The Assistant Headmaster (Mystrade Fanfic)

Twenty Three

(A/N: WARNING: I'm a swine.

-CHxxx)

Mycroft

I'd been teaching Greg's English class for about two months, and had also been balancing my usual workloads. No matter how much I had to do around Baskerville, I felt an undeniable itch to do something else. I had to tell Greg how I really felt about him.

It was obvious and almost paining to see him in class with people his own age. They really all loved him, and some of them in the same way as me (though of course I doubted if it was the same amount). Someone would make a joke, and then they'd look to Greg to see if he laughed. If I told someone to listen to me (usually a male who didn't like the attention the females gave me) they'd look to Greg for direction as to whether or not to do as I said. Of course he always told them to stop being Pollocks and listen. Before he arrived in class most days, the girls would talk about him and often wondered if he was dating anyone, since he'd been "single, for like, ever!" As the girls would say.

I would always look disinterested, but secretly I would be hearing up inside, feeling a mixture of anger and sadness and something else. I'd told Mummy about it at the last family dinner (in private, of course. I'd never let Sherlock hear about my feelings), and she'd tilted her head to the side and smiled sympathetically.

"That's jealousy, Myc. Everyone feels it. You see this... Person," -I hadn't told her the exact situation as to Greg's gender or location-  "Getting attention from other people, and you feel jealous that you can't be the one to give it to them."

"Why?" I had asked impatiently.

"Because," she exclaimed, shaking her head with a laugh, "You're in love. That's all there is to it. You have found someone who has changed your life and your views of people," at my displeased look, she changed her words, "Or rather emotions, since most people are still the same, and you have fallen in love."

And here and now, at the end of the day as I walked to my office, the memory ran through my mind, and I was convinced it'd not stop until I told Greg how I felt.

Greg had agreed to go out with me that night, and there I'd tell him that I loved him. That's how it was going to go. Then if he didn't say it back, it'd be fine. I'd get over it. It wouldn't hurt or anything. Despite that (false) reassurance I gave myself, my palms grew sweaty and my heart raced. I couldn't fool myself. Damn my superior intellect.

I sat in my office, and lost myself in my thoughts. I tried to think about things other than Greg, the student who'd won my heart at first sight when he'd ran into me on his way to rugby captain trials.

Eventually I was pulled from my thoughts by a knock on the door. I looked up to see Anthea standing there. "Mr. Holmes? Gregory Lestrade is here to see you."

"Great, bring him in."

Greg followed Anthea into my office and smiled at me almost shyly. He wore a white, woollen jumper and blue jeans. Obviously he'd just combed it, and I could see that for some reason, he was nervous too.  "Hello, Mr. Lestrade," I said, smiling slightly.

"Hey," he breathed. Anthea closed the door behind her as she left.

"You still alright to go out? You're fairly early."

"Yeah, I just wanted to see you," Greg admitted, blushing.

I stood up and held my arms out to him. "Ah, of course."