A.N: I have a beta now! So hats off to Lauren for being amazing and putting up with some terrible rough drafts.
Molly Hooper had spent enough time being Molly Hooper to learn that whenever she got involved in a situation, it inevitably ended up awkward. She'd always accepted it as one of the facts of life, but that doesn't mean she was comfortable with it; instead, she had become proficient at blushing, a master of embarrassment. No one could get awkward better than Molly.
This perpetual problem was not in the least aided by the presence of Irene Adler, whose seeming inability to be embarrassed means that Molly got doubly so, in order to make up for it. It also means that this long road trip in a very small, very cramped car was one of the more awkward events of Molly's lifetime.
Like the time when they were just sitting, having a pleasant meal in a lovely bed and breakfast, and Irene snaked her hand across the table and interlaced her fingers with Molly's. Molly had frozen, unable to move or think, her whole head suddenly clouded by a buzz of panic.
When she finally got her thoughts together, she whispered, "What are you doing?"
Irene smiled and responded, loud enough for other diners to hear, "We're engaged, aren't we darling?"
Memory rushed back to Molly and she said dumbly, "Oh, right. Sorry."
And suddenly other people were staring at them and Irene just smiled and blew a kiss across the table.
That was when Molly got so flustered that she knocked over her tea and had to request a new cup, and watch Irene smirk at her while the disgruntled waiter wiped up the spill.
Or there was that time when they were checking into a motel and Irene casually looped an arm around Molly's waist. Molly could actually feel her fingertips on her side, was highly aware of every point of contact between them, like volts of electricity vibrating where they touched. Her heart was beating fast, a thousand beats per minute, her face was flushing red and she tried very hard to focus and keep her wits. The last thing she wanted was a repeat of the Dreaded Tea Incident, and eyed the cup of pencils on the desk warily, hoping that no ill would come of it.
Meanwhile, the woman at the desk smiled sweetly and asked if that would be one king size, then, and Irene simply grinned lewdly in response. Molly froze in fear. Irene tugged slightly at her to go to their room, and when she didn't budge at first Irene whispered, "Come on, honey" into her ear and kissed her cheek.
Molly tripped over her own feet and landed face-first next to a potted plant.
At least she missed the pencil cup entirely.
The third (and possibly worst) of these came when Molly had gone out for a stroll and arrived back to the motel room late. It had been pouring rain, and she stood there dripping outside the room, trying desperately to fit the key into the hole. When she finally got the door open she gaped at the sight inside, closed the door out of courtesy, remembered that it was raining, tried to reopen the door, dropped the key, and suddenly the door swung open for her.
"Erm, hi?" Molly whimpered, trying to look anywhere but straight forward.
"Hello, sweetie," said Irene. "God, it's wet."
"I'm really really sorry, I can come back later, I didn't mean to-"
"Oh no, it's fine, I was just reading."
Molly gulped. The rain poured. She wondered if strangers were looking out of their windows and witnessing this. The thought made her even more anxious.
"Um, do you want to, maybe, put some clothes on? It's just, it's very cold and-"
"Oh no, I'm fine. But come in, you must be freezing! Would you like a towel?"
Molly stepped inside the room automatically, staring at her feet. God, this was so awkward. She'd been in plenty of uncomfortable situations before, but this certainly topped them all. She hadn't even done anything to deserve this one, all she'd done was come home! Which is approximately when the thought struck her: She hadn't done anything to deserve the first one, either. Or the second. In fact, she hadn't done anything at all.
Molly charged up to Irene (courage faltering somewhat when she was met with the sight of a body that remained quite uncovered) and planted in front of her, gazing resolutely straight into her eyes, and not even wavering downwards a bit, thank you very much.
"You're trying to embarrass me," she accused.
Irene didn't react with shame or guilt in the slightest. Instead she shrugged (don't look down don't look down) and lounged on the bed, smiling lazily.
"And if I am?"
"Why?"
"Lots of reasons. Some professional, others... not so much."
"Professional? Like your... job?"
Irene laughed. "No, I mean it's hard to hide who you are when you've had a fright. And now I've seen you, plain as day. It's quite simple, really."
"And the others?"
Irene got up and stood right in front of Molly. She reached out a perfectly manicured hand and gently stroked her cheek. "You're adorable when you're flustered."
"I am not!"
Irene just laughed and said, "There, you see?"
And they were standing so close to each other and Molly could feel Irene's breath on her face and she leaned forward involuntarily, because Irene had a gravity of her own that just pulled people in towards her, dragged them in no matter what. One of her signature smirks twitched across Irene's lips and Molly felt a hand slide up to cradle the back of her neck.
She closed her eyes, and let Irene close the distance between them.