Constellations Strung With a Shooting Star | Sherliam

Chapter Thirteen

The first time Sherlock heard about the Moriarty family's tea party was a day prior, when Watson informed him that a patient of his talked about it. Recently, John has been overly supportive of getting his flatmate and the professor together; any time that he heard anything about the family, he'd first think to tell Sherlock.

Which he's actually very grateful for. Otherwise, he's not sure if he would have heard of the event. And with it being set in their London estate instead of their Durham one, that made it all the more easier to muggle his way into the party. And so, that's what he had quickly planned to do.

It was also John that had to convince him to dress at least somewhat more appropriately. He insisted on it and wouldn't even let the detective leave the flat without making himself look slightly nicer. And Sherlock figured that it would be easier to get in if he actually came looking nice. At least he has a partner that can actually make ties, unlike himself.

And it worked, exactly as he predicted. He was fortunate to be witness to every passing moment of William changing his mind and letting the detective join him. The hesitation that grasped his eyes is a flawless image in Holmes' eyes.

Although, now, he has to confront the very part he anticipated the least. Women.

He's always had a resentment towards them, and now is no different. They pose a problem during this tea party in the worst kind of way; they cling to you for dear life and insist not to let you go until the night is over. And to add the fact that it's an entire event full of them as guests, it only makes it abashedly worse.

He'd taken a step out before William to get a confirmed glance on what to expect for the next few hours. Just as terrible as he imagined, but large groups of them also get occupied with the garden and what seems to be temporary butlers.

Witnessing it all at once makes Sherlock wonder how Moriarty even feels about this. Or, more accurately, what his thoughts on women even are. Holmes can depict that the blond is more tolerant of them than he is, but beyond that, he can't come to a finalized conclusion. And perhaps tailing himself behind William for the rest of the tea party may open that window of insight he so craves.

And while the chances of getting an absolute answer as to whether or not William has a soulmate mark or not are astronomically low, he holds a bit of hope for that as well. Whatever he gets out of this, he'll treasure it. Even if he has to make his way through the overwhelming amount of women to obtain it.

As he passes through, a few turn their heads to glance at him and murmur comments. There was one particularly amazing precaution that Sherlock took before arriving; he made sure that he didn't come off as wealthy in his appearance. He's no stranger to the fact that most guests here are trying to come home with a nobleman, not a commoner. While Sherlock may be the younger brother to a government official, he's nowhere near what they're actually looking for.

That alleviates a good extent of his worries. A handful are guaranteed not to pay any mind to that, but whatever he can pry off of him, he will. He also hopes that his presence besides WIlliam will convince some to take a step back.

Sherlock hears a few remarks about him as he passes through, eventually finding an impatient group of women seated in front of a chalkboard with an unfinished mathematics problem written on it. Well, Liam wasn't lying when he said he was in the middle of a lesson.

As he snakes his way through them, they mumble and whisper to one another. Most are concerned as to why Moriarty hasn't returned yet, and why someone else is stepping in. In all fairness, Holmes is also wondering what's holding up the professor.

He did seem particularly shocked by Sherlock's presence, more so than he was when the detective visited his classroom in Durham. The reaction was a satisfying one for Sherlock, admittedly; a dumbfounded Liam is rare. But what could he possibly be doing?