Vie for a Valentine

Summary:
Both Irene Adler and Molly Hooper had been pining over a certain Sherlock Holmes since the day they've laid their eyes on him. Realizing their similar goal early, they turn into rivals. However when the school announces that a Valentine Ball will take place in February, their rivalry reaches a whole new level. Since Sherlock refuses to choose between them; they have to work this out between one another.

Disclaimers & Warnings:
I do not own Sherlock BBC, sadly enough. This will contain sexual themes in a same sex relationship;
Most likely having descriptive scenes of lovemaking between a Miss Molly Hooper and Irene Adler.
I've also taken the liberty of changing the setting and the age of the characters involved.

Chapter Three: The Waiting Game

Irene was not as patient as she would like others to believe, and despite Jim assuring her that he had Molly well on the hook she didn't quite believe him. Jim didn't seem to understand how stubborn this girl could be, she thought as she sat in her room, her feet swung over the edge of her armchair, a cup of tea on the table and a book for English class in her lap. However she couldn't concentrate on reading at this moment, not in the middle of a battle like this. Her thoughts wandered back to the innocent Miss Molly Hooper, she wondered if she felt the suspension of the conflict like she did. Hopefully, she thought, she didn't. The plan was designed in such a way that Molly was not supposed to know that she had lost until it was already too late. But Irene couldn't help but to imagine the other squirming nervously.
He chuckled shortly to herself. If I know Molly Hooper she is squirming in the company of anyone, she thought and sipped her tea. But the thought of Jim making her nervous was not nearly as satisfying as imagining herself be the reason for the other's fidgety moves or clumsiness. Either way she couldn't observe it, which made her even more impatient with her current position. She reached for her phone. She skimmed through her contacts until she found Jim's number.

Her nails tapped the touchscreen of her phone as she wrote, and after just a couple of seconds she sent the message:

Is she still responding well? – IA

She stared at the screen, trying to will it to make a sound. It was silent for a whole minute, and then at last it made a sound.

I am trying to act like a caring love-interest.
Therefore I can't text you while she's in the room.
I'm glad to report that we've been to the movies. – JM

Irene could literally hear his voice in his head as she read it, singing the words with that melodic accent and with least a spoonful of superiority. She frowned at it, a whole arrange of possibilities swept through her mind as she imagined them at the movies. How was she acting? How was Jim acting? She finally wrote:

Ask her to the dance tonight. - IA

Jim glanced down at his phone, and grinned. Irene could be cute trying to be controlling sometimes. He could imagine her authoritative voice, so used to get what she wanted or else fight until she got it. Today he would play into her hands he decided, if not for her sanity, his own. This Miss Hooper was a real bore He glanced up as he heard the door from the girl's toilet swinging, and he hastily slipped back into the role of James; The timid, nice and maybe a little too gay admirer. Molly walked up to him, her fingers fidgeting with the band of her bag.

"I'm sorry if I kept you waiting" She said softly as they started to walk back to the school grounds. "I didn't mean too"

"Oh, it's quite alright" Jim quipped quickly. How could this girl be any more innocent? And an even more interesting question floated around in his mind, why was Sherlock so interested in her? She was absolutely dull. Irene must, somehow, have been misinformed. Why would Sherlock choose this mouse over Irene, or even think twice about his choice? His thoughts were not visible on his face, hiding skilfully between his façade of James.

Jim could tell that Molly wasn't so used to talking a lot. Their conversation was spaced between long pauses of silence – But Molly seemed quite content with it. Both the pace and subject was slower and duller than Jim was used to. He glanced at her again, to try to figure out if she was nervous or not. She looked slightly fidgety, but not anyway near the way she had looked when they first met. She seemed to have accepted him. After the walk back, and a couple of vibrations from Jim's pocket which he promptly ignored, they were finally approaching the school complex. They walked towards the dorm complex, and they slowed down until they were standing just metres from the door. Molly was not looking up at Jim – The last minutes had been filled with an intense silence. Most likely because Molly had been thinking about what she should do if Jim tried to kiss her goodbye. A blush had spread from her chest, over her throat and reaching for her cheeks. Should she kiss him back? Would it be rude not to? She thought that it wouldn't be rude if she denied it, if she didn't want to. But did she want to? Her body was tingling with a pleasant nervousness at the prospect of him kissing her. She nearly jumped as she felt fingers brushing her hand.

"Oh- I didn't mean to scare you-" Jim said quickly, starting to pull back his hand.

