I am not lonely [Mystrade]

CHAPTER 44 : Swans

"Gentlemen, would you follow me ?" asked an usher after the two men had let their coats in the cloakroom. He led them through the corridors to one of the VIP boxes, offering a superb view on the stage. Mycroft and Greg sat down around the table, the detective looking all around him at the room's ornamentation in amazement. It wasn't the first time he was going to theatre, the auburn had dragged him to a certain amount of performances since they were dating, but he was still surprised every time by the magnificence of those places.
A waiter poured them a glass of Mumm champagne and lighted the candle displayed on the table centre before disappearing silently, allowing the two men to toast before the light went off and the delicate music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky started.
It wasn't Mycroft's first time seeing the Swan Lake ballet, actually he had seen it 13 times, performed by 7 different companies, his favourite to date still being the Mathew Bourne's New Adventure's adaptation that he had the pleasure of enjoying more than a decade ago and that he had seen 4 time, truly amazed by the performance of the main dancer Adam Cooper. He remembered seeing this ballet for the first time as a young boy performed by the Royal Ballet and being greatly astonished by the dancers bodies and way of moving, like if they were making the music visible and since then he had been impassioned with ballet, finding in the dance a none such poetry and a gracefulness, having an even greater admiration for male dancer, able to express at the same time elegance and power.
This performance was to be a traditional 'in-costume' adaptation of the Tchaikovsky ballet performed by the students of the Royal Ballet School in favour of a charity helping the children to discover ballet in disadvantaged estates and it had been sold out in only a few hours, the all-London apparently discovering themselves a passion for men in tights and women in tutu. Gregory had refused to say to his partner how he had secured them two tickets, especially in one of those VIP boxes, only saying that he had some"contacts" in the right place. The detective grabbed his boyfriend's hand and started toying gently with his fingers before a waiter served them their first course. That was, in the eyes of the DI, a perfect evening. Alone with his husband, enjoying good food and great performance in an astonishing place, he was really wondering what else he could ask for.
The first dancer entered the stage closely followed by a little group of male dancers on a joyful music. Greg, who had never seen the ballet before, was looking a bit lost while his husband was, him, completely absorbed in the show, his fork stuck between his plate and his mouth, his eyes fixed on the stage. Smiling at this sight the detective gave a little kick to the other man to make him realise that he was also eating before focusing himself back on what was happening on stage and tried to understand who were supposed to be the characters involved in this scene.
They were enjoying their dessert, a chocolate and cranberry cake, when the final happened, seeing Odette and Siegfried ascend into Heavens under the watch of the swan maidens. All the dancers then returned for a bow, greeted by the enthusiastic clapping of the public before the light were turned on again and the audience started exiting the room. Mycroft and Greg took some time to finish their cake and were nearly the last to step out of the theatre after collecting their coat in the cloakroom. While most of the people of the audience were still waiting for a cab to bring them back home, the two men climbed in the black Jaguar waiting for them in front of the Royal Albert Hall's main entrance, making the detective felt like a really privileged person.
"Have you liked the performance ?" wondered the auburn while the car was bringing them back home.
"Yes. Well I haven't understood everything to the story but the dancing was really good." admitted the yarder, taking his tie off.
"Yes, choreography was nice but the costume choices make it difficult to understand who was who I suppose." agreed the official with a little grin.
"But you knew what the story was so it must have been easier for you to identify every character, isn't it ?" remarked the detective, the first buttons of his shirt now opened and his tie in his jacket's pocket.
"Oh yes, although I've been really confused with identifying Siegfried until he had his first solo. It's quite unusual to dress him with the exact same costume than all the other swans ...But the dancing was incredible according to the fact that they were only students ..." answered the elder Holmes loosening a little his own tie and undoing the first button of his shirt.
"Honestly, I've never been a dancing thingy fan but I would see this again with pleasure." replied Greg in a smile.
"Prejudices ... I wouldn't have believed that from you ..." chuckled the official before placing a soft kiss on his partner's cheek.
"Oh shut up Lady Bracknell ..." laughed the detective, taking advantage of the anecdote his lover had revealed him during the New Year Party a few weeks ago.
"Judas !" giggled the auburn before punching gently his boyfriend's shoulder. Faking to be offended, the DI responded by pulling out his tongue and slapping softly the other man's thigh. They were arising in a childish battle when the driver parked in the Kensington Palace Garden's Holmes Mansion's alley, stopping the fight.

