221b_recs | Entries tagged with pairing: lestrade/mycroft

Title: The Men Who Talked Between the Words
Author: Odamaki
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade, brief John Watson/Mary Morstan, Harry Watson/OFC, James Sholto/OMC, Billy Wiggins/OFC
Length: @460,000 words
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: past abuse (including implied/referenced child abuse), implied/referenced suicide (not of any character from the TV show), implied/referenced drug use
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: John expected to be a father some day; he expected to have the house, and the wife and the nice suburban job. Sherlock never expected to have children, in part because he never expected to make it past 30. As it turns out, you don't get a choice. Crammed into Baker Street with a baby, John struggles with single-parenthood and his own fears, while Sherlock treads the fine line between doing too little and saying too much.

Reccer's comments: It's hard to think of what I can say about this fic that hasn't already been said. Four years in the making, of a length comparable to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, this story took extraordinary commitment to create and the end result is simply astonishing. I've been reading Holmesian fiction for quite a long time, and I've never run across another story that felt quite like this one. There's something so authentic and keenly observed about the details. There's a realism here that reaches out and never lets me go. The characters - both the main and the secondary ones - have such distinct voices, and their lives and relationships are deeply grounded and believable.

This is a realistic parentlock fic, and it's the deliciously slowest of slow-burn romances, and that heart of the story is beautiful. But that's really not all there is to it. Odamaki doesn't allow Sherlock, John, and the baby to live in a bubble. The story is full to bursting with the many other people who know them, who affect and are affected by them. Both Sherlock and John have important inward work to do before either is ready to think about romance. It's a story about growth, about healing, about hard-fought and hard-won maturity. About friendships and familiar places that won't stay neatly unchanged, and about painful habits and histories that won't fade away without long and deliberate effort.

When I think of this fic, the love story and the family Sherlock and John make together stands at the center. But I also think of Sherlock and Molly's quiet happiness working on her research together at Barts; James Sholto walking John through his fledgling orchard; Billy playing chess in hospital; Harry lounging with her girlfriend on the couch; Greg's tiepin; the moms in John's playgroup; the voice at the other end of a helpline.

This is a compelling fic about love and family, but it's also about all those other nooks and crannies of life that too often get left out of love stories. There's a village of vivid people wrapped up in this story, and I love them all.

(Also, I should add: 1) the story is complete. It ends at chapter 27. There are still new chapters going up, but they are 'bonus material' like deleted scenes and FAQ responses from the author. 2) The story goes AU after series 3, and incorporates no elements of series 4. The baby is a girl, but she is not the canonical 'Rosie' of the TV show).

pipmer1

Title: Excultus
Author: mottlemoth
Pairing: Mycroft/Lestrade
Length: 315,000 words
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence
Verse: Sherlock BBC

Author's summary: 23rd-century London is a divided city. Two hundred years of genetic tampering has fractured humanity into subspecies, not all of whom are willing to get along. The capital's crime-ridden streets are now home to some fairly fantastic variants of human - some of them more dangerous than others.

For DI Greg Lestrade, Cross-Human Relations at Scotland Yard, it's all just part of the day job.

But when a horrifying discovery forces him to seek the help of Mycroft Holmes, Head of Criminal Psychology, Greg might just be tested past his limits. Mycroft is unpleasant, unforgiving, and famously impossible to please.

But if Greg needs anyone right now, it's a vampire expert.

With dangerous forces fast on their tail, Greg and Mycroft must work together to avert the vampire threat - before it's too late.

[Mystrade Supernatural/Sci-fi AU.]

Reccer's comments: That author's summary pretty much says it all. Futuristic, Sci-Fi AU where some human subspecies co-mingle openly with other humans -- and some do not. This is basically one big epic casefic, where the mystery to be solved involves murderous vampires, and where DI Lestrade and Mycroft Holmes team up to contain the threat, assisted by some nicely fleshed-out OCs.

I should start out right away by letting everyone know that the only Sherlock canon characters here are Greg Lestrade and Mycroft Holmes.There is no Sherlock. There is no John Watson. If that puts anyone off, feel free to move on. I will stress, however, that you will be missing out on a grand action-packed adventure, where the relationship development between the two main characters is a wonder to behold. And I have never read a fic where I am so enthralled by the many OCs who play their supporting roles with so much heart and soul.

