Title: Secrets and Revelations
Author: Hisstah
Fandom: Sherlock (BBC)
Pairing: John/Sherlock
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Violence, Alpha/Beta/Omega, possible dub-con
Genre: Romance, Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Word Count: 83,525
Summary: Dr John Watson has some major secrets that he’s kept from his flatmate, Alpha Sentinel Sherlock Holmes. Now the Sentinel Tower is after him. Can John stay out of their hands until he can reveal his secrets to Sherlock?
Notes from the Author: This is a fusion of The Sentinel, combined with Alpha/Omega dynamics loosely based on a Sherlock/John sentinel/guide universe similar to Velvet Mace’s AU “Chameleon” and a bunch of Alpha/Omega fan fics. Please don’t blame her for this, though.
The Alpha/Omega dynamics and some of the Sentinel bonding stuff include some dubious consensual aspects. If this squicks you, please don’t read. Look up the Alpha/Omega tags if you don’t know what it is.
Why You Should Read This:
I debated about recommending this fic but, well, it’s a YMMV thing. It’s got lots of kudos and comments, so it’s a popular fic, if nothing else.
This is a Sentinel universe story, a parallel story to Velvet-Mace’s “Chameleon” and the author admits that right up front. She uses Velvet-Mace’s Tower universe where John is not only a Guide but an Omega, evidently an extremely rare combination.
It’s actually a good story. I like her resourceful John, one who works hard to protect himself, and hide his Guide/Omega abilities (for good reason, since Guides are rare, and unbonded Omegas are essentially kept as slaves). When he gets outed as a Guide he’s hunted by Sentinels ‘for his own good’… and when they figure out he’s also an Omega, the hunting intensifies. The hunt scenes are realistic and you can feel John’s desperation but also see his mind at work.
Sherlock, of course, is out of town at the beginning of the hunt, which Mycroft has initiated, thinking that Sherlock could do better. That leads to its own family angst at the end of the story, which John actually handles very nicely.
What I’m truly ambivalent about is Sherlock. He’s off-screen most of the story, which in the end (for me, anyways) is okay. Sentinel!Sherlock, when John finally admits he is a Guide (which, of course, Sentinel Sherlock already ready knew) is too… mushy and verbose, I guess, which seems out of character. In the end, the author also admits she’s more of an artist than a writer (this is her only story on AO3), so that may be a factor in the ‘loose’ characterization.
I guess I’m going to go with: if the Omega thing isn’t squicky for you, it’s an entertaining read.