Do you know, I think I have. He was concerned about seasickness. I had no idea it was Sherlock, of course; I gave him a couple of ideas for easy remedies.
[Frankly, Douglas is more concerned he'll fall in the water and drown. Again. It's difficult to separate the image of a teenage Sherlock from the grown man this one is.]
But I should be pleased to meet him. He may not be the brother you remember, but... somewhere, he is still Mycroft Holmes' younger brother.
[Which brings him to his next point. Expression softening, he leads, gently--]
What shape are you hoping this takes? [A beat:] You needn't tell me now, if you aren't sure.
[instead of answering, he falls to silence, looking into nothing as if it will unravel the spool of his mind and yield a clear answer. he does not want a replacement for his own brother, and this Sherlock would agree that such is an intolerable concept. but he doesn't want to be the adversary if it can be helped. that would benefit neither of them. finally, after a long contemplation, he responds.]
I can no more immediately fold him into my own familial tree than he can me. But I would like to be able to speak with him, when problems arise. It...strikes me strange, how his Mycroft treated him. I can only hope there was a greater purpose for it all.
[Douglas finds it difficult to believe anything could be worth such an estrangement. Rather than push that discussion-- it's not this Mycroft's fault-- he rises, then rests a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder.]
If you continue to speak with him, I'm certain you'll be able to put that other Mycroft's motivations together. He is you.
[He gives Mycroft's shoulder a reassuring squeeze.]
Perhaps it'll give the two of you a new perspective on your own brothers.
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[Frankly, Douglas is more concerned he'll fall in the water and drown. Again. It's difficult to separate the image of a teenage Sherlock from the grown man this one is.]
But I should be pleased to meet him. He may not be the brother you remember, but... somewhere, he is still Mycroft Holmes' younger brother.
[Which brings him to his next point. Expression softening, he leads, gently--]
What shape are you hoping this takes? [A beat:] You needn't tell me now, if you aren't sure.
no subject
I can no more immediately fold him into my own familial tree than he can me. But I would like to be able to speak with him, when problems arise. It...strikes me strange, how his Mycroft treated him. I can only hope there was a greater purpose for it all.
no subject
If you continue to speak with him, I'm certain you'll be able to put that other Mycroft's motivations together. He is you.
[He gives Mycroft's shoulder a reassuring squeeze.]
Perhaps it'll give the two of you a new perspective on your own brothers.