At the beginning of the story, Lestrade and Mycroft are strangers who meet one night and have a one-night stand. Unbeknownst to them both, they will soon be caught up in a whirlwind of unsolved murders that require their particular brand of expertise and will force them to work together for the foreseeable future. As the mystery unfolds and their relationship progresses, it becomes clear that Mycroft is holding his cards very close to his vest, and that he is keeping a very large secret from his partner.

I found this story completely enthralling, heart-stopping, and emotionally satisfying. There are several twists and turns, and unexpected reveals, but it all progressed very naturally within the story, and none of it felt like surprise just for the shock factor or for the sake of cleverness. Some you will see coming, and some you won't. But it all comes together in a perfectly logical way. Please do give it a try.

pipmer1

Title: A Christmas Carol
Author: Mottlemoth
Pairing: Mycroft/Lestrade, Sherlock/John
Length: 40,385 words
Rating: Teen
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC/A Christmas Carol

Author's summary: "All lives end... all hearts are broken."

Mycroft Holmes never needed a reason to loathe Christmas - but getting dumped by the love of his life certainly did the trick. It's been a year since Mycroft lost the man he adored, and with Christmas Eve fast approaching, he's counting down the hours until all this festive lunacy is over.

Sadly for Mycroft, fate has other plans.

It's going to take three ghosts to show him the error of his ways. But can he make amends in time? Or will he prove to himself, once and for all, that caring is not an advantage?

Reccer's comments: It's a Mystrade Christmas Carol! Yes, maybe you think the premise is tired and unoriginal but I urge you to think again. The author puts their own unique twists on the tale, and I promise that you won't be bored. You might suffer from emotional whiplash, though, because this fic is in turns funny, heartbreaking, heartwarming, exasperating, tearjerking... and last but not least, joyful and life-affirming. Just like the Dickens tale.

And never fear, Johnlock fans. This story may center around the Mycroft/Lestrade relationship, but even though Sherlock/John is background, their presence is keenly felt throughout. I especially liked Sherlock's relationship with Greg in this, as well as his interactions with his brother. A more human Sherlock you'll never meet!

Grab your hot cocoa, a comfy blanket, and settle in for a whopper of a ghost story.

( sneak peek )

discordantwords

Title: Not English But Angels
Author: Sideris
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson; Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade
Length: 203,251 words
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Dubious consent, show-typical violence
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: A sort-of canon, sort-of AU fic in which I twist and supplement canon to weave it into a new story in which Sherlock and John come from different worlds and nothing is quite what it seems.

There were times I didn't even think you were human. - John

I may be on the side of the angels, but don’t think for one second that I am one of them. - Sherlock

Reccer's comments:

Where to even begin with this one?

This fandom is rich in stories where Sherlock makes his slow transition from Great Man to Good One, and this is one of my favorites. Somehow it never seemed to quite find its audience—it's currently sitting at fewer than 175 kudos on AO3.

The author takes what might seem an outlandish premise—Sherlock and Mycroft are Angels, sent down to Earth on an investigative mission from Heaven—and manage to make it work perfectly within the bounds of existing canon material. The story here happens between the lines, filling in gaps, taking events that we've seen on screen (and read about on John's blog) and shifting our perspective on them.

The Sherlock we meet at the start of this story is cold, detached, manipulative, self-serving and so utterly far from human it's difficult to imagine he'll ever get there. He's not exactly popular with Management, something that Mycroft (ever-ambitious and yet fiercely protective) anxiously seeks to smooth over. Sherlock wants a human specimen he can study up close, and John, his new flatmate, seems to suit those purposes perfectly. From there, as he and John grow closer, we witness Sherlock's defenses crumble and fall away as he finds himself entirely blindsided by unexpected affection and moved to act in increasingly irrational ways to ensure that John remains safe. The slow progression of their relationship is poignant and touching and frustrating and incredibly satisfying all at once.

There's a case which cleverly incorporates elements from BBC canon—Sherlock finds himself caught up in Moriarty's web while investigating the deaths of several Nephilim, while Mycroft begins to realize he's being used as a pawn in a conspiracy of biblical proportions. This all comes to a head with a twist that made my jaw drop (and which sent me rushing back to the beginning to pay attention to all of the clues that I'd missed the first time through.)

