A Beginner’s Guide to Apiology by VictoryCandescence

Word Count: 10,952
Pairing(s): John Watson/Sherlock Holmes (BBC Sherlock)
Rating: M (a bit NSFW and WARNING for character death)

Author’s Summary

John and Sherlock meet for the first time as old men in Sussex.

My Thoughts

The Collected Mutineer steered me toward this one, and I’m glad she did. It’s been a while since I read a good Johnlock fic (you know how it is, too many ships too little time) and this one did not disappoint. I absolutely love fics that take a pairing and are written in such a way that, no matter the setting or trope, it works. Would I normally read a fic about old blokes? No, but then I remembered “The Important Bit” and then I suddenly needed old man Sherlock as a beekeeper. VictoryCandescence lured me in with cosy, homey prose, making me feel at home with old man John. My heart broke for John’s loneliness, and was subsequently filled with joy when he made friends with grumpy old Sherlock.

This is not a case fic. This is very much devoid of detective work, but it is imbued with everything that is quintessentially John and Sherlock. And in the end, there’s just enough magical realism to make one wonder if the story is really that much of an AU after all.

Read if you love Johnlock.

-The Collectress

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