PSL - To Boldly Go To One's Own Future

[brotherthine]

Mycroft had woken up at his usual hour to go through his morning exercise routine - five miles running, some free weights, and then a shower and a choice of suits. He wasn't entirely sure why he felt the need to dress as if today was going to need a particularly good blending sort of armor - but there he was. Dressing in his favorite tan tweed, with the blue silk tie and handkerchief. Dressed as if to fade in, make himself seem like he was just a ghost in the background.

The spectre at the feast, hah.

He rapped on Jim's door, but hearing nothing, made his way downstairs.

Where he found the man, curled up on the sofa with the oddest contraption he'd ever seen in his life. Both eyebrows raising, he pitched his voice, just so.

"Good morning. Coffee?"

Comments

[james_kirk]

"Yeah, probably best if he doesn't see me with you. That might make things kind of suspicious." Jim sinks a little further down in his seat so he won't be noticed.

He hands the puzzle sphere to Mycroft and smiles reassuringly at him. "You'll do great. And don't forget to have a little fun with Sherlock first."

[brotherthine]

"Quite so. Especially in this part of the game." Mycroft murmured, as he went to open the door. "It looks like he is already inside, though, so you don't have to worry. By the smug look on Sergeant Donovan's face, he's come to yell at Sherlock so they won't be here for very long."

He took the sphere, breathed out, putting himself in control of his emotions, before he stepped out of the car.

Upstairs, he could see cool blue eyes as they looked down at Mycroft's car, and himself. He made a face. Marvelous - he was certain Sherlock had probably seen Jim.

Nevertheless ... he moved towards the front door. Head up, shoulders back.

[james_kirk]

Oh yes. There's definite eye contact there, but Jim just smiles and gives a small wave. No sense in acting too terribly much like he's not supposed to be here.

But, as promised, while Mycroft is away, Jim is going to chat with the driver. He won't actually say he had sex with Mycroft, because that's a big lie, but he won't be shy about saying he spent the night.

[brotherthine]

When Mycroft reaches the landing to go up to the second story, he can already hear the argument - or rather the one sided argument as Lestrade is yelling about stealing dead bodies and from Sherlock, nothing.

Which means all of his attention is now focused on why Mycroft is here. Well that's ... good. Perhaps. Mycroft rapped on the door, to find it opened by John Watson.

Who lifted both eyebrows, surprise on his face. "Ah, hello, Mycroft, bit of an awkward time ..."

"So I've gathered from the hallway." Mycroft slipped inside, flicking a gaze to the ranting Lestrade then over to Sherlock.

[james_kirk]

The one thing that bothers Jim while he waits in the car and makes idle conversation with the driver is how damn much Sherlock looks like Khan. Sure, he'd seen a picture of the man before, but it never really struck him just how absolute the similarity was until he'd seen Sherlock looking down at him from the window with that same calm, calculating, piercing gaze.

It's a little bit unnerving, and Jim has to wonder if, during the Eugenics Wars, maybe Sherlock did exist and they'd used his DNA to help Augment Khan. Certainly, the disassociative nature and phenomenal cunning could have been borrowed.

Not that Jim knows Sherlock personally, but he's done a little research since he got here. The man is a high-functioning sociopath.

Still, Jim's not going to judge, despite the unpleasant memories that face brings up. They're two completely different people who happen to wear the same face. Like some other people he happens to know.

And somehow, through all his musings, he still manages to give the driver the impression he showed Mycroft the time of his life, despite never actually saying anything lewd or remotely suggestive.

[brotherthine]

In the next fifteen minutes, the following things happen. The shouting from upstairs suddenly cuts off, and about three minutes later Gregory Lestrade comes storming down the steps. He glowers at Mycroft's car suspiciously and pointedly, before growling at Donovan to get in the car and they drive off.

Upstairs there is the sound of a violin being played loudly enough to be annoying, and then it stops again. A few minutes later, another face peeks out of the curtains, the mild one of Doctor John Watson. He gives the car a thoughtful look, before the curtain is twitched back into place.