As with any fic that adheres to a canon timeline, it can be hard to avoid the sense that you know what's coming next (because… we've already seen it.) But the author manages to put a fresh spin on even dialogue we already know by heart, a feat which feels remarkable.

Note: there is a moment of extremely dubious consent in this story involving John's missing Wednesday. The fic itself is not tagged as such, but the chapter in question (Chapter 11) is clearly marked at the beginning. Highlight for details if you'd like to know the gist of what happens before deciding whether or not to read: Sherlock, fearing he may have revealed his secret, drugs John in order to question him. The drugged conversation takes a turn, and John masturbates while Sherlock watches. Sherlock does not touch John. John does not remember the incident in question and is not told what happened.

This fic is Sherlock's journey from Superior Being to Human Being, and it's a wild, weird and wonderful ride.

( Excerpt under the cut... )

rachelindeed

Title: Dark Things Happen at the Turn of the Year
Author: Odamaki
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson (or can be read as gen); Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade; Molly Hooper/Greg Lestrade; Sally Donovan, Philip Anderson
Length: 7,200 words
Rating: T
Warnings: character death
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Collection of short fics written for Halloween 2016. See chapter notes for details of contents.

Reccer's comments: This is a wonderful Halloween anthology made up of five short stories, each with very different tones and pairings. Both of the Johnlock vignettes start out scary but wind up sweet, and the wonderful descriptions have a stylistic hint of Bradbury's October Country about them. The Mystrade story of a frustrated genie and his reluctant master is out-and-out charming; the others are more haunting and tragic. A vividly imagined and strikingly written collection of treats that will sweep you away this witching hour! :)

pipmer1

Title: You Should Have Changed Course Long Ago
Author: msdisdain
Pairing: Sherlock/John, background Mycroft/Lestrade
Length: 33,235 words
Rating: Explicit
Verse: Sherlock BBC

Author's summary: John realizes too late what has been in his heart all along, and flees London. But can he ever truly leave Sherlock behind?

Reccer's comments: Written before Series 4, this story is in turns heartbreaking, painful, cathartic - and, above all else - joyful and full of hope. Told mostly from John's POV, it begins with both Mary and the baby gone. John finally finds the courage to tell Sherlock what he really wants, only to have Sherlock send him away because he can't trust that he isn't John's consolation prize. And so begins a painful journey for both men, separated by both distance and time, as they struggle to accept the fact that neither one is going to have what he truly wants. And it's not until that reality is finally accepted, that both men can fall back together again. Painful, but worth the payoff in the end.

( sneak peek )

vulgarweed

Title: The Magnificent Division
Author: gardnerhill
Pairing: Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade
Length: 9,186
Rating: Teen
Verse: BBC + Elementary, also crossover with Cabin Pressure and a stealth Doctor Who nod
Author's summary:If you want something talked about, get a man. If you want something done, get a woman.

Reccer's comments: Lestrade doesn’t know where to turn when his partner Mycroft Holmes is kidnapped and Sherlock is under house arrest - until a very steely and competent Mrs. Hudson hooks him up with well, a monstrous regiment of women, all with terrifying personal skill sets (and who have a special and hilarious method of subduing male opponents). Well, females: not all the members of this brilliant strike team are human, technically. There’s an American doctor, a charter plane owner, a team leader who drives like James Bond, a tough police officer who works for a mysterious black-ops agency, a cadaver expert, a ruler among her own species (and her followers too),and a not-really-dead assassin and mom.

This is a cracking good adventure tale, fast-paced and thrilling and very funny, and with a lot of wise things to say about women, emotional labor, and ways of devaluing and underestimating women’s strengths both subtle and obvious.

Lestrade gets his Mycroft back alive and he also learns some valuable lessons from his experience as the secondary character in someone else’s action story.

The story focuses mostly on the rescue mission and the teamwork - but the little emotional sting between two women and a child at the end still burns a bit when the tale is done.

Excerpt: Martha Hudson hugged Greg as he got up to go. “He’s a reptile. But he’s your reptile. We’ll find him.”

Mycroft had once called him a goldfish. Goldfish, reptile – they were a proper menagerie weren’t they?

