"See you in a week, Mrs. Krabappel." John said as his patient stepped into the waiting room. Her movements were careful, leaning heavily on her walker with each step.

Looking down at his tablet, he called out the next name. "Joseph Agrinya."

The large man stood up with a wide grin, his dark skin and huge frame such a contrast from the waiting room full of mostly small Caucasian octogenarians. He moved forward with his crutches, an assistant at his side watching him closely.

John nodded in welcome, and waved the man into the hallway. "Exam room four." Walking behind the man, he looked for other signs of injury or misalignment aside from his right leg.

Once his new patient was settled, John reviewed the information on his tablet. "So, Mr. Agrinya, can you tell me how you got your injury?"

His assistant, a younger, slim man, puffed up in affront. "You don't know? It's been on every channel!"

The patient made a settling gesture to his friend. Looking back at John, he gave a slow, easy smile. "Please, Doctor, call me Joe. I was tripped by the Forward of the other team on Monday."

"Here. You can watch it yourself." The assistant shoved his own tablet into John's hands.

A video was queued up, and John watched it, cringing slightly as he watched Joe falling, and the slo-mo replay. "Yes, I can see your knee was overextended there." One advantage of having professional athletes for clients was often seeing footage of their injury occurring.

He looked through the scans that had been done already. Getting up, he performed a quick physical examination on Joe. The athlete didn't show many signs of pain, even when John moved the swollen joint. Many athletes were used to dealing with high levels of pain.

"Definitely an ACL tear, which we can repair with a biogenic ligament. It will take about two months to heal before you can ease into retraining though." John said, watching the man's expression closely. Two months was most of his season, and he wouldn't be at a competitive level for months after that.

Joe didn't look pleased, but nodded in acceptance. "I expected as much."

"I will need a full list of all your performance enhancing drugs, vitamins and other procedures you have done over the years." John said, again watching his patient closely.

The man glanced away, shifting in his chair.

The assistant shook his head. "You can't expect Mr. Agrinya to give you that information. It is highly confidential."

Standing up, John set down his tablet. "Well, I cannot proceed without full disclosure. I will give you the name of some other surgeons you can consult with."

The assistant blustered, grumbling and swearing, as he stood up and passed Joe his crutches.

The athlete remained sitting, his dark eyes looking over John assessingly. "How can I know this information won't get out?"

"I am bound by law under Doctor-Patient Confidentiality. My staff have all signed non disclosure agreements." John calmly stood his ground.

Joe waved him back into his chair, leaning forward. "You understand I play in the DADT league. Enhancements are allowed."

The assistant nodded. "Joseph Agrinya is one of the top ten players. Many would like to follow his regime."

Sighing, John tried to keep his expression neutral. "You have come to me for a reason. You know I'm the best. I wouldn't be in that position if I leaked private information."

Joe gazed at John over long, steepled fingers, unflinching as a panther stalking prey. Finally, he gave a curt nod. "Fine. Alberto will send the information to your office. Shall we schedule the surgery?"

Feeling a surge of success, John nodded, standing back up. "Please discuss it with my staff before you leave." He shook hands with both men, and left the exam room.

…

The April weather was mild as John walked home, his pace brisk along the familiar streets. Many other pedestrians and cyclists quietly moved by him, travelling in all directions in the city core, mostly heading home as well.

In his apartment, he put a pot of water on the stove on high, and changed into casual clothes. By the time he came back to the kitchen, the water was boiling. He added the brown rice, lowered the temperature to a simmer, and put the lid on.

Going up the stairs, he was soon on the roof of the building. Just seeing the calm green space, he took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as his tension unwound. After scanning his key card, he read the notifications from the resident farmer and moved to a plot, pulling on garden gloves from a bin.

"Good evening, Francesca." John smiled in greeting to his neighbor from the fourth floor.

She looked up, pushing a long strand of dark hair off her pretty face, giving him a warm smile. "Dr. John." Digging in the soil, she pulled out a weed and flung it into a nearby pail.

