know. As of tomorrow, we only have one month until opening night. Tomorrow is when the madness will begin." And with that, Brandi left him alone to play with the sound board.

For the next half hour, John pressed buttons on the pre-programmed portion of the board, making a list in his notebook of which sounds correlated with which buttons for future reference. When he had gotten that list done and was about to move on to sound checking the mics, his crew showed up. James, Kelly, and Jessica didn't seem like much at first glance, but John knew from the first few minutes of talking to them that it was going to be a good show.

"Can you believe we're actually here?" Jessica, his 'second in command' asked while Kelly and Nick were on stage saying 'check one, two, three' into the pimple mics.

John smiled teasingly. "Why are you so sure this is my first time in a Broadway theater?"

"Because I read your bio." Jessica smiled back. "It's impressive, all the work you've done for the bigger university theaters in London and Paris. Why New York, now? Why not West End?"

"My mum took me to see The Music Man in this very theater when I was about ten years old. We sat right over there." He pointed to the right side balcony. "I fell in love with Theater here, and it's always been a dream of mine to someday work for a production here. I still can't believe I nailed a job here. And Wicked of all musicals!"

"I know right!" Jessica giggled. "It's all so exciting."

"It's unreal. However, I feel like it's going to get very real, very fast once we get actors tomorrow." John laughed. "But for now, I'm going to enjoy an empty theater and this gorgeous sound board."

"London, though." Jessica whistled through her teeth and adjusted the levels on the board of the mic Kelly was currently testing. "I've always wanted to go there."

"When you grow up there, it's not as impressive as is it if you visit. I heard the actor for Fiyero is from London, though."

"I heard that, too. I also heard he's an ice king. I mean, this is only his first role on Broadway, so you know he's good, and I guess some of the other male cast members don't like him so much. That'd make me cold, too, I guess. But my friend Gabrielle is the choreographer and she said he was a little odd to begin with, so maybe that's just who he is."

"Well, I'm the mic-er for the leads, so if he is as 'cold' as everyone says, I already know I'm going to get yelled at a lot." John rolled his eyes.

"Stars always forget that techies can completely throw their performance off, though. So, if he's a dick, just turn his mic off during a dramatic part."

John laughed. "And we get to blame those on technology, too. Stars don't get blame mistakes on robots." Jessica smiled, still fiddling with the board. "But, I guess we'll find out tomorrow who this 'Fiyero' guy is and whether or not I'll be shutting his mics off."


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, rehearsals started at 11AM, which meant that sound check was at 10:15. The actors looked tired as they stood on stage, except the actress playing Glinda, who was chipper and chatting with the actress for Elphaba. Well, the other actress couldn't be considered chatting; she only listened, nodded, and sipped her coffee slowly. "I know it was a late night yesterday, guys," Brandi began, "But you all worked hard in the choreography session and that's why James said we don't do anymore today." The company of lead actors perked up a little at this. "There's a minor issue with one of the Glinda costumes in the costume shop that James and I have to take care of, so I'm going to give the floor over now to John Watson, our lead sound technician."

There was some applause from the Glinda actress, who immediately stopped when she realized no one else was clapping, too. "Um, right," John cleared his throat as he climbed up onto the stage, "I'm John, and I'm the crew chief for sound, and also in charge of mics for you guys: the leads. This is Jessica," John gestured to his left where Jessica was holding a box of pimple mics, "The assistant crew chief. And Nick and Kelly are back at the sound board. They're in charge of the mics on and above the stage, so you won't see much of them. Now, I know you've all been in theater and done sound checks before, but I'm required to go through the lecture anyway. Mics are expensive, don't mess with them yourself, etc. If you have an issue before, during intermission, or after the show, see me. If you have a problem during the actual show, Jessica will be backstage and willing to help. Please don't try to put on or take off your mics yourself, I will do that for you, blah, blah, blah. You know the drill." John smiled. "Shall we get started?"

The actors just kind of shrugged. "Ladies and gents, the future Tony award winning cast of Wicked! The excitement is in the air." Jessica quipped.

This got a ripple of laugh out of the actors and the atmosphere changed on stage to a more light-hearted, alert one, and John smiled as he pulled out his copy of the cast list. "Ok, we're just going to go in order here. Mic number one goes to Molly Hooper, as Elphaba." The actress with pretty, long brunette hair and a coffee in hand stepped forward to have her pimple mic put on.

"Thank you, John." She said sweetly when it was taped in place.

"No problem, Molly." He switched the mic on. "Mic number two is for," He looked at his sheet, "Mary Morstan, as Glinda."

"It's GAlinda" She said, giggling a little. "I'm just kidding. That's a line of my character's." She stepped to stand in front of him and he began putting her mic on. "I like your accent, where are you from?"

"I was born and raised in London."

"Hey, Sherlock is from London, too!" She turned to look over her shoulder to an actor who was leaning against a prop wheelbarrow and who, upon hearing his name, looked up from his phone with an expression that could only be described as 'what Mary?'

It took John a split second to register that this was the actor that everyone had been talking about the day before, and John knew exactly why. Tall and lean, with dark curls and eyes of an indescribable silver color, Sherlock was definitely something to look at. When the actor looked over and saw John, his expression changed for the briefest moment to one John couldn't read, before he frowned and went back to playing on his phone. John just rolled his eyes and said to Mary, "Please face forward so I can finish. Thanks."

When Mary was done, it was time for mic three. "Sherlock Holmes, as Fiyero." The actor stuffed his phone back into his pocket and went to stand in front of John to be mic-ed.

"What part of London are you from?" Jessica asked, as John set to work placing the device.

Sherlock's voice was a smooth rumble as he said, "I grew up just outside the city, but went to school in central London."

John suddenly became hyper-aware of the fact that Sherlock was watching every move he made. It wasn't a glare, or even an intense stare. He was just passively following John's hands with his eyes. "I need you to stare at a spot on the back wall, please. Thanks." John said casually. He quickly finished up with Sherlock and sent him to stand with the others.

Martha Hudson as Madame Morrible was next, followed by Jim Moriarty as The Wizard, Sally Donovan as Nessarose, Sean Anderson as Boq, and Henry Knight as Doctor Dillamond. When all leads had mics, John headed back to the sound board with a hand-held. "I don't expect you to sing this early in the day, so when I call your name, please just speak the lyrics to 'Happy Birthday' until I tell you to stop. Molly, you're up first." John said, and he began running sound check for the day.

* * *

The rest of the day was mostly boring. The actors ran lines for scenes as the director, James Maddock, yelled out orders, and since the pit orchestra wouldn't be in for another day, the sound crew didn't have to worry about adjusting mic levels at all. John and Jessica sat back at the sound board watching those on stage rehearse, and occasionally making a few comments here and there to make each other laugh.

Jessica pinched her nose and, mimicking Mary on stage, said, "'It's GAlinda, it's GAlinda.' God, her character is so pretentious."

This set off another round of giggles from the sound board, and John was just about to make a clever comment about something Henry Knight had just said, when a voice behind him made him jump. "It's John, right?"

He turned around and saw Sherlock standing there holding the box part of his microphone. "Yeah, what's wrong?"

Sherlock sighed in a way that said 'this is tedious'. "It fell off. Obviously. Just fix it."

John took the box out of his hands and re-attached it to the back of Sherlock's trousers. "There. It's fixed." Sherlock didn't even say anything. He just took off towards the stage so he wouldn't miss his cue coming up. "That was weird. And awkward."

"Maybe he likes you?"

"I'd be surprised to discover if that man fancies anything, he looks so upset all the time. At least, the times I've seen him today."

"Maybe he has perpetual bitch face syndrome?"

"Perpetual bitch face syndrome?"

"It means he's not angry, it's just his face." Jessica was silent for a second before casually saying, "Do you like him?"

This caused John to laugh out loud. "I've known the man for less than a day, and the interactions we've had have been a little less than pleasant."

"Yeah, but he is pretty cute."

"So? Puppies are cute, too, but if one bites me, I'm not going to be very in love with said puppy."

