i saw your post about prompts!
and ooo maybe something related to sherlock's growing/settling relationship with rosie as she grows into a teen and john realising that she's much more alike mary than she thinks when she gets upset that she can't remember much about her mother. the men help her see that.
Like Mother, Like Daughter
Relationship: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Sherlock Holmes & John Watson & Rosie Watson
Tags: Established Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Post Season/Series 04, Father-Daughter Relationship, Rosie is a teenager, Teen attitude, Parentlock, Post Mary Morstan, Angst, Fluff
Thank you so, so much for this prompt, anon! Iâm so sorry I didnât get to it sooner and you were one of my first people to send in prompts. I hope this is to your likingâ¤ď¸â¤ď¸
Somethingâs different about Rosie today, John can tell.
Maybe itâs the unsaid sense of a father or maybe itâs because the teen has displayed a frown since the moment she woke up.
John remembers wishing Rosie a good day at school when he dropped her off, students hurrying to get to their first class.
Rosie, however, only stared at the ground, ignoring John. Her blue eyes were blank, her jaw tense.
John blinked, resting a hand on her shoulder. âHey.â
Rosieâs eyelashes fluttered as she turned to John. âYeah?â
She shrugged, and John was only happy it wasnât an eye roll as well, a pair of gestures that the teen had acquired as the years went on. âMâfine, Dad,â she dismissed, carrying her bag and leaving Johnâs side before John could say anything else.
âHer menstrual cycle, maybe?â Sherlock had suggested back at 221B when John voiced his concerns. âDid she seem irate?â
âNo,â John had said. âWellâgod, I donât even know. Maybe? Just⌠down, I guess.â
Sherlock came up behind John and soothed a loose hair on the doctorâs head. âAsk her when she gets home, then.â
John snorted. âYou know how to deal with her best. You ask her.â
âJohn,â Sherlock said, sending him a pointed look. âTalk to her.â
The conversation replays in Johnâs head as he and Rosie walk home, their steps in sync.
Rosie has just turned 14, and her attitude certainly shows it. John finds that his daughter has obtained his obvious anger issues. That can cause some arguments to take place, as much as John wishes it didnât. Or maybe itâs because sheâs around the snarky detective, catching on to his sass.
John sighs through his nose. He hopes not.
Before they enter the flat, John stops her, putting a hand on her shoulder. âRosie, wait.â
Rosie stops, turning to him with a stiff shrug. âYeah?â
John turns his head. âYou sure youâre alright, darling?â
Rosieâs still for too long, her eyes never leaving Johnâs. âI told you, Iâm fine,â she says.
âRight, well, you say that, but you donât seem like it.â
Rosie scoffs. âWell, I donât know what you want me to do about it. This is how I act.â
John grits his teeth. âNot usually. Usually you donât give me an attitude.â
âIâm not giving you an attitude. Iâm talking.â
John laughs humorlessly. âRosie, this isnât talking. This is starting an argument.â
This time, Rosie rolls her eyes. âGod, I canât get anything through with you!â
And to Johnâs great surprise, she barges through the door and practically stomps up the stars. John waits for another moment and soon, he registers a door slamming.
John sighs in frustration and heads up to 221B as well in a much calmer fashion. Once he steps into the living room to the flat, Sherlock turns to him where heâs conducting an experiment on the kitchen counter.
âNot good, then?â the detective asks with a quirk of a brow.
John runs a hand over his face. âNo. No, not good.â
âShe doesnât like when youâre snarky back,â Sherlock murmurs, flicking a glass tube with his fingers to allow more water flow.
âI wasnât- look, she has to learn how to dial down that attitude,â John says, leaning on the frame of the entrance to the kitchen. âI swear, itâs almost like arguing with you.â
âNo. Itâs like arguing with you,â Sherlock corrects. âOr Mary. Really, I can see both of you in her quite clearly.â
John grits his teeth at the comment. He looks up at the bedroom, the shut door displaying unwelcomeness. John steps forward. âMaybe I should-â
âDonât,â Sherlock says, his eyes still on the tube. âGive her time. Allow her to cool off.â
John clenches his jaw, then nods curtly. âYeah. Right, erm-â
In a swift movement, Sherlock turns on the stool, taking Johnâs sides and bringing him closer so that heâs able to stand between his legs. John releases a quiet sigh of relief at the feel of Sherlockâs hands at his sides, soothing him.
âIn the research Iâve done, teenagers are prone to get angry easier,â Sherlock says.
âYouâve done research?â
âShut up. What Iâm saying is, just⌠be patient with her, I suppose. If you two keep bickering back and forth, it will be to no end.â
John stares at Sherlock, unable to take his eyes off this wonderful, brilliant man in front of him. âI love you,â John breathes.
Sherlock grins. âI know.â
Two hours pass, maybe three. John is jittering in his chair, and Sherlock is browsing his (Johnâs) computer leisurely for a case.
John nods, making a decision. âRight. Iâm gonna go talk to her.â He stands and Sherlockâs deep voice catches him.
âCalmly,â Sherlock warns, not looking up from the screen.
John opens his mouth to say something, then decides to simply settle for a nod.
