A/N: Sorry it took me so long to post this. I took my time with writing this story and then I was trying to find a beta. OneWhoSitsWithTheTurtles, my wonderful friend, who usually does beta work for me is rather busy lately, so I was looking for a beta for my shorter stories. I tired contacting three registered beta readers on this site and none of them answered me. So…here I am, posting this unbeted. I hope there are not too many mistakes and especially I hope I didn't mix up any facts.
Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me. Also there are real people mentioned in this story. My knowledge of them is solely based on Wikipedia and on a couple of articles from magazines. Just as my knowledge of the events mentioned in this story.
This was written for a prompt fromLIGHTNSHADOWS: "Always a bridesmaid, never the groom. Mycroft being the British Government, had to organize all the details for Prince William and Katherine's wedding, organize Zara Philips wedding, and Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee, and the Oympics/Paraolympics, so when does he get time to romantically propose to Greg? Or does Greg propose to Mycroft?"
Somehow Mycroft had found himself organizing weddings and other social events. He was not sure, how he got there, but surrounded by assistants and subjected to questions about decorations and flowers he kind of hated his job. Especially since it stood between him and his decision to propose to the man he loved.
A Love You Never Knew You Needed
The wedding was supposed to be huge and important and a true nightmare for the planners. And even more terrible for a person who was responsible for the security.
Royal wedding. An event big enough to warrant a person of highest authority to supervise the work. Mycroft didn't have a way to refuse, even though he absolutely hated big social gatherings. Too many strangers, too much attention from the press, too many influential people gathered in one place – a fantastic opportunity for an assassination attempt. That, unfortunately, was a fact proved right too many times in history.
Nonetheless, the royal wedding was to take place at the 29th of April and Mycroft had to make sure that no one would get killed or accidentally hurt. After two months since the preparations started Mycroft cursed the day Prince William proposed to Catherine Middleton. Two months more and Mycroft was ready to let someone die on that wedding if only it meant he could be spared this nightmare. After three more months he could have agreed to fake his death to get rid of all this.
Somewhere in the midst of wedding preparations – and God, phrased that way it sounded like he was choosing cakes and flowers day after day – Mycroft met a very peculiar man. A Detective Inspector, one of the policemen who were called in to help, even though most of those divisions were not supposed to be involved in providing security for the wedding. Mycroft had never met someone like Gregory Lestrade before. Easy going and charming, not the center of attention but everyone liked him; from the first glance he seemed simple-minded but once you've talked with him it turned out that Gregory Lestrade was very intelligent; he was also attractive and, as Mycroft found out through his unofficial sources, played for the same team. That piece of knowledge was something he was not supposed to use for his personal goals, but it warmed his heart nonetheless.
It was Gregory who made the first step. One lovely morning when Mycroft was taking his third cup of tea since waking up the man casually came up to him and said that they should have lunch together sometime. Mycroft, who had been going over the disposition of the troops on the wedding day, was so tired that he just sat there, dumbfounded and unable to reply. Finally, after Gregory gave a little awkward cough, Mycroft snapped back to attention, stumbling over his words to say yes. It was the best decision he had ever made.
By the time the appointed wedding day came Mycroft found himself in a happy relationship with Gregory Lestrade.
They haven't seen each other for a week before the wedding of Prince William and Cate Middleton; both too busy with their respective jobs and their parts in the whole event.
And then, when Mycroft caught a sight of his lover of several months in the crowd of policemen near the Westminster Abbey, he felt a tug in his gut – a need to come up to the man and just be in his presence, a look in the eye, a half smile and the brush of the fingertips…When did Mycroft Holmes turned into a bloody romantic? He blamed everything on the whole 'love in the air' mood of the wedding.
Later, when the ceremony was over and the Queen's lunchtime reception at Buckingham Palace had ended and Mycroft appeared at the private dinner for a couple of minutes, it was required for him to attend but he was too tired to stay for longer, he finally had a chance to relax. He had no idea how Gregory did it but by the time Mycroft was completely free of any responsibilities of the day and was on the way to his car he noticed the DI there, leaning on the hood of a slick black vehicle, hands in the pockets of his trousers and legs crossed casually.
"Looking good, Mr. Holmes." Gregory said as soon as Mycroft neared him, making a show of looking the other man over, eyes roaming over his form still clad in formal attire.
"I'd offer a reward to a person who takes this suit off of me; I'm so tired of this." He picked on the lapel of his tuxedo with a frown. "This is too formal even for me."
"Well…" Gregory drawled reaching out and wounding his arms around Mycroft's waist. "What is this reward going to be?"
"I think I will let that person decide." Mycroft replied, a note of playfulness in his tone born out of a new found of energy; in Gregory's arms after a tiring day he felt alive again.
"Oh then," the other man's hands slid lower, caressing the dip of his spine and stopping at his backside. "I think I have something fun in mind."
"Fun, you say?" Mycroft smiled just a second before Gregory leaning in to kiss him.
