Disclaimer: I don't own BBC Sherlock.
In Your Mind
0.
Sherlock Holmes has a lot of secrets. Of course he does. He is a consulting detective. Secrets literally come to him every day, knocking his door.
1.
Not all of his secrets can be blamed sorely on his job. There are other secrets he has that have nothing to do with the fact that he is a consulting detective. One of those is this;
He is a telepath.
2.
The first one to have recognized his ability was Mycroft. Nothing surprising there, since Mycroft himself was also a telepath.
But, that fact is a secret. Even Mr. and Mrs. Holmes didn't know what kind of ability their children have. They just thought that they were talented kids.
They didn't know how talented they are, though.
3.
One day, Mycroft Holmes realized that his brother was one of his kinds. He saw something in Sherlock's mind, something that his brother shouldn't have known, unless he could read others' mind, too.
From that day on, Mycroft Holmes had become Sherlock Holmes' protector and creator. He showed him how to control and improve his ability. He also taught him how to live as a mutant that has super power.
Don't let anybody know that you are a telepath.
That was the first lesson Mycroft gave to Sherlock. That was also the one thing that Mycroft constantly drilled into his brother's head. Humans were simple. They feared unknown, especially when that unknown was powerful. The fact that someone could read their mind and even control their behavior would be terrifying. The moment that fact was made known, people would bury them alive. It wouldn't matter at all if those so called 'telepaths' were good people or not. The only thing that would matter to those mops would be to eradicate the seed of fear.
Observe, and learn how to give a goddamn good piece of deduction.
It's also Mycroft who told Sherlock to do so. They are tools to hide their ability. The problem with being a telepath is that one often forgets from which he got that particular information; did somebody told him that, or did he just read it from others' mind? The trouble gets bigger when one blubbers out that information. And every single time, people would ask him, How did you know that?
Sherlock used to panic at such questions, but he got to know better. Mycroft made sure of that. Oh, it's nothing, young Sherlock learned to just give a smirk and answer, I just made an observation. Then, people nodded their heads like the idiot they were. Sometimes they would even swear.
But they didn't know, and they still don't.
The secret is safe.
4.
It was when Sherlock was still a student. Two particular teachers stood in his mind; Mr. Collins and Mr. Brown.
Mr. Collins, was a boring old man, except for the fact that he just happened to have an affair with Mr. Brown's wife. Sherlock got this piece of information from Mr. Collins' mind, with quite a vivid image that he absolutely didn't want to see.
Mr. Brown was a chemistry teacher. Ergo, it was him who got the unpleasant task of scolding eleven-year-old Sherlock when he almost blew up the school laboratory in one of his enthusiastic/mad experience.
Your wife is having an affair with Mr. Collins.
Bored to tears with the lecturing that went on forever, Sherlock let out the scandalizing fact. What? That made Mr. Brown stop for sure. Only, Sherlock could sense a wave of anger and frustration coming from Mr. Brown, caused by the fact that a little kid would dare say such a thing in the middle of being reproached. At that, Sherlock hurriedly gave out lists of evidences that would support his claim. Those clues were so obvious that anyone with a half a brain would be able to piece together the whole story from them.
Mr. Brown's face began to pale drastically. Go, now, he said with gritted teeth. Sherlock strutted away without a word. He didn't feel the need to further read his teacher's mind, so triumph was he by the fact that he successful stopped the annoying telling off.
The door closed softly behind Sherlock, but Mr. Brown continued to just stand in the empty class for a long time.
After that, Mr. Brown avoided Sherlock. Sherlock thought that it was because he showed deduction skill that was way over his age group. He also thought that things would have been much more uncomfortable if the fact that he was a telepath got out.
He was relieved.
5.
It was a bit after that particular incident. Sherlock went into some café – and he was so old enough to drink coffee, no matter what Mycroft said – and found Mr. and Mrs. Brown sitting in the table that was in front of him. Mr. Brown's back was facing Sherlock, so he had no idea that he was sharing his space with that impudent brat who told him in his face about his wife's affair.
Sherlock could see Mrs. Brown's face, though, and she was crying, telling her husband of her fling with Mr. Collins. She really regretted about what happened. Sherlock could tell.
