T'hy'la Mine

Sherlock Holmes began his first Pon Farr the night John Watson shot a cabbie to protect him.  No one realized his Pon Farr was upon him even though he began to shiver in the back of the ambulance, prompting humans to wrap an orange blanket around his shoulders.  But Sherlock wasn’t cold… no… he felt warm.  For the first time since he was born he felt warm, especially when the human soldier glanced at him.   Something primal woke within him, sending a warm flush through his body.

 

Of course Sherlock Holmes wasn’t human.  His parents were Vulcan scientists immersed in Earth culture.  His elder brother, Mycroft, had been born on a planet of hot sands.  Sherlock… S’Lock as he had been named, had been born on Earth soon after his parents’ arrival, conceived during his father’s Pon Farr.  Surgery had been required to change the ear tips of the Holmes and Adler families so they could pass as human without frightening the humans they had been sent to study.  Two families had been sent due to Mycroft’s engagement to the Adler daughter, T’Irene.  None knew that S’Lock had been conceived until after they were on their way to Earth and as a result he lacked an intended.

 

Not that Sherlock minded.  Being raised human he immersed himself in the culture, even adopting a more human name.  He spoke in contractions as did his brother.

 

But the moment his reality came crashing down was in nursery school and a little girl touched him.  In that instant his touch telepathy kicked in and he was able to tell the girl and anyone listening that she was being molested by her mother’s boyfriend.  The scandal it caused prompted the Holmes family to confine Sherlock’s studies to a computer and that is how Sherlock learned about hard drives.  He had been six.

 

But now Sherlock was 34 and his family watched him closely for any signs of his oncoming first Pon Farr.  None of the other families that had been sent had children that were compatible with the Holmes’ younger son.  This caused a great deal of stress for the family and Mycroft in particular who would have preferred his younger brother had settled for a link with his personal assistant, Anthea.

 

So when Sherlock seemed to randomly choose a human to live with his actions raised a few eyebrows and Mycroft took it upon himself to study the human soldier.  What he found perplexed him.

 

The night of the cabbie Mycroft watched S’Lock and John walk together in sync, a rare smile beginning to spread on the younger Vulcan’s usually stoic face.  Stepping in he made his presence known to inform that human that he had been noticed and to gauge S’Lock’s reaction.  What Mycroft saw, the feverish eyes and the way S’Lock had given off a soft giggle to something John had said terrified the elder Vulcan.  And he knew his brother was starting Pon Farr. 

 

“Sherlock…” Mycroft breathed, knowing his brother could hear him with his sensitive Vulcan hearing.  “Your Pon Farr.” 

 

Sherlock flushed but did not reply.  Instead he made a snappy comment about Mycroft’s weight and led a very confused John Watson away.

 

Once the Vulcan and his human companion returned to the flat Sherlock built up the fire in the fireplace and sat next to his new acquaintance.  The human’s presence made his body buzz pleasantly and Sherlock was enjoying himself for the first time in his life.  “So… Afghanistan…?”

 

John shook his head.  “I don’t want to talk about Afghanistan right now.”

 

Sherlock lightly placed a bare pinkie against John’s hand, surprised at the buzzing intensified.  But he couldn’t read John… it was as if the human was somehow projecting a shield to keep Sherlock from accidental exposure to his human brain.  Carefully Sherlock slid his pinkie, marveling at John’s self-control.  It took his a few minutes to realize that John wasn’t talking and instead stared at their hands in silence. 

 

“It… buzzes…?”  John whispered.

 

Sherlock pulled his hand away and smiled at the human, feeling his self-control wane just a little more as the hazel eyes seemed to bore into his own.  “Turn your hand over.” 

 

Promptly John obeyed without question, his palm face up and open.

 

Using his first two fingers, Sherlock carefully slid them down John’s index finger to his palm and back up again.  The touch caused both to shiver in delight and with the second pass John’s index and middle fingers mirrored Sherlock’s. 

 

“I… wow!  I…” John gasped but didn’t pull his fingers away.  “How are you doing that?”

 

“I don’t know…” Sherlock replied.  “It has never happened before.”  His fingers continued to caress Vulcan kisses against John’s, sending thrills through his slightly feverish body.  Something between them thrummed and Sherlock inched closer, unable to resist it.  “You can feel it too?”

