Fic: Of Fish and Bicycles: Gen

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Title: Of fish and bicycles
Rating: Gen
Length: 150
Notes: H/W slash; anachronistic quote & term
Summary: Holmes is teaching Watson how to swim.
Author's Note: for the September monthly prompt: learning something new and for the Day 5 fffc September challenge prompt:Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving. (Albert Einstein)
Hard thumps on my back sent a briny sea spilling from my lips onto the flat rock Holmes had selected as lifeboat.

“Y-y-you said it was like riding a bicycle.”

“My dear Watson, it is.”

“Then w-w-why, pray tell, after a successful first attempt, was my second one a failure? If s-s-swimming is like riding a b-b-bicycle, once you learn, you never f-f-forget.”

“Not an adage with which I’m familiar. The one I know is ‘Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance’—or keep afloat—'you must keep moving.’ Stop and you sink, as you so aptly demonstrated. Another go, sailor?”

“I was never a sailor.”

“Yes,” said Holmes dryly.

I forced my eyes open to glare at him.

“Or perhaps I should practise my Kiss of Life?”

My lips curled in a smile and I felt the tug of his dark grey eyes pull me under.

Comments

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Watson, I'd give up on the swimming, and find another form of entertainment.

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

There's a reason I delegate Minor's swim instruction to professionals: it's hard! Just because you can swim, doesn't mean you can teach someone else. And Holmes's need-to-know attitude is the least helpful here. They should stick to sandcastles or pints at the Hairy Barnacle.

[debriswoman]

Poor Watson:-(
At least he got distracted:-p

[mafief.livejournal.com]

“I was never a sailor.”

“Yes,” said Holmes dryly.

Lol! I'm getting strange looks from coworkers now since I'm giggling out loud. ;)

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Yay! No better compliment for a comedic fic! Thank you!

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Ha! Yes, he shall have to look elsewhere for proper instruction.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Hard thumps on my back sent a briny sea spilling from my lips onto the flat rock Holmes had selected as lifeboat. I love that opening sentence.

Excellent use of the quotation, and excellent use of the Kiss of Life ^___^

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Yes, the squeeze on the quote prompt was minimal but potent and it fit with Monthly prompt so I thought I'd let pen blaze, or something like that, if only for a drabble+.

Thank you! It's not an American term, so it of course sounds cheekier to my ear.

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

Best cure for too much salt water coming out, would be a pint of good beer going in. Hairy Barnacle it is.

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

I've never heard that, but it's brilliant. Yes!