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Molly Hooper was many things. A pathologist, a daughter to a sick father, an elder sister to some really nasty siblings, the woman who dated (and dumped) Jim fucking Moriarty, and one of the few people who knew when Sherlock faked his death.
But she was no fool.
Well, not at least now, after all these years of pining and unrequitedly being in love with a handsome, gorgeous, genius—
A fucking detective who was an asshole to everyone around him.
She was so done with his games. And the whole ‘I Love You’ incident was one step too far even for her.
It took Sherlock precisely 24 hours to contact her again after the phone call and as always, he visited her at the hospital unannounced.
But this time he wasn’t all proud and mighty. Something was different about him and he almost looked genuinely apologetic about whatever happened the previous day. He stood by the door of the pathology lab when Molly noticed him and good god the anger inside her was ready to burst because she wasn’t going to take shit from this man anymore. How dare he take advantage of her when she clearly wasn’t in her right mind to go along with his stupid experiment the previous day?
But before she could utter a word, Sherlock stepped inside the room.
“Molly, listen to me." His voice was still authoritative but Molly recognized the slight quiver in it.
When he realized she was still frowning at him, he added, albeit hesitantly, "…please.” he looked down for a second, and Molly’s heart sank like it always fucking did for him.
But she was petty enough to not speak a word and Sherlock got the memo for he started to explain the reason for that phone call.
And it was not something she was expecting.
It wasn’t an experiment.
Instead now suddenly Sherlock had a sister and apparently, Redbeard wasn’t a dog but instead a childhood friend of Sherlock who died a gruesome death.
Well.
It was late in her shift and all of this was a lot to process. So she only did what she could think of.
She smiled at the detective, “Okay. Do you want to get dinner, then?”
Sherlock looked at her with his piercing gaze but eventually, a small smile tugged at his lips.
They ended up going to the nearest fish and chips shop because now this robot of a man had a taste for this kind of food.
At least he was eating something, Molly thought.
The rush hour seemed to be over because the street was practically empty outside. Molly knew her nose was going red because of the cold. Sherlock was treating himself generously to her surprise, especially since he bought another plate of fish and chips. It was simple and domestic. She could easily rest her head on his shoulder since he was sitting on the chair beside her. But she decided against it because he was looking at her now.
"What?" She asked.
He didn’t say anything, but there was that frown of his which meant he was trying to deduce her. But she didn't know for what purpose he was doing it.
"What is it?" She took another of those fries and took a bite. But her hand shook just a little under his gaze.
"I might need to come back to your workplace." He said finally and this time Molly frowned at him.
"That's part of your job…and your other experiments."
Something seemed to snap in Sherlock's head at the last word, for he closed his eyes in frustration, "would you mind?"
Molly didn’t understand at first and then she was sure her eyebrows were so high up in surprise that they might be touching her hairline, "are you asking if I would mind you barging into my work place as if you own it."
She shut her lips the second the words left her mouth.
Crap. Sherlock was her friend and though he may have taken advantage of her feelings to get access to the most confidential information about the bodies on the slabs, she knew he had started respecting her in the past few years.
Still, he didn't seem offended by what she just said. Well, not at least the way she thought.
He blinked several times, looked here and there, and then, "Yes, precisely that. Because I might need your help in the upcoming cases."
Molly smiled, "okay then. See you at the morgue whenever you have a new case." She shrugged and stood up, taking her wallet out of her bag to pay for her share.
Sherlock followed her suit as she walked to the counter, "Actually, why don't you visit 221 B? Rosie…misses you."
Molly narrowed her eyes at him for a second before handing the money to the person behind the counter. As he paid his own bill, she could see the genuine guilt in his form. It's in the way he looked at her expectantly.
She won't be able to let go of the telephone call so easily, even though it was not Sherlock's fault.
But she could offer her hand in times of need.
"Okay, maybe this weekend." She shrugged again when Sherlock turned around after making the payment.
And something close to relief settled on his face.
Molly knew she needed a long break.
Like, probably a week of holiday with some good views and a bottle of wine.
But the problem was, what was she supposed to do during that break?
She didn't exactly have much family or friends and she preferred to spend time at work.
