Molly didn't have long to wait before Sherlock opened the door, smiling down at her. She smiled shyly and made her way inside, following Sherlock up the stairs. She thought she caught a glimpse of Mrs. Hudson peeking out her door at the two of them, but she shrugged it off as an overactive imagination.
She closed the door to the flat behind her, and turned to stare at Sherlock, who was staring at her.
"Molly…" Sherlock began.
"Sherlock…" Molly began.
They both laughed then, and then Sherlock stepped over to her, reaching for her hands. She looked up at him. He smiled, and leaned down and placed a small kiss on her lips. "I'm glad you're here. I know this is all very ...new."
Molly squeezed his hands. "It's a bit difficult. Not only have I not dated or anything for a long time, it's..well, it's you."
"It's just me, Molly. You need to stop thinking of me as Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective, and just think of me as Sherlock, that arse that likes kissing you."
Molly grinned at this. "Do you, now?"
"I do," said Sherlock, his voice deepening. "I do quite a bit."
And with that he was kissing her, his hands wrapped around her head, his fingers tangled in her hair as he kissed her soundly. She returned the kiss, up on her tiptoes.
When they finally broke, Sherlock led her into the kitchen. "I've been doing experiments on the decay of human hair in different liquids. I thought you might be interested in seeing my results."
Molly sat down at the microscope and Sherlock started showing her slide after slide, describing what he'd done. By the time they finished, hours had gone by. Molly sat back in the chair, and looked up at Sherlock. "That was utterly fascinating."
Sherlock smiled, almost looking shy. "I'm glad you found it interesting." He looked around the room for a moment, clearly uncomfortable, and then cleared his throat. "I think it's almost time we headed out to dinner. I hope you like Thai."
Molly said she did, and they made their way down the stairs, where Sherlock hailed them a cab. They ate, or rather Molly ate and Sherlock nibbled at his food. Molly tried not to make a big deal about it.
"So how's Will?" asked Sherlock as they ate.
"He's had a busy week. He's picking up words faster and faster now. It's kind of crazy to watch. The next time you see him you'll be amazed."
"Fascinating. I'll have to bring over some new books." responded Sherlock, taking a bit of his pad thai. "I was going to order some new ones for Amanda, so I'll get them all at once."
Molly smiled. "I'd say you don't have to do that, but I know you know."
"Will and Amanda are the closest I've got to children. I think encouraging intelligence and learning is very important."
"He's certainly curious about everything. Every leaf, every stick. Sometimes the walk home from work takes twice as long as it should."
"Could be worse, Molly. Think of my poor mother. By the time she got Mycroft off to school, there I was. Sometimes I think we both ended up at boarding school just so she could have a break."
"Mary said your mother was a mathematician?"
"Yes. She quit work when Mycroft was born, and then by the time I went off to school she'd been home for 15 years and never really got back into it."
"Did you like going away to school?" Molly asked.
Sherlock set his fork done and sipped on his water. "I never liked school at all. Being away, being home, none of it would have really mattered. I've always been perfectly happy to learn what I was interested in. But I bristled at being told what to study. This is why I didn't last long at Uni."
Molly nodded, "That doesn't surprise me at all."
Sherlock grinned, "Yes, I've been a stubborn arse since birth. Just ask Mycroft. I think he was happy to go away to school just to get away from his annoying baby brother."
Molly laughed. "There's what, six years between you guys?"
Sherlock shook his head. "Seven. Apparently they tried for a long time to have another child, and then they ended up with me." He frowned.
"I bet you were a difficult child, but I'm sure your parents love you. Mary says they're lovely people."
The waiter came by with the bill, and Sherlock handed him his card. "They're...normal. My mum's brilliant, but she's...not like me. Or Mycroft. We were raised in a loving home, with lots of toys and books and were sent to good schools. I was doomed to be...whatever I am."
"Aww, not doomed. Gifted." argued Molly.
"Gifted," scoffed Sherlock, "The constant noise in my head is not a gift. It's helpful, when I need it to be, but it's also what drove me to drugs, and, well."
Molly nodded, "Everything at a cost, I suppose."
Sherlock shrugged, scribbling his name on the receipt the waiter brought back to him. "Nothing I can do about it, really."
They made their way outside and into a cab. The ride back to Baker Street was quiet. At one point, Molly texted Mary to see how Will was doing, and Mary replied back with a photo of Will and Amanda, limbs tangled, sound asleep in Amanda's bed. She showed it to Sherlock.
"Best friends for life, those two, I suspect." he said.
Molly smiled, and then took a chance and leaned over, resting her head against Sherlock's arm. He froze, momentarily, and then relaxed.
Back at Baker Street, Sherlock let them in and soon they were alone in the flat again. Molly stood, nervously, watching Sherlock. Sherlock stood at the window, looking down at the dark London street.
Finally, he spoke. "Thank you."
"For what?" asked Molly, stepping over to stand next to him.
Sherlock tilted his head slightly, watching her. "For today. For giving me a chance."
Molly couldn't help but laugh. "I feel like I should be saying the same to you, Sherlock."
"You've had functional relationships before. You could have another one. Yet you choose to be here, with me."
Molly reached over and took Sherlock's hand, sliding her small fingers between his long ones. "Are you saying we're going to have a dysfunctional relationship? Already?"
Sherlock smirked, "It certainly won't be normal."
Molly turned and looked at him, "Who said I've been looking for normal?"
Sherlock turned, looking down at her. "Well, you seem to have found yourself some not normal." When she grinned, he leaned down and captured that smile in a kiss.
It started out as a simple kiss, but quickly evolved into something more. The kiss deepened, and Molly felt herself being pulled closer to him as his arms wrapped around her. He licked along her lips, and when they parted for him, his tongue quickly found its way into her mouth.
When they broke away, reluctantly, Molly felt like her head was spinning. She took a step back and looked up at Sherlock. His face was impossible to read. "Sherlock?"
Sherlock closed his eyes, and then opened them again. "I haven't...I haven't done this in a long time. Like, a very long time. You know my opinions on sentiment. Or rather...my former opinions. I seem to be forming new ones. It's a lot to take in."
Molly stood, watching, waiting.
"I adore you. I adore your son. I want to make you both happy. So far, I've done that for William but I haven't been able to do it for you, because I was afraid. Afraid I couldn't make you happy. I'm still afraid I can't make you happy, Molly. You know me."
Molly stepped up to Sherlock and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I do, Sherlock. I know you better than you'd like to admit. If I wanted nice, and safe, and normal, I'd have stayed with Tom."
"Meat dagger." grumbled Sherlock.
Molly laughed. "I think that's when I knew it was never going to work. He said 'meat dagger' and the look on your face…" she laughed again.
"Molly Hooper?" asked Sherlock, suddenly serious.
"Yes, Sherlock?"
"Is this the point in the date where I sweep you off your feet and take you to bed?"
Molly raised her eyebrows. "You swept me off my feet a long time ago, Sherlock Holmes. But yes, it's time for you to take me to bed."
And that's just what he did.
This fic felt too fluffy for proper smut. See my other fics for that. But I will tell you that Sherlock and Molly very much enjoyed their evening together. ;)