Greg realised that he was actually exhausted enough to sleep properly now. He pondered the whirl the night had been as he gave the cabbie the address and sat back. Six of them all together – seven if you counted the Queen. And his job in the team of commandos was to make the sandwiches and worry about his missing lover.

He smiled a little. So this is what it feels like to be The Girl in an action film.

ficklepig.livejournal.com

Series Title: Time and Weddings
Author: Bold_as_Brass
Pairing: Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade, incidental Mycroft Holmes/OMC
Length: 29,271 words
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock (BBC)

Author's summary: The past is always with us, but sometimes life gives us a second chance.

Reccer's comments: Charming, canny, heartbreaking, and hot? Check, check, check, check. I'll risk being fifteen minutes late for work if Bold_as_Brass shows up in my inbox first thing in the morning.

I don't know what this writer does at work, but boy can they edit. Scenes are set up at an easy pace, sensual detail interlocking neatly with background information, light humor and enough tension to keep things ticking along.

This pair of stories explores first times, twice.( Minor spoilers follow. )

rachelindeed.livejournal.com

Title: A 2015 Sherlock Advent Calendar
Author: Odamaki
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson; Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade; Sally Donovan/Molly Hooper (implied); Sally Donovan/Philip Anderson; James Sholto/John Watson; Mycroft Holmes/Molly Hooper
Length: 35,000 words
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Posted on Tumblr for the 25 Days of Fic-mas challenge. As many Christmassy Sherlock ficlets as I can manage between now and Christmas, based on the tags as follows: Shopping for gifts, Hot cocoa, Winter wonderland, Christmas cards, Ghost of Christmas past, Naughty and nice, The Nutcracker, Baking, Making a Christmas list, Scrooge, Mulled wine, Ugly Christmas jumpers, Warming up by the fire, Trimming the tree, Christmas party, Family traditions, Christmas without you, Mistletoe, Christmas songs, All wrapped up, Christmas movies/specials, Snowed in, All I want for Christmas is you, St. Nicholas, Christmas morning. Completed.

Reccer's comments: I feel very lucky to get the chance to rec this month, as I have been reading so much wonderful fic thanks to all the holiday fests and challenges recently. This anthology by Odamaki was one of my favorite stories to follow this December -- I was stunned by the richness, poignancy, and variety of these vignettes.

Every chapter was rewarding, and I was especially touched to read about Lestrade struggling to find a way to reconnect with his adolescent daughter; James Sholto approaching Christmas with a determination to surpass the limits placed on him by physical disability and emotional isolation; and an absolutely breath-taking magical realism AU, running across multiple chapters, which followed Sherlock and John through an intricate, absorbing and unique rendition of the Nutcracker fairytale.

I hope you enjoy this lovely collection as much as I did, and if you like, the author has devoted the final chapter to providing easy navigation links identifying the pairing and main characters of each chapter and also marking the magical realism chapters so that you can easily seek out or avoid whichever vignettes suit your taste. A beautiful wintery gift to the fandom from a very talented author.

rachelindeed.livejournal.com

Title: Bound to You
Music Title & Artist: "Bound to You" by Christina Aguilera
Vidder: duchesscloverly
Pairing or Character: Mystrade, Johnlock
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Rating: NOTE: although I would not call this vid anything above PG13/T at most, it does contain footage of bedroom kisses and implied sex which makes it NSFW
Link: Bound to You vid

Reccer's Comments: One last 11th-hour rec! I am in awe of fanvids that combine footage from multiple sources to create their own stories, I just can't imagine how time consuming it must be to find disparate shots and clips of dialogue that can be edited together holistically to create new scenes and plots. This vid is a beautifully organized and triumphant piece of magical realism. Here is the author's summary of the story which the vid tells:

"Mycroft and Sherlock were cursed to live forever. If they fall in love the curse will be broken. If their feelings are not returned they will die. Unable to cope with the idea of living forever alone they try to dissuade the other from forming attachments to John Watson and Greg Lestrade. Unfortunately they can’t help themselves and when the curse starts to weaken them they have no choice but to admit their secret."

