Sweet and Short

Title: Delays are not denials (Hallowe'en Night)
Fandom: BBC Sherlock
Rating: Gen
Length: 300
Characters: Sherlock & John
Prompt: surprise
Summary: Sherlock & John got to a Hallowe'en festival.


A cow bell rang somewhere.
“Ah, too bad” said John, echoing a sentiment and then a desire expressed by many about them. “Time to go home. Best, ah, hit the head before we make the trek. Too much apple cider, you know.”

Sherlock made a noise of exasperation and disappointment and begrudgingly accepted John’s toffee apple before John joined the flow of similarly afflicted festival-goers toward the loo.

John had enjoyed thoroughly himself, but Sherlock had barely tolerated the All Hallow’s Eve Night so-called merriments.

No surprises. There ought to have been one. Really, what were the criminal classes coming to?

All attendees were required to be in fancy dress, and some of the fancy dresses were, admittedly, gruesome. But all the blood splatters were fake. John thought some of the costumes ableist. Sherlock regarded them as woefully inaccurate.

Eyes out of socket don’t look like that.

There had even been a corn maze!

Certainly, that presented an excellent opportunity for a genuinely clever killing, but no. Just ordinary people being stupidly ordinary.

Sherlock and John had done the maze four times! Well, John might say five, but Sherlock would always claim that the first time was mere reconnaissance. After the last time, well, they’d been banned. Some people could not take constructive criticism.

They’d also been banned from the fortune-telling tent. Ditto.

There ought to have been something. Everyone was required to wear a mask! Or submit to having a part of their face painted upon entry. Would no one of a murderous frame of mind take advantage of the camouflage?

Sherlock despaired so much he took a bit of John’s apple, instantly regretting it—

WHOOSH!

AARGH!

“What the hell was that?” barked John as he came running up amidst the cries and shouts.

Sherlock smiled. “A crossbow, John!”