221b_recs | Fic Rec: Lighting Up

Title: Lighting Up
Author: Persiflager
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/Greg Lestrade
Length: 5472
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: N/A
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: Lestrade stubbed his cigarette out on the stone and stood up decisively. “Do you want to get out of here?”

Reccer's comments: This fic is set just after John and Mary’s wedding, and was in fact written before series 3 was broadcast. Definitely not an unknown and unappreciated fic but it’s possible some readers gave it a miss because it wasn’t their preferred pairing. And I would recommend trying it, even if you’re a diehard Johnlock shipper. To start with, it’s not as straightforward as “Sherlock thinks of John as a friend but is instead attracted to Lestrade”, and it’s not what I’ve seen described as a “silver medal” fic—”Sherlock can’t have John so he gets Lestrade”. The story is a great deal more subtle than that. Sherlock says he isn’t interested in John in this way, but this may or may not be true. However, though Lestrade may possibly not be his first choice, neither is Lestrade second best. The mid-part of the story looks back at when they first met and how their relationship developed—an attraction and a connection always being there.

The story is told in third person but from Sherlock’s POV. Nothing is spelt out for us though—there’s a lot we have to read between the lines, which maybe reflects Sherlock’s lack of awareness and lack of openness when it comes to dealing with the subject of emotions.

The sex in the fic is deeply erotic, and feels realistic and in character. But there’s more to this story than simply sex—it has a lot of heart. For me, it’s essentially a piece about two men each getting a second chance.