Four: Venus, the Bringer of Peace
From The Planets, composed by Gustav Holst
"Sherlock, wake up." Sherlock heard John's voice in the back of his mind, but he was really far too comfortable to be bothered with listening right now. He grunted and rolled over in the bed, ignoring John completely.
Sherlock was not, however, able to ignore John's reaction. He felt John's soft, warm lips brushing the lightest of butterfly kisses to Sherlock's exposed neck. The resulting rush of endorphins to his brain washed away the desire to sleep more. He shivered under John's touch and turned over, raising his eyebrows at the grinning man.
"Isn't it a little early to be heading out?" Sherlock asked. His voice was rumbly and deep and dressed with the heaviness of his sleep. He and John had been out in the moors of England's back country chasing an escaped convict. They'd finished the case very late last night and neither one of them had wanted to bother with driving back to the city. Instead, they'd happened upon a charming little bed and breakfast. John had been asleep within minutes of collapsing into the bed and Sherlock had surprisingly succumbed to his exhaustion as well.
"We're not leaving just quite yet. There's something I want you to see." John took Sherlock's hand and pulled it gently, urging his partner to get up. Sherlock grumbled a bit more before rolling out of the bed, grabbing the duvet and snugging it around himself.
John opened the French doors that led out to the small balcony. Sherlock followed him out and blinked a couple of times at the sight that was spread out before him. The balcony looked over some of the most beautiful English countryside that Sherlock had ever seen. The rolling hills seemed to be muted with the pale dawn light, making them seem as if they had been painted with watercolors. A warm, gentle wind was blowing through the trees that framed the scenery, the leaves shimmering quietly.
"I quite enjoy living in London," Sherlock said. "The city has never ceased to fascinate me. But this…" He trailed off, raising one hand to gesture at the scene in front of him. "This is simply magnificent."
"Is that Sherlock Holmes waxing poetic about the countryside?" John scoffed, gently elbowing the man.
"I am merely appreciating the view," Sherlock replied.
"That's not all I wanted you to see," John said. Sherlock turned to him, a questioning look gracing his elegant face. "Look there," John said, pointing into the sky just above the treeline.
Sherlock looked. In the pale blue-grey sky, Sherlock saw a star, a bright yellow star twinkling in the distance. His knowledge of the solar system was practically nonexistent, so he had to ask. "John, what am I looking at?"
"Venus," John answered, slipping an arm around Sherlock's waist. "It's the planet Venus. Venus is the planet that is second closest to the sun, right after Mercury and before Earth."
Sherlock listened in silence, grudgingly stowing the information away in a small drawer in his mind-palace where it wouldn't take up too much room.
"In Roman mythology," John continued, "Venus was the goddess of love, beauty, sex, fertility, and prosperity. It is said that Venus tempers the male humors…everything in balance as it were. Male and female, light and dark, yin and yang…" John trailed off into a reflective silence.
Sherlock was quiet for a moment before he asked, "Why are you telling me all these things, John? You know my knowledge of the solar system is negligible and likely to stay that way so that I have room for all the important things."
John smiled gently and leaned into Sherlock's frame and the tall man wrapped an arm around him. "You tell me such interesting things all the time. I wanted to tell you something you didn't know for a change."
Sherlock chuckled and nuzzled John's hair. "Well, thank you, John. It was a most informative experience." He paused, unsure whether he should say the thing he was thinking. Oh, sod it. "It was also very beautiful."
John looked up at his companion with a bemused expression on his face. "Honestly, who are you and what have you done with Sherlock Holmes?"
Sherlock chuckled again and kissed John's forehead. The world's only consulting detective and his blogger stood in the gentle morning breeze and just watched the world awaken. And for just that brief moment, they were at peace.