A/N: Anderson-centric. Cause, you know, I'm really excited for some Anderson character development!
Day #24: Cyclops
Eye of The Beholder
(Rated K)
It was a well-known fact that Cyclops's were not thought of highly. While the Cyclops's of today were educated, their ancestors had not been, and subsequently they were thought of as dumb, brutal beasts.
Many Cyclops's were able to disguise themselves. The cheapest way was to purchase a pair of visor sunglasses that hid your eye and gave the appearance of two. Some people disguised it with a false eye, other got plastic surgery to give themselves the permanent appearance of a human.
Stephen Anderson of the New Scotland Yard, went with the cheapest approach. He couldn't afford the costly plastic surgeries, and he couldn't walk around as a Cyclops, his job would never allow it. So he kept his eye hidden behind shades and an excuse of sensitive eyes. No one, not even the all-seeing Sherlock Holmes knew his secret.
It was hardly a surprise that he had become overconfident over the years. He had worked for the Met for nearly six years, and he had yet to have someone become suspicious of what he was. He had proven himself to be intelligent, no matter how many times Holmes had said otherwise, and most people didn't expect that much intelligent from a Cyclops. They quickly got used to Anderson's odd quirk of sunglasses, and moved on with their lives. Anderson himself could be found removing his protective shades when alone at the Met, letting his eye out, enjoying the brightness that he couldn't normally see.
It was during one of these brief relaxation periods that he was discovered, his sunglasses far across the room, and a certain consulting detective placed between Anderson and the nearest escape.
"Ah, Anderson." The baritone voice called out, amusement lacing his tone. "I didn't realise you were one for working late."
"I enjoy the quiet." Anderson replied stiffly, keeping his back to Holmes. "And you're disrupting it. Go away."
"No. I don't think so." Holmes said. "You're hiding something, and I intend to find out what it is. Not your infrequent liaisons with Sergeant Donovan. That's too well known for you to hide it."
Anderson closed his eye, trying not to remember the last time he had spent the night with Sally. She had become frustrated that he refused to remove his sunglasses, and attempted to remove them herself. He had left, and had never returned.
"No, it's something big, something...personal." Holmes was still talking, and Anderson realised with a jolt that the detective was much closer than before. "You've never revealed your secret to anyone."
"Go away, freak." Anderson spat, trying to get him annoyed enough to leave him alone. All he received was a chuckle in response. Clearly he didn't have enough menace in his tone to be threatening.
"Of course, the sunglasses." Holmes mused aloud, and Anderson wasn't sure if he had seen them across the room, or if he noticed that there ever present plastic was gone from his ear. "Why do you hide your eyes, Anderson?"
"I don't hide my eyes." Anderson retorted, and he hear a small intake of breath, a sound he had only heard when Holmes had deduced the cause of a murder.
"Oh, that's brilliant." Holmes's voice was in front of him now, and Anderson finally opened his eye to see the consulting detective looking down at him, glee and surprise on his face.
"What, are you going to report me now?" Anderson snapped, letting his anger hide his fear. "Tell everyone that I'm a dirty Cyclops, and that you were right about me all along?"
"Oh shut up." Holmes said, no menace in his tone. "Don't be stupid. Of course I'm not going to report you. And clearly I wasn't right about you all along."
"What do you mean?" Anderson asked, confusion sweeping the anger away quickly. Holmes was treating him...well, like he always treated him...perhaps even a little bit nicer.
"While you're still an idiot, clearly I misjudged you. You are far smarter than I gave you credit for. Perhaps you should be given a raise..."
"Wait...what?" Anderson spluttered, shaking his head.
"I complemented your intelligence. Please don't make me refute it." Holmes looked bored. "I would never have suspected you to be able to deceive me for a second, let alone five years."
"Six." Anderson corrected automatically.
"Ah, you've been here for six. I've only known you for five." Holmes waved a hand. "Before you, I had to suffer with the idiotic ways of Geoffrey Daniels."
Anderson snorted, remembering briefly how Holmes had caused Daniels's early retirement, and had immediately began terrorizing him instead.
"You've proved ultimately smarter." Holmes commented dryly, and Anderson's eyes widened at that, surprised to get a compliment from the sociopathic detective. "Just don't revert back to your old, idiotic ways. It would be a shame."
And with a small smirk, Sherlock Holmes turned with a whirl of his greatcoat, stalking away from the still gaping Cyclops.