#lestrade friendship fics

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Heyyy ! How are you doing ?

So my ask for today: do you have any fics that involve the yard ? Especially lestrade, I love him lol

Loved the whump list btw :)) bye !

Hi Lovely!!

I'm happy you liked my last whump list, huzzah!

OHHHH I love Lestrade fics too!! He's a fave character too! In fact, it's been awhile, so let's make a new Lestrade list that has been sitting for awhile! I don't have many fics, though, so I am sorry. I've done a Yard list recently as well, so I'll link that below too!

If anyone has more to add, please do, as usual! Enjoy!

LESTRADE FRIENDSHIP Pt 2

See also:

Lestrade / The Yard Finds Out

Lestrade / The Yard Finds Out Pt 2

Papa Lestrade Fics

Lestrade Friendship Pt. 1

Domestic Matters by ohlooktheresabee (M, 29,404 w., 6 Ch. || Fantasy AU || First Meetings, Developing Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Domestic Fluff, BAMF Sherlock, BAMF John, Idiots in Love, Misunderstandings, Supernatural Elements, Implied / Referenced Child Abuse, Elf Sherlock, Human/Elf Politics, Emotional Abuse, Possessive Sherlock, Anxious Sherlock, Buddy Greg) – All flatmates need to work out domestic matters between them - who does the dishes, who takes out the rubbish, how often does the carpet need to be vacuumed - these are part and parcel of sharing a living space together. However, when you’re an elf and your flatmate is going to be a human you just met, this rather complicates things…Very loosely inspired by 'The Elves and The Shoemaker' by The Brothers Grimm.

Winter’s Storm by LoloLolly (M, 51,812 w., 11 Ch. || Canon Compliant Through TFP/S4 Is Canon, Alternating POV,  Established / New Relationship, Parentlock with Rosie, Explicit Torture, Mentions of Sherlock’s PTSD, Mentions of Human Trafficking, References to Child Abuse, Violence, Kidnapping/Torture, Captivity, Angst with Happy Ending, Fluff, Case Fic, BAMF / Soldier John, Sherlock Whump, Mycroft and John Work Together, Marriage Proposal, Autistic Sherlock, Lestrade Finds Out, Polyglot Sherlock, Aftermath of Serbia) – Sherlock had buried the past. Shut Serbia away in the attic of his mind palace. Muddy footprints at a heinous crime scene, however, have led him right back to old enemies. And right back to captivity. For God’s sake, Mycroft. Part 2 of the Earthly Pomp (Is But a Dream) series

Swallow the Night by ArwaMachine (E, 87,873 w., 15 Ch. || TSo3/Stag Night Fix It, TAB/S4 Divergence, Toplock, Mutual Pining, PWP, Drunk / Public Sex, Anal Fingering/Sex, Alcohol-Induced Amnesia, Everyone Knows Except Them, Emotional Love Confession, Demisexual Sherlock, Internalized Homophobia [John], Parentlock with Rosie, First Kiss, Drug Relapse, Infidelity, Texting, Masturbation, Oblivious John, Emotional Love Making, Angst with Happy Ending, Dreams and Nightmares) – “Do you know how long,” John panted, his cheek scraping against the wall, looking back at Sherlock through half-closed eyes, “I’ve wanted this?” Sherlock pressed himself against John’s back, biting at John’s ear. “Not nearly as long as I have,” he whispered.

Bakers with Benefits by Raina_at (E, 88,130 w., 14 Ch. || Great British Bake Off AU || Strangers to Lovers, Switchlock, Friends with Benefits, Mentions of Alcoholism / Past Drug Use, Banter, Flirting, Fluff, Light Angst, Semi-Public Sex, Past Sherlock/Victor, Mutual Pining, POV Sherlock, Obsessive Sherlock, John’s Bum) – Sherlock Holmes has a successful YouTube baking channel, but what he really wants is his own bakery. When an old friend sends him a call for the very first Great British Bake Off, he seizes the opportunity to finally win a sponsor for his bakery. Here's the plan: Win Bake Off, get the bakery, don't fall in love with the handsome Army doctor at the neighbouring station. Easy.

Drawn to Stars by Silvergirl (E, 109,272 w., 60 Ch. || S4 Compliant to TLD / TFP Doesn’t Exist, Sherlock’s Italian Adventure, Sherlock/OC and Johnlock, Jealous John, Mutual Pining, Misunderstandings, First Kiss/Time, Idiots in Love, 3 Part Story, Slow Burn, Inexperienced Sherlock, Bottom Sherlock, Introspection, Multiple Alternating First and Third Person POV, Separation and Reconciliation, Emotional Love Making, Love Confessions via Letters, Angst with Happy Ending) – After the Culverton Smith case Sherlock is clean, working, and looking for a romantic partner—since John has told him that’s what he needs. Shame John didn’t mention he was interested in that role himself, before Sherlock went off to Rome with a gorgeous Italian copper to try to fall in love and become a complete human being.  Part 1 of the Drawn to Stars series

[blu-s0da]

I would also like to state for the record that I am a Sherstrade shipper. And my guilty pleasure are the fics where the author demonises John like they would the typical Female Love Interest.

[meetinginsamarra]

Fanfics I really liked in August 2024

So. Since I keep a list of what I´ve read anyway (there´s always a list), I will rec all the fics I´ve wholly enjoyed on a monthly basis. Old and new, canon or AU, big or small authors, long or short but nearly always Johnlock (-ish).

++++++

Lost Boy Found by suitesamba @suitesamba

10 Years after Sherlock's "suicide," he returns to 221B to find that life - and John - have moved on but finds that there is always room for one more in a family.

Great reunion fic and John has a lovely son.

Thankless (a 5 + 1) by Silvergirl @totallysilvergirl

Five times that helping Sherlock Holmes was a thankless task, and one time that it wasn't.

Snippets of Sherlock's past and awesome Greg Lestrade.

A Study in Strays by philalethia

John Watson moves to 221B Baker Street. Unfortunately, the flat's already occupied.

Catlock. Need I say more?

Leveling Up by philalethia

John plays video games, Sherlock writes a guide on GameFAQs, and they get on quite well together... eventually. Told entirely through emails, text messages, and voice chats.

Enemies to lovers, one of my fave tropes. Sherlock is a delightful arse but John gets to like him...

Becoming Us (A reunion in three parts) by addicted2hugh @addicted2hugh

After watching Mary's last message, Sherlock and John try to be the "Baker Street Boys" again. Rebuilding the destroyed flat is the easy part. Will they manage to rebuild their friendship as well? And what did Mary mean when she said: "And if I'm gone, I know what you could become."?

S4 fix-it with hurt/comfort and friends to lovers. Addictive to read.

What It Is by addicted2hugh 

How I wish TLD had ended. John regrets bringing up The Woman. Sherlock is confused. Instead of birthday cake, there is birthday sex (with obstacles). Everything's alright in the end. I'm really bad at summaries.

TLD fix-it with hurt/comfort and friends to lovers. Very wholesome fix-it, no TFP.

[cerebipalsy]

Favorite GAA/DGS Fics

Warning for spoilers for both games in the descriptions below. Listed in rough chronological order with word count, pairings (mostly Asoryuu), content warnings, and a summary.

ACD DGS/GAA Rewrites by Girlinatophat (series)

Pre-canon. 230.5k words. Herlock Sholmes/Mikotoba Yuujin. Warnings: graphic depictions of violence, drug use, period-typical misogyny, temporary character death. Adaptations of the original Sherlock Holmes stories to fit into the Ace Attorney universe.

A Splash of Scarlet by AquaWings23

Pre-canon. 3.9k words. Asougi Genshin/Lady Baskerville/Klint van Zieks. Warning: alcohol use. Author summary: "Genshin attends a party hosted by the Director of Prosecutions. He isn't expecting to embarrass himself so thoroughly, much less catch the eye of a certain handsome couple."

Prelude to Pursuit by FencingRealities

Direct prequel to DGS1. 96.4k words. Asougi Kazuma/Naruhodou Ryuunosuke. Warnings: alcohol use, period-typical racism and homophobia. An exploration of Kazuma's psychological state, politics, and friendship with Ryuunosuke in the yearlong period between their first meeting and canon events.

dead man walking by inchwormed

DGS2-3. 5.6k words. Asougi Kazuma/Naruhodou Ryuunosuke. Warning: canonical past character death. An exploration of the slow process by which the Masked Apprentice regains his "self".

In the Chillest Land and on the Strangest Sea by SparklyBlizzardFace (series)

Post-DGS2. 23.6k words. Albert Harebrayne/Barok van Zieks. Warnings: minor internalized homophobia, canonical past character deaths. Author summary: "The story of how Barok and Albert got together, and the story of how they become doting uncles to the marvelous Iris Wilson."

Misfortune Favors the Bold by daydreamn019

Approximately 1 year post-DGS2. 24.4k words. Asougi Kazuma/Naruhodou Ryuunosuke, background Albert Harebrayne/Barok van Zieks and Mikotoba Susato/Murasame Haori | Membami Rei. Warnings: minor blood and injury, murder of background character. Light-hearted fic in which Kazuma reunites with Ryuunosuke and tries his hardest to make his feelings clear in spite of... everything that subsequently happens.