John took up a trowel and worked on his side of the patch. "Why are the weeds already so much bigger than the potato plants?"

"Clarence said they are native to this climate. It's an unfair advantage." She threw more weeds into the pail gracefully.

John whistled in appreciation. "You got quite the arm there. Some of my patients would be impressed."

Flicking her long hair back flirtatiously, Francesca gave him a laughing glance. "Anytime you want to introduce me to any of your wealthy ballers, you know I'd be up for it."

They continued joking around as they worked, until most of the patch was clear and the pail full.

John stood up, stretching his back and shoulders, the old injury giving a small twinge. "I'll empty this. See you later."

Francesca nodded, moving over to a nearby bench and taking off her gloves. Other neighbors were relaxing similarly on other benches, looking over their completed work in satisfaction.

After dumping the weeds in the compost pile, John collected vegetables for his supper, shaking off as much soil as he could.

Back in his apartment, John took the rice off the heat, and put the vegetables in the sink. After a quick shower, he came back just wearing boxers and a robe, and got busy washing and chopping up the vegetables. He whisked together a quick sauce, cooked the vegetables in a wok, added tofu and the sauce, before spooning it over the rice.

The meal was satisfying and tasty, and John poured himself a big glass of red wine after he washed the dishes.

Leaning back in his lounge chair, John scrolled through his music collection and picked John Coltrane on random. Closing his eyes, he let the music flow over him as he enjoyed the wine. Simple pleasures are the best.

Pouring a second glass of wine, John looked at the time. It wasn't that late yet. He had time.

Lowering the lights a little more, he felt a twinge of anticipation as he opened his closet door and opened a box on the floor. He quickly stripped, and then pulled the SensiSuit out of the box. It pulled on like a thin wetsuit, covering him snugly from his ankles to halfway up his neck. Taking another couple items from the box, he headed back to the living room and settled onto a reclining chair.

"PlayLand." John said as he got comfortable, everything he needed in easy reach on the table beside him.

His computer projected a large image on the wall, a deep red background with a friendly looking avatar of an attractive brunette. "Welcome back, Captain Jackoff. Would you prefer to explore the cyber or virtual world tonight?"

"Virtual." John said.

The screen moved to a different one, with many scenery images. "Please pick your partner preference and setting."

The avatar's voice was a sultry woman's, and John paused for a second, thinking what he was in the mood for tonight. "Male. Office setting."

"Please check that your avatar and voice settings are correct, and say 'Enter' when you are ready. Thank you for cumming to Playland." The avatar gave a mischievous grin before disappearing from the screen.

The screen showed John's profile now, with his avatar selections and voice preferences. He stayed with his most frequent settings. "Enter." Pulling on the headset, he relaxed back against the chair.

It looked like he was in an office building hallway, and he reached out to open a glass door to step into a law firm. The receptionist nodded at him in greeting. "Please sit down. Your appointment is in a few minutes."

With some simple head and finger motions, his avatar was sitting in the waiting room. Turning his head, John looked at the other clients. There was a couple in their twenties, arguing back and forth in harsh whispers. On his other side, an elderly man was sitting with a dark haired woman, likely his daughter.

John looked around some more. Perhaps he should have picked a nightclub scene instead to explore. Maybe he should leave this office and try a different one.

A noise to one side had him automatically looking that way. The receptionist beckoned him and he had his avatar follow her into an office. A man in a suit rose from the desk and came around it to shake John's hand. The receptionist closed the door as she left.

"Thanks for coming in today." A low baritone voice rumbled in John's ear, and he could feel the warmth of the other man, the light pressure on his hand from the handshake.

Even though the other man's true identity was hidden like John's was, he couldn't help but look over the other man's avatar, and felt a ping of attraction. So often, players chose exaggerated beefy bodies and Hollywood-style bland good looks. It became quite dull. This man's avatar was a man only slightly taller than average, with a lean, muscular frame and pale skin. His dark hair was in a short style, and his eyes a light green.

