"Checkmate."
"You too."
Jim looked onto the chess game, which stood next to some food and two half-full glasses of some expensive Red wine with the associated bottle on the carpet in front of the fireplace.
Indeed.
The game ended - again this evening - in a draw.
He looked challengingly at his counterpart.
"Revenge?"
The latter, in turn, looked at him more or less expressionless and replied coldly: "This will go on until I win and you then take it out on me."
"First of all my dear, you won't win and secondly, even if you do, you wouldn't be averse to it at all, Sherlock, we both know that." The Consulting Criminal stated with amusement.
Trying not to ruin the carpet again, he leaned forward in his lying position.
The consulting detectives did the same, but shortly before their lips touched, he whispered quietly: "Woe, I win as easily as Tuesday." James grinned mischievously and replied: "I wouldn't think of that in life or in death, Honey. "
And with that their lips met.
The kiss was just a fleeting streak of their lips, but it contained no less of their intricate affection than any of its predecessors.
When they parted again, Sherlock's gaze slid automatically to his hand - on which there was an inconspicuous gold ring.
There was one such ring on Jim's hand, too, but his was silver.
You'd think the rings had nothing to do with each other, but if you peeled them off you could see the tiny diamond that adorned the inside of both rings.
It was the diamond with which Jim had crowned himself king.
It was broken in two pieces at the time, but Jim had put it back in his pocket. It was expensive, after all.
The CD had to smile.
They both hesitated for a long time and then inadvertently proposed to each other at the same time.
They were so damn alike.