Secret Santa for Seeking Clarity + Wisdom (Mystrade)

[Sophie<3]

Dear scw!

I didn't really know you before, but over the course of the last few days, I've been reading quite a lot of your stuff. I know you would have liked to receive a drawing, but sadly, I'm a terrible drawer. Honestly, you would have ended up with two stick figures, with one of them maybe carrying an umbrella so you can see who is supposed to be who. No, honestly, it would have looked horrible, so I decided to write something instead. I really hope that's alright! If you're disappointed now, I'm so sorry!

Also, this was my very first time writing Mystrade. I know there are some really talented Mystrade writers on the forum, yourself included, which is why I really hope I've managed to capture their dynamic well so that you'll be able to enjoy this.

Merry Christmas! And like I said, I really hope you'll enjoy this.

Please Come Home

Christmas was only two days away, and Detective Inspector Lestrade could feel the busy city around him starting to slow down a bit. Even if some people were still hectically rushing from store to store looking to buy their last presents, it seemed that most were inside their homes, awaiting Christmas morning and allowing a certain peacefulness to spread over London.

Gregory Lestrade himself had taken a few days off work, knowing that his people could manage without him for a while, and was feeling more relaxed by the minute. Currently, he was in the kitchen preparing breakfast for himself and his lover, whistling gently and occasionally glancing at the door. He had just finished making tea when he heard footsteps behind him. When he turned around, he was greeted by the sight of a rather sleepy-looking Mycroft with slightly tousled hair.

“Morning, love”, he greeted cheerfully and took a few steps to kiss the other man’s cheek.

“Good morning, Gregory”, Mycroft replied, a hint of fretfulness in his voice.

“I made breakfast”, Greg said, choosing to ignore it. “Eggs on toast.”

He shoveled the scrambled eggs onto a piece of buttered toast and set it down on the table in front of Mycroft, who eyed it and then decided: “Just tea would be lovely, thank you.”

Greg frowned. “Are you not going to eat anything, then?”

Mycroft scrutinized the food again and looked up at Greg next. “I’m really fine with just the tea.”

“I made this just for you, you know”, Greg teased. “Thought you’d have better manners than to refuse a meal so lovingly prepared…”

“Gregory, please. I don’t have much of an appetite at the moment. And I apologize. But I really did not mean to offend you.” He sounded a bit irritated and Greg realized that the humour had apparently been lost on him.

“It’s alright, love”, he said right away and bent down for another quick kiss. “I was just teasing you. I’m not going to force you to eat it if you’re not hungry.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“Sure. And here’s your tea.” He poured some into a cup and Mycroft accepted it thankfully. Then, he began sniffling and rubbing at his nose.

Greg sat down opposite to him and began eating off the plate Mycroft had rejected. He decided that his lover was missing out, because the eggs had actually turned out quite nicely.

“Can you believe Christmas is almost here”, he said between bites. “It always seems to happen so quickly. Just sneaks up on you, doesn’t it?”

Mycroft raised an amused eyebrow. “Not really. You can literally count down the days.”

“Oh, I know”, Greg said dismissively. “You know that’s not what I mean. Things just get so busy at work and I’ve my mind on other things and then suddenly I realize that it’s almost Christmas. Can’t you relate?”

“I suppose”, Mycroft admitted, sipping his tea thoughtfully. “Speaking of work, I may come home late tonight.”

Greg looked up from his plate. “Seriously?” He couldn’t quite keep the disappointment out of his voice.

Mycroft took another sip of tea uncomfortably. “Yes, seriously. There are things to be done that cannot be put off or delegated, I’m afraid.”

“Like what?”, Greg demanded.

Mycroft sniffed. “Don’t make things more complicated than they already are, please. I’ll be home as soon as I can, but not sooner.”

Greg sighed. “But it’s almost Christmas”, he said quietly to his eggs.

“It’s not Christmas everywhere in the world, Gregory”, Mycroft simply replied and set his cup of tea down. Greg was just about to answer, when he looked up and saw the expression on the other man’s face. He was turning away from the table and blinking rapidly.

Greg couldn’t help but smile. He knew what this meant.

“Come on, get on with it”, he encouraged gently.

Mycroft sniffled and started fumbling for a handkerchief. The second he’d managed to find it and press it to his face, the fit began. “Itc’hh! Nh’chh Heh’IShhH! IK’chH! Nn’chh! Hehh…ISH’ooO!”

“Bless you, dear!”, Greg said with a smile. Mycroft’s sneezes were such a familiar part of their everyday life. He knew the younger man sometimes felt embarrassed about them, but in Greg’s opinion there was really no need.

“Thank you”, Mycroft replied. “I’m terribly sorry.”

“That’s alright. It’s not like you can help it”, Greg said with a smile.

Before Mycroft could say anything, the pre-sneeze expression suddenly returned to his face.