Mr. Brown put a hand on his wife's shaking shoulder. Don't cry, Anny. It's okay. He kissed her on the forehead. He was the man who rarely showed his anger. After a moment, they went out of the store.
Few minutes later, Sherlock got out of there, too. He retched and threw up, completely emptying his stomach. It was not okay. He just couldn't stop shuddering. Mr. Brown was the man who rarely showed his anger, but it did not mean that he actually didn't feel any. His rage against his wife and Mr. Collins was far from being cooled off. Sherlock saw it all in that man's head; terrible smell of flesh smoldering from acid, sound of woman's pain-filled scream, cold yet burning sensation of knife, and that horrifying bang-…. Sherlock couldn't stand it. The image of Mr. Brown, with his face as calm as a marble, wouldn't just leave the young boy alone.
Sherlock threw up again.
6.
The next day, three bodies were found, which had been identified as Mr. Brown, Mrs. Brown, and Mr. Collins. Mr. Collins' body, or rather, what was remained of it, was dreadful. It was hardly recognizable with all the acid and knifing it took. It seemed like those wound had been afflicted while he was still alive. Mrs. Brown was tied a bit away from Mr. Collins. Judging from her time of death, she died after she witnessed the torture that Mr. Collins went through. Her death was much cleaner, though. One bullet to her heart, and it was over. Mr. Brown killed himself after murdering them both. A terrible tragedy, but a common crime of passion, the newspaper seemed to say so.
People who had known those three personally were all shocked by this event. Sherlock wasn't. Nothing that happened in the real life was any more horrifying than what he had actually seen in Mr. Brown's mind. He cursed the fact that he could literally get into someone else's head. And he despised Mycroft who helped him cultivate such loathsome ability.
Sherlock, are you okay? Mycroft gently put his hand on his little brother's shoulder. His mind also came softly to Sherlock's mind, as was the usual case when he was worried about him. It was a kind of a mental knock, if you will. Mycroft was asking for permission to come inside Sherlock's mind in order to give some comfort. Put that hand off of me, Sherlock said in a frigid voice and slammed shut his mental door. Mycroft flinched and took a step back at that impact, his hand naturally coming down from Sherlock's shoulder.
-Sherlock?
Get away from my mind, Mycroft! Sherlock snarled.
Bam, the door to Sherlock's room shut closed.
That door opened after a while. The door to Sherlock's mind, on the other hand, never did.
7.
After that, Sherlock tried not to use his telepathic ability as much as possible. He frantically began to rely only on his logic and deduction. He never read other people's mind while he invested.
(No use reading it I knew what Mr. Brown would do- but couldn't do anything Need evidence Just reading it won't do a thing)
It's no fun if you know everything already, he told himself.
Emotion is not important, he opened his mouth, it only gets in the way of logic.
(Fear fear that mind-numbing fear Even with the evidence could I have stopped it So scared couldn't even move)
Sherlock Holmes hates contradiction, but he knows that it exists inside him. He doesn't know what to think of this.
8.
Don't make me order you, Sherlock, said Mycroft with his eyes narrowed.
Sherlock Holmes and Mycroft Holmes are both telepaths. That doesn't mean that their ability is the same. Mycroft has always been better with manipulating people. In fact, it can be said that Sherlock has no talent in that area compared to his brother.
I'd like to see you try, answers Sherlock, his smile chilly enough to freeze the air.
On the other hand, Sherlock has been the better mind reader between the two of them. He already knows several pieces of information that could make Mycroft's life troublesome.
The brothers glare at each other. Their abilities are slightly different, but they are always equal in their power. There has been no clear winner, and this time is no exception.
They go back to their respective realms once again.
9.
Just how in the world could you guys know whether I slept in the bed or the sofa? John muttered to Sherlock after Mycroft went away with his ever present umbrella.
You Holmes brothers are really impossible, John continued as he made tea, puttering around the kitchen. It's like you can read minds or something.
Oh, John, Sherlock faintly said, giving a mysterious smile.
You have no idea.
AN: Tada, the end! I have no idea why, but I always liked Mycroft's line 'Don't make me order you, Sherlock.', and coupled with the X-men First Class movie I saw few days ago, telepath!Sherlock story just popped into my mind. It just wouldn't let me go until I was finshed with it XD
So, I hope you guys enjoyed this, and your reviews will always be appreciated!