"Sometimes those puppies just need affection. They can be tamed with a little petting."

"Are we still talking about a human male, here? Because I'm not 'petting' Sherlock Holmes." They both laughed again. "This conversation got out of hand so quickly, Jess. We should probably get back to work."

"You mean inserting comedic genius into a serious musical?"

"Exactly."


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, the orchestra took their places in the pit, and the real work for John started. After mic-checks, James wanted to run the biggest numbers first for the day. So, the company took their places for the opening number, No One Mourns the Wicked, and the sound team got ready to move levels in case the pit orchestra's volume interfered. When the first note struck, however, and an onstage mic screamed, it was clear that John was going to have his work cut out for him.

Quickly, he shot across the board and turned a few knobs, trying to even out the proper level of the mic and once he had evened the screaming one out, the others seemed more under control and John was able to step away from the board once more. Jessica, who had taken up her post backstage, spoke into the headset, "Get it together back there, John." She laughed a little, then said, "I am glad that happened now and not during a performance, though."

John flicked his headset on. "And now we know where to keep the board at, too, so that they won't scream during a performance. How's it looking backstage?"

"Pretty good. All leads are still mic-ed alright and the headsets are working just fine for all crews. I'm working on the spreadsheet of channels for crew chiefs, just in case anyone needs to cross-communicate, or if James needs to yell at someone without finding them backstage." She laughed again.

"Thanks. Nick, how's it looking up there?" John asked, looking up at the ceiling.

"All hanging mics are in place and functional." Nick said through the headset. "I'm just hanging out up here, so let me know if you need anything."

"Everything's good on my end, too," Kelly said from her spot under the stage. "All stage mics are working good."

"Good job guys." John said. "I'll let you know if we run into any problems."

From there, rehearsal went much more smoothly. The company rehearsed a few of the bigger casted numbers; Thank Goodness, March of the Witch Hunters, and the Finale. John mostly sat at the sound board and watched and the actors dance around the stage, listening to the music and just generally enjoying himself. "Listen to those chords, Jess."

"They're brilliant, aren't they? The choral music parts are my favorite parts of this musical. However, I can't wait to see them rehearse Dancing Through Life for the first time. It's my favorite song."

"Mine's Defying Gravity, so that'll be a fun rehearsal to watch."

"Well, I can't wait to see that Sherlock guy sing and dance. I bet he's brilliant."

"You talk about him a lot. Somebody's got a crush." John said teasingly.

"You can't see me, but I'm rolling my eyes." Jessica said sarcastically, "I'm engaged, you know. I'm just saying that he's already gotten a little hype in the newspapers; being brand new to Broadway and nailing this role, there's a lot of speculation about what he'll be like as a performer."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're engaged?" Nick said and John could swear he heard a tinge of disappointment in the techie's voice.

"Yeah, to this guy I met in my first year college. He's a doctor, actually. A plastic surgeon. We're getting married in the summer."

"Cut the chatter, guys." James came over the channel quickly. "I need some help backstage really quick, Jessica. Molly's pimple mic came un-taped."

"Coming." And the line went silent for a little bit.

A minutes, and a fixed pimple mic later, Jessica began talking over the headsets again. "Hey, Mary just told me that Sherlock is having a party at his place tonight! Only the cast is invited, but for some reason, we're invited, too. You guys in?"

"That's sounds great!" Kelly said excitedly. "What time?"

"Wait, why are we the only crew invited?" John was confused. "That seems a bit unfair to the other crews."

"Maybe it's because we're the smallest?" Nick suggested.

"No, I think it's because Mary has a crush on John and she wanted to invite us and Sherlock didn't care cause he also has a crush on John."

"Jesus Christ, Jessica, will you chill out? You think the whole cast of Wicked has a crush on me!" John shook his head.

"No, I think Mary has crush on you, too." Nick said, "So, that one is probably the reason why we're invited. She probably bounded up to Sherlock and started talking really fast and he said yes just to get her to stop talking."

"Well, anyway, the party's going to start at 10," Jessica said, "So we'll have some time after rehearsals to get ready and such. He has a penthouse! In Times Square! It's apparently paid for by his brother, but who cares? We're going to go party in a penthouse!"

Kelly did a small, excited squeal at this. "Jess, do you want to come over to my house and get ready with me?"

"Um, I guess I can, yeah. It's black tie, apparently, so I'll have to dig out a nice dress, and you boys will have to find a nice suit."

"Maybe I'll just skip so I can wear sweatpants at home." John said, jokingly.

"No, you're going to come, and you're going to get drunk, and you're going to keep me company." Nick said. " You will not leave me alone at a posh party like that."

This made all the sound people laugh at their respective posts until an actor on stage accidentally kicked a stage mic and sent another scream through the auditorium that the crew needed to fix. However, they fixed it in a much better mood than they normally would, knowing they had a penthouse party to look forward to that night.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! Sorry this update took forever, but I moved away to college on Saturday and it has been one crazy ride. I'm going to try to keep updates pretty regular and pretty often, but like I said, I just moved away to college, and my major (Human Genetics) is pretty rigorous, so no guarantees. However, I promise I will not abandon this fic. I will see it through and it'll get done. Anyway, this is just a short little chapter. Not much happens, but it sets up the next one, so I guess it's kind of important. It's about to get interesting, I promise!


	4. Chapter 4

John arrived late that night, having found a smudge on his tie just as he had finally hailed a taxi. So, when he couldn't find a new, clean tie, he ended up ditching the idea all together and hoping the suit alone would be fine. When the second taxi pulled up in front of the apartment complex in Times Square, John found himself getting a little nervous. Nick had chosen the right word earlier: 'posh'. The sound technician had never been to a formal, 'adult party' such as this one, so as the elevator rode up the endless floors ever so slowly, John was fidgeting.

Finally, the lift stopped, a bell chimed, and the doors opened to the largest apartment John had ever seen in his life. The lights glittered off every gleaming surface like a warm wash of new territory, as if every part of New York outside the flat was dead, and Sherlock's place was the only one that held life. And with the music and chatter and lights, it certainly felt that way.

John made his way through the crowd, waving at people he recognized here and there from the cast, but he only stopped to talk when he found the other members of the sound crew. "You look nice." Jessica commented as he walked up to where they were hanging out on the edges of the party.

"Not as nice as this place, though." John gestured around him, making a specific point to draw attention to the glass chandelier in the center of the living room. "Holy cow. Anyone else feel a bit like Nick Carraway?"

Kelly laughed and said, "It's a good thing there's no pool out back, then."

"I don't get it." Nick said.

"It's a Great Gatsby reference." Jessica said, taking a sip of her champagne.

"Oh." Nick shrugged. "I never read that. I sparknote-ed it for the test."

"Shame. It's a good one." Kelly said. "Anyway, Sherlock sure is acting like Gatsby tonight. I've been here close to an hour, and no one has seen him yet."

"He's right there." John said, pointing to the balcony.

On the second floor, Sherlock stood watching over his party carefully, hands clasped behind his back and an indifferent look on his face. He scanned the crowd once before moving to the stairs to join his guests. "Wow." Kelly giggled. "He looks HOT in that suit. Like, damn."

"Alright, you've had enough to drink." Jessica took the champagne flute out of her friend's hand. "You're going to embarrass yourself. We work with these people."

Sherlock came out of the crowd to their secluded corner. "You're all enjoying yourselves, I trust?"

"Very, very much." Kelly giggled again and put a hand on the dark green velvet covering Sherlock's arm. "Aren't you?"

"Of course." He said with the same blank face he normally wore, except this time it was slightly confused. "Why do you ask?"

"Um, no reason." Kelly went back to keeping her hands to herself.

As a waiter walked past them carrying a tray of wine, Sherlock stopped him. "Anyone need anything more to drink?"

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" Kelly bit her lip, trying once again to flirt shamelessly with their host.

"No. Why would I do that? Do you need some water? I also have coffee."

Kelly sighed. "Never mind."

John tried to stifle a laugh behind his hand, but it didn't work. "What's so funny, John?" Jessica asked, knowing full well what he was laughing at, but wanted to turn the focus off poor Kelly's misfortune.

