Fic for monkiainen: Cold Reality

[holmesticemods]

Title: Cold Reality
Recipient: monkiainen
Author: blackbird_song
Verse: Ritchie Films
Characters/Pairings: Holmes/Watson
Rating: PG
Warnings: Reference to character death (canon in another 'verse)
Summary: Holmes and Watson are stranded in the middle of the Yorkshire Moors on a December night.

Also on AO3: Cold Reality

Comments

[gardnerhill]

Lovely and poignant - and perfectly captures Ritchie!Watson's indignant Victorian masculinity as well as Holmes' vulnerability.

Holmes is also wise enough to know when it is grief and cold making decisions and not Watson's desire.

[rachelindeed]

Oh, that was so poignant and intimate! Beautifully written. I loved the way you captured this strange transitional moment between them, made up mostly of comfort and grief, but also of a newly acknowledged (or perhaps renewed) passion between them. Yet their friendship really felt like the rock on which everything else was built, and I adored the small, platonic kisses (Holmes kissing Watson's hand, Watson kissing his brow) that they thoughtlessly used to reassure each other. That felt so real. I also really liked that line about Watson's black mourning coat spreading across them both in the bed, it really embodied the themes of the story. And I always love to see a story that allows Watson to truly love Mary and Holmes to truly respect her. She deserves it, and it makes me think the more highly of both of them. I hope that once they make it through the night they will be able to find a new joy together. Holmes telling Watson he was "eagerly yours" really warmed my heart. Thank you for this sweetness.

[tripleransom]

This is so sweet and so in character.

[monkiainen]

I'm woefully late with commenting and reading everything from this fest... But my mystery author, thank you so much for writing this wonderful story to me. It has all the things I adore, like sharing a body heat, conflicted emotions and lovely banter. I really loved reading this <3

[scfrankles]

This is such a touching look at the love between these two men - love that will always be there, no matter what form it might take in the future. Like rachelindeed, I admired the respect and love shown towards Mary too.

I must just mention an earlier part of the story that made me smile as well: "Roll up your dress and use that, instead!" "The dress would be ruined!" Watson pulls in a breath to stop himself from beating Holmes bloody. "My coat is thicker than your dress and will help keep us alive if we use it as an extra blanket on the bed. Your dress is-" ('ghastly' won't work) "-more flexible and would fill the gap better." You've captured the characters so perfectly.