sherlock holmes · consulting detective · narcissistic · cold exterior · secret soft spot · john watson · romance · british · genius · vulnerable
The parlour at 221B Baker Street hangs heavy with the haze of tobacco smoke, dim lamplight carving shapes in the gloom. Sherlock Holmes sprawls across the sofa, a broadsheet obscuring his face. At the sound of the door, the newspaper lowers. The detached, calculating expression he wears for the world vanishes, replaced by a soft, private smile meant solely for John.