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Mycroft had timed the meeting perfectly or as close to perfection as a human being can get, and considering his track record that was incredibly high. So, while Gary and his sister were at the park, Mycroft finally made his carefully timed move.
"Mr Unwin a pleasure to meet you." Courteous, polite, and bland smile on his face, all in all, Mycroft looks bland, uninteresting and very boring and so very terrifyingly normal.
"Can I help ya bruv?" Mycroft knew that he could speak English correctly, but this was a test. One that Mycroft planned on passing with flying colours.
"Perhaps or perhaps not, it all depends on you." The smile on his face was still carefully bland and fully controlled.
"Interestin' frase dat, why? Wot ya fink I know?" Despite knowing that Gary was butchering words on purpose, it still didn't stop Mycroft from feeling irritated. That was, however, a rather large component of this test and Mycroft could, if nothing else, control himself.
"I am sure that you have noticed certain things happening." Mycroft watched as Gary narrowed his eyes at him.
"Maybe I do, maybe I don't." A clever play on words, neither confirming nor denying, but implying. The trick here was that what Gary was implying could be nearly anything. Were these cocky words of acknowledgement or a bid to hide ignorance? It could be hard to determine.
Very clever, Gary wasn't someone to be underestimated.
"So the removal of Dean Anthony Baker wasn't beneficial?" There was blood in the water, now it was just a matter of waiting and getting Gary to bite.
"Depends on whos askin'?" Gary was wary that was certain, and he still hadn't taken the bait, yet he was still sitting there and still talking with Mycroft. The bait was at least tempting then but not enough. Mycroft didn't know whether to applaud the young man or not, it was clear that he needed to give him a little more.
"Your mother, I trust that she is recovering well?" If he hadn't been paying such close attention to Gary then he would have missed the minuscule tell: Gary's eyes darted to the left for a split second.
A small chink in the armour but still one nonetheless and Mycroft counted it as a high win.
"Interestin' tha' ya know bout tha' bruv." Coral coloured eyes pinned Mycroft in place. It was an unpleasant experience, not many people could do that to Mycroft Holmes after all.
"Is it?" Gary wasn't the only one that could play that game.
"Yep, same bout th' three snipers on th' roof. Though I doubt tha' they are here for man and a toddler must be a real interestin' line of work bruv." Gary had a hard look on his face, Mycroft wasn't shocked that his snipers had been spotted. But he was left reeling at the casual mention of them and Gary’s deduction of why they were there.
"Impressive, Mycroft Holmes. Your new employer." Mycroft watched as Gary quickly digested the information.
"Didn't say nothin' bout workin' for ya." Dual coloured eyes became calculating.
"Consider this your paternity leave." He was being met step for step, it was thrilling and Mycroft had to fight back an excited smile.
"Really? Don't remember signin' an' forms for tha'." Clever, very clever. Yet it didn't stop the smirk finally forming on Mycroft's face.
Opening his briefcase Mycroft pulled out a large stack of forms, the smirk on his face didn't leave as Gary read the forms.
“Seems as if everythin’ is in order, interestin’ seein’ as it aint my signature at th’ bottom.”
Mycroft merely looked at Gary, he wasn't going to admit to anything, and it wasn't as if he needed to admit to anything either. Gary knew that it wasn't his signature and so did he. Besides, who exactly was Gary going to report Mycroft to?
Himself?
That was beyond laughable.
Still, time was beginning to move forward and neither of them had much time to waste on such trivial matters, despite how much Mycroft was enjoying their backwards and forwards banter it was sadly time to put an end to it. “Shall we get going then, Mr Unwin.”
Mycroft watched as Gary carefully and gently gathered his little sister into his arms and walked towards the car that was waiting nearby for them. Mycroft would admit that his people were good at what they did and they would be adding another to the number very soon. It was a rather interesting prospect if he was being honest with himself. Mycroft had very rarely if ever felt like this, and he wasn't sure what to do with that information.
It was something for him to think on later, much later, with a nice glass of brandy.
Eggsy made sure that Daisy was safely tucked against him, thankfully, she was due for a nap anyway and should be falling asleep any minute. Which might be a good thing, the less she saw and heard the better it would be for her in the long run. Eggsy didn’t want her getting into trouble since she was at the age where she repeated things and the last thing that he wanted or needed was for her to repeat something that was sensitive or important to someone. Daisy sighed and snuggled closer to him, and Eggsy began to hum and run his fingers through Daisy’s hair, the action soothing her as she fell asleep in a matter of seconds.