It was a visit from Sherlock and his gang which changed her mind.
It was just too much. Sherlock's bullshit and John sighing at everything the detective did. Then there was inspector Lestrade. And oh, not to mention Dr. Connor being a creep again.
After everyone left she allowed herself to take deep breaths.
.
.
.
.
When she finally went back to her flat, she opened her laptop and checked the availability of literally any place she could go for the Christmas break.
When she celebrated Christmas in 221 B, she made sure she was wearing her best dress and had good makeup on.
And she almost remembered the Christmas when she had dressed up to impress the idiotic detective who was now her friend. At least this time her joke was funny and she didn’t need Sherlock to tell her that.
She was off to Aldeburgh beach for New Year's because the Christmas bookings were full. Her cat Toby, was with Mrs. Hudson and Molly face-timed her just to see her beloved cat's face before she sat in her taxi.
She drank wine in front of her rented cottage as people around her counted down to midnight. She was alone, but good god what a peaceful experience it was, to not have people stand on her head the entire time.
Mrs. Hudson face-timed her to wish her New Year and soon enough, Sherlock, John, little Rosie, and even Lestrade joined in the call. Toby brought his little paw on the camera several times as if he could enter the phone and snuggle close to Molly.
The DJ was loud and Molly timidly joined the dance floor.
She kissed a woman for the first time in the middle of the crowd and 15 seconds later everyone applauded.
It happened when she was taking a taxi back home from the hospital.
The taxi driver noticed the man behind her before he noticed Molly.
"Oh, but I called you first." She argued, her hands fisting in her jacket pockets.
The driver smiled, "sorry missy but that young man seems to need it more."
Molly finally glanced at the "young man" behind her and well if she wasn't annoyed she would’ve noticed the man in question was…cute.
She turned to the driver and sighed, "okay, take him then."
It wasn't until she started to walk away that another masculine voice called behind her, but it was much more polite than that of the driver.
"Uh, excuse me? Miss?"
She turned around, and it was the same guy the driver favored over her.
The man continued, "if you want, we can share the taxi…" he seemed nervous as if Molly would slap him instead for what the driver did. The street lights shone on his thick-rimmed glasses.
"It's okay, I am sure the tube won't be crowded at this time." God, she was really dreading the tube.
"No, please. I…I will feel bad later on if you don’t get the ride on time and you have to wander around to go to your destination." The man scrunched his eyebrows and pursed his lips and it made the dimple on his chin deepen a little.
Molly smiled.
It was 5 minutes into the drive when the man spoke again, "so you work at the hospital?"
Molly, taken aback by the sudden conversation, blushed, "y–yes, yes I do."
"Wait, I am an idiot, aren't I? Should've told my name first. Hello, I am Robert." The man extended his hand out and Molly shook it shyly.
"Nice to meet you, Robert. I am Molly."
Robert adjusted his glasses after pulling his hand back, "so…what do you do?"
"I am a pathologist," Molly replied. She almost expected this man to scrunch his face like most of her dates did in the past. But he just nodded.
"Well, that is much cooler. At least you don't DJ around."
Molly chuckled a bit, "You are a DJ?"
Robert's lips somehow quirked up more, "only part-time. Been busy with my Ph.D."
Molly’s smile dropped for a second before she nodded, "that's nice."
Robert frowned, "you think I am a kid?"
"Wha–no no…" Molly practically felt her face flush in embarrassment.
"Aye, it's a joke." Robert chuckled, holding his hands up in defense.
Molly sighed and laughed awkwardly.
The silence which settled between them was thicker and she really wanted the driver to rush to her flat. Robert shifted beside her, sometimes looking out the window, other times glancing at her.
She didn't know how but she got this sudden surge of confidence to speak, "Being a DJ is still nice though."
Robert was understandably startled, but eventually, he smiled, "really?"
"Yeah, I mean to play all kinds of music with a cool pose." She didn't know where this is coming from. She had given up on making jokes in front of strangers after that awful Christmas when Sherlock advised her about it. But now she didn't have control over her mouth.
Robert seemed to be enjoying the sudden attention, "well, I do love making those poses, like this one,"
He kept a hand on his ear and his other was hanging in the air in front of him as if he was operating the sound table.
