Fic: "Steady"

[wave_of_sorrow]

Title: Steady
Author: wave_of_sorrow
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Holmes/Watson
Rating: G
Word Count: 534
Disclaimer: Don't own. Don't claim. No money being made.
Summary: Holmes is too worked up to sleep, Watson helps.
Spoilers/Warnings: None
A/N: Fill for a prompt at shkinkmeme

Too tired to post this to any comms right now. Will do tomorrow.

 

steady

Pronunciation: \ˈste-dē\

Function: adjective

1 a : direct or sure in movement : unfaltering b : firm in position : fixed c : keeping nearly upright in a seaway
2 : showing little variation or fluctuation : stable, uniform
3 a : not easily disturbed or upset b (1) : constant in feeling, principle, purpose, or attachment (2) : dependable c : not given to dissipation : sober

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Ink and chemicals stain his wrists, dots of blue and black and crimson, their colour mirroring that of the circles beneath his eyes almost perfectly, marks shifting and changing on shaking hands in the silver moonlight, so very cold on his skin. He squints and leans closer to his notebook, too dark, too dark to see, he needs light, more light, but he can’t get up, he just needs to finish that one formula, he knows he’s almost got it, almost, almost finished, almost. The world blurs before his eyes and he’s cold, so cold, so very cold and he just needs a little longer and he’ll figure it out, but he can’t concentrate because the clock is ticking to his right and on every third tick-tock the hand gets caught for the eighth of a second and his own heart beats too fast in his chest and he can hear the muscle contract and his temples are throbbing in time with his pulse and his throat is dry so dry and his hands are shaking and he’s tired but he can’t sleep and he needs just another second and he’ll have it just another second he’s almost got it almost just one more

 

Watson’s uneven gait grounds him somehow, like a broken metronome, an arrhythmic heartbeat, it is comforting in its lack of perfection. A soft hiss and the smell of phosphorus, white light blinding him for a second and then a gas lamp sputters to life, filling the room with warm light, so different, so very different from the moonlight.

 

Scars and stains stop to shift then, cease to move, remain fixed and still his hands shake and he cannot seem to make them stop and blotches of ink cover most of what he has written and he grits his teeth, breathing shakily as a shudder, a spasm runs through his entire body. And then Watson’s hand on his shoulder. Warm, steady, steady, steady, something akin to comfort bleeding through Holmes’ shirt, into his tense muscles, getting into his blood stream and spreading through his entire body, warm and calming, until he leans back against Watson, head resting on Watson’s chest.

 

Watson’s heartbeat is comforting in a way that only familiar things can be and Holmes lets himself be pulled up and away from the desk and onto the settee. And with Watson’s pulse, his even breaths in his ears, his warm, solid body beneath him, arms holding him safe, Holmes’ hands cease their shaking.

 

He closes his eyes then, numbers and formulas and ethanol wiped from his mind and the ticking of the clock really wasn’t so loud in the first place. And for a few blissful hours Holmes slips into oblivion and sleeps, Watson’s heart thumping steadily beneath his ear.



Comments

[stephiel.livejournal.com]

Wow! You can definitely feel the affection between Holmes and Watson... this is SO nice.

Love it! :)

[wave-of-sorrow.livejournal.com]

Thank you, bb! <3

[na-shao.livejournal.com]

Oh, that was really good. Love your writing !

[wave-of-sorrow.livejournal.com]

Thank you! ♥

[ruyu.livejournal.com]

This was lovely.

[wave-of-sorrow.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[sweetanomaly.livejournal.com]

And then Watson’s hand on his shoulder. Warm, steady, steady, steady, something akin to comfort bleeding through Holmes’ shirt, into his tense muscles, getting into his blood stream and spreading through his entire body, warm and calming, until he leans back against Watson, head resting on Watson’s chest.

THIS. YES. This made it for me, JFC.

And the steady, stream-of-thoughts thing you've got going is so perfect.

Just - this is amazing. I love it.

[wave-of-sorrow.livejournal.com]

Thank you, bb! I'm glad you liked it! ♥

[eviljenyus14.livejournal.com]

I loved the run-on sentence you used to describe Holmes' endless thoughts and lack of focus. Especially when Watson comes in, you can just feel yourself slowing down when you read it. Simply wonderful, love the affection in there as well. :) Lovely job, deary.

[wave-of-sorrow.livejournal.com]

Thank you, bb! ♥♥♥

[wave-of-sorrow.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :)

[knowmydark.livejournal.com]

Gorgeous. The style - the sentence construction - everything. Just beautiful. Definitely memming! <3

[wave-of-sorrow.livejournal.com]

Thank you! ♥

[saltnburnbaby.livejournal.com]

AWWW! So verybittersweet! Loved it!
xxxxxx

[wave-of-sorrow.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[jenlee1.livejournal.com]

Lovely - quite vivid, and very sweet :)

[wave-of-sorrow.livejournal.com]

Thank you, bb!

[outofmymind.livejournal.com]

Gorgeous! He closes his eyes then, numbers and formulas and ethanol wiped from his mind and the ticking of the clock really wasn’t so loud in the first place. I love how this plays into the way the movie hinted that Watson helps Holmes focus.

[wave-of-sorrow.livejournal.com]

Thank you! And I'm glad you picked up on that! ♥

[random-nexus.livejournal.com]

This was suberb. Stream-of-consciousness is hard to do well and this, yes, was done very well. The agitation bleeding away in Watson's comforting presence, the fact that Watson is so comforting a presence... conveyed so well.

Excellently done, you.

[wave-of-sorrow.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I'm glad to hear it worked for you! ♥

[cherish4.livejournal.com]

Awww, I rather adore this! I love how the touch of Watson's hand on Holmes' shoulder allows the warmth and calm to seep through him and calm him.

[wave-of-sorrow.livejournal.com]

Thank you! ♥♥♥

[batgurl10.livejournal.com]

Awwwwwwww. I really enjoyed this. luckily holmes always will have his watson to block out the world.

[wave-of-sorrow.livejournal.com]

Thank you, bb! ♥

[kichisama.livejournal.com]

ohhh watson cures all ills, eh? love it!

[wave-of-sorrow.livejournal.com]

Of course he does! ;) Thank you! ♥

[tinzelda.livejournal.com]

This was fantastic. The structure of the piece was so effective, from the definition to the sentences (Holmes really does need something to steady him doesn't he?) - just SO well done.

[wave-of-sorrow.livejournal.com]

Thank you, bb! ♥

[pyromagnus.livejournal.com]

Maaaan I love everything you write

[wave-of-sorrow.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :3

[17pansies.livejournal.com]

This is so lovely and soothing and I adore how all the jangled emotions and thoughts are slowly and steadily smoothed away by stolid Watson. Left me with a great big sigh of relief and a need to curl up somewhere and snuggle for a while. :)

[wave-of-sorrow.livejournal.com]

Aw, thank you, bb! I hope you have your own Watson to curl up with! ;) ♥