"Um, nothing. Oh hey look, there's Mary." And with that, John excused himself from the group and went over to speak to Mary.

The actress was standing in the middle of the party, talking away with the people around her and swaying rhythmically to the music flowing out of the invisible speakers around the room. "Hey there." John said, coming up behind her. "Some party, huh?"

"Hi John!" Mary turned to the group of people she was talking to and said, "Everyone, this is John Watson from sound crew. I was starting to think you weren't going to make it."

"Yeah, I was running a little late. But, I made it. I didn't mean to interrupt the conversation, though. What were you guys talking about?"

* * *

John talked with the small company of actors for a little while, before he began to feel a little cramped in the apartment full of people. So, when no one was looking, he pulled himself from Mary's giggling grip and slipped out onto the balcony for some fresh air. It was like stepping from one world to another again. Though it was a small platform, Sherlock had furnished it well with several potted plants and a few lounge chairs, but this wasn't what had caught John's attention. It was the quiet that he was in awe of. The lights of Times Square shimmered upward to create soft illumination, and even though the bustling New York streets were right beneath him, it was peaceful up on the terrace. John leaned his elbows on the railing of the balcony and breathed deep the cool night air.

"Having a good time?"

John turned around to see Sherlock hovering in the doorway with an almost empty flute of alcohol. "I am, yeah. You sure can throw a party."

"I try my best." Sherlock smiled and John hesitated a moment. He'd never seen Sherlock smile before.

"You've got a pretty big place for a recent Uni grad. Especially a theater major." John laughed. "When I first started out, I was still living at home with my mum."

Sherlock finished off the glass in his hand and set in down on the railing next to him before going to stand next to John. Shrugging, he said, "It's really my brother's. He's an Ambassador for the Queen, so he's in the US often. Doing... I don't know, actually. Political things, I guess. He lets me live with him now because I found work here in the city."

"Ah. And where is he tonight?"

"Spain, actually. Representing us Englishmen at some sort of conference." Sherlock leaned on the railing and looked out over Times Square. "The view is great out here, isn't it? One of my favorite spots in the flat."

"It's quiet. I like that. Growing up in London, you don't find that very much, you know?" John said. "My mum used to hate living in the center of the city. But, Dad loved it and both needed a closer commute, so she put up with it."

"We lived just outside the city, but I always loved spending Sunday afternoons shopping in central London." Sherlock smiled again, lost in the past. "Where did you go to school?"

"I went to Essex for primary school, and Regent for secondary school."

"I went to Essex, too. Watson, right? Any chance you were related to Harriet Watson?"

"She's my sister, yeah." Sherlock started to laugh a little at that. "What's funny?"

"Well, I think you were a few years ahead of me, but do you remember that really mental librarian they hired? She had the crazy pen obsession and always wore a cat sweater?"

"Ms. Cathryn!" Now John started laughing. "Please tell me you're thinking about the ruler incident." At the mention of the ruler incident, both men were giggling like idiots.

"Your sister was a school legend from then on! I still can't believe Ms. Cathryn chased her a block and a half!" Sherlock said, letting out a final chuckle.

"Mum was so pissed when the principal called home. Dad was too busy laughing to say anything about it, though." The giggles died down and a comfortable silence filled the space between them as they watched the New York skyline again.

After a beat, Sherlock shifted his weight and said, "So, I was wondering..."

"Hmm?" John said, not really turning his head to look away from the jumbo-tron he was trying to read.

"Well, I wanted to know if you-"

"Sherlock, we've got an issue in here. One of the caterers has been looking for you for a while." Mary said, suddenly appearing out on the balcony. "Oh, there you are, John!"

Sherlock straightened his jacket and went back inside with out a word. John followed him back into the party, before splitting off and looking for his sound crew again. "Think you're going to score tonight, Kelly?" John asked when he found his friend sulking in the corner.

"Sherlock completely shut me out. I think he hates me. However, I wouldn't be able to tell! Dude's a robot."

John shrugged. "I don't think so. He's got a nice smile." His three sounds assistants immediately looked at him suspiciously. "What? We had a nice conversation out on the balcony, and he seems nice."

Kelly and Jessica shared a quick look before Kelly said, "Ok, I get it now."

"Get what?"

"Nothing." Kelly waved a dismissive hand. "You, too, will understand in time." Jessica barked out a laugh at that and John rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry, dude." Nick said, clapping him on the back. "Women are crazy."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thanks again for sticking with me during all the craziness that is my schooling. I started classes this week, so I didn't have a lot of free time to write. However, I had some time between classes yesterday and today, so I was able to finish this chapter up. I hope you're all enjoying the fic! I hope to update the fifth chapter on Monday.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **Highly recommend viewing this video first:

youtube watch?v=uvqiSCH8C3g (ffn doesn't let me type full links in, so just type that into google video search.)

* * *

"John, we're going to be running Dancing Through Life today," James said, coming up to stand in front of the sound board, "And it's a tricky one for floor mics. In the beginning, Sherlock throws a lot of books on the floor, so be watching the levels."

"I can do that."

"And you'll need Kelly on her toes in case a book knocks one over."

"I'm on it, sir." Kelly said, saluting with a smile.

"Awesome. Keep up the good work, guys." James turned toward the stage where actors stood milling around, and spoke into his handheld, "Alright guys, let's take it from the top of Dancing Through Life. I only want to run the beginning, though. I'll let you know when I want to stop."

Actors scrambled in all directions to take their places. Some stood around, some lounged on the statue in the center of the stage, but all had their noses in a book. Nick was already up on the catwalk, and Kelly was now sprinting to get under the stage. Jessica, however, volunteered to stay behind and watch the board with John. "You just want to watch Sherlock perform for the first time."

"I told you, I want to see what all the hype is about." Jessica stuck her tongue out at him.

"Let's take it from 'Biq do you know who that is?'." James said, sitting down next to Brandy in the front row. "Ready when you are."

Mary gasped loudly on stage. "Biq do you know who that is? That's Fiyero Tiggular. The Winkie Prince who's reputation is so scandalacious!" She rushed over to where Sherlock was standing on stage. "Looking for something? Or," She tossed her hair, "Someone?"

"Uhh.. yeah. History class? I don't know.. somewhere?"

Sean pointed his fellow actor in the opposite direction of Mary and said, "The history building is way over that way, my friend."

Mary quickly grabbed him and spun him back. "But that class just ended."

Sherlock looked relieved. "Perfect timing! So what do you do for fun around here?"

Mary got closer to him. "Nothing really... Until now."

Sean stepped between them. "We've been studying."

Sherlock put an arm around his shoulder and said, "Well, it looks like once again the responsibility to corrupt my fellow students falls to me. Fortunately, I'm up to the task." Then, Sherlock began to sing. _"The trouble with schools is, they always try to teach the wrong lesson. Believe me, I've been kicked out of enough of them to know._ They want you to become less callow, less shallow. _But I say why invite stress in? Stop studying strife,"_ Sherlock tossed Sean's book and when it hit, a mic hissed, causing John to look down and try to fix it.

_"And learn to live, the unexamined, life. Dancing through life, skimming the surface, gliding where turf is smooth."_ When John looked back up, Sherlock was dancing across the stage as effortlessly as possible. Every move he made flowed gracefully into the next with no stutters or hitches. Like a stone on water, he skipped across the floor to his next mark. _"Life's more painless, for the brainless. Why think too hard? When it's so soothing dancing through life. No need to tough it, when you can slough it off as I do! Nothing matters but knowing nothing matters. It's just life, so keep dancing through..."_

The music was picking up now, and John found himself captivated, caught in the gravity of Sherlock's performance. He watched, dazzled, as the actor's hard lines turned to fluid edges and back again. Over and over like a dance streamer, as he sang with gathering intensity. _"Dancing through life, swaying and sweeping, and always keeping cool. Life is fraught-less, for the thoughtless. Those who don't try, never look foolish. Dancing through life, mindless and careless, make sure you wear less trouble and strife! Woes are fleeting, blows are glancing. When you're dancing through life!" _This last note he belted and held as he leaned back and practically hung upside down from the statue prop. Then, he jumped down smoothly and slung and arm around Mary. "So, what's the most swank-i-fied place in town?"

