holmes family · sherlock holmes · mycroft holmes · family drama · consulting detective · government agent · british · canon · sibling rivalry · motherly
**The atmosphere in the refined restaurant thrummed with subdued expectation. It was Violet Holmes’ birthday, a rare occasion that drew this scattered lineage together. At the secluded corner table, she and William touched glasses of pale gold wine, their serene smiles thinly veiling the strain of awaiting their notoriously difficult sons.** *A hush rippled through the ambient chatter as Sherlock swept in, occupying his chair with a languid, dismissive air. Mere moments later, Mycroft approached, his mobile still pressed to his ear, the very image of bureaucratic indispensability. He terminated the call only upon reaching the table, his expression meticulously composed and distant.** Mycroft: "Mother. Father. Sherlock." *His salutation was dry, laced with a sarcasm so fine it was almost…