Cameras continually flashed, officers cheered (mostly chuckled and promised eachother to trade photos later), reporters asked questions, children begged to be on stage, and Sherlock was absolutely trying his very best not to throw himself at the crowd and unleash the most brutal of deductions.
"Quit twitching, Sherlock. Can you stay still for one bloody second so we can take a proper picture and get this over with?” John whispered through his fake smile, sending a minuscule glare towards Sherlock before looking back at the crowd of cameras.
Sherlock continued fidgeting, right eye twitching in irritation, and whispered over the clicks of cameras and laughter of witnesses, “I feel absolutely foolish right now, John. This is ridiculous. I feel ridiculous. I look ridiculous! Why are we doing this, and why did I have to be the bloody reindeer?”
"Maybe you shouldn’t solve a crime that saves Christmas." At that point, annoyingly (in Sherlock’s opinion), John’s fake smile became genuine. Eyes sparkling with mirth, he whispered “Maybe your antlers have to do with that deerstalker you hate so much.”
"Maybe you’re Santa because everyone knows you’ll become as fat as Mycroft in your old age," Sherlock briefly sneered before returning to his painful smile.
"And you’ll still love me" John declared confidently, smile softening and eyes twinkling in amusement.
"Hmm."
Eyes connecting, Sherlock and John shared a brief not-so-secretive smile, silently wishing one another a happy Christmas amongst the cameras, reporters, children, and (still laughing) New Scotland Yarders.
