*waves* hi readers, last week sucked, it felt like Murphy's law decided my family needed a visit and we really didn't. Here's last weeks chapter and this weeks. Enjoy!

17th, July 2005
John's POV
He's rather happy to see exactly how well the brothers are getting along right now. He still expects that there will be more rough spots to come, but it's a positive sign. He's also happily surprised that the psychopath sitting beside him is behaving. He's got a feeling that is a very rare thing when it comes to Jim.

For a little bit they manage to just eat and visit, the most boring sort of idle chit-chat he has ever seen siblings have.

Do these two know anything about each other? Well, do they know anything personal about each other might be a better question?

Still, they manage to sort of get a rhythm going in the conversation. Each person is polite enough to let the others think about what they want to say and actually say it. Something he knows a lot of folks who are not used to sign language as a primary language have a difficult time with.

As he watches, he realizes that Jim is taking his behavioral and emotional response cues from Jasper. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Particularly as Jasper is the stable one of that partnership. He also notices that Sherlock keeps looking at him, almost as if seeking approval, although it takes him a moment to realize why. For some reason the teenager trusts his opinion more than anyone else in the room. That's . . . humbling.

So how to actually make this more like friends rather than strangers are talking to each other?

Well ,Jasper and Jim already do it, they have years of friendship, and it shows in the easy way they talk.

Maybe, hmmm, maybe he should try doing something like an introduction or friendship building lesson? It's not like Jim couldn't use the help with that anyways. Does the psychopath even have friends beyond Jasper? Probably not. Sherlock, well, if he had friends, good friends, real friends, he probably wouldn't have ended up in this situation. Mycroft, most likely as friendless as Jim. Which leaves Jasper. He's got a feeling the second agent and computer programmer has friends, he's also certain that those friends are mostly of Jim's ilk.

—Let's play a game,— he suggests, immediately having Jim's undivided attention, which draws Sherlock's attention because Jim rarely pays attention to anything that closely.

—Games are interesting, continue,— Jim tells him, almost as if answering what he was just thinking.

He's still getting used to that, and there's four of them that can do it.

—Each person stands up and says something about themselves. It has to include at least one word from the person before them, and cannot be about the exact same thing. Words that don't count are I, me, and mine. — He explains, looking to see what their reactions are like.

He glances at each, waiting to see what their responses are.

He's mildly surprised Sherlock is the first to agree, —Okay.—

Smiling, he nods encouragingly at the teenager.

Jasper nods sharply once at Jim and the psychopath sighs dramatically, —Oh fine. I agree to the conditions as well.—

—Conditions?— he asks warily.

—No lying or side stepping,— Jasper promptly replies. —I like making him be honest. It's so hard for him sometimes. Besides, it's good practice for Sherlock to get a read on whether Jim is being truthful.—

—Pike's mean, if I'm not, he'll keep track and give me some of the most annoying and boring tasks possible later.— Jim complains, —Saying boring is dull in sign language, I can't draw it out. —

That startles another brief chuckle out of Sherlock and gets Mycroft staring at his brother in something akin to hopeful shock.

—I take it you're playing? — he asks Jasper curiously.

—Of course,— the agent replies with a grin. —I can't expect him to behave if I don't.—

—Don't let him fool you, he misbehaves just as much, he's just not as flashy or dramatic about it.— Jim retorts with a smirk.

—I can believe that,— Mycroft remarks after a moment thought, —He'd have to in order to keep up. I will play as well.—

—Great, I'll go first.— he declares, standing up and thinking about it for a moment, —I wanted to be a soldier as a child.—

Jasper stands up after he sits down, —I always wanted to be a hacker like my dad.—

—Our uncle was a hacker? — Sherlock asks Mycroft before standing up, —I wanted to be a pirate growing up.—

He beams at the teenager, happy to see his patient and friend trying. Just a few short weeks ago there wouldn't have been that much said in an entire day, let alone a single sentence. He hopes Mycroft realizes exactly how much progress the young man is making.

