Prompt fill from Tumblr. Sherlock deduces Molly broke into his flat because she thought he had a secret girlfriend.
There were not many things or people that surprised Sherlock Holmes, but Molly Hooper was one person who kept on doing it.
Surprising him over time, again and again, until he knew with absolute conviction that he would never be able to predict anything with her.
Even then, he hadn't expected Molly Hooper to do this.
To break into his flat, when he was away for only a day.
Sherlock had been away at a case all day and Mrs. Hudson had went to have tea with one of her boring neighbours and Molly Hooper, had smartly chosen this time to enter his flat.
He came home to find that there is something wrong with his flat's arrangements.
At first glance it would look as usual to any normal person, but Sherlock with his expert eyes could tell with one cursory look that someone had broken in.
Things removed just an inch from there places, attempting to make it look like nothing untoward has occurred.
He would have thought it Mrs. Hudson if not for the fact that his landlady never puts things back in it's place and was always messing with his arrangements. His own room also had been swept through the same way and then there was the scratch marks in his door locks and even his wardrobe.
Someone had expertly opened his locks and if he was not Sherlock Holmes, he would have never noticed.
Sherlock felt a little unsafe and uncomfortable in his own flat.
He wondered if this is what Molly felt like every time he broke into her flat.
No wonder she had screamed and scolded him every time she had found him resting on his bed without prior warning.
All puzzles pieces clicked together when he sniffed the air smelled of vanilla and chemicals.
Molly Hooper.
Molly Hooper, the kind, compassionate, nice person and his dear friend had broke into his flat and was searching for something, which just doesn't make sense.
What could Molly want from him that she could not ask him straight out?
What was she looking for here?
He could not find any signs that anything was taken, things were just fiddled with, nothing more.
What was she doing? What did she expect to find?
No matter how much he tried he could not come up with a plausible explanation, so he decided he would ask the person himself.
There must come a day when he would be able to solve the mystery that was Molly Hooper on his own.
Unfortunately today was not one of them.
She jumped in the air and would have shouted if she had not heard Sherlock's voice.
She released her breathe and switched on the lights, preparing to scold Sherlock for lurking beside her door in the dark and scaring her, again.
"Breaking into other people's flat these days Molly? You must be really bored", he said with an amused smirk, enjoying catching her off guard with his question.
She froze for few seconds, then gave him a melancholic smile as she answered him, turning her back to him and padding into the kitchen to prepare coffee for them. "I should have known you would immediately figure it out, that it was me. Don't know why I hoped that you wouldn't."
He was standing on the threshold of the kitchen doorway when she turned around to look at him after placing the kettle on the stove.
"Where did you learn to open locks?" He asked, cocking his head, curious and amazed.
She leaned on the kitchen counter, preparing herself for the embarrassment that is going to follow as he would keep on questioning her.
"My dad was a police officer. He told me how when I was six year old."
His eyebrow raise upwards, supported himself on the side of her door, interested. "Your dad was a policeman who told you how to pock lock, something even Lestrade does not know. He must have been an really interesting person."
She shrugged, turning back towards the counter to arrange for tea cups. "He wasn't the most convenient, normal person to be around. I was not joking around when I said you are a bit like my dad." She smiled in melancholy though he could not see it.
"Why?"
She did not need for him to finish the sentence to know what he was talking about.
Why did she break into his house?
"I thought you had a girlfriend." She offered him the complete truth, busying herself to look for the coffee packet as a means to not see Sherlock's expression or let her embarrassment and the blush that was forming on her cheeks take over her mind.
"You thought I have a girlfriend," he repeated her words, precisely, his voice coming right from behind her.
She whirled around and found herself pressed against the counter, Sherlock in front of her, his hand braced on both sides of her on the counter, trapping her in place.
"So you decided to snoop through my flat for proof. Why so curious about my relationship status, Dr. Hooper? Were you, perhaps, jealous?" He continued talking casually-his voice dropping a octave, deeper, as if he hadn't blocked her exit, as if he hadn't noticed that he had cornered her.
"I-uh- I am not jealous."Great, she had managed to keep her calm till now and all it took was for him to stand a few inches away from her to reduce her to a stammering mess. " I just thought you had a secret fake girlfriend, again, like Janine, one you were using for a case. So, I kind of broke into your flat, to find proof that you have one and to confront you with that proof so that I could stop you from doing what you did with Janine. It was a impulsive decision, one I made standing outside of your flat while bringing you body parts and I am sorry I did that." She kept her eyes on his chest, not daring into look into his eyes.
"And what did you find?" His voice controlled, deliberately casual, but she could hear the under lining anger in his tone-justified anger, what she did was wrong, no matter the reason.
She forced her eyes to meet intent, icy blue gaze."That you don't have one or even if you do, you have taken extra measures to leave no trace of it. Sherlock could you move a little?" She nervously pushed against his chest.
He did not budge from his position, only swept a hand through his hair in frustration. "How the hell did you come to a conclusion of that nature? What made you think I have a girlfriend?"
"You have been putting on perfume these days, you take great care of dressing yourself up- granted you are always impeccably dressed, more so than usual these days, you continually kept on asking me questions on how to impress a girl, what is the right kind of date, love advices, stating a client needs your help with these for some reason-an excuse I did not believe for one second."
Comprehension slowly dawned on his face, followed by incredulity. "Did you for one moment stop to wonder that I might be truly interested in some one? That all my dressing up, wearing perfume was to impress no one but you? That I was trying to understand what constitute as a perfect date for you by asking those questions so I could take you on that date? That I was talking love advice so I could understand what you like in a boyfriend?" He backed away from her as he paced on the kitchen floor.
Molly blinked. She could not believe her ears.
"What? Tha-That's what it was?"
"Yes." He practically shouted and then stomped back in front of her. "Oh, blast it. I am done with being subtle. Remind me not to take John's stupid advice ever again."
She yelped at his sudden action. "What-?"
She was unable to finish her sentence as Sherlock grasped her head with both hands, his large hand almost drowning her head in them, angled his mouth towards her and pressed his lips on her.
It took her only a few seconds to process what was happening and kiss him back.
They only broke apart when the kettle whistled.
They stayed with their forehead touching for sometime before Sherlock murmured, "Now, how about some coffee?"
Molly was disappointed. "Ah, sure, if you have not noticed, I was making it for both of us." She made to step away from him and finish making their coffee.
Sherlock looked at her with surprise. "No, I meant, how about a coffee date?"
Molly broke into a huge grin. "Yes."
He grinned back at her and said,"Good. Now, I won't have to worry about you breaking into my flat, ever again."
She laughed whole heartedly.