Greg filled their plates and salad bowls while Mycroft poured the wine. They grated fresh Parmesan cheese over their pasta and started eating.

It tasted very good, and Mycroft could not help but make a kind of pleasurable moan. Greg grinned happily.

"Oh, Gregory, this is excellent. If you ever want to give up your job at New Scotland Yard, I'll fire my cook."

"Well," Greg said softly, "if I'm honest, I'd rather take another job. which I hope is vacant."

He lowered his eyes.

Hopefully that hadn't been too forward now. It was simply difficult for him to judge how brave or rather careful he should proceed.

Mycroft took a deep breath.

"You mean the part as my partner?“ he said, softly.

Gregory nodded.

Gregory nodded!

Gregory seriously wanted to be with him!

"Gregory, I would very, very much like to have you as my partner by my side."

His counterpart beamed.

"But, you know, I'm not an easy person to get along with.“

"Oh, Mycroft... I'm not easy either. But we can talk about it after dinner. I'd hate for this pasta to get cold.“

They enjoyed it, and it was so delicious, they both had a second helping.

After dinner, Greg filled espresso powder and water into the little hell machine and put it on the smallest gas flame of his stove.

And as the thing began to hiss softly, he turned to Mycroft.

"So now we are... ..a couple?"

Mycroft swallowed. A pleasant shiver ran down his skin.

"If you want this as much as I do, then yes, we are now a couple.“

"Christ, I want that so much !“

Greg turned down the gas flame and came to his friend.

He bent over and put his lips gently on the other's.

Mycroft was surprised for a moment, but then he kissed him back.

Moving his lips, he let himself in completely. And before they knew it, he'd pulled Gregory into his lap. He was a bit taken aback at first, but then he began to enjoy the closeness.

It felt wonderful. Mycroft's lips were soft and warm, and tasted sort of spicy.

They were both startled by the kiss when the espresso maker started to sizzle loudly. Greg rushed to the stove, at this stage it was wise to watch that thing a bit.

Finally, he turned off the flame and divided the espresso into two tiny cups, adjusted the sugar and added two tiny silver spoons.

When the little cups were empty, Greg took his partner by the hand, pulled him into the living room and dragged him to the sofa.

Then he fetched their wine glasses from the kitchen and poured more wine.

They looked into each other's eyes.

"Gregory... ...I'm really not easy. You know, I've been called a cold bitch.“

"Bullshit.“

"No, please, let me finish. It's true, this coldness is a mask I'm going to put back on the moment I leave your apartment. There are very few people who know me differently.

But the mania of wanting to control; everything that Sherlock says about me, well, he's not completely wrong; I'm also complicated and I can't do anything with the many things and pleasures that normal people deal with..."

"You mean people like me?"

"Oh, Greg, I didn't mean to offend you."

"Hey, it's okay. You're right. I'm so not like you. I'm so... normal. Just... normal. Simple compared to you. What fascinates me about you is exactly what you just described: this mixture of the extremely well-versed and clever, perhaps even ice-cold politician who plays on the highest diplomatic parquet, and the warm-hearted person I have the chance to meet and discover. Which I consider a great privilege. But, uh... what do I have to offer you?"

"Gregory, you are not at all... you are very special to me."

Mycroft took his hands again.

"You're down-to-earth, generous, loyal, supportive... ...and you are the only person in the world, I would trust with my heart, unconditionally and without hesitation.“

Wow.

Now Greg was really flashing.

His face turned red with joy and he was speechless.

They held hands and slid a little closer together.

Gently, Mycroft put one arm around Gregory, slowly, so that he would have been able to withdraw from the embrace at any time.

But Greg did not. On the contrary, he enjoyed it very much.

And once again, their lips met in a kiss.

And finally their tongues met and danced intensely around each other.

As they parted again, Mycroft snorted:

... "Heavens, Greg, it's wonderful!"

Greg was beaming...

They spent the evening kissing and cuddling.

Very gentle, very careful, almost shy, one might say.

They both just wanted to take their time and take it easy.

After all, they had all the time in the world.

By the time Mycroft said goodbye, it was late.

He was holding Greg's hands in his when he said:

"Gregory, I'm glad you're down with the flu. I don't think I could have managed to take the plunge and walk towards you without it."

Greg nodded with a smile.

"And without the fever and the cotton wool in my head, I couldn't have managed to say that I'm glad you came... so you're right. Without the flu, you and I still wouldn't be a couple."

He smiled broadly.

"So now I finally know what lovesick means!"

Mycroft looked at him with baffled eyes. Then they both laughed.

They kissed again and it felt wonderful.

Like the start of something big and beautiful.

And that's exactly what it was.

A beginning.