Holmes Minor

Title: Mathews
Form: 221B
Characters/Pairings: Holmes, Mathews
Rating: PG
Warnings/Content: Canon-typical violence
Author’s Notes: "My collection of M's is a fine one," said he. "Moriarty himself is enough to make any letter illustrious, and here is Morgan the poisoner, and Merridew of abominable memory, and Mathews, who knocked out my left canine in the waiting-room at Charing Cross…” Written for the March 2016 Prompt: Small but perfectly formed. Also on AO3.


“Been waiting long, Mr. Holmes..?”

Holmes lowered his newspaper and stared with distaste at the man who had just joined him in the waiting room of Charing Cross station.

“Mathews.”

Holmes returned his gaze to his paper.

“I’m afraid I don’t have time to waste on you at the moment. I have a train to catch and a most interesting case to investigate. Our… appointment… will have to wait for another time.”

Holmes turned the page and Mathews stepped nearer.

“But that’s not good enough, Mr. Holmes. You wanted to see me…”

Mathews leaned forward.

“Well, then. Here I am.”

There was a pause.

Then Holmes threw the paper aside and leapt to his feet, just as Mathews reached inside his coat pocket.

A fist connected smartly with Mathews’ jaw. Mathews staggered but rallied.

He grabbed Holmes round the throat, there was a flash of metal in Holmes’s mouth and—

“Aaaargh!”

Mathews smiled in satisfaction. “There. All done.”

Holmes clutched at his face. “You bloody dentists!”

“Well, it had to be done! It was cracked! Rotten!”

Mathews looked down at the tooth clutched in his hand.

Which was whole.

Perfect.

He looked up at Holmes.

“Er… I think you might need another appointment.”

Mathews smiled weakly.

“I’ve removed your left upper canine. It should have been the one on the bottom.”