About seven minutes after that, Mycroft came through the front door of Baker Street, looking somewhere between amused, affronted, and concerned. He glanced back up at the window, to find his brother watching him keenly, with the puzzle ball. Then he slipped inside the car.

"...Well that was ... hm." Mycroft huffed out a breath. "That was educational."

[james_kirk]

"I notice I seem to be getting stared at a lot. Did everything go okay?" Jim looks over at Mycroft. He's since unbuckled his seatbelt to sprawl comfortably in the car, looking like it's his rather than under the ownership of someone he's only known for a couple of days.

[brotherthine]

"Well - yes. Except now after Sherlock opens the puzzle ball, I have to answer whether or not you and I are having sexual relations." Mycroft frowned faintly, as he re-buckled himself in. He nodded his head to his driver.

"On that note - Lestrade is upset with Sherlock because he is carrying body parts out of Barts again and ... I have absolutely no idea why he did not like Sherlock's and my initial conversation."

[james_kirk]

"That's an easy question to answer, though, isn't it? Just tell him the truth. Nothin' hard about that, right?" Jim grins at him, amused by the whole thing. "And what did you say to make him think we were in the first place? 'Cause I'm pretty sure that's an awful big leap to make for just seeing somebody in your car."

Jim's not sure what to make of Lestrade, though. Well, other than the fact that anybody would be pissed if Sherlock's been pilfering body parts. "He'll come around. Don't worry too much about it."

[brotherthine]

"Well there is the fact that is none of his business whom I am sleeping with. I think he was just looking to distract from Lestrade's anger, anyways, and not from any real interest." Mycroft arched an eyebrow at Jim, before he sighed, "Several reasons - I don't have friends. When he asked who you were, I said a friend and he temporized from there. Incorrectly, but he has his moments."

He looked out the window, because eye contact was not something he wanted to have. "He also theorized that I am sexually attracted to you. Which honestly, is something of a given considering your physical attributes."

A sigh. "I certainly hope so, or your plan will not work well. Let us go, I have a meeting."

[james_kirk]

Jim shuffles back into something somewhat resembling upright as he clicks his seatbelt back into place. "Who knows? Maybe Lestrade was kinda angry that you had a 'friend with benefits'. Potentially."

The blond looks over at Mycroft, watching him carefully. So, Mycroft thinks he's hot, huh? But the man's right. Most people think Jim's hot. Still, it's flattering that a proper man such as Mycroft has fallen prey to his good looks. "Look at the silver lining: at least he didn't theorize it because he caught me giving you a blowjob in the back of the car, or something."

Jim, ever the eloquent one, but his main task is to distract Mycroft's thoughts away from Lestrade's departure.

[brotherthine]

He let out a brief snort, eyebrows raising together, "Doubtful. Clearly his anger is stemming from being thwarted in his lecture. I could have told him it would be of no use - lecturing Sherlock only makes him go in the opposite direction. Sometimes, that's useful."

One side of his mouth lifted in a faint smirk, and he finally looked back at Jim. "Well, the likelihood of that happening is zero percent, but yes, I suppose so."

Consider himself distracted. Ah, blowjobs. The sexually frustrated answer to a quickie.

[james_kirk]

Oh, Jim knows all about stubborn people and lectures. He falls neatly into that category and he won't even try to deny it.

"Zero percent? Why? Because of you or because of me?" Jim asks, wiggling his eyebrows.

[brotherthine]

Yes, Mycroft has a very good idea that Jim probably ignores most lectures. Which was why Jim gets himself into so many scrapes.

"Both, I would imagine. I would never allow for such a thing in a government vehicle and I very much doubt you would want to give me one to begin with." He answered dryly, as he took up his paper again.

[james_kirk]

In his defense, Jim also gets out of those scrapes, or he wouldn't be sitting here right now.

He licks at his lower lip, slowly, and he damn well knows he's doing it, too. "You're making assumptions."

[brotherthine]

In his defense, one's luck did not exist forever. Which he should also know.

