Old and Gray
Sherlock sighed.
"Seriously, let it go."
"I'm dying, John."
"Oh, for the- no, you are not."
"I am."
"Technically, you've been dying since the day you were born."
"That doesn't make me feel better!"
John sighed.
"Okay, Sherlock, so you're another year older. So-"
"Gray hair, John!" Sherlock seemed to explode all at once, flouncing up from his chair in a whirl of blue dressing gown and ruffled hair.
John cleared his throat. "... You do realise I've been gray."
"Ugh. That doesn't matter."
"Thank you." John ruffled the newspaper. "Thank you for that vote of confidence."
"It's not the same. You look good in gray."
"... Thank you, I think."
"And Lestrade, some woman called him a silver-haired fox the other day. But there's me, and I definitely will not look good with gray hair."
"Someone called Greg a silver-haired fox?" John chuckled. "Where was I?"
"Not really the point here, John. I'm having a mid-life crisis!" Sherlock drew up short. "... What if I am having a mid-life crisis? I'm almost forty. With my life, living to eighty would be a miracle, mid-life of an eighty year life span is forty years."
"Sherlock."
"I can't have gray hair."
And there was Sherlock's half backwards, reserved tone, and John pondered for a half second if Sherlock really could be having a mid-life crisis. It wasn't impossible, but...
"Hair colouring."
Sherlock looked up. "What?"
"Dye your hair. Cover up the gray."
The cogs were turning. "... But I'll know it's there."
"Delete it."
"My brother colours his hair."
"... Yeah, probably delete that, too."
Silence.
"John?"
"Hm?"
"I know I said I didn't want anything for my birthday, but can you buy me hair dye?"
John snorted, covered it with a cough. "And why can't you buy your own?"
"It's my birthday." Like it was that simple.
It was that simple.
John bought Sherlock hair colouring.
Sherlock did not have a mid-life crisis.
... Prevented for another year, at least.
I went a different route for the traditional birthday fic this year. Mostly dialogue, too. The point isn't needing the actions written what they're doing; use your imagination to picture Sherlock flouncing all over the flat in a tizzy because he found a gray hair and John just being endlessly patient. Because they're amazing.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHERLOCK :D Also, on a more 'real' note: HAPPY SETLOCK. HAPPY SERIES FOUR. HAPPY SHSPESH. Now we shall sit upon our Tumblrs as though they are the throne and stare at photos of places that we (me at least) cannot get to because they are in another country as though they are the Crown Jewels. Our beautiful fandom is awake, like o mighty Smaug, but like the Dwarves, we are here to reclaim our treasure: Series Four! (... It's four in the morning and I'm super excited, I'm sorry, you see, I don't just write fanfiction, I'm kind of a geek xD)
I do not own Sherlock. Thank you!