"How would you know?"

 (Sherlock Meta by ibelieveinmycroft)

sherlockcharacteranalysis asked you: I have a question about the scene in Scandal where Sherlock says “sex doesn’t alarm me” and Mycroft says “how would you know?” Every time I see that scene, my first thought is always, “but you do, Mycroft????” Mycroft seems even more devoid of actual relationships than Sherlock, so what do you think? Has Mycroft had sexual/romantic relations in his past?

ibelieveinmycroft: Hello dear! I had the exact same thought when Mycroft delivered that line. Oh Mycroft, you devil!

M: Don’t be alarmed. It’s to do with sex.
S: Sex doesn’t alarm me.
M: How would you know?

Sherlock had absolutely no comeback to Mycroft’s comment - he instead looked hurt, if not mortified. Evidentially, Sherlock knows that this is territory that his brother has explored, otherwise Mycroft’s snide remark would not have had this impact.

Some people have posited that Mycroft may use sex as a weapon or negotiating tool where the situation calls for it. While Mycroft can be a ruthless tactician, he is initially very dismissive of what Irene Adler does, which amounts to the same thing, so I’m not certain about that. Perhaps he does, perhaps he doesn’t. A more likely explanation would be that Mycroft has experimented with sex in order to fit in with his peers. Neither of the Holmes Brothers are particularly normal, but Mycroft is much better at sustaining the mask. Perhaps it was expected of him. However, the way that "How would you know?" was delivered hints at someone who is sexually experienced and is very comfortable with that side of himself.

The brothers do seem to know about each other’s sexual history - whether from deducing it about each other or whether they actually confide in each other. That this exchange comes right on the tail of the "Here to see the Queen?" jibe seems very telling. This may have been little more than an example of Sherlock’s quick, albeit cruel, wit, but the evidence seems to be mounting that Mycroft is indeed homosexual. Mycroft knows enough about Sherlock’s sexual experience (or lack thereof) to make unkind jokes about it - that Sherlock is able to do the same to Mycroft suggests to me that he has the same sort of knowledge about his brother.

Yet, as you point out, Mycroft does not seem to have any relationships to speak of, or any real ties to anyone, aside from his brother. In spite of what seems to be a long sexual history, it does not seem to have had any particular bearing on his personal life; his sexual relationships have not led to romantic ones.

And yet, Mycroft is prone to as much concealed sentiment as Sherlock. The brothers have a hard time with empathy, but that does not mean that they lack it. This is the troubling thing about Mycroft. Sometimes, especially when he is alone, he seems to be so like his brother - strange, vulnerable and very, very lonely. Though consistently even more brilliant than Sherlock, Mycroft also seems to lack his brother’s tacit ability to draw people towards him.The Christmas scene in Scandal was horribly illustrative of this - Sherlock was surrounded by people he considers his friends, in a room decorated with colourful Christmas lights, while Mycroft was alone in a dark house, staring into the fire. His genius doesn’t dazzle like Sherlock’s does, doesn’t draw people toward him. Instead, it thrums uncomfortably at the edge of a person’s consciousness, it chokes and intimidates, driving them away.

Mycroft does have relationships with a handful of people. I believe he is comparatively close to his brother, however complex that rivalry may be. He respects John. He is close enough to Anthea to muse aloud as to the dynamic of his brother’s new friendship with John. He is on first-name terms with Harry the Equerry. There is also his canonical friendship with his neighbour, Mr Melas, who may or may not show up in series. But, in spite of all that, Mycroft is still a man who is a member of (and, canonically, founder of) a club where the people not only are required to remain silent at all times, but are not permitted to take the slightest notice of one another. For a man who seems so lonely, he does elect to be alone a great deal.

In long and short, I really don’t know. It is one of the many unanswered questions about Mycroft. He knows more about people than Sherlock does - he understands their motivations and how to manipulate them - yet has far fewer people in his life. And I’m not entirely certain that this is by choice.