“Oh, not quite done then”, Greg remarked, as Mycroft raised the handkerchief a second time.

“Hehh’Inch! ITchh! Chhew! Heh’itch! Hhh…I’kch! Hehhh… ITCh’oo!”

“God bless you, My”, Greg said lovingly, and again Mycroft apologized and thanked him.

He rubbed at his nose with the handkerchief and only now did Greg notice that he looked a bit paler than normally and that there may have been a hint of congestion in his voice.

“My”, he said with a frown, as the other man got up from his chair. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Perfectly fine, thank you”, Mycroft replied. “I’ll see you tonight, Gregory.”

With that, he left the kitchen and Greg returned to his breakfast.

The day proceeded and Greg couldn’t stop thinking about Mycroft. He had a distinct feeling that Mycroft had been lying about feeling alright, but on the other hand, he was a grown man who could make his own decisions and Greg didn’t want to pry.

A few days ago, during his last case, working late hours and running almost entirely on caffeine and the promise of some free time in the future, he had thought that taking a few days off would be the nicest thing. He’d awaited it like a child awaits Christmas morning. But now here he was with this much anticipated freedom and he didn’t really know what to do with it. He was simply sitting in the apartment, watching crap daytime telly to distract himself, and thinking how much nicer it would be if Mycroft was with him. Too many commercials and one episode of Gogglebox later, he decided that he could at least try to make the most of the day and when he looked around he realized that the apartment was in desperate need of some Christmas decorations, because it didn’t look festive in the least. So, he went out and bought some fairy lights, because he felt like these might be something Mycroft could actually tolerate, as opposed to all the American elf and fat Santa nonsense. When he put them up and lit them, they actually looked really nice. Hopefully, Mycroft would think so, too. With a sense of accomplishment, Greg sat down and glanced at the glistering lights, and once again felt that everything would be much more enjoyable if a certain man was there with him.

Meanwhile, the older Holmes brother was growing more miserable by the second. The previous night had been horrendous. Thankfully, Gregory had been fast asleep and thus hadn’t noticed him sneak off to the bathroom many times that night to desperately stifle another sneezing fit or blow his nose as quietly as possible. Mycroft had already known he wasn’t well when he’d gone to bed that night with a slight headache and an itch in the back of his sinuses. The events of the night with his rapidly worsening symptoms had only confirmed that hypothesis. However, he was an important man and head colds weren’t really enough of an excuse to abandon the rest of the country. So, naturally, he was in the office, determined to get some work done.

Of course, he couldn’t really do any phone calls, because he was overcome by these vicious sneezing fits every few minutes and his throat was a sore, itchy mess in general, which meant he was really in no state to talk to anyone, let alone people of importance. So instead he was handling his written correspondences. However, he had to interrupt his typing every few minutes to raise his handkerchief to his face and cover his sneezes, which made it hard to focus on the text.

At some point, Anthea, who had known him long enough to realize that something was going on when hours went by without him making a single call, knocked on the door and stood in the frame politely and unobtrusively. “Would you like me to bring you anything?”, she asked with subtle subtext that said she knew exactly what was going on and was prepared to bring him anything, from tea to cough drops to antipyretics.

Mycroft appreciated the offer, but not enough to actually ask for anything. Even though tea might have felt nice on his sore throat, for the moment he preferred keeping up appearances.

“No, thank you, Anthea. I have everything I need.”

She inclined her head respectfully, said “Very well”, and closed the door again. Right before, however, the look she gave him said that even though she would play along, she could see right through him and would continue to have everything ready for him. A surge of affection rushed through Mycroft, but quickly he went back to his email.

Shortly before he could press the Send button, the inevitable happened again. In a rush, he fumbled for the handkerchief, which was now slightly damp, and pressed it over his nose and mouth.

“Hehh’Nn! Heh’chh! IChhH! Hehh…IShh! Heh’IShhO! Hhh… Hehh’NchhH! Heh’EshhOoO!”

When the fit was over, Mycroft sighed. Just in time for Christmas, he thought bitterly. He was just about to blow his nose, when his phone rang. It wasn’t the office phone and it wasn’t his official mobile, either. It was the private one. The one he kept for a select number of people. He glanced at the screen and wasn’t surprised to see Gregory’s number. For a moment, he debated whether he should just ignore him, but then decided that this would probably cause the other man to worry, and since this was the last thing he wanted, he picked up.

“Hello, Gregory.”

Mycroft winced at the sound of his own voice: congested and hoarse. Definitely not well.

“Hi there, My!”, Greg replied cheerfully.

Mycroft tried to sniffle discreetly. His nose was presently running and itching again. Possibly, the fit wasn’t quite over yet.

“How are you, dear?”, he asked, trying to humour Greg with a normal back and forth conversation.

“Oh, you know…”, the other man replied evasively.