 

“Yes…” John replied, his voice raw and low.  “I want… want…”

 

“Yes… take it!  Whatever you want just do it.”  Sherlock whimpered.

 

John’s lips crashed against the Vulcan’s, shocking the alien as a very touchy human nearly climbed into his lap.  The thrum intensified and in his mind’s eye the Vulcan could see a shining cord begin to form between his mind and John’s.  It formed easily as if it had always been there and all it took was a little touch to make itself known.  But Sherlock knew what it was the moment it appeared and it shocked him.  Hastily he pulled away from John and ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to straighten up.  The bond protested their distance, causing both to wince at the emptiness of the separation. 

 

“Sh… Sherlock?”  John breathed and stood up, trying to close the distance between them.  “What was that?  I saw… I saw… I don’t know what I saw… but stop moving away!”

 

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”  Sherlock groaned, sitting in his armchair.  “I didn’t know what I was doing…”

 

“What did you do?”  John demanded kneeling at Sherlock’s feet.

 

“We’re binding together.”

 

John raised an eyebrow.  “I… don’t understand.”

 

“John… I’m not human.”

 

Shaking his head, John lightly caressed Sherlock’s thighs.  “You’re taking the piss…”

 

“I’m not human.  My family are scientists here to study Earth cultures.  I was born here but they are from another planet.”

 

“And what planet is that?” 

 

“Vulcan.”  Sherlock replied.  “My real name is S’Lock and I’m Vulcan.”

 

“A Vulcan that happens to look exactly like a human?”  John replied with mirth.

 

Sherlock sighed and reached into his pocket for his knife.  “There are differences.  I was born with pointed ears.  They were surgically changed so no one would notice.  But there are other differences more internal.”  Casually he cut himself and allowed the emerald green blood to well up.  “Copper based blood.  I believe you humans are iron based?”

 

John gaped at the blood.  “It must be… a… a trick?”

 

With an amused smile Sherlock reached out and ran his fingers through John’s hair.  “Let me show you… I can meld with you and you will see.”

 

“Meld?”  John whispered. 

 

“Do you trust me?”  Sherlock answered.

 

John nodded and gazed up at Sherlock.  “What must I do?”

 

Sherlock’s fingers slid into place and they both shut their eyes.  “My thoughts to your thoughts…”

 

And then it was as if they were standing next to each other, witnessing the same events of Sherlock’s childhood and household.  Between them the bond flared up happily, tying them together.  “Where are we?”

 

“I’m showing you my mind… my childhood.” 

 

Bullies… green blood… words of ‘freak’ echoed through the air.  Mummy and Father with their stoic, disciplined minds and hidden emotions… Mycroft’s binding ceremony to T’Irene as he experiences his first Pon Farr.

 

“What’s wrong with him?”  John asked, observing the barely controlled Mycroft.

 

“We don’t speak of it to outsiders.”  Sherlock replied.  “But it affects us all.”

 

Mycroft cried out and turned on his mate, rutting against her as the rest of the small Earth clan turned away. 

 

“He’s going to force her?”

 

“She’s his mate.  She understands that it is his Time.  She will take care of him while he is a mindless…”  Sherlock stopped and licked his lips.  “I shouldn’t have shown you this…”

 

“Why?”  John demanded, watching in fascinated horror as Mycroft began to undress and stalk his bride.

 

“It’s very private.”  Sherlock led John away from the place of bonding to another part of his life… when he had asked his mother where they came from and she melded with him to show him the sands of Vulcan.  Vulcan bloomed around them.  “This is where they came from.”

 

“Not you?”

 

“I told you I was born here.  But Mycroft was born on Vulcan.  This is the house of my father’s clan.”  Casually they strolled through alien architecture under a blinding sun.  Aliens who bore a striking resemblance to humans but with pointed ears passed by them.  “I don’t know who any of these people are… they are from my mother’s memory of Vulcan.  I never met them.”

 

“You said that whatever Mycroft was doing affects you all.  Does that mean you experience it too?”

 

“It marks our passage into adulthood… our first time.  But no… I haven’t gone through it yet.  But I will… very, very soon.”

 

“How soon?”  John asked as he studied the architecture. 

