I am not lonely [Mystrade]

CHAPTER 77 : Don't tell me lies

Greg entered his bedroom, rubbing his eyes with his left hand after the rough day he just had at Scotland Yard. He had had to dealt with the family of a recently deceased, something he haven't done for years and usually let Sally or Donougher take charge for him, but both of them being on holidays and finding it unwise to the extent to let Anderson anyway near someone grieving he had to face this situation himself. It had taken him more than half an hour before being able to step out of his car and climb the three floors to the victim's mother's flat and two hours more before being able to leave, having to call a doctor after the old woman fainted and hurt herself on the corner of the table, the detective not being able to rescue her before she felt on the floor.
Overall, it just had been a very bad day and the inspector was dreaming of two simple things : taking a long and warm bath and cuddle on the couch with his partner. He was to threw his jacket away on a chair when he remarked that one of Mycroft's tuxedos was carefully laid done on the bed next to a box containing a pair of handcuffs and a silver pocket watch. The policeman couldn't recall himself of his husband advising him he was going to a party that night and he dashed to the nearby bathroom where he could hear the radio playing the 6.30PM news.
"G'evening love." smiled the yarder, opening the door and joining his partner.
"Oh ... Gregory ..." exclaimed the auburn looking rather surprised, his hair still soaking wet of the shower he just had taken. "Good evening."
"You seem surprise to see me." remarked the detective, starting to feel a bit edgy.
"No, no, not at all. I just didn't heard you coming in, that's all." replied the official quickly, unable to hide the discreet blush that had come to his cheeks.
"Or maybe it has something to do with the tuxedo on the bed ?" retorted Greg, reprove clear in his voice. "Maybe you hoped to be gone before I would come back and just tell me that you had to work late."
"No, no darling ..." protested the elder Holmes turning to his boyfriend and trying to grab his hand, the other man not allowing him to.
"What a plea. And to say some people call you a genius." chuckled the DI, humourlessly. "How many times have you taken me for a fool like that Mycroft ?"
"I don't take you for a fool Greg. It wasn't even planned, I got advised of this only this morning and forgotten to tell you about, that's all ..." demurred the auburn, not convincing enough in his husband's view.
"Why aren't you telling me the truth Holmes. Why are you sneaking out to a party like a teenager ? What are you really up to that you think I would disapprove enough to lie right to my face like you are doing ?" questioned the inspector, now clearly mad at the other man and forcing him against the nearest wall, but, unlike usually, not at all in a seductive but rather aggressive manner.
"I am not lying to you darling. I just forgotten ..." the official denied once more, trying to sound convincing, but finding it impossible to lie to his lover. Of course, the detective was right, he had tried to avoid meeting him before being off to the party because he knew that he was unable to handle this kind of argument.
"Stop trying to feed me your bullshits Holmes. It may work with your stooges but it doesn't work with me." roared the policeman. Both of them knew that when the grey-haired was using someone's last name instead of his first name, he definitely was heavily cross with this person.
"Alright. I was trying to be off to a party hosted by the PM before you came back." admitted Mycroft, unable to look at his partner in the eyes, like a little child caught in the act by his father. "But it's the first time. I swear it."
"Why ?" snapped the yarder feeling hurt.
"I thought you won't like me being out, possibly having some fun, when you would just want to spend a casual evening at home." explained the auburn, looking up to a point on the wall, half an inch beside his husband's face, hoping the man would think he was looking directly at him.
"I may not be as clever as you are Holmes, but I'm able to guess when someone is lying at me, something you have been doing constantly since I've entered the room." retorted Greg, his eyes black looking right to the younger's man face. "I strongly advise you to stop pretending I'm a bloody moron and to tell me the truth right now if you don't want things to get worst."
The elder Holmes was now feeling awfully panicked. If he was to tell the truth he was pretty sure that the detective would feel hurt and betrayed and probably won't forgive him and if he was to keep denying the inspector had made it quite clear that he wouldn't forgive him either and Mycroft was more than worried to lose the man he loved.
"Please Greg, can't we do this tomorrow ? I really have to get ready ..." he said, trying to win himself some time to make up his mind.
"You are not going anywhere until you told me what you are hiding from me." refused the detective, arms crossed.