"Isn't every minute with me fun?" The DI joked but Mycroft hummed in agreement and kissed him again.
It was on that evening, on the day of the royal wedding, in the arms of this amazing man, that Mycroft Holmes realized that he was in love.
It was on that day when a sudden realization hit him. It must have been worse than a proverbial train; it was more like an explosion right under his nose that shook his whole world.
The wedding was a small affair…for a royal wedding. And for that Mycroft was eternally grateful. Zara Phillips had always been called "the royal rebel" and he quite liked her for that. At her special day she once again surprised everyone – it only brought a smile to Mycroft's face when it made the older generation gasp. Insisting on keeping her maiden name was a wonderful touch to her image.
There was no politician in sight on that wedding, only the family and closest friends. Mycroft Holmes had gotten his invitation but he did not need it. He wasn't even sure how it had happened, but he got roped into organizing another royal wedding. Thankfully, not the decorations and such, but the security and the coordination became his responsibility. It all started with a request, from one person that nobody ever refused to help.
Suddenly Mycroft found himself in the midst of wedding preparations, surrounded by planners reporting to him their every smallest step. "Mr. Holmes, we chose the colour scheme for the wedding." "Mr. Holmes, we talked things over with the catering. But the bride still has doubts about the cake." "Mr. Holmes, we have a crisis! The invitations won't be printed in time!" "Mr. Holmes! The music band had suddenly raised the price. What do we do?" "Mr. Holmes, the press is asking for the permission to cover the wedding." "Mr. Holmes." "Mr. Holmes?" "Mr. Holmes!"
Mycroft was about to start hating his own name by the time the wedding day arrived. Start hating the whole idea of ever getting married.
But then, when he watched Zara Phillips walk down the aisle towards her husband, beautiful in her simple but stunning wedding gown, graceful and so full of happiness, he felt a pricking behind his eyes. He was feeling unexpectedly sentimental. Because the most beautiful thing about the bride was her radiant smile as her husband-to-be slipped a ring on her finger.
In that moment Mycroft realized that he missed something important in his life. That he wanted something more in his future. He already had love. Now he wanted a marriage with a man he loved.
Mycroft Holmes had never made rush decisions. He knew what he wanted but he never hurried to get it. Especially not when it concerned such a serious matter as the one currently on his mind.
His relationship with Gregory was going smoothly, they had a few minor fights but, unexpectedly, they always agreed on the more significant matters, unexpectedly, for Mycroft at least, who was so used to quarreling over the smallest matters with his brother and sometimes with his mother. Gregory seemed to understand him perfectly; they were so different in their characters but still were in sync with each other. Mycroft had never enjoyed being in a relationship more. He had never loved any other man as he loved Gregory Lestrade. Never in his life had he wanted to call someone his rightful husband.
So it was terribly frustrating when he was bereft of the chance to make that one step in their relationship. The Diamond Jubilee should not have come so unexpected, but Mycroft, too preoccupied with his personal matters, was quite surprised when he got a phone call from the Buckingham palace. And thus, another matter that needed his immediate attention appeared. Once again Mycroft found himself in the midst of preparations. It was a part of his job he enjoyed the least; dealing with secret services, negotiations and threatening those who went against him – this was important, organizing security for social gathering – not so much. At least not for Mycroft; other people can deal with that. But, obviously, the highest authority thought him to be the best man for the job.
Most of the time he was too busy for a phone call, not to mention a meeting.
"Gregory, I'm sorry I-"
"That's not the best phrase to start a conversation with." Gregory chastised him with a chuckle. He did not sound angry as Mycroft expected. His tone was light, his hoarse voice undeniably recognizable even over the static of the phone.
"I know, I'm sorry…Good evening, Gregory." He said, making an effort to sound calm and pleasant, all the while waving away an annoying assistant who was asking too many questions. She huffed, rolled her eyes and strode away; Mycroft glared at her back while Gregory laughed in his ear softly.
"Always so formal," the DI commented.
"Sorry…" Mycroft repeated again, chagrined; he looked down at his shoes, shuffling a bit, suddenly feeling like a terrible partner. He had been neglecting Gregory since the preparations for the Jubilee had started, but his lover was patient and very understanding, unexpectedly so. It threw Mycroft off balance and made him fall in love with the man even more.
"How are the things going?"
"Horrendous, as always."
"Will you be home in time for dinner?"
Mycroft sighed. They'd been living together for a couple of months now; all the apprehension he had felt on the day Gregory moved in had melted away, leaving only a sweet content. That's why he was sad to inform his lover that he would be home late. Glancing at the horde of assistants, all so an edge they dared to shoot him annoyed glares, he added. "Very late. Don't wait up for me."
Gregory brushed off another apology and wished Mycroft luck in dealing with all those crazy people, each asking questions and demanding something from him. Mycroft hang up and stared at his phone for a moment. He promised himself that after all this madness is over he'll definitely ask Gregory to marry him.