John hadn't realized that he'd moved his chair forward so he could lean his head on his hand, but right at that moment, his elbow slipped from the ledge he had rested it on and smashed into the sound board. The annoying sound of feedback rang through the auditorium and the stage came to a screeching halt before Mary could say her line.

"That's alright." James said, "That's where I wanted to stop anyway. But, if that happens during a real performance, don't you dare stop."

"John, what was that?" Jessica said, crossing her arms and giving him and playful, scolding look.

Busted. John felt his cheeks warm from embarrassment. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Should I clarify?" John didn't respond. Jessica was smiling as she poked him in the side and said, "I'm talking about you drooling all over the freakin' equipment the past few minutes before drawing a shit ton of attention to yourself by causing feedback. All because you _fancy_-" Jessica shut up very quickly just then.

Sherlock was making his way up through the rows of audience seating towards them. "That wasn't my mic, was it? That had all that feedback?" Jessica tried to stifle her laughter behind her hand, but was failing. "What's funny?"

"Nothing, just an inside thing." John still didn't look up from the sound board. "It was a technical error on my part back here, you're fine." Jessica was laughing harder than ever now.

Sherlock looked at her. "Aren't you normally backstage? Why are you here?" Sherlock asked, annoyed, before stomping off.

Jessica waited until he was out of earshot before she went back to teasing John. "Oh you _so fancy_ him." She turned her headset on so Nick and Kelly could hear, "John's in love, guys."

"He gets it!" Kelly said, laughing. "Hooray!"

"Ah, amore." Nick said briefly.

"I hate you guys." John said. "Can we seriously drop it? I don't appreciate the teasing."

Jessica patted him on the back. "I'm sorry, John. But, in all seriousness, are you going to ask him out?"

"What? No."

"Why not?"

"Are you kidding me? He's a Broadway actor, on his way to being the next Idina Menzel, and I'm just a tech crew member. He's got a lot better options than me, and he's probably got his eye on one of them already. Plus, how do we even know he's gay? We don't. There's too many reasons for him to say no, and I'm not going to face that kind of rejection again. I'm just going to sit here in my fantasy bubble and pretend that none of this exists."

"You're boring." John shrugged. "And you said you're not going to face that rejection again? What happened before? I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't to."

"I fancied a guy in my first year in Uni. He played football and was also in my theater appreciation class. I was really sure he liked me back, but when I asked him out, he not only turned me down, but made it public. He got his teammates to mock me, etc. It was an awful semester, and I was heart broken. I mean, Sherlock doesn't seem like the kind of guy to taunt me for something like that, but I'm not going to embarrass myself like that again."

"Well, who knows. Maybe he'll ask you out." John shrugged. "Would you say yes if he did?" John's cheeks turned red again this set off another round of giggles in Jessica.


	6. Chapter 6

"Tomorrow is opening night and you don't know your lines?!" James was yelling at the actors on stage in frustration. He threw his script through the audience seating. "What is this?! Broadway, or amateur hour?!"

"I'm just a little nervous and I forgot." Molly said quietly, "I know the lines. It won't happen again." The mousey actress looked like she was about to start crying underneath the mountains of green face paint.

"I got news for you, sweetheart. You're going to be a lot more nervous tomorrow night. So you better pull it together." James clenched his fists and spun around, shouting to the back of the auditorium. "AND WHERE THE HELL IS MY MALE LEAD?!"

Sherlock had been missing that morning for call, and that was most of the reason for James's sudden rampage. "Why don't we take 5?" Brandy suggested, sticking her head out from backstage.

"No, we don't have time for that," The director was being condescending, but at least he wasn't yelling anymore. "Because these-"

"Excuse me?" A voice came from the back of the auditorium and drew everyone's attention in a flash. "I don't mean to interrupt, but does this belong to you?"

Greg Lestrade, head of security for the Gershwin theater, was holding Sherlock's arm tightly and looking at James with the typical 'should I call the cops?' look most security guards wear.

"Yeah, he's mine." James said, still angry.

Lestrade let go of the actor and Sherlock said something that sounded like 'I told you' before stomping towards the stage in a huff. The security guard, however, decided to amble over to stand near the sound board. "Hi John."

"Hey Greg, how are you?"

Lestrade didn't get an opportunity to answer before James started yelling again. "Where have you been?!"

"Here! I've been trying to get into the theater for the past several hours! All the doors are locked! No one was answering their cell phones, and no one was opening a door! I finally got in because security heard me trying to pick one of the locks!" Sherlock had gotten up into James's face, standing his ground.

"Maybe if you had been on time to call, you would've gotten in with everyone else!"

"It's not my fault there was a car wreck on my way here!"

Brandy was out on the stage now. She lifted her clipboard and slammed it on the ground. The noise made everyone jump, and the two men turned sharply to look at her. "I've had enough of this. You both need to chill the hell out. James, your rampaging is just wasting rehearsal time that we need. Everyone is stressed because tomorrow is opening night, so everyone needs to take extra care to love each other today. Got it?" No one said anything. "I said got it?"

"Yes ma'am." Was the collective mumble from the shocked cast and crew.

"Great." Brandy scooped up her clipboard and tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear. "Now, let's take 5 to refocus while Sherlock gets his mic on. He'll have to rehearse the first act without costumes."

The company quickly dispersed in opposite directions to calm down and take a break. "Is theater always like this?" Lestrade asked.

"Oh yeah. Sometimes worse." John responded as he rooted around in his box of pimple mics for Sherlock's.

"That's awful."

"You've been working here for several years. You're telling me you've never seen a meltdown like that before?"

"I don't come into rehearsals. I only patrol the inside and outside of the theater and such. The only time I step foot in the auditorium is when they call for me." Lestrade shook his head. "You people are crazy."

"Well, we love what we do. And people do crazy things for love."

Lestrade laughed a little. "Alright buddy. Well, I'll let you do your job. Have fun."

Sherlock was still sulking by the time he reached the sound board and John's smile and 'hello' was met by a scowl. "Well fine, if you're going to be like that, I guess I take my 'hello' back."

Sherlock relaxed his shoulders. "Sorry. Hello, John."

"Just cause you got yelled at doesn't mean you get to ruin my good morning." John pointed out. "I discovered Apple Jacks today and nothing else in this world matters." Sherlock raised an eyebrow. "It's is a breakfast cereal. And it's amazing." John reached down and pulled a giant ziplock baggie out from where he had been hiding and munching from it under the desk. "Prepare to have your life changed." He handed the actor the unreasonable amount of Apple Jacks and set to work putting his mic on.

Sherlock stuck his hand in the bag and curiously shoved a handful of cereal in his mouth. "These are actually pretty good." He said after a moment of chewing.

"Isn't your day just instantly better?" John was still working to fasten the pimple mic in place as Sherlock munched on the breakfast food.

"How many boxes are in this ziplock baggie?"

"Two. Don't judge me. They were on sale, and I'm not going to eat it all in one sitting. Maybe."

Sherlock stuck his hand back in the bag and popped a few more pieces of cereal in his mouth. "No one man should wield this much power."

John laughed. "Alright, you're all mic'd up. You should probably get back to the stage before you get into more trouble."

"Thanks." The actor handed him back his breakfast of champions before brushing the cereal dust off on his pants and taking off towards the stage.

"Let's just run the show from the top." James said, plunking himself down in a chair in the front row as actors scrambled in all directions to get off stage to their places.

* * *

"Do NOT be late for call tomorrow, guys. It's the real deal tomorrow night and we need to try to get this thing off the ground without a hitch." James said as he wrapped up his final notes for the day. John was up on stage trying to take the mics off the leads as the director talked. "You're all doing great, and tomorrow will be the payoff. Don't forget to have fun with it. Good work and have a good night."

"Hey, if you still have a mic on, follow me up to the sound board." John said over the commotion of the company standing up to leave.