 

“It’s starting.”  Sherlock breathed.  “I can’t stop it.  It will overwhelm me soon… and I too will lose control.”

 

“So you need to be with your mate?”  John stopped before a balcony and looked out into the desert.  “Oh… wow… this is amazing!”

 

“I was never bound to anyone.  They couldn’t find me a mate.”

 

“Then what will happen to you?”

 

“It seems I have unconsciously been drawn to the mate for me.”

 

John leaned against the parapet, looking back at Sherlock.  “Where is she?”

 

Sherlock frowned.  “You think like a human.  For a Vulcan compatibility is on the temporal and spiritual level.  What gender the body happens to be is irrelevant.”

 

John stared back, silent, unsure.

 

Sherlock indicated the cord that tied them together.  “Do you see this connection between us?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Connections like these bind mates together.  This is how we will remain connected even through death.”

 

Realization began to dawn on John’s face.  “Waitasec…  You can’t mean…?”

 

“That buzzing we felt and your urge to snog me breathless… it’s because we are compatible as mates.”

 

“No!”  And with that the meld was broken.  John had fallen back onto his ass and he blinked up at Sherlock still sitting in the armchair.  “No… that can’t… we’re…”

 

Sherlock returned his hand to his lap.  Raising an eyebrow he stared at John.

 

“What are you going to do to me?”

 

Sherlock shook his head and avoided John’s glare.  “I won’t force this on you.  I refuse to take a mate that doesn’t want me.  I don’t care if it kills me.  I’ve survived this long without a bondmate… I can continue without one.”

 

“No… I mean what Mycroft did to his… he lost control… what was he going to do?”

 

“Our Time is a time of mating.  Our bodies will be compelled to become one.” 

 

“So… he was going to… fuck her?”

 

Sherlock gave a soft nod and then got up from the chair, pacing through the fire warmed room. 

 

“What would happen if he didn’t?”

 

“He would die.  Our blood… boils for lack of a better term.  If left untreated it will kill us as our brains are boiled.  We require the connection to a bondmate in order to continue survival.”  Sherlock stopped pacing and crouched before the fire.  “We die.”

 

“I’ll die?”

 

“No… you’re human.  You don’t have the biology.  Humans don’t require connection with a bondmate.”

 

“Without this, then… you’ll die?”

 

Sherlock huddled closer to the flames.

 

John crawled across the floor to sit closer to the alien.  “What must I do?  Do we even have compatible anatomy?”

 

“I have a penis.”  Sherlock stated.  “It’s different than a human’s… but it functions the same.”

 

John just stared, his brain unable to handle the words.  “You…  Mmm…”

 

Sherlock began to undress, starting with his shirt and ending with his trousers, exposing himself completely to the human.  “Look… it’s a little different…” Idly he touched the place between his legs where his penis was housed internally.  The shaft emerged with the double ridged head and self-lubrication. 

 

John unconsciously moved back, shocked at what was being shown to him.  His eyes studied the alien phallus as his mouth dropped open.  It took several minutes for his brain to reboot and for the doctor he had trained to be to take charge.  “It’s internally housed?  Do you have testicles?”

 

“Yes… unless it’s needed… and in the small of my back…” 

 

Cautiously John inched closer and reached out.  Catching himself he looked up at Sherlock.  “May I…?”

 

“Yes, of course!”  Sherlock watched with interest as his human tentatively reached out to wrap a warm hand around his shaft.  Involuntarily Sherlock let out a small gasp… his body eager to begin the Pon Farr. 

 

“Am I hurting you?”  John asked.

 

“No… it feels… good.  No one has ever touched me before.  The stimulation is a little overwhelming.”

 

“Oh?”  John gave a small smile.

 

At that moment the door opened and Mycroft stepped into the room, surveying the situation.

 

John jumped away guiltily and tried to pretend he hadn’t just been exploring Sherlock’s alien phallus with anything more than scientific curiosity. 

 

Sherlock sighed and pulled his shaft back in before he turned to give Mycroft a glare.  “What?”

 

“You’ve revealed yourself to him?”  Mycroft asked.

 

“Obviously… you walk in to see his hand wrapped around my Vulcan cock… so I’d say yes.”

 

Mycroft took a step closer to John and in that moment Sherlock stood up, placing himself between his human and his brother.  “Get out.”