Not only does this vid succeed in intelligibly unfolding the brothers' long history of emotionally barren immortality and their tentative blossoming romances, it manages to incorporate and build upon the lyrics of the underlying song to help tell the story ("How do you know that you can trust him?" Sherlock asks, just as the music affirms "I've found a man I can trust." The 1973 section is particularly unexpected and clever, in my opinion.) As the story plays out, when Lestrade and John prove unwilling to believe that the Holmes brothers are immortal, they decide to prove it by dying and returning to life. The panic and abandonment which result are painful to watch, but the story ends on a lovely note of hope, love, and anticipation.

This whole thing is just tremendously creative and meticulously crafted. Bravo!

ficklepig.livejournal.com

Title: Dangerous Games
Author: azriona
Pairing: Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade
Length: 8,335
Rating: Mature (AO3)
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC

Author's summary: June 1944. The Germans have won the war, and Mycroft is coming home.

Reccer's comments: In a humbled England, Mycroft still commands enough respect to return home from his war posting to work for the newly-established Nazi government. Suspiciously monitored by his handlers, he can barely muster enough chilly authority cover his own rear end, much less protect the people he loves, presuming he could find them. And presuming that finding them wouldn't destroy them all.

They stand just behind his seat, swaying with the easy grace of men accustomed to standing on rickety old trains, smoking cigarette after cigarette in an unending chain. The smoke muddles Mycroft’s aching head and makes it harder to think and that, more than the familiar countryside dotted with hand-painted German signs, is what disconcerts him. Mycroft has lost all sense of time, and in a way, it’s comforting. Perhaps it’s not a chain of cigarettes, but just the one, and the time taken to smoke it extends into infinity. Mycroft will always be on this train, shaking and swaying its slow way up to London. Mycroft has always been on this train, or at least it feels like he’s been traveling for a thousand years.

I adore post-war stories and stories about being gay and closeted under a despotic regime; this one ticks all the right boxes. Longing and loss, oppressive fear and secrecy, cat-and-mouse games with dangerous people, flashbacks to better times, bombed out rooms, broken photographs and broken marriages, the stiff upper lip and the breakdown moment, whispers of hope, a shadowy resistance movement. All tidied up in 8000 words, give or take. And given that it's azriona writing, it's very tidy indeed. Her occupied London is a cold, terrible and convincing place.

frozen_delight

Title: We Wear This Mask (also on AO3)
Author:

impishtubist
Pairing: Mycroft/Lestrade
Length: 3,700 words
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Character death
Verse: Sherlock BBC

Author's summary: DI Lestrade is assigned to investigate the murder of Mycroft Holmes; Sherlock is outraged.

Reccer's comments: Basically, the summary says it all. And at the same time it tells us very little about just how marvellous this story is.

impishtubist always has an excellent grasp of the entire male cast of Sherlock in all of her stories, but here she really outdid herself. This story dealing with the aftermath of Mycroft's murder offers us profound insights into the character, history and emotional inner life of Mycroft, Sherlock, Lestrade and John, as well as some very interesting glimpses of their relationships with each other. Most of all, it thereby contains my favourite portrayal of Sherlock and Lestrade's friendship in a non-romantic setting.

It is also one of the most convincing and moving H/C fics I've read. First it creates a tremendous ache, even though or maybe because for a large part of the story the characters try to dance around the fact of Mycroft's murder and ignore just how badly upset, shocked and bereft they feel, and then when the gravity and tragedy of the situation has finally sunk in it offers us something that is too realistic to be comfort but which manages to be comforting all the same. The way Sherlock and Lestrade try to be there for each other in this unprecedented situation, always realising that it's never going to be quite enough, is incredibly sad and beautiful.

Recommended most heartily for those who like a story that encompasses the full range of interpersonal relations and that is heartbreaking in a very down-to-earth sort of way.

archea2.livejournal.com

Title: How Will I Know
Music Title & Artist: "How Will I Know" by Whitney Houston
Vidder: Duchesscloverly
Pairing: Mystrade
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Link: to the vidder's announcement on Tumblr or to their page on YouTube
Reccer's Comments: I have always liked and admired Duchesscloverly's Mystrade vids, especially the (by now famous) "A Fish Named Greg", in which Sherlock decides to take the goldfish matter in his own hands. There's skill, subtlety and seduction in this vidder's work which is always to the point and never ostentatious. Take this vid, which actually manages to turn mpreg (with pregnant Mycroft, no less!) into a visual romance. Blink five seconds into the introductory scene, and you'll miss a very clever bit of editing, one which had me giggle helplessly when I noticed it. As always, the author's capacity to nip and tuck from various canons and then sew the bits into a seamless narrative is top-notch. And the story told here is hilarious and heartwarming in turn. (Though if you like your Mystrade a shade angstier, their Tumblr Masterlist contains darker stuff too!)

