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The Science of Sexuality, Monday

"Welcome back to class, everyone."

You didn't really need to be a genius to know that was coming from John. "We thought we'd start these lessons off in chronological order. Last week, we started out with a bit of sexual preferences, now we're moving on to communication. Which is crucial, even-- no, especially with intercourse, much like the rest of the romantic arena. You have to be able to talk freely about what you want, or even if you want it, and how."

Meanwhile Sherlock remained sitting behind the desk, typing away on his phone. This whole communication thing was really more John's area of expertise.

"A skill most people lack judging by the divorce rates," he added dryly. "Any relationship, sexual or otherwise has rules that allow it to work. For example, I am no longer allowed to perform experiments in the bath because someone was squeamish."

"I'm not squeamish," John said, rolling his eyes. He refused to look back at Sherlock. "I just don't think the tub is the right venue to use for toxicological studies of body parts."

No, seriously, Sherlock. Seriously.

"Well, where else was I supposed to put it?" Sherlock asked, still not looking up from his mobile. "The sink was being used."

"Not in the bath!"

Cough.

After that little detour. "Sorry about that," John segued. "Anyway, communication. Make sure that you and your partner are at an even keel no matter what kind of relationship you pursue. If you don't want to engage in intercourse in the forseeable future, let them know as openly as you can. If your partner won't communicate with you, it might be a good moment to reconsider."

... Shut up.

They had a perfectly healthy, codependent relationship! Really!

"Break off into pairs and come up with whatever rules for a relationship your hormone addled brains can manage." Sherlock was such a kind, caring teacher.

"Just based on your personal wants and needs," John added, hastily. "No need to reveal anything intimate you don't want to reveal, or simulate a relationship."

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~~Gods help you, Cally. Oh, right, you don't believe in them. Yer on yer own, kid.~~ There was something oddly familiar about the boy across the aisle from Cally, beyond the obvious fact that he'd been in class last week as well; she just couldn't put her finger on it.

Oh well; it would undoubtedly come to her. In the meanwhile, talking to him couldn't hurt. "Would you like to work on the exercise together?"

"Yeah, sure," Nathan said, smiling widely at Cally after she'd gotten his attention. If anything, they could bond over their hair. Curly and awesome, thank you.

"Rules for a relationship, right?" Nathan asked, jumping in since this could be fun. "Does constant nudity count? I believe in the beauty of the natural body."

Cally fast-forwarded through a catalog of possible reactions before settling on benefit of the doubt ~~MISTAAAAAKE~~ and a tolerant smile. "I can see the positives, but it might be a bit impractical in public."

"Really? What makes you say that?" Nathan asked even if he knew the answer. Really, he just wanted to see what she'd say. "Wouldn't it get the initial 'oh my god I'm so ugly I don't want you to see me before we shag!' reactions out of the way?"

Cally frowned. "People have those?"

"Well, girls do." He had no idea about guys because he wasn't into sausage fests. He would leave that to those better suited. "I mean, they think they're fat or that the scar on their stomach is going to make me puke or their back hair is going to make me think they're a bear. It's really pretty common."

For him, at least.

"You would think that if you'd already expressed an interest in them, they'd realize that wasn't the case." Cally had no illusions about her own looks being anything spectacular, but she'd also grown up in a society that was a lot more focused on mental compatibility than body-consciousness.

"You have obviously have not met the same girls I have." That was probably a good thing for Cally, really. "Obsessed with their physical appearance, they are."

He shook his head like he wasn't one to make judgments based off looks. "It's a sad state of affairs. We should all be judging girls by more than just their physical appearance. It's just the right thing to do."

"Well, that sounds like a good relationship rule; must neither be obsessed with one's own physical appearance, or one's partner's."

"See, we're getting somewhere," Nathan pointed out, grinning widely. He'd probably still obsess over looks. Come on, he couldn't not. "Obviously shagging should happen by the second date too unless the first one is really fucking spectacular."

Dates as such were a foreign concept to Cally, but she got the general idea of them, and raised here eyebrows a bit at that. "Don't you think you should take time to get to know someone?"

"Sex is a great way to get to know someone," he replied, honestly meaning that. "What can sex not do that talking can?"

Sure, sure, ask the highly-book-learned virgin.

"Apprise you of each other's interests in anything besides sex?"

"Well, what if you both like different things?" Nathan wondered. "Then, you might not even get the chance to have sex! That's a golden opportunity just ruined right there."

Mmm-hmm.

"So you think you should only get to know someone after you have physical relations with them? What if you ended up sleeping with a terrible person, and only found out later?"

"Dump 'em!"

Yes, it was that easy.

"That's what one night stands were invented for!"

"It's... an interesting approach." She wasn't ... well, she was trying not to judge.

"It seems like you wouldn't need very many rules, if you expect relationships to be that short."

"Why are rules necessary anyway?" he wondered, shaking his head. "Most of the time they're there to stop the fun stuff. If I'm trying to make some girl happy, the last thing I want banging around in my head is the fact that I can't take off her pants or call her dirty names because that's against the rules."

"Perhaps 'rules' might be too limiting for some people," Cally answered guardedly. "Communication about what you like and don't like doesn't necessarily have to be worked out in advance, I suppose."

"See, exactly," Nathan said, sitting back and looking triumphant. "Besides, if you and I were going out and I just started listing off this huge long thing of rules before our date, you wouldn't get turned off?"

Cally shrugged. "That, I don't know; it would depend what they were."

"The fact that I had them and felt the need to tell you beforehand, making it look like I completely don't trust you wouldn't make you think twice?" Nathan asked.

"Perhaps. If they were things that any decent person ought to know without asking. But aren't there some things you'd like to know so you don't accidentally ruin the experience? Like... I don't know. 'I don't like to be touched without warning because it makes me jumpy,' for example."

Edited 2011-01-10 22:16 (UTC)

"I just can't agree with that being a rule rather than something you learn over time," he replied, showing some rare level headed thinking there. "Say, if I go to touch you, yeah, and you don't like it, you tell me then, not before I've even done anything. That'd freak me the fuck out, having things dumped on me immediately."

"I can follow that," Cally replied, nodding. "Certainly a list of things, anyway, would feel strange. Then again, I'm not sure we're meant to be coming with a list of rules we'd really give to a potential partner."

The Science of Sexuality, Monday

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