In the Shadows of the Martyred by skyefeys (RanpoeEnjoyer)

1 year post-DGS2. 11.6k words. No pairings. An exploration of the relationship between Kazuma Asougi and Gina Lestrade.

For Those Who Still Remain by firestormrunner

6 years post-DGS2. 4k words. No pairings. Warning: canonical past character deaths. Author summary: "On the eve of Iris Wilson's 16th birthday, Barok van Zieks finally gifts the girl the one thing she has been asking for: stories about her father."

Bonus main series-era fics exploring family history:

Very Good Friends by leonidskies

AA3-era. 4.7k words. Miles Edgeworth/Phoenix Wright, Asougi Kazuma/Naruhodou Ryuunosuke. Phoenix receives a gift from a relative after passing the bar, which he lets gather dust: a box of papers belonging to his great-great grandfather. Years later, he moves in with Miles and uncovers some long-hidden truths.

As If By Fate by Buffintruder

Seven Year Gap. 4.5k words. Miles Edgeworth/Phoenix Wright, Asougi Kazuma/Naruhodou Ryuunosuke. Author summary: "A hundred and fifty years ago, the von Karmas took on the name of the Asougi family’s sword. When Phoenix and Edgeworth find the sword in question among the stuff passed down from Phoenix’s great-great grandfather, they wonder what connection there could possibly be between the two families."

Ryuu by LookerDeWitt

Post-AA4. 14.2k words. Miles Edgeworth/Phoenix Wright, Asougi Kazuma/Naruhodou Ryuunosuke. Author summary: "Phoenix's great-great grandfather lived to an extremely ripe old age. However, a mystery surrounding the moments before his death [has] bothered Phoenix for ages. Now, decades later, he is finally ready to find out the truth."

[specialagentlokitty]

Lestrade x Autistic!male!reader - break the rules

Hey! Time for my older silver fox issues to spread further 😂 Could I request a Lestrade x male autistic reader? Could he work with Lestrade and Sherlock turns up to a crime scene and doesn’t follow procedure and this causes the reader to have a meltdown because the rules that he has so carefully lived and worked by are being disregarded and Lestrade has to calm the reader and also deal with Sherlock and John helps with both of those things? Maybe the reader could use Sherlock as a way of pushing himself out of his comfort zone occasionally and Lestrade thinks this is a terrible idea but then sees how much it helps and encourages the friendship? Any fluff is welcome, this adorable hedgehog man has been a permanent fixture in my autie brain for over a decade and there are just no good x male reader fics for him, once again I choose the character that doesn’t get the love he deserves - @the-imitation-blog 💜

Lestrade tried to keep you away from the crime scene, asking if you could stand outside, asking you to do things like taking notes and such but you couldn’t do your job if you weren’t able to go inside.

“(Y/N) could you give this to Donovan please?”

He held up an evidence bag and you nodded, taking it from his hands you made your way back down the stairs and walked over to the woman.

“Lestrade wants you to have this.”

“Why?”

You shrugged a little and spun around, making your way back inside the building only to be stopped again.

“I need to go into the room.”

You started putting one of the blue suits on and Lestrade tried to stop you.

“There’s nothing else to do.”

“I need to take my notes.”

“(Y/N)-“

He tried to stop you but he couldn’t, so all he could do was quickly follow you up the stairs trying to encourage you to stop and let him take the notes.

You weren’t having any of it, you had started your notes, so, therefore you had to finish your notes since you started you couldn’t let anyone else finish it.

You quickly walked into the room and stopped in your tracks when you saw who was standing in the room.

“Why is he here? You cannot be here.”

“(Y/N) he’s just here to help…” Lestrade whispered.

“He is not wearing the overalls, he is contaminating everything.”

You started to tap your thigh, something Lestrade picked up on immediately but when he went to grab your hand to stop you, you slapped it away.

“Oh please, I’m not contaminating anymore than everyone else walking in and out is.”

“You are not follow procedure.”

You started to get upset, telling him he wasn’t following the rules, he couldn’t be here without the right things.

Sherlock simply rolled his eyes and ignored you, going back to what he was doing while Lestrade focused on you.

“Breathe, it’s okay. (Y/N) it’s okay!”

“No! No it is not! It is not okay Greg he cannot be here!”

“(Y/N) you need to calm down.”

“What.. what’s wrong with him?”

“Oh it’s obvious John. He has autism, he has to follow the rules and procedures in place, he doesn’t like it that I’m here because that’s not the rules.”

“Right, right okay. Can we do anything to help?”

John looked at you, arms crossed, fist hitting your upper arm, darting away from Lestrade whenever he got too close to you.

Repeating about how Sherlock couldn’t be here it’s not the rules.

“Sherlock I think you need to go.”

“No, I’m not finished.”

“Sherlock!” John hissed.

You quickly left the room, taking the overalls off you dumped them on the table and walked outside, sitting on the steps you put your head in your knees.

You were hitting the back of your head, overwhelmed and stressed.

Both Lestrade and John followed you out, Lestrade knelt in front of you while John crouched at your side.

“Give me your hands, okay? (Y/N) I need your hands.” Lestrade spoke softly.

You looked up at him.

“Sherlock needs to go. He has to go Greg.”

“He’s going, okay? He’s coming down right now, he’s leaving I’m sorry.” John said softly.

You held out your hands to Lestrade, letting him gently take them between his while you rocked a little on the step.

“The.. the rules… he is not following the rules…”

“I know, I know I’m sorry I shouldn’t have let him in.” Lestrade said softly.

Sherlock came out the door a second later and stood at the bottom of the steps trying to speak to Lestrade.

“Sherlock go behind the tape.” Lestrade said.

“No, this is urgent!”

“Sherlock! Behind the tape, just go!” John snapped.

He got up and pushed his friend towards the tape and under it before walking back over to you.

“(Y/N) I’m a doctor, can I have a look at your arm? Just to make sure it’s okay?” John asked softly.

You nodded and Lestrade shuffled to the side.

“I need to talk to Sherlock, will you be okay?”

You nodded again, and Lestrade made his way over to where sherlock was and John had a look at your arm, mindful not to touch your skin in case you weren’t comfortable with it.

“You’ll just need some ice. Is your head okay.”

You stood up and John stood up as well.

“I need to finish my work.”

You left and went back inside and John walked over to his two friends, listening to the heated conversation.

“If he’s not comfortable with it he shouldn’t be here!”

“Sherlock he’s a police officer of course he’s going to be here!”

“Sherlock Lestrade is right, it’s (Y/N)s job to be here, and if you know he has autism and gets upset by things you do why don’t you just follow the rules you’re supposed to?”

“Because it just slows me down, they’re pointless rules anyways.”

“They may seem pointless to you, but they’re important to (Y/N). Sherlock just because it doesn’t seem important to you doesn’t me it isn’t important to other people.”

Sherlock just rolled his eyes and walked away and John sighed, apologising to Lestrade he followed Sherlock while Lestrade went back to check up on you.

You were angry with him and he knew it, you didn’t need to be a super genius like Sherlock to know when someone was angry with you.

Lestrade kept his distance, not wanting to stress you out anymore then you already were, and let you finish your work in peace before you turned around to face him.

“I am finished now. I’m leaving.”

With that, you handed him your notebook and left the crime scene, making your way back to the station to do what you needed to do there.

Lestrade decided to give you your space, and you focused on what you were doing.

A few days later and you were talking to Lestrade again.

“Are you coming?” He asked, pulling his jacket on.

“No. It’s my day off, and it’s Friday. I have to go shopping.”

Lestrade nodded his head and walked over, placing a hand on your head as he knelt down a little bit.

“Call me if you need anything, alright?”

“Okay. Have a good day.”

You tapped his cheek with your hand and walked away and Lestrade just chuckled, leaving the house to head to work before he was late.

You grabbed your shopping list from the fridge, took your car keys and left, making your way to the shop and you saw a familiar face standing outside.

“Hello Sherlock.”

“(Y/N).”

He spun around and followed you into the shop.

“Why are you here?”

“Because it’s Friday. You do your shopping on a Friday, you arrive here at exactly 9am sharp every morning to beat the afternoon rush.”

You just nodded your head and looked at your list.

“I was told to apologise for my behaviour the other day.”

“If you want to you can, if not, then why come?”

Sherlock stopped your trolly, grabbing one of the things from your list he looked at how you laid everything out and set it in the spot it belonged.

“Simple, you comply with all the rules, but I know you don’t want to. So, I’ve come to offer you an alternative, you let me come on cases with you again and I’ll help you with your need to follow rules exactly as they are.”

You started to push the trolly and looked around.

“There is no other way to follow rules. You either follow them or you do not.”

“True, but you can always follow rules while bending them a little bit. So, you’re still following them, but you have a little more freedom.”

You titled your head at him a little bit.

“I.. I don’t understand…”

“Okay, I’ll explain it differently.”

