He does feel that smile, curving against his skin, and he almost wishes it would leave a scar. Just so he has physical proof that he's made Molly happy, if only for a short time.
"Not so awful at all."
And it's true. Opening up this much of himself has been excruciating--a long rollercoaster ride through grief and guilt and horror and self-loathing--and this part, the sweetness of love and trust and discovery, is something he legitimately didn't expect.
She feels a sense of pride at being the one to show Sherlock Holmes that emotions aren't always a bad thing to have. There are perks to relationships and caring. She kisses his chest then, over that heart he hasn't always admitted to having, and then looks up at him with a smile, resting her chin on his chest.
"It's an honour and I promise to treat it as such."
She can't promise things will always be easy, but she can promise that she'll try her best to be the partner that he deserves if that's what he wants.
It's a sentimental little gesture, that kiss pressed to his heart, and somehow Sherlock doesn't mind a bit. It's not the kind of thing he'd do himself, but the fact that it's Molly makes it pleasant, gives it meaning.
"Thank you," he says. And then, because it seems appropriate and because he's so drawn to the shape of her smiling mouth, he curls his hand around the back of her head and pulls her up towards him for another slow kiss.
Molly is more than happy to slide herself upward, their heads side by side. in order to meet his lips. The kiss is languid and level, neither feeling the need and urgency from before, except maybe the need to connect on this level.
5:14 PM: You are coming back some time today, right?
6:34 PM: A word would be nice, Sherlock
6:59 PM: Sod it, I'm getting a pizza, whenever you roll in you can get leftovers.
7:02 PM: But if I don't hear from you by check-in time tomorrow I'll come over there just so I can see you're okay.
To: John From: SH
8:31 PM: Heading back.
*
Those first few hours together are--well, not blissful. A little clumsy, a little chaotic. But they're good, which is more than Sherlock ever expected, and which just about cuts the disappointment he feels when Mike Stamford texts Molly to remind her that he needs her in early the next day.
They kiss goodnight on the threshold of her flat, lingering and heedless of anyone who might be passing by. Sherlock walks all the way back to John's place, his coat and scarf full of cat hair and his body and mind ringing with new pleasures. He can't even really care that it's Saturday night and the crowds around him are loud and swollen.
Halfway home he stops to text her a photo of a blue plaque on a house he passes. Dame Margot Fonteyn, Prima Ballerina Assoluta, 1919-1991.
(He's tellingly disheveled, and John absolutely notices. There is an extremely awkward conversation wherein John's suspicions about Sherlock's lack of a substantial sexual history are finally confirmed, and he's sworn to secrecy about it, and then he somehow ends up agreeing to run Sherlock's tests because he was probably going to end up knowing the results anyhow.)
Fortunately and unfortunately, Sunday morning there's a frantic call from a potential client in Cardiff (something about "bad wolves" following her) and Sherlock can't refuse the case. But he texts Molly from the train, and the hotel, and from the back of a pickup truck where he has to spend several uncomfortable hours hiding in the middle of the night. They're not sentimental messages, not the way a normal man's might be, but there's warmth and humor in them. Particularly in the way he complains about the Welsh pathologist he ends up working with.
Early Tuesday morning, however, there's an entirely unambiguous text on her phone.
To: Molly From: Sherlock
6:14 AM: En route back from Cardiff. Just reviewed test results via email; all clear. Ballet proceeding as scheduled.
Molly is a bit disappointed when Sherlock goes out of town so soon after that first day, but she is pleasantly surprised by all the texts she receives, starting with that first picture of the plaque commemorating the ballerina. It's so thoughtful. The rest are amusing and sweet (in a Sherlock way) and she secretly enjoys his complaints about the other pathologist even though she tells him to be nice.
She is pretty much on cloud nine for those days even though he's away. Her very abrupt change in mood has Mike and her other coworkers curious, she can tell. They don't come right out and ask if she's got a new bloke but they're hinting around at it. So far, she's being mum even though that one hickey is as hard to cover up as she expected. Let them wonder for a while. She imagines at some point it will be found out but she needs to prepare herself for that because the questions. All the questions. They're all already so curious about Sherlock as it is. This will be a whole other level.
