I am not lonely [Mystrade]

CHAPTER 108 : Any part of your body

Mycroft awoken, groaning at the sound of the alarm on his bedside table. Moodily, he smashed his fist in it before turning around to go back to sleep despite a little voice in his head saying that if he did so he would never be at his important state meeting.
"Oh shut up." he grumbled to himself, sinking a little more under the duvet and nestling his head against his partner's chest.

The auburn woke up, the sun rays gently caressing his skin, the sound of the radio playing in the bathroom chocked by the closed door. Yawning, he rejected the duvet and stretched his arm somewhat feeling different from how he was usually. He threw his legs out of the bed and raised on his feet, still yawning, rubbing his hand against his face.

As he was walking toward the bathroom he could clearly feel that there was something abnormal in him but it's only when he entered the room and saw himself in the mirror that he understood what was going wrong.It looks like he was back to his 14th, only much older. Even after blinking and pinching himself a few times he had to admit that the silhouette he had carefully crafted after years of sport and diets and that he was just starting to accept, thanks to Gregory, was definitely gone, substituted by what looked like one of those fat suit actor could use in films.

He was still looking at himself, horrified and surprised by what he was seeing when his partner exited the shower cabin. He was smiling and humming a tune the official didn't recognise. He approached from the elder Holmes and pecked him on the cheek.
"Good morning honey." the detective smiled. "Have you asked Michael to prepare the breakfast ?"
"Gregory, look at me ..." Mycroft retorted, horror in his voice.
"Hmm ?" replied the other one, raising an eyebrow.
"Look at me ! Don't you see it ? Look at what I've become !" exclaimed the auburn, gesturing toward his body.
"Yes, that's your body. I'm sorry but I don't see any difference ..." responded the policeman carefully, wondering if his boyfriend had changed something and he hadn't noticed it.
"What ? You mean my body is exactly the same than last night ?" wondered the official, horrified.
"Yes, and the same than the day before and the day before, and all the way to the first day I've met you darling." nodded the inspector with a small grin. "You should take a shower, that would help you awake."
Greg exited the room, a towel around his hips and left Mycroft alone in front of the mirror. The man turned on himself a couple of time but al he could see was a body three time bigger to the one he was supposed to own. How was it possible that the policeman didn't see the difference and thought that this body was his ? Wasn't he seeing it, or was he really accustomed to have a fat boyfriend ?
Still horrified by what he had just seen in the mirror, the older Holmes entered the shower cabin with the feeling of being a gigantic balloon, unable to move. Questions were rushing to his mind but no satisfying and realistic answers seemed to appear to explain how he could have possibly gained 20 stones overnight.

"Darling ..." a voice whispered to the elder Holmes ear. A hand was tenderly stroking his hair and he could feel the warm heaviness of the duvet on top of him.
"Shh ... Darling ... Time to awake ... Shh ..." Greg kept whispering to his ear.
"What ... What happened ? Where am I ? What ..." panicked Mycroft as he opened his eyes.
"Shh ... Calm down ..." repeated the yarder. "You just had a bad dream ... It's all right now ... I'm here ..."
"I was all fat ..." explained the auburn, horror in his eyes, as he finally acknowledged that he was safe in his boyfriend's bed. "I was like a balloon and you seemed to find it completely normal and told me I've always been like that."
"It's alright, it was just a dream darling ..." the inspector reassured him once again, still stocking his fingers through the other man's hair. "A very naughty dream ..."
"I was all fat." repeated the official, his voice broken, clearly on the verge of tears.
"You are not fat honey ... That was just a dream ..." Greg shushed him gently. "Look at you with your perfect little nose, your gorgeous collar bones, your nice pectoral and sexy nipples ..." As he was listing all his partner's body part, the detective placed soft kisses over it, gently running his fingers along the other man's body.
"Stop it ... I know I'm fat. I'll always be ..." whimpered the younger man. "I've always been the fat one."
"Bullshit." refused Greg. "You are not fat ! You are even slimmer than I am." His voice raised a little stronger as he was saying this, trying to have a reaction of his husband but the auburn simply pouted even more.
"You are gorgeous with all your muscles and your tanned skin and I'm here all wobbly and tacky." the elder Holmes chuckled humourlessly.
"Richard Mycroft Phillip Holmes." retorted the detective, sitting down in the bed and forcing his partner to do the same before taking the other man's head in his hands, looking at him right in the eyes. "I want you to understand one thing. You are not fat. You are not wobbly. You are not tacky. You are absolutely perfect for me and I love each and every part of you. I don't care what other people think of you, I don't care if you are not tanned, I love you as you are and you don't need to change."
"Every part ? Even my scabby tummy ?" wondered Mycroft, not entirely believing his lover.
"Every part. Even your dinky little tummy." confirmed the yarder. "And even if you were to triple your size I would still love you because you would still be beautiful, and your eyes would still shine like sapphires, and your arms would still be the only place on earth I'd like to be."
"How can I possibly had got my hands on someone as good as you ?" replied the auburn, a little smile starting to break on his lips.
"Because you are kind, funny, loving, clever and a hundred things more." the yarder grinned softly. "I love you Mycroft Holmes, never forget that."
"The tall stupid numskull I am definitely don't deserve you." replied the other man before kissing his partner on the lips desperately.
"Now you come with me and we are going to take a huge breakfast and grow old and fat together !" winked the inspector when they finally parted.