Sherlock again explained what he meant, but you still didn’t understand so he offered to just show you instead which you agreed to.

You took him to the house so you could put all the shopping away, and he looked around, taking notes on everything.

If he was going to help you with this, he needed to understand a little bit more about you and how your brain worked so he could make this task easier for himself.

He asked you to follow him to the cafe nearby so you did.

“What do you want?”

You told him what you wanted to eat and then he looked at you.

“We’re going to eat in.”

You nodded and stood next to him as he ordered.

“Is that to eat in or take out?”

“Take out.”

The cafe worker quickly put everything through so Sherlock could pay and he started to make everything while you two stood waiting.

“I.. I thought we are eating in?”

“We are. It doesn’t cost any more to eat in then it does to eat out. All that’s different is the way our food will be presented to us.”

“But.. that is not.. that is not right. You said take out, so we have to take out.”

Sherlock could see you were getting stressed about this.

“Before you get upset just look.”

He took the bag and turned to the waiter.

“Thank you.”

Walking over to a table he sat down and you sat down as well.

Your heart was racing in your chest, and you watched as Sherlock took the food from the bag and set it in front of you.

“No difference. All that’s different is the way you went about this task.”

You both stayed sat down, neither of you eating your food, and you tapped the table and after a few moments Sherlock put everything back in the bag.

“Come on.”

He took you out and you immediately relaxed and he realised he had his work really cut out for him.

Every day sherlock would meet you, getting you to do something that would mean you now following the rules, and every day it would stress you out and that’s what alerted Lestrade.

He picked up on the fact you would tap a lot more, even for seemingly no reason, you were tense, and you were more restless then before.

“Hey, what’s going on?” He asked softly.

He sat on the bed next to you, placing his hand over yours.

“Sherlock has been teaching me how to break the rules.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me I’ll talk to him now.”

Lestrade went to get up and you stopped him, holding his hand so he couldn’t walk away and he stopped, walking back over.

“No. I want to do it.”

“Why?”

You simply shrugged a little bit and Lestrade sighed, nodding his head.

“I can’t stop you from talking to Sherlock but I don’t think this is a good idea.”

He really wasn’t on board with the whole idea of you now following the rules you so carefully lived by, he knew what it did to you when you or anyone else couldn’t.

He made sure to keep a close eye on you after finding that out, and on one of your cases he was shocked to see Sherlock turn up.

“Sherlock you can’t be here!” Lestrade hissed.

“(Y/N) asked me to come.”

Sherlock showed the text and let himself under the tape.

Lestrade turned to John.

“Don’t look at me, Sherlock and (Y/N) are like best buds now.” John shrugged.

Both of them made their way to the body where you were standing in overalls, but then Lestrade noticed you didn’t have your shoe covers on.

“You’re not wearing shoes covers.” Sherlock said crouching by the body.

“The floor is already covered in shoe prints, therefore it does not matter about mine.”

Sherlock smirked a little, nodding his head.

“And you’re not stressed about it?”

“A little.”

Sherlock reached into his pockets, pulling out some shoes covers and handed them over to you.

You slipped them on and crouched down next to Sherlock.

“Well, that’s something I never thought I’d see. Sherlock actually helping for nothing.” John chuckled.

“(Y/N) seems to be doing well too, maybe this friendship thing isn’t so bad.”

Lestrade watched you with a soft smile on his face, making sure to keep a close eye on you in case there was a switch in your behaviour.

You did what you had to do, and then you left Sherlock to do what he needed to do.

Walking over to Lestrade, you stood next to him.

“Maybe Sherlock helping you won’t be so bad.” He smiled.

“It does feel nice in a way, but it’s hard.”

Lestrade stepped in front of you and he placed a hand on your head.

“You don’t have to do this.”

“I know. I want to.”

You pat his cheek, then kissed it and moved his hand from your head.

“PDA at work?” He chuckled.

“Some rules are okay to break.”

With that, you offered him a huge smile and walked away, leaving him with a happy, buzzing feeling inside of him

[deelaundry]

AO3 Wrapped [writer’s ^and vidder's edition]

1. Biggest surprise while writing this year?

This was another year of needing the push of fests to finish and post works. @calaisreno's May prompts 2024 helped a lot, although I didn't go as far with updating The Private Personal Blog of Dr. John H. Watson as I wanted to. I posted seven (very short) chapters for the first eleven prompts. The remaining twenty prompts have been plotted, just not written :( and will take the story to the end of S3, where we wave goodbye entirely to canon. FYI- my notes for that section say:

That’s the end of canon. NO ABOMINABLE BRIDE NO MORIARTY RETURN NO DRUGS RELAPSE NO EURUS - Redbeard was a dog - Victor was a uni friend

Second biggest surprise was how much I absolutely fell in love with Sherlock & Co. I didn't think I'd have another show grab me the way this has. Not had a ton of fannish output yet, but it's likely coming.

2. How many WIP's do you have in your docs for next year?

A gajillion in docs. I keep thinking, "Can put this away; I'll never go back to it," and then immediately having my brain go back to it. Slightly fewer in the vid idea queue, but that's not zero.

3. Your favorite character to write/vid this year?

Great big cuddly squishes for the two John Watsons I wrote, BBC John and Jonk (podcast John). Same person at core, completely different in personality.

Vid: I liked vidding Yasper for Dance the Night, but vidding Ken to a "Xavier" song was also just *chef's kiss: Imma Live Forever

4. The character that gave you the most trouble writing this year?

Not posted yet, but I've written some Mariana from podcast. I adore her and feel I can write her inner self... but am very frustrated that I know nothing about growing up in Spain. Don't know what her relationship with her family is like, what her inside jokes are with Spanish friends about British people/UK, etc. I have some handle (from an outside perspective) on what it might be like to be Hispanic in the US but nothing on being Spanish in London.

5. What's one pairing you want to explore next year?

Sorry not sorry, more than one:

More of BBC poly QPR Sherlock/John and others around them

Podcast Sherlock/John/Mariana

BBC John Watson and James Wilson as exes from secondary school when James was on an exchange program in England

A different deep platonic relationship for BBC Sherlock and "John"

Sherlock Holmes & James Wilson friendship (where James calls Sherlock "Shushy")

BBC Molly Hooper/John Watson taking place after John's gone to prison for assaulting Sherlock in S4. You might not be surprised to learn that their relationship is actually all about Sherlock.

There's also a BBC kinky WIP that ends with Greg Lestrade/Mary Morstan, although it won't really explore that relationship per se.

6. Did you receive any gifts this year?

Yep and they were all great!

King of Anything [Fanvid] for Overboard (1987) by periru3

A triptych of related fics by Vulgarweed: Follow the Lights in Sherlock BBC, Pusherman in Watson and Holmes comic, and Champagne Supernova in Sherlock & Co podcast.

The Final Adventure of a Problematic, Lying Detective (Aka Oklahomo IV) which is an hilarious fic based on a Norwegian parody of Sherlock BBC.

7. Did you do any collaborative works this year?

Nope.

8. What do you listen to while writing?

Nothing while writing. While vidding it's the vid's song over and over and over again.

9. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

In vidding, it's the fun match of the music with Ken sliding slowly down the hood of his truck, and the Mt Rushmore horses being the "fake-ass hoes."

In writing, it's from a blurb that I may or may not ever finish: The sex was glorious, a feedback loop of sensation rather than a race to an outcome, and at one point the woman gasped, "God, Watson, you fuck like a dyke." 

Oh, wait, I wrote that in 2023. What is time?

--

Thank you @meetinginsamarra for your AO3 Wrapped that inspired this!

[carpooling-the-internet]

Shift (48552 words) by stopthat Chapters: 32/32 Fandom: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson Characters: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Rosie Watson, Molly Hooper, Mrs. Hudson, Greg Lestrade Additional Tags: Domestic Fluff, Family Fluff, Light Angst, But mostly fluff, Unconventional Relationship, Best Friends, Friends to Lovers, POV John Watson, John Watson Being an Idiot, Sherlock Holmes Has Feelings, Slow Burn, First Kiss, First Time, Eventual Smut, Emotional Sex, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship/Love, Slow Romance, Post-Season/Series 04, Post-Canon, Love Confessions, Getting Together, Cuddling & Snuggling, soft smut, Complete, Wedding Fluff, Honeymoon Summary: Sherlock is tired. John senses a shift. ◒ “I’m tired, John,” He murmurs. Barely a whisper. John swallows, feeling irrationally helpless. “I can see that,” He responds quietly, tracing an eyebrow with the pad of his thumb. “Sleep, then,” He can hear the crack in his own voice—a perfect match for the one in his chest. He hopes that Sherlock won’t notice, won’t try to pick it all apart. “Not what I meant,” He rumbles, as he drifts off and away, leaving John alone in wakefulness to wonder what the hell had just happened.

This fic... its emotional and complex while genuinely feeling so comforting and filling me with so much peace and joy. I think its the best canon compliant post season 4 ending I have read yet. Please read this fic. Wow.