Mycroft frowned at this. “Aren’t you enjoying your time off work? You told me you were looking forward to it.”

“I was, yeah. It’s just…”, Gregory sounded a bit lost. “Honestly, I don’t really know what to with myself. The stuff on the telly is insufferable. I’m looking forward to Christmas and I’m glad I have all this free time now, but it’s just not the same without you.”

Mycroft blushed slightly at this and tried to wipe his nose without making any sound. “That’s unfortunate”, he said. “However, I still have a lot to do here. I really can’t join you at the moment. Nevertheless, I hope you will make the most of…”

He started trailing off and his breath began to hitch. Mycroft tried to fight the new round of sneezes off by aggressively wiping at his nose, but it was no use. He held the phone away from him with one hand and pressed the handkerchief over nose and mouth with the other. The new fit shook his entire body with its force and he almost dropped the phone.

“Hehh’cHH! Ic’ChHH! Heh’ITChH! IShh’ooO! HehhITch’ooO! Heh’IchH! Heh’ISHhH!”

When it was over, he took a few deep breaths and slowly picked the phone up again.

“Jesus, My!”, Greg was saying on the other line. “Did I just hear what I think I heard?”

“If you think you heard me sneeze multiple times, then you would be correct, yes”, Mycroft replied primly.

“Well, then, first of all, bless you, dear! And second of all, how are you feeling? Tell me the truth!”

Mycroft sniffled. “I’m not sure what you’re referring to, Gregory.”

“Oh, come on!”, Greg called out. “Stop it, will you? I’m worried about you, My!”

“There’s really no need for that.”

“Well, I think there is, alright? You sounded ill this morning. You’re sounding ill now! And still you’re at work instead of in bed where you should be.”

“While I appreciate the concern, there’s no need to exaggerate things. I may be…”, he paused. “slightly under the weather. However…”

“There!”, Greg interrupted. “Now you’ve said it yourself! You’re ill and that means you really shouldn’t be at work!”

“I can assure you that I am perfectly capable of doing the things that need doing around here.”

“Yeah, you’re probably capable!”, Greg agreed. “But what interests me is how you feel while you’re doing them. And if you’re not feeling well, which I assume is the case, I would like you to be home with me instead, where I can take care of you.”

“That’s very kind of you, Gregory. However, like I said, I really can’t leave now.”

“God, you’re so irresponsible sometimes!”, Greg said exasperatedly.

Mycroft laughed at this. “On the contrary, I think I’m a very responsible man. If I wasn’t, England would have fallen years ago.”

Greg couldn’t help but smile at this. “Yeah, sure, when it comes to work you’re the most responsible person I know. But not when it concerns your own health. And that’s what I mean.”

Before Mycroft could reply, the itch in his sinuses returned with a vengeance. There was really nothing he could do, except hold the phone away from his face and press his handkerchief against it a second time, while his head snapped forward over and over again. The sneezes tore at his throat (eight in total – he couldn’t help but count them in his head) and left him feeling dizzy and exhausted. He wiped his nose, sighed and brought the phone back up.

There was a silence, then Greg said his name quietly. “Mycroft?”

“Yes, Gregory?”

“How are you feeling? Honestly, this time.”

Later, Mycroft couldn’t say what compelled him to do it. Maybe it was the soft tone of Greg’s voice or the shiver that ran down his spine and made him think that perhaps he was starting a fever. Either way, he decided to tell the truth.

“I’m not very well. I didn’t sleep well last night, either. And I have serious trouble getting any work done. I can’t stop sneezing, which comes as a considerable distraction, and I’m incredibly tired.”

“Poor thing”, Greg said gently.

Mycroft sighed again. “I caught this from Sherlock, I think. He’s always running around, catching terrible things, and then passing them on to me, because he doesn’t have the decency to cover his mouth.”

“The little brat”, Greg said, chuckling. Then, in a serious tone, he added: “My. Please come home.”

Mycroft sniffled and considered this. Again, it was probably the softness in his lover’s voice that did it. The words came more easily to him than he would have expected.

“Alright”, he said. “I’ll be with you soon.”

“Really?” Greg sounded surprised and relieved. He had obviously been expecting a bit more of a fight, and Mycroft could practically see him taking all those arguments he’d prepared and tugging them away neatly for future references. “Great”, he said, then. “I’ll get everything ready.”

When Mycroft told Anthea he was leaving, and wished her a merry Christmas, she gave him a knowing look and thanked him.

When he stepped outside, he realized once more that he was, in fact, feeling terrible and that going home might not be the worst idea. His nose was almost constantly running at this point, which caused him to either sniffle or wipe it, both of which often set off new sneezing fits. He had a headache and was still shivering slightly. In his mind, he thanked Gregory for having called when he did.

A while later, when he rang the doorbell, Greg opened almost right away.