 

“Possessive already?  You barely know the human.”  Mycroft may have smirked… being the more Vulcan disciplined of the two brothers.

 

“I know his mind.  I’ve melded with him.”

 

“You have?”  Mycroft looked surprised.

 

“John wanted to know why we were linked.  I had to explain to him about Vulcan and show him into my mind palace.” 

 

“Linked?  Are you suggesting that he’s your bondmate?  A human?”  A look of disgust passed over Mycroft’s features. 

 

“It formed.  And it’s strong.” 

 

“Mummy and Father will not be pleased.”

 

“How do you know?  They are too Vulcan to express themselves.”

 

“You plan to bond with a human.  You have told a human about what you are.  They will not be pleased, S’Lock.”

 

“Get out!”

 

“I came to inform you that a proxy bondmate has been found for you to guide you through your approaching Time.”

 

John stood up and stepped closer to the brothers.  “But I was told that he needed me.”

 

“The Holmes Clan would never allow a human into their midst… and S’Lock will be expected to provide heirs.  His bond with you is not optimal.  This should be broken before your Pon Farr.”

 

Sherlock shook his head and pushed into Mycroft’s personal space.  “GET OUT!”

 

Mycroft moved for the door.  As he opened it he looked back.  “Run away, little human.  You won’t like him when he claims you mind, body and soul in the place of mating or challenge.”

 

“I said, GET OUT!”

 

Sherlock turned around to find himself face to face with John.  Barely contained emotion nearly made him cry out.  “I’m sorry… I can’t control my emotions right now… it is shameful of me to be so… without control.”

 

“It’s alright.”  John stepped closer and wrapped his arms around Sherlock’s slender body.  “I’d be emotional too if my sister told me that my choice in partner wasn’t good enough, regardless of your alien status.”

 

Between them the bond thrummed, sending delightful tingles through them both.  “I burn…” Sherlock whispered, nuzzling his face closer to John’s neck. 

 

“It’s alright… I’ll take care of you.  I promise.  Come along to bed.  I’ll get you settled in… maybe some tea?  That’s a good lad…”

 

Sherlock allowed his bondmate to lead him to the bedroom, not bothering to protest when the human tucked him in and returned from the kitchen with a tea cup.  Slowly he was beginning to lose his mind to the fog of Pon Farr and plak tow and his body trusted his bondmate’s care implicitly.

 

“There you go… do you need anything else?”  John asked, smiling at his alien flatmate. 

 

“I need you.”

 

John bowed his head and blushed.  “Of course… I meant… anything else…”

 

“The fires of Pon Farr will last for at least two days.  During that time we will mate… more frequently in the beginning but as my body is satiated towards the end there will be time to feed and clean up between waves.  I will need you to be compliant and follow my lead.  If you fight me I may see it as a threat and hurt you.  I have no control over my primal parts of behavior.  If my primal side sees a threat they will take it out… conversely if anyone approaches and attempts to hurt you my primal side will destroy them because Vulcans are very possessive when it comes to their mates.” 

 

John stared back at the Vulcan, surprised and just a little thrilled at the candid warning.  “I’ve never been with a man.”

 

“We should start tonight… Males in Pon Farr have been known to be rather… aggressive when they are deep within plak tow.”

 

“In what?”

 

“It’s the blood fever.”  Sherlock lightly patted the bed beside him.  “You should be aware of what to expect.  That comes with experience.”  As John sat Sherlock kicked off the blankets and exposed his phallus.  “Go ahead… explore.  And when you’re ready I will mount you.”

 

“Sherlock… we just met…  This is a little sudden, don’t you think?  One moment we’re running around London and the next I’m face to face with double ridges and your brother telling me I’m not good enough!”

 

“Take off your clothes, John.”

 

John obeyed, tossing his clothing off the side of the bed until he too was naked.  “Have you… ever seen a naked human?”

 

“Of course I have!”  Sherlock responded, lightly touching John’s chest.  “Not too different… different sexual organs…”  With feverish fingers Sherlock lightly explored John’s scrotum.  “What is this?”

 

“That’s where my testicles are kept.” 

 

“And your shaft doesn’t retract… nor is there any lubrication.”

