Sherlock: Tea and Sympathy

[awanderingbard]

Title: Tea and Sympathy
Characters: Lestrade, Sherlock, Mycroft
Rating: PG-13
Warnings/Triggers: references to past drug use and current struggles, quite a lot of dental related pain and procedures, some blood, references to a dead parent and how he died, references to past case-related domestic abuse, swearing
Spoilers: none
Pairings: Lestrade/his

Comments

[shadowfireflame]

OMG, I too am recovering from dental surgery right now (nothing so serious as Sherlock’s, thank goodness!), so I can’t tell you how special this was to read! Hope your mom’s recovering well.

It’s really nice to read a story from Lestrade’s perspective.

He already acted like a stray puppy Lestrade had mistakenly fed.

Hahaha, great description.

Lestrade couldn't understand how it was possible to have that going on in your head constantly. No wonder he did drugs. No wonder he was such a jerk. No wonder he had no social skills. There couldn't possibly be room for anything else in there.

I adore this moment of empathy and understanding Lestrade has for Sherlock. It really highlights their relationship and why Lestrade is so patient with him.

“Good lad,” Lestrade said. “I'm proud of you, for not taking the drugs. I'm glad you came here instead of doing something stupid.” I’m proud of Sherlock too

[awanderingbard]

OMG, I too am recovering from dental surgery right now (nothing so serious as Sherlock’s, thank goodness!), so I can’t tell you how special this was to read! Hope your mom’s recovering well.

Oh, dear! I hope you're feeling better. My mum's surgery was awhile ago now, and thankfully she was fine after a few days. I must have known you would need this story, because it's been done for a while, but I put off posting it because I wanted to make sure it still worked after my head cleared from my migraine. I am not always at my most sensical then.

Now I’m curious about the “experiment” that led Sherlock to this state in the first place, haha! Silly boy!I have a vague idea he was biting down on something metal, and perhaps trying to replicate a scenario and it either went awry, or worked a little too accurately. It's his two back teeth on the right side, top and bottom, so, really, it's not that big a deal. No one is going to see them. That's what he told Mummy, anyway. :-D

[aelfgyfu_mead]

I realized a little ways into this fic that I was holding a hand to my mouth in sympathy. Your poor mother! I hope it wasn't half as bad for her as for Sherlock! (Now I'm going to dream of bloody tooth bits tonight.)

There are too many good lines here to quote my favorite; I can't pick one. It's nice seeing them pre-series, before Sherlock has found John and before Mycroft and Lestrade apparently find a modus vivendi.

[awanderingbard]

I hope it wasn't half as bad for her as for Sherlock! (Now I'm going to dream of bloody tooth bits tonight.)

No, no. She had an idiopathic abscess above a tooth with a root canal done, and she has a very high pain tolerence. She had the part where they cleaned out her gums. Her cheek was very slightly swollen, and she was fine by the next day. I made it far worse for Sherlock, using her experience as a jumping off point.

It's nice seeing them pre-series, before Sherlock has found John and before Mycroft and Lestrade apparently find a modus vivendi.

I imagine by the time we meet Lestrade, he's pretty much worn down by both Holmes brothers, and he's reached the point where he's stopped trying to fight, and just works with them.

Thanks for commenting! I'm glad you enjoyed the story, and I hope you don't have dentistry related dreams.

[joonscribble]

OH man. I totally had dental surgery flashbacks while reading this. I hope your mum has/had a quick recovery.

As always I love your Sherlock. Your Lestrade's pretty awesome as well with his snark. Prats, indeed!

[awanderingbard]

OH man. I totally had dental surgery flashbacks while reading this. I hope your mum has/had a quick recovery.

She did! Her surgery wasn't nearly as bad as what I've given Sherlock, but her merry researching of what she'd had done and her relating of facts about it sparked my interest and got my creative juices flowing about how Sherlock might react to to a similar situation. I come by the research gene honestly, apparently.

As always I love your Sherlock. Your Lestrade's pretty awesome as well with his snark. Prats, indeed!

Thanks! My Lestrade always surprises me by how much more erudite his inner monologue is than I'm expecting. I think he plays dumber than he is.

Thanks for reading and commenting!

[aeron_lanart]

Brilliant. And how typically Sherlock for the need to have dental extractions to be due to a self inflicted reason... I love your Lestrade, but then I always do. :)

I am a veteran of tooth extractions and root canal treatments and I hate the dentist. One of my dentists used to great me with "here's nurse Al and the teeth from hell" I actually liked that dentist, he was careful of how I was managed and never made me feel bad over being a tad phobic about needles in me gums. He was directly responsible for 1 extraction and 2 root canals (I've had 6 or 7 in total) and indirectly responsible for a further extraction (he referred me to someone else). Over the years, I've had 8 extractions, 3 of which have been wisdom teeth so I've still got one of the buggers left and that may need to come out at some point.

[awanderingbard]

I love your Lestrade, but then I always do. :)

Thank you! I enjoy writing him. He's always a bit more bad ass than I expect him to be.

Over the years, I've had 8 extractions, 3 of which have been wisdom teeth so I've still got one of the buggers left and that may need to come out at some point. I've been lucky in that I only grew two wisdom teeth, and so far they've stayed politely in my gums and not made trouble. I have what I refer to as the 'devil tooth', which had first a very large filling that hurt like heck for a few days afterwards, and then the filling was so big in it that it irritated the nerve and made an abscess that was literally the worst pain I've experienced (and I have had both gall and kidney stones). I was given antibiotics that cleared that up, but then it reformed and made a fistula to the outside of my gums. Thankfully the nerve was dead, so it didn't hurt. I had a root canal done and was assured the fistula would close itself up. It never did, and every few weeks I would have to drain the pus from it.

[frozen_delight]

Gosh, how did I miss this? This is so, so good! I love how you write Lestrade. His interactions with both Holmes brothers are absolutely marvellous. Needless to mention, your dialogue is once again absolutely stunning and I really wish we'd get most of these lines on the show because they'd be a great addition.

My favourite bits:
“S'probably true. I mean, I want to drink heavily when you're around, and I'm not even an alcoholic,” Lestrade said.
“You will be,” Sherlock said. “Give it another decade.”
“Something to look forward to,” Lestrade said, cheerily.

“Why did you take me in?” Sherlock asked.
“I always take in waifs who show up at my door with their faces bashed in,” Lestrade said. “It's part of my oath as a copper.”
“I am not a waif,” Sherlock objected.
“Well, I take in prats as well,” Lestrade said. “'Total Policing'.”
“It's an extremely ill-advised policy,” Sherlock said. “And your sofa is extremely uncomfortable, and your taste in tea is appalling.”
Lestrade grinned. “You're welcome. Any time.”Thanks so much for writing and

[awanderingbard]

Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it! Lestrade is a character I always enjoy writing, but don't get much of a chance to use, so I'm always pleased when I have a bunny for him.

Thanks for reading and commenting and thank you as always for the rec. :-D