Sherlock Imagines and Preferences

Mycroft's Little Girl

Requested by septicysammy

Thank you so, so much for 280K!! That seriously means more to me than you could ever imagine, so thank you! I love you all very much and I hope you enjoy this oneshot! Finals are over, so I'll be working on the long list of requests now. I'll try to update as much as I can ♥

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Many descriptions can be given when one is asked to convey an image of Mycroft Holmes. Distant, cold, emotionless, a machine and the most common one, The Iceman. All these illustrations seemed to define him to outsiders, but this was so unlike the Mycroft you knew. The Mycroft you knew was kind, caring, understanding and quite often a little too protective. But that could be expected when you were the one and only (Y/N) Holmes, the daughter of The British Government himself. 

All your life, you had been treated with the highest form of respect and with the most expensive things you could possibly find. Mycroft wanted nothing than the best for his little girl but nothing could reach his high standards. You didn't mind that your dad gave you nice items occasionally but he did it way too often and he spent a fortune every year in an attempt to satisfy you. However, the truth was you didn't need all those expensive items and the fanciest dinners every day, you just wanted to spend some quality time with your dad and be an ordinary family. But that wasn't enough for you according to him, so that was not what you got.

At school, you were the most known kid and also the most hated and feared. Other students and even most teachers saw you as a threat because of who your dad was. It made you the school's target. You were bullied, made fun of and sometimes, you'd even get beat up. The teachers did nothing to try and help you, and you were too afraid and too self-conscious to tell your dad about it. You feared he would judge you for not standing up for yourself enough, but what scared you the most was the lingering fear that he would do something to hurt the families of your bullies if he'd ever find out, so you hid it the best you could and so far, he hadn't noticed a single thing. He was always way too busy with his work and other important matters. There simply wasn't enough time for you and your problems, and you understood that.

The amount of money Mycroft spent on you was his way of showing love. He couldn't do a lot of things with you like most other parents would with their children and because he was a single parent, you were quite often alone. His entire life, he had filled the void inside of him with expensive things and burying himself in work. It was his own personal way of trying to suppress that aching feeling of loneliness and he thought that his ways would work for you as well. But all the ridiculously priced items and the fancy clothes only made you feel more and more alone. You had no one to share it with. You didn't even want the stuff, but you couldn't give it away or throw it out because you'd feel guilty and like you didn't appreciate the things your dad did for you. All you wanted was to have dinner with your dad after he'd come home from work. All you wanted was some more time with him and not just the few minutes you got every day, you wanted to have the opportunity to talk to him and express your gratitude while also discussing his ways of spoiling you. You didn't need stuff, you needed him. And despite knowing that your dad loved you, you still felt lonely. He'd rarely say it and barely even had the time to admit his love for you and that hurt. It really did. But all you could do was toughen up and deal with it. Like your dad had taught you, showing emotions was a vulnerability and you had to hide all weak aspects of yourself. And that's what you tried so hard to do, but it didn't always work out. To be fair, it rarely worked out.

After another tough day at school filled with insults, taunts and degrading comments, you finally came home. You instantly dropped your bag on the marble floor and raced up the stairs to your room. You slammed the door shut and let yourself fall onto your bed, face buried in your soft pillow. The tears couldn't be held back any longer. You had held them in for too long and now it all came out at once. Your sobs grew louder and louder as your tears soaked the entire pillow. You clutched onto it, looking for some kind of comfort you so desperately needed. You didn't pay attention to how loud you were screaming and crying, you were always alone in the house after school anyways. But what you didn't know was that today was an exception of that tradition.

Mycroft had quit work way earlier than he'd usually do in order to spend some time with you. He felt like he had been neglecting you too much lately, so in an attempt to make it up to you, he wanted to take you out to your favourite restaurant later that evening. He had heard you when you entered the mansion and was on his way to greet you, but as soon as he heard you run up the stairs, he stopped himself. Soon, your heart-wrenching sobs reached his ears and it seemed like his body stopped functioning. His mind was telling him to run up to your room to see what was wrong, but his body wasn't listening to his brain anymore. Instead, he stood frozen in the kitchen as he was forced to listen to your pain and sorrow. 

He was at loss for words. He had never heard you crying so much or so loudly. A stinging ache erupted in his chest and a few tears slowly rolled down his cheek. That was you up there, crying your eyes out. His little girl. And the fact that he didn't know why you were so upset, hurt him more than anything. He felt like he had failed as a father figure and he finally realised that buying you every single thing in the world wasn't enough to create a true smile on your face. He had been so busy with work and his own personal problems that he hadn't paid enough attention to you. And as a father, it was his job to ensure your happiness and be there for you whenever you needed him. Right now, he wasn't doing that.

His limbs seemed to abruptly wake up and he immediately jumped into action. He ran up the stairs and momentarily froze as his hand wrapped itself around the doorknob. He slightly bit his lip and pulled his hand back. Did you even want to talk to him? Rapidly shaking his head, he beat his hesitation. You needed him and he was going to be there for you. He slowly opened the door, being careful not to make too much noise and alarm you that way. 

His heart shattered at the sight of your small frame curled up into a ball on your bed. Your sobs echoed through the room as you held onto your pillow for dear life. It was the most horrifying and painful thing Mycroft had ever witnessed and he knew that this could possibly be all his fault.

He quietly walked over to you and sat down next to you on the edge of the bed. You were too engrossed in your painful memories and crying to even notice the presence of someone else in the room. It wasn't until you felt two strong arms lift you into his lap that you realised you weren't alone. Mycroft held you tightly against his chest and kissed your head multiple times, all while whispering soothing words to comfort you. You let go of the soaked pillow and instead held onto Mycroft's waistcoat, clutching it tightly and breathing in his familiar scent. His calming words and simply him being there calmed you down. The loud sobs were reduced to silent tears and the occasional sniff. You were still shaking violently in his embrace but you felt much more at ease than before. Mycroft calmly stroked your hair with one hand while he buried his nose in it, pressing one kiss after another to your head.

''I'm sorry,'' You choked, wiping your eyes. ''Don't apologise, Sweetheart,'' He whispered. ''Talk to me, please.'' You sat up a little and looked at him. The pain and tears that were evident in his eyes nearly sent you into another breakdown. You had never seen so much love in his eyes. You quickly snuggled up against his chest further and wrapped your arms around him. ''Darling,'' Mycroft encouraged. ''The other people at school have been bullying me for a while now. They're scared of you and take it out on me instead,'' You said quietly, afraid of his reaction. 

He didn't know what to say. He never thought his status would be a problem for anyone who wasn't himself. Guilt rose in his chest and he was forced to fight the tears that were threatening to spill from his eyes. He never wanted to make life so hard for you. All he ever wanted was for you to be happy and feel loved. So, to make that happen, he held you impossibly close to his chest and continued to stroke your hair. Only words of truth and love left his lips, making you feel warm inside.

You felt like you were four years old again as you closed your eyes and began to doze off, snuggled up close to your dad. In Mycroft's eyes that was exactly the case. You were his little girl, and that would never change no matter how old you'd get. From now on, he'd be more involved in your life and be the best father he could be. Because that was what you deserved.