Sherlock POV: There was now resurfacing that everlasting question, the nagging sensation in the back of Sherlock's throat, the words he needed to say, the words he knew he needed to say. Keeping secrets from Victor was one thing, however keeping secrets that Victor was ultimately going to find out; well that was something different entirely. The thing is it wasn't Sherlock's life he was defending anymore; in fact he had done everything right. He had run from John twice now, and if that isn't reassuring to Victor then he had no idea what might be. It was John's wellbeing that was on the line now; John didn't have the privilege of being able to seduce his way out of punishment, at least not with Victor. And so Sherlock was just waiting, waiting for Victor's phone to buzz, or for one of his friends at technical school to drop by and spill the beans (Victor didn't have any friends, actually, however it was used as a more sarcastic term for those who would intentionally ruin his life with the news that his boyfriend was being sought after). Sherlock really didn't want Victor to know, and yet the blow and the shock would most likely be eased if Sherlock was the one to deliver it. Maybe he could talk Victor out of murdering John?
"If I told you something, Victor, something you already knew, do you promise not to react?" Sherlock muttered as the two of them were sitting together in Sherlock's bed, wrapped in the blankets and watching some stupid cartoons on TV. Victor would never admit it but he loved cartoons, he always pretended that there was nothing else on when the older episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants were on, just so that he had an excuse to land on that channel.
"That's not usually a good way to start off a conversation." Victor muttered, however he listened, he looked intent.
"I don't want you to get mad." Sherlock muttered.
"I won't get mad." Victor assured, now looking as if he was just dying to know what was so important that Sherlock almost dare not tell him.
"John Watson he um...well he told me that he loved me. He told the whole school actually, he had broken up with his girlfriend and she rather beat it out of him." Sherlock admitted in a small voice. Victor was silent for a moment, his muscles tensing. SpongeBob laughed in the distance; however this was evidently no laughing matter. Finally Victor sighed, holding Sherlock closer and glaring at a blank space in the wall.
"It's not a surprise; however this is one of those special moments when I wish I had been wrong." Victor admitted miserably. Sherlock nodded, leaning into Victor evermore as if trying to prove his loyalty to him.
"I ran away from him." Sherlock admitted, knowing that was most likely the next question on his mind.
"Good, that's good Sherlock." Victor murmured with an approving smile. Sherlock nodded, accepting the praise despite the fact that he really didn't earn it. There was a clock hanging over their heads now, and unknown to Victor, it was slowly starting to near the end. Their time was running out.
"It's not like I care about him, it's just that he's kind of, well I don't know if incompetent is the right word, he's just a little bit oblivious. I feel like he doesn't know what he's getting himself into." Sherlock admitted in a huff. He gazed off towards the TV, trying to pretend like this was just a normal topic of conversation, as if they always talked about John.
"He is quite troublesome, I must admit. But as long as you're loyal to me Sherlock, that is all I care about. As long as you don't go interacting with that boy behind my back I have no fears. I know you will do as I ask." Victor whispered, pressing a kiss to the side of Sherlock's face as if to show his trusting affection.
"Yes of course Victor." Sherlock agreed, however he had to bite his tongue in punishment for saying such untruthful words, lying to Victor's face while the boy kissed him, oh what had he amounted to? 