By Monday night, Molly is unsure if their ballet date will happen. She's not brought it up because this is Sherlock's life. He'll run off to take cases and plans will be disrupted. It comes with the territory she knows. There will be other nights for ballet. So when she wakes up to his text on Tuesday morning, she can't help but grin the whole time she gets ready to go watch Rosie.
To: Sherlock From: Molly
8:02 AM: :D Best news to wake up to. See you at John's later. xx
Molly tries to temper herself upon arriving to John's flat. She's got a change of clothes with her for later since it is likely that baby spit up will get on something she's currently wearing. She wonders how much John knows.
(As Sherlock has observed, John is smarter than he looks, so pretty damn smart. Even though the hickey's mostly faded, he knows what a happy Molly looks like, and the fact that Sherlock came home with the clothes he left the house in but not in them is telling to say the least. He's trying very hard not to think about it, because he knows walking in on anything would be every bit as awkward as the few times he walked in on Harry with her girlfriends when they were in school. But when he confines his thinking about the situation to the emotional side of it, he finds he's earnestly damn happy for the two of them. Molly deserves this, and Sherlock... well, he'd be willing to bet Sherlock can earn it. And it'd make Mary so happy.)
John answers the door with Rosie in his arms. She's alert, and she recognizes faces now--and, as ever, she lights up at the sight of her godmother. Her little hands wave towards Molly, and she laughs excitedly.
"Hey, Molly. Perfect timing, as usual. Come on in, yeah? We can go over the schedule before I leave. How've you been?"
There might be a teasing tone creeping into that last question. Granted, Sherlock is way more fun to needle about this than Molly, but he can't help himself.
To: Molly From: Sherlock
9:09 AM: Did I ever tell you I taught Dad about emoticons when we got him his first iPhone, to spite Mycroft? It backfired on us both.
Molly lights up in return at seeing Rosie so smiley and alert. She really does look forward to their time together and knows that as she grows up it'll be even more important without Mary around. Not that she would try to replace Mary and Molly does hope that someday John would be able to find someone else to have a family with, but in the meantime, Molly and Mrs. Hudson are happy to be the maternal figures in Rosie's life.
"Hi John and peanut," Molly says brightly as she follows them inside. His teasing tone does not go unnoticed and she finds herself blushing in spite of herself.
"I've been...well, thank you. How are you and Rosie doing?"
Her cell phone alert goes off and she knows who it is (he may already have his own tone, but it's nothing special). She ignores it for the time being, knowing he's on the train and isn't going anywhere for a while. She'll get to him when John's gone.
"We're good! She's slept through the night twice in a row now--" he squeezes Rosie fondly, and she coos and pats at his nose-- "so I actually feel human, which is pretty damn great. I know I probably can't expect it every night for a while yet, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts."
He glances at her purse, and his smile goes a bit lopsided. He can put two and two together. Or one and one, really.
"So, Rosie's had her breakfast. No big changes to her schedule, everything's still in the same place, if you order in something get the receipt and I'll cover it later, and if you take her out for a walk just text me when you go out and when you get back." For a second he's quiet, and then he adds, "I don't think he'll mind if you go in his room, but make sure you put up the baby gate if you do while Rosie's awake, yeah?"
John does look good, better than she expected considering. Sleep does wonders. So do cute babies. Molly smiles at the two of them fondly.
"Sounds good," she says to John's instructions (even though she'll ignore the bit about the take out receipt). "We'll be just fine, won't we Rosie Posie?"
She reaches out and Rosie wraps a strong grip around Molly's finger and squeals in delight.
"Oh..." Molly says to his comment about Sherlock's room, surprised for a moment. She blushes. "Oh, no. I wouldn't. There's really no reason to."
Not one she can think of anyway. It might be different if they'd been together a while and she'd spent time there, but, she doesn't really feel comfortable invading his space like that without him around.
"But...er...thanks. And, um, thanks for the texts the other day. I do appreciate the support."
"Hey." He steps closer, puts a hand on Molly's shoulder. "Molly. Sorry, I didn't mean to be--look, I really am happy for you both. And I mean it, I think you can pull it off, getting him to understand all this... being an actual human... stuff."
