John's Hug

 (Sherlock Meta by Ivy Blossom)

There are so many wonderful things about this scene, but one of my favourites is the demonstration of how physically affectionate John is when his guard is down.

john is an expressive and wholehearted hugger. There really can be no question about the depth of his affection when he pulls Sherlock into a hug like that, eyes squeezed shut, clinging onto him he’ll never let him go. It’s like he’s wrapping his whole body around Sherlock and surrounding him in undeniable affection. It’s a beautiful thing.

And we don’t even really get to see the whole hug, because he’s clearly not in favour of letting go when he does. He wasn’t finished with that hug in any way whatsoever. Even once Sherlock gets going with his speech again, John still has a hand on his neck. Everything in John still wants to be clinging to Sherlock. He’s still got more to (physically) say.

John is, it seems, far more comfortable speaking with his body than he is with his words. But this conversation is interrupted by Sherlock’s speech, the one John asked him to give, much like their relationship is interrupted by Sherlock’s choice to deceive John and leave at the end of The Reichenbach Fall. Whenever they reach a point of loving one another simply and completely, the plot drags them apart too soon, before that conversation, physical or otherwise, is complete. This series is affection interruptus at its finest.

I love the idea of John as physically demonstrative when he feels he’s allowed to be. Look how happy he is to hug Sherlock! LET ME LOVE YOU, that’s what his body language says. COME HERE AND LET ME LOVE YOU. NO. SHUT UP. LET ME LOVE YOU. I’M NOT DONE YET.

And thus I deduce that John is a cuddler, and a really, really good one. Since Sherlock is in desperate need of a good cuddle, this could work out very well.