"Sometimes I bop my head as if I am enjoying the loud music which I have been listening to for 3 hours straight." He hummed some tunes with a dramatic effect and Molly snickered, "but honestly it's more complicated than just poses."
"How so?" She asked and her heart fluttered when Robert gave her another of those crooked smirks.
The taxi came to a sudden stop and Molly looked out of the window only to realize it was her flat.
Her heart dropped.
A moment ended too soon. And when she looked back at Robert he was looking back at her with expectant eyes.
She had given up on calling guys over after she ended things with Tom. She didn't need Freud to tell her where she was going with dating men who were tall and had an obsession with black trench coats.
But she also had some wine at home and the last time she had sex with someone was during her trip to Aldeburgh beach almost three months ago.
"Do yo-you wanna come up?" She asked and Robert did a double take at the question and then he clutched his sling bag tightly.
"Yes, of course, why not?"
Molly took her time to freshen up, already feeling giddy at the prospect of bringing someone home after so long.
Robert was tall, not as tall as Sherlock though, but he still towered over her. She had noticed after he followed her to her flat. And muscular too.
She took a deep breath as she leaned on the wash basin of her bathroom. And when she looked in the mirror, a shy smile appeared on her face. She adjusted her cardigan and stepped outside the bathroom.
The young man was sitting on the sofa, looking around Molly’s living room. His face went red when he saw her enter the room.
"I like the decor," he commented.
He timidly gestured to the walls and although it was basic design with white walls, like any other flat in London, Molly had decorated the whites with trinkets like the pink Polaroids of her cat or her overly bright pictures from John and Mary's wedding.
"I-I have some wine." She said, clasping her hands at her front.
"Oh yeah, that will be good," Robert said, one hand gripping his knee.
Molly rushed to the kitchen and when she brought the bottle of wine back with two glasses, Robert was crouching on the floor in front of her cat.
"Oh, this is Toby." She said, before keeping the things on the coffee table.
Robert smiled at the cat, "Hello Toby, nice to meet you." He extended a finger so that the cat could get used to his smell, "do you think Molly would like my DJ poses?"
Molly shook her head but she could feel her stomach do somersaults at the way Robert talked. She poured the wine to distract herself and picked up her glass.
"Thank you." Robert said when he noticed and got up to get his own glass, "so yeah the poses."
Molly laughed in the glass, "you are not letting it go, are you?"
Robert stepped a bit closer and Molly felt herself gulp but hid it as well as she could.
"Of course not." He said and then kept the wine glass back on the table and posed as if he was standing behind a DJ set, "so there are these adjustments and…"
He talked and talked and talked, all the while maintaining eye contact with Molly. And although she really wanted to listen to what he had to say, she became giddy, like a teenage girl. She didn't realize it when she stepped closer to him but she felt the sudden loss when he went to pick up his wine glass again.
And her breath hitched as he came back to stand in front of her again.
She took another sip and Robert continued his rant about the complications of being a DJ during a big party. He gestured as if he was holding headphones in his hands and put his palms on Molly’s ears as if making her wear the imaginary headphones. They did this dance, sometimes touching, sometimes with mere inches of distance between them.
When they took a seat on the sofa they sat closer than necessary.
Both of them knew where this was going but they delayed it so that the alcohol could take a bit of an effect.
Half an hour later when the wine bottle was almost empty, Molly found herself leaning a bit more toward the man.
"Do you want more?" She said, slightly gesturing toward the wine bottle.
Robert looked smug, "Na, I think I am fine."
Molly settled down against the back of the sofa and she blushed when Robert did the same.
She tried not to eye the way his shirt was a bit tight around his upper arm. But it was even harder for her to look into those brown eyes, so she distracted herself by kissing him on his cheek.
Robert couldn't help but chuckle as he kissed her face in return. But before he pulled back, Molly closed her eyes and tentatively kissed him under his ear, his stubble tickling her face lightly.
When he lowered his head, his gaze was on her lips and she expectantly looked up at him.
He leaned in, and Molly anticipated the softness and–
Something slammed against the upper side of her nose and she momentarily realized it was Robert's glasses.