Mycroft catches that little motion, and that time, he's positive that's on purpose. He wets his own lips, clearing his own throat as he puts his gaze firmly on the paper. "Perhaps. However, I believe that we have drastically different ideas of sexual intimacy."

[james_kirk]

"Yeah?" Jim asks, interested, and he folds one leg over the other, in his best 'do enlighten me' pose. "You're gonna have to elaborate on that."

[brotherthine]

Oh, they were going to have this conversation? Delightful. "You flirt with anything and anyone who shows you the vaguest sense of interest. I would assume you probably sleep with half of them, in varieties of men, women, one or twos. Maybe sometimes threes. You are sexually open, and enjoy it." Mycroft did not look up from the paper. "I, on the other hand, only indulge when physical needs require it, and I never sleep with anyone I am sexually attracted to, just those who are sexually attracted to me. That gives me power over the encounter, and thus the ability to cut it off with no losses. If I am sexually attracted to someone ... I know myself, Jim. It would not be casual."

[james_kirk]

"You're a complicated sort of guy," Jim muses, but it's not a negative comment. "Would it surprise you to know that I was monogamous for nearly three years?" He smiles at that, mainly because almost nobody believes him when he says it. Somebody tamed Jim for that long? Impossible.

[brotherthine]

They really were going to have all aspects of this conversation. Marvelous. Right, well. Mycroft folded up the paper, put it across his well-dressed knee and turned to give Jim his full-on attention. Which meant he was fully analyzing everything Jim was saying.

"Yes. I am rather complicated. I like it that way." He mused on that, "And ... no. I also know you to be a good person. If you found another person that you trusted that deeply, you would seek a more permanent relationship. But it probably got too intimate for you, too close. I would assume parental abandonment issues, quite honestly. However, if you want to know why I am not sexually pursuing you, when I obviously find you attractive, charming, and intelligent?"

He smiled, oh-so-politely, "That you would have a very good time, and then you would disappear into the future. Forever. That does not do much for any future relations, now does it?"

[james_kirk]

Jim outright laughs at Mycroft's assessment and there's definitely a twinkle in his eye. "I was ready to marry the guy and then I got sucked back into my own dimension. It sort of put a damper on things. So, yeah. I know the feeling and I'm not gonna inflict it on you. Don't worry about that." He's not even going to get into his issues with his parents, though. Jim's only family is his crew.

He finally tears his gaze away so he can stare out the window. "It really sucked, truth be told. Doesn't mean we can't be friends, though, for a short time. Sometimes, it only takes a day to change a life."

[brotherthine]

Mycroft's eyebrows rose together at that statement, falling silent for a moment. He looked down at his hands, at the golden ring around his finger, before he looked back up at Jim. "I do apologize, Jim. I am afraid I was rather offensive. I did not mean to trivialize your relationship with your former lover. Is there no way to get back to him?"

[james_kirk]

When he turns to look back at Mycroft, he somehow keeps the tinge of sadness out of his smile. "See? You're getting the hang of calling me 'Jim'." He flicks his hand as if clearing the air. "Don't worry about it. I'm not offended."

That same hand comes up to rub at the back of his neck, scratching through the short hairs there. "I'm working on it. It's been four years and I think I'm almost there. My tour will be done in another year and then I can finish it up and get back to him." Though, there would be no guarantees. One slight miscalculation could put Jim literally anywhere in any dimension and in any time.

[brotherthine]

Mycroft's lips twisted wryly, before he answered smoothly, "Practice makes perfect."

He nodded his head slowly, before he spoke with clear and quiet honesty, "He is a lucky man. I wish you all the best." He would not voice cynicism, after all, although four years was a long time to wait for anyone. However, love had never treated him kindly. It did not mean it would do the same to Jim.

[james_kirk]

"Thank you, Mycroft. That actually does mean a lot. I'm glad I've got somebody rooting for me. Maybe it'll make all the difference." Jim, the eternal optimist. He refuses to give up hope that he'll get back to his boyfriend one day. He can't just give up on the best thing to happen to him, can he?