The day’s events had clearly caught up with her.
Eggsy looked out of the window as the world began to pass them by, it was strange being in this position again. He had thought that with his failure at the final trial at Kingsman that he wouldn't be in this position ever again, however, it looked as if life wanted to laugh at his expense.
“You appear to be deep in thought.” Eggsy glanced to the side at Mycroft Holmes, what a mouthful that was.
Still, Eggsy was not going to underestimate the man, he had already proven that he had some considerable power, with those documents which were obviously not fake. Which meant that either Mycroft had someone on the inside of the government helping him or he was very high up on the food chain.
Eggsy was willing to bet that it was the latter and not the former.
“Nothin’ much, just wonderin’ where ya will be dumpin’ my body.” While it wasn't a complete lie, it wasn't the whole truth either. It was more of a slight worry than anything else.
“An interesting thought, do you have any preferences?” Eggsy made the mistake of looking over at Mycroft, the intense stare was not something that he enjoyed being on the receiving end of, and had to fight not to look away.
“Didn't realise tha’ i had th’ option of pickin’.” The cheeky smile and wink that he sent towards the older man had hopefully thrown the other off balance.
Well, that was the hope, Eggsy doubted that much could throw the other man off his game. Although it did give Eggsy ideas for the future. He didn't doubt that what Mycroft had said was true. He probably was working for the man, although the how and why was escaping him for the moment, Eggsy knew that he would figure it all out. It was just a matter of time.
“If there is to be any body-dumping then I can assure you, that the body will not be found. Although if you do have a preference then please, by all means, let me know.” The shark-like smile that was aimed at him was highly unnerving.
Eggsy didn't know that a smile could be that unnerving.
“Thanks for lettin’ me know bruv, if ya do plan on offin me then dump my body in the Thames if its all the same to you. But if ya do off me make sure tha’ someone looks afta my lil flowa. ” Eggsy was blunt, very much so and he had no intention of censoring himself now. Besides, his little flower was the most important thing to him, so if his preference could be taken into account he’d get that in there also.
“You are blunt, to the point that it makes people uncomfortable. Yet despite this and despite the fact that the majority of people will not appreciate such a blunt approach you still continue.” Mycroft looked at Gary and tried to figure out if the young man was doing it on purpose or if it was just a default setting.
Either way it was going to be interesting to see the results of people interacting with Gary and how they would react, it would be an interesting social experiment. Something that he hadn't done in a long time, experiments were more Sherlock’s cup of tea than his. Still he wouldn't deny that he wasn't intrigued by what would happen, so Mycroft made a mental note of it in order to remember to observe the effects.
“Never seen a reason to hide wha’ I thin’ bruv, it aint like it matters to no one anyway.” The casual dismissal of his own worth would have had Mycroft rolling his eyes as someone attempted to fish for compliments from him, however with Gary he knew that fishing for compliments wasn’t his goal
Gary had lived through one disappointment after another, and it didn't matter how hard he tried or how much he struggled, in the end the young man had been left behind. Mycroft was glad that no one had been able to snatch the young man, it gave Mycroft the opportunity to help the young man become far more than just a mere goldfish.
Truth be told Mycroft doubted that Gary would be an awful goldfish, the young man always seemed to be doing something. Mycroft wondered if people knew what sort of gem that they had let slip through their fingers, not that it really mattered, Gary was under Mycroft’s guidance now and that was all that really mattered.
Mycroft wasn't going to let anyone get in the way either, he wasn't going to let the young man go without a fight and he wasn't above fighting dirty either. With the exception of Gary’s little sister, whom he didn't have an issue with despite her being highly dependant on her older brother. He could remember when Sherlock had been like that, following him around and trying to mimic what he was doing. It was a shame that they had ended up the way that they had.
Part of it was his fault and Mycroft was willing to admit that, even if it was only to himself.
Caring was not an advantage, that was what he had told Sherlock all the years ago. Sherlock had assumed that he had been included in that as well, which at the time would have seemed like the correct deduction. Mycroft wished that he had worded it better.
Sherlock had taken his words to heart and had distanced himself from everyone.
One foolish mistake had cost him so dearly, but he was unable to change the past and Mycroft knew that. It still didn't stop him from wanting to go back in time to change things, but that wasn't even with his resources. Perhaps one day they could reconcile.