“There you are!”, he said lovingly and pulled Mycroft into a warm, comforting hug. Then, he held him by the shoulders and looked at him closely.

“You look much worse than you did this morning”, he said with a frown. “I should’ve just kept you here.”

“I wouldn’t have let you, you know that”, Mycroft said, sniffling again. He closed the door behind him, and suddenly, he could feel his breath hitch again. He started fumbling for his hanky, but couldn’t find it right away. Desperately, he was trying to hold back his sneezes, when Greg pressed something soft into his hand. Blinking rapidly, he glanced down and realized that it was one of his other hankies, clean and dry.

“Thought you might need that”, Greg said, just when Mycroft covered his face and turned away.

“Heh’chx! Ich’Kx! Ishh! T’IshhH! Hehh…NNnsh’ew!”

“Bless you, love!”

“Apologies.”

Greg leaned forward and gently kissed his cheek. “I’m so sorry you’re not feeling well”, he said.

“Well, I’ve been worse”, Mycroft said, gave his nose another wipe and tucked the handkerchief away, then.

Greg smiled. “True. And you have me to take care of you now.”

“True”, Mycroft agreed with a small smile.

Gently, Gregory guided him over to the living area, where Mycroft paused abruptly, causing Greg to stumble into him.

“Christ, My! What is it?”

“My thoughts exactly”, Mycroft said, looking around. “What is it? What have you done to this place?”

Greg was biting his lip sheepishly now. “I… decorated.”

“I can see that”, Mycroft said, laughing a little.

Greg was looking around uncomfortably now. “I’m really sorry if you don’t like it. I just thought that it’s almost Christmas and I wanted this place to look a bit more festive. I can take them all off again, of course…”

“No”, Mycroft said, putting the other man out of his misery. “That won’t be necessary. I don’t mind them.”

What he meant, of course, was that the lights were truly quite lovely. They reminded him of glistening snow and the decorations on Oxford street and Christmas way back when, before Sherlock had even been born.

“Well, in that case”, said Greg, suddenly remembering the task at hand. “Come over here and sit down.”

Mycroft took a seat obediently, but Greg wasn’t satisfied yet. “Wait there”, he commanded. “I’ll be right back.”

Mycroft seized the opportunity to blow his nose in the dry handkerchief Greg had so thoughtfully provided him with. The Detective Inspector returned shortly afterward with a small tray. “I made soup and tea”, he announced. “For your throat. And I brought you some medicine, too, just in case.”

Mycroft smiled. “I can’t recall saying a single word about my throat feeling sore.”

“Well”, Greg smirked, as he set down the tray and then sat down next to Mycroft. “You and Sherlock aren’t the only people who can deduce things, you know?”

“Evidently”, Mycroft said and began eating the soup Greg had prepared for him. He was actually hungry at this point, since he hadn’t had breakfast, and the warm liquid did in fact feel lovely on his throat. Greg watched him eat, seeming content.

“Thank you so much”, Mycroft said when he was done. “That was wonderful.”

“I’m glad”, replied Greg. When he saw Mycroft sniffling, he added: “Go on, dear. Blow your nose. I really don’t mind.”

Mycroft blushed a little, but did as he had been told. Touching his nose to the fabric, however, instantly set him off again. He turned away from Greg, doubled over and felt his entire body flex and shake with the force of each sneeze.

“E’ChhU! IshhH! T’Eshh! ISHh’OO! T’ChhH! Heh’ICthh! Hhnnn’Shh! Hnnn’IShhoo!”

Greg started rubbing his back soothingly, and when he was finally done, Greg said: “Bless you.”

“I’m terribly sorry”, Mycroft managed to say, then had to cough. Again, Greg only moved his hands on his back gently.

“It’s alright”, he said. “I just want you to feel better. I should’ve known you were ill this morning. Those were your cold sneezes and I should have noticed that.”

Mycroft raised an eyebrow. “My cold sneezes?”

Greg shrugged. “Yeah. You know. There are your cold sneezes and your allergy sneezes and your photic sneezes and your cold weather sneezes and your morning sneezes…”

“Alright, alright. Enough now”, Mycroft said, putting up a hand. “I get the idea. You know me very well by now.”

“Um… yeah, I suppose I do. Sorry, though. Didn’t mean to embarrass you.” He paused and looked at Mycroft. “Do you want to lie down?”

Mycroft considered this for a moment, and when Greg said: “Go on, you look tired”, he agreed. When he stretched out on the couch, he could feel his body relax instantly.

“I’m sorry you have to see me like this”, he told Gregory. “And just in time for Christmas, too.”

“It’s quite alright”, Greg assured him with a smile. “I’m just glad you came home to me.”

[Subtly Clashing Wishes]

Thank you, Sophie<3!