re-white.livejournal.com

Title: Sinking the Land
Author: emungere
Pairing: Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade
Length: 34302
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary:Three weeks ago, Mycroft Holmes picked Lestrade up outside New Scotland Yard and made him an offer he'd been unable to refuse, despite his best judgement. Mycroft had sucked his cock, dropped him off at home, and Lestrade hadn't heard a word from him since.

Now, the door of the black car swung open as Lestrade drew level with it. He could just see Mycroft's profile, hawkish nose and shallow chin limned by the orange glow of the streetlight.

Reccer's comments: Writing Mycroft in a romantic relationship can be a delicate balancing act, striking the right note between his dry superiority and whatever potential for softer emotion lurks underneath. Sinking the Land is right in the sweet spot. Lestrade is wonderfully amiable, cheeky and self-deprecating, a perfect match for emungere's Mycroft. Hot, plotty and dressed with intrigue, snappy dialogue and a well written OC, this is a great sit-down read.

persiflager.livejournal.com

Title: What's in a Name
Author:

stepstostars
Pairing: Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade
Length: 2,381
Rating: Mature
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC

Author's summary: Sherlock's not the only Holmes who has trouble remembering Lestrade's name.

Reccer's comments: This is a deft, crack-y fic about the odd relationship between a lazily amoral Myroft and a superbly long-suffering Lestrade. Sherlock is horrified and John is just amused.

Sherlock, playing straight to character, completely ignores both outbursts. “Grant. Gavin?”

“Already tried that,” adds Mycroft. “Godfrey?”

chapbook.livejournal.com

Title: The Mystery of Ill Opinions
Author: mundungus42
Pairing: Sherlock/John, Mycroft/Lestrade (background)
Length: 29,044
Rating: M
Warnings: none
Verse: Sherlock BBC, Hollow Crown RPF
Author's summary: Two Elizabethan actors dream of leaving women's roles behind, and Master Sherlock Holmes agrees to help them find them a playwright to write them roles to rival Marlowe's Tamburlaine. But strange things are afoot in the Holmes household, and Sherlock and John must accomplish this feat while discovering who wants to kill Sherlock and why.

Reccer's comments: Fans of Elizabethan drama and Shakespeare, rejoice! For here you shall find a most delightful concoction, one to rival the plays presented in the Curtain and the Rose.

mundungus42 creates a tour de force: mixing the history and drama of Elizabethan England and skillfully bringing into it many of the characters we love so well. The dialogue is intelligible to 21st-century readers and shines with wit throughout (keep your eye out for many references to Shakespeare's plays). Sherlock, John, Shakespeare, and Sally especially stand out for me, not least because of the terrific banter that sparks between them.

The settings and the culture of the period are treated with equal care. I clearly felt that this was a world with rather different values and beliefs than our own; yet it was not so foreign that the motivations and emotions of the main characters were obscured. If you enjoy AUs, history, or the theatre, I strongly suspect you will be satisfied by the richness of the repast spread before you.

Excerpt:

John followed Master Sherlock up a creaky wooden staircase to a store-room, which held all manner of props and pieces of scenery. To John's surprise, the gatherer who had given him a free ticket had positioned himself in the store-room beside the heavy curtain that separated the store-room from the theatre.

“Master Sherlock!” he exclaimed, giving an exaggerated bow. “How delightful to see you again for the Lyly! Pray, was it Mister Burbage's Phao that enticed you to our Great O once more, or perhaps Mister Kempe as Cupid?”

“Neither,” said Master Sherlock shortly.

“Oh?” asked the gatherer, with badly feigned innocence. “Was it perhaps Mister Hoddleston as Venus or Mister Wishart as Sapho?”

John managed to turn a guffaw into a cough, but Master Sherlock stiffened.