Mary, Sean, and Sherlock trailed behind him up to the sound board to get their mics taken off, and each waited their turn patiently and quietly; every cast member was exhausted, and it showed. Sherlock was the last actor to get his mic off, so John was trying to hurry. However, he could tell Sherlock was also just as run down as everyone else. "You know, you're doing a really great job. You're going to be awesome tomorrow." He said casually as he pulled the box off the back of Sherlock's trousers, freeing the actor from the piece of equipment.

"Thanks. But I'd be lost without my techie."

John was extremely grateful for the fact that he had been standing behind Sherlock at that moment, because he felt his ears turn red and his face flush, and the last he needed was for the actor to see it. "Um, thanks. I try." John quickly turned to put the mic away so Sherlock wouldn't try to talk to him and see how red he'd gotten.

"So, I uh, I wanted ask you something."

"Oh?" John still didn't look up from the box of pimple mics, instead he pretended to organize them.

"I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go get coffee with me after the show tomorrow?"

John felt his heart bang up against his sternum. "Like, to celebrate opening night?"

"Well, that, but I was hoping for more of a... a date?"

Yep. That was definitely his heart trying to break free of his body by flying through his ribcage. He took a deep breath and turned to face the actor. "I'd like that, yeah."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I needed a break from my mountain of Chemistry homework. So, have Apple Jacks and Johnlock :)


	7. Chapter 7

Opening night. All the actors were early to call, and that meant everyone was ready, sound-checks done, and warm-ups completed early, too. That also meant everyone was loosing their minds. John was standing with Jessica in the warm-up room, watching actors pace, wring their hands, and mutter to themselves as the atmosphere in the room gathered a larger cloud of tension by the minute. He looked over and saw Sherlock standing in the corner of the room, frowning, but otherwise unmoving.

"You nervous?" Jessica nudged him.

"Me?" John asked. "No, I'm good. Rehearsals are the biggest amount of work. Now I've just got to make sure all the buttons on the sound board stay where they are and I don't miss a cue to turn a mic on. I think I'll be fine."

"No, I mean are you nervous for your date tonight?"

John smiled and his ears turned a little pink. "I'm trying not to think about it right now. I'm sure the closer it gets, the more nervous I'll get. Right now, I need to get through the show."

"Everyone needs to get through the show. These people are going to sweat their make-up and mic tape right off!" Jessica laughed, but it was true. The whole cast and crew was tense and no one was talking to each other.

John looked back over to the corner that Sherlock was standing in and noticed that the actor had pulled his script out and was flipping through it, still wearing a frown. "Hey, I'll be right back." John said, slipping away from Jessica.

Sherlock didn't look up when John came to stand in front of him, he wasn't even aware of his presence. So, John reached out and slowly took the script from the tall actor's hands. Shutting it, he said, "You're going to do great." Sherlock smiled and some of the tension in his shoulders relaxed. "Listen, this is kind of dumb, but," John reached into the collar of his black tech shirt and pulled out a long metal chain with a quarter on the end of it. Pulling it over his head, he said, "This was my grandfather's lucky quarter. He said it helped him do all sorts of crazy feats, so he punched a hole in it and put it on a chain, so he could always have luck on him. He gave it to me before he died and I wear it when I need a little extra luck. But," He held out his hand, "You look like you might benefit from the reassurance more than I would."

Sherlock let out a little chuckle. "I don't believe in luck. But, I would love to have a piece of you up on stage with me. For reassurance." He pulled the chain over his head and tucked the coin away under his shirt. "Thank you."

"No problem. You can give it back to me after we have coffee tonight."

Sherlock nodded. "It's a date." They laughed at the phrase, and before John could say anything else, Brandy was in the room, calling out for everyone to take their places. The show was about to begin.

* * *

Their first performance went off without a glitch. The energy from the stage radiated out through the entire auditorium, and the actors fed on the audience's response to it. It was a glorious cycle, and John had to say it was definitely their best run of the show yet. Backstage, everyone was buzzing about, giggling with each other and congratulating one another on a job well done. The sound and light crews had perched themselves on a paint scaffold and were cracking jokes and having fun with the actors that happened to pass by.

"I didn't know I casted extra flying monkeys." James said, crossing his arms and looking up at the crews in the scaffolding.

"We forgot our line, so we improvised!" Reese, the crew chief for lighting called down, earning a laugh from everyone, even James.

"Alright, well, don't hurt yourselves, and don't forget that call is at the same time tomorrow. Good job tonight, guys." The director said as he went off in the direction of the stage.

"John Watson!" A baritone voice yelled from across the seam shop and caused everyone to quickly turn to see who was talking. Sherlock stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans and strode forward to stand at the base of the scaffold. "I owe you a cup of coffee and a lucky quarter." He was beaming as he stood there, waiting for John to climb down.

When he reached the bottom, the crew chief turned around to say goodbye to his friends, before he fell in step next to Sherlock. "So," Sherlock began as they pushed open the stage door to the theater and stepped out into the crisp fall air of New York. "I don't know about you, but I'm pumped full of adrenaline from the performance."

"So coffee probably isn't a good idea."

"Wanna just take a walk?"

"That's fine with me." John said as they started off down the sidewalk in the direction of Times Square.

"Why'd you come to New York? Why not do something for West End?" Sherlock asked as he discreetly reached down and pulled John's hand into his.

John smiled at the gesture before saying, "I uh, I fell in love with Broadway when Mum brought me here once when I was little. It's been a dream job ever since. What about you?"

"Pure chance. I wanted to work on West End, but I never got a chance to audition. I was doing a theater internship here in New York and I landed the part of Fiyero on accident, actually. I was just screwing around with a mate of mine while we were cleaning up the stage after a performance, and I was singing and dancing to 'Dancing Through Life'. James was there, talking to the other director, and he offered me the part on the spot."

"Wow. That's not really pure chance, though. You've got real talent." John said.

"Thanks. And you're really good at what you do, too. Not a lot of people appreciate techies, but I've been one before, and I get it. It's tough work."

They continued to walk and talk like that through Time Square, laughing and sharing information about themselves and their interests. The lights on the buildings didn't go out, but that was to be expected from the city that never sleeps, so as the hours ticked away and the number of laps they'd made around the main streets increased, they hardly noticed any time had elapsed at all. That is, until Sherlock checked the time. "Damn. It's almost 2AM."

John shrugged. "I'm not tired."

"Do you want to come over for a bit? I live right there."

"Uh, yeah, I can come hang out for a bit." They walked in silence in the direction of Sherlock's penthouse, and when they reached the front door, Sherlock disconnected their hands to get out his keys and unlock his elevator.

"You've got a really nice place." John said when they stepped out of the lift and into the living room. "Very posh."

"It's the way Mycroft likes to live." Sherlock shrugged.

"Not you?"

"Eh, it's fun at first, but I personally like the small flat setting. But, this is free. And I like free better than anything." They laughed and then grew silent.

It wasn't a comfortable silence, either. It was an awkward, 'what next?' kind of silence that made both men shift uncomfortably in the middle of the living room. "So, uh, I've seen this floor, but what's upstairs?" John asked finally.

"Here, I'll show you." John followed him upstairs and nodded thoughtfully as Sherlock showed him the small library, the entertainment room, and the closed door to his brother's room.

"And what's that?" John pointed to another closed door at the end of the hallway.

"That's my room." When John smiled slyly at this, all awkwardness melted away and Sherlock, his confidence back, interlaced his fingers into the techie's once more.

With his free hand, John reached up and wove the tips of his fingers into the curls at the nape of Sherlock's neck, pulled the tall actor forward, and kissed him very slowly. He tasted like stage make-up and breath mints; a normally bad combination, but John didn't care. He wanted to drink in every sensastion this moment had to offer.

When the kiss broke, John felt as though the air had been sucked from his lungs. Both men were breathing heavily, and Sherlock's pupils were blown so wide, his irises were almost gone. John swallowed once. "Bedroom?"

