Contrary to what everyone assumes, Sherlock is a great admirer of nature and its many phenomena.
It started when he was a boy. The light pollution in the countryside was minimal and the stars were easy to spot on clear nights. He was fascinated by the Greek myths about the constellations and tried to make sense of them when he was lying on the grass looking up at the evening sky.
Stars are a rare sight in London obviously, but every time he gets a glimpse of them, he stops to admire the diamond-like sky and to reminisce about his childhood.
Another fascination he has is the weather. Particularly the bad and fierce sort. Thunder and lightning are his all-time favourites. Sadly, he has never witnessed lighting strike something, though he has seen the damages it has left.
What Sherlock has experienced is how a proximity of a total stranger has altered his life – it actually felt like lightning had struck him.
“Here, take mine.”
John Watson is an impossible force of nature. From the first time Sherlock touched John’s skin, he felt as if he was illuminated from within.
Heat, sparks, itching, yearning, were just a few of the sensations that spread through his body a January day at Barts.
Not only is John radiant and soft; he is also Sherlock’s juxtaposition. Where the detective is pale as the moon, John is glowing like the sun, warming Sherlock even without touching him.
When they finally touch – properly touch – like lovers, it is like being struck by lightning again. Electrical jolts ripple through him and John’s fingers and lips burn Sherlock’s skin. He has never felt more alive.
“You are so beautiful.”
Sherlock doesn’t believe John at first. Nobody has ever called him that before. Freak – yes. Beautiful – no.
“Has no one called you that before?”
John’s voice is sad and incredulous when Sherlock shakes his head.
“I’ll just have to convince you then.”
Sherlock learns that John can be outstandingly persuasive and tireless in his endeavours.
The first time John penetrates him, it feels like an earthquake has hit Sherlock. He is shaken, out of his depth, and more aroused than he’s ever been.
“Oh, God. Just look at you, Sherlock. Incandescent, glorious, delectable.”
John’s voice and his adoring words can transform Sherlock’s inner organs to molten lava within seconds.
As long as he has John in his life, Sherlock will never freeze again, nor will he feel like a freak.
The day he tells John that he loves him, they are watching a double rainbow on holiday in Canada. John’s hands cradle Sherlock’s face, his eyes are blue as the sea, brimming with unshed tears.
“Did I say it wrong?”
“No, my darling. It was perfect.”
They kiss until the rainbows are a faint memory, but every time Sherlock closes his eyes after that day, the multicoloured phenomenon is there to remind him of that precious moment.
Written for @flashfictionfridayofficial #318 Lighting Strikes Twice
WC: 264
Fandom: Outlander
Warnings: None
Canon Complaint
AO3
https://archiveofourown.org/works/69266981
She tries, she really does. She had made a promise, after all. To try to forget, to move on. Even as she carries his child within her, she attempts to renew the love she once had for Frank. She really does.
Still, after the birth of his daughter, every time she manages to be intimate with him, she closes her eyes and pictures Jamie. It is the only way she can get through it. She simply cannot transfer her deep feelings for Jamie back to Frank.
A promise to forget was made but can't be kept. Brianna is the split of her biological father. Every day as she cares for her child, she can't help but recall the memories she made with Jamie.
“Is it different?” She is taken back to that mountain top the day after their wedding. Their hands move together as their bodies had the previous night.
It was. She didn't understand how much until she was back with Frank, the only person she had as a comparison.
“When I lay with you, when we touch?”
She recalls her answer. “It is somewhat like this but, no Jamie, this is different.”
Oh how different! She just couldn't make herself even pretend after a while. It was a relief when he gave up and took a lover.
She put all that love she couldn't show to him into their daughter and her career.
To find out that he was still alive! There are no words. Now she stands, shaking with overwhelming emotions. His hands hold hers the way they had that day on that mountain top.
“It's still there.” He is right. Whatever that was, that incredible thing that drew them together and stayed strong through all those years apart, it was still there. Still the same. Lightning does strike twice.
