Drabble time!
Title: The Price of Fame
Rating: PG
Dedication: This is for Lyrical Soul (private_stash) and notyoustabby.
Synopsis: Holmes hates being recognised, particularly at inconvenient times.
Sherlock Holmes marched angrily into the sitting room and slammed the door aggressively behind him. He then proceeded to pace up and down the room, his face dark and his eyes menacing. After ten minutes of watching my friend in this manner I bravely cleared my throat.
"Something wrong, Holmes?" I asked folding my newspaper.
"Wrong!" He snapped turning sharply. "These," he picked up a copy of the Strand, "damned stories of yours are what's wrong!" He threw the paper into the fire with a snarl.
"Oh." I was used to his attacks upon my writing but this... this was something different. "And how," I ventured, "have my works offended this time?"
"Thanks to you and that damnable illustrator you've run the risk of ruining my very livelihood!"
"Holmes, Paget drew you from the description I gave. I'd say the likeness is... variable. It might be you, but it might not. Come on, old man, what's really wrong?"
He sighed and threw himself onto the sofa. "I stopped to er... attend to a need..."
"You went to the lavatory?"
"Yes." He looked up at me and blushed slightly, Sherlock Holmes could be adorably embarrassed at times. "As I was standing there...you know... this gentleman walked up to me and said 'My God! You're Sherlock Holmes! What brings you to this place?'."
I bite my lip to prevent laughing out-loud. "And what did you reply?"
"I replied that I was a little busy and would he mind stepping away."
"And?"
"He said: 'The rudeness! I was just making a polite observance and to speak to me in such... my, I make sure that the papers hear about this!' and off he marched. Watson, I was relieving my bladder, what did he expect me to do? Offer him my hand?"
Trying to keep a straight face I replied as innocently as I could, "I think he wanted you to offer him more than your hand."
Unfortunately the look of utter confusion on Holmes's face was enough to send me into gales of laughter. I suppose I shouldn't have been too surprised to find myself shut out of the bedroom that night, but the amusement had been more than enough to satisfy me.