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Mycroft frowned when he heard Greg enter their house.
No greeting.
Which meant something had gone wrong at work.
Mycroft walked to the entrance where he saw Greg take off his coat and shoes with a disgusted look on his face.
"Gregory, are you okay?" asked Mycroft as he approached him with a worried look on his face.
Greg looked up at him and sighed, "Not so good, but don't worry, I'll take a nap in our bedroom and be fine."
Mycroft wanted to protest, but Greg gave him a quick kiss before he could say a word and left for their bedroom, entering it and closing the door behind him. He must have been really in a bad way to have reacted like that, which made Mycroft ignore his silent refusal to be cared for even more.
His lover was still struggling to accept the fact that Mycroft wanted to take care of him as much as he took care of Mycroft.
It was time to give him a gentle reminder.
Mycroft headed to the kitchen and made a cup of Greg's favorite tea. A few minutes later, with the steaming cup in his hands, he entered the room and saw how bad Greg was.
Still fully clothed, he was lying on his stomach in the dark.
Mycroft gently placed the cup on the bedside table and sat on the edge of the bed, next to Greg's head, who had not reacted to his arrival.
Mycroft said nothing and just gently ran his fingers through his hair, repeatedly but without pressure. As Greg did not seem to dismiss him, he continued.
After a moment, he moved to the side and while continuing to stroke Greg's hair, he asked softly, "What happened?"
Greg slowly turned his face toward Mycroft, his eyes half closed. His expression was so defeated that all Mycroft wanted to do was hold him, cuddle him, and tell him that no matter what, everything would be okay. But he knew that wasn't the way to do it and he simply continued to stroke his lover's hair, waiting for him to speak.
Greg sighed at first and said, "I should have known you wouldn't let this go."
Mycroft chuckled softly, "Yes, you should have. You should have known I wouldn't leave you alone in your misery. You told me that, didn't you? We take care of each other. A two-way street, you know?"
Mycroft raised an eyebrow and moved his hand back and forth between Greg and himself, "You and me."
Greg smiled weakly, "Okay, okay..."
He began to explain, in a defeated voice, "I was late and from there it all went wrong, I made a mistake in one of the assignments, so Dimmock was furious and said in front of everyone that I was an incompetent team leader."
Mycroft, furious on Greg's behalf, protested, "And the others let him say it?"
Greg shook his head, "No, Sally argued with what he said, supported by Anderson and the others but..."
Mycroft nodded knowingly and continued, "But doubt crept in and now you're wondering if there was any truth to what he said, am I wrong?"
Greg sighed and turned onto his back, his arm over his eyes.
Mycroft moved closer, gently lifted Greg's arm and stroked his cheek.
"Greg, don't let that doubt eat away at you. Trust me, I know a thing or two about doubting oneself. But trust me, I know firsthand that you're a great team leader. You inspire loyalty, even in someone as volatile as my brother. You have all the right qualities, you are one of the most pragmatic people I know, you are upright and have integrity. But one of your greatest qualities is that you are never afraid to question yourself, which I think makes you an exceptional leader."
Mycroft leaned in to kiss him gently. "Come, my love, come."
Greg let go as Mycroft helped him settle against the headboard. He leaned over him, grabbed the tea cup and placed it in Greg's hands.
"Drink Greg, you will see that it will do you good. Have you eaten?"
Greg shook his head before taking a sip.
"I'm going to get something, I'll be right back. Just drink it slowly. When you feel better, we'll talk again." Greg nodded, leaving Mycroft in charge.
Mycroft returned a few moments later with a plate full of small sandwiches. He sat down next to Greg and put the plate in front of them, astride their legs.
Meanwhile, Greg had emptied his cup, but kept it in his hands. Mycroft took it from him and put it down beside him. He kissed Greg's wrist and held his hand in his own for a moment.
Then, with his other hand, he picked up a sandwich and handed it to him. Greg took it and said softly, "Thank you."
They ate the sandwiches in silence. Mycroft assumed that Greg needed time to process everything he had said.
When they finished, Mycroft leaned back against the headboard and spreading his legs, he pulled Greg towards him until he was sitting against him, Mycroft wrapping his arms and legs around him, his chin on Greg's head.
Greg sighed in contentment and let himself be held. As Mycroft felt the tension leave his body little by little, he whispered into Greg's hair, "I'm sorry today was so hard. I know you probably don't wish me to do this, but if you want me to take care of Dimmock, you only have to say the word."
He felt Greg's shoulders shake as he laughed and was glad to see that he had managed to get him to loosen up.
Greg turned his head, looked at Mycroft, then kissed him awkwardly because of the awkward position. He grumbled a little in frustration and turned around to face Mycroft. He put his arms around his neck and kissed him properly this time, before burying his head in Mycroft's neck and tightening his arms around him.
A moment later, he whispered in against Mycroft's neck, "Thank you for understanding me so well and taking such good care of me."
Mycroft kissed the top of his head and replied softly, "It's what we do, isn't it? We take care of each other."
Greg nodded, that's what they were doing, yes, at first each on their own, then in a roundabout way and now together, always there for each other.