He's not in love with Sherlock Holmes.
He may bask in the glow of Sherlock's brilliance, may be stupidly fond of his Byronic figure and rich baritone voice; that doesn't change the fact he's a straight man, and he's fairly sure his friend is actually asexual.
The truth is that he's the Sancho Panza to his Don Quixote, the Sam Gamgee to his Frodo Baggins; the saner half of a crime-fighting duo that's secretly not over playing pirates and seeking adventures.
They're not a couple in the ordinary sense of the word, and yet they're far more than just friends.
