Title: Making the Connection
Story Summary: A non-chronological collection of short chapters based on one word prompts, includes (pre-)slash for Johnlock & Mystrade
Chapter Summary: Sherlock reveals yet another curious fact about his past to John while he's wearing nothing but a towel. Prompt: Flip
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Moffat, Gatiss & SACD.
A/N: Well, what can I say, I wrote this chapter just because it was fun to watch the scene in my head. I'm sorry if you're getting sick of self-conscious!Sherlock. FYI: This prompt came from oneword(dot)com.
It's Saturday morning when Sherlock wakes up again. He remembers going to bed just before midnight on Thursday and he can even recall waking up a few times and deciding to go back to sleep. Now the first thing he does is trot into the bathroom and take a long and blissful shower because the worst thing about sleeping for more than twelve hours is the dirty feeling on his skin afterwards.
John is sitting in his armchair, flipping through the paper as Sherlock emerges into the kitchen. His stomach is growling so loud that even his flatmate can hear it and turns around to undoubtedly mock him about it but suddenly John seems to be at a loss for words. All he does is stare at him.
"I know we're both guys, but could you at least wear more than a towel around your waist if you want to have breakfast?" His friend says after he quickly turns back to his newspaper.
"Why do I need to be dressed to eat?" Sherlock inquires when he sits down in his own armchair, eating a slice of toast with jam on it.
"It's not because of the eating. It's because Mrs Hudson or Lestrade might walk in here and you'd be standing in front of them practically naked." John doesn't look up from his paper as he explains it to him.
"They've both seen me naked before, so I doubt they'd care all that much." Sherlock takes another bite off his toast, crumbs falling into his lap.
"What?" John jerks his head away from the paper, staring at him incredulously. "They– what?"
"I thought you'd be able to read and listen at the same time, John. I've seen you do it." Sherlock frowns a little. "They've both seen me naked before. But don't worry, it was before you moved in and under rather... unconventional circumstances so you don't have to worry about them seeing you naked."
John goes on to stare at him, baffled by his revelation. To be quite honest, Sherlock doesn't get what the big deal is. It's Lestrade and Mrs Hudson. In his mind they are about as asexual as he is to the rest of the world.
For just a moment he imagines what it would be like if things were different, if his mind didn't make him neuter to everyone he spoke to for more than two minutes. He allows himself to picture what it would be like if John took more than a medical interest in his body. The thought of his friend kissing his shoulder gives him goose bumps. He remembers the time John and he had shared a bed because he had destroyed his own, how good John's warmth had felt so close to him.
Sherlock vehemently shakes his head, getting rid of all the pictures and feelings that are cluttering up his mind. It's no use. He learned a long time ago that people didn't look at him that way – at least not for long. And that's okay, fine by him, because attraction leads to sentiment and that is too great a risk to take for a fleeting infatuation based on nothing more than pheromones.