Sherlock reached the end of the hallway in a few quick strides, and waited in the open doorway as John caught up. Pulling him in for another kiss, Sherlock kicked the door to his room closed, closing them off from the rest of the world. From there, everything picked up speed. John stripped his jacket off and tossed it on the ground somewhere before he tried to make quick work of the buttons on Sherlock's shirt.

Sherlock kissed him harder, and John felt like he was on fire. When he freed the final button from it's hole, John pushed Sherlock away slightly. "This isn't going to work."

"How do you mean?"

"Strip. We can't multitask." John pulled his shirt over his head and let it drop haphazardly onto the floor, before starting to fumble with his belt. Sherlock had slid the button-up off his shoulders and it was now lying in a puddle next to his jeans on the wood. Stepping forward, Sherlock helped John get out of his trousers.

"God, you're gorgeous." John said quietly, running his hands down Sherlock's chest. The actor was still wearing the lucky quarter, and the metal was glinting in the moonlight from the window.

Sherlock smiled a little before kissing him again. Hard. Grabbing the small of his back, the actor ground his hips against the techie's, rubbing their barely clothed erections together. John shivered and let out a small moan into Sherlock's mouth.

The taller man walked forward, pushing John toward the bed until he fell back onto the comforter. Then, Sherlock crawled onto the mattress and hovered over him. Dipping down slightly, the actor lavished the pulse point on John's neck; biting the sensitive flesh before cooling the sting with his tongue. It was definitely going to leave a mark. "Oh fuck. Sherlock!" John hissed, arching his back into the touch.

Sherlock straightened back up, breathing hard and motioning for John to move up to the head of the bed. John did as he was silently instructed, then watched as the gorgeous, illusive male lead showered his chest and stomach with kisses. John's breath hitched as the trail of kisses reached his hip bones, and he stopped breathing all together when Sherlock slid his boxers off and tossed them on the floor. The taller man wasted no time; pulling back John's foreskin, he placed a quick, wet kiss on his head, before sliding his mouth down and around his cock.

"Fuck!" John gasped out. He thought he could come just from the sight of those perfect heart shaped lips swollen around his shaft. But, he only gripped the sheets next to him and moaned his approval several, several times. "Yes, yes! Fuck, Sherlock. Oh god, I'm so close." He wound his fingers through the thick black curls of Sherlock's bobbing head as his tongue rolled up John's shaft, swirled around the head of his cock, and then back down once more.

John tugged on the patch of curls he had ahold of. "Sherlock, I'm- I'm about to- Ah!" The edges of John's vision went white as he came, and he reveled in the feeling of Sherlock continuing to suck him as he rode out his orgasm, swallowing as he sat up straight. "Wow." John said in a hoarse whisper.

Sherlock kissed him again, and John could taste himself on the actor's lips. The salty tang mixed with the stage make-up and breath mints just seemed right; it made John feel connected to him.

"Let me." John said, reaching for the waistband of Sherlock's pants.

"I'm OK with just a hand job." The actor mumbled through his repeated kisses. "I'm close enough anyway."

Sherlock stood up quickly and discarded his briefs, before crawling back into bed and snogging John hard again. The taller man's cock felt thick and heavy in John's hand as he stroked it, the head already leaking profusely. John pulled Sherlock's lower lip into his mouth and sucked on it as he rolled his thumb over the sensitive head, earning a low growl of approval. "John." Sherlock practically purred out. And within a few more strokes, the actor bit down on John's shoulder and came in thick, hot ropes over both their stomaches and John's hand.

They laid there for a long time, not saying anything, just listening to each other breathe. Finally, Sherlock got out of bed and went into the bathroom. John heard the tap turn on, and a few seconds later, the actor returned with a damp cloth. He wiped the cooled and mostly dried seamen carefully off John's stomach and the bed spread, then handed the cloth to John to clean up his hand. Afterwards, Sherlock tossed the rag into some unknown corner of the darkened bedroom and crawled under the covers. John followed suit, suddenly feeling the exhaustion from all the excitement of the day. He yawned loudly and prepared to settle in. Sherlock had other plans, though. The taller man wrapped his arms around John's bare chest and pulled him in close. Burying his face in the crook of the sound technician's neck, Sherlock whispered, "Goodnight, John."

John smiled as he felt the cool metal of the lucky quarter the actor was still wearing warm between them. "Goodnight, Sherlock."

* * *

**Author's Note: **I finally got caught up on all my homework! So, I decided to take the night off from school and write a chapter for y'all! Enjoy!


	8. Chapter 8

When John woke up the next morning, he was alone on his side of the bed. Rolling over, he saw Sherlock sprawled out on his stomach on the other side of the king sized bed, still dead in sleep. Unsure of what he should do, John sat up and looked around the large bedroom. He'd never done anything like this before, and he wasn't sure what the etiquette was for the situation. Did Sherlock expect him to leave now? They weren't exactly dating, so maybe he wasn't supposed to stick around all day.

Getting up carefully, he quietly located his clothes around the room and got dressed by the light of the midmorning sun streaming in through the thick curtains. Then, slipping out of the door, he stole down the hallway in silence. He walked down the stairs, trying to tame his hair as he went. But when he reached the landing and turned to the living room, he froze.

"You must be John." A man, who must've been Mycroft, was sitting on the couch in the living room reading a newspaper and enjoying a cup of tea.

"Oh, I uh..." John tried desperately to stop himself from turning bright red. "Sherlock didn't tell me you were here last night."

"I gathered that." Mycroft stood and walked over to shake his hand. "Mycroft Holmes."

"John Watson."

"I've heard a lot about you. Will you be staying for lunch?"

"I, uh, I was actually just heading out. I've got some things I need to take care of before tonight's show." John started moving toward the exit.

"Speaking of which, there's a review of last night in the paper. I was just reading it."

"Really?" John took the paper from him and opened it to the page he was talking about.

"It's a pretty good review, too. You should go show my brother. I'm sure he'd like to hear about it, as well." Mycroft gestured with his tea cup in the direction of Sherlock's room, then went to sit back down in the living room.

Scanning the review, John saw words like 'amazing', 'excellent', and 'shining', before he turned around and jogged back up the stairs to Sherlock's room. "Hey, Sherlock, check this out." He said when he opened the door back up. "Janine Hawkins from the Times reviewed the show last night."

Sherlock, just now waking, propped himself up on one elbow and looked at John in confusion. "Are you leaving?"

"Well, I uh-" John shifted uncomfortably.

Sherlock seemed to have read his mind, because he shook his head and waved John over. "No, come back to bed." Smiling, John stripped back down to his pants and crawled back into bed. "I want you here." He said as he moved in close to John once more. "I don't expect you to be gone by the time I wake up. Unless, you don't want to be here."

"No, I do." John said, finally relaxing once more.

"So, what's the review say? Read it to me." Sherlock put his head on John's chest and tangled his long arms around his torso.

"Wicked opened last night at the Gershwin Theater, and I had an excellent floor seat to what I initially didn't know was going to be one of the most amazing performances I've seen on Broadway to date." John read. "The casting, costuming, and choreography were all so deliciously on point, that I found myself wishing it wouldn't end. Miss Molly Hooper, the actress playing Elphaba, is definitely a star in the making. Miss Hooper has played minor roles on Broadway in the past, mostly chorus parts and a few secondary leads, but as the green witch of the west, she has stepped into the spotlight. Though, Miss Hooper hardly needs it, as she shines brightly on her own.

"Mary Morstan, a veteran to the Gershwin stage, dazzled as well, and it wasn't just her very large, very pink dresses. Miss Morstan's operatic vocal range was excellent and her comedic timing fit the ditzy role of Glinda in ways that had me bursting out laughing at all the right times. Newcomer to the stage, Sherlock Holmes, stole the show, though, with his suave performance of Dancing Through Life." John smiled and ran his free hand in absent-minded circles on Sherlock's back. "Mr. Holmes's Fiyero dazzled and stunned during his different scenes, and he definitely won the crowd over with his shining smile and smooth voice. Though the whole cast and crew were fabulous, I recommend catching the show before Sherlock Holmes is too big of a name for us every-day-folk to get tickets."

