“Since your arrival you’ve addressed over forty percent of your remarks to my decanter. Watson, give the inspector what he so clearly wants”.



By Sherlock’s estimation something that you look at a lot, needs to go in your mouth. Say, John looking constantly at his lips, his neck, his chest, his ass, his crotch, all these things need to go in John’s mouth. They are what John, ‘so clearly wants’.

Once Lestrade, representing John desperately wanting Sherlock in his mouth is done his drink he looks positively orgasmic. Don’t take my word for it,

Then Sherlock asks what Lestrade is embarrassed to say and John corrects him: Lestrade is not embarrassed, he is afraid. John is not embarrassed that he so clearly thirsts for Sherlock, he is afraid.

I read a meta by @therealmartinsgrrrl about how John drinks when he tries to talk to Sherlock and to deal with his feelings, not because he’s embarrassed but because he’s afraid. This idea prompted this reading about putting things that you look at in your mouth. This is literally about John being thirsty.

I think this moment is especially important because it comes right after Sherlock’s super intense speech about how the stage is set and he has to go deep into himself. The theme of John and Sherlock’s mutual desire is immediately put on the forefront. Even before we get to Emilia. In fact, this introduces the case of The Bride.

John needs to get what he so clearly needs, what he’s so obviously looking at over forty percent of the time: Sherlock.