A Quiet History, by crocodile_eat_u (NC-17)

[unovis.livejournal.com]

Fandom: SHERLOCK BBC
Pairing: Mycroft/Lestrade
Length: 2955
Author on LJ: crocodile_eat_u
Author Website: works on AO3
Why this must be read:
Mycroft Holmes and D.I. Lestrade may seem an odd pairing at first blink. In the Sherlock BBC episodes they're never shown together, though they're standing on the same street at one point. In fact, in most adaptations of Sherlock Holmes, no attempt is made to present either character as an attractive man. One of the delights of Sherlock is the interpretation of Mycroft as his brother's antagonist (more humorously than in The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes), and as a character with weight issues, rather than as Doyle's sedentary man of full habit (played by Christopher Lee in The Private Life, he's also slender, but without rationale). Another delight is the mature and gorgeous and competent and slightly battered, world weary Lestrade, embodied by Rupert Graves. Is it any wonder that Sherlock fic features pairings, and incest, rarely found for other "verses" of Sherlock Holmes?

The coming together of these quite different characters can be endearing in the right hands; or even faintly sinister. It is, after all, Mycroft. There are often class issues, trust issues, power imbalances, and the thorny brother embedded in both their sides. If you're lucky, there's food.

"A Quiet History" gives Lestrade an interesting backstory and Mycroft a suitable, believable setting. It's not fluff, it's not quite dark, it's not quite romance. It's terrifically sexy if you have a thing for books (among other tastes). I like what the author's done with them.

A Quiet History (on LJ) on AO3