Intro: It's December again, can you believe it? Much thanks to HadesLordoftheDead for running this challenge year after year!

From Wordwielder: Bristly

Disclaimer: We in the U.S.A. are just a few years away from the entire canon being in the public domain, and I can't wait!

==Day 1: All Soft Inside==

Davy Wiggins frowned at the newest recruit of the Baker Street Irregulars, who hung back in the crowd of two dozen boys. "Wot's the matter, Kelly?"

The little Irish boy looked down at his threadbare shoes. "Nuthin'."

"Well then, come along! Mister 'Olmes needs to 'ear wot yew told me."

"Oi think 'e's a bit scared o' the Guv'nor," Peter Wiggins murmured into his older brother's ear.

Ah. Of course. Kelly hadn't yet seen Mr. Holmes in a good mood… Davy crouched before Kelly to look the boy in the eye. "Kelly, lad," he said gently, "is that yew're a wee bit scared of Mister 'Olmes?"

Kelly's green eyes didn't quite meet Davy's blue ones. "'Course, Oi ain't scared o' 'im."

"Listen, me boy," Davy continued in his gentle tone, "Oi know 'ow prickly Mister 'Olmes can be sometimes. But 'e's a good man—'e treats us fair an' 'e takes care of us. An' d'yew know wot?" Davy's voice had taken on a conspiratorial tone. "Oi'll give yew a little secret. Yew want somethin' from 'im? Somethin' small, understand, not terribly impor'ant. Yew just look at 'im an' make yewr eyes as big as yew can. 'E's all bristly on the outside, but inside 'e's all softy, 'onest."

Kelly's mouth upturned slightly as he processed that.

Davy stood straight again. "Now, c'mon, let's go." He held out his hand, and the little boy took it. On the way to 221B, Davy smiled as he felt Kelly's grip relax.

And, thankfully, they did find Mr. Holmes in a good mood that day.

A/N: ...I still need to finish my prompts from last year! *gulp* And before I do that, I need to find where exactly I wrote down my ideas for those prompts! *double gulp*

Okay, so, some of you longterm readers might remember Kelly. Kelly is basically my son, okay, and I should get to know him better: he's my Baker Street Irregular. He pops up, even if only as a passing mention, all over the place, including mine and Ria's Doctor Who crossover!

Wish me luck with this challenge, too! This is my first time doing it while also working full-time (yes, I finally have a real job, yay!).

Oh, and one final thing: I make no apologies for the title of this year's set, lol.