Rosie's big eyes swivel to take in Molly, and John takes the opportunity to start handing her off.
"And you know whatever I can do to support you, I absolutely will, except being late for work right now. All right?"
To: Molly From: Sherlock
9:15 AM: Oh, and send a photo of the baby. I want to track how the structure of her face is developing and see if I can project what she'll look like in a few years.
"Thank you," she says. "I hope I'm up to the task. So far he's been...well, lovely, actually."
She smiles and blushes again. She knows it's the honeymoon period (so to speak) and things will settle into normalcy (or whatever is closest to that for Sherlock) and that there will be issues to work through. Having John's support means a lot.
Molly takes Rosie from John and kisses her chubby cheek.
"Yes...go, don't be late. We'll send you some pictures through the day. Say bye to daddy."
Molly uses her hand to move Rosie's like she's waving at John. The alert sound on her phone goes off again and Molly bites her lip. Yes, definitely bored on a train Sherlock.
John grins. He knows he's had a somewhat different version of that expression on his face when Sherlock's texted him incessantly out of pure boredom.
"Thanks again. Bye, princess! Bye, Auntie Molly!"
And then he's gone, his warm laughter sort of lingering after him.
To: Molly From: Sherlock
9:17 AM: If John hasn't yet left, tell him he's got a window of eighty-one seconds to get out the door before his chances of being late by at least six minutes increase by two hundred percent.
9:17 AM: It's not true but he doesn't need to know that.
Molly and Rosie wave bye until John is out the door and then Molly grabs her phone out of her purse to see what Sherlock's on about.
"Uncle Sherlock is very bored, Rosie," she explains to the baby like she could possibly know what she's saying. "You'll learn that a bored Sherlock is a worrisome Sherlock."
Molly sits down on the couch with Rosie on her lap as she checks her texts.
To: Sherlock From: Molly
9:20 AM: I think I'd like your father.
9:20 AM: I don't know if sexting is appropriate while I'm watching John's baby.
9:21 AM: IMG_005.jpg (She sends a "selfie" of Rosie on her lap.)
9:21 AM: John's left already He says "Bye, princess." which I'm pretty sure was meant for you. ;) .
9:23 AM: You probably would. He's a harmless old softie, loves musicals and fancies himself a cowboy at times.
9:24 AM: She's not going to be conscious the entire time. And if you need privacy, I do have my own bed there.
9:24 AM: It's dishonest to write "LOL" when you smiled but didn't actually let out a sound, isn't it?
(He's stretched out on the train at the moment, feeling satisfied with his work and energized and... and glad to be returning to London. To dinner plans and ballet tickets. It's about as close to normal as he may ever skate, but the fact that it's with Molly elevates it into the extraordinary.)
9:25 AM: Sherlock Holmes! You're not suggesting I have a wank in your bed while your niece is napping?
She has missed him these days and has, well, relived the events of Saturday a couple times while he's been gone. She admittedly also feels a bit eager to skip through the dinner and ballet part of the evening, knowing what potentially lies on the other side. It would be a bit uncouth of her though to just take him straight away to her bed. Not when he's got such a nice evening planned.
9:26 AM: I think most people understand that LOL doesn't always literally mean LOL.
9:27 AM: I suppose. Only ever had the one dad, so I can't compare.
9:27 AM: I am suggesting exactly that, and if you're feeling guilty there's no need because I did it myself in Saturday night.
And Sunday morning, before he got up. And at the hotel that afternoon, and in the middle of the night. And he's fairly sure once he gets back to London he's going to need a private moment in one of his bolt-holes. His body seems to know it's missed a lot and has a substantial amount of catching up to do in terms of sexual satisfaction and exploration.
9:28 AM: Also, I suppose, LOL. Though not at the previous suggestion, that's legitimate.
Molly blushes at the text even though there's no one around to be embarrassed in front of (who knows what she's even talking to him about). She blushes mostly because she's actually considering it. The idea of getting herself off in his bed where he has also gotten himself off previously, is, well, more enticing than it should be.