   The next day in calculous no one could concentrate, even the teacher had seemingly heard the news about her two pupils, both of which sat stiffly by themselves, as if painfully aware of all the attention focused on them. It seemed as though John's social life had taken a turn, a drastic one at that, as soon as he had admitted his infatuation. Suddenly he wasn't the main focus of the calculous social class, suddenly the girls didn't come and cluster around him, in fact Greg seemed to be the only boy brave enough to converse. Greg stood by his side, or in this case he sat by his side, almost as if trying to prove to everyone that John was just the same old John he had always been, if not just a little bit gayer. However John seemed off in another world, at least that was how Sherlock interpreted it, since his eyes were glazed over despite the teacher's droning on about some sort of formula. Sherlock wasn't paying attention either; however he knew very well that he really didn't need to. He'd look up the formula later and just go off that, he was rather good at spur of the moment math equations. John, however, was surely going to suffer for whatever distractions were playing in his head. Sherlock was thinking about what was going to happen when he got to Mrs. Hudson's classroom, his arrival time was ever approaching, not ten minutes until the bell rang to switch to lunch. He knew very well that John would invite himself to whatever lunch discussion they were going to have, purely because he wanted to have a direct hand in taking down Victor for good. Now that the two of them had finally joined ranks, John and Mrs. Hudson, Sherlock was finally beginning to realize that maybe his relationship with Victor wasn't very healthy. Surely love wasn't supposed to be abusive, and boyfriends were not usually allowed to take their anger out on their partners, no matter how much victor promised he would stop the abuse it still came. It only took a second for his rage to switch on, and then almost automatically his fists started flying, or his car keys. Yes Victor had done so much for Sherlock in the past, and he promised to do so much more in the future, however Sherlock was beginning to realize that his future didn't lie in Victor's hands, but his own. Just because Victor had skills that could be utilized in the immediate future it didn't mean that Sherlock would be happy and financially secure while married to a car mechanic. He didn't like that future for himself at all, and maybe it had been a moment of revelation that had made him see himself sleeping above the oily garage in a dingy one room apartment, listening to drills whirl and men yell all day and all night. Sherlock most certainly had to go to college; however there were some small two year colleges that would offer him education for a very good price, why doesn't he just take advantage of that? He could learn basic skills to be some sort of mathematician, or a scientist, or something with numbers. He'll go into the workforce and go back to school when he had enough money to support himself, or he could just take out a loan. Victor's future wasn't his way through life; he could pave his own roads just as well. And yes, of course he loved Victor when the boy was being kind, however there were many nights when Sherlock went to bed fearing that when he woke up Victor would be drunk, or angry, he worried sometimes that he didn't do enough to please his boyfriend and that really was no way to live out your life. Sherlock was avoiding the inevitable one kiss at a time; whenever something felt unusually daunting the only way to subside the initial anger was to never say no, to never refuse. Was that really love, or was it desperation? His two year relationship with Victor had taken the form of a weight dragging behind him, and finally Sherlock was realizing that he held the very key to free himself in his hands. He could escape, finally, from the chains he had fasted upon himself so long ago. He didn't need Victor, and slowly yet surely, he was beginning to feel for another boy. An ignorant boy, one that was rather rash and most definitely stupid. A boy who thought he could solve all of Sherlock's problems just by appearing in his life like a knight in shining armor. He was a knight that had fallen off of his horse into the mud, however his clumsy nature made Sherlock smile, it reminded him that Victor wasn't his only option anymore. Maybe there was another boy that might dare to love him. After all, he had admitted it to everyone. God, Sherlock almost felt like he was seven years old again, smiling to himself with the very thought of John Watson, thinking that maybe, just maybe, John would find it in him to smile back. And yet, unlike all of those years ago, Sherlock was certain that whatever feelings he may develop would be most certainly returned. John was brave enough now to admit what he could never even think of all those years ago, he was ready to love Sherlock as he was ultimately meant to, it was now just a question of whether or not Sherlock was ready to break the two year old bonds he had to Victor and start anew. The bell rang, forcing Sherlock out of his head and as if on autopilot he stood up, throwing his things into his backpack and dashing for the door before that familiar voice could call him back. 

"Sherlock!" it called, he was just a moment too slow. Sherlock sighed heavily, lingering at the doorway to let others past (suddenly though, no one seemed very eager to leave) and watching for John as he approached.
"Yes?" Sherlock muttered, looking around at the crowd of people who were now shamelessly staring at the two. John didn't seem to notice, however it was impossible to ignore.
"You going to Mrs. Hudson's?" John wondered. Sherlock nodded, clutching his textbook closer to his chest and starting down the hallway. John followed him, obviously unable to get the hint.
"Yes I'm going, but I only plan on eating my lunch. I don't want you there." Sherlock said flatly.
"And why not?" John challenged, still tagging along as if he had every right to.
"Because I don't want you to try to convince me to do things I'm not ready to do yet." Sherlock admitted.
"Like break up with Victor?" John suggested. Sherlock groaned, shaking his head and trying to walk just a bit faster. Maybe John and his short little legs couldn't keep up.
"Well then we don't have to talk about that. The thing is I was just kind of hoping that I didn't have to go to lunch today, I'm afraid of what my friends might do if I came. I'm afraid they might all leave the table." John admitted in a meek little voice. Sherlock just rolled his eyes, acting as if that was just unbelievable however he knew firsthand what it was like to be alienated because of unforeseen sexuality. He used to have friends, minor ones at that but friends all the same, at least he had when he was little. The only difference was that he had alienated himself, thinking himself unfit to sit with them or hang out with them just because he was quite sure they wouldn't like him if they realized what he was hiding. He hadn't told anyone of his sexuality before he fell in love with Victor, and even then he never really said the words. He only announced Victor as his boyfriend and let everyone else fill in the blanks.
