"Alright, before I start you need to promise on your mother's head that you will never, ever, share this information with anyone else." John insisted, deciding that was a reasonable enough promise.
"No, of course I swear." Greg agreed, nodding in excitement. He didn't seem too worried about the terms and conditions that went along with swearing silence for his mother's life, but whatever, those were just details and not even the details that mattered in this nighttime excursion.
"Alright, alright..." John agreed, scanning the semidarkness once more to make sure they weren't being overheard. This was very nerve-wracking, somehow he was sure Greg would turn this all on him and make it out like John was the one with the embarrassing secret. Then again, his embarrassing secret might just be growing.
"Well, Sherlock called me down to the stables..."
"I know that, what did he say?" Greg asked excitedly, his feet kicking the banister in anticipation, leaning forward with a look of pure curiosity.
"He said something along the lines of how he's never loved a women before and that he's never even considered love and all of this stuff about his childhood and expectations and all of that, truthfully I was getting bored until I realized what he meant." John admitted. Greg's eyes widened in horror, gasping in shock even though there was a smile on his face.
"OH MY GOD!" he exclaimed, covering his mouth immediately as his voice bounced off the empty stone walls. John winced at his loudness, not wanting Greg to wake up the whole castle.
"Will you shut up, come on Greg!" John insisted, trying to shush Greg's mouth manually by slapping him lightly in the face.
"Yes, yes, sorry." Greg agreed. John sighed heavily, glaring at Greg for him to say something other than just exclamations of surprise. Greg blinked, processing all this information in his very small brain.
"So basically he's in love with you? Like, he actually, he wants to kiss you and be close to you and marry you? Oh my god but like, you're both men, how does that even work?" Greg wondered fearfully.
"Shut up Greg, that's not the end of all of this. I was all surprised and stuff, but I didn't know what to do, so I asked him what he wanted me to do and I did it." John admitted, knowing just how stupid that sounded. Greg's face went a bit white, but the smile remained on his face.
"Oh my dear lord what did you do with him? Don't tell me you actually..." Greg muttered, his jaw dropping in surprise. John just shushed him with a look of disgust, shaking his head in horror.
"God no, nothing like that, come on Greg!" John insisted angrily, feeling his face heat up in embarrassment. He knew that this was a mistake, telling Greg.
"Don't be so afraid John; hugging is a natural and healthy part of every relationship." Greg insisted with a smug smile.
"Greg would you be quiet? You are not talking about hugging." John growled.
"No of course I'm not, but I'll listen to your stories about either or and everything in between." Greg offered, leaning forward and resting his chin on his hands as if he was certain he was in for a very nice story about John and Sherlock making out in the barn.
"Alright, no, nothing like that even happened alright? We got really close and he was crying and I was terrified but I didn't know what to do so I did what I thought was right you know, I didn't run away or anything I just stood there and tried to process. It's not like I wanted to kiss him but then again, it's not that I didn't want to...." John groaned, rubbing his face with his hands as if that would clear his anxious mind.
"So you're on board with this homosexual stuff? You love him as well? What a plot twist!" Greg said with a large smile, clapping his hands like an excited seal.
"Once more I must remind you of your volume." John snapped, and Greg quieted once more, although they both knew it wasn't going to last. "I don't know what I feel about it, but I'm not done with the story!"
"Sorry go on yes, I'm being terribly rude." Greg agreed, not looking very bothered by his own idiocy.
"Alright so we're seriously close right, I can feel his breath that's how close we were. And he's got his hand hovering right next to the side of my face but he didn't dare touch me, as if he were too scared to actually make any kind of move. And then he leaned in, he got so close to kissing me that it honestly would've been too easy to just lean in myself and get it over with, but I didn't, and for some reason he didn't as well. It was like he woke from some sort of trance, and he started going on about how I was just following his orders and I wasn't in love with him and how he was being so stupid, and then he ran away." John admitted. There was a silence and Greg looked at him in confusion, obviously he was trying to process all of this the best he could.
"That's ridiculous." He decided, seemingly the only thing he could think to say after such a story.
"Ya, I know, I know, but maybe, I mean...maybe it's not?" John muttered guiltily, suddenly finding it necessary to stare at the ground himself as to avoid Greg's judgmental eyes.