"I'm sorry, Rosie," she says to her niece. "Adults are terrible. Don't ever become one. And certainly never meet strange boys and fall in love with them and have sex. Actually, I'm lying, when you're old enough have loads of sex with whomever you want. As long as it's consensual and you're being safe. And don't ever tell daddy I said that."
She kisses Rosie's head and feels like Mary would agree with her though.
To: Sherlock From: Molly
9:32 AM: You're putting pictures into my head. :P
9:33 AM: I should pay attention to Rosie now before I win the worst babysitter of the year award.
Molly looks at her phone for a moment and then to Rosie and then back to her phone before she sighs and types out another message.
(Mary may have left letters and videos for Rosie, and one of them may be about How To Respect Your Own Body And Sexuality. And since Mary herself pretty much fit the definition of "met strange boy, fell in love, had sex", she's definitely not going to knock it from beyond.)
To: Molly From: Sherlock
9:36 AM: No need, I've already won that. John was not happy about the baby-gate maze I proposed putting together at Baker Street.
9:37 AM: So, around noon? Perfect.
Somehow he doesn't even need an emoticon to convey the smug look on his face.
The morning unfolds pleasantly. It's sunny out, Rosie's in a rare angelic mood (even if she does still drool and get snot all over everything)--and, not long after 10 AM, Sherlock texts over several sketches he's done on a cheap notepad he bought at the Waterstones in the train station. Little girls, no more than six, all with different features but all with recognizable aspects of John and Mary's faces.
(He decides he'll make a birthday present of them to John later. That seems like the kind of thing that would have made Mary happy, too.)
By noon he's back in London and has burned through approximately three-quarters of his to-do list--all errands, all away from John's place, because he's been warned in very strong terms what John will do to him if he comes home and finds them on the living room floor or something. And a sudden wicked idea comes to him about which bolt-hole he wants to duck into for their "appointment".
11:56 AM: I'll be settled in approximately seven minutes. Less if you actually left the spare key to your place under the false rock and didn't throw it in your purse again.
Molly and Rosie are out for a walk when she gets Sherlock's texts with the sketches. They are pretty impressive actually. She texts him after they get back and she's got Rosie on the floor of the sitting room for some tummy time.
To: Sherlock From: Molly
11:00 AM: I didn't know you could draw.
He's a continual surprise in all sorts of ways. So far, all good.
At 11:30 Molly changes Rosie's nappy and then makes her a bottle before they settle into the rocking chair in the nursery. By noon, Rosie has finished most of the bottle and her eyes are drooping. Molly puts her down in the crib and rubs her tummy gently as she drifts off the rest of the way. When she appears to be out, she puts the baby monitor on and heads back out into the sitting room.
12:10: Did you find the key?
It's amusing to her that he's at her flat and she's at his. Or, well, sort of his for now. She didn't expect him to go there but she doesn't mind. He's spent plenty of time at her place while she wasn't there. She does sort of wonder why he doesn't just come to John's, although that may be crossing a line in her job as babysitter. Likely if he were there, she wouldn't let things progress very far anyway.
12:11 PM: Picked the lock. I'll teach you sometime.
12:12 PM: Your bed's comfortable. Might consider similar for Baker Street once it's mostly habitable again.
He sprawls out, grinning, cheerfully ignoring Toby's brief protest at being locked out of mummy's bedroom yet again.
12:13 PM: You're welcome to move to my room.
The room he's currently occupying in John's place already looks like typical Sherlock: small piles of papers and magazines and other whatnot grouped by classifications it'd probably take him an hour to explain, a copy of 101 Stories of the Great Ballets on the nightstand along with some terrifically dense text about organic chemistry, post-it notes with his spiky handwriting all over the walls.
Molly is picking up the sitting room and kitchen a bit when he texts back.
To: Sherlock From: Molly
12:15: I'm glad you're enjoying my flat. :P
12:16: Just cleaning out a bottle. About to go there.
She takes the baby monitor with her as she goes into Sherlock's room and closes the door. He has sprawled out surprisingly efficiently in the space considering the short amount of time he's occupied it. More like the Consulting Tornado.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
zvi
no subject
Date: 2017-02-13 10:34 pm (UTC)"Not so awful at all."