"Darling, I can't let the Prime Minister down ..." protested the auburn, still unable to decide which choice was the worst.
"How can I even be sure it's the Prime Minister you are off to ? From what I know it could be any other chap." snapped the policeman, seizing his partner's wrist and squeezing it heavily to prevent the other man from escaping.
"What ?" exclaimed the elder Holmes, genuinely surprised. "Are you implying what I think you are implying ?"
"You are sneaking out of the house, all prettify in one of your nice tuxedo and hoping that I won't know anything about your evening, you just pretending to work late. I'm sorry but as far as I'm concerned you could be having diner with any bloke." sneered the inspector.
"Why would I do anything like this Gregory ? I love you ..." retorted the official, truly hurt that his partner could have thought even for a second that he could be cheating on him.
"Why would you lie like you are doing then ?" jerked the detective, not soften by the 'I love you'.
"Oh Greg, it's not that at all ..." replied the official, making up his mind and feeling that if his lover was to hate him, it should at least be for the truth.
"Don't touch me." snapped the policeman when his husband tried to place a hand on his shoulder. "Explain."
"Alright, but can we please go to the bedroom so I can at least put a nightgown before I get a cold, please ?" requested the elder Holmes. His husband nodded stiffly and followed him to the nearby room. He grabbed a red nightgown and wrapped it around his naked body while the yarder was sitting on the edge of the bed, his arms crossed on his chest, looking reprovingly at the other man.
"I need you to listen until the end without interrupting me please." warned the auburn.
"Who is it ?" simply replied Greg, apparently not believing the denial Mycroft had made a few seconds earlier.
"It no one, I am not cheating on you, not seeing any other man, or woman, I swear it on my life." the younger man denied, looking right in his lover's eyes. "I was to go to a party given by the Prime Minister for some people of the government. That's the truth."
"And I'm supposed to believe that." snorted the detective.
"Please, I've asked you not to interrupt me." retorted the official, trying to sound as steady as he could. "I really, truly was going to 10 Downing Street. One thing you had to know about these diners is that it's a highly mundane encounter. That doesn't only mean being nicely dressed, that also mean bringing a ... plus one ..."
"And you didn't want to bring me." remarked the detective bitterly. "I'm not posh enough, not good enough for this kind of event isn't it. You'd be embarrass to show me in front of all your brilliant aristocratic friends ..."
"No, darling, of course not ..." denied the elder Holmes, his voice soft.
"And still you don't bring me, if that's not the proof you are ashamed of me, I don't know what it is." retorted Greg, apparently deeply hurt.
"No, Gregory ... I'm not ashamed of you. I'll never be. I love you." Mycroft tried to comfort him, sitting beside him on the bed. "I just thought that after your day at work you wouldn't like to come with me to such a boring dinner but that you would feel forced to just for me." He carefully placed a hand on the yarder's tight, who didn't repulsed it, and squeezed it tenderly. "I don't want you to feel forced to attend this kind of boring diner just to please me darling, so I thought the best was just not to tell you. It was probably the worst idea I possibly could have I admit that but I really didn't wanted to hurt you."
He stopped for a few seconds, waiting for an answer. "Please honey, look at me ..." he finally begged.
"Who were you bringing as your plus one ?" asked the detective, still not looking at him but not rejecting the hand gently rubbing against his tight.
"Anthea. I've done it a few times before we met, I suppose she is quite alright in conversing." replied the auburn, still trying to catch his boyfriend look.
"And what can prove me that you are telling the truth and not another of your lie ?" finally questioned the policeman, his voice softer.
"Nothing else than my gentleman word and Anthea's word I suppose." admitted the elder Holmes. Greg looked up at him, looking in his deep blue eyes for any signs of a lie, still looking quite hurt even if he was clearly not as mad at his husband as he had been earlier.
"Except if you are willing to put on your tuxedo and be my plus one. We will be late but I'll find a way to make it to the PM." finally proposed Mycroft before hugging his boyfriend tightly, knowing that his attitude had hurt him and knowing that it could, one day, cause the end of them.

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Just a little note to wish a very happy birthday to my wonderful half-brother ♥♥♥ I hope you liked this chapter as much as I liked writing it, brother in drama and see you very soon.

Love, Danny

(That also mean that I have to take care I publish this chapetr in time or I'll look like a fool...)