 

Closing his eyes, John tried to relax as the other being explored him thoroughly.  Fingers probed and prodded, slipped between his legs and found his anus.  “Woah!”

 

“I suppose this will have to do.”  Sherlock sighed in a put upon way and pulled John closer.  “When we go through my Time you will need to meld with me while my body does what it needs to do.  Are you ready for penetration?”

 

“Sherlock!  I need to prepare myself first.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Why?  Because the rectum is… it’s tight and dry… it will hurt!”

 

Sherlock shook his head and smirked.  “Hold still.”  Rolling on top of John he guided himself into place… the thin, slippery organ sliding in easily.  “Oh… Shit you’re so hot!”  Helplessly Sherlock began to grind against his mate, unprepared for the sensations that rolled through his body.  “I forgot humans have a higher core temperature…” 

 

John was shocked at the ease in which Sherlock entered.  It didn’t hurt… it was wet and slippery and not at all as he expected.  The ridges rubbed against his prostate with each thrust and he jerked in time with Sherlock’s movements as the nerve endings sent thrills up his spine.  At that moment he looked down at their bodies and realized the reality of the situation.  Sherlock was an alien and he was shagging him as if it was the most normal thing in the world… or his world.  Vulcan, was it?  Panic began to fill him where complacency had been before.  “Oh god… god why?” 

 

Sherlock stopped mid thrust and stared down at John.  “Your mind is too loud.”

 

“Sorry…” John answered.

 

“I fit?” 

 

“Yes.”

 

“Good.”  Sherlock rolled off and lay panting for breath, his shaft still hard and unresolved. 

 

“Why did you stop?”

 

“I’m a touch empathic… and you were beginning to panic.  Plus I confirmed that I will fit and won’t damage you during my Pon Farr.”  Stifling a yawn, Sherlock covered his face with his hands. 

 

“But you didn’t finish.”

 

“There will be plenty of that in the next couple of days, don’t you think?”

 

“Well… I didn’t finish.”  John mumbled.

 

“Show me.”

 

“Show you what?”  John asked.

 

“How humans do this.  You can finish if you like.  Just show me.”

 

John casually rolled over on top of Sherlock and settled between his legs.  The greenish phallus was snug and oily against his own pink prick.  Cautiously he gave a slick thrust and then another.  “Am I hurting you?”

 

“No.”  Sherlock replied, looking down at their bodies.  “The bond… I can feel your excitement through it.  Do what you want to me.”

 

John nodded and leaned down, touching their lips together.  It started chaste and sweet but immediately became dirty and hungry as both fed off of John’s needs and emotions.  Of course the oncoming Plak Tow didn’t help and Sherlock gave as good as he got, eventually rolling them over so he could take over the thrusting, rubbing them together.  Somehow they ended where they began with Sherlock thrusting into John’s ass, striking the prostate with each in stroke.  “That’s it… oh god… yeah…” John whimpered, wrapping his legs around Sherlock’s waist, his heels digging into Vulcan testicles in the small of his back. 

 

Straining forward the Vulcan finally released.  It wasn’t too much, but it was a prelude of things to come in the next few days.  It was enough to mark John with his scent and the bond seemed to like it.  It blazed between them, strengthening from a cord to a rope.  A word passed through Sherlock’s mind… a Vulcan word and he tried to keep it from John, unwilling to let it be said… but the bond was too strong.

 

“What’s a T’hy’la?”  John asked, panting for breath.

 

Silently Sherlock shook his head and wrapped himself around his bondmate.  He… he who never wanted to worry about mates or Pon Farr had spontaneously formed the rarest of bonds.  “It’s… it’s nothing.”  Vulcans don’t lie… but Sherlock was raised as a human and lying came easily to them.  “Try not to think about it.”

 

^.~

 

John Watson stepped into the stone circle and marveled at standing stones on the Holmes Manor grounds.  Of course he was there at Sherlock’s request, having arrived with the detective so no family member could uninvited him.  This was Sherlock’s rite of passage and he was allowed to have a friend stand in for him during his Pon Farr.

