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I want to see him burn, oh yes, but it goes beyond that. That’s the end, there’s much more, so much more -
Oh, he’s beautiful, isn’t he? You can’t deny it. He shines, that acerbic tongue, that glittering mind, all that cold passion consuming him - bet you, bet you that’s the real reason he’s so wraith-thin. You can almost see it, the coldfire that powers him and consumes him, his skin so translucent, so -
Hmm. Oh, don’t look at me like that! Haha, oh, don’t you know? We want the same thing!
I want to peel back that carapace of his. I want to steal away his control bit… by… bit. See what he’s like off his own leash because he is leashed, oh, you know it seems he speaks without thinking but speaking isn’t the half of it. You want to see under his skin too, admit it! You want as much as I do to dig your fingers under the ice and untouchable storm of his countenance, you want to touch that fire he keeps inside, see what makes him tick, what he’s feeling there.
I want to see him break.
I want to make him break, watch him flare all of his fury and his pain and his passion, watch him crumble, open up his defenses and his guard until he’s got nothing left to hide behind, until he’s raw and bleeds his heart out, until I can taste it, sink my teeth into it…
No? Oh, come now. Of course you want that. You’re already doing it. Don’t know if I can get there without you, really. You’re just gentler about it, getting under his skin with your steadfastness and banter and oh-so-quick loyalty. You want to touch the softness of him, too.
Of course, you want to protect and heal, comfort… and don’t you know that’s worse?
I at least won’t be so cruel as to ease his loneliness and get him to depend on me, rely on me. I would never be so sadistic as to get him to trust me. Even I have lines I won’t cross. Sherlock and I - we challenge each other, it’s a game and we know it. You, though…
I do think I love him, a little, in my own way. He is beautiful, after all, and such a lovely puzzle. You want to be the one to get through his shell… well, so do I! Shall we work together on it?
No? Hah, I don’t need your consent to get your help on this one, John. Come now. Don’t be naive. You’ve been a fantastic partner in crime already! I couldn’t possibly have gotten this far without you.