The car pulled to a stop and jarred him out of his thoughts, he looked at Gary who was cuddling his little sister. They made for a rather adorable picture.
“Here we are, follow me.”
Mycroft wasn't going to dawdle, he had a meeting in an hours time and it wasn't one that he could skip out on. Although he wished that he could, the man he was going to meet was a disgusting pervert who had a taste for young men. If Mycroft could get rid of him without leaving a vacuum of power then he would have done so, sadly it would destabilize the government while a replacement was found. Mycroft really needed to work on finding a replacement soon.
"Keep close." Mycroft watched from the corner of his eye as Gary carefully cradled his sister as they walked. While it was adorable, it also served as a reminder that Gary didn't know him and he didn't trust him. That was something that needed to be changed.
Still, trust wasn't something that could be bought, loyalty perhaps. But trust?
Only idiots and fools tried to buy it.
Mycroft was neither of those things.
"Through here." Mycroft could see the badly disguised curiosity on people's faces as they walked along the brightly lit hallway.
Mycroft held open a rather heavy looking door, and Gary gave him a strange look as he passed through the door. Mycroft wasn't used to feeling confused, but in this moment that was what he was feeling. He wondered just how badly damaged the young man really was if he got a reaction like that from simply holding a door open.
A simple common courtesy.
Suddenly the punishment that Dean Baker was currently undergoing wasn't enough, but Mycroft pulled his protective urge back in. Gary wasn't one of his. Yet.
"In this room and, please, take a seat." Mycroft watched as Gary carefully chose what seat to pick.
"Would you care for refreshments?" A shake of the head was his answer.
"Very well, I shall begin. As you know my name is Mycroft Holmes, I hold a minor position in the government." A snort caused him to stop speaking and look over at Gary.
"Sorry bruv, I aint buyin' it. See th' way I see it, ya got Dean locked up real good an' tight. Then ya droppe' Michelle into rehab, tha' aint cheap, also she can't leave. It is a secure facility as well then, top of tha' we have th' house also aint cheap. So either ya are lookin' for a real good time, in tha' case rent boys are on Smith Street. I aint sellin' my body for no one, Dean couldn't make me an' neither can ya. But if ya aint after a good time tha' means tha' ya need me for summit, summit tha' I am good at. Which aint much bruv, so lets cut th' shit, yeah?" Gary leaned back in his chair careful of his sister that was still asleep in his arms.
Mycroft steepled his fingers together and looked at Gary, gone was the laid back chav. Instead, there was a predator lurking behind a charming smile, it was a startling and interesting change to see. While part of him wanted to put Gary in his place, there was a far larger part that was taking notice of the wolf in sheep's clothing.
He wasn't sure which part would win.
"Then let us dispense with the pleasantries: I have a job for you. One that you cannot refuse, you already have a home due to your new occupation. There is also the matter of childcare that will be taken care of by the time that you leave this room, in exchange for all this you will do missions. They will be of a sensitive nature, and you will report directly to me and only me. I trust that this is adequate?" Despite the question at the end of it, it was clear that it wasn't a question.
"Crystal Sir, now if you will excuse me I have things that I cannot put off any longer." The crisp words were spoken clearly and politely, but there was something dark underlining them.
Mycroft had the distinct feeling that he had failed some sort of unknown test; it wasn't a pleasant feeling. The feeling would stay with him for weeks, even when Gary came for his first solo mission. The young man was cold, professional and that was it, there was no cheeky smile or warmth in his eyes. It was different from when they had first met and from his observations, it was disconcerting how much a smile could affect him.
But it wasn't just him that was affected either, the comradery that people had been expecting to grow between them and Gary wasn't there, going out for drinks was turned down. Playdates were never accepted. It was unsettling the people in the offices and those that took missions with him. Unfortunately, Mycroft couldn't reprimand Gary for his behaviour, he was completely professional.
Which was what he expected of his employees.
Still, the changes in the young man were as clear as day and night, at work he was as he had been cold, professional, and polite. When he was at home with his sister, he relaxed, smiling and joking with Daisy as he played with her.
Mycroft would watch the footage in his office, the bugs that he had placed in Gary's home were doing an excellent job. He had installed the bugs as a security measure to make sure that Gary kept his silence, the young man had kept his silence and his distance.
That needed to change and quickly.