A Study In Love - A Johnlock Fanfiction

Chapter Twenty-Five/Epilogue

So here it is: the last part of A Study in Love! Kinda bittersweet, but I'm glad I acutally finished! I won't say much here because I have a little note at the end, so I'll just say, enjoy the last chapter! And thank you! :)

_____________

The sun was sitting high in the afternoon sky, casting out rays of sunlight that warmed John's face as he stepped out of the car. He shielded his eyes from the light as he took the time to admire the remarkable architecture before him.

The cottage had cobblestone walls, and brown slate shingles. It was surrounded by a combination of rose, snapdragon, and what John thought to be marigold bushes, and the grass surrounding the cottage was lush and green. What John saw before him looked like it had been copied straight off of the front page of some Cottage Living magazine. And, John couldn't be sure, but he was pretty sure he heard some birds chirping in the distance. Looking around, John felt like he'd walked into some sort of fairytale, or at least a country cottage kingdom of sorts. Perhaps it was because John still couldn't believe he was here with Sherlock, perhaps it was because he was here celebrating their seven month anniversary, or perhaps it was simply because Sherlock's cottage was that beautiful. Whatever the reason, John was in complete awe of where he was at that current time.

After stuffing the car keys into his pocket he walked around to the boot of the car and opened it. As he was reaching inside to grab his luggage he noticed another pair of hands reach in as well. He took a small step to his right until the entire right side of his body was pressed against Sherlock, and he felt him chuckle. He pulled out his suitcases, then stood back and watched Sherlock, who was still bent over retrieving his own luggage, loving that he'd managed to convince Sherlock to wear jeans on this holiday of theirs. Sherlock no doubt could sense John's gaze, and he chose that moment to glance over his shoulder and smirked when he caught John staring. He turned back around and pulled out his two suitcases, then John closed the boot and they made their way up the stone path to the front door. Sherlock set down one of his bags, then reached into John's trouser pocket for the keys. Sherlock gave John a small smile as he held them up, then turned and unlocked the door. He pushed the door open and stepped aside, allowing John to enter first. He walked inside and let his suitcases rest by his feet as he took a look around.

The floors were wooden, which is to be expected in a cottage like this. The walls were cobblestone like the ones outside, though the interior walls were several shades darker than the exterior. A brown leather sectional couch took up the majority of the room, a brown wooden coffee table and fireplace taking up the rest of the space. There was an archway to his right, which seemed to lead to the kitchen. John noticed several bookshelves pushed against that wall, almost as if it had been an afterthought to put them there. John heard the front door close, and soon felt an arm resting on his shoulders.

"So, what do you think?" Sherlock asked.

"This place looks amazing," John said, still glancing around. He allowed Sherlock to lead him from room to room, showing him around the two-story cottage. After the tour John and Sherlock retired to the couch for the evening, with John sitting upright and Sherlock using John's lap as a pillow. An open book lay on Sherlock's chest, though John's mind was otherwise occupied with thoughts of a certain consulting detective who was currently nuzzling his face into Johns' stomach. The fingers on John's right hand were absentmindedly playing with Sherlock's hair, and Sherlock was massaging John's left hand with both of his. The only sound was that of the crackling fire, and the occasional sigh of contentment that came from Sherlock.

Sherlock's phone, which was sitting on the coffee table, lit up with a text, and the vibration startled both John and Sherlock. With a sigh, Sherlock released John's hand and reached over to grab it, frowning as he stared at the screen.