I know you would have liked to receive a drawing, but sadly, I'm a terrible drawer. Honestly, you would have ended up with two stick figures, with one of them maybe carrying an umbrella so you can see who is supposed to be who. No, honestly, it would have looked horrible, so I decided to write something instead. I really hope that's alright! If you're disappointed now, I'm so sorry!

The image of stick figure Greg and stick figure Mycroft in my head is adorable! Thank you for it. I am absolutely not disappointed in my SS fic from you. I really appreciate the time and effort you put into it. It is wonderful.

Greg was just about to answer, when he looked up and saw the expression on the other man’s face. He was turning away from the table and blinking rapidly.
Greg couldn’t help but smile. He knew what this meant.
“Come on, get on with it”, he encouraged gently.

I loved this bit. I can totally imagine Greg saying this to Mycroft.

So, he went out and bought some fairy lights, because he felt like these might be something Mycroft could actually tolerate, as opposed to all the American elf and fat Santa nonsense. When he put them up and lit them, they actually looked really nice. Hopefully, Mycroft would think so, too. With a sense of accomplishment, Greg sat down and glanced at the glistering lights, and once again felt that everything would be much more enjoyable if a certain man was there with him.

Gregory sounded a bit lost. “Honestly, I don’t really know what to with myself. The stuff on the telly is insufferable. I’m looking forward to Christmas and I’m glad I have all this free time now, but it’s just not the same without you.”

Aww, Greg missing Mycroft and wanting a little Christmas cheer.

He held the phone away from him with one hand and pressed the handkerchief over nose and mouth with the other. The new fit shook his entire body with its force and he almost dropped the phone.
“Hehh’cHH! Ic’ChHH! Heh’ITChH! IShh’ooO! HehhITch’ooO! Heh’IchH! Heh’ISHhH!”
When it was over, he took a few deep breaths and slowly picked the phone up again.
“Jesus, My!”, Greg was saying on the other line. “Did I just hear what I think I heard?”
“If you think you heard me sneeze multiple times, then you would be correct, yes”, Mycroft replied primly.
“Well, then, first of all, bless you, dear! And second of all, how are you feeling? Tell me the truth!”
Mycroft sniffled. “I’m not sure what you’re referring to, Gregory.”

And another Aww! Mycroft sick and miserable and not quite ready to admit it.

He started fumbling for his hanky, but couldn’t find it right away. Desperately, he was trying to hold back his sneezes, when Greg pressed something soft into his hand. Blinking rapidly, he glanced down and realized that it was one of his other hankies, clean and dry.
“Thought you might need that”, Greg said, just when Mycroft covered his face and turned away.

But when he is ready to admit it, Greg is at the ready with handkerchiefs and soup and tea.

The Detective Inspector returned shortly afterward with a small tray. “I made soup and tea”, he announced. “For your throat. And I brought you some medicine, too, just in case.”
Mycroft smiled. “I can’t recall saying a single word about my throat feeling sore.”
“Well”, Greg smirked, as he set down the tray and then sat down next to Mycroft. “You and Sherlock aren’t the only people who can deduce things, you know?”

Ha! Like so many others I love a deducing!Greg.

“I’m sorry you have to see me like this”, he told Gregory. “And just in time for Christmas, too.”
“It’s quite alright”, Greg assured him with a smile. “I’m just glad you came home to me.”

A lovely end to a lovely story. Thank you again for this. I think you did a great job capturing the personalities of these two and the magic of their relationship this forum has imbued in them. I loved it.

Merry Christmas to you!

[Sophie<3]

Thank you, Sophie<3!

I know you would have liked to receive a drawing, but sadly, I'm a terrible drawer. Honestly, you would have ended up with two stick figures, with one of them maybe carrying an umbrella so you can see who is supposed to be who. No, honestly, it would have looked horrible, so I decided to write something instead. I really hope that's alright! If you're disappointed now, I'm so sorry!

The image of stick figure Greg and stick figure Mycroft in my head is adorable! Thank you for it. I am absolutely not disappointed in my SS fic from you. I really appreciate the time and effort you put into it. It is wonderful.

Greg was just about to answer, when he looked up and saw the expression on the other man’s face. He was turning away from the table and blinking rapidly.

Greg couldn’t help but smile. He knew what this meant.

“Come on, get on with it”, he encouraged gently.

I loved this bit. I can totally imagine Greg saying this to Mycroft.

So, he went out and bought some fairy lights, because he felt like these might be something Mycroft could actually tolerate, as opposed to all the American elf and fat Santa nonsense. When he put them up and lit them, they actually looked really nice. Hopefully, Mycroft would think so, too. With a sense of accomplishment, Greg sat down and glanced at the glistering lights, and once again felt that everything would be much more enjoyable if a certain man was there with him.