[tiger-moran]

Characters/pairings: Sebastian Moran/James Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes/Dr John Watson, Mary Watson, Inspector Lestrade, Inspector Gregson, original minor characters

Rating: teen

Summary: With Moriarty back in London with Moran, Holmes reunites with Watson and seeks to arrest the murderer of the Honourable Ronald Adair.

(In which someone is dead, two people formerly presumed dead are alive, two separated lovers are reunited, Moran attempts to make a point, Lestrade is frustrated and Mary Watson holds the key to Holmes learning that he is still capable of being wrong sometimes.)

Set around The Empty House

Contents/warnings for overall fic: brief references to murder and/or a possible suicide; briefly referenced past miscarriage; brief descriptions of an injury; implied sexual content (but no sex is actually shown in this one); swearing

Notes: concluding chapter of the concluding part of my Non omnis moriar trilogy

My summary for the series: A trilogy of stories covering The Final Problem, the 'great hiatus' and The Empty House. In which Moran is devoted to Moriarty, Mary Watson forms some unexpected friendships and Holmes is reminded that sometimes he can be wrong, even when he is attempting to be selfless to protect the man he loves.

[echoedtranslations]

Now Available

Stupid With Love

Rating: 14+ Words: 4,105 Available on: Archive of Our Own Characters: Sherlock Holmes & Greg Lestrade Tags: Greg Lestrade & Sherlock Holmes Friendship, Drunk Sherlock Holmes, POV Sherlock Holmes, Humour, Inspired by this Tumblr Post, One Shot, Sweet, referenced Johnlock

Summary: When Sherlock Holmes agrees to join Lestrade for a drink, he allows himself to drink liberally. With the alcohol acting as a social lubricant, the pair bond over shared jokes and drunken conversation. Sherlock even permits himself to open up and expose those portions of his personality he typically keeps hidden- including his experience with love.

Shenanigans ensue, and Sherlock realizes he doesn't only have one friend: he has two.

Now we know why Sherlock was so hesitant to get hammered in John's presence during the stag night.

[swissmissficrecs]

Most kudoed Sherlock fics from 2022

The 10 most popular fics* on AO3 completed in 2022 with Sherlock (TV) as the main fandom. Kudo counts as of 1 Jan 2023.

1. 3497 kudos - Teaching Sherlock by Sherlock1110 (148K, E, Johnlock, Mystrade) Sherlock is 24, his older brother Mycroft has had enough. John Watson is known for training subs, looking after them until they're ready to leave and never getting emotionally attached. At least that was what he thought until he met Sherlock Holmes, the troublesome submissive who no one could tame. 

2. 1718 kudos - Helpless Here Below by Mottlemoth (66K, E, Mystrade, Johnlock, Warstan) Mycroft Holmes and Greg Lestrade barely know each other - so John Watson has always believed. When he witnesses a surprising moment of care between them, John starts to wonder if there's more going on than meets the eye

3. 1378 kudos - Indefinite Lines by ArwaMachine (298K, E, Johnlock) Sherlock and John find themselves faced with a series of seemingly disparate cases that are growing increasingly connected, increasingly personal. They must unravel the mystery laid before them by a particularly ruthless set of criminals before the danger is upon them, or else run the risk of being cleaved apart forever, lines scattered to the wind.

4. 1237 kudos - Shift by stopthat (46K, E, Johnlock) Sherlock is tired. John senses a shift.

5.  1219 kudos - Plenipotentials by Ginevra_Benci (54K, M, Mystrade, Johnlock) The first thing your soulmate says in your presence writes itself on your skin as they say it, usually on your chest, arm, or hand, or—if you’re very unlucky—on your face.  Greg was very, very unlucky.

6. 1091 kudos - The Impenetrable Mind Palace of Muggle Sherlock Holmes by suitesamba (27K, M, Johnlock) Sherlock is obsessed with the new neighbor - the one who's rented Mrs. Hudson's flat while she spends a year abroad. There's something odd about the amiable man, but Sherlock just can't put his finger on it. And when has Sherlock Holmes ever failed at deducing someone?

7. 992 kudos - Matchmaking for Solitary Animals by ArwaMachine (71K, E, Johnlock, Sherlock/OMC, John/OMC) Upon moving back to Baker Street following Sherlock’s return from the dead, John finds that Sherlock is a bit more keen on entertaining gentlemen callers than he once was, a fact that seems to make John irrationally angry. Intent on proving that he’s not a total dick, John decides to make it his mission to find Sherlock a boyfriend. This, as it turns out, is the worst idea John has ever had.

8.  812 kudos - What Have You Done? by DownpourOfFeels (62K, E, Johnlock, Warstan) John Watson’s wedding was over a year ago now and his friendship with Sherlock Holmes is deteriorating. With a new daughter in the picture, bills to pay and a job to hold down, there’s no time for solving cases - and he’s not as happy as he thought he might be. On the other side of London, Sherlock has never felt more alone. Crushed with regret and running out of distractions, he sneaks off one night to get high - but as he trips, Moriarty escapes from his mind and comes out to play. Will John and Mycroft get there in time to save him?

9. 802 kudos - When It Rains by BlueMoon0nTheRise (98K, M, Mystrade) Ever since Greg Lestrade saved Sherlock's life, Mycroft Holmes' protective streak started to extend to him, too. Whenever Greg is injured or ill, the older Holmes is always there in the background, ensuring that he recovers. And over time, Greg starts to return the favour, when he can.

10. 774 kudos - A Question of Honour by MizJoely (47K, E, Sherlolly) Revolutionary War AU. Colonial spy Molly Hooper is caught sneaking into the quarters of British Army Captain Sherlock Holmes and is saved from hanging only by his assertion that she's actually his mistress. However, once she and the handsome enemy captain are forced to spend time alone in his quarters, will the lie become the truth?

*I excluded collections of standalone ficlets posted as a single work and fics that were actually completed earlier but posted "extras” in 2022.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Five Fics Friday: January 17/25

Happy Friday everyone! I hope y'all have had a good week, and are ready to settle in with some more fantastic fics I've been recced recently! And be sure to give the boosted fic some extra love!!! Enjoy!

SIGNAL BOOSTING

Not One of Those Times by glass_rose_paperweight (G, 12,807 w., 3 Ch. || Star Trek AU || Tags to be Added) – When medical officer John Watson, of the United Federation of Planets, beams aboard a Borg ship with a small group of fellow crewmen in an attempt to blow the ship up, he knew there were a million ways the mission could go wrong. What he doesn't anticipate is who he finds on the ship. Intended to be understandable, even if you don't have much knowledge of Star Trek. As long as you have a passing understanding of who the Borg are, you should be able to read this fic.

RECENT MFLs

Accidentally On Purpose by merelypassingtime (G, 1000 w., 1 Ch. || Three Continents Watson, First Kiss, Fluff, Sherlock Speaks French) – Sherlock is injured so, of course, John has to help him any way he can.

Sherlock Spills the Beans by wendymarlowe (E, 6,635 w., 5 Ch. || Frottage, Straight John, Gay Sherlock, Lestrade Has A Secret) – Sherlock blurts out some extremely intimate details about John's sexual habits, during a case, right in front of Greg and Sally and a witness (who happens to be a former one-night-stand of John's). John is furious that Sherlock would let the Yard assume he had first-hand knowledge of John's behavior in bed, but Sherlock doesn't see what the problem is - he's deduced everything he needs to know already, so why hide it? Especially when he's got some suggestions of his own... Part 18 of John and Sherlock's Kinky First Times

Meet Ugly by JRow (T, 9,766 w., 5 Ch. || Alternate First Meeting AU || ASiP Divergence, Meet Ugly) – One encounter with a gorgeous madman is a good story. Twice is a crazy coincidence. Three times might just be fate.

Unrequited but Not Much Longer by Rini2012 &  SHwithDefectiveTransport (M, 126,423 w., 14 Ch. || S4 Rewrite, Past Mary/John, John's In a Coma, Therapy, Homophobia, First Time, Rosie Growing Up, Mary is Good, Adoption, Slow Burn, PTSD, John's Blog, Pets, Developing Relationship, Bisexual John, Demisexual Sherlock, Virgin Sherlock) – John Watson has woken up from a coma only to find out that everything that happened in The Final Problem was part of a coma dream. Not only that, but Sherlock has child-proofed the flat and had been taking care of Rosie during the 2 month period John was unconscious. For years the two were willing to die for each other, but for both of them, it runs much deeper than friendship. Will they finally tell each other how they feel? Can they find the woman who posed as John's therapist? How will Sherlock and John raise a baby in 221B with their lifestyle?

[meetinginsamarra]

My fave Sherlock BBC AUs - Artists

Around mid-month I’ll do a fic rec list with my fave AU genres or tropes. Summaries are taken from OP on AO3.

ACTORS

“Performance in a Leading Role” (-series, +7 sequels) by Mad_Lori @madlori

Sherlock Holmes is an Oscar winner in the midst of a career slump. John Watson is an Everyman actor trapped in the rom-com ghetto. When they are cast as a gay couple in a new independent drama, will they surprise each other? Will their on-screen romance make its way into the real world?