Gregory parked his car in front the Holmes Mansion after a frankly boring day of interviewing non-collaborative gang members who answered by a mocking 'no comment' to each and every questions he asked them. He exited the car, sighing when he saw his own reflection in the window. With his grey tone and bags under the eyes it was hard to believe he had been abroad less than three weeks earlier.
He entered the house, a smile breaking on his face as soon as he heard the first notes of the tune his partner was playing on the piano. Quietly he took off his coat and his shoes and made his way to the living room, leaning against the door friend, gazing lovingly at the auburn's back in the other corner of the room.
Mycroft felt the presence of his partner behind him only few seconds after he had arrived but, except a little twitch, he fake not having noticed him until the end of the song, knowing that the detective loved those moments when he could catch him off guard.
He played the last harmony before turning around, a soft smile on his lips and opened his arms slightly. Understanding the message, the policeman slowly made his way to the other man and threw himself in those loving arms, nestling his head in the elder Holmes's neck while the latter was placing a soft kiss on his scalp.
"How was your day ?" the auburn wondered after a couple of minutes, the yarder sat on his lap.
"No comment." replied the inspector, an indecipherable expression on his face.
"That bad ?" the official questioned, surprised.
"746 'no comment'. That's all I got during the entire day." sighed Greg with a little pout.
"Oh, poor little thing." Mycroft pitied him, kissing him softly on the forehead. He slowly turned back on his seat to face the piano and left his fingers linger over the keys, quietly placing a couple of harmonies. "It's a human sign / When things go wrong / When the scent of her lingers / And temptation's strong / Into the boundary / Of each married man / Sweet deceit comes calling / And negativity lands."
As his partner was starting to sing, Greg got up and seized the guitar he had been presented a few months ago that was leaned against the piano and sat on the armrest of the nearest couch before joining the jam.
"Cold, cold heart / Hard done by you / Some things look better, baby / Just passing through / And it's no sacrifice / Just a simple word / It's two hearts living / In two separate worlds / But it's no sacrifice / No sacrifice / It's no sacrifice at all" continued the auburn as his lover's guitar was quietly joining.
"Mutual misunderstanding / After the fact / Sensitivity builds a prison / In the final act / We lose direction / No stone unturned / No tears to damn you / When jealousy burns." the detective sang, his voice a little rougher than the velvety voice the elder Holmes was able to give when he was singing.
"Cold, cold heart/ Hard done by you / Some things look better, baby / Just passing through / And it's no sacrifice / Just a simple word / It's two hearts living / In two separate worlds / But it's no sacrifice / No sacrifice / It's no sacrifice at all / It's no sacrifice at all / It's no sacrifice at all." they finished together, their looks hooked one to another.
"Why am I finding this incredibly romantic when the song is actually talking about the complete opposite ?" chuckled the inspector, absentmindly playing the first harmonies of The sound of silence.
"Because you are a slut for romanticism ?" smirked the auburn.
"Shut up Mr Velvety-soft-crooner voice." retorted Greg, pulling out his tongue.
"You shouldn't have asked my dear." chuckled the official. "And I don't have a velvety voice !"
"I swear next time you sing I'll record you !" grinned the policeman before laying the guitar on the couch and going back to the younger man, placing a passionate kiss on his lips. "I don't know about romanticism, but I'm a slut for everything that involve your voice, your smile or any parts of your body Mr Holmes." he purred, a hand on his partner's chest.