Gregory sounded a bit lost. “Honestly, I don’t really know what to with myself. The stuff on the telly is insufferable. I’m looking forward to Christmas and I’m glad I have all this free time now, but it’s just not the same without you.”

Aww, Greg missing Mycroft and wanting a little Christmas cheer.

He held the phone away from him with one hand and pressed the handkerchief over nose and mouth with the other. The new fit shook his entire body with its force and he almost dropped the phone.

“Hehh’cHH! Ic’ChHH! Heh’ITChH! IShh’ooO! HehhITch’ooO! Heh’IchH! Heh’ISHhH!”

When it was over, he took a few deep breaths and slowly picked the phone up again.

“Jesus, My!”, Greg was saying on the other line. “Did I just hear what I think I heard?”

“If you think you heard me sneeze multiple times, then you would be correct, yes”, Mycroft replied primly.

“Well, then, first of all, bless you, dear! And second of all, how are you feeling? Tell me the truth!”

Mycroft sniffled. “I’m not sure what you’re referring to, Gregory.”

And another Aww! Mycroft sick and miserable and not quite ready to admit it.

He started fumbling for his hanky, but couldn’t find it right away. Desperately, he was trying to hold back his sneezes, when Greg pressed something soft into his hand. Blinking rapidly, he glanced down and realized that it was one of his other hankies, clean and dry.

“Thought you might need that”, Greg said, just when Mycroft covered his face and turned away.

But when he is ready to admit it, Greg is at the ready with handkerchiefs and soup and tea.

The Detective Inspector returned shortly afterward with a small tray. “I made soup and tea”, he announced. “For your throat. And I brought you some medicine, too, just in case.”

Mycroft smiled. “I can’t recall saying a single word about my throat feeling sore.”

“Well”, Greg smirked, as he set down the tray and then sat down next to Mycroft. “You and Sherlock aren’t the only people who can deduce things, you know?”

Ha! Like so many others I love a deducing!Greg.

“I’m sorry you have to see me like this”, he told Gregory. “And just in time for Christmas, too.”

“It’s quite alright”, Greg assured him with a smile. “I’m just glad you came home to me.”

A lovely end to a lovely story. Thank you again for this. I think you did a great job capturing the personalities of these two and the magic of their relationship this forum has imbued in them. I loved it.

Merry Christmas to you!

Thanks so much for the long reply! I'm really glad you enjoyed it!

[AngelEyes]

When he turned around, he was greeted by the sight of a rather sleepy-looking Mycroft with slightly tousled hair.

Mmmm. Tousled Mycroft. Lovely.

Mycroft raised an amused eyebrow. “Not really. You can literally count down the days.”

Oh Mycroft. Always so literal. LOL

He’d awaited it like a child awaits Christmas morning. But now here he was with this much anticipated freedom and he didn’t really know what to do with it. He was simply sitting in the apartment, watching crap daytime telly to distract himself, and thinking how much nicer it would be if Mycroft was with him.

Aww, sad.

She inclined her head respectfully, said “Very well”, and closed the door again. Right before, however, the look she gave him said that even though she would play along, she could see right through him and would continue to have everything ready for him.

Dearest Anthea. She's the best. What would he do without her?

“While I appreciate the concern, there’s no need to exaggerate things. I may be…”, he paused. “slightly under the weather. However…”

Queen of understatement!

Greg was biting his lip sheepishly now. “I… decorated.”
“I can see that”, Mycroft said, laughing a little.

LOL

Greg shrugged. “Yeah. You know. There are your cold sneezes and your allergy sneezes and your photic sneezes and your cold weather sneezes and your morning sneezes…”

LOL, Gregory knows his love!

Fantastic story!

[TaurielRiver]

So, continuing from “wowowow omg I love your fic, omg-”

-WOW I REALLY REALLY LOVE YOUR FIC OH MY GOD :wub:

Knowing how much I already adore your Jim/Sebby dynamic, I was actually even *more* excited about you taking a swing at Mystrade, and help, the result is absolutely gorgeous! The affectionate banter had me smiling from beginning to end, these lines in particular were my very fave!

“Can you believe Christmas is almost here”, he said between bites. “It always seems to happen so quickly. Just sneaks up on you, doesn’t it?”
Mycroft raised an amused eyebrow. “Not really. You can literally count down the days.”

I… definitely made some incoherent snorting noise reading this, did not see that coming and it was hilarious!

“Really?” Greg sounded surprised and relieved. He had obviously been expecting a bit more of a fight, and Mycroft could practically see him taking all those arguments he’d prepared and tugging them away neatly for future references.

I love the way you phrased this, I can see/hear/imagine this little moment perfectly. And such a sweet and clever insight to their relationship too!

“What is it? What have you done to this place?”
Greg was biting his lip sheepishly now. “I… decorated.”
“I can see that”, Mycroft said, laughing a little.