And it's true. Opening up this much of himself has been excruciating--a long rollercoaster ride through grief and guilt and horror and self-loathing--and this part, the sweetness of love and trust and discovery, is something he legitimately didn't expect.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-14 12:35 am (UTC)"It's an honour and I promise to treat it as such."
She can't promise things will always be easy, but she can promise that she'll try her best to be the partner that he deserves if that's what he wants.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-14 01:35 am (UTC)"Thank you," he says. And then, because it seems appropriate and because he's so drawn to the shape of her smiling mouth, he curls his hand around the back of her head and pulls her up towards him for another slow kiss.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-14 01:41 am (UTC)HEY ACTUALLY IT'S TUESDAY :D
Date: 2017-02-14 10:16 pm (UTC)From: John
5:14 PM: You are coming back some time today, right?
6:34 PM: A word would be nice, Sherlock
6:59 PM: Sod it, I'm getting a pizza, whenever you roll in you can get leftovers.
7:02 PM: But if I don't hear from you by check-in time tomorrow I'll come over there just so I can see you're okay.
To: John
From: SH
8:31 PM: Heading back.
*
Those first few hours together are--well, not blissful. A little clumsy, a little chaotic. But they're good, which is more than Sherlock ever expected, and which just about cuts the disappointment he feels when Mike Stamford texts Molly to remind her that he needs her in early the next day.
They kiss goodnight on the threshold of her flat, lingering and heedless of anyone who might be passing by. Sherlock walks all the way back to John's place, his coat and scarf full of cat hair and his body and mind ringing with new pleasures. He can't even really care that it's Saturday night and the crowds around him are loud and swollen.
Halfway home he stops to text her a photo of a blue plaque on a house he passes. Dame Margot Fonteyn, Prima Ballerina Assoluta, 1919-1991.
(He's tellingly disheveled, and John absolutely notices. There is an extremely awkward conversation wherein John's suspicions about Sherlock's lack of a substantial sexual history are finally confirmed, and he's sworn to secrecy about it, and then he somehow ends up agreeing to run Sherlock's tests because he was probably going to end up knowing the results anyhow.)
Fortunately and unfortunately, Sunday morning there's a frantic call from a potential client in Cardiff (something about "bad wolves" following her) and Sherlock can't refuse the case. But he texts Molly from the train, and the hotel, and from the back of a pickup truck where he has to spend several uncomfortable hours hiding in the middle of the night. They're not sentimental messages, not the way a normal man's might be, but there's warmth and humor in them. Particularly in the way he complains about the Welsh pathologist he ends up working with.
Early Tuesday morning, however, there's an entirely unambiguous text on her phone.
To: Molly
From: Sherlock
6:14 AM: En route back from Cardiff. Just reviewed test results via email; all clear. Ballet proceeding as scheduled.
I was going to mention that! :D
Date: 2017-02-15 12:19 am (UTC)She is pretty much on cloud nine for those days even though he's away. Her very abrupt change in mood has Mike and her other coworkers curious, she can tell. They don't come right out and ask if she's got a new bloke but they're hinting around at it. So far, she's being mum even though that one hickey is as hard to cover up as she expected. Let them wonder for a while. She imagines at some point it will be found out but she needs to prepare herself for that because the questions. All the questions. They're all already so curious about Sherlock as it is. This will be a whole other level.
By Monday night, Molly is unsure if their ballet date will happen. She's not brought it up because this is Sherlock's life. He'll run off to take cases and plans will be disrupted. It comes with the territory she knows. There will be other nights for ballet. So when she wakes up to his text on Tuesday morning, she can't help but grin the whole time she gets ready to go watch Rosie.
To: Sherlock
From: Molly
8:02 AM: :D Best news to wake up to. See you at John's later. xx
Molly tries to temper herself upon arriving to John's flat. She's got a change of clothes with her for later since it is likely that baby spit up will get on something she's currently wearing. She wonders how much John knows.
V-day Sherlolly, all's right with the world. <3
Date: 2017-02-15 01:02 am (UTC)John answers the door with Rosie in his arms. She's alert, and she recognizes faces now--and, as ever, she lights up at the sight of her godmother. Her little hands wave towards Molly, and she laughs excitedly.