"Dad ! Where are my shoes ?" yelled Lestrade's youngest son from the corridor.
"How should I know Jack !" retorted his father, Alden in his arms, trying to button his shirt while the toddler was doing his best to unbuttoned it.
"I've put them here last night and they disappeared ! I'm sure it's Lucas !" complained the boy, showing to the detective where he was supposed to have left his sneakers the precedent evening.
"Why would your brother rob your shoes ? " Sighed Greg, starting to lose his temper. "And talking about your brother, where are the others ?"
"Why should I know?" grumbled Jack, starting to open every doors of the console where the official and his husband stored their shoes, searching for his trainers and putting a great mess in the ordered shoes.
"Jack ! Could you please not mess all that up please !" warned the inspector at the moment Mycroft exited his office, pocketing his cellphone.
"What is happening here ?" he asked, surprised by the scene he was looking at. "In fact no, I think I prefer not knowing ...". He took his son from his partner's arms and tried to entertain him by tickling his belly, before turning to Jack. "Why are you messing up with my shoes young man ?" he enquired, raising an eyebrow.
"Lucas nicked my trainers !" explained the boy, suddenly not as confident as he had been earlier, in front of the tall and cold-looking man.
"Are you sure it's Lucas ?" wondered the auburn in a calm but imposing voice.
"He always does this at home." replied the young Lestrade.
"I don't think it's your brother young man." retorted the official with a small grin, showing him the living room door. "If I remember well they are under the couch, exactly where you've left them yesterday."
"Thank you Mycroft." answered the boy in low voice before turning tail as quickly as possible.
He was nearly in the living room when the official interrupted him. "Young man, aren't you forgetting something ?" he lectured him, using the same voice he used to scold Sherlock when he was being childish, gesturing toward the messy console.
Slowly, Jack came back and started sorting off the shoes, placing them back in their original positions while the official winked to the detective who had finally been able to button his shirt now that Alden was in his boyfriend's arms.
"Where are Sarah and Lucas ?" asked the elder Holmes.
"I don't know, probably still upstairs. I'll go and find them ..." answered the DI, climbing up the stairs. Hearing some music coming from the bathroom the children were sharing, he knocked on the door. Having no answer, he knocked a second time, the sound of his knocking still being covered by the sound of the music. "Sarah ! What are you still doing in there ! It's been more than half an hour !" he finally yelled, his mouth at an inch from the door.
"Ok, I'm coming dad !" replied the young girl, turning off the music and opening the door.
"You know where is your brother ?" asked the detective, smiling at his daughter who was, for once, wearing a nice blue and white dress, assorted to a denim jacket, making her blue eyes more intense.
"Jack ? I thought he was already downstairs with you ?" answered Sarah, placing her phone in one of her jacket's pocket.
"No, Lucas." specified the yarder.
"No idea, sorry dad." the young girl told him before dashing down the stairs, humming one of the songs ofher favourite band.
Gregory knocked on his son's room's door, obtaining no response. He sighed and burst into the room, finding Lucas still in bed, his head in his pillow to avoid the sun coming through the opened curtains. Irate, the inspector approached his son's bed and seized the little boy, lifting him in the air.
"Lucas Alan Lestrade, can you explain me what you are still doing in bed ?" he outbursted, putting him back on the floor.
"But Dad ..." started the boy in a small voice.
"There is no but ! I've come to wake you up more than an hour and a half ago ! I want you downstairs in five minutes and you'd better not be late !" chided the policeman before leaving the room.
"Can you believe that ? He was still in bed !" Greg complained to his husband when being back in the corridor.
"Children, those little people that seems inoffensive but are harder to control than the Prime Minister." chuckled Mycroft, shaking his head slightly.
"Promise me you won't be like your brothers and sister you." begged the detective, placing a kiss on Alden's head.
"Come on, he is my son, why would he be unbearable and unruly ?" asked the auburn, deadpan.
"Oh yes, seeing the things like this, I really ask myself what could go wrong with him seriously. The Holmes wisdom and subordination. Legendary isn't it." laughed the yarder, putting up his own shoes.