fanfiction rec: Waking You Up

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Title: Waking You Up
Author: brbsoulnomming
Pairing: ​John Watson/Sherlock Holmes
Length: 12458
Rating: T+
Warnings: angst, mild references to drug use, character death
Verse: BBC Sherlock
Author's Summary: Written for a prompt over on sherlockbbc_fic, part of which is: "John dies and Sherlock blames himself, so much so that the guilt begins to affect his life. However, he keeps getting dreams of John talking to him and assuring him that he's not dead." (Full prompt contains major spoilers for the fic, and is located here) 
Reccer's Comments: I was somewhat familiar with the source work that this is based on, but this was still a great read. Even if you know what the fic is based on, the author's vivid imagery carries you along anyway. The ending is still immensely satisfying and I was sniffling by the end. We see so many "mourning John" fanfics, and we'll see even more during the Great Hiatus. In Waking, we get to see how Sherlock perceives concepts like death, grief, loss, forever; through the one person who was always there to try and explain those concepts to him. Until he’s not.

If you are a little burnt out on TRF fanfiction, this is angsty without referencing TRF.

Excerpt:
“My dreams aren’t like this. This has to be you,” Sherlock says. “You’ve never treated me so – romantically. You’ve never looked at me the way you are now. I’ve thought about it, wished for it, but my dreams aren’t that kind.”

John pulls him close, so close the tips of their ice skates touch. He runs a hand through Sherlock’s hair, brushing it off his forehead. “There’s something I need to tell you. Something important.”

“What?” Sherlock asks, dizzy from John’s near-ness.

John shakes his head. “I can’t tell you like this. I want to, so badly, but I can’t. Not when I’m not even sure if you can hear me.”

“I can hear you, John, of course I can hear you,” Sherlock says, and his voice sounds a little desperate.

“That’s why I need you to wake up,” John says.

Sherlock reaches for John’s hands, tries to cling to them, but it’s too late.