Greg’s soft spot for all things Christmas went straight to my heart throughout this whole thing, particularly in contrast to Mycroft’s more stoic outlook… followed by him KIND OF JUST A BIT ALMOST JUST GETTING INTO IT adsjkdsdjsh that is probably my weak spot!

Mycroft smiled. “I can’t recall saying a single word about my throat feeling sore.”
“Well”, Greg smirked, as he set down the tray and then sat down next to Mycroft. “You and Sherlock aren’t the only people who can deduce things, you know?”

SUCH A GOOD LINE. I really enjoyed the references/tie-ins with Sherlock and Anthea throughout too, lots of fun and definitely made the world/setting ever more present for me.

Sooo yes, this was wonderful and a delight to read, thank you for so so many goopy-festive feelings, I adored every moment!

Edited December 31, 2015 by TaurielRiver

[MaiMai]

I admit that I've never really read Mystrade before-

BUT UM OHMYGOSH THIS IS SO CUTE.

Mycroft raised an amused eyebrow. “Not really. You can literally count down the days.”

I love this line! It's so Mycroft!

“But it’s almost Christmas”, he said quietly to his eggs.

Okay, I must have a seriously soft heart (I know I do ) because this MADE ME SO SAD. HOW DID YOU GIVE ME FEELS FROM SOMEONE TALKING TO THEIR EGGS?!? HELP.

one episode of Gogglebox later

YOU INCLUDED GOGGLEBOX IN A FIC.

I LOVE GOGGLEBOX.

Greg shrugged. “Yeah. You know. There are your cold sneezes and your allergy sneezes and your photic sneezes and your cold weather sneezes and your morning sneezes…”

This is really, really adorable, how he just knows. QWQ

Also, the nickname "My". GAH. THAT IS SO CUTE.

I told you it would be awesome!

[Sophie<3]

D'aww.... more responses! And all of them with quotes! You guys are the best!

When he turned around, he was greeted by the sight of a rather sleepy-looking Mycroft with slightly tousled hair.

Mmmm. Tousled Mycroft. Lovely.

Mycroft raised an amused eyebrow. “Not really. You can literally count down the days.”

Oh Mycroft. Always so literal. LOL

He’d awaited it like a child awaits Christmas morning. But now here he was with this much anticipated freedom and he didn’t really know what to do with it. He was simply sitting in the apartment, watching crap daytime telly to distract himself, and thinking how much nicer it would be if Mycroft was with him.

Aww, sad.

She inclined her head respectfully, said “Very well”, and closed the door again. Right before, however, the look she gave him said that even though she would play along, she could see right through him and would continue to have everything ready for him.

Dearest Anthea. She's the best. What would he do without her?

“While I appreciate the concern, there’s no need to exaggerate things. I may be…”, he paused. “slightly under the weather. However…”

Queen of understatement!

Greg was biting his lip sheepishly now. “I… decorated.”
“I can see that”, Mycroft said, laughing a little.

LOL

Greg shrugged. “Yeah. You know. There are your cold sneezes and your allergy sneezes and your photic sneezes and your cold weather sneezes and your morning sneezes…”

LOL, Gregory knows his love!

Fantastic story!

I take it you're part of this forum's Mystrade club? Thanks so much for taking the time to read my story and leaving a comment! The fact that you read and enjoyed this makes me really happy! And since I don't really have a feel for the pairing yet, but thought that including Anthea might be appreciated, thanks for that part of your comment specifically.

So, continuing from “wowowow omg I love your fic, omg-”

-WOW I REALLY REALLY LOVE YOUR FIC OH MY GOD :wub:

Knowing how much I already adore your Jim/Sebby dynamic, I was actually even *more* excited about you taking a swing at Mystrade, and help, the result is absolutely gorgeous! The affectionate banter had me smiling from beginning to end, these lines in particular were my very fave!

“Can you believe Christmas is almost here”, he said between bites. “It always seems to happen so quickly. Just sneaks up on you, doesn’t it?”
Mycroft raised an amused eyebrow. “Not really. You can literally count down the days.”

I… definitely made some incoherent snorting noise reading this, did not see that coming and it was hilarious!

“Really?” Greg sounded surprised and relieved. He had obviously been expecting a bit more of a fight, and Mycroft could practically see him taking all those arguments he’d prepared and tugging them away neatly for future references.

I love the way you phrased this, I can see/hear/imagine this little moment perfectly. And such a sweet and clever insight to their relationship too!

“What is it? What have you done to this place?”
Greg was biting his lip sheepishly now. “I… decorated.”
“I can see that”, Mycroft said, laughing a little.

Greg’s soft spot for all things Christmas went straight to my heart throughout this whole thing, particularly in contrast to Mycroft’s more stoic outlook… followed by him KIND OF JUST A BIT ALMOST JUST GETTING INTO IT adsjkdsdjsh that is probably my weak spot!

