Work Text:
“What’s with the box?”
Sherlock started slightly, snapping the lid on the engagement ring shut, but not before he moved his finger out of the way. He yelped slightly and dropped the box on the ground. Much to his horror, Molly bent down and picked the (much to his dismay) still open box up, staring at it with wide eyes. “I was meaning to give that to you tonight, under wholly different circumstances,” he said quietly.
“Sherlock, it’s beautiful,” she said, looking up at him with wide eyes. “Is this an engagement ring?”
He nodded, taking the box from her. The ring was unique; he had been looking online for unique jewelry to give Molly for their one year anniversary and had stumbled across an amber and gold honeycomb and bee pendant, and when he saw there was a matching ring an idea which had been percolating in his head for some time had begun to bubble to the surface. He'd been lucky that there had been time for the jewelry to be made to order in time for his anniversary, and the intent had been to surprise her tonight during dinner at Angelo’s, where he had managed to convince his friend to clear out his restaurant for just the two of them for the evening. Not even Mycroft’s spies would be allowed entry, Angelo had promised.
And it all seemed it was for naught.
“I had thought you might appreciate something...whimsical, though I suppose I was wrong and should have gone the diamond and sapphire route like John suggested. Amber is not an appropriate engagement ring stone, not after Tom got you a diamond,” he said dejectedly, closing the lid.
“I love it,” she said quietly, smiling at him. “I do, honestly, Sherlock. And I would love it even more if it was on my finger. If you put it there and you asked.”
He felt then his heart lift, and he opened the lid again and carefully got down on one knee, lifting the ring with the single honeycomb guarded by two small golden honeybees out of the box and slipping it onto her finger. “We’ve been through more than either of us should ever have had to go through, more than either of us have cared to, and come out of it stronger for having weathered it together. You are the one I hold dearest to my heart, and I would be honoured if you would allow me the privilege of being your husband for the rest of my days.”
She nodded, tears coming to her eyes. “Oh, yes,” she said. “Absolutely, Sherlock.”
He slipped the ring onto her finger and then, while he gently held her hand in his, kissed her knuckles, and then the back of her hand before letting go. When he stood she put her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly and he kissed her back. It hadn’t been at all how he had planned his proposal going, but on a scale of one to ten it seemed to shoot past ten towards a solid nine hundred, at least according to her reaction. He wondered if they would even get to Angelo’s that evening, to be quite honest. When they finally did pull apart to catch their breath, he looked down at her, a smile on his face. “You’ve made me quite happy.”
“Oh, you’ve done the same to me, too,” she said. She ran her hands down, settling them on his chest, and he picked one up and brought her fingers to his lips, kissing them. She smiled even wider then. “I love it when you do that.”
“Do what?” he asked.
“Kiss my hand or my fingers. You do it almost subconsciously. You do that almost as often as you kiss my lips or my neck,” she said. “Tom never did that. It reminds me of an age gone by. Of old acts of chivalry, and things like that.”
“I like to because it’s old-fashioned. I was always told it implied admiration, tenderness, or desire for love,” he said, shifting his hold on her hand to kiss the back of it. “Additionally, it expresses trust on the part of the giver. And I love and trust no one in the world more than you, Dr. Margaret Adeline Hooper.”
She laughed softly. “Maybe I should kiss your hands.”
“There are other body parts I would find more interesting to be kissed,” he said.
“Oh?” she asked, shutting her eyes as he gently turned her hand over and kissed the underside of her wrist as her breath hitched.
“We do have reservations, though,” he said, pulling his lips away. “But, my plans for a grand proposal were scuttled, so I suppose we could adjourn to the bedroom, so long as we don’t keep Angelo waiting all night.”
“I suppose I could give you a few good kisses in a few sensitive spots,” Molly said before moving closer. “Quickly.”
“But not too quickly,” he said, abandoning kissing her arm to hold her close. “I want to savour my time with you.”
“You have all the time in the world,” she said before kissing him soundly. He knew that was true, but tonight was special. He wanted to savour every moment with Molly tonight. Tonight his whole world had changed, all for the better, and he wanted to make every moment count.