Hearts (chapter 6)

John managed to avoid speaking to Sherlock for the rest of the year. They did not shake hands at graduation, and when Mycroft, Greg Lestrade, Harry, and Harry’s girlfriend Clara came up to congratulate them both, they did not even look at each other.

    John applied to medical school and was accepted. He didn’t inform Sherlock of his decision, though he was reminded of Sherlock telling John he wanted to be a doctor when they were both in primary school. He was fairly sure Sherlock was not going to be a doctor, so he hoped he could attend Uni far away from Sherlock Holmes and never think about him again. How wrong he was. The medical school John was attending was part of the same university as a world-renowned science school, and Sherlock was attending to become a scientist. They ended up having at least one class together every semester, and they graduated together, despite John’s finishing his degree several years early and Sherlock’s many fields of study. At the party the graduating class threw the night before graduation, John and Sherlock locked eyes from across the room. Sherlock held up a piece of paper that read “Congratulations, John” in scrawled black marker. John was reminded of the second time they had met, and Sherlock had held up a piece of paper with the words “I’m Sherlock” on it. A smile crossed his face involuntarily, and he reached for a pen and a piece of paper. Then he remembered the last time they’d spoken, and his face darkened. To anyone watching, John would have looked angry for a moment before becoming cheerful again, but Sherlock, who had practically grown up watching John, saw the pain in his eyes that remained throughout the evening.