The Olympics. The most significant event in the world of sports; huge and important for politicians of every country as well as for simple citizens. Had not Her Majesty expressed her will to take part in the opening ceremony Mycroft might have got out of this. He was not so lucky. He had joined the team who had been working on that event for a long time now so he did not have to take charge, leaving most of the decisions to those people, but he was present on all the meetings and stepped in when they needed more people to provide the security or asked for his advice.
It was not as tiring as the Jubilee, but one thing came right after another and he did not have any time for rest. His usual job was exhausting enough but with added work load, when he returned home, Mycroft had no strength for anything but to fall down on his lovely soft bed and fall asleep. Gregory was always there; almost every evening – from time to time he was so involved with a case that he had to work late – he greeted his lover, taking Mycroft into his arms and kissing him softly.
"You are so sweet when you're tired." He'd whisper into Mycroft's ear.
"I'm not sweet," Mycroft would protest weakly. "It's physically impossible for me to be sweet." And Gregory would chuckle at this and kiss his temple and drag him to the kitchen so that Mycroft would have something to eat before he'd fall into their bed.
Those evenings were the most wonderful. Mycroft enjoyed them even in his half-conscious state. There was only one person who was allowed to see him like that, one person he wanted by his side at the moments he felt the weakest. He loved Gregory all the more for this.
One day he felt so overwhelmed by that love, he wasted his lunch break on visiting a jewelry store, looking at wedding bands and contemplating. How would Gregory react if Mycroft asked the man to marry him? Would he be happy and agree? Or would it turn awkward when Gregory would admit that he did not want to marry Mycroft? Indecision had never been one of his traits, but it crept into his mind now, making him overthink everything. He left the shop still deep in thought.
He decided, he'd wait a little more. He needed a clear head to make that decision and, exhausted as he was, Mycroft was not ready to take that step, no matter how much he actually wanted to.
Paralympics didn't come as unexpected event. Mycroft was waiting for a moment he'd be asked to help with the organization once again. He was already used to it, in some way; which did not mean that he didn't want it to stop. He wanted a moment of peace and quiet; needed some time to think over a decision he had made long ago but was still hesitant to make a first step. Well, there was nothing more than one step, but oh how hard it was to make.
Mycroft was so absorbed in his own problem that he didn't notice a shift in his lover's mood. It would have bothered him, had he not been too deep in his own thoughts all the time.
So, when the Paralympics were over as well and he finally managed to get a proverbial breath of fresh air, free from any additional duties, Mycroft came to a decision that he was going to ask Gregory to be his husband. Propose. Very soon. Once the thought settled in his mind Mycroft again felt calm and confident. Right up to the moment when Gregory took him by his hands and sat them both down on the sofa in the living room.
"I think we need to talk." Gregory said and Mycroft felt a chill run down his spine. He did not have much experience with relationships but it was a common knowledge that those exact words never lead to anything good.
"What is it, Gregory?" Mycroft asked directly.
The DI's thumbs ran gentle circles on Mycroft's hands and the calming gesture seemed such a contrast to what Mycroft thought was coming.
"It's just…" Gregory started but paused, searching for words. "You've been so busy with work lately…"
"By lately you mean the last couple of months?" Mycroft asked dryly, hiding his sudden fear behind the indifference.
"Yeah," Greg nodded and his breathy chuckle eased Mycroft's worry a little. "I know nothing could be done. I told you already that I understand the importance of your job to you."
Mycroft nodded and found himself unable to look back up, into his lover's eyes. He wasn't sure where this talk was going; it made him feel vulnerable. At that moment Gregory had a power over him and there was nothing he could do – just sit there and listen.
"But…I missed you." Gregory's hands were holding Mycroft's fingers loosely. "And it made me realize something. Something important."
Gregory squeezed his hand, silently asking Mycroft to look at him. When their eyes met, he continued. "It made me value our relationship even more."
Mycroft couldn't keep his frown of confusion. That wasn't…that wasn't what he had been expecting. Not even close. Which was a good thing, actually.
"I realized that at times like these I want to be sure that…that at the end of the day you'll be back home with me. That you want to return to me. That…that you belong to me." By the end his voice was quiet and gentle, his hazel eyes watching Mycroft nervously.
"What do you mean?"
"Oh just…" He let out a nervous chuckle and reached into his jacket pocket. When Mycroft noticed a black velvet box, held carefully between his fingers, breath caught in his throat. "Will you marry me?" Gregory asked as he opened the box to reveal a simple golden ring. An engagement ring.
Stunned, Mycroft froze in one place, his only reaction – a surprised hitch of his breath. He had been thinking about this for so long, turning the idea in his head, worrying about the outcome; and here Gregory was. Just asking.
There was nothing else Mycroft could do but to say "Yes." And watch a huge smile stretch his lover's face.
A/N: Since I failed to find a beta for short stories I decided I'd probably give up on that. But! I'm also looking for a person who could Brit-pick my stories. And maybe, occasionally, point out some typos and more obvious mistakes. If anyone is interested, please, PM me.