The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone: The Brain and the Appendix (PG)

[vaysh]

Canon Story: The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone
Title: The Brain and the Appendix
Author: vaysh
Pairing: Billy/Sherlock (Billy is well over the age of 18)
Words: 60
Rating: PG-13 for sexual innuendo
Warning: age disparity


After Doctor Watson left, I stoke the fire. Sherlock may still want to skim yesterday's Telegraph.

"Billy..."

I glance over my shoulder; our eyes meet. I feel myself blush. No reading tonight, after all.

"I was wondering," long fingers move over the pipe rack, "whether you care to join me tonight."

I smile into the fire. I never say no.

Comments

[debriswoman]

Good heavens...:-p

[vaysh]

*lol* Best response ever. I assume it's the age difference. ;)

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Er, yes ^^" Not sure I entirely approve of this interpretation - but I suppose it is a possible reading of the text ^^ (*faints*)

[vaysh]

19th century gay couples often had a great age and class difference (and definitely less romantic notions that we today think are necessary for a relationship), so for me at least it's not entirely unconceivable that Sherlock Holmes had a much younger working-class lover. Billy certainly is very attentive of Holmes, and Holmes does care for him. :)

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Hello ^^ I've been in contact with thesmallhobbit and we're in agreement that essentially what's worrying us here is Billy's age.

I wonder could you explicitly state how old you consider Billy to be in your warnings? And if he is under 18, please add "underage" to the warnings as well. (I realise now and then the age of consent is lower in the UK, but we want to play it safe.)

I've bumped up the rating to PG-13, using the tags. If you could adjust the rating on your post too, that would be great ^^ I'm sorry to make such a fuss about your story but I'm sure you appreciate that, as mods, we have a responsibility to all potential users of the comm, to make certain they are appropriately warned.

[vaysh]

Oh. I changed the rating in the post and added a note that Billy is over 18. I just googled the word pageboy, and realised it does imply a 13 to 15 year old boy. I mistook it to mean something more like the German Page. A Page is a young servant in German ranging from 17 to 24 or even older. I am sorry to make you trouble. And I do appreciate that you are looking out for such things. :)

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank heavens ^^" *collapses in relief* I didn't realise there was some cultural misunderstanding going on - you must have wondered why your British readers were all so shocked ^^

Thanks for being so understanding. To be honest, a large age gap doesn't bother me in the slightest - it was the possibility of Billy being underage that was making me so uncomfortable ^^"

[vaysh]

I am sorry this drabble has caused you distress. Please never feel you can not ask me add warnings or change a rating. If you and thesmallhobbit are more comfortable with having the drabble removed, I am happy to delete the post.

I am intrigued by Sherlock with an underage lover, as a model for same-sex relationships since antiquity that was also common in Victorian England. But in this story I totally read Billy as a 20 something young man, the grown Billy from the stories set earlier.

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Possible, but too many of the things I actively dislike.

[vaysh]

You all don't like your Sherlock with a younger man. ;) I admit I have a fondness for slash pairings with a wider age disparity.

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

It's not the age gap I object to - Holmes/Hopkins has an age gap. Or even the class difference. It's firstly a question of power - this wouldn't be an equal relationship. It's possible to read your last line as being an ironic smile, because he is never in a position to be able to refuse. There is the modern concept of 'consent' which has grown from age old lack of consent.

My second objection is that Holmes is an intelligent man. That sort of relationship would leave him wide open to blackmail, which would be particularly risky in his line of work.

[vaysh]

I do think this is a consensual relationship. Of course Billy could say no. Even when there is a power hierarchy, there can be consent. Otherwise there would never be a consensual relationship possible between people from different classes or ages. This is not romantic love, but in the canon story Holmes clearly cares for Billy's well-being (he rushes into the room when he sees Billy threatened), and Billy obviously knows Holmes well and enjoys taking care of him. There is no reason for Billy to blackmail Holmes. And yes, Holmes is an intelligent man, but in this incarnation he has physical needs, too. And like for many gay men of his age, this kind of arrangement would work well. My two cents only, of course.

[winryweiss.livejournal.com]

... well ... this never occurred to me, but ...
Heck, why not? ^^

Fandom should teach us all to be tolerant, so when you don't support, you certainly don't hate either.

Though, *evil prods* I have to ask: Why Billy? Holmes very much cares for Irregulars as well. (If you want to stay in this field of wild speculations. ^^)