Two steps at a time, he heads up the stairs. For a while, he just stands there, fist hesitantly nearing the wooden door.
He takes a deep breath, then knocks.
John can hear an annoyed breath from the other end of the room. Soon, Rosie opens the door, her eyes expectant. âYes?â she asks.
John gestures into the room. âMay I come in, your majesty?â
Rosie fights a grin, but quickly hides it as she steps aside. âIf you want.â
John comes in and briefly admires Rosieâs room. The design has changed over the years. It used to be Johnâs old room and it was quite bland, but as Rosieâs gotten older, John has encouraged her to decorate it how she pleases. Now there are a few posters of celebrities (that Sherlock rolls his eyes at) and John catches that thereâs even a poster of James Bond.
Johnâs heart swells. He made sure to introduce Rosie to the Bond films at an early age and, together, theyâve made it a tradition to have a movie night at least once a year to binge watch the films. At first, Sherlock refused to partake in it. But when Rosie gave him her big blue eyes, silently pleading that he join them, Sherlock sighed in defeat, taking a seat next to them on the sofa.
John sucks in a breath, breaking his thoughts. He turns to Rosie, his eyes now filling with concern. âDo you want to tell me whatâs wrong now?â
Rosie looks down, fiddling her fingers. âNothingâs wrong.â
âRosie,â John says gently. âCome on. You donât have to lie about this.â
Rosie stares at him, then seems to make a decision. She goes across the room, opening a drawer and pulling out a deck of photographs.
John doesnât have to see them to know what they are.
âI didnât mean to snoop,â Rosie claims nervously, stepping forward as she looks down at the pictures of her mother on her wedding day. âBut⌠I mean- I saw the photo album in the corner of your room and- and I couldnât help but look⌠keep them. I promise Iâll put them all back, but I just wanted to look, and-â
âRosie,â John says. He sighs, putting a hand on her shoulder. âItâs alright, darling. It- I knew youâd be curious someday.â
Rosie released a trembling breath. Johnâs heart breaks. âWhy donât we talk about Mum?â she asks.
John bites down hard on his inner cheek. âYou know itâs a sensitive subject. You know how she died.â
âBut that doesnât mean we canât talk about her,â Rosie counters, her voice cracking.
John squeezes her shoulder, then leads them both to sit on the bed. âI know,â he says. âI know and Iâm⌠so sorry. I just- thereâs so much about your mother that- thatâs not⌠I just donât want you to see her in a bad light.â
âThen⌠at least tell me if- if Iâm like her,â Rosie pleads.
âOh, darling, of course you are,â John reassures. âYouâre a spitting image of her.â
âCould you just- tell me about her? Tell me what sheâs like?â
âI want Sherlock to be here,â Rosie interrupts, her eyes desperate.
John pauses. He quickly recovers and nods. âYeah⌠yeah, âcourse.â
Just then, Sherlock opens the door. He sniffs and John frowns. âYou summoned me,â Sherlock says as he shuts the door behind him.
âSherlock, how many times do I have to remind you not to listen in on conversations?â John says with gritted teeth as Rose laughs.
âYou can hardly blame me, John,â Sherlock defends as he sits on the other side of Rosie.
âI can and I most certainly will.â
Sherlockâs eyes focus on Rosie. âWhat would you like to know?â
Rosie looks down as she thinks. âItâs selfish.â
âBee,â Sherlock says in the soft voice he only reserves for Rosie and John. âNothing you can say is selfish. You have every right to know. I was wondering when youâd bring the topic up.â
Rosie sighs. âAnything, really. I want⌠I want to know if Iâm like her at all or- just anything.â
John canât help but give a small smile. âYou have her stubbornness,â he says. âI think thatâs the main thing. I swear, sometimes you talk just like her.â
âYou have her energy,â Sherlock continues, and John wants to kiss the man for being such a wonderful sport. He knows Sherlock still feels inexplicable guilt, even as theyâve progressed their relationship into a couple. He knows Sherlock has a difficult time talking about the subject, but the fact that he talks about it like itâs the easiest thing in the world when someone brings Mary up⌠John loves him. âShe was quite the lively woman.â
âYouâre clever,â John says, his voice now a whisper. âShe was intelligent, could always see through a lie and had a lense of reality.â
Rosie looks like sheâs on the verge of tears. Sherlock rubs her back. âWhat is it?â the detective asks.
âNo, no, itâs justâŚâ She lets out a long breath. âEveryone at school always talks about their mothers. And- And that made me more upset that I couldnât relate to them.â A small smile forms on Rosieâs lips. âIâm glad I can⌠that I can learn about Mum. And just knowing that Iâm somewhat like her-â Rosie sniffles, smiling through her tears. âIt makes me so happy.â
John pulls Rosie in for a tight hug, striving not to shed tears himself. He kisses her blonde curls. âYouâre a lot more like her than you think. Sheâll always be a part of you and I want you to never forget that.â
Sherlock seems hesitant on joining in on the affection, but Rosie huffs and pulls him in by his arm sleeve. ââLock, get in here.â
Sherlock chuckles at the nickname and joins in, wrapping his long arms around the both of them.
They stay like that for a while, just the three of them.
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