"Molly I feel utterly ridiculous. We have been pacing around this so-called party for three hours and I have yet to have any sort of fun. Now, if something happened like someone was poisoned or a murderer broke in and started slashing people, /then/ maybe it would be more interesting but this? Pfft. Plus, these masks don't do anything to properly hide your identity, they're akin to a flimsy piece of plastic and it paints a totally unrealistic portrait reminiscent of a Cinderella movie I was forced to watch with Rosie. Which was also utterly ridiculous because there is no way that the boy had no idea who she was with that tiny eye mask on...", Sherlock rambles in disdain as he and Molly make their way over to the snacks and punch for about the fifth time that night.
They had been invited to the New Scotland Yard annual masquerade Halloween party, and Sherlock was very displeased by it. Molly had forced him to make an appearance since she had told him he had to at least try to be civil with these people who could easily revoke his access to his livelihood whenever they so choose. He was dressed in black trousers, a black button-up shirt, a black suit coat, black shoes, and a black cape. A "Halloweeny" touch, Molly called it. Then of course there was the all-black eye mask with a few sparkling swirl accents on it that Molly had bought him to go with the contrast between her lighter one. His curls also seemed much darker tonight, and very luxuriously curly and wild, the way Molly adored.
"Sherlock, I know this isn't your cup of tea, so to speak. But look, Lestrade doesn't really like these functions and he seems to be getting on. It's just one night. Plus...I think you look pretty sexy. Kind of like a more mysterious, handsome, and brilliant batman of sorts. Not to mention utterly sexy, but that's beside the point.
"Batman. Seriously? Batman? That's what you think I was going for? Ugh, this I even worse than I thought."
Molly snorts and rolls her eyes fondly under her purple, sequined, half butterfly-shaped eye mask. "Well yes, maybe. Or maybe like…phantom of the opera", she winks. "I know that's one of your faves."
Her silver shimmery dress swishes as she reaches over to pour them some more punch. "Maybe getting you just /slightly/ drunk will loosen you up a bit? At least the music and lights are fun. You love dancing."
"Yes but... there are so many people. I hate bumping into people. It's annoying."
"How about if we go towards the corner of the room. Then will you dance with me?"
"You want to dance?"
"I'd love to, with you. I might be a bit clumsy and it's not something I'm great at, but I love you, and I'd love to dance with you."
She can see Sherlock's eyes light up a bit, his beautiful blues glistening in the strobe lights, nearly matching the sparkle of his mask. They both finish their cups of punch and toss them in the bin. Molly grabs his hand and grins happily, pulling him over to a free corner of the dance hall, pulling him close as a slower, yet still, eerie song comes on. Sherlock visibly relaxes in her arms and begins to dance beautifully with her, guiding her carefully as to make sure she doesn't trip on her dress.
Molly looks up into his eyes and smiles beautifully as they dance. She rubs his chest tenderly over his suit coat. "You're so handsome, and this outfit really makes you look mysterious. What are you thinking about? I'm always intrigued and wish I could get inside your head."
Sherlock chuckles his deep, velvety laugh and looks down at her, a smile tugging at his cupid's bow lips. "Right now? Or in general?"
"Right now. I could see the gears turning in your head, even as we danced. So I'm curious."
"Right now, I'm thinking of you. Of us, particularly. How far we've come to end up right in this moment. How many crazy, hectic, depressing, difficult, and near impossible things had to happen for us to end up right here and right now with you in my arms at this ridiculous party. How you've somehow managed to change me into a man who would even consider attending something like this and putting something on my face for this. As well as all the reasons why I just do them, to make you just the smallest bit happier."
Molly blushes and cups his cheek, stroking her thumb against his cheekbone slowly and tenderly. "It's definitely overwhelming to think about everything you've gone through, and everything we have gone through together as well. It was never very easy. But then again, your job and your lifestyle weren't meant to be easy. That's why you began it in the first place. The adrenaline, the high, the satisfaction of the chase and the capture. It's in your veins. Despite all the ways you say I've changed you for the better, I'd never want to change the core of who you are, and I think that was always muddled by your less than enthusiastic level of self-preservation."
Sherlock leans into her touch and nods slowly, allowing himself to relax just slightly more, and to be vulnerable with her. Only her. The one person who mattered the most. When he had said that to her some years ago, he had meant it; he just never knew how much he truly meant it until he allowed himself to let that kind of love into his life.
"I know that when you first came to me after everything happened and you told me how you felt, that terrified you. Not only because you didn't know how that would change your life, but because you didn't want it to change mine for the worse. Also because you had never been that vulnerable with anyone since you were a kid, and to have been told how you had been manipulated all those years into believing things about your own life that weren't true...I can't imagine how crushing that was for you. I know you were scared for tons of reasons. I know you had no idea what something like this could be like. And I know you were afraid of your job somehow putting me at risk. To that I say, I'm glad you let me choose to take the risk, because being with you these last couple of years as someone who gets to spend your best days with you, rather than just someone to fall back on during your hardest days, has been a privilege. When you're at your best, you are the most amazing man I could ever imagine. And when you are at your worst, I have already seen it before, and it doesn't scare me away. Thank you for trusting me with everything about you. To you, your past and your present were a burden to me, but this burden that you speak of is one that I hold close to my heart because I love you with all of me, Sherlock Holmes. I always have and I always will."
His eyes glisten with tears as he dips his head into the crook of her neck. Molly smiles and tears up softly as well, her heart bursting with her newfound happiness that has changed her life for the better for the past two years. "I love you too, Molly Hooper." Sherlock pulls back a bit and slips her mask up and then his, lowering his lips to hers and kissing her with fervor.
Molly smiles on his lips and kisses back as well. It only takes a few moments for Sherlock to kiss her with a more heated passion than should be socially allowed out in the open. His hands make their way to her waist, pulling her against him, and his tongue dances with hers, as their breaths mutually turn ragged, and they are forced apart solely by the necessity of oxygen.
Sherlock licks his lips and gazes down at her, a sexy hunger in his expression as Molly stares up at him in awe. He leans down close to her ear and murmurs an octave deeper than his already usual deep voice. "If you allow us to leave now, I'll make sure the rest of the night is significantly more pleasurable for you than this party ever was." He then continues beneath her ear, placing suckled kisses down the sensitive part of her neck.
Gasping softly as her eyes flutter involuntarily, all Molly can do is nod in agreement as Sherlock intertwines their fingers and leads her out the back door of the dance hall as subtly and quietly as possible.
Luckily the off-duty NSY officers were mostly drunk by that hour of the night and didn't notice the very obviously flustered couple leaving out the back exit to begin a private party of their own back at Baker Street.