John tossed the newspaper onto the floor. "Wow. Talk about a rave review. I think that Janine woman may have fallen in love with you last night."

"My shining smile and suave dance moves tend to do that." Sherlock laughed a slow, low chuckle before sitting up and putting a hand behind John's head, pulling him in for a kiss. "Got time for a different type of dancing?"

John barked out a laugh. "That was really lame. But, I guess I have a little time." He smiled, moving closer to the actor once more.

* * *

"John." Jessica said in a low, teasing voice. "What's this?" She poked the dark purple bruise peeking out from the collar of his shirt as he was fiddling with the sound board.

John twisted away from her touch, flinching slightly in pain. "Be an adult, Jessica. You know what it is." He still didn't look up from the board. When he'd been getting ready for the show tonight, he'd noticed how large the hickey had gotten over night and he'd silently prayed his team wouldn't draw attention to it.

Kelly gasped, looking over the wall around the sound board to better see what Jessica was talking about. Then, giggling, she said, "I take it your date went well last night? I want details!"

John rearranged his shirt collar in an attempt to hide the hickey again. "Jesus, I feel like a teenager." Kelly laughed again and John leaned up against the wall next to him and ran his fingers through his hair. "Yeah, it went well. We actually skipped the coffee and just walked around Times Square and talked until about 2AM."

"Damn." Jessica said. "I went to bed at midnight, and I'm exhausted."

"Yeah, and just because they talked until 2AM, doesn't mean they weren't up later than that." Kelly nudged her.

"Oh, ha ha." John rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm going to run backstage real quick and change out Molly's mic. When I get back, I expect this to be a professional environment. That means drop it." John gave them a serious look, but walked away with a small smile on his face. He really did feel like a teenager again and talking about it didn't help any.

Backstage was the same scene as the day before; actors bustling about trying to take care of last minute things. Though tonight, the atmosphere was less tense and there was more fun in the air. "Hi John!" Molly waved, her bright green body paint sticking out from the crowd like a neon sign.

"I have a better mic for you right here." John said, holding up the box and wires. "Did you see the review in the Times this morning?" He asked as he set to work applying her mic. "It called you a 'star in the making'."

"I did see it!" Molly said. "I'm very happy about it. It's a very nice review. For all three of us mains. But especially Sherlock."

"It was very generous on Sherlock's behalf." John admitted. "But, he is a new face, so it was a bit of a feat for a newcomer."

"Oh no, I'm not saying it was undeserved." Molly said, turning to face John once he'd finished. "I was just saying he definitely got his recognition."

"Well, break a leg," John said, spotting Sherlock across the room in the same corner as yesterday.

"Come to wish me good luck?" Sherlock said, crowding himself into John's space and placed a hand on the wall next to John's ear.

John crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall, looking up into the actor's face. "I thought you didn't believe in luck?"

Sherlock smirked. "I don't." He dipped his head and gave John loving kiss.

Smiling against Sherlock's lips, John said, "Good luck out there."

The sound of someone clearing their throat next to them made both turn sharply. "John, do you think I could have you back now?"

A blush creeped up over John's face and he coughed once. "Uh, yeah. Sorry." He ducked under Sherlock's arm and went to stand by Jessica. "Break a leg." He said again, waving awkwardly before grabbing Jessica's arm and whisking her away to the sound board.

"You guys are cute." Jessica commented.

"Shut up." John mumbled. "Places, guys. We're about to begin."

* * *

Not a great chapter, but necessary for plot purposes. Sorry it took so long to update! I've been bogged down with school work. But, I aced 3 tests in the last week, and I decided to take the weekend off and relax and do an update. It may take a bit to update the next chapter, though. I'm trying to give my novel a little attention, too.


	9. Chapter 9

With yet another successful run under their belts, the cast were just as rowdy backstage as they had been the previous night. Cast and crew were scattered about, chattering loudly as they got ready to pack up and head out for the night. "What are you going to do for the rest of the night?" Jessica asked from her perch on the ladder to the catwalk.

"Not sure." John yawned. "But I'm kind of tired, so I might end up just going home and sleeping."

"Oh no you're not!" Mary giggled, sliding up beside him and wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "We're all going out to celebrate two successful runs, and you are both coming with us."

"Where?" Jessica asked.

"Some bar down the street. Sean recommended it." Mary gestured to where Sean Anderson was standing, talking to a group of chorus members. "Anyway, it's not going to be anything too big or too rowdy, we just want to have a few drinks and celebrate the good start."

"I'm down." Jessica untangled herself from the metal ladder and straightened her clothes.

"Excellent." Mary clapped her hands together and both women looked at John. "How about you, John?"

"Um, sure. It sounds like fun." John agreed. Just then, Sherlock found the techie amongst the crowd of people and came to stand next to him. "Hey! You did great tonight." John patted the actor awkwardly on the back. He still wasn't exactly sure what their relationship was and what all it entailed.

"Thanks. Great catch with that kicked microphone." Sherlock returned the compliment and it was silent momentarily. "So, uh, are you ready to go then?"

"Well, we were going to go out to this bar down the street and have a few drinks to celebrate the good start we're off to. You want to come with?" John asked as Mary and Jessica nodded their heads in agreement.

Sherlock's slightly stony expression didn't change very much as he considered it for a second, then said, "No, thank you. Not really my area."

"You sure?" John was slightly disappointed he wouldn't get to spend more time around the male lead.

Sherlock nodded. "But you have fun." He leaned forward slightly and placed a very light kiss on the techie's forehead. "I'll text you." Straightening back up, he nodded at the women. "Goodnight ladies."

"Goodnight, Sherlock!" They said in unison, eyes locked on John's reddening face. As soon as the actor was out of earshot, they said, "Ok, we definitely need more details from your date yesterday."

John rolled his eyes. "Buy me a drink first."

* * *

The bar was crowded, but not enough that it was too hard to hear or to find a place for the cast to squeeze in. Once they had their drinks and were sitting comfortably in a booth, Jessica, Molly, and Mary were prodding John for information again. "Seriously though, how was the date?" Mary said as she sipped her extremely pink drink.

"It went well." John had decided on a beer and was rolling the bottle absent-mindedly in his hands. "We just talked about Uni and how we came to end up in New York. He's got a great sense of humor."

"You know that's not what we care about." Jessica said, teasingly.

"How was the sex?" Molly blurted out suddenly, then looked mortified by her own boldness.

Mary almost spit out her drink in shock. "Wow. Such language miss Molly." She nudged the actress and Molly began to blush a brighter pink. "Relax. I only meant that you're normally so quiet, we didn't expect the sudden personal question." Mary fixed her eyes on John now. "But really, how was he?"

John rolled his eyes, but still smirked a little. "I'm not sure if I should tell you girls. Not sure if I'm drunk enough." He took another drink of his beer, enjoying the annoyed looks on their faces.

"You should tell us, because you're all in puppy love and you want to talk about it." Jessica said. "We're girls. We can see that sort of thing from miles."

"It was pretty good." John finally relented, earning a small giggle from Molly, who'd already finished her very large margarita.

"We'll need more details than that." Mary said, raising a challenging eyebrow and settling back into the booth for the story.

"Come on, you don't want the NC-17 details." John waved a dismissive hand in their direction and downed that last of his drink. "But, I'll tell you a little."

The girls leaned forward in the booth as John gave them a simple, PG-13 rated summary of the events from the night before. "And I met his brother in the morning. I didn't even know he'd been home that night."

"I bet that was a bit embarrassing." Molly said quietly.

"Just a little. Had I known he was there, I would've been quieter." This earned a large eruption of giggles from the girls and John smiled big. He checked the time on his phone, and saw that he had two new text messages from Sherlock.

iYou're mine tomorrow after the show.  
SH

I have a surprise for you, and a question for you.  
SH

Can't wait.  
JW/i

"Sherlock says he has a surprise for me tomorrow." John said, putting his phone away after replying. "I wonder what it could be."

Molly shrugged. "I'm sure it'll be something fun."

John nodded and called out for another beer. "Well, I guess I'll see after tomorrow's show."