"No. Oh, no you didn't. I was just… in my own mind. Sorry, I-" She swallowed, and Jim took her hand in the brief silence. He was amazed of how quickly her skin responded, already blooming out to a deep blush. "That was rude, just drifting away when you are here. I'm sorry, that really wasn't polite of me-" She rambled, her fingers twirling some strands from her hair. Jim hugged the other's hand in his own, caressing her skin with his thumb.

"It's okay" He said slowly, taking a step closer to her. His thumb still stroking her carefully, like he was calming an animal. It seemed to work because Molly wasn't pulling away or jerking back from him. But he could hear her breath hitch as he stopped again, their chests nearly touching. He squeezed her hand in his own and she looked up at him. Her eyes were huge, he thought, and they were a pleasant brown colour. She looked like a startled deer more than anything. Her lips thin and slightly parted.

"I have to ask you something-" Jim's voice was low. He observed as her eyelids moved over her eyes quickly before her pupils focused on his again. She nodded minutely, her hair swaying with the small gesture, urging him to go on. Jim let himself give out a light nervous laugh, his eyes flickered away from hers and he let himself slip into the role even deeper. He cleared his throat, and finally managed to lock eyes with Molly again.

"Would you go to the Valentine ball with me?" The words hung between them, fading away into a thick silence. Jim observed Molly excitedly, knowing that this was the moment. Her eyes flickered downwards, her cheeks warming up with a soft blush.

She inhaled sharply as she let her eyelids fall over her eyes for a second. I must not make a rash decision, she thought as her heart picked up speed. Her whole being wanted to say yes, wanted to squeeze James' hand even closer and press her reddened face into his chest. She was so happy, so thankful, that someone finally had noticed her and wanted to go to the ball with her. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had showed that kind of interest in her. Her breath wavered slightly as her mouth moved. But suddenly her mind pictured a pair of smirking blood red lips, a pair of piercing blue eyes, knowingly observing her. Irene's features, sharp and penetratingly beautiful, but victorious. It felt as if the air was surged out of her own chest, and she felt her lips move again.

"No,-" her voice was low, but oddly determined. Jim was glad that she still wasn't looking at him, because for a moment his façade swayed and an expression of shock was visible across his features. She spoke again before James had the time to say anything: "It's not you. I would really like to go with you to the Valentine's ball, but… I can't. I've already kind of promised someone else" She murmured, at last her large brown eyes met Jim's.

Jim wasn't sure how to feel. This had come directly out of left field, and he had not seen it coming. Her voice seemed more determined now, and despite her timid tone and words, he could sense the stubbornness behind them. She was not giving up and Jim briefly wondered if it was because of her affection for Sherlock Holmes, or her determination of not losing to Irene Adler. He let an apologetic smile spread over his thin lips.

"It's okay, I understand-" He leaned in and placed a soft kiss over her cheek. "I should have guessed you were already taken," he purred, and let a soft Moriarty smirk spread on his lips. Molly smiled warmly back at him as she pulled softly away. "I am sorry" She said one final time before she opened the door into the dorm complex and disappeared inside. Jim glanced after her, eyes tracing her though the glass door. She held her head high, her back straight, and he found himself quite impressed with her.

He had thought that she was weak because she was so shy, and frankly because of her seemingly naïve kindness. But as she turned around the corner of the corridor, he thought that he must have underestimated her. Anyone could have told her that she was no match for the well-spoken queen that was Irene Adler, and that no one would chose a mouse like her over a ferociously beautiful tiger. Jim was sure that people had told her that since she was very little, and he could see it in her eyes that she believed them. But despite that, despite being convinced she was unworthy and completely ordinary, she didn't give up. That was the power of something far larger than a mouse, Jim thought as he smirked. He turned and sauntered away from the building, chuckling softly as he pushed his hand down into his jeans, pulling up his phone from his pocket.

I'm sorry. But I can't help you with Miss Molly Hooper. From now on she's your problem and yours alone. – JM

What are you talking about? What happened? – IA

She beat me, fair and square. I think you underestimated her, Irene. – JM

Fine. – IA

If you want something done you better do it yourself, Irene gritted her teeth and put her phone down onto the coffee table, her movement heated but precise. Her heart was beating hard with anger and she got up quickly moving into the hallway. She stepped into her shoes, glanced at her picture in the mirror. Her hair was up in a hairdo, her lips sharply painted red and her jaw clenched in her irritation. As she smoothed her shirt and skirt out she breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth, slowly changing her expression.
Her mouth moved into a flirtatious smile and she pulled some hairs out of her otherwise proper coiffure, dark brown strands of hair tickling her jaw. Her eyes alit with determination as she opened the door and made her way towards Molly's dorm room.
The clickety-click of her heels echoing through the corridor.