Chapter Text
Sherlock had a heart. It beat in his chest and pumped blood through his veins. He could feel it pulse beneath his skin when its natural rhythm was elevated. He was, after all, human, human enough. He required the muscular organ encased within his ribcage to survive. The physical heart, yes, obviously he had one, needed one. The metaphorical heart, however…
Sherlock learned early in his life just how scary that beast could be.
Simply divorcing himself from it, locking it away and forgetting it was there had been enough for awhile. Sentiment, after all, was for the losing side. There was no advantage in caring.
But then he met John.
John was a puzzle. A fascinating and downright bewildering, sometimes frustrating, puzzle that Sherlock had yet to figure out.
Sherlock did have a heart. John somehow had the key to unlock it, somehow was the key, somehow found a way to slip inside the barriers as if he belonged there. Sherlock cared for John. Loved him, even if he would never say the word.
He had since the very beginning.