 

 

Vulcans who had clipped their ears and adopted a more British lifestyle to blend with the humans of Earth watched him from the arches of stone, trying not to look curious at the human amongst them.  John smiled politely at them but soon became distracted by the sound of gongs and bells.  A rather excitable Sherlock stepped into the stone circle and approached the gong.  After that John lost track of what was going on, considering it was all in a language he didn’t understand.  Occasionally he heard an old woman say, “S’Lock” which he knew to be Sherlock’s Vulcan name.  “Jan!”

 

The assembled Vulcans gave John a pointed glare and he turned his attention to the old woman.  “Um… sorry?”

 

“I just told her that you’re my bondmate so you should let her check our bond.”  Sherlock answered, trying to keep himself together.

 

“Now?”

 

“If you don’t Anthea is going to claim me… do be quick about it!”

 

John stepped closer to the old woman, glancing at her and smiling.  “Cheers.”  An old hand grazed his meld points before the old woman pulled her hand back in surprise. 

 

“T’hy’la!”

 

“That word again… what is that?”

 

Sherlock rolled his eyes and gave his brother a gloating smirk.  “It means no Anthea.  You belong with me.  Now hit the gong!  Hurry!”

 

John picked up the mallet and gave the gong a light tap.  The sound reverberated around the stone circle.  Vulcans gave the Ta’al and turned away.

 

“Um… is this the part when you…?”  But John couldn’t finish.  A rather flushed Sherlock was upon him, knocking him to the ground.  “Wait!  Now?  This happens now?”

 

“I showed you my brother’s ceremony to prepare you!”  Sherlock responded, pulling down his trousers and his pants.  His phallus was larger than usual and John could only gape at it.

 

“But they can see us!”  John replied, helplessly taking off his own clothes.

 

“Yes… keeps the predators away.”  And with that Sherlock plunged in without preparation.  Giving a soft grunt he began to thrust as his fingers reached for meld points.  “Need you…”

 

“I’m… I’m here… S’Lock.”  John replied, finding the cold, damp grass and moss to be a tad uncomfortable on his bare backside.  His hand covered Sherlock’s hand, guiding him into the meld.  In an instant they were one.

 

John leaned against the parapet in Sherlock’s ancestor home.  “So… our bodies are busy shagging and we’re here together?”

 

“After the first wave we’ll be moved into the house and given a room to complete my plak tow.”  Sherlock replied, leaning in the doorway.  “I was worried you wouldn’t show up for this… that I may have scared you away.”

 

“Who me?  Miss this?  Not on your life!”  John replied, stepping closer to his Vulcan.  Lightly his fingers traced the glowing bond between them.  “Not that I had a choice… right?”

 

“You made that choice days ago.”  Sherlock replied with a soft smirk.  Holding out his fingers he waited for John to rub his own against them in a Vulcan kiss. 

 

“Tell me what T’hy’la is?”

 

Sherlock shook his head.  “It’s legendary… I’ve read about it… did a little research when my Pon Farr permitted.  It’s a kind of bond but it’s rare.  You are my friend, my brother in arms and my lover.  It happened more when my people were wilder and warred.  Brothers in arms would be everything to each other including bondmates.  When they fought in battle it was like they were one being in two bodies.  It means that when we are together we are strong, John.”

 

“Oh… so… I’m not alone?”

 

“Does that bother you?”  Sherlock cocked his head to the side, studying his bondmate in the world within his mind palace. 

 

John shook his head.  “I’ve been… so alone…” Stepping into Sherlock’s space he rested his head against the Vulcan’s chest.

 

“Never again, Ashaya…”

 

^.~

 

John woke feeling sore but satisfied.  The bedroom wasn’t one he recognized although he had a vague feeling it was at the Holmes Manor house.  Sherlock lay next to him on the bed, naked and partially wrapped around him and tangled in a blanket.  John scooted closer, surprised at the other’s cooler skin.  Carefully he checked skin temperature on various body parts.  At some point he became aware that Sherlock was looking at him.  “Hello.”

 

“Vulcans have a lower body core temperature than humans.  Desert dwellers…”  Sherlock snuggled closer.  “You’re so warm.”

 

“Why did that woman call me ‘Jan’?”

 

Sherlock began to giggle softly, wrapping an arm around his bondmate and nuzzling the back of his neck.  “That was my grandmother.  She can’t speak English.  She can only speak Vulcan.  She’s over 200 years old and somewhat set in her ways.  It was the closest she could get to ‘John.’”