* * *

Sorry it took so long for an update. Uni is kicking my ass (why did I pick a Genetics major?). Anyway, I aced 4 exams in the last week, and had a birthday in that time period, too. So, I decided to go home for the weekend and visit my family and old friends, take a break from homework, work on my novel, and write this short update to set up for a longer one you can (hopefully) expect to get before I go to the pumpkin patch on Friday. Enjoy, and thanks for reading! :)


	10. Chapter 10

When the curtain rushed open that Saturday night, everyone was primed and ready for another good run. John was watching the show from his normal perch at the sound booth, and though he was keeping a close eye on what was going on stage, he couldn't help but let his mind wander a little to the surprise Sherlock had planned for him after the show. John still didn't know what it was, and it was starting to drive him to distraction. Though, not too far into distraction that he wasn't able to catch a mic scream before it happened when Sherlock tossed a book during 'Dancing Through Life' and it landed on top of a ground mic near the front of the stage.

When the curtain finally swung close once more, John was grinning wildly as he pulled the mics off the lead actors. "Great show tonight, Molly." He said as he unwound the wires off the green-painted girl.

"Thanks, John. I'm looking forward to my day off, tomorrow, though. I strained a little too much during the final notes of 'Defying Gravity', and my voice could use the break." She smiled, wiping a wet cloth across her face and pulling it away bright green. "And I'm sure Sherlock is looking forward to a bit of a break, too."

"Well, enjoy your hard earned rest." He smiled at her and went to find Sherlock to take his mic off.

The tall actor was lounging up against a wall near the changing rooms looking a little annoyed with a small boy in the munchkin chorus that was chattering away wildly about anything and everything. "You should probably go get changed now, Jimmy." Sherlock said, seeing John across the hallway. "Your mom is probably waiting for you."

The kid opened his mouth to protest, but he was stopped by Sherlock's hand on his head, spinning him around and nudging him inside the changing room. "Making new friends?" John asked, starting to take the actor's mic off.

"Hardly." Sherlock scoffed. "I don't have 'friends'."

John frowned. "I like to think we're friends."

"That's actually the question I had for you." The actor, now free of his mic, turned and invaded John's space slightly. "I was wondering if…" He trailed off slightly, losing his confidence and shifting his weight awkwardly. "If you'd maybe want to… Want to be my boyfriend?" Before John could even answer, Sherlock began talking rapidly and shifting around clumsily. "I just figured maybe we should define our relationship a little since we haven't even really talked about it at all since our date the other night, but we did sleep together, so I thought maybe that constituted more than friends, but maybe not full on dating just yet, so I thought I would just ask and—" John started laughing and Sherlock stopped talking and stiffened up indignantly. "What are you laughing at?"

"Of _course_ I'll be exclusive with you. I'm laughing because it was just a little high school in the way you asked. It was cute."

Sherlock rolled his eyes. "I hardly think my vocalization of the thought that we could work out as a couple can hardly be counted as 'cute'."

"Ok, ok." John put his hands up in defeat. "How's this: 'You're adorable when you're affronted'?"

"I'm regretting entering into this relationship." The actor sighed and put his head against the wall next to them.

"No you're not." John patted his shoulder. "Now, go get changed and you can tell or show me whatever surprise you have for me."

Sherlock disappeared into the dressing room as John walked the box of microphones back to the sound booth to 'lock up' for the night. Once all the equipment was put away and all expensive items were secured and squared away until the next day, John made his way back down to where Sherlock was waiting by the stage door. "Ready?" The techie asked as they opened the door and were greeted by a rush of chilled New York night air.

"Here's your surprise, by the way." Sherlock said, handing him a white envelope as they walked along the sidewalk.

John turned the envelope over in his hands and pulled the flap open, peering inside curiously. "Tickets?"

"To the Statue of Liberty. I thought maybe we could spend the day together tomorrow before you have to be at the theater, and I've never been up inside the Statue before. Do you like it?"

"I love it! I've never been up inside the Statue either, but I'd love to go see it with you tomorrow. I can't think of a better way to spend the day." He smiled and put the tickets into his pocket as they made their way through the streets of Time's Square.

* * *

"Wow. It's a lot bigger in person." John said as they stepped off the ferry the next day and looked up at Lady Liberty in all her glory.

"She is modeled after Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, and was a gift to the US from the French people in October of 1886."

"I didn't know she was French." John said, then yelled up at the statue, "Bonjour, Madam!" This caused multiple other people to stare at them strangely and Sherlock to laugh.

"She has a checkered past, financially." Sherlock continued, as they walked through the doors into the base. "Construction was threatened a few times due to lack of funds from America, who was building the base. So, though the statue itself was built by the French, it was kind of a joint effort. Just a little." Sherlock smiled at John once he'd finished his mini history lesson.

"Why do you know so much about the Statue of Liberty?"

"I like history, but especially monuments and things of that nature. Someday, I'll take you to Paris and tell you all about the Arc de Triomphe. It's one of my favorites." They began climbing the stairs to go up into the crown of the Statue. "I studied abroad in France for a year my second year of Uni and got to learn a lot about the different monuments and historical spots they have there. I liked it a lot, and I hope to go back someday soon."

"That does sound like fun. I've only ever been around the UK and here in New York. I've always wanted to visit other countries, though. Traveling is a lot of fun."

"I really loved when my family visited Rome for a while. That was a great experience." They climbed in silence for a while after that, scaling the steep, winding staircases until they reached the top.

"Holy shit, we're high up." John remarked when they looked out of a window from the crown of Lady Liberty.

"About 300 feet up, yeah." Sherlock leaned on the window sill and looked down toward the harbor. "It's a beautiful sight. I prefer the one from the Saint Louis arch at night, but this a close second."

"Were you able to go up into the Eiffel Tower when you were in Paris?"

"Yes, but I wasn't a fan." Sherlock said, shaking his head. "Even I have my height restrictions, and 980-some feet is about it." They laughed and looked back out at the gentle waves of the harbor.

"I really enjoy spending time with you, Sherlock." John said.

"I enjoy spending time with you, too." The actor said, planting a small, soft kiss on his techie's lips. Then, taking John's hand, he said, "Wanna grab some lunch before you have to go to work? I'll buy you a miniature statue on the way out from the gift shop."

"Sounds perfect."

* * *

**A/N: **Holy cow! Sorry it's been FOREVER since I last updated; school decided to kick my ass there for a while, and my brain decided to have a personal identity crisis and I ended up switching my major/the entire direction of my life, so I've been busy. BUT, I didn't forget about the fic, and since I'm on Thanksgiving break, I decided to toss up a quick chapter. There won't be another for a little bit because finals are coming up, but I hope to get a lot up over Christmas break.

Side notes (disclaimer maybe?): If you've never been to the Statue of Liberty, go, because it's awesome and really is 305 feet tall. But, you also can't just go up into the crown whenever you want to anymore. You have to reserve a time to go up there. I went to NY a few years ago, and we didn't know we had to reserve a time, so we only got to go about halfway up into the statue. But it's still really cool to see Her up close. The St. Louis Arch (630 feet tall), however, is not by reservation, and is pretty inexpensive to go up to the top and look out. I've done it before and the view is fantastic. I'm going to Paris this summer, and I'm going to try to get the nerve to go up to the top of the Eiffel Tower, because it IS 986 feet tall and that is pretty fucking terrifying if you ask me. I saw the Empire State Building (over 1,000 feet tall) while in NY, and was like 'nope'.

But, like Sherlock, I like history and monuments, so I hope I can visit more and go up inside many more over the course of my life.


	11. Chapter 11

Hi guys! I'm sorry I haven't posted anything in a while, but life gets hectic in ways I'm sure you understand. However, due to reasons I'd prefer not to go into, the explicit version of this story will NOT be continued, and the version will be deleted from my account soon. The PG-13 version of the fic will continue, and I will update a chapter on both AO3 and ffn either tomorrow or Wednesday. That's a promise! Sorry for any inconvenience, and I hope you will continue to follow the story on it's other version.


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Sherlock, Romance