I Believe in Mycroft Holmes

saphira1001 asked: Where does the relationship of Mysrade come from? Is it from movies or television shows in the past, because in the BBC show 'Sherlock' they have never even been a scene together.

This is not an uncommon question, and one that every Mystrade shipper has had to answer before, myself included. Both Macpye and Marmosette have written some longer explanations of the ship, should you care to have a read.

The more recent Mystrade shippers date the pairing from Lestrade’s line in The Hounds of Baskerville, “I don’t just do what your brother tells me,” which confrims, for the first time, that Lestrade is acquainted with the elder Holmes. In actuality, though, the ship is much older.

The first Mystrade fic is arguably, Discoveries by Axidentalquark, which was written just after the end of the first series, in 2010. Many themes you may recognise from Mystrade fics are already present here, and comes with an introductory essay for the pairing. However, I would say that the major work in the birth of this ship would be the epic At Least There’s the Football by sheffiesharpe, which would influence many of the Mystrade fics that followed. It was written pre-series two, and is a good route into the pairing.

If you’re still puzzled after reading the fanfiction and the essays, then maybe it just isn’t for you. There’s nothing wrong with that.

If it helps at all, the characters have, in fact, had a scene together. Not in BBC Sherlock, mind you, but in the original stories:

A moment later the tall and portly form of Mycroft Holmes was ushered into the room. […] At his heels came our old friend Lestrade, of Scotland Yard—thin and austere. The gravity of both their faces foretold some weighty quest. The detective shook hands without a word. Mycroft Holmes struggled out of his overcoat and subsided into an armchair.

                    - Sherlock Holmes, The Bruce Partington Plans

Anonymous asked: What was the best (or one of the best) fanfictions you have read about mystrade?

There are some links to be found in an old post here. I’m afraid I’ve not been reading much Mystrade lately, but my personal favourites of the pairing can be found there.