((This is a fill for the Sherlock kink meme on livejournal. It's called 'John and Sherlock swap clothing styles for a case and it turns both of them on'. How could I resist filling such a gem of a prompt? The full prompt is at the end of the chapter in bold. Author notes are in double parenthesis.))
20:23, John read on his watch. They were going much too slowly to get where they needed to be to investigate this case. There was still another shop they had to visit before they could even travel in the right direction. Why couldn't formal attire and jumpers be sold in the same location? John thought they went rather well together.
The creak of a changing stall could be heard from the dressing room at the back of the store. John turned in his folding chair to see Sherlock emerge, sporting an uncharacteristic emsomble of jeans, patterned button-down, and sweater vest. His serious face didn't match what he was wearing at all.
"Convincing?" Sherlock asked, giving a quarter turn in each direction so John could see.
John tried to articulate something about how ridiculous he looked, but was a little caught up in how familiar the whole outfit was, almost straight from his own closet. He imagined Sherlock in various states of undress rummaging through the hangers in his closet, settling on the jumper that smelled the most like John to wear.
"Your collar's a little wonky," John managed. He got to his feet and righted it, his fingers lingering to brush the skin of Sherlock's neck. He stepped back quickly before he did anything else on a whim.
"But will it work, John?" Sherlock huffed. "This is for the case, it needs to be up to disguise specifications, and you are unarguably the expert on the appearance that is required of me."
John studied him for a moment. And maybe an extra moment to fully appreciate how even in a lumped knit material, Sherlock was sleek and confident, a hint of muscle visible in the shape of his clothing.
"Try the last jumper with this shirt," John decided. "And be quick about it, I'm suppose to pick up my alterations in twenty minutes."
"Yes, yes," Sherlock waved a hand dismissively. He probably figured he could deduce his way out of the normal flow of time if he wanted to. The git.
Only when he had redone the latch on the dressing room door did Sherlock allow the heat to creep into his face. Whether conscious of it or not, John had chose The Jumper. Of the four Sherlock had tried on, The Jumper reminded his the most of John. And not in a platonic way.
He assessed himself in the mirror, fingering the hem of the sweater vest where it met the top of his jeans. For a blink of an eye, he imagined that it was John in the mirror, but still his own fibers on the fabric. What would it be like to pull the material over John's head? To continue to stand behind him as he undid the buttons on his shirt?
Sherlock quickly discarded the sweater vest and picked up The Jumper. It was scratchy, but pleasant in texture. It was still partially warm from wearing it minutes ago for John to inspect. If only John's heat had been the real cause of it. He pulled his arms through the sleeves and continued to pretend. Holding John's arm when they sat next to each other on the couch in the flat. Giving John a good morning embrace. The scratch of the fabric against his cheek as it rested on John's shoulder.
Sherlock poked his head out and adjusted his collar in the mirror. His reflection was the only one that stared back.
Sherlock wore his purchases out of the store, he wouldn't have time to change into them again later, but he still had on his long coat and scarf over them, so there wasn't much of a change at all. To the unobservant, that it. And John was edging out of that Venn circle more everyday. He saw the faint tinge of red on his neck from the heat of the combined layers of knit and coat, the mused nature o his hair from the trial of many jumpers, and the tell-tale jean material slouched over his posh shoes (the only visible article he'd kept from his original outfit, and even they were his old scuffed pair).
The formal shop came into view at 20:46. Not enough time at all, but it was what they had. The synthetic bell noise signaled their entry and a thin girl in employee's garb rushed up to them with a plastic bag on a hanger.
"J. Watson! We were starting to worry. Here's your order. You pre-payed, so you're set to go!" she completed the speech seemingly in one breath, smiled the whole time with professionally-applied lips.
"Great," John took the garment bag thankfully. "Do you have a changing room, by any chance?"
"To the left, second door," Sherlock answered for her. "You'd best avoid the first because this girl's lover is awaiting her return in it."
"I- I didn't say-" the girl stammered.
"If you are planning on reapplying your lipstick and make-up that often, I'd recommend a calmer pallet," Sherlock suggested.
"Don't mind him," John averted her attention. They did not have time for that rubbish. "Could you show me the way, anyhow?" Anything to increase the distance between her and Sherlock's chase-prepped mind.
She showed him the way wordlessly, although John far outpaced her in his hurry. He was within the dressing room in no time. The hanger found a hook and he proceeded in unzipping the garment bag.
The zip sound reminded him of Sherlock's steady fingers on a bag a the morgue. For a horrible moment, John had a premonition that it was Sherlock in a body bag. He shook the thought from his head and got to the task at hand.
This shop had a reputation for turning out the perfect fit every time. And for good reason, John's suit fit so well it could rival Sherlock in appeal. John fastened his tie in the mirror and took in his appearance. It was much too much for the role he would need to play for the case. He tugged the tie loose again with two fingers. John let himself smirk a bit, wondering if Sherlock would be turned on by something so overused as the removal of a tie. Sherlock himself never bothered with them, the ties, so it was hard to know.
John decided the vest had to go as well. ((Wow, author is sad at the treatment of vests. Completely unintentional.)) His dress shirt was immaculate and freshly ironed, but John couldn't help but prefer the tight stretch of a certain purple shirt that never went a week without being worn around the flat. He replaced the suit jacket and put on his most posh, high-chinned expression as he buttoned it again. His Sherlock impression didn't last long before he started snickering.
A glance at his watch shot him out the door, snatching a handful of the provided cuff links on the way out. It felt like an even number; he'd put them on in the cab.
Sherlock was waiting none-too-patently. The cab idled outside. John felt probing eyes on him the moment he stepped into Sherlock's view. He could feel the deductions being pulled from him as if Sherlock were removing the clothing itself, piece by piece.
"You clean up nicely," was all he said.
"And you dress down nicely, I suppose?" John returned.
Sherlock smirked with the faintest hint of teeth. "I suppose."
((Thanks for reading this far! Here's the full prompt.))
No established relationship.
John and Sherlock go undercover for a case, but for whatever reason the roles they have to play require them to each dress completely opposite of how they normally dress.
By that I mean John gets decked out in a stylish suit and shirt like Sherlock and Sherlock wears jeans and a casual shirt and jumper just like one of John's (not necessarily swapping their own clothes because they wouldn't fit properly, but buying new clothes for the case).
The process of dressing like the other secretly turns them both on. While getting dressed they are thinking about each other, touching the clothing reverently the way they've always longed to, touching themselves in the clothing and imagining they are touching the other person, putting an item of clothing on and then stripping it back off to pretend they are stripping it off the other person, et cetera. And during the case they just get more worked up, watching each other in the clothing, pretending the other is their lover wearing their borrowed clothes, and also being hyperaware of how the clothes they are wearing themselves feel on them when they move.
And if that could all wind up with some hot sexy times when the case is over then that would be REALLY great.
((Don't worry. It will.))