Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. A.N. Short, but this month is short too...for sherlockchallenge on Tumblr, prompt 'midnight'. Euriarty again, because it's the only decent thing from s4 I accept in my headcanon. Also, I use the sentence Slán go fóill, which (if the website I used is correct, if not, please correct me) should be Irish for Bye for now/See you later. Also, now there's a Russian translation by the amazing Di Kara! Here's the link (sorry about having to turn some things into words, and add random spaces, or it wouldn't show): h tt p s (colon slash slash)
ficbook . net
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The Princess and the Rising King
They lay on the bed, naked and curled around each other, like sleepy cats. The lovemaking has been wild, as usual, but not even the world's only consulting criminal and most brilliant Holmes sibling can successfully fight the onslaught of oxytocin and dopamine, or even truly want to. Eurus is lazily tracing lines on her lover's chest with a finger, scratching slightly now and then. Jim retaliates by playing with her hair, letting it slide between his fingers, occasionally coiling a dark lock around his index. He loves her mind, of course, so very like a hard, sharp jewel; enjoys her body, which any model would be envious of; but her hair makes him think of fairytales.
It wouldn't be out of place on Rapunzel (fine, maybe it's not quite long enough yet, but they're getting there), and it's such a crime that it's one of the first characteristics she hides whenever she's playing. She has a point, he knows, as it's definitely a memorable feature. But it's still cruel to deprive the world of the sight of Eurus in her original splendour. Damn Mycroft and his omnipresent CCTV for forcing her into a number of disguises. Every time he sees her enter whatever room he procured, he has to hide a grimace at whatever she turned herself into, so to slip away unobserved.
She's never seen his home, a precaution which is probably unnecessary, but that she decided herself. "Just in case my brothers finally figure out how to use their brain and notice what's going on, Jiminy. It would be a disservice to bring them to your doorstep," she said, with a shrug.
The happy quiet is broken by a call from the reception. Jim considers murdering the idiot who thought disturbing them was acceptable. "That'd be for me; my ride must be here," Eurus murmurs, rising and looking for her clothes in all the corners of the room.
He clutches at her arm, saying (not asking, as a refusal should be unthinkable) "Stay, Yuyu." Hey, if he's going to suffer the stupid nicknames, she's going to as well.
"I can't, love, you know that. It's midnight already, and I need to be back for the usual visit from the guard at 3 am. It's one thing to rig the cameras, but we don't want anyone to know I spend so much time fooling around outside my cell. Don't be unreasonable," she replies, wriggling out of his grasp.
He lets her, because bruising her when she doesn't demand it is simply not a good idea. "You're unreasonable. And insulting me, at that. I mean, why would you want to go back at all? Don't you trust me to be able to keep you safe from your brothers? I assure you, I could. You only have to choose a place. I don't care if it's here in London, in Scandinavia, in some tropical land or wherever you prefer. We could have a home and have fun all the time, instead than a few snatched hours here and there," he proposes, pouting.
"Now, now, don't be a child. Of course I trust you to kick My's ass if need be. But I have a castle, and that's hard to top. Besides, you like the idea of me as the trapped princess, don't you?" Eurus says, winking at him.
"Well, I could keep you trapped if you want. Or are you saying that you expect me to play the hero? Because I have news for you, love, not even my friends at elementary school would let me play that role," Jim huffs, sitting on the bed and considering if he should try to follow her. He's learned that she can be persuaded – for all her supposed powers of changing anyone's mind with a couple sentences – but try to force her, and you'll regret ever being so foolish. And the point at which she will deem you stopped being an annoyance and started being a bully depends on her mood of the moment.
She actually laughs at him, a twinkling, carefree sound. Anyone else would be butchered if they dared…slowly. But it takes him aback, because she's not often happy. Passionate, sure. Intense, always. Brilliant, she can't not be. Tender, if enough hormones are taking over. But cheerful…that's a rare treat, and too precious for his pride to take offense.
"You have this silly idea that you're the biggest, baddest wolf out there, Jiminy. And while you can be ruthless, the ones like you and I are never as evil as others make us. Because we like playing, and even if we follow through when the game's penalty is dismemberment or something like that, we don't cheat. Most people are cheating all the time to get what they want. We accept a loss and move to the next game. Honestly, love, there are tons of petty people that are worse than you," she explains, shrugging.
"Come on, princess, stay. You understand. Nobody else does. Isn't it boring to go back to that cold cell of yours?" Jim says, in a last ditch attempt.
"I'll be back soon, so don't harass me," Eurus replies, and by the steely glint in her eyes, she's on the brink of losing all patience. "You can go play with Lockie if you are too bored before my next visit." As if that's a great concession she's making.
"But he has this look but don't touch image – I swear, sometimes it looks like he's the one behind a glass. I'm not even sure his pet can reach behind that. Not even half as entertaining! And he is slow when compared to you!" The consulting criminal doesn't even mention the other's morals. That's another difference between the siblings, but it can be worked around, as far as playing goes.
"Love." Suddenly her voice seems capable of freezing a pond. "I've just finished praising you for not cheating…and you want to fuck my brother?"
It's his turn to shrug. "Honestly? I'm not sure how it works, but I think I'm Holmes-sexual. You, Sherlock…heck, I could even consider Mycroft if he offered. And that's just the relatives I know. The ones I don't know…no idea how far up the family tree I'd impale myself. If you're jealous, just stay to make sure I'll keep on the straight and narrow."
"Oh no, Jiminy, I would never try to force you in any way. I'm just saying, that impaling metaphor of yours might end up being more literal than you suspect." Now, Eurus' voice is back to dripping honey… which makes her threat more terrifying. Moriarty has no doubt she's not joking.
"Slán go fóill," she says, leaving the room with a last glance at him.
"Laterz," he counters, grinning. It would be so sweet if she'd learned Irish for him, but Moriarty doesn't want to presume too much.