“Lifetime Achievement” (part 9 of Performance-sereis) by Mad_Lori

John Watson has just won an Oscar and gotten engaged in the same day. Now what? (Sequel to "Performance in a Leading Role")

“To the Sticking Place” by blueink3 @blueink3

Renowned Shakespearean actor Sherlock Holmes has finally burned all of his bridges in the theatre industry save for his constant director, Greg Lestrade. John Watson has made a name for himself in the musical theatre circuit, but age and injury are working against him. Can they reinvent themselves for an all-male Macbeth without killing one another?

“Much Ado about a Whole Bloody Lot” (sequel to Sticking Place) by blueink3

"What do you mean John has to kiss her?"  "Sherlock, that's generally what happens when one is starring in a romantic comedy." Or, Sherlock goes to see John in his first role post-Macbeth and he's really not all that happy about it.

“Floating through a dark blue sky” by Lediona

Of course, I’d seen his films and always thought he was, well, brilliant -- but, you know, a million miles from the world I live in. Or, when John is the owner of a travel book shop and the famous Sherlock Holmes stops in one day.

“Fading Stars and Black Holes” by lurikko

Sherlock Holmes, known from movies A Scandal in Belgravia and Don’t Make Me Choose, comes back to acting after two years. He’s starring in a romantic comedy about two men who move in together for practical reasons and stumble into a surprising friendship. The only problem is that his co-star is John Watson, a man whom he hasn’t seen since he left their shared flat two years ago, leaving John only a note. During the time they have been apart, John Watson has gotten to himself a wife, a child, and a divorce.

“The Short and Tragic Death of John Watson” by Calais_Reno @calaisreno

Thirteen years ago, Sherlock starred in a television series about an alien boy stranded on Earth. Now Molly has written a reunion episode and he's expected to join his old costars and recreate the role of Alex Tribble, now an adult returning to rescue his old friends from an alien threat. Having had some success since playing a teenage alien, Sherlock is reluctant to reprise the role. And there's another problem no one wants to discuss: John Watson, who played his best friend, is dead.

Warning: Nobody dies. John isn't dead. If you came here for angst and MCD, you won't find it. If you came here to find a cheesy, self-indulgent story with a ridiculous, contrived happy ending that I had way too much fun writing, here you go.

“Take Two” by Raina_at @raina-at

Six years ago, Sherlock Holmes, then a promising young actor, broke John Watson's heart. When the production John is working on needs a new lead actor two weeks before press night, they turn to Sherlock to save the production. Working together after six years won't be a problem. After all, both of them are professionals. And both of them have moved on. Or at least they think they have.

WRITERS

“How Novel-series” (14 fics) by StarlicghtAndFireflies

starting with A Novel Meeting

“Who should I sign it to?” The familiar question rolls off his lips easily, but somehow it feels more meaningful this time. He’s never met a fan quite so dedicated, quite so willing to lug an entire armful of books to get them all signed, quite so handsome even when he blushes. “Er… Sherlock,” the man replies. AU in which John is an author, and Sherlock is a fan who comes to his book signing.

“Poetry and Prose” by Jberry

John is a crime series writer. Sherlock writes serious poetry. Sherlock takes time on his writing blog to give John Watson a hard time about his writing, though he's secretly read all his books and in love with the author. Mistaken identity, new love, a little angst, fluff that progresses into... Well. You'll just have to read it, now won't you?

“Writer’s Block” by lookupkate

John has been writing detective novels for years, shitty, romance filled detective novels. That is until his last. Now he can't write a single chapter. When Greg seats him next to an asshole genius he doesn't have the slightest idea that it is exactly what he needs.

“Fortune Favours” by simplyclockwork @simplyclockwork​

On military leave, John Watson discovers that his sister has signed him up for a blind date book event. The set-up is simple: one person brings a book and ends up on a blind date with whoever chooses their contribution. To say that John is reluctant to attend is an understatement. Luckily, sparks fly between him and a stunning new author when he makes an unorthodox selection from the book choices.

PAINTERS

“Oxidation” by abbykate

as oil paintings dry, the process is not evaporation as there is no water in the paint to disappear; instead, the oils in the paint are oxidised causing them to harden over years in a process that never really stops.

“Bloody Brushes” and by jawbonesandjumpers

Sherlock Holmes is a world-renowned art critic and collector who rarely finishes any of his own work. He is brutal and ends more artists’ careers than starts them, and he abhors the state of the art world today. John Watson is a recluse who was invalided out of the army and paints the horrifying scenes of his nightmares. When Sherlock stumbles across one of his works, he becomes obsessed with his paintings and wants nothing more than to meet the man behind the canvas.

“Pastel Paints” by jawbonesandjumpers

Sherlock finds his muse and John paints an angel.

“Art of the Reasoner” by Tellytubby101

A world in which Sherlock is an artist, not a detective. Though that doesn’t mean he can’t help solve crimes. AU.

[arwamachine]

SO GRANT US ALL A CHANGE OF HEART

by ArwaMachine

Chapters: 5/5 Rating: Explicit Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade, Sherlock Holmes/Victor Trevor (past), Sally Donovan/Molly Hooper (kinda) Please mind the tags on this fic! Summary: It’s Christmastime at Baker Street, but things are far from festive. Mary is dead, John and Sherlock’s friendship is all but ruined, and Sherlock has become a right dick about everything. More convinced than ever that sentiment is objectively useless, Sherlock needs a little paranormal intervention to see the error of his ways or else run the risk of losing all that is important to him.

[specialagentlokitty]

Hey! Time for my older silver fox issues to spread further 😂 Could I request a Lestrade x male autistic reader? Could he work with Lestrade and Sherlock turns up to a crime scene and doesn’t follow procedure and this causes the reader to have a meltdown because the rules that he has so carefully lived and worked by are being disregarded and Lestrade has to calm the reader and also deal with Sherlock and John helps with both of those things? Maybe the reader could use Sherlock as a way of pushing himself out of his comfort zone occasionally and Lestrade thinks this is a terrible idea but then sees how much it helps and encourages the friendship? Any fluff is welcome, this adorable hedgehog man has been a permanent fixture in my autie brain for over a decade and there are just no good x male reader fics for him, once again I choose the character that doesn’t get the love he deserves.

Yessss I absolutely love this I’m so excited to write it!!

I absulove him because I know full well what you mean, even with female or gender neutral reader fics there is absolutely nothing for him!

I love him he’s so adorable and wholesome he deserves to be loved 😭

[mycrofts-gunbrella]

Caring is the Greatest Advantage- Mycroft Holmes x Reader (Part One)

A/N- this is the first instalment of what I hope will become a Mycroft x Reader story. I’m not sure entirely how many chapters there will end up being, but I am hoping to range between at least 5-10, depending on how my ideas go, and how well they’re received by you guys! Sorry I haven’t posted in a while but I have so many fics I’ve have written, or ones I just can’t bring myself to end! But I’m hoping to start posting regularly again soon! But, for now, enjoy! And please let me know any thoughts and opinions as this is my FIRST time writing for Mycroft!

For Context- this is set post-Eurus! And this story will also likely contain smut later on, but I am in no rush to add it anytime soon. I will also try to incorporate it to allow people to skip it should they want to! Enjoy! 

Word Count- 5561

Mycroft's brain pounded against his skull as he was lead back outside by a group of police officers, pounded harder as the sunlight shocked his eyes all at once- had he not been one of the world's smartest, if not the smartest, men he'd have believed his head was going to explode. His chest heaved, his left hand fumbling with contents of his trouser pocket, his right digging his well manicured fingernails into the pale flesh of his palm. He feels the pain, not much, not unbearable of course, but it's there and it confirms everything. It wasn't a dream. Eurus had truly outsmarted them, placed brother against brother, best friend against best friend. And for what? Fun? He couldn't let himself think of that now, not at least until his third or fourth whiskey he had planned for his evening- he may, he ponders, even open that long awaited Bowmore 1965 Single Malt that had been a gift from Queen Elizabeth herself following a dreadful misunderstanding amongst government officials that almost drove the Empire to jeopardy. It had, of course, been left as a decorative piece for the past few years, 'to save for a truly celebratory occasion', he had noted- though now nothing felt like it would ever be worth celebrating, so why not indulge as a way to cope with his rare moments of vulnerability?

"Oh Christ Mycroft, thank God for that." He felt hands clamping round his shoulders before his aching brain could associate the voice to Detective Inspector Lestrade. It was a close relationship that not many were aware of, though Mycroft failed to understand why it wouldn't be clear. Gregory spends most days in contact with Sherlock and, despite the relatively constant natter about how Arsenal are doing in the League, he faired a man of intelligent conversation- exceeding that of usual goldfish- and thus Mycroft had decided years ago it was only 'unquestionably logical' that the pair of them formed some form of alliance out of their own best interests. Where friendship had crossed the threshold of acquaintances neither of them were too sure, not that Mycroft would use the word 'friends' of course- they weren't the type to spend each day talking about their latest gossip or what they'd decided to have for lunch, but they were close enough that they would consider their lives at least marginally better without the other being dead. He didn't return the embrace, instead stiffened, Greg suspected as much and moved to keep a hand on his shoulder.

