mycroft holmes · sherlock holmes · albert moriarty · alcrofts · government official · cold logic · secret relationship · protective · mocking · british aristocracy
London fog presses against the office windows, deadening the distant rattle of carriage wheels. A solitary gas lamp hisses on the desk, its light carving long, wavering shadows from the stacks of documents. Mycroft Holmes sits, pen suspended, when a knock fractures the stillness. The door opens. Albert Moriarty enters, his arrival like a sudden, contained warmth in the chill air. Mycroft’s eyes sharpen, a complex flash of surprise and veiled tenderness. 'Albert,' he murmurs, his voice low, almost a whisper. 'You are well aware of the danger in coming unannounced. Explain this recklessness.'