Fic Rec: Cloak of Elvenkind

[write-out.livejournal.com]

Title: Cloak of Elvenkind

Author: unknownsister

Pairing: None

Length: 4,402

Rating: Gen

Warnings: None

Verse: Sherlock BBC

Author's summary:Only four people in the world know Sherlock Holmes is a warlock. Two are his parents. Another is Mycroft. The fourth is a nameless boy from Sherlock's new school who sees him levitate a stray cat when he is ten years old. He dropped the cat and the boy ran.

Reccer's comments: Oh my heart. Sherlock and John meet as two deeply lonely 10-year-olds after John catches Sherlock working a bit of magic on a cat. John is enthralled and Sherlock is wary, but slowly lets his guard down as he lets John in.

John touches his hand in sympathy and Sherlock goes rigid. Bare skin contact floods him with empathy, his least favorite part of magic and the one he works hardest to control. He feels John's concern, but underneath that, great sorrow, incredible strength and deep loneliness. They swirl together, unfocused, and Sherlock feels the fog of someone else's life seeping into him.

The Holmes family has a loving presence here, a gentle counterpart to the implied turbulence of John's. This incredibly sweet and moving story hits all the right notes with me. John does what he can to fill the empty spot in Sherlock's heart, whileSherlock does what he can to protect his friend. Just beautiful.