Mycroft smiled. “I can’t recall saying a single word about my throat feeling sore.”
“Well”, Greg smirked, as he set down the tray and then sat down next to Mycroft. “You and Sherlock aren’t the only people who can deduce things, you know?”

SUCH A GOOD LINE. I really enjoyed the references/tie-ins with Sherlock and Anthea throughout too, lots of fun and definitely made the world/setting ever more present for me.

Sooo yes, this was wonderful and a delight to read, thank you for so so many goopy-festive feelings, I adored every moment!

Aww... Taurie, you sweet, sweet thing! As you can imagine, your comment had me practically squealing, because omg, you are too kind!

It's so good to see that you still enjoy my writing and just get my humor and have this ability to perfectly spot all the little things that I put in there, because people may enjoy them. To see you come along and go "Yes, this, I loved this!" gives me the warm fuzzies to be honest! I just feel so happy and content when things work out the way I wanted them to when planning this. And the fact that you enjoyed this just makes me super happy! Thanks a lot for reading and commenting, dear!

PS: How could I write a Sherlock fic and not include some kind of comment about him? (More specifically, mentioning of a sick Sherlock...? )

[Sophie<3]

I admit that I've never really read Mystrade before-

BUT UM OHMYGOSH THIS IS SO CUTE.

Mycroft raised an amused eyebrow. “Not really. You can literally count down the days.”

I love this line! It's so Mycroft!

“But it’s almost Christmas”, he said quietly to his eggs.

Okay, I must have a seriously soft heart (I know I do ) because this MADE ME SO SAD. HOW DID YOU GIVE ME FEELS FROM SOMEONE TALKING TO THEIR EGGS?!? HELP.

one episode of Gogglebox later

YOU INCLUDED GOGGLEBOX IN A FIC.

I LOVE GOGGLEBOX.

Greg shrugged. “Yeah. You know. There are your cold sneezes and your allergy sneezes and your photic sneezes and your cold weather sneezes and your morning sneezes…”

This is really, really adorable, how he just knows. QWQ

Also, the nickname "My". GAH. THAT IS SO CUTE.

I told you it would be awesome!

MaiMai! Ohh wow, you make me so happy! Thanks so much! I can't believe it's my first time writing Mystrade and your first time reading it, and somehow this just worked out so well and we're both having a great time...? Because, even though I struggled at first, I did sort of get into it at some point. And now these sweet comments make it sooo totally worth the effort of trying to get a feel for a new pairing. Also, thanks so much for the encouragement you provided during the writing process. Thanks for reading this and quoting parts and just generally being adorable and amazing!

PS: Seeking Clarity + Wisdom actually invented the nickname. That's why I included it for her. And also because I thought it was cute.

[Subtly Clashing Wishes]

PS: Seeking Clarity + Wisdom actually invented the nickname. That's why I included it for her. And also because I thought it was cute.

Hey Sophie<3, thanks for the credit with the nickname "My" for Mycroft, but it is undeserved. The nickname is used in a number of Mystrade fics outside of the forum. I have no idea who originated it. Like you and MaiMai I think it is really cute. I wrote an epilogue for my First Date fic and posted it in my drabble thread where I give a short explanation as to why Greg calls Mycroft "My" (in my head cannon).

I also want to say I am thrilled by all the wonderful feedback you are getting. I am hoping that means you will consider writing more Mystrade in the future.

MaiMai, welcome to the Mystrade club! If you enjoyed this, you will be happy to know that there are several writers on the forum who have written this pairing. I am a late comer to the party, but happy enough to help seduce others to the dark side. We've got cake!

[Sophie<3]

PS: Seeking Clarity + Wisdom actually invented the nickname. That's why I included it for her. And also because I thought it was cute.

Hey Sophie<3, thanks for the credit with the nickname "My" for Mycroft, but it is undeserved. The nickname is used in a number of Mystrade fics outside of the forum. I have no idea who originated it. Like you and MaiMai I think it is really cute. I wrote an epilogue for my First Date fic and posted it in my drabble thread where I give a short explanation as to why Greg calls Mycroft "My" (in my head cannon).

I also want to say I am thrilled by all the wonderful feedback you are getting. I am hoping that means you will consider writing more Mystrade in the future.

MaiMai, welcome to the Mystrade club! If you enjoyed this, you will be happy to know that there are several writers on the forum who have written this pairing. I am a late comer to the party, but happy enough to help seduce others to the dark side. We've got cake!

Thank you! Of course, your enjoyment of this story was most important of all! That being said, I am, of course, also really happy with the other sweet responses! And I might write some Mystrade in the future again, we'll see. Actually, now that I've written it, I've noticed some Mystrade moments on the actual show that I never really saw before. Like, when they look at each other like they do... I never even noticed that before and now I'm all like: "Aw, they're in love".