Looking down at his character's username, John couldn't help but chuckle. "Dr. Feelgood?"

The other man smiled slowly, a bit wickedly. "I'll make you feel alright."

"What should I call you? Doctor?" Somehow, it didn't appeal to John. It reminded him of work too much.

His new friend shook his head. "How about Frank?"

"You can call me Jack." John said. It was close enough to his own name to catch his attention.

Frank seemed to move closer, and John instinctively moved back, his avatar bumping against the edge of the desk and losing his balance, ending up sitting on it.

"Woah, are you OK?" Frank's hands clutched John's upper arms, steadying him.

The SensiSuit and headset made it feel so real. A handsome man bending over him, a concerned look on his face. The feel of his hands on him. John looked up and nodded.

Frank's grip lightened up, and he slid his hands down John's arms. John shivered in response, lifting his hands to rest them on Frank's waist, tugging him closer.

In reality, John had lifted his arms, putting his hands on the image that seemed to be really before him. The SensiSuit gave him the sensation of touching Frank. Frank's suit passed on the sensations, and he did move closer, seeming to stand between John's legs.

Virtual sex was not as good as real sex, of course, but John found it more stimulating than masturbating on his own to a cyber. The headset captured his movements, matching it to what was being displayed in their fantasy. The SensiSuits passed along sensations surprisingly well, like pressure and temperature . One of the biggest turn-ons for John was hearing a real person's voice, their reactions, even if the voice was augmented slightly to prevent real-world recognition. A cyber was never as unpredictable as a real, live person. They could be from anywhere else on the planet, but appeared in the same fantasy space with John now.

Most people talked more, flirted and got to know each other a little, before touching like this. John normally preferred it that way, but there was something about Frank's directness that appealed to John tonight, and he went with it.

Hands moved to his back, pulling John into a hug. Virtual hugs were remarkably good, very close to real ones. A warm, firm body pressed against his, strong arms around him, hands splayed out on his back.

Turning his head, John pressed his mouth against the image of the man so close to him, against the high collar of his SensiSuit. Since John's suit didn't cover his face, he felt nothing himself, but Frank's breath caught at the sensation he felt. He felt the warmth and light pressure of the kiss.

Sliding his hands up and down Frank's sides slowly, John kissed along his collarbone, heading towards his shoulder. Hearing his faster breathing, feeling the way his hands kneaded into John's back and seeing his reactions were very exciting. He loved giving his partners pleasure, found it incredibly arousing himself.

"Mmmm Jack, that feels good." Frank moaned, titling his head back. "Want to get naked?"

The request was a little jarring, wanting such intimacy so fast, but John found the direct way Frank asked for what he wanted refreshing somehow. He nodded, and gestured to that setting on his own screen. Immediately, his avatar seemed nude in the scene. A second later, Frank's avatar was as well. No awkward fumbling.

Things got even more intense then, both of them touching, exploring, kissing. Even some light biting. The senses of taste and smell weren't there, but it was still exciting to see your partner's reactions.

They were now lying on top of the desk, touching, kissing over suit areas. Frank's hand slid up John's thigh, moving onwards. It felt good, and he arched his hips up in response, encouraging more.

Chuckling, John glanced downwards. Frank's hand was on his virtual cock. "Um, wait a sec..."

Frank drew back, leaning away from John. "Yeah, me too."

Even though the virtual image showed Frank fumbling around with an invisible object, John could hear enough sounds to know Frank was doing what he was doing. The SensiSuit had a removable codpiece, allowing easy access. There was the squelch noise of lube coming out of a bottle, the soft wet noises of it being spread over skin, the soft click of snaps closing, the creek of a chair.

John checked that his own device was in the correct position. The base snapped on to his suit, keeping it in place hands-free. There was enough lube to be comfortable as he pushed into it, the snug fit making him breath a bit quicker, trying to keep control, make things last. He was already so hard, so aroused, it wouldn't take much tonight.

