bluecastle: (sherlock couch)
[personal profile] bluecastle
In cleaning out my email inbox, I came across this Sherlock file that was driving me batty the other week. I kept trying to bash it into some kind of coherent shape as a whole. But as it's warming up outside, and in the spirit of Spring cleaning, I think I'm just going to post the bits and be okay with them being what they are.

Warmth

The first time Sherlock shows up in John's doorway, barefoot, in his tatty pajamas and robe, John looks up at him, eyes narrowing.

Sherlock, all pale skin and eyes glowing in the moonlight, has one hand on the china doorknob.

"You were shouting," he says, softly, his voice unexpectedly kind.

"Yeah. Nightmare. Sorry," John tells him, thumping back onto the pillows, breathless and sweating.

Preoccupied with trying to get his breath back, and parse out what his dream had been about, John is oblivious to Sherlock’s presence in the room until he feels the dip in the mattress as he sits down on the edge of the bed. He places one hand on John's stomach and says, quietly, “Concentrate on my hand, John.”

John starts to object. "Hush. Lie still and concentrate on your breathing. Slow deep breaths." They stare at each other in the dim light of the bedroom until John gives in and does as Sherlock requests.

John lies there for a long time, taking deep breaths, Sherlock's hand warm and comforting.

He wakes alone, but there is a cup of tea steaming on the bedside table, and John stretches lazily, as the rare morning sunshine shines in through window.

Comfort

They’re curled up on the couch one afternoon, relaxing at the conclusion of their latest case. Sherlock is reading a book balanced on the arm of the sofa. John, knackered from a double shift at the surgery followed by a late night crime scene, has plumped a pillow down on Sherlock's thigh and curled up, too tired to think about moving.

But he’s restless, and can’t seem to find a comfortable position.

As Sherlock reads, his other hand, the one not turning the pages, drifts to John's neck. John finds himself being idly stroked like a cat, fingers working along the nape of his neck, and running up into his hair, Sherlock's nails dragging along his scalp sending delicious shivers up and down John's spine. John gives a delicious little whimper and relaxes, warm and limp under Sherlock’s fingers.

"You should go to bed, John. Get some sleep."

"Not moving. Feels s'good," John sighs and pushes back into Sherlock's hand.

"What if I come with you?"

John rolls onto his back and looks up at Sherlock.

"Would you like that?"

"Oh God yes," John says with a smile.

Breathless

They have a conversation one morning, as John is dozing on the couch after a long night shift doing locum work at the A&E, and Sherlock is gazing out the window, fingertips idly brushing over the woodwork.

"There are pieces of me that are missing John," Sherlock tells him.

"Do you care about the missing bits?" John says concentrating more plumping up his pillow and trying to find a more comfortable position than on Sherlock's words.

At Sherlock's silence, John looks up. Sherlock seems almost, well, confused, so John zeros back in on the conversation which was clearly more important that he'd realized.

"Do you want to fill those missing bits back up? Do we need to go and find the missing bits and drag them back home?"

John is looking at Sherlock, seeking the truth. John’s desire for truth is something that has the power, on rare occasions to make Sherlock almost dizzy. It’s brilliant and it makes Sherlock happy in ways he can’t quite explain. John is the one mystery that Sherlock has no wish to solve. He doesn’t understand this, but he’s learning to accept it.

Sherlock turns away from the window, and looks back at John, face shadowed, but the sunlight catches on disordered whorls of dark hair.

He feels he owes John the truth, but the truth is complicated.

"It's... They're not... No. I don't," Sherlock says stumbling over his thoughts in a way that unexpectedly makes John's heart hurt.

"Then perhaps," John says, pulling the throw over himself and sighing, "perhaps those bits aren't in fact missing. Maybe they were never intended to be there in the first place."

John’s deduction takes Sherlock’s breath away.
 
This entry was originally posted at http://valancy-joy.dreamwidth.org/143441.html

Date: 2011-02-16 09:38 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] verasteine.livejournal.com
These three are gorgeous! I think they fit very well together, very lovely image of how they are together, and you bring the characters out very strongly. You turned a quick read into something quite impressive.

Date: 2011-02-16 11:03 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] valancy-joy.livejournal.com
awww... thanks! Kept trying to get them to DO STUFF, and John just wanted to sleep. LOL. I figure he has to catch a nap where he can, right?!

Date: 2011-02-17 08:11 pm (UTC)
ext_22549: Ice boy (Default)
From: [identity profile] sethra2000.livejournal.com
Wow, these all took my breath away, so short and sparce, but very powerful. That last one was particulary good, John's acceptance of Sherlock as he is, with no wish to change him... yeah, perfect.

Date: 2011-02-17 08:18 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] scarletwilder.livejournal.com
What a fantastic trio! I must confess to Comfort being my top favourite though as I have slightly epic touch!kink :)
and BC has such...delectable fingers...

*fangirl squeeee*

Date: 2011-02-17 08:41 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] stardust-made.livejournal.com
Oh, very nice, very evocative. Thanks for posting!

Date: 2011-02-17 10:21 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] disastrolabe.livejournal.com
Oh, these are charming! The first is my favorite.

Date: 2011-02-17 10:35 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ascendant-angel.livejournal.com
Those are breathtakingly beautiful, and the very last line, perfect in way that I didn't even know existed.

Date: 2011-02-17 10:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fenm.livejournal.com
This are wonderful! All three are good, but that last one is especially amazing. (-:

Date: 2011-02-18 02:30 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] darthhellokitty.livejournal.com
Oh, I like all three of these very much!

Date: 2011-02-18 03:21 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] quirkies.livejournal.com
Utterly gorgeous!

Date: 2011-02-18 05:27 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] alba17.livejournal.com
These are really lovely, very evocative.

Date: 2011-02-18 09:03 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tattoo-kink.livejournal.com
All of them are beautiful - but the last one is definitely my favorite one.

Thanks for sharing.

Date: 2011-02-19 10:21 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] amedia.livejournal.com
These are all lovely - I think the first is my favorite, because something about Sherlock's hand on John's stomach makes me wibble, but then the second one, with the marvelous precision of how you describe Sherlock's stroking, is tremendously evocative, and the third is thinky.

It's like they go from connecting just-physically (Warmth) to connecting sexually-physically (Comfort) to connecting non-physically as well (Breathless). It's a marvelous progression.

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