actually love the idea of john slowly becoming a bit more “"gay”“ in how he looks. wearing more product in his hair, wearing gay underwear brands, wearing tighter shirts, making himself look a bit more effeminate, knowing all the gay clubs. like, being with sherlock lets him embrace dressing and acting how he wants to. they like liking men
One night fifteen years into their relationship they’re reading in the living room, and Rosie comes through on her way out to a friend’s house. Sherlock tells her to take her knife and refuse drinks from people she doesn’t know, and John tells her to text him in two hours and tell him how it’s going. She asks Sherlock if he likes her nail polish (teal with a subtle sparkle) and he says he does; it goes nicely with her top. She leaves. It’s quiet.
“I liked her polish too,” John says. “I wish she’d ask me what I think of her outfits sometimes.”
“She knows which of us has taste,” Sherlock says.
“Hey!”
“All right, your taste is fine. But no one would expect you to have a passionate opinion on nail polish, John.” Sherlock’s tone is indulgent.
“What if I do?” John’s blushing, but his chin rises, belligerent.
Sherlock gives him a good long stare and then starts to smile. “John. Do you?”
John’s blush gets deeper, but he starts to smile, too. “I used to sneak into Harry’s room and try hers on when I was six, seven years old.” He sighs. “Not stupid enough to leave it on more than five minutes. If mum had caught me there’d have been hell to pay.”
“Your mother,” says Sherlock, clearly, “was an idiot. And Rosie has an excellent array of nail colors in the catchall next to the sink.”
Rosie comes home at half ten to find her dads in the kitchen, spiking their mugs of cocoa, with the third Star Wars movie on pause. Sherlock’s nails are a deep, glossy red, and John’s are a shimmery gray, and they’re both mussed and blushy enough that she says promptly, “Hi dads. Bye dads,” grabs the biscuits and heads straight upstairs. She knows when to get out of their way.
Downstairs, the Star Wars theme song starts up, and almost covers the sound of their laughter.