"Sherlock?" One worded questions usually drove Mycroft insane- 'if you don't care enough about the question to form it in a grammatically correct manner, you do not care enough for the question itself; and I care not to answer it.' But he couldn't manage much else, even the one word was choked. He hadn't seen Sherlock for hours, not since... He could be anywhere. Christ, he could be dead- but he didn't want to think about that. It was logical, yes, but even Mycroft Holmes couldn't deny himself the odd thoughts of hope on occasion.

"Fine. He's fine, John too." Greg was guiding the tense man along the gravel to the small group of people that had bunched a couple hundred yards away, his form visibly softening at the knowledge of his brother still being alive- and just as much knowing Dr Watson remained alive, God knows what Sherlock would do if he had died, another headache Mycroft would rather not dwell upon today. Far too much stress and things to fix for him to ponder and contemplate upon 'what ifs', no matter how high the likelihood of them had been only a few hours ago. The next 20 minutes had felt like a blur to Mycroft- the discussion with Sherlock and his companion feeling only like white noise in his ears. They weren't one for sentiment, for brotherly embraces, but the handshake, Mycroft's second hand moving to hold where their others joined, Sherlock's following after, said enough. Said everything. Paperwork had been dismissed for now- 'we'll be in contact in a week or so' Lestrade had said, not that he really heard it. People began to disperse and Mycroft felt around his trouser pockets. Bollocks, of course he didn't have his phone.

"You can come back with us.. if you want?" John had offered, his hand still gripping to the loose part of Sherlock's trench coat sleeve. Ah, Doctor Watson. A man far too kind and loyal for this world, he already had Sherlock at home- Mycroft knew he couldn't burden him with two Holmes', not after what had just happened with three. One was more than enough.

"I appreciate your generosity, Doctor Watson, but I assure you I shall be perfectly fine." He knew he was lying, but after years working in politics it was only second nature, he was good at it- good enough to fool John Watson at least- and if Sherlock thought otherwise, he didn't say anything and elected to tug John towards the police car that was waiting to escort them back to Baker Street. Mycroft watched as the car disappeared into a dot and went back to DI Lestrade who was hovering by an ambulance.

"There you are. Rules state you have to be checked over by the paramedics before we can let you go." Greg spoke, gesturing his hand lazily to a Sacramento green clad gentleman and forcing back a small laugh at the raised eyebrow expression he got in return from the Holmes.

"Gregory don't humour me." He stated, partly trying to see any kind of light out of this situation, but predominantly just trying to get home. Greg nodded knowingly, knowing far better than to argue with Mycroft.

"Okay fine, ignore me." He returned, shoving his hand in his trouser pocket and producing a set of keys. "But at least let me take you home?" Mycroft didn't argue that one. Didn't dispute that he could have just used Lestrade's phone to call for Anthea to bring his own car. Doesn't say that he has Y/N's number burnt to memory in his brain, how he could have called you and you'd be here in a speed so fast he'd be making phone calls in a week to have fines under your named cancelled in regards to 'government emergency.' But he couldn't call you just yet, not like this. Just happy to be going anywhere that wasn't here. Habit settled in for him to go and climb into the backseat, years of chauffeuring does that to a man, but Greg practically yanked him into the front with him, claiming 'the drive is long and the back of my car is a shit hole'. Neither spoke much during the journey until about 20 minutes in when Greg opened his mouth.

"I called Y/N." The three words hanging in the air like smoke, almost enough to choke Mycroft in his seat. "I'm not stupid Mycroft, no matter what you and your brother may think of me, I know you care for her. And God knows she cares for you, half of our discussions in the office are in regards to you or a new suit you've bought. I don't know what's going on between you, and frankly it's none of my business, but she can help." Mycroft wasn't entirely sure what was going on between you either, and heaven knows you hadn't a clue. He just knew that Gregory was right, he did care for you. A lot, actually. Sherlock picked up on it first many years ago, taking the piss out of his elder brother's sentiment towards another human- that was until Sherlock had obtained his flat mate. Now, despite knowing your name and even being friendly with you, whenever Sherlock and Mycroft discussed your wellbeing, Sherlock found the necessity in referring to you as 'Mycroft's John'- a nickname you had picked up on once but didn't press. You knew Mycroft Holmes was a special type of person from the start, knew he wasn't one for 'friends' or even associates on the most part- so you knew that you were a little special too, at least in the eyes of Mycroft. He wanted to see you; you may even prevent him from the chances of alcohol poisoning this evening, but upon even hearing your name Mycroft felt his chest go tight and his hands go clammy.

The last he had seen of you was watching your figure move across a television screen a few hours ago, the threat of your death sounding around him as he watched you happily dance along to one of your favourite songs without a care in the world, and certainly no knowledge that there was a sniper close enough to you that you could be wiped out at any second. In any other circumstance watching you in this way would cause a rare but genuine smile to appear on his face- you were playing the air guitar, occasionally headbanging as you waited for your kettle to boil, using teaspoons to fill in for the drumming section. If he had to guess, which he doesn't do often, he'd say you were listening to The Clash- 'Death or Glory' if he was going into pedantics; years of working alongside Greg Lestrade, having car journeys with nothing to hand but the DI's old CDs definitely becomes an influence at some point. Mycroft would tell you he hated it when you turned up to his house with a small portion of your record collection and replaced his currently playing Beethoven with The Kinks, or would say it 'was a waste' when you left them there, silently encourage him to at least try to listen to them- and he'd be lying through his teeth if he said he didn't listen to them, even more so if he said he didn't find himself often putting on The Who as he sat and worked by his fireplace. But watching you in front of him on that screen, knowing those could have been your last moments, and that he would have to watch and do nothing broke something inside of him. He hadn't quite come to terms with whatever those feelings truly meant, repressing those thoughts and emotions back with any others in his mind for a day where he wasn't so mentally drained.

"She'll be at yours about half an hour after we get you there." Greg's voice brought him back and he thought over what he could possibly say in return, electing to say nothing at all and offer a curt nod. Half an hour was both not long at all and an eternity in situations like this. Mycroft, for one of the first times in his life, felt scared to be alone. Mycroft easily managed to convince Greg to stay with him the short while he was awaiting your arrival- if you can consider Greg practically offering to come in and put the kettle on himself until you got there 'convincing'- but, though usually peeved by any sense of lack of control in his own home, Mycroft was thoroughly glad of the intrusion, even if he didn't speak of it.

***

The moment the call ended with Greg you felt your heart sink down to your stomach, your hands shaking after the small details he could offer over the phone from what he had been told by Sherlock and John. This was.. awful. 'He says he's fine but his eyebrows are doing that creasing thing every time he has a moment to think about everything', Greg had said. You knew the look he was talking about, the 'despite being extremely intelligent I have no control over my thoughts right now' look- you'd seen it many a time on occasions where Mycroft would spontaneously invite you over for dinner, or if he had just read a new book that he simply had to tell you about right this evening, all after a particularly hard day at work that left him exhausted but he needed any form of distraction just to try and stop his brain from whirring. And on days you saw those looks you'd do anything in your power to try and erase it; though today that would likely be a much harder feat. Today was your first day off in over 4 months and you'd decided to celebrate the break by lounging in a pair of leggings and an oversized sweatshirt- that you were pretty sure you had robbed from Greg after the last time he had to crash at yours after shift, but, and quite literally, you snooze, you lose Lestrade- while listening to your favourite records over an abundance of tea. It had been long awaited and your celebratory dances in the kitchen were enough to prove that it gave you the positive boost you needed, particularly because it was equally one of the first days in months that you hadn't been bombarded with the likes of Sherlock Holmes begging you to find him a case- 'sorry Sherlock I can't just magic up a murder', tutting ensued with the flap of a coat panel. You loved the man like your own brother after all these years but Christ was it nice just having that small bit of peace.. Though had you known the reason why the curly haired man hadn't stormed into your flat today you wouldn't have felt half as giddy. You didn't bother to get dressed after the beep sounded on your phone, instead just grabbing your Doctor Martens boots from by the front door and all but sprinting your way to the tube- sending a desperate text to Anthea yourself to meet you with a car at the next station to take you to Mycroft's home.

When you reached Mycroft's you bid your thanks to Anthea for taking you here. She trusted you well enough to go alone, deciding Mycroft shouldn't want to be bombarded with people and stating she was only a phone call away should she be needed, you'd given her small details on your journey over of what you had heard happened- she'd find out soon enough anyway; you were surprised she hadn't known already. You bounded up the steps leading to the front door and knocked on the wooden frame three times precisely, the same way you always do, and stumbled back a little when Greg answered the door alone. Closing the door behind him excluding a small slither to stop it from locking again, Greg pulled you to the side quickly.

