Mystrade Oneshots

14) Let Me Help

Angst
Trigger warning: eating disorder.

Mycroft stood silently, staring at his fridge. It was empty. It had been for a few days. He sighed as he closed the fridge and looked down at his stomach.

"Still too fat..." He quietly said to himself.

It was nights like this that lead Mycroft to "over eating" in the first place. The long lonely nights, the stressful, work-filled nights that left him feeling empty. That's when he turned to food, when it was the only thing left. The only thing that filled the hole inside him...

Now even that had to stop.

Mycroft felt alone and abandoned. Even his brother made fun of his weight. His own brother. Maybe he was fat. Maybe they were right. The mirror. His eyes. His mind.

He sat back down at his desk and looked blankly at the paper work that loomed over him. The empty feeling had returned, this time there was nothing to make it go away. Well almost nothing, relief was only a phone call away but it was late and Mycroft didn't want to trouble them.

Suddenly, there was a noise that echoed through the house. It was high and shrill and seemed to linger in the air for longer than it should. Mycroft recognised it as his doorbell but in his current state he felt no motervation to get up and check if anyone was there.

Distant shouting was heard before another shrill burst. Mycroft put his head in his hands and resisted the urge to let loose the tears he'd been holding back for far too long.

After a while there was banging on the door and eventually a pounding, as if someone was throwing their shoulder against the door, trying to break it down. But why...?

Mycroft knew who it was likely to be, and not wishing to worry them or to risk permanent shoulder damage, he reluctantly got up to investigate.

He flinched as he got closer and another thud crashed against his front door. Closely followed by a grunt and a loud curse.

"Dammit... Mycroft please! Open the door!"

"Alright Gregory, I'm here!" Mycroft called through the wood.

He unlocked his door and pulled it opened to find detective inspector Lestrade standing there. Relief, had come to him.

"Myc! Thank God... Where were you?" Greg wore a tired, concerned look.

"I'm sorry, I was busy." Mycroft replied, forcing a smile.

"You weren't answering your phone. I was worried about you..." Greg said, looking up at Mycroft.

"I gathered. Were you trying to break the door down?" Mycroft

"Uh yeah. Sorry..." Greg rubbed the back of his neck as a blush crept up his cheeks.

"Well, come in then."

Lestrade stepped in and Mycroft closed and locked the door behind them. They walked through the large, dark hall into the dinning room, where Mycroft was working.

The kitchen connected onto to this room so Greg walked over to the open door. "I brought some food. I wasn't sure what you'd want though so I got quite a lot..." He called from the kitchen.

"Oh, don't worry. I've already eaten this evening. Just leave it on the counter and help yourself." Mycroft was lying through his teeth but to him the guilt from that was better than the guilt of worrying his boyfriend.

"Uh, actually I already ate as well... I was hungry in the car so I had some... I'll just put it in the fridge." Greg yelled back.

Mycrofts breath hitched. He jumped up imediantly and rushed into the kitchen. "No, Gregory it's fine! Just leave it there!"

"It's no bother, honestl-" Greg opened the fridge and what he saw made his heart drop. "Mycroft...?"

He turned to see Mycroft stood in the doorway. His face was pale and he could only look at the floor.

"Please tell me you just need to go shopping..." Greg asked this in vein. He knew in the back of his mind this wasn't the case.

There was a moment of silence, Mycroft hadn't looked up from the floor and Greg hadn't taken his eyes off him.

"How long has this fridge been empty?" Greg questioned.

"Not long. I just haven't had time with work to get anything." Mycroft said, finally looking up. In his mind this lie was the lesser of two evils.

Greg narrowed his eyes. "Mycroft. How. Long." His voice had stern, his face hard.

"Three days..." Mycroft had given in. He knew he had been found out and that trying to cover it up was pointless.

Greg gasped, he put the food down on the counter and moved over to Mycroft. When he was there he reached for his boyfriends hands but Mycroft pulled away. Mycrofts eyes were glued to the ground in shame.

"Mycroft..." Greg spoke softly. "You can't keep doing this. You need to eat..."

Mycroft was silent.

"You'll end up getting yourself killed if this keeps up." Greg didn't try to hide the pain in his voice.

Mycroft scoffed and moved away, back into the other room and over to his chair. "Don't be ridiculous. The human body can go at least three weeks without food."

"Mycroft!" Greg followed right after him. He grabbed the sides of the chair he was sat at and turned Mycroft to face him. "Don't get all logical on me! You know full well at the end of those three weeks you'd be nothing but bone!"

Mycrofts face screwed up in anger, he opened his mouth to say something but the words left him, and his face softened again. Gregory was right, he knew that, but it was still hard.

Greg glanced at the phone on the table. "I told you Mycroft. Any time, day or night. If you start getting these thoughts again, you need to call me right away."

"I know Gregory but it's late, I didn't want to worry you..." Mycroft sighed and nodded, like a child receiving a lecture.

"This Mycroft, this is a lot more worrying. Please, I want to help you. Let me help you..." Greg finally took Mycrofts hand and he let it happen.

"Ok Greg, you win. Please, help me..." Mycroft replied, weakly. He squeezed Greg's hand.

Mycroft leaned into Greg's chest and in this one moment, nothing else mattered but the embrace of his boyfriend. Before long Greg could hear the sound of sniffling and feel the wetness that came with the tears Mycroft couldn't hold anymore.

"Shhhh... It's ok Myc, we'll get through this, together."

Mycroft knew that his weight would get a hold of him again, but he also knew that Greg would always be there to help him. No matter what.