Holmes: Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of Watson

Watson: 👍🏻

Holmes: Watson, it makes me nervous to bring you on this dangerous adventure, but I know you well enough to know you’d never let me go alone

Watson: 👍🏻

Holmes: Watson, do you want to go to a concert with me? And then maybe a nice walk and a night cap?

Watson: 👍🏻

Holmes: If this guy had killed you, I would have straight-up murdered him in cold blood

Watson: oh my god he loves me

Watson writing The Three Garridebs, published in 1924: "For the one and only time I caught a glimpse of a great heart as well as of a great brain."

Sherlock Holmes, who has been taking Watson out to concerts, dinners, and vacations since 1881: "What the fuck?"

“…What can I do, Holmes? Of course, it was that damned fellow who set them on. I'll go and thrash the hide off him if you give the word.” - The Illustrious Client “You are right,” he cried with an immense sigh of relief. “It is quite superficial.” His face set like flint as he glared at our prisoner, who was sitting up with a dazed face. “By the Lord, it is as well for you. If you had killed Watson, you would not have got out of this room alive." - The Three Garridebs

Text Parallels here. ID in alt.

Then my friend's wiry arms were round me, and he was leading me to a chair. “You're not hurt, Watson? For God's sake, say that you are not hurt!” It was worth a wound—it was worth many wounds—to know the depth of loyalty and love which lay behind that cold mask. The clear, hard eyes were dimmed for a moment, and the firm lips were shaking. For the one and only time I caught a glimpse of a great heart as well as of a great brain. All my years of humble but single-minded service culminated in that moment of revelation.

OOOOOOUUUUGHHHGH THERE IT IS THE LINES WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR

I have yet to see an aromantic analysis of this but now my brain and heart is overflowing with Many Thoughts brace yourselves

Look at the wording of this. This is not a character development moment for Holmes, but for Watson--a realization it took him far too long to come to, a glimpse that made him realize how deeply Holmes has cared for him all along. All his years alongside him culminating in a moment of revelation.

But to guage the significance of the revelation, we have to go back to the start--particularly, the start of this "Holmes is an unfeeling machine" viewpoint Watson has expressed so often.

In The Sign of Four, when Holmes admits to not noticing if Mary was attractive, Watson replies, "You really are an automaton-a calculating machine! There is something positively inhuman in you at times." Aromantic Holmes fans have talked about how deeply relatable this moment is--which of us haven't been compared to a machine for lack of the feelings we're supposed to have, or felt inhuman because of our alienation? It's painful to see Watson say this so bluntly, but their relationship doesn't stop there.

Over time, Watson understands that Holmes cares for and feels affection for him, but he seems to see himself as rather inconsequential to Holmes' life, no matter how many times Holmes insists he cherishes his company, no matter how many ways Holmes demonstrates how much he loves him. They're speaking different languages about what love means. This is also intensely relatable to aromantic people, especially neurodivergent ones like Holmes clearly is. (side note: It's been wonderful reading these stories alongside other nd fans who easily spot those demonstrations of love)

And then there's this moment is when Watson finally UNDERSTANDS. It takes Holmes trembling with fear over him being hurt, snarling with protective ferocity for it to hit how important he is to Holmes. We've been staring at what feels obvious the entire time, because he's like us, and then Watson says "For the one and only time I caught a glimpse" of it. Holmes isn't the one framed as needing to change--whether what his love is, or how he shows it. It's that Watson needs to understand and realize it's always been this way.

Swapping to Holmes' side: this line often comes up in conjunction with Holmes saying he's never loved in The Devil's Foot, as a way to disprove it or show that Holmes was lying for some reason. But I feel that Holmes' side of things is that he is not a murderous person. As this story shows, he had a gun to a man's head, his most beloved friend gets SHOT, and instead of pulling the trigger he just hits him with the gun instead. In Devil's Foot, Holmes is musing over this urge to kill out of revenge and concludes that his hesitation to kill is because of something he lacks: he's never been In Love, never been swept up in all the irrational impulsive floods of emotion he's observed stem from that. He's also never seen Watson shot and fear this deeply for his life.

For Holmes, the realization of this moment isn't being surprised at how much he loves Watson, but the realization that his own kind of love is capable of this murderous ferocity. It's not something inherently tied to the way Normal People (tm) fall in love--this is his Watson and his dearest friend and companion and confidant and life partner and he WILL tear someone limb from limb if they managed to kill him.

no wait i'm thinking about the Three Garridebs again-

Watson gets shot (or rather, shot at). This is a man who was shot before (twice, if we go with the interpretation that he was shot in both the shoulder and the leg) and pretty much as soon as it happens, he's focused on Holmes and Holmes's reaction and he's filled with awe and love when he sees just how important he is to Holmes.

but. my man got shot. again. this man has PTSD, getting shot again is not going to help that in the slightest. but he focuses on Holmes, Holmes's reaction was so stunning and important to him that his reaction to that preceeds any reaction to getting fucking shot at itself.

it's possible he could have had some sort of breakdown later, but idk. i've just been. Thinking.

Parallels

The Illustrious Client & The Three Garridebs

Happy “it was worth a wound” day to anybody reading Letters From Watson.

I remember the date very well, for it was in the same month that Holmes refused a knighthood for services which may perhaps some day be described. I only refer to the matter in passing, for in my position of partner and confidant I am obliged to be particularly careful to avoid any indiscretion. ("The Three Garridebs")

Watson is soooo proud of his partner who was offered a knighthood AND was too modest to accept it. :D - Well, my partner was offered a knighthood and declined, but I can't tell you the details because he trusts me, you understand. - Stop, Watson, that's too adorable! :D

Okay, lets be honest, we know that Holmes is not very modest (although he can be selfless) ... But it reminds us of the fact that Holmes is very much a self-made man who doesn't need or, apparently, want to be bestowed with any artificial honours. Lestrade telling Holmes he's proud of him has more worth to him than the official honour of a knighthood, and I love that for Holmes. He got his priorities right. :) (Although I'm tempted to think he refused the knighthood purely for the drama of turning it down, the old drama queen. :D)

i’m normal about them

“You’re not hurt, Watson? For God’s sake, say that you are not hurt!”

It was worth a wound—it was worth many wounds—to know the depth of loyalty and love which lay behind that cold mask. The clear, hard eyes were dimmed for a moment, and the firm lips were shaking.

Translation-

Holmes (panicking) : Are you okay? You would have died, my dear Watson!

Watson(instead of focusing on his own wound and the trauma of almost getting shot) : Uh... I like your mouth.

Holmes & Watson postcards

I was wishing I had a Three Garridebs fanfic to share in celebration of Letters from Watson getting to it, and then I remembered... oh. Yeah I sort of have a whole game demo that starts with it.

With some minor changes to account for the fact that I'm dropping players in media res so I wanted to simplify where possible, and I couldn't work out how to clearly animate tiny Holmes pistol whipping a guy, or Watson sitting in a chair.

Minor blood warning-

I'm never going to be over this scene-

Anyway ik the drawing is far from perfect but I've spent over 15 hours on it now and need to stop at some point lol

I remember the date very well, for it was in the same month that Holmes refused a knighthood for services which may perhaps some day be described.

HELLO???

ELABORATE?????

This is how it went, right