Insufficient Clearance

[weefreethings]

Title: Insufficient Clearance
Summary: Mycroft's superiors in Military Intelligence have decided to put a stop to his little side projects, such as kidnapping his brother's flat-mate and dating Inspector Lestrade.
Pairing:  Mycroft/Lestrade
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: same-sex romantic relationship, mild swearing
Spoilers: Study in Pink
Disclaimers: Mycroft

Comments

[dominomino]

This is absolutely brilliant! I really really loved the idea of the Crossroads Project too. Personally I've never imagined Mycroft to have superiors somehow before, but this was really really plausible to me too. Good job!

[weefreethings]

Thanks! That was why the prompt was so helpful to me, because it caused a whole back-story to spring into being, and I just needed to find an interesting part of it to make into a story.
Writing Mycroft with fewer limits is much harder, I think, but there are some great writers on LJ doing just that.

[madwriter223]

This was awesome. Not gonna say how uber-brilliant the Crossroads Project idea is, cause a lot of people already praised it. But I would like to point out that I positively adored how you portrayed Mycroft's humanity in this. The scene when his apartment was searched and how that bastard handler treated him brought tears in my eyes.
Pure brilliance, luv, pure brilliance.

[weefreethings]

Thanks so much! I had a lot of fun with the difference between the inner and the outer Mycroft, and what it was going to take to make the inner one break down.

Since this story was from Mycroft's point of view, Sir Robert comes off looking like a monster, when he's really just screwing up. As a former field agent, Robert's not used to handling an asset except in an emergency. Ian McElroy is a monster, the kind that usually flourishes in an atmosphere of constant danger.

[madwriter223]

McElroy did come of as a bully (or as a different word, starting with a d). But I did get a vibe that Sir Robert was the type of pompous asshole that 'always knows best', even when he really doesn't. Plus, the more times I've read it (four times and counting), I get the feeling Sir Robert thinks of Mycroft like of a possession or a slave with no rights of his own.

[lucybun]

"They had just gotten to snogging, and Mycroft was a but surprised at how much he enjoyed it."

This whole fic was so well done. But that line right there, that's going to keep me going for the whole week. You've summarized my head-canon for Mycroft in any pairing in one sentence. I think he would be so careful at the start of any relationship, and I also agree that he would be shocked to find himself enjoying a romance. Excellent!

[weefreethings]

Thanks both for the encouragement and for finding that darned typo. I proofread this beastie at least twice and thought I had found them all! >.< It's fixed now.

I was really worried about being able to write romance, let alone slash. But the prompt made me wonder about the kind of security a super-spy setting like James Bond or Chuck would require for someone like Mycroft. And many security measures might seem worthwhile or justified without the problem of love. I needed a romantic interest who readers would know to be lovable up front, and Lestrade just makes more sense to me for Mycroft than John does. So I kind of had to write it, and am very relieved that you found it believable, for you are very good at writing romance!

[lucybun]

I didn't even notice the typo. But I find a typo of my own everytime I reread something I've written. Thank God for that edit function. ;D And I don't think you need to worry about writing romance or anything else. I'm looking forward to more work from you soon!

[obsessionality]

Delicious. Just gorgeous. Crossroads projects gives you a win. Mycroft's humanity makes you ruler of the universe, period. Emma's badassery makes me grin. You know what I'd love? A version of this from Lestrade's POV. How did he fall in with Emma?
Love,
Lady Merlin

[weefreethings]

Thanks for the encouragement! Great plot-bunny there, but I've been a little scared of trying to handle Lestrade's perspective. Guess I won't know until I try!

[weefreethings]

Thanks for your kind words!