"Good?" John asked, a little breathlessly.

Frank gave a slow, pleased smile. "Mmmm hmmm..."

John gasped as his device started up, already at a level two. It felt like a firm, steady stroke, and he arched his hips up in response.

In retaliation, he gestured, making Frank's device start at the same level, and felt gratified at the soft moans and the way his body shifted against him.

Past experience made everything comfortable, yet exciting, and John sunk deeper into the fantasy with Frank. Seeing how his image reacted to the various settings, speeding up, slowing down, and feeling Frank do the same with his. They still had their hands free to touch, stroking over their suits, the sensation adding to the more direct stimulation of the device. John loved being with a partner, never knowing where he would be touched next, not knowing what setting he would select next on his device.

Most partners would ease through the seven preset levels sequentially, light strokes becoming harder and faster over time. Perhaps edging a little, going to a higher level, before easing back down, letting the other person cool off before giving them more. Building, building...

Frank was not like that. His patterns were more unpredictable, skipping over levels, staying longer than expected. It shouldn't have worked, but it did. John found himself tensing up, trying to catch his breath, his orgasm hard and intense. Faster than he had expected, but still satisfying.

Finally, when he caught his breath, John gave Frank a small smile. "Woah. Well, I don't know if I can match that, but I will certainly try." He slid his hands up Frank's long legs, spreading them apart.

Frank's hands caught his, pulling them away. "I'm good, actually."

John frowned a little in confusion. "But you didn't..."

"Yes, I did. When you...It totally worked for me." Frank said, shifting to sit up on the desk.

John matched his movement. He felt a little disappointed that he hadn't been able to witness Frank's peak. "Well, we should do this again sometime. I still feel like you did more of the heavy lifting tonight."

"You liked it?" Frank asked, looking closely at John. The headset did pick up expressions, displaying them on the avatar well.

It seemed redundant after John's obviously enthusiastic response only minutes before, but he didn't mind giving extra praise if it encouraged Frank to find him again for another session. "I loved it, truly. You are unique on here."

The compliment seemed to please Frank. "I've liked being with you also. Most people don't like me, or my approach."

"I like you...". John sighed at the limitations of the system. "In fact, I really just want to kiss you right now. A real kiss."

Frank's eyes widened a little at that, and it took a long minute before his gaze dropped and he said softly, "Me too."

The admission sent a pang of longing and warmth through John. "Um, good. So, Friday, same time?" Was two days from now too soon? Pushy? His heart beat faster as he waited for a response, hoping Frank was actually someone on the system who was interested in another session. That he wouldn't agree to just placate John, but ghost him later.

He got a small smile and a quick nod, before Frank signed out.

...

-A/N: Thanks for giving my new story a try. It will likely be 15-20 chapters long. I will hopefully be posting at least one chapter a week.

-I hope you will be patient with me as I reveal more about this world, little by little. Things unclear in this chapter will become clearer.

-Warning: This story is set 30 Years in the future (with John and Sherlock still at their current ages). I thought it would be fun to explore what changes could occur during our lifetime, and how they would affect our daily lives. This is not a dystopia. There will be some things better, some things worse, and many things pretty much the same. I won't be going crazy sci-fi on you, and I'm basing most things on some research when possible (with notes at the end of the chapters).

-Sex Suit: Virtual Reality combined with a suit that makes it feel like another person is touching you is already being developed. Things will likely be even better in 30 years, but you get the idea.

-Teledildonics: You can already get sex toys your lover can control with an app from across the country.

-Toys for Boys: Not as big a selection as vibrators, but guys have automated toys with various speeds too.

-(Nothing But) Flowers: The title comes from this 1988 song by The Talking Heads, a New York rock band (active 1975-1991). Wikipedia: "…the group helped to pioneer new wave music by integrating elements of punk, art rock, funk, and world music with avant-garde sensibilities and an anxious, clean-cut image." Their biggest hits included 'Burning Down the House', 'Psycho Killer' and 'Once in a Lifetime'.