Molly snorted as he awkwardly scrambled to remove them, then burst into laughter himself. But soon they fell back into the old rhythm, which started a new fire, the kisses amplifying it.
Molly reached for the man with desperate fingers as he reached for her in return.
The next day while going through her morning routine, Molly jumped when she heard footsteps behind her.
"Good morning," Robert said. His shirt was askew and he had a lopsided grin plastered on his handsome face, with his hair going in all directions.
Molly offered him coffee, already knowing this was the last time they were meeting. It has been a lot of time since she brought a guy home for a one-time thing, but then again, she didn’t use to do this thing often, even when she was in her 20s.
Something happened when Robert was about to leave. Before stepping out of the flat, he hugged Molly and it was too tight and too long.
But Molly felt warm.
When she went to work that day, she tried not to think about the one-night stand. She was surprised at herself when she didn’t mention it to Sherlock too. Because that detective had to listen to every detail of her relationship when she was with Tom.
“You met someone yesterday,” Sherlock commented in the middle of looking at some specimen under the microscope. Of course, he deduced it.
Molly looked at him with wide eyes but gained her composure quickly, “Yes. I did.”
Sherlock glanced at her for a second before going back to his work.
Silence fell over them until the detective found what he wanted and he was out of the lab as quickly as he came in.
Molly sighed, thankful that he didn’t ask anything further.
Later that day, her phone pinged in her pocket, and a smile stretched across her face when she saw the message.
Unknown Number:
Hey, it’s Robert. The part-time DJ who taught you how to DJ. I was wondering if you wanna get dinner tonight.
Well, her current task was almost done and she had no other plans tonight after work. So might as well take advantage of actually getting a text after handing her phone number to a stranger.
They met at a cafe that was far from Baker Street. Robert was already there when Molly arrived and he bought a cappuccino while Molly got a Strawberry Frappuccino for herself. The food was not so edible so they found themselves leaving the place sooner than expected.
They walked around the nearby area and Robert was the one who mostly spoke, talking about the stupid things he did with his friends back when he was completing his graduation. He told her about his Ph.D. and how he has to prepare a presentation. Molly told him what exactly was included in the pathology job and complained about how they always got it wrong on TV.
She took him back to her place again and they lay down on the bed side by side just to talk. Toby snuggled up between them.
Robert leaned on his elbow to get a better look at her while his other hand stroked Toby’s soft fur, “I think I should leave, it’s getting late.”
And he was right, it was almost midnight on the pink clock in Molly’s room.
Robert leaned down to place a soft kiss on her lips and she returned it promptly. When he pulled back she said, “Stay.”
Robert paused before kissing her again.
“Stay,” she said again.
His expression softened, “okay.”
It was one month later she took Robert with her for lunch at 221B Baker Street. And she was nervous by the time they reached their destination.
Robert was almost eight years younger than her, which meant he was even younger than the residents of that flat. And most of all, she dreaded the deductions Sherlock would make about her current partner.
When they entered the flat, the scene was something she was used to. John was setting up the drinks on the table, Mrs. Hudson was preparing the food downstairs, Lestrade had already made a drink for himself and Sherlock was cleaning his violin.
Little Rosie gasped excitedly at seeing her favorite aunt.
She held Robert by his arm when they entered and John waved at her, “Hey, Molly! And who is our guest for today?” he stood up and put his hand out for Robert to shake.
“This is Robert,” Molly said, albeit proudly and her partner happily greeted John. Lestrade was next and by that time even Mrs. Hudson came back up.
“Oh dear, I am so happy for both of you,” she said after keeping the tray of Chinese food down and turning to smile at the new couple.
Sherlock sighed behind her before keeping his violin back in its place as if he was dreading his turn to greet the new guest. When he did turn toward them, as usual, he seemed disinterested when his eyes fell on the new guy in Molly’s life. But he didn’t say anything, maybe because he didn’t want to disappoint her and for that she is thankful.
