in a way john watson is a fantasy (what if you had this brilliant enigmatic friend and what if he liked you in particular and what if he offered you the excitement of youth and adventures and a way out of boring society life and all without having to actually give up your status as a gentleman so you could have the best of both worlds) and in a way sherlock holmes is a fantasy (what if someone never got tired of you despite your various strange habits and mood swings and instead of simply tolerating you they genuinely liked you and what if you didn’t have to live alone forever and what if you never had to give up doing the things you love) and of course there’s the most fantastical part of it all (what if you could afford london housing prices)
guys i know they were initially roomates because they couldn’t afford to rent separately but allow me to defend my honor a moment
a) in this economy. that counts in my book
b) the flat they could only afford split was a two bedroom in central london walking distance from hyde park and marylebone train station with meals provided i simply do not believe that they couldn’t have each found a significantly cheaper place
c) watson eventually moves out and into his own home/practice, first to a place within walking distance of paddington station (translation: pricey) and then second to a place in kensington right by hyde park (again, pricey as all hell)
d) holmes’ payments were, in watson’s words, “princely” and he could likely (watson speculates) have afforded to just buy the place outright within the years they lived together which means this man is renting a place in central london just for like? sport?? and he seemingly isn’t even letting watson’s empty room while he’s gone. brother that’s prime real estate
e) also like. remember when holmes secretly buys a whole ass house. like the aforementioned bougie ass kensington place. and this is apparently a small enough strain on his finances that watson doesn’t immediately notice. a whole house
f) watson lowkey wasn’t even working when he moves in with holmes and holmes seems to suggest in study in scarlet that most of his work is unofficial assistance to the police rather than like paying clients which does make affording really any place in london very fantastical much less baker street
