Author's Note: This is actually a songfic, but I can't put the lyrics on this site. I Hate Love Songs by Kelsea Ballerini is the inspiration. A little late for Valentine's Day, but I have someone hacking my internet on and off, so here's this lol.
Molly rolled her eyes at her co-workers getting all worked up for Valentine's Day. Normally she'd point out that the day won't make or break their relationships, but sometimes it did for couples. It was completely ridiculous. If she cared for the holiday and Sherlock forgot about it, she wouldn't have been angry. She was quite sure that Sherlock was thankful that she didn't celebrate it.
Roses are red, violets are blue…
That's what one of her co-worker's card said. Another roll of her eyes, cause violets are purple. She couldn't wait to get home to Baker Street and order takeaway. All of this excessive celebrating annoyed her greatly.
All of Sherlock's cases for today were about affairs. Yes, it was a day for love and adultery, apparently. Checking the time on his phone, he realized there was only two hours left of Molly's shift. He knew how much she disliked the current holiday—almost as much as he did—but that didn't stop him from planning a night in for the two of them.
Sherlock recalled the time he and Molly had both berated Sally about how she would be dead if her heart truly skipped a beat. Needless to say, Sally did her best to avoid them both ever since then. He often became annoyed with the holiday, not just because of its commercialization, but because a lot of people found it okay to only show appreciation on Valentine's Day. Sherlock believed you should show your loved one appreciation every day. It doesn't have to be big—sometimes meaningless—gestures. It could just be with the little things. He sighed, wishing Molly was home.
Molly let out a sigh of relief when her shift was over. She clocked out happily, and caught a cab to take her to Baker Street. There were still too many 'hearts' all over the shops for her liking as they passed in a blur. She preferred anatomical hearts. Now, that would be a version of Valentine's Day she could get behind.
Another tradition that she didn't understand was buying a bouquet of roses. They usually die quickly with no way to save them. Roses to plant in a garden would be fine. Granted, Molly didn't hate romance, but the usual stuff just wasn't her thing. She loved adventures, mysteries, science experiments, board games, and books. Jewelry was fine, though she didn't wear much of it. As the cab approached Baker Street, Molly felt a warmth rise within her. Home.
Whilst he awaited Molly's arrival, Sherlock reminisced the first time that he and Molly met. Some things from that night were still fuzzy, but he still remembered what she was wearing—black tank top, cherry cardigan, and blue jeans. Her hair had been thrown into a messy bun. They were in uni at the time. Molly was at the pub with Meena, and Sherlock had been there with the urge to get high, but settled for alcohol. It wasn't the best situation, but meeting Molly outweighed the bad. When they first locked eyes, she had already had one too many drinks in her, as did he.
"Mister tall, dark, and broody, is it?" she had laughed. "Not enjoying yourself?"
"Not really," he had replied.
"Not the social type, then," Molly had pointed out, swaying slightly.
"I'll, um, make an exception for you."
And that was all it took. That night, they talked about anything and everything, finding so many common interests. Neither of them could remember what the date was when they met, but it didn't matter…until it did. He remembered.
Molly had been reminiscing the same thing in the cab. She felt a bit frustrated that she couldn't remember the date they met, so she texted Meena. Upon remembering the drunken kiss she had shared with Sherlock at the end of that night, it made her so happy that she got her 'Mister tall, dark and broody' after all.
When she exited the cab, her phone buzzed. Meena did remember what day it was.
14/02/1999
It had been Valentine's Day.
"Sherlock, you won't believe—what's that?" she asked, her eyes glued to the items in Sherlock's hand.
"I wasn't going to give these to you until after Valentine's Day had passed, but after a trip down memory lane, I realized it's the perfect day to do so," Sherlock explained. "After all, we did meet on Valentine's Day. Nineteen ninety-nine."
"Yeah, we did," Molly laughed half-heartedly. "Meena reminded me."
"Open them…please?" he asked, handing her the gifts. The first was obviously a small box from a jeweler. Inside was a metallic red anatomical heart charm on a silver chain. It was beautiful.
"Sherlock, it's beautiful, but you really didn't have to," Molly spoke, flustered with what he had given to her.
"Happy Anniversary, Molly Hooper," he spoke softly as he clasped the necklace around her neck.
The second gift was a disc in a jewel case. The title written on it in Sherlock's hand simply said, 'I hate love songs, but I love you.'
"Are these…?" Molly began.
"Love songs I played on my violin. The last track is an original composition; one I composed for you months ago, after Sherrinford," Sherlock explained.
"You composed a song for me? Thank you, Sherlock, really. I love it," Molly smiled. She reached up on her toes to press her lips to his. "Happy Anniversary." When their lips parted, he noticed that she now held a bag out to him.
"What's this?" he asked.
"Body parts to experiment on," she answered. "It's not much, but it's all I was allowed to take."
"You know me so well, darling," he smiled. "Thank you."
"Takeaway and murder mysteries?" she suggested.
"Sounds perfect," Sherlock agreed. And it was.