“If you really wish to make a career of acting in order to support your wife and children and pay the debt you owe for your house in Stratford,” he said coldly, “you would do well not to practice your base humour on your betters, particularly those who patronise your troupe. And if you cannot control your idle tongue, perhaps you should return to the glove making trade your father tried to knock into your thick skull.”

If Master Sherlock's verbal assault struck anywhere near the truth, the gatherer made no sign of it as he bowed. “Base humour is, of course, in the eye of the beholder. Shall I send up an orange seller for your amusement?” he asked John.

John glanced at Sherlock's pursed lips and shook his head. “We would prefer to be left alone.”

The gatherer eyed John with new interest. “Oh, would we?”

“Hang you, you brazen-faced churl!” exclaimed Master Sherlock as he swept past the impertinent fellow.

The gatherer met John's eye challengingly. He had intelligent hazel eyes and sported a pointed beard that reminded John of Lord Holmes's, but John was in no mood for games. He seized the gatherer by the doublet and slammed him against the store-room's wall.

“You've had your fun,” said John in a low voice. “But it's over now. If I see you so much as raise an eyebrow in my master's direction, by God's bones, you're going to find it difficult to speak your lines through a broken jaw. Am I understood?”

“You're made of sterner stuff than his last minder,” he said approvingly. “Let us all hope that your fortitude will last the next three hours.”

bowl-of-glow.livejournal.com

Title: Tea
Author: Marmosette
Pairing: Greg Lestrade/Mycroft Holmes
Length: 3016
Rating: General Audiences
Verse: BBC Sherlock
Author's summary: Mycroft has a meeting with Greg over tea at Fortnum & Mason's. A waiter puts his foot in it, and Mycroft explains to Greg his definition of "consequences."

Reccer's comments: I'm not a Mystrade fan (not that I don't like it, I can ship anyone with everyone, pretty much) but this was a lovely fic, and well. I just love Mycroft. I can totally see him courting someone in this sort of shy, overly formal way, and I find it utterly adorable.

Excerpt: “You never did tell me - why are we here? What exactly makes this an important meeting?”

“I set the time aside to talk to you,” Mycroft said, quite seriously. “I thought after the last few crime scenes, you seemed... but perhaps not.” He frowned. “Why, what did you think this was about?”

“So...we’re on a date?” Greg asked cautiously.

“This need to quantify, to label, to define things. Is it much use in your private life?”

Greg leaned forward and mirrored Mycroft’s pose. “This method of answering a question with another question. Do you like being punched in the nose?”

Mycroft’s head tilted, he smiled, a smile that actually extended up to his eyes, and then he laughed, in absolute delight, Greg would have said. He didn’t join in, but it did make him smile. “Force of habit, I’m afraid,” Mycroft said, still laughing.

“Are you seriously proposing this is some kind of...is it a date?”

“Does it need to have a title? No, I’m sorry.” He laughed again, this time a little self-consciously, which caught Greg off-guard. “It is just such questions that interest me. You are not a predictable man, you are intelligent, handsome... I am interested in you. I find you of interest. You are a pleasant thought.”

mirabile-dictu.livejournal.com

Title: A World More Full of Weeping
Author: Eva
Pairing: Greg Lestrade/Mycroft Holmes
Length: 24,219 words
Rating: Mature
Warnings: At the AO3, the author "chose not to use warnings," but I didn't read anything to warn for.
Verse: BBC Sherlock
Author's summary: Lestrade fulfills his Fae Family's Marriage Debt and gets engaged to Mycroft Holmes, solving one Family's problem--only to gain a whole slew of new ones.

Reccer's comments: Greg and Mycroft are my second most-favorite pairing in the BBC Sherlock world, even though I don't believe the actors have ever shared a scene with each other. Thank goodness Greg mentions Mycroft in Baskerville; I'm sure fans of that pairing have, like me, created years of interactions between them based on that one throw-away line.

Eva, however, has created an alternate universe of magical and half-magical creatures who share blood ties and familial obligations, a world full of unseen dangers and surprising turns. Her Greg, full of curiosity and kindness and grief, pulls us along with him as he maneuvers his way through his Family's and then Mycroft's machinations. But that makes his experience sound harsher than it is; though the story's ending is ambiguous, I found it hopeful.

