221b_recs | Fic Rec: The Quiet Man

Title: The Quiet Man
Author:

ivyblossom
Pairing: John/Mary, John/Sherlock
Length: 157,357 words
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: "Do you just carry on talking when I'm away?"

Reccer's comments: Do you want to know what was going on in John's head during all those months of Sherlock's absence? Well, here it is. In this story, we are privy to John's thoughts as he narrates his activities, works through his feelings, tries to figure out Sherlock, revisits his memories, runs through 'what if' scenarios, dreams, daydreams, despairs, and wonders. As the author says (in their author's note to chapter 9): "...this is the fic all about John's glorious navel, because it's just 100% navel-gazing."

It is, of course, more than that. The first thing that hooked me is that John is not just running his mouth off (figuratively) at himself. He is keeping up a constant internal dialogue with Sherlock. Sherlock isn't really there, of course, and John doesn't really think he is, but he imagines what Sherlock would have said in response to John's thoughts. It is basically his own personal therapy session that he carries around in his head. This is what it looks like:

I’m an anonymous bloke in an anonymous flat now, Sherlock. Just like anyone else would be. Someone who doesn’t expect anything special, no dispensations, no invitation under the yellow tape. It also means no prying eyes and sympathy, no one asking me how I am. No one looking in on me all the time and being sad at me, waiting for me to cry or rend my clothes, some kind of demonstration I don’t want to give. No texts at three in the morning, either, and no black cars picking me up off the street and taking me to questionable locations. No clients, no experiments in the kitchen. It’s only silence. Peace. Solitude. I need that just now.

So yes. This is home, Sherlock. For now, at least. This is what it’s like when you’re gone. You wouldn’t understand.

What I don’t understand is this appalling flatpack dining set.

You posh twat.

It is a bit ugly, isn’t it.

Now, if it were just 150,000 words of John talking to himself, I probably wouldn't be reccing this (although maybe, because it's a great character study and the writing has a kind of insidious rhythm that carries you along in a lovely flow of thoughts and images). But there is a plot as well, and what I found really cool is that the plot kind of sneaks up on you. It isn't until much later, when things really start happening, that you realize that many of the earlier incidents and memories were pertinent, and that there were other things going on than what appeared on the surface, or than what John perceived at the time.

Sherlock comes back about halfway through, but that doesn't put a stop to the conversation in John's head. If anything, it becomes more intense, because now there is no one 'listening in', and John is left to flounder alone through the morass of emotions that Sherlock's return has unleashed. The scope and framework of the story really allow for a full exploration of John's side of their relationship, even as events unfold around him that lead to an explosively dramatic climax.

This is currently the longest canon-compliant (non-AU) Sherlock fic on AO3 - not counting series - but it's worth the investment of your time. Johnlock fans will get every box ticked off, from banter to angst to brilliant deductions and John in action, all with a healthy dose of feels and smut. At the same time, a full cast of all the regular supporting characters helps to keep things from becoming too insular.