She noticed everyone in the room had held their breaths and Molly was not clueless as to what they were thinking too. The last time she had got a man in this apartment, he was a look-alike of this genius detective and she had embarrassed herself. But Robert was very different. First, he was a bit shorter than Sherlock and well, almost 10 years younger than him too. But he also gave the best hugs and dressed like a sleep-deprived college student. Most of all, he made her laugh like no other person.
Robert put his hand out and Sherlock stared at it for a few seconds before shaking it. He nodded after pulling back and Robert continued to smile at the detective even though Sherlock clearly showed ignorance toward him.
The next time Molly planned a trip, Robert was busy with his presentation. So she went alone to the Greek island of Corfu.
She face-timed Robert whenever he was in her flat to look after Toby. She enjoyed the beach and the pastel color architecture. She clicked so many pictures that her phone was begging by the end of the trip to not do so.
When she returned back to London, Robert was already waiting for her at her flat and he seemed so happy when he saw her.
"I missed you so much. And I think Toby did too, but I missed you more than that little bastard," he said as he hugged her tightly.
Molly chuckled in his chest, "I missed you too."
Their first fight was horrible.
The thing was, Molly knew that the honeymoon phase would be over soon and she and Robert will have to deal with the real-world crap.
Robert still had a few months to go for his P.H.D. and it was becoming harder for him to give her time and even harder for Molly to not feel a little insecure when Robert would not stay over at her place past dinner due to his work.
This went on for a week more untill Molly finally snapped.
The thing was, Molly knew that it was her own insecurity birthed from dating an actual psychopath and then a downright stupid guy. And she dreaded the fact that a shouting match was about to start. That the petty issues were going to surface and this will be the first of many arguments which would lead to Robert eventually leaving and finding someone who wasn't as complicated as her. And Molly would pitifully make her way back to Sherlock as if he hadn’t already broken her heart several times before.
When Robert came back from his uni, she didn’t shout at first, just taunted him if he was seeing someone else after he went from her place every night.
Robert played along for a few minutes, joking that yes he was meeting other people at the nearby club every night, untill he caught the uneasiness in Molly’s voice, untill Molly told him to get out of her flat if he was actually seeing someone else. And before the argument could crescendo to a full-on yelling game, Robert kneeled in front of her as she sat on the sofa and held both her hands in his.
He told her he wasn’t going anywhere untill he knew what was going on in Molly’s mind.
"Untill and unless you are uncomfortable that is. Then I will be here tomorrow and we are solving this."
Molly’s breath hitched. Never before did her partners ever did this. Moriarty, even though a fake boyfriend, would just ignore whatever she had to say. And Tom would just bring Sherlock up in every argument so that he had something to shout and throw a tantrum about.
And Molly absolutely hated it when people shouted during arguments.
Robert never shouted or yelled or hissed or raised his voice in any other way. Sometimes his words were a bit harsh but his tone was always gentle. With the way he spoke, it seemed he was genuinely into resolving the issue. Later that night when the argument ended and Robert hugged her after wiping her tears off her face, Molly realized she was in love with him. In love with this sweet man, who liked to sneak more food into Toby even though that cat had already had dinner, who liked to pinch Molly’s cheeks even though she was sure her face was too gaunt, who actually did like staying with her even though she was a mess.
Finally, the day arrived when Robert was getting his Ph.D. degree. And boy was he excited, like a ball bouncing off walls.
They celebrated at one of his favorite restaurants and then returned to Molly’s flat to dance to some cheesy music. The cuddling session afterward on the sofa was an added bonus.
Robert picked up the remote to play the next episode of the fantasy show he had been wanting to watch for a long time. With the living room lights dimmed, the TV reflected on his glasses without any disturbance. Molly snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder and he tightened his hold around her under the blanket they were sharing before resting his face against her head.
“I love you,” she said, without any warning or any extra flare.
Robert froze, she felt his arm go slack around her. And then, all at once, he was scrambling for the discarded remote again and pausing the episode they were currently watching.
Then he looked down at her with wide eyes, “What?”
Molly smiled, “I love you.” she repeated and tried to tamp down the worry rising in her as he didn’t reply for a long minute.
Then, like the sun rising in the morning, a wide smile spread across his beautiful face, “I love you too.” He leaned down and kissed her.
Molly kissed him back.