"Is he-"

"Not really, no. He hasn't said much since we found him, actually. I'll be honest, and I know you know him a lot more than I do, but I've not seen him even close to this before, so no, I don't think he's okay at all." He stated simply, a sympathetic look in his eye as he placed his hand on your forearm, fingers dragging softly across the material. He definitely recognised the jumper but he didn't say anything about it, not now, it wasn't the time. "I know you didn't have it spare but I've written you off the next couple weeks from work, paid of course, but if you need more then we can work around that. I'd have left it since I still have a lot of holiday to take up but Mycroft and I aren't exactly besties, and obviously Sherlock and John have each other to deal with it but Mycroft..."

"I know.." You cut in. "Thank you." You pulled him in for a quick embrace before he made his way down the steps.

"You need anything you just give me a ring yeah? Either of you." You nodded thankfully and pushed open the heavy door to Mycroft's home, heading your way into the front room where you could only assume he had taken residence. The sight before you broke your heart, Mycroft was sat on his sofa, slouched, elbows resting on his knees while his head rested on the open palms of his hands. Beside him sat a mug of tea, no steam emanating from the inside of the china, signalling that it had gone cold, untouched. You had known Mycroft many years now, seen many bad days, seen even more terrible ones, but this was different. You kicked off your boots and padded your socked feet along the plush carpet until you reached his side, taking place next to him on the sofa as you offered a hand on his thigh in reassurance- he was home, he was okay, and he wasn't alone. You wouldn't let him be alone.

"Myc? I'm here, it's Y/N." You spoke softly, pulling softly at one of his arms to see his face, to get him to look at you. His eyes flicked up until they met yours, pain resonating behind his usual icy blue stare. "Look I don't know everything that happened, and you don't need to tell me until you're ready, if you ever are. If you want neither of us to even reference anything that happened today we don't have to. Just.. I'm here for you okay?"

He felt guilty- a feeling that was very much seldom in the small repertoire of Mycroft's emotions- as he felt your presence beside him. He didn't want to talk about it, he wasn't entirely sure if he even could, didn't think you'd still be offering your assistance had you known that you were only inches from death today, that your life was in the balance and neither him, nor you, could have any control over that, that he was the reason entirely for why you were in that position at all. And so he selfishly kept his mouth shut, not wanting to drive you away so easily when he needed you.

"Thank you." His voice was quiet, barely above a whisper, as he breathed it out. He forced himself to sit up a little higher and you could fully take in his appearance. His tie was loosened round his neck, sitting at a slanted angle across his chest, his waistcoat covered with a thin layer of dust and dirt that spread through to his button up- no jacket to be seen. Further down you could see the same dirt sat between the creases of his trousers, thickening at the bottom where his usual black brogues had been turned a lighter grey from scuffs. His usually well-kempt hair poked in various directions, evidence of hands running through and grasping at it clear from the angles, a sign of stress, anxiety. Panic. You tried not to make a reaction to his appearance, opting instead to reach out a hand and place it over one of his, squeezing slightly before retracting back.

"Bloody hell Mycroft, you're freezing." Tracing the backs of your fingers across his cheeks, settling at the back of his neck where his reflexes kicked in to lean into your warm touch. "Come on." You tugged lightly on his arm, feeling relieved when he easily followed your movements: trust. You walked him upstairs to his bedroom, where you knew his en suite shower was. "Go and have a shower, it'll warm you up and freshen you up a bit. Then you can just sit in your pyjamas and chill out for a little while." You attempted to usher him slowly towards the bathroom door but his hand caught back and held the loose material of your sweatshirt round your wrist, clinging tightly with his whole hand at first, then slowly dragging down til the fabric was pinched between his thumb and forefinger. You glanced at him, confused at first, until you saw the look in his eye. The slight glassiness, the small red veins, the fear. He was afraid to be alone. Mycroft Holmes has never been a man that appreciates the physical touch of another human being, but you've shared enough evenings with the man after bad shifts at work,- like that one where Mrs Levinson from down the road reported her daughter missing, her body being found on the edge of the Thames a few days later, loads of those- shared enough moments of vulnerability with him where he would soothingly place his hand on your back and rub in small circles while you sobbed in his shoulder, that you knew you had to at least try and return the gesture; let him know you wasn't planning on going anywhere fast.

"I'm terribly sorry I-" You cut off his small apology by moving forward, standing on your tiptoes and taking the tall man into your embrace, your arms circling his shoulders, but loose enough for him to leave should he feel uncomfortable. Instead, Mycroft felt his arms instinctively wrapping around your waist, hands resting flat against your shoulder blades as his face buried into your neck. It was unexpected to be returned that strongly, and you were thankful that Mycroft trusted you enough to expose his vulnerabilities, to allow himself to act.. human.. around you. You moved back to stand flat on your feet and offered your hand at Mycroft's elbow to keep the touch close.

"I'm not going anywhere, I promise you." He nodded once, curtly, closed his eyes for a few seconds, still refusing to let any tears even contemplate forming- 'don't be so pathetic', he told himself, 'it's not like any of them actually died'. "While you're in there, all I'm planning to do is turn the heating on, grab you some pyjamas, and get a book from downstairs. Then we can either read it until you fall asleep, or have a competition on how many books we can get through before your brain won't physically allow you to focus anymore." You smiled, squeezing the crook of his elbow reassuringly. "I might even get the biscuit barrel" - which, as Mycroft would often tell people the seldom times he had visitors, had only appeared once you had started spontaneously popping over a lot more, and that he is 'still on the diet, thank you very much'. Mycroft opened his mouth to speak but you hushed him instantly. "Mycroft you've had a tough bloody day you're allowed to eat a sodding custard cream." You let go of his arm and felt relieved when he didn't move to get you back to him again, and once again you ushered him into the bathroom, feeling glad that we went with little hesitation this time. The door closed behind him, didn't lock, and you stood back to take a breath.

You had known Mycroft Holmes for the better part of 7 years now and had seen many a side to him that nobody else had ever, or likely ever will, have the pleasure of seeing,- including, but not limited to, the time he dramatically shouted at the television during the Half Blood Prince when Snape killed Dumbledore; or the time you forced him to watch the Twilight movies with you and he sat clung to the edge of his seat during the entirety of the battle in Breaking Dawn part 2, using every ounce of his focus to stare at the screen and gasping quietly at each character death- not that he would ever dream of admitting to any of these, of course. Vowing once that if you ever let it slip that he shed a silent tear at the death of Fred Weasley he'd have you hung, drawn and quartered somewhere in the middle east- it took about 3 months after that that you realised he was joking, at least in part. But this, now, was new. You had never seen Mycroft in such a state as this, honestly wasn't even sure he had the capabilities of doing so until this evening, and it broke you, genuinely.

You looked down at your sweatshirt, at the sleeve Mycroft had grasped only moments ago, and frowned looking at the small patches of dirt and dust that clung to the fibres, evidently having made their way from Mycroft's waistcoat onto you during your embrace. It was also now that you remembered you had no other clothes here and you sighed, making your way over to the bathroom door and knocking once.

"Myc? You don't have a shirt or something I can knick do you? This one's a bit, uh, gravelly." You heard an affirming hum from the other side, followed by a voice that was sounding a little closer to Mycroft's usual tone.

"Of course, you know where everything is, just take what you need." He spoke, the sound of running water shortly following. Thanking him, you wandered over to one of Mycroft's wardrobes- the one that housed his button ups and waistcoats- and took out a plain long-sleeve, tugging off your jumper and wrapping the new expensive cotton around you. You let out a small chuckle at the comical length of the sleeves, your hands only reaching just past the elbow cut off, and then the length of the shirt itself which fell to around mid-thigh. Rolling up the sleeves to past your elbow, you made your way downstairs, flicking the button to turn the heating up to 20 degrees, not too hot and not too cold, before hoisting the biscuit barrel from the kitchen under your arm. From there, you headed to Mycroft's study, ran your fingers along the leather bound classics before begrudgingly picking up the one book from the shelf that had any denting along its spine, the only one with slightly bent corners, no dust even close to reaching the pages, and headed back upstairs. Mycroft is incredibly lucky he's one of your favourite people, else you probably wouldn't have gone through with it. Hearing the water shut off as you made it back into the bedroom led you to skim your fingers across a small collection of silk pyjamas that filled one of Mycroft's chest of drawers, choosing a navy blue set, and tapping on the door once more.

"My eyes are shut, I promise. But I've got your clothes." You spoke, screwing your eyes up tightly as to not invade the man's privacy. Within seconds, a large, now much warmer, hand reached out to take them from your arms, fingers brushing your hands ever so slightly as he spoke a 'thank you' and disappeared once more. You turned off the main light, edged your way over to Mycroft's bed and perched on the side you knew he didn't sleep on, switched on the bedside lamp and pulled the large book onto your lap and waiting for Mycroft's return. He pads out only moments later, following suit by climbing into his bed and casting a glance at the book in your hands.

"Tess of the D'Urbervilles.." He comments, the tiniest grace of a smile flickering on his face before disappearing completely. "But I thought you couldn't stand the works of Mr Thomas Hardy?" You shrugged yourself around a little to get comfy, sliding your legs underneath Mycroft's inviting duvet and silently offering your lap for him to rest on. He hesitates, only momentarily, before shuffling down and places his head on your upper thigh, relishing in the warmth that left your body and sighing in content.