I really, really liked this Greg, and to my surprise, I ended up liking Mycroft quite a bit, at first despite his Machiavellian ways and then because of them. And I loved the world Eva created with its complex web of responsibilities and accountability; I found it simultaneously beautiful and harrowing.

Not all journeys end in lovers meetings, but Greg's journey hasn't ended when the story closes and I have hope for him.

andrea-deer.livejournal.com

Title: Virtually Perfect
Author: Random_Nexus (@ AO3)
Pairing: Lestrade/Mycroft, background Sherlock/John.
Length: 19,682 words.
Rating: Explicit/NC-17
Warnings: none
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: He’s just one click away…

Mycroft Holmes has found the perfect lover – online. When the sexy words of ‘Sterling’ fly across the computer screen, he can seduce him in a heartbeat. The hot, detailed images of them together feed his sexual fantasies. The best part? Mycroft doesn’t have to make a commitment to ‘Sterling’. No fuss, no muss. He can switch him off at any time. So why is he feeling unsatisfied?

Gregory Lestrade, known only to his internet romance as ‘Sterling’, is ready for the next step – to meet in person. He wants to make it real with the man whom he only knows as ‘Mallory’. Their virtual relationship has left him in a constantly aroused state, hungry for a taste of his lips and the touch of his skin. He wants to make love – all night long – to the man who’s captured his heart sight unseen.

Except, once Mycroft and ‘Sterling’ meet face-to-face, both are surprised at the outcome…

Reccer's comments: I admit that the story first caught my eye, because it was written for Unconventional Courtship challenge in which I also took part. More so, my story based on the same Harlequinn's summary. But I never expected to work so well with mystrade pairing. Yet, I read this story after a bunch of bad and worse fics I encountered while reaidng through Lestrade/Mycroft tag on AO3 and I have to admit I was amazed.

It has great characterisation, even if like me you fear that meeting online is for those two characters already out of characters, I suggest you try to read anyway. I honestly did not expect how well the author will write both Mycroft and Lestrade into this scenario.
It is a delicious read with the characters well described, hot scenes plenty hot and ending sweet and happy. Enjoy. :)

swissmarg

Title: In My Master's House Master Post on LJ (Alternate AO3 series link)
Author:

BrighteyedJill /

brighteyed_jill
Pairing: Sherlock/John, Mycroft/Lestrade
Length: ca 136,000 words in 8 parts so far*
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Dub-con
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: None for the series. Summary for the first part: As a new slave in the Holmes household, John is having trouble finding his place.

Reccer's comments: The first part of this series was originally written for the 2011 round of

holmestice and has since grown from there. It's a fascinating AU, quite literally, in which slavery is entrenched in society and the law, a modern-day Imperial feudal society. Mycroft and Sherlock are the lords of the powerful Holmes house and have the ear of the Empress. And their personal slaves are, respectively, Lestrade and John. The household (all the main characters live in the same manor complex) slaves also include such familiar faces as Anthea, Sally, Molly, and Mrs Hudson. We see it all through the eyes of John, who is not only new to the household but new to the role of house slave as well. This is a clever device on the part of the author, as it allows explanations that otherwise would be intrusive or break character.

“I know it’s difficult.” Lestrade ducked his head, and John’s attention drifted to the thick leather collar around his neck: black leather traced in silver, adorned with a filigreed silver crest of the Holmes family. John didn’t know enough about collar etiquette to determine if the seal merely designated Lestrade’s status as a head slave, or if it symbolized some deeper connection with their mater. “I was born free, like you. But Lord Mycroft is a fair master. A good man. He’s always shown me kindness, even when— ” Lestrade stopped himself, then said, “Well, you could have done much worse, especially right out of the army.”

The plot is two-pronged, with one fork focusing on the power play and negotiation of the personal interactions between the two main pairings, and the other delving into the shadowy world of political intrigue that the Holmes brothers are inextricably wrapped up in. It's best to read them in order, as there are some continuing plot points that bridge more than one section. However, for the most part, each part can be read episodically.

*The eighth part has not yet been posted to AO3 but can be found at the LJ link. It ends in a cliffhanger, though, so be warned. Part nine is planned.

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Entries tagged with pairing: lestrade/mycroft

Fic Rec: The Men Who Talked Between the Words

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Series Rec: In My Master's House

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