Work Text:
Iris bounced up and down in glee as she got everything together for her day with Holmes at the London World’s Fair. She had been looking forward to this day all week and she kept pinching herself to check if she was really awake. Slipping on her hat and tucking her pink hair inside, she made sure her goggles were at the ready, and she slipped on her coat and grabbed her backpack; Iris Watson was ready for her latest adventure.
“Holmsies! Are you ready to go?” She called. “Come on, come on, come on !”
Holmes nearly fell down the stairs in his speed to get down, and yet he somehow managed to catch himself on the railing before tumbling.
“I was born ready,” He grinned. “Got everything?”
Iris nodded and soon enough they were out of the door and hailing a carriage. The whole of London was prepared for the World’s Fair, Iris could already see the expo from the window, the crystal tower gleaming marvelously and even a ferris wheel not too far behind.
“I’m so excited, Holmsies!” She said as a matter of factly. “It’s like something out of a dream!”
“It’s truly wonderful, I’ve only been to one other expo like this…!” He replied. “‘L’Exposition Universelle’ in Paris, around eleven years ago.”
“Really! What was it like?”
“It was wonderful, one of my favorite cases too!” Holmes said. “The Heist at the Eiffel Tower!”
“A Heist? Tell me more!” Iris grinned.
“Well… I think it would make a most interesting story indeed!” Holmes guffawed. “I simply wished to see some of the marvels, yet I accidentally burst in on a plot to steal the Red Diamond of the Sultan of Oman… an adventure of swashbuckling, mystery, conspiracy, and innovation culminating in a grand battle atop the Eiffel Tower!”
“Goodness, Holmsies! You’ll have to tell me this one!” Iris bounced in her seat. “What kinds of inventions do you think we’ll see there?”
“Oh, we’ll see loads, I’m sure of it!” He nodded and squeezed her shoulder. “Who knows… maybe one day we’ll see an exposition of the Great and Genius Doctor Iris Watson’s inventions at a fair like this!”
Iris beamed at Holmes, positively joyful, “You really think so?” she asked.
Holmes pulled his goggles down and smiled crookedly, “Iris, in all of my years of sleuthing and detective work, your inventions have truly helped me get out of a bind in more ways than one…!” He replied. “Due to my own observations, I know so!”
Soon enough the carriage stopped at the site that the fair was being held at, and Iris could hardly breathe at the sight of it. A new world of innovation and invention lied ahead of her, towers made of crystal and scraping the heavens themselves, a ferris wheel turning not too far behind, and all the inventions that the eye could see.
“Holmsies, I think this is heaven…!” Iris gasped while clasping her hands together. “Where should we start? There’s so much here!”
“Well… I always think treating oneself to a treat is an excellent first step,” He replied, while pointing at a nearby cotton candy stand.
Holmes ordered two of the treats and paid the confectioner before setting off with the young inventor to explore the dream world that brought endless possibilities of the future.
“What did you think of that machine, Iris?” Holmes asked. “The one that showed the insides of a person’s skeleton?”
“Well, objectively it was really impressive, but the presenter didn’t have any showmanship!” Iris replied. “If I were there, I would have done a show with it! Maybe I would have made you dance!”
“Me? Why not you?” He chuckled. “I don’t think people would want to see me bumble and stumble around on stage like a monkey with two left feet!”
“Well, if I was the inventor I would be too busy talking about it to dance,” she reasoned. “Besides, every inventor has to have a charming assistant! That’s just how it always is!”
“Aha! Right you are there, Iris, right you are…!”
The two traversed through the crowds, trying delicacies from all over the world, from Morocco to Tibet, there wasn’t anything they didn’t try. As it was the beginning of the fair, the bigger name inventors weren’t set up to present yet that day (Which was a shame because Iris was truly looking forward to seeing a supposed teleportation device that was due for later that week).
As the day passed and evening started to creep, the lights all turned on one by one. Different hues of yellows and oranges filled the venue and the Ferris wheel had a myriad of lights that attracted an enormous crowd like moths to a flame.