"I'm sure they'll be fine." Sherlock assured. He stopped at his locker and John followed him, leaning against the wall and scanning the crowd that passed, as if daring anyone to look at them twice. Well of course he wasn't scary enough to impose that sort of fear into people, and so they all just stared nonetheless. Sherlock pulled open his locker in an attempt to block John from his view, the door swinging out at just the right angle so that he could momentarily forget about his stalker.
"So can I come then?" John assured hopefully, evidently not able to take social cues. He simply wasn't able to realize that Sherlock wanted nothing to do with him right now.
"Oh whatever, just as long as you're quiet." Sherlock agreed finally, understanding now that whatever he said to try to convince John to leave him be was going to be useless. John wouldn't take no for an answer, however he was a lot milder about it than another stubborn boy Sherlock knew a bit too well.
"Do people always stare this much?" John groaned. Sherlock glanced over carelessly to see yet another bout of wide eyed ninth years walked past. "They never stared this much when I was with Mary."
"Everyone loves a gay scandal. Especially when someone of such high profile is involved." Sherlock murmured. "That's what happened with Victor."
"He was high profile?" John asked in wonder. Sherlock nodded. Most people wouldn't expect such an aggressive boy to be popular, however Victor had managed...somehow.
"Oh ya, with the girls at least. All the boys hated him, but when he and I officially got together many female hearts broke." Sherlock admitted with a sigh.
"Those ignorant girls didn't know that they dodged a major bullet." John muttered.
"Excuse you." Sherlock snapped, slamming his locker door shut and glaring angrily at John.
"Oh come on Sherlock, you're still defending him?" John insisted, looking as if this were just some childish fad that Sherlock should've grown out of by now.
"He's still my boyfriend." Sherlock pointed out, thinking that should be pretty obvious by now. However John didn't seem to be listening, he had started to walk off to Mrs. Hudson's classroom, seemingly careless as to whether or not Sherlock followed. Sherlock trailed behind rather pathetically, feeling many eyes shift from John to him as if the onlookers were wondering where the two of them were going with such a purpose. John held his head high, as if proud to be walking in front of the boy that had publically abandoned him not the day before, and Sherlock was slinking behind a little bit farther, nervous that people might recognize him and jeer. John seemed to love the spotlight, while Sherlock had been in it long enough to fear it. When they arrived at Mrs. Hudson's the woman was waiting where she usually did, and when they entered she looked beyond thrilled to see that John had joined them. Sherlock tried to give her a glance as if to assure her that John's presence really wasn't his idea, however she was too busy greeting him with open arms.
"Always nice to have you here John." she said with a smile, looking over to Sherlock and raising her eyebrows, almost as if she was proud of him, before sitting back in her desk and eating her salad much faster than normal. Maybe she was just looking for something to do. John sat in the first row, the seat which Sherlock usually sat, however Sherlock instead sat two seats away, just in case John thought he could lean over and borrow a napkin or anything. In fact Sherlock wasn't very hungry at all, maybe it was John's presence so close, however when he opened his lunch box and dumped out its contents his stomach writhed in protest and he shoved it distastefully away.
"So do you always eat in here Sherlock? That's why you're never at lunch?" John guessed, looking over to Sherlock with a smile as if trying to start some sort of pleasant conversation.
"Ya." Sherlock muttered simply. Mrs. Hudson sighed from her desk, tapping her fingers irritably as if trying to urge Sherlock to say more intelligent things. Sherlock, however, was not going to be interrupted during his lunch by this annoying boy, and so he pretended to be blissfully unaware of anything happening next to him. Mrs. Hudson continued to shove lettuce leaves in her face, almost as if she hadn't eaten for a week. It was very odd behavior for her, and yet in nearly five minutes her entire tub of salad had vanished and she suddenly got to her feet, breaking the silence as her wheeled chair skirted across the floor.
"I have to go make copies." She announced, looking between the two of them with a flush in her old cheeks. Sherlock's face went white nervously, looking over at John and realizing that Mrs. Hudson's absence would leave the two of them alone together. Now the last time that had happened Sherlock didn't like the result.
"And how long might that take?" Sherlock muttered casually. Mrs. Hudson shrugged, checking her watch before grabbing as many papers as she could from her desk, scrambling them all in her arm and pretending to look busy as she sorted them.
"Oh until the next bell, easily. You two be good now." She said with a sweet smile, and with that she dashed towards the door, conveniently pulling the curtain over the tiny window before letting herself into the hallway and leaving the two boys alone.