vulgarweed:earlgreytea68:skulls-and-tea:redkiteslongnights:penandpage:Oh my god. It was a test.

vulgarweed:earlgreytea68:skulls-and-tea:redkiteslongnights:penandpage:Oh my god. It was a test.Holy f… I thought John was just smirking to himself about the corrupt nature of government. But this is just proof; Mycroft really is smarter than Sherlock. The warehouse wasn’t just a babysitting interview and salary negotiation, even if Sherlock thought it was. it was a damned test, and John passed. He’s too morally driven to sell Sherlock out, and therefore not inclined to stab Mycroft in the back. Four for you, Mycroft. You go, Mycroft.(Also, CONTINUITY, Mr. Gatiss. You’re doing it right.)Wait… did folks think that Mycroft was actually going to pay John to spy on Sherlock?He’s CIA-British-Government-Big-Honcho. He can control London’s CCTV network and its phone boxes. He’d need a former Army grunt (untrained in intelligence) hanging around the flat and slipping him spy messages? Unlikely. Of course it was a test. If John hadn’t passed it, ASiP would have ended with our good doctor in the boot of a black sedan somewhere out on the moors. Or at the bottom of the Thames.Who else was probably tested by Mycroft and passed?Lestrade: MYCROFT: Interesting, that soldier fellow. He could be the making of my brother. Or make him worse than ever. LESTRADE: Sherlock Holmes is a great man, and I think one day—if we’re very very lucky—he might even be a good one. Why, exactly, is Greg Lestrade so invested in Sherlock’s sobriety, from the very beginning? And why do he and Mycroft go about using the same methods to monitor it, whenever John Watson’s not in the picture?LESTRADE: It’s a drugs bust. […] They’re not strictly speaking on the drugs squad, but they’re very keen.MYCROFT: Some members of your little fan-club. Do be polite. They’re entirely trustworthy, and even willing to search through the toxic waste dump that you are pleased to call a flat.As Detective Inspector, wouldn’t Lestrade have an actual drug squad at his disposal? Why the below-the-table machinations, if not to protect Sherlock and avoid any actual drug charges?Lestrade operates as Sherlock’s patron saint and advocate in the Yard. The only time things seem to get cocked up is when a higher-ranking officer like the Chief Superintendent in Reichenbach gets into the mix. A less-involved officer—someone untested by Mycroft.We’ve got a direct allusion to the depth of Mycroft and Lestrade’s involvement in Baskerville:SHERLOCK: I’m waiting for an explanation, Inspector. Why are you here?LESTRADE: I’ve told you: I’m on holiday.SHERLOCK: You’re brown as a nut. You’re clearly just back from your ‘holidays’.LESTRADE (trying to look nonchalant): Yeah, well I fancied another one.SHERLOCK: Oh, this is Mycroft, isn’t it?LESTRADE: No, look … This is a guy willing to leave Tahiti (or wherever) at a moment’s notice because Sherlock needs looking-after. Mycroft can trust him, and probably has done for a longer time than we think. You’d better believe Lestrade’s been tested too.(Lestrade and Mycroft also both refer to Sherlock as a child, much to his chagrin.)Mycroft’s overarching concern seems to be Sherlock’s safety and sobriety, and Lestrade’s actions mirror this. We haven’t been told how Sherlock and Lestrade first started working together—all we know is that it started some five years before the events of ASiP, when Sherlock was in his mid-twenties.Twenty-something junkie geniuses get bored. Very bored. They need something as an alternative to getting high. I wonder which came first for Lestrade—Mycroft’s test, or Sherlock’s first case for the Yard.In any case, I think Greg and John both passed big brother’s test with flying colors.Yup. This this this. Every Mystrade I’ve ever written. Mycroft the Slytherin lays this trap out of cunning. The people who pass (who are VERY FEW): all right, go you, 100 points to Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, respectively. You will be allowed to continue.Sherlock the Ravenclaw says, obviously you should have both found a way to game the system. There must be a way. It’s a game, it’s a puzzle, everything is.Mycroft the Slytherin says, no. It’s all about power. I will use any means to achieve my end. (What he DOESN’T say is “my end is to protect you, Sherlock. Any means to help achieve that purpose are on the table.”)Sherlock the Ravenclaw says, JFC my Slytherin brother is a fucking overprotective control freak. Pardon me, I’m going to go into a serial killer’s cab because his intellectual challenge compels me. I’m pretty sure I can beat him with my brain. (But if I can’t beat him with my brain, then i don’t deserve to beat him at all. The mind is the most important battlefied.)John the Gryffindor  says BANG with his gun and shoots the guy threatening Sherlock and worries about consequences later. Says nothing while standing there quietly watching the cops do their thing. No regrets whatsoever, he’ll sleep just fine (as long as he doesn’t get busted and Sherlock is OK). He knows war zones. TBH, kind of likes them,Sherlock the Ravenclaw says … “Oh, of course, I know exactly what kind of man could have done this — *slaps self* - exactly the kind of man I need in my life!”Lestrade the Hufflepuff says, “Right. Another case where I need to fudge the paperwork again for my friends? I hate doing this, you know. But I’m willing to do it, because your contribution to the greater good is already big. You’re a hot mess, but you actually do help make London safer. Good thing I’m on close terms with a Slytherin who knows how it’s done.”Mycroft the Slytherin says, “Good evening, Greg. I’m well aware you need a few key passwords. I could do it in three clicks, but the truth is, I’m very tired and also in need of a little active relaxation. It will wait, won’t it?” *quickly sends a text and receives one* “Downing Street says it can wait. Let’s go to bed.”Lestrade the Hufflepuff is not stupid. He wouldn’t choose to allow himself to be manipulated like this if he didn’t find it vaguely comforting and extremely sexy.Meanwhile, John the Gryffindor would really like to have sex right now with his new flatmate.But Sherlock the Ravenclaw wants to read about it first. All about it. He has a lot of books about it, spanning three centuries. He’s a fast reader, but it will still take him a year or two to absorb it all, especially considering how much material specific to his interests is available online these days. Two years in, he still won’t feel like he’s CLOSE to being able to explain to John what he wants to do.And by then, Moriarty - who is the perfect Ravenclaw/Slytherin hybrid - has already started up his longterm plan. *chin-hands* (☆‿☆) -- source link

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