As those who read my last fic will remember I gave the option of two fics for my next postings, Fake Boyfriend or Drug Addict, and the Fake Boyfriend trope won and so here it is.
This fic was inspired by Mychakk who requested 'Molly asking Sherlock to pose as her fake boyfriend at a friend or cousins wedding. Would he be willing and how would he act...etc'.
Before we go on with the story I do need and want to thank Lilsherlockian1975 for helping me with the title. Fake Boyfriend was way too bland and I just couldn't think of anything else so I asked her for suggestions...let's just say I was spoilt for choice. As well as the one I went with we also had My Big, Obnoxious, Fake Boyfriend, Fakery and Folly, Wedding Crushers...so thank you Lil xxx
So here's my take on just that. I hope you all like it.
Chapter 1
It was late spring and finally, after a long winter, the temperatures were starting to pick up and nature was coming back to life. Molly had been enjoying walking into work again, cutting through the cities parks and seeing the trees and the flowers starting to bud and bloom with lighter shades of green signalling their newness. It also meant that it was the time of year when the annual wedding season began and she already had a date in her calendar for two weeks time. It was the marriage of her favourite cousin, Sara. The two of them had been close growing up; Molly had been an only child and although Sara was one of three she was the closest in age to Molly and so they had naturally gravitated together during family holidays and occasions.
Having said that, whilst their friendship had always been strong one it had also been competitive. Sara had been the first to kiss a boy but Molly had done better in her exams. Sara had left school and got a job after A levels and had money to burn whilst Molly was struggling to make ends meet at University but then Molly was earning more money now. And last but by no means least Sara had found herself a good man and was getting married and there was the rub for Molly...since Tom she hadn't even been dating; nor was she likely to given the fact that she had internally acknowledged that she would never love anyone like she loved Sherlock.
Every time she attended any family event she was met by endless questions from her older relatives as to why she hadn't settled down and found a man and from Sara she just felt like she was on the receiving end of pity...with occasional bouts of smugness. She was probably being unfair about the latter, Sara had never said anything nasty and was probably just too wrapped up in her fiancé to see how it sometimes came across but that was how Molly felt and the closer the wedding got the more she wasn't looking forward to attending...at least not attending it alone.
She'd been through endless options in her head and the only one that held any appeal at all was the one that she knew she shouldn't pursue but once the idea was lodged in her mind she couldn't seem to erase it. Which was why she found herself nervously arranging and rearranging files in the lab whilst wondering if she could possibly go ahead with her plan.
She would probably have ended up doing nothing at all if it hadn't caught the attention of a certain Consulting Detective who had been trying to analyse some samples of chalk dust for a case that he was working on with Lestrade. It was only a four and wasn't really holding his attention which was how he had noticed that Molly was acting so strangely.
He sat back on his stool and observed her for a moment. She looked as though she hadn't slept properly, her hair wasn't as neat as normal, she was chewing on her bottom lip and she was obviously distracted given that she hadn't done any work in over 30 minutes and on top of that she hadn't even noticed that he was watching her. What he couldn't work out though was what she had on her mind.
'Problem Molly?'
She finally glanced up at him as though she was noticing him for the first time.
'What? No, no problem.'
He narrowed his eyes a little at her blatant lie.
'I beg to differ.' He paused as though he was making a decision but then sighed in resignation. 'Maybe it would help to talk about it.'
She was wringing her hands by now which was very unlike her and he found himself wanting to help her. She was normally confident and efficient, this was not a Molly he was used to and it concerned him.
She made her way over to him looking, if anything, more worried. 'We're friends aren't we Sherlock? I mean, you said in that phone call that we were friends.'
He didn't have to ask her which phone call she was referring to, they both knew, and his heart twisted in his chest momentarily at being forced to recollect it.
'Yes, of course we are.'
'And friends help each other out don't they?'
He hesitated for a split second feeling as though he was walking into some kind of trap but he couldn't see a way out of it.
'Yes, yes they do.'
'I mean, I've helped you out in the past...with all those body parts and when you faked your own death.'
'You did, yes. Molly, what is it you want?'
She was stood less than a foot from him now and he noticed that she was struggling to maintain eye contact. Her eyes kept flitting to his face, then around the room then back to his face. She gave him a kind of half smile and then responded.
'You, I want you...I mean willyoubemyfakeboyfriend?'
She said the last part so fast that he almost didn't catch it and as her request sank in he frowned a little.
Before he could say anything she went on. 'I know it sounds daft and you'll probably say no but I thought it was worth asking.'
He opened his mouth but she carried on.
'It was just going to be for one weekend; my cousin's wedding.'
Again he tried to speak but she interrupted.
'They're always on at me you see, about getting a man. I just didn't want to face showing up alone again and you'd fit the bill; successful, good-looking...' At this last part she impossibly blushed even more and faltered.
'Molly...'
'Don't worry, I understand. Of course you wouldn't...it was a stupid idea. I mean why would you?' She let out a dry laugh and started to turn away.
'Molly...'