—Yes, he was, — the politician replies with a slight nod, —I wanted to use my interests to my advantage.—

Smirking, Jim replies to that when he stands, —I wanted to use my differences as a way to gain power. It mostly works. —

Shaking his head, Jasper just smiles at the table, taking another bite of food.

Some reason, he's fairly certain that Pike is the reason Wildcard hasn't had more success.

—Power may be important to some, but knowing how to use it is more important. — He remarks before standing up and saying, —I lost the ability to hear, but gained the ability to study without loud noises bothering me.—

Sherlock looks like he wants to laugh but isn't sure if that's the right response. He just grins.

—I always loved studying. There are lots of new things to learn. — Jasper comments for his turn, a playful smile curving his lips.

—I have always found studying boring, — teenager declares before almost throwing himself back into the seat and looking at his brother expectantly.

The politician looks thoughtful, finishing the bite he's on before standing up to say, —Studying was always used as an advantage, knowledge is power, and power can be very useful. —

—Agreed! — The psychopath proclaims before slowly standing, —Power was my way out of being the target of bullies for being on the small side. —

For some reason, having the psychopath agreeing made Mycroft uneasy. It only takes him a moment of reflecting to understand why. Ah, the older man doesn't like have something in common with the agent. He's got a feeling there is more in common than not, which probably unsettles the gray eyed man a lot.

—Bullies were part of life, I was small and deaf, but I could fight better than they expected. — He comments slowly, that had been a horrible time in his life, but he's sure it's a big part of why he grew up to help people.

Tipping his dark head sideways, the bi-speckled man studies him for a moment before taking his turn.—Fighting better than expected is always an advantage for someone on the slender side, knowing what makes someone tick is handy too. Math is not my only love. I also enjoy more artistic pursuits such as painting and playing the piano. —

Mischief fills the agent next to him face, —I can think of at least two other loves too.—

From there the game seemed to take a life of its own. They didn't go in circles around the table, instead whoever was not eating would comment, and they stopped standing up. Despite that, it seemed to do the trick as the air wasn't so fraught with tension any more. The feeling that they had nothing in common faded as little details came to the surface.

Mycroft, Sherlock, and Jasper all had formal lessons for their instruments. All three can play multiple different ones, although each also has a favorite.

Science is a favorite for himself, Jim and Sherlock.

Mycroft and Jasper agree that herding agents is like herding cats, it takes a special sort of skill that most people lack, are too stupid to understand, or are able to actually pull off.

They talk about the worst bullies in their lives, and he sees the discreet way Pike tells the Wildcard no. There's an entire private conversation around that word that is nothing more than glances and expressions. It's rather fascinating, and he's not the only one who thinks so since Sherlock watches with rapt attention. Unsurprising it happens when Mycroft is up getting a new plate, and thus has his back to the dark-haired pair of trouble.

They talk about favorite foods, textures that make things difficult or easy to eat, and why they pick certain foods over others. He learns of some of the places that the spooks and politician have been, and the different things that was considered local delicacies. He learns what other foods Mycroft can make, and what things Jim can make. Jasper apparently can't cook and burns boiling water, yet can rebuild damn-near anything without any issues.

—Funniest thing you will ever see, him fixing an appliance because I took it apart to see how it works, he can't cook worth a damn, but he's got that going for him.— Jim had stated with a smirk.

—Ask him about the time he woke up in semtex if he ever gets too sassy, — Jasper retorted with his own smirk.

He had laughed then, not wanting to know but having a feeling that Sherlock will definitely ask at some point in the future.

Each of them had several plates, and the cook had kept bringing fresh drinks as those are going faster than the food.

By the time the game finally fades away to just talking, everyone is nearly on friendly terms, although he can see how stiff Mycroft is too. He'll have to talk to the politician about that later. For now, this was a brilliant idea on the older man's part. It builds trust and bonds while still giving each of them a chance to learn about the others.

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Authors Note: On the 28th of November I will be posting a complete 130 chapter fic over on AO3 called Different Paths that is a James Bond triad verse soulmate fic. The triad is James Bond/Alec Trevelyan/Q (Jon). If there is any interest, I'll also post it here for folks to read over the next few months.