ficnotes: impact

So it was brought to my attention on the thread of last week's ficnote that people are actually taking my recommendations seriously. Well, goodness people! I'm flattered. Though it also makes the act of selecting and highlighting my favorite bits of fic a little nerve-wracking!

I feel a little like Gregory Lestrade ("Study in Pink," Sherlock 2010) in this screen cap.

Not that I'm going to let this stop me!

So for this week's ficnote, we have a three-part fic brought to my attention by Minerva, my goddess of "Mystrade" (or Mycroft/Lestrade) fanfiction. Which really is, as a body of fic, full of the adorable.

Title: Impact
Author: Elfbert
Pairing: Mycroft Holmes/Gregory Lestrade
Author Rating: NC-17
Author Summary: "Impact: The action of one object coming forcibly into contact with another."
Length: 3 parts
Available At: LiveJournal and AO3.

This week's fic is set prior to Lestrade's interactions with Sherlock, which allows for Lestrade and Mycroft to meet on their own terms. Terms which involve Lestrade on a motorcycle being run over by Mycroft's inattentive driver. And then taken back to Mycroft's townhouse in order to clean up. Which is when Mycroft notices that D.I. Lestrade has nipple piercings.

Everything else is really just details. Although it's worth mentioning a couple of things I think this fic does really sweetly and skillfully. One is that Elfbert doesn't ignore the class difference between the two men, and gives them space within the fic to negotiate the inequality in financial resources without those inequalities automatically meaning that Mycroft is the one calling the shots. One of the ways she levels the playing field for the two characters is, actually, the other key bit of character development: Lestrade is Mycroft's first date.

As in, ever.

Holmes stared at his 'phone. It wasn't often he didn't know what to do. Usually he wasn't even aware of any 'wrong' options – he was confident in himself, his decisions, his knowledge. But now ... now he wished that dating (and exactly when it had turned into 'dating', rather than a formal business arrangement in his mind, he wasn't quite sure) was simply a matter of asking your secretary to phone their secretary and put everything into place.

Not that Detective Sergeant Gregory Lestrade had a secretary, which was the first stumbling block.

Which allows, natch, for Greg to be the assertive, initiating partner ... at least at first.

As always, have fun! That's what fic is for. And if any of you all have fic you think I'd enjoy (self authored or otherwise), please do leave links in comments. I'm always looking for new stories and authors to add to my list of bookmarks.