'Let's just forget I ever asked hey...it probably won't be as bad as I was thinking. Anyway, I'd best get on with...'
'MOLLY...'
She look around shocked as he raised his voice and he stood up and held up his hands. 'Sorry...sorry, but you're not letting me answer. Of course I'll do it...whatever you need.'
Her eyes widened in shock and her mouth rounded into a silent 'oh'.
She took a step back towards him. 'Do you mean that?'
He tilted his head slightly and smiled. 'I wouldn't have said yes if I didn't mean it Molly. Anyway, text me the details and I'll make sure I'm free.'
With that he turned his attention back to his microscope leaving Molly to walk back to her desk with a small smile playing on her face.
He couldn't quite put his finger on it but he felt a strange flutter of...nerves?...excitement? It wasn't what he would have expected to feel and he knew he'd need to examine that in more detail but for now he tried to move his concentration back onto the case at hand.
MHMHMHMHMHMHMHMHMHMHMH
Molly was equally unnerved as she met her friend Meena after work for a drink and some food. She couldn't stop thinking about their conversation and the fact that Sherlock had actually said yes. In all her endless fantasising about how asking him might play out she hadn't really expected him to say yes and now he had she wasn't sure how she felt about it other than terrified.
It didn't take long for Meena to pick up on the fact that her friend was distracted.
'So, spill it...something's up with you because you've barely said two words all night.'
Molly looked up distractedly to see Meena raising her eyebrows before taking a sip of her cocktail.
'Sorry...I'm just thinking about my cousin's wedding.'
'The one you didn't want to fly solo at. Don't tell me you finally found yourself a date.'
Molly shrugged. 'Sort of...maybe...'
'Maybe? What do you mean sort of...maybe. Either you've got a date or you haven't. Who is it?'
Molly bit her lip and her sheepish expression must have given her away because Meena closed her eyes and groaned. 'Oh God you did it didn't you? You asked that detective to be your fake boyfriend.'
Molly couldn't help but feel disheartened and defensive in the light of Meena's obvious disappointment.
'So what if I did? It's not the worst idea in the world. He's single, good looking, famous even. It means I can go to the wedding and hold my head up high for once.'
Meena sighed. 'Oh Molly you know perfectly well that you could have done that without a man on your arm and you certainly could have done it without him. How long have you been crushing on him? Five years? I just don't want to see you getting your hopes up. You know how he feels. Yes, he's a colossal idiot for not being madly in love with you but it's not going to change now is it.'
Molly took a sip of her drink and shrugged. 'I suppose not but it's done now. He said yes and it's too late to back out now.'
Meena looked at her friend for a moment and then smiled and shook her head. 'Yeah, you know what maybe you're right. To be honest, given that he knows how you feel about him I'm surprised he said yes...maybe there's something in that. After all you haven't spent much time with him out of Barts so this could be your chance to seduce him...pull out the old Hooper charm.' She paused and then snickered. 'You do still have some of that sexy lingerie that you bought at Cathy's party...maybe you can wear some of that.'
'Meena! I'm shocked, I wasn't planning on getting down to my underwear around him.' But Molly was laughing as she said it and then added. 'But yes, yes I do...some of it hasn't even been worn yet. Not that he'll actually see it but maybe wearing it will give me a bit of a boost.'
They spent the rest of the evening discussing outfits and many a cunning ploy to seduce Sherlock and by the time Molly made it home she was both tipsy and excited about her weekend away with the World's only Consulting Detective.
SHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSH
Sherlock didn't give a huge amount of thought to his new commitment until very late that evening. He'd finished off the case with Lestrade (the mother-in-law, obvious really) and then he'd spent a few hours with his brother revising the security around his sister. They preferred to mix it up and make changes as unpredictably as they could so as to stop her seeing patterns and routines that she could manipulate.
It meant that by the time he made it back to Baker St it was almost midnight and he was very grateful to Mrs Hudson for leaving out a few homemade biscuits for him to snack on.
He changed into his pyjamas and a dressing gown and threw himself down onto his settee so he could think through his day and compartmentalise what he'd learnt from the case. But it wasn't the case that came to mind. It was Molly's shy and hopeful smile when he'd said yes to her request that he accompany her to her cousin's wedding.
Now he thought about it he was surprised that he had said yes so readily. Weddings and social occasions of this nature were normally the sort of events he would avoid at all costs. The only wedding he'd attended in the last fifteen years was John's.
He also knew that, given how she felt about him, being in such close proximity and pretending to be romantically involved was running the risk of giving her false hope. All this had flitted through his mind at the time but he hadn't hesitated to say yes and he was wondering why he'd felt so eager.
A small voice at the back of his mind told him it was because he wanted to spend time with her...that he felt for her just as she felt for him but he pushed it away. He was just tired, sleep was what he needed now. Sleep and Mrs Hudson's biscuits.
The scene is set and our favourite lovers to be are in place. You know what I want from you now don't you? That's right, let me know what you think...are you on board the Fake Boyfriend train?
