What would it take?

 (Sherlock meta by Ivy Blossom)

What would it take? I mean, for these two to actually hook up. Silly question, I guess, but it’s always the question at the heart of John/Sherlock story-building. That’s always the question: what would it take?

The fun thing is, it’s always a different answer. There are many answers, depending on how you read canon and which interpretations you opt to go with in any given moment. And when you get a bit more information, either through a new interpretation that hadn’t occurred to you before, or you get a new series, you get to ask, and answer, the question all over again. What would it take?

In series one, I thought the answer revolved around one main and one minor complication: as a minor complication, John does not appear to identify as a man romantically or sexually interested in men. The major complication is that Sherlock is utterly indifferent to both sexes, and states very plainly that he’s not interested in a romantic, sexual or even platonic relationship with anyone.

Both of these complications receive some reconsideration within the episodes: John is utterly besotted with Sherlock, and Sherlock realizes that he very much wants John in his life. John’s interest is nascent, but he’s good under pressure. He’s not good at talking openly about anything emotional, though. I imagine it would only take a single clear sign from Sherlock that he was interested to get them together. Getting Sherlock to want to give a clear sign is the complication.

In series two, only Sherlock’s choices remain as a complication. John is relentlessly heterosexual, but it’s become a bit of a sham. The only person he really cares about is Sherlock, and you can see him struggle with that, and then accept it throughout the series. But Sherlock’s complication is as solid as ever: he doesn’t conceive of himself as a person who wants a romantic or sexual relationship, in spite of his attachment and connection to John. He’s still way behind the starting line, which is what Irene points out. He says sex doesn’t alarm him, but he’s lying. It absolutely does.

The complication of series two remains Sherlock’s issues both with sex specifically and with emotional intimacy, and then of course the fact that he fakes his death and vanishes. How do you get them together in series two? You have to work through Sherlock’s issues. John’s waiting right there, watching for a sign. That’s still the only thing I think it would take: one sign from Sherlock. Does John know that? I think he does, in series two. Sherlock has no clue.

In series three, the tables have (mostly) turned. The complications are mostly on John’s side, not Sherlock’s. John has given up, and is no longer available to Sherlock. Meanwhile, Sherlock has made some real progress on his issues. This is the first time I think he’s reconsidered what it is he wants; I don’t think he’s solid on it yet, but I think the idea of a romantic and sexual relationship has entered his brain as a thing that he might want and is possibly capable of. The only person he’s interested in is John, and John is the only reason it’s occurred to him. But John is off the market, even though John’s feelings for Sherlock have not changed. John has taken Sherlock’s “no relationships” thing as read even as Sherlock is starting to maybe reconsider it.

But I still don’t think Sherlock sees romantic relationships as something he can do. If John weren’t with Mary, I think Sherlock’s choices would still be a complication, though a much reduced one. Getting them together now involves resolving John’s outward complications, which have certainly multiplied. I have always thought that John had been waiting for any sign from Sherlock; just one quiet conversation between them at this point would probably do the trick. They only need to raise the subject. I suspect one conversation would convince Sherlock. If it weren’t for the client, I think they would have had that conversation in series three, and I genuinely don’t know what John would have done.