A thorn by any other name would hurt just as deep, or whatever the saying is.
~~~
Greg Lestrade would say Sherlock Holmes was always the smartest in the room. Whether at 221B or Scotland Yard, no ordinary person ever came close to compete with his...
The weekend of the exhibition opening, Sherlock hardly had the chance to catch up as you frantically tried to ready the gallery for the event. Day and night, it seemed you hadn't the time to reply to anyone, pop in for a quick hello at 221b or even talk to Greg about a case.
It was a never-ending task as if after one was solved, another arose.
But here the day was. You put on your freshly ironed suit, making sure you looked more than just presentable. Even minutes before opening, you had to refine the simplest of things.
"Calm down, Y/n," one of your coworkers walks up to your side. "You did a great job, trust me,"
"Thanks, Anna," you take a deep breath, "Okay, okay, show time." Walking to the doors, you unlock them and allow the two security guards to open them.
Checking your phone, you saw Sherlock and John, along with a few others, had said they would be a tad late—something to do with a harpoon and broken ceiling.
This gave you just enough time to greet Jim and Sebastian. Holding your phone to your chest, you scout out your friends, hopefully, and finally spot them entering the building with severe looks on their faces.
All until Jim saw you make your way over. His smile formed, arms open for you, "you're looking a little stressed,"
"My job depends on whether or not this exhibition goes well," you reason, "I'm so happy you two could make it,"
Sebastian gives you a side hug, all the while keeping a lookout for any suspicious characters. His eyes dart left and right, eyeing the entrance more often than not. "Any idea how far they are?"
"I say a few minutes away," you check your phone then sigh, "just please don't make a scene- and I mean you, Jim,"
"Me??" He places a hand on his heart and gasps, "I would never do something so dramatic,"
Rolling your eyes in response, Sebastian pats your shoulder as a form of comfort before spotting your eyes at your newest text, "we'll be around," he ushers Jim away, which you nod thankfully at. "Come on, boss, let her do what she needs to,"
Sherlock's eyes scan the sea of people before him. Every single one flooded the gallery with excited grins, but all he was looking for was you. Greg, John and Mrs Hudson all followed behind, counting on the detective to spot you.
"Sherlock!" You wave your hand to the detective, who is somewhat star-struck. One corner of his lips curves up, both making their way over to each other. "I'm so glad you could make it- all of you," you address the others who all dressed up for the event. "You all look lovely," giving a hug to Greg, then John and Mrs Hudson; you look back to Sherlock, who accepts your hug without hesitation.
"So do you," he whispers in your ear, "Sorry we were late, had an accident with the-"
"Harpoon, yes, John told me," you hold back your laugh, looking over your shoulder when one art director from a rival gallery walks up to you. "You all enjoy your time," you quickly quip before plastering the fakest smile you can, "Eudory! So nice to see you exit that evil lair of yours,"
The group of four whistles quietly at the apparent rivalry, stepping back a little. The woman before you stood tall with her fake-designer stilettos digging into the"Eudora," she hisses, "Nice to see you looking presentable for once,"
"Sweetheart, you're lucky I haven't had your ass kicked out of this gallery with your knock-off red bottoms dragging behind," sipping at the champagne handed to you, she looked seconds away from snapping the glass neck in her hand.
"This isn't exactly good hosting, is it? I actually came here to invite you to my gallery opening this weekend," her teeth grit, invitation held up to you with disdain and reluctance.
"Oh," you cringe, "sorry, I'm busy that day," not bothering to look, instead placing the invitation down on a random waiter's tray. "And every other day, doing literally anything else," you further explain.
The glass neck finally snapped as a fire burned in her eyes. Champagne spilled out of the glass, dripping down her hand and onto the floor between you both. "Perfectly fine," she seethes, walking past you with a shove.
A breath escapes you, your smile returning until you turn to see her bump right into Sherlock. Her eyes widened in the realisation of who it was. The group wasn't too far behind you, but that didn't matter when her hand brushed his arm, laughing irritatingly at something he had said.
"Oh, that's so not cool," you grumble. Gripping your glass tighter, you walk forward and watch as Sherlock completely ignores her. "Come on, Eudores, you know flirting has never been your strong point," you sip at your drink, watching her face turn red. "Door is there," she pointed lazily. This seemed to tick her off more. "Or would you like security to help you out?"
"I can find my way," she finishes her drink, letting the broken glass drop to the ground before she leaves with her remaining pride. The bustling crowd of people shielded the sound of shattering glass, only causing an inconvenience for you.
"I'm guessing you're not a fan," Sherlock muses while Greg glares at Eudora.
"She's like a parasite," you scoff, stopping a waiter really quickly so he could grab a broom for the mess.
"Evidently," John shakes his head, being the first to spot the roaming threat. "Sherlock," he nudges his friend, pointing to Moriarty and Sebastian viewing a painting.
It seemed everyone's hearts stopped, except you, who internally cringed. All was made worse when Moriarty looked to the group and grinned. Each step taken by Jim was another movement of Sherlock's hand to his gun. "Fancy seeing you here,"
"I could say the same for you." Sherlock pulls you closer by the waist, which only makes Jim's eye twitch slightly.
"Can't a man look at some lovely paintings without needing to worry about being shot?" He hums, looking at the glint of a gun in Sherlock's coat.
"You have no right to be here; this is a critical moment to Y/n, and you are causing mass chaos, which is not going to happen," he warns.
"Oh, calm down, Sherly. I wouldn't do something so tedious," he waves his hand. "Plus, we were just leaving... maybe after buying a few paintings, Miss L/n. Would you mind helping us out?" His arm was held out to you, which you hesitantly took.
"Y/n," Sherlock says warningly.
"I'll be fine; he said he won't do anything... right? Just buying a painting," you say to Jim, who assures you with a nod.
"See? Calm down," he invites you away as Seb rolls his eyes.
"You'll get your girlfriend back," Sebastian teases before saluting at John, "Captain,"
"Colonel," John salutes back, shrugging at Sherlock and the others, "what? It's polite,"
Sherlock drops his head before doing a double take. "Wait- She's not my girlfriend!" Sherlock was ignored by everyone who diffused into the crowd to glance around.
"Not yet," Mrs Hudson pats his arm.
~~~
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Sorry for posting so late! Got a little distracted :)