"You're considering this aren't you?" Greg wondered, and for once he didn't' sound as if he were making it into some sort of joke.
"What should I do? That's why I asked you I'm completely helpless; I didn't even know this was an option until tonight!" John admitted, waving his arms around hopelessly as if he could somehow catch the answer out of thin air.
"Well it's up to you mate, I mean, do you love him back?" Greg wondered, titling his head as he tried to process all that was going on at the moment. It couldn't be an easy pill to swallow, figuring out that your servant friend might become that king's lover.
"I don't know, I don't know I'm not supposed to think about these things!" John insisted. "None of this should be happening it all just feels so wrong."
"It's not wrong John, I mean ya, it's illegal, but what's that matter it's the king?" Greg pointed out. "It's all up to you I guess."
"Why are you suddenly going all support group on me?" John wondered suspiciously, staring at Greg with squinted eyes.
"The more interesting your love life gets the more interesting our conversations get. And besides, I want you to do what you want to do; I don't want you to hold back from true love just because of society's expectations." Greg insisted.
"That may have been the nicest thing you have ever said to me." John decided, becoming more and more suspicious. Obviously there were some underlying factors Greg was hoping to take advantage of, but honestly John couldn't think of them.
"Why don't you just think about it for a day or so? Maybe interact with him a little bit." Greg suggested.
"That will never work; he'll be terrified of me for sure. He probably thinks I'm disgusted by him." John decided, trying to wonder just what Sherlock was thinking at this very moment. Something depressing probably.
"Well, are you?" Greg wondered. John pulled an obvious face, trying to tell Greg nonverbally just how ridiculous he was sounding.
"No, of course I'm not disgusted! I don't know what I'm feeling Greg, partially curious to be honest." John admitted rather shyly.
"I think you should just do it. I mean, I don't want to know what happens when you break up with a king, but it'll all be worth it if you end up sharing that throne with the love of your life." Greg insisted.
"I literally don't know who you are right now." John decided suspiciously.
"I'm just excited." Greg admitted with a smile. "It's not every day you get a firsthand look at Sherlock Holmes's love life."

John sat in bed for the rest of the night; it wasn't like he was even going to attempt to go to sleep. He knew that Greg was lying awake as well because usually the night was plagued with unattractive snoring from his bed, but for once it was quiet, so John knew there were at least two sets of eyes still open. It was the second night in a row that Sherlock had kept John up, but John was certain that Sherlock wasn't sleeping either. In fact, maybe the both of them hadn't slept two nights in a row. All of this new emotional stuff was really taking a toll on the both of them, it seemed to John that love was a wasted emotion unless used responsibly, and honestly both of them were just walking around blindly with their hearts leading them in one direction or the other. Of course Sherlock had the right intentions, he felt feelings and he acted upon them, there's no better way to find out if your love is returned than just by asking. But still it felt a bit out of character, as if all of this stuff had been Molly's idea. Now it was all up to John, whatever he decided in this next day, whatever he let his heart set on, it determined both of their futures together. It was getting harder and harder to imagine that at one time John had despised the very idea of Sherlock Holmes; he had thought he was a pickle shaped moron who only cared about his reputation. But now he knew that he was beautiful, he was a soft boy with a gentle heart who only wanted to do what made others happy. But could John love him? Did he even dare? Greg was right, the law was kind of irrelevant if it was the king that was breaking it, but still it seemed rather risky to engage in such forbidden behavior, almost wrong. They were both men, was it even possible for them to kiss? I mean, John had lips, Sherlock had lips, that was obvious, but he felt that as soon as they got close enough there would be some sort of barrier, for some reason it felt virtually impossible for a man to kiss another man. But what if he wanted to, what if all he wanted into the world was to kiss the lips of another man? If the two were dedicated enough, well, it seemed like the sky was the limit. But if Sherlock was a homosexual, like one hundred percent not into women at all, how would the Holmes family ever get an heir? Unless the two of them adopted or something, how would the bloodline go on? It would be left to Mycroft presumably, but that was enough to make John laugh as well. It seems like the king and queen had done an excellent job at raising the most socially awkward homosexual princes. John couldn't even decide if he would ever want to go public with all of this, say he did submit to Sherlock's love, say they decided that they were a match made in Heaven, and that they were truly destined to be together, how would that work? Would they both have to come out as homosexuals, would they get married in public or would John be hidden away? Obviously the king had to have a queen, and his mother wouldn't be around forever, who would possibly take the throne if not for his designated husband? This was all just too confusing, everything about that night had just bent John's brain in half. But if Sherlock's confession had done anything, it had gotten John to think, think on his emotions, think on his feelings. Maybe Sherlock wasn't entirely alienated, maybe, just maybe, there was space in John's heart for him as well.