"I do.. well, not all of them, but most of them. Particularly this one." You gestured to the book in front of you, opening the pages with one hand and using your other to softly brush through the slightly damp strands of hair that sat atop Mycroft's head. "This one is just utterly bloody depressing." Mycroft smiled again, thinking back to your countless conversations about how you loved reading books and getting invested in the stories and characters, but could never get through Tess of the D'Urbervilles without feeling a little shitty. "Christ the description enough is dark.." You trailed. "But, for some oddly bizarre reason, this is your favourite book, and I'll be damned if I'm not going to read it to you to at least try and make you feel a little better." Mycroft hummed once again in response, trying not to think upon, too much, how you had remembered out of the thousands of books you'd discussed that this was Mycroft's favourite book, or how you were more than willing to sit here and read the whole thing to him, despite going against everything you'd ever said about it, purely to try and make him feel better. Though he was certainly struggling to focus on anything anyway that wasn't the sensation of feeling your fingers running through his hair, the small bits of pressure where you had tugged at it slightly, or pressed into his scalp, slowly making his pounding head pains turn into a soft, dull ache. "I see enough sad crap at work so forgive me that I want my books to be a little more uplifting." You teased, ceasing the hair combing to pat his head childishly.

"Prefer the likes of Witches and Wizards battling against three-headed dogs, do you?" He quipped back, instinctively nudging his head a little, encouraging you to continue with your petting.

"Don't say it in that tone, you enjoyed them too." Mycroft made a small noise, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, sounding more like a 'yes but we agreed to never speak of it' hum. "Now, before I come to my senses and switch it out for literally anything else, make sure you're comfortable.. and eat a damn biscuit." You nudged the tin from the middle of the bed into Mycroft's general direction, smirking slightly at the disgusted look, the judgemental eyebrow raise, that Mycroft shot towards the container. "You need to eat something, Greg told me you hadn't touched a thing since they... found you.. so please, eat something." It wasn't the first time you had to convince Mycroft that he needed to eat food, and you were certain it wouldn't be your last. It's obvious that Mycroft Holmes is a very intelligent man, and yet he refuses to indulge in the fact that humans need food to survive. You knew why he did it, of course, years of being bullied for his weight as a child, the continuous bullying still by his own brother- you saw the small frown that would appear on his face every time Sherlock referenced his weight, or the times after going out for dinner when Mycroft would finish his meal and look down on his slightly protruding belly poking over the top of his belt, choosing each time to skip on dessert- it all effected him. Mycroft was still reluctant and you sighed, choosing to pull out the big guns. "Look.. if you eat just 3 of them, then tomorrow, depending on how far we get with this one, I'll read Jude the Obscure." Mycroft thought for a moment and turned to look at you.

"You're staying?"

"If you want me to. I have the next few weeks free, actually, so I guess you've got me til you're bored of me." Mycroft fought back the small voice in his head that said 'I could never' and listened on. "If you want me to stay, that is." Instead of speaking, Mycroft chose to lift his duvet and slide his long legs beneath the sheets, taking his position with his head back on your lap and slowly reached for the tin of biscuits, looking carefully inside and choosing two rich teas and a custard cream, nibbling at their sides slowly. You exhaled deeply, not entirely sure that that was going to work, and began to read, one hand still nestled in Mycroft's hair as he found himself getting lost in your voice, closing his eyes to appreciate the sound and eventually falling into a slumber after chapter 4.

You smiled at his sleeping form, noting how peaceful he appeared once he was relaxed- not a single line or crease on his face, no frowning. Just blissful. Placing the book on the bedside cabinet you froze a little, having realised neither of you had discussed sleeping arrangements- your usual place of residency during your time at Mycroft's being the spare room next door, though this wasn't exactly your usual situation. You shuffled slightly, making a small attempt to get up from your current position, not wanting to intrude too much into Mycroft's personal space. A hand soon moved, grabs at hem of the oversized shirt you were wearing and tugs you back in, the smallest peek of Mycroft's eyes appearing under heavy lids.

"Please.." His voice was whispered, low from the wave of sleep. You couldn't tell if he didn't finish his request because he was too exhausted, or if he was still too afraid to ask.. or both. You nodded and moved back beside him, laying lower now for your head to rest properly on the pillow and tugging Mycroft up a little higher. Hesitantly, he rested his head just next to your shoulder, his hair barely brushing against your skin. You rolled onto your side, testing pulling Mycroft in that tiniest bit closer to allow your hand to rub back through his hair, your other arm absentmindedly drawing small shapes onto his silk clad shoulder as he closed his eyes and rested again. It was only 5 minutes later that your hand movement's slowed, then stilled, as sleep took over your form for the night.

[my-johnlockficrecs]

The Pieces That Fall to Earth by Itsallfine (49k, M)

"It seems like after our conversation on your birthday we should really be better at this. That talk was more than we’ve ever had, but even still, we mostly talked around things rather than about them. There’s so much… so much I need to say, so much I’ve never said. And even now, just writing this out is so difficult. I feel like if I were to try to say this to your face I’d just end up having another wobbly, and while that has a certain amount of appeal, I’d rather not ruin all your nice shirts."

This is the fic that made me want to start a fic rec blog, so naturally, I don't have the first idea how to start this rec 😂 I'll do my best to do justice to the fic, a rather intimidating task if you ask me. If this rec is slightly less structured and more rambly than the others thus far, I do apologise — this fic just invokes a lot of feelings in me and it's difficult to categorise them well. I hope this rec is helpful nonetheless!

The Pieces That Fall to Earth, for me personally, is my go-to post season 4 fix-it fic. It is an incredibly comprehensive, touching, hot, and comforting read. It picks up after season 4 and basically fixes...everything. The boys go to therapy! And actually talk and communicate with each other! John's anger issues are taken seriously and addressed incredibly well and in such a compassionate manner. I absolutely love the dedication John has in this fic towards genuinely working on a lot of the repressed issues we see (subtextually, at the very least, and some more obvious ones) in the show. Likewise, Sherlock too gradually begins to open up and address his own mental health issues.

Told in an epistolary style (which is pulled off brilliantly, might I add) there are some truly lovely moments in this fic that I just have to mention, without giving too much away of course. An ongoing theme of this fic with regards to John, is him coming to terms with his sexuality, whatever it may be. The chapter where he finally figures it out and accepts — and rejoices in! — who he is, is truly moving. The way it's written, it feels like you're right there with him, feeling his exhileration and relief. My eyes genuinely misted over while I read that part.

The side friendships in this fic are also really lovely. We see a really nice Molly-John friendship, which I always love to see, because it makes so much sense! Molly helped out John so much with Rosie, it only makes sense that they become close to each other. Molly and Sherlock too share a beautiful friendship in this fic — even in canon, Molly's always been incredibly perceptive of Sherlock and she sees him startlingly clearly. So it is here as well. The understanding and affection she affords Sherlock is heart-warming. Canon really didn't treat Molly and Sherlock's dynamic very well, so it's lovely to see this story do it justice. Molly in general is treated like the queen she is 👑 Her sharper, more assertive side, comes out well in this fic, which I love to see. We also get Greg/Molly on the side, for anyone who ships them 😉.

Another friendship I live for in this fic is Sherlock and Lestrade's. There's a specific chapter where Sherlock goes out for drinks with Lestrade (a testament to all the growth Sherlock achieves in this story), and it's equal parts funny and touching. I think the author gets to the heart of their friendship really well, with Lestrade as a sort-of father figure who genuinely cares for Sherlock, and how Sherlock returns that regard in his own way. Lestrade also has a really fun rapport with John! Very much “mates who rib each other good-naturedly but can also manage emotional honesty occasionally.”

There are so many other things I love about this fic! Harry and John's relationship, for one. Yes Harry is in this fic, yes the siblings actually talk and bond, yes it's awesome. James Sholto makes an appearance and I love how he's integrated into the narrative. And Rosie!! Ugh, I love Sherlock's relationship with Rosie and how much he loves her and wants to be in her life. There are some incredibly adorable moments between the two of them 🥺 (the Nap Scene™️ lives in my head rent free). Mycroft also has a presence in this fic, because of course he does, except he actually behaves like a good older brother. Still protective but not overly so.

One last thing I wanted to mention separately, is the absolute genius and authenticity of Ella's (John and Sherlock's therapist) case notes. Since this is an epistolary style fic, it's told through texts, emails, letters, video transcripts and so on. The whole concept, and the way the author makes it work so incredibly well, is masterful. Ella's case notes though — every time I read the fic, I'm impressed anew by how professional they sound and how they tell us the progress of John and Sherlock's respective mental health issues so comprehensively. I can only imagine the effort that must have gone into that, and honestly, kudos to the author 👏🏼👏🏼

I’m going to wrap this rec up here, because while I could ramble on for ages, I’ve been anxiously scanning this for well over a week and it’s not about to get any less disorganised 😂 To sum up: brilliant fic, adeptly told in an epistolary fashion, very cathartic and moving; read it!