“Holmsies, can we get on the Ferris wheel?” Iris asked.
Holmes checked the line and hummed to himself, his brow furrowed and Iris could feel her heart sink, “I don’t know Iris… the way that crowd is, we could be here all night…”
Suddenly, there was a mad gleam in his eye as he looked elsewhere to placate the young girl who had sighed in defeat. He grabbed her hand and immediately started to run to the hills, far away from the fairgrounds.
“Holmsies? Where are we going?” Iris asked. “Why are we leaving the Fair in such a hurry?”
“Well… this Fair is supposed to be about the future this world can bring, yes?” He started before finally stopping at the top of the hill. “It’s only elementary, my dear Watson, that we could settle for the moon… or the stars!”
Iris’ jaw dropped at the sight she lay witness to, a small collection of hot air balloons with drivers offering rides up in the sky.
“See, I knew there had to be a reason why there were so many hot air balloons up and about…” Holmes said. “It seems my deductions were correct… These were part of the world’s fair!”
“Holmsies, imagine all the ways people could travel with these!” Iris gasped. “What if I tried making miniatures of these? Fasten them on like shoes and walk high up in the air!
“Oh! Or if I made air boats with these! Imagine the look on Greggy’s face when he sees you flying down Baker Street!” Iris giggled. “But… if I wanted to make a flying boat, I don’t think the apartment would have enough space to hold it… and I don’t think Narudy and Susie would like it to take up their part of the apartment…”
Holmes laughed and patted the top of her head, “No worries about that! We’ll figure that out when we get there of course…!” He said. “Besides, wouldn’t you like to get a better look at this then?”
“Oh yes please! Thank you, Holmsies!”
Together, they embarked on a hot air balloon, and they looked down at the people below, as well as the sea of lights and colors illuminated from the Ferris wheel and Crystal Tower.
“Wow, everyone down there looks like little ants!” Iris said.
“Perhaps this is what a bird feels like every day,” Holmes added.
Iris squealed and pointed to a block of apartments not too far away, “Holmsies, look! There’s Baker Street!”
“My goodness, it is! I think that one’s home right there!”
“This is so cool!” Iris grinned. “I never knew that everything looks so beautiful like this!”
Holmes carefully held her close to his side as he gripped the wicker basket railing, “Stay close okay? I didn’t realize how high this would get,” He chuckled nervously. “Heh… can’t get a view like this from the Ferris wheel, huh?”
Iris nodded and held onto his hand, “Don’t worry, Holmsies, I’ve got you!” She said. “Do you think it’s possible that we could travel like this every day one day?”
“Who knows… the future’s full of great possibilities,” Holmes answered and squeezed Iris’ hand. “Besides… with a couple of great minds like yours, Iris, anything can happen, I just know it…!”
Soon enough, what goes up must come down, and the two descended back down to earth. High from the adrenaline, they both forgot to call a carriage and ended up walking back to their apartment themselves.
“We have to go back there again sometime!” Iris stated. “There was so much there! I couldn’t see everything in just one day!”
“Oh, I agree! There’s so much more we need to do!” Holmes agreed as he opened the door to 221b. “Besides, we didn’t even check out the entertainment or games yet! Egads! How can one have a Fair experience without those ?”
Iris giggled, “Who knows, we could solve another mystery here, Holmsies, just like the diamond heist!”
“Well, if anyone is good at sniffing out a mystery, it’s me!” Holmes nodded. “I’m sure there’ll be something cooked up in no time!”
Before she went to her room to get ready for bed, she bid her good night to Holmes, hugging him as tight as she could.
“Thank you for bringing me to the Fair, Holmsies,” she whispered, still smiling from the day’s festivities. “I had a lot of fun, more fun than I think I’ve ever had in my whole life!”
Holmes hugged her back and smiled, “You’re welcome, Iris, I’m truly glad that you had a wonderful time,” he replied, softly. “Good night, and sleep tight, I love you, Dear Iris…”
“And I love you too, Holmsies!”