"Alright John, time to get up, quit daydreaming." Greg insisted with a little laugh, poking John's shoulder. John blinked a couple of times; looking around to see that the sun had come up and the servants were all moving around. He must've dozed off because he didn't remember any of this happening while he was pondering.
"I'm not day dreaming, I'm thinking. About very important things." John defended.
"Important yes? Are you sure you're not just thinking about how wonderful it would be to wrap your arms around him and really..."
"Greg shut up, you're talking too loudly!" John insisted, shushing him dramatically and looking around the room for anyone who might have noticed Greg's out of place conversation. Thankfully everyone was paying attention to their own things, too tired to take into account voices from far away as they pulled on their work clothes and rubbed the sleep out of their eyes.
"Alright, sorry, you're right." Greg agreed, sitting on his bed and pulling on his socks. "So do you know what you're going to do?"
"I have no idea what I'm going to do." John admitted, staring at a spot in space without even getting dressed.
"Are you going to give him an answer? Talk to him today at all?" Greg wondered.
"No, I mean, I don't know, would a letter suffice?" John asked hopefully, not really wanting to say anything much to Sherlock without having the option of going back and redoing it.
"No, it most definitely would not." Greg decided. John sighed heavily, shaking his head and resting his chin on his knees in some sort of lazy contortion.
"Maybe you should just talk to him face to face, really try to understand what would be going on if you, you know, accepted." Greg suggested.
"He won't talk to me I don't think, not unless I give him a very clear answer as soon as possible." John decided.
"What's your primary feeling right now? Like if I was him, and I asked you very flatly, what would you say?" Greg wondered. John looked up at Greg with lazy eyes, not being able to imagine any of the proper emotions while looking into his face.
"I have no idea." John admitted, which was ultimately the truth.
"Not a good answer! Come on John! Are you in love with him or not, go!" Greg insisted, pointing at John as if trying to make him answer on the spot.
"I don't know!" John repeated. Greg groaned loudly, shaking his head as if John was a lost cause.
"Say that he was leaning in to kiss you, and he was not backing down. What would you do?" Greg wondered, dropping his voice down to a smaller level just in case some people had decided to listen in on this very heated conversation.
"I don't know. I guess I wouldn't do anything, just like before." John decided.
"So that's a solid maybe." Greg decided.
"Yes, it's a maybe. I think that once I see him again, once we have a proper conversation, I think I might be able to have an answer." John said rather reluctantly. This was going to be one of the most fateful decisions he had ever made. If he said yes he got riches and popularity and love from one of the most beautiful men on earth, but if he said no he might just escape the worst relationship he was ever guilt tripped into.
"Alright then, let's just get going. If he's at breakfast than maybe you could sit down with him, I'll make sure no one eavesdrops." Greg decided. John groaned, shaking his head enthusiastically.
"I'm not ready to give him an answer!" John insisted.
"Yes you are, you just don't think you are. I know that you're most certainly on orange juice duty today." Greg said with a smile, making John groan once more. He really didn't want to face Sherlock, but then again, it was necessary if he wanted any of these many questions answered once and for all. The servants all headed down in a parade of exhaustion to the dining room, scuffing their feet against the stone corridors and whining about how much they missed their relatively warm beds. John wasn't missing the warmth so much as the solitude, where he could just think and not have any consequences about what he could and could not do. He didn't want to face Sherlock, especially not now, and especially not in front of his family and the servants. Just one look of horror would probably be enough to send anyone who saw them into a frenzy of questions, especially if Sherlock starts to cry or something like that. Would he even show up for breakfast, would he be brave enough to face John so quickly after he had run away?  Only time would tell, but at this point John would really like to have time  tell him a lot more things, answers to questions that only lie in the complicated mind of Sherlock Holmes.