"Hey, Molly. Perfect timing, as usual. Come on in, yeah? We can go over the schedule before I leave. How've you been?"
There might be a teasing tone creeping into that last question. Granted, Sherlock is way more fun to needle about this than Molly, but he can't help himself.
To: Molly
From: Sherlock
9:09 AM: Did I ever tell you I taught Dad about emoticons when we got him his first iPhone, to spite Mycroft? It backfired on us both.
9:10 AM: Expect intermittent texts. Possibly sexting; I haven't decided yet.
(Is... is that an attempt at flirting?)
Seriously.
Date: 2017-02-15 01:15 am (UTC)"Hi John and peanut," Molly says brightly as she follows them inside. His teasing tone does not go unnoticed and she finds herself blushing in spite of herself.
"I've been...well, thank you. How are you and Rosie doing?"
Her cell phone alert goes off and she knows who it is (he may already have his own tone, but it's nothing special). She ignores it for the time being, knowing he's on the train and isn't going anywhere for a while. She'll get to him when John's gone.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-15 01:46 am (UTC)He glances at her purse, and his smile goes a bit lopsided. He can put two and two together. Or one and one, really.
"So, Rosie's had her breakfast. No big changes to her schedule, everything's still in the same place, if you order in something get the receipt and I'll cover it later, and if you take her out for a walk just text me when you go out and when you get back." For a second he's quiet, and then he adds, "I don't think he'll mind if you go in his room, but make sure you put up the baby gate if you do while Rosie's awake, yeah?"
no subject
Date: 2017-02-15 02:03 am (UTC)"Sounds good," she says to John's instructions (even though she'll ignore the bit about the take out receipt). "We'll be just fine, won't we Rosie Posie?"
She reaches out and Rosie wraps a strong grip around Molly's finger and squeals in delight.
"Oh..." Molly says to his comment about Sherlock's room, surprised for a moment. She blushes. "Oh, no. I wouldn't. There's really no reason to."
Not one she can think of anyway. It might be different if they'd been together a while and she'd spent time there, but, she doesn't really feel comfortable invading his space like that without him around.
"But...er...thanks. And, um, thanks for the texts the other day. I do appreciate the support."
no subject
Date: 2017-02-15 02:46 am (UTC)Rosie's big eyes swivel to take in Molly, and John takes the opportunity to start handing her off.
"And you know whatever I can do to support you, I absolutely will, except being late for work right now. All right?"
To: Molly
From: Sherlock
9:15 AM: Oh, and send a photo of the baby. I want to track how the structure of her face is developing and see if I can project what she'll look like in a few years.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-15 02:54 am (UTC)"Thank you," she says. "I hope I'm up to the task. So far he's been...well, lovely, actually."
She smiles and blushes again. She knows it's the honeymoon period (so to speak) and things will settle into normalcy (or whatever is closest to that for Sherlock) and that there will be issues to work through. Having John's support means a lot.
Molly takes Rosie from John and kisses her chubby cheek.
"Yes...go, don't be late. We'll send you some pictures through the day. Say bye to daddy."
Molly uses her hand to move Rosie's like she's waving at John. The alert sound on her phone goes off again and Molly bites her lip. Yes, definitely bored on a train Sherlock.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-15 03:05 am (UTC)"Thanks again. Bye, princess! Bye, Auntie Molly!"
And then he's gone, his warm laughter sort of lingering after him.
To: Molly
From: Sherlock
9:17 AM: If John hasn't yet left, tell him he's got a window of eighty-one seconds to get out the door before his chances of being late by at least six minutes increase by two hundred percent.
9:17 AM: It's not true but he doesn't need to know that.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-15 03:23 am (UTC)"Uncle Sherlock is very bored, Rosie," she explains to the baby like she could possibly know what she's saying. "You'll learn that a bored Sherlock is a worrisome Sherlock."
Molly sits down on the couch with Rosie on her lap as she checks her texts.
To: Sherlock
From: Molly
9:20 AM: I think I'd like your father.
9:20 AM: I don't know if sexting is appropriate while I'm watching John's baby.
9:21 AM: IMG_005.jpg (She sends a "selfie" of Rosie on her lap.)