 

“I suppose I should be honored that she even attempted my name?  The rest of your family didn’t look happy to see me.  I think they were hoping for Anthea to be your bondmate.”

 

“I have a bond with you.  Even my elder couldn’t deny that.  She knew what it was and linked me to the correct mate… even if they filled the place with available Vulcan women, my elder would still link me to you.  Our bond is too strong to ignore.”

 

“Because we’re… T’hy’la?”

 

Sherlock lazily ran his fingers against John’s, excited by the thrills that traveled up his spine. 

 

“Your grandmother is over 200 years old?  How long do Vulcans live?”

 

Sherlock stopped his caress abruptly and pulled his hand away.  “Why do you ask?”

 

“Humans don’t live even half that long.”  John replied quietly.  “You know that, right?”

 

“We’re T’hy’la, John… brothers in arms… when one dies the other follows them in death.  The strain on the bond is too great.”

 

“So… when I die you’ll follow me?  Sherlock…” John sat up and shifted.  “Maybe this was a bad idea!  You’re going to die when you’re still young.  No… this was a horrible idea… no wonder your brother was so concerned.  I’m your death!”

 

“No!  Stop that!”  Sherlock sat up and ran his fingers against John to calm him.  “Ashaya… I’d rather live your lifetime with you than be alone now.”

 

“You never wanted this.”

 

“I didn’t know I wanted this until I got it.”

 

John gave him a suspicious look.

 

“I didn’t know I was missing a part of myself until we met.  Now that I have you…”  His fingertips grazed John’s meld points.  “You made a choice… but I made one too.  I know humans have shorter life spans but that didn’t matter.  I found you, the other half of me.  Together we’ll be absolutely brilliant!  It will be worth the limited time we have together.” 

 

John nodded sullenly as tears escaped down his cheeks.  Sherlock wrapped his arms around his human and held him tightly as John nuzzled up against Sherlock’s sternum. 

 

“Let’s not speak of this right now… Now… I need a shower and so do you.”

 

John’s chuckle was nearly drowned out by his sob. 

 

“And maybe some food.”  Sherlock lightly kissed John’s forehead.

 

John grunted in response, his stomach choosing that moment to growl.

 

“Earth is the only planet I’ve ever really known.  I was raised to think and act as human as I could… Immerse myself in the culture so the others could learn from me.  I live as a human… I’ll die as one.”

 

John tried to move away but Sherlock’s arms held him close.

 

“It is only appropriate that I have a human mate.”

 

“You’re just making excuses to reinforce your decision.”

 

“Perhaps… but we are drawn together and we were compelled to mate, even before we really knew that we were T’hy’la… It’s like we both knew on some level that we were compatible.  If this had been a normal bond… we wouldn’t have to worry about this.  But somehow we have this… and I’m not afraid or worried.  Neither should you be.”

 

“If this had been a normal bond you would live after I die?”

 

“It would hurt… like a piece of my soul had been torn away but I would live.  John… please… shower?  Breakfast?”

 

“I’m sorry it happened then.” 

 

“I will never be sorry.”  Sherlock responded, pulling his mate out of the bed.  “No regrets, John Hamish Watson.  Come along… my family will forgive me for being clingy and affectionate towards you… but it will bother their little Vulcan minds to see me like this.  Let’s go feed you.”  And with that Sherlock pulled John out the door wearing little more than a robe.

 

^.~

 

John Watson, former soldier and doctor lay in the arms of his Ashayum, old and frail.  “S’Lock…”

 

“Hush… I know.”  Sherlock replied.  Time had been softer on the Vulcan as he had only reached the midlife of his people. 

 

“No… I have to say… no regrets, T’hy’la.”

 

Sherlock kissed his bondmate, feeling the solid thrum of their bond.  John was beginning to waver but the bond still held as bright and solid as their first Pon Farr.  “No regrets.  It’s alright, John… you may let go.  I’ve got you.”

 

John nodded and closed his eyes.  His breath and heart slowed.  Sherlock held his other half tightly.  John’s body was an empty shell but the bond still pulled, anchored in Sherlock’s soul.  Settling on the bed beside his mate he waited for the final pull. 

 

They were found together by Mycroft.  “Good journey to you both, my brothers.”