9:21 AM: John's left already He says "Bye, princess." which I'm pretty sure was meant for you. ;) .
no subject
Date: 2017-02-15 03:31 am (UTC)From: Sherlock
9:23 AM: You probably would. He's a harmless old softie, loves musicals and fancies himself a cowboy at times.
9:24 AM: She's not going to be conscious the entire time. And if you need privacy, I do have my own bed there.
9:24 AM: It's dishonest to write "LOL" when you smiled but didn't actually let out a sound, isn't it?
(He's stretched out on the train at the moment, feeling satisfied with his work and energized and... and glad to be returning to London. To dinner plans and ballet tickets. It's about as close to normal as he may ever skate, but the fact that it's with Molly elevates it into the extraordinary.)
no subject
Date: 2017-02-15 03:44 am (UTC)From: Molly
9:25 AM: He sounds lovely.
9:25 AM: Sherlock Holmes! You're not suggesting I have a wank in your bed while your niece is napping?
She has missed him these days and has, well, relived the events of Saturday a couple times while he's been gone. She admittedly also feels a bit eager to skip through the dinner and ballet part of the evening, knowing what potentially lies on the other side. It would be a bit uncouth of her though to just take him straight away to her bed. Not when he's got such a nice evening planned.
9:26 AM: I think most people understand that LOL doesn't always literally mean LOL.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-15 03:56 am (UTC)From: Sherlock
9:27 AM: I suppose. Only ever had the one dad, so I can't compare.
9:27 AM: I am suggesting exactly that, and if you're feeling guilty there's no need because I did it myself in Saturday night.
And Sunday morning, before he got up. And at the hotel that afternoon, and in the middle of the night. And he's fairly sure once he gets back to London he's going to need a private moment in one of his bolt-holes. His body seems to know it's missed a lot and has a substantial amount of catching up to do in terms of sexual satisfaction and exploration.
9:28 AM: Also, I suppose, LOL. Though not at the previous suggestion, that's legitimate.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-15 04:11 am (UTC)"I'm sorry, Rosie," she says to her niece. "Adults are terrible. Don't ever become one. And certainly never meet strange boys and fall in love with them and have sex. Actually, I'm lying, when you're old enough have loads of sex with whomever you want. As long as it's consensual and you're being safe. And don't ever tell daddy I said that."
She kisses Rosie's head and feels like Mary would agree with her though.
To: Sherlock
From: Molly
9:32 AM: You're putting pictures into my head. :P
9:33 AM: I should pay attention to Rosie now before I win the worst babysitter of the year award.
Molly looks at her phone for a moment and then to Rosie and then back to her phone before she sighs and types out another message.
9:35 AM: I'll text you at nap time.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-15 08:14 pm (UTC)To: Molly
From: Sherlock
9:36 AM: No need, I've already won that. John was not happy about the baby-gate maze I proposed putting together at Baker Street.
9:37 AM: So, around noon? Perfect.
Somehow he doesn't even need an emoticon to convey the smug look on his face.
The morning unfolds pleasantly. It's sunny out, Rosie's in a rare angelic mood (even if she does still drool and get snot all over everything)--and, not long after 10 AM, Sherlock texts over several sketches he's done on a cheap notepad he bought at the Waterstones in the train station. Little girls, no more than six, all with different features but all with recognizable aspects of John and Mary's faces.
(He decides he'll make a birthday present of them to John later. That seems like the kind of thing that would have made Mary happy, too.)
By noon he's back in London and has burned through approximately three-quarters of his to-do list--all errands, all away from John's place, because he's been warned in very strong terms what John will do to him if he comes home and finds them on the living room floor or something. And a sudden wicked idea comes to him about which bolt-hole he wants to duck into for their "appointment".
11:56 AM: I'll be settled in approximately seven minutes. Less if you actually left the spare key to your place under the false rock and didn't throw it in your purse again.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-15 09:32 pm (UTC)To: Sherlock
From: Molly
11:00 AM: I didn't know you could draw.
He's a continual surprise in all sorts of ways. So far, all good.
At 11:30 Molly changes Rosie's nappy and then makes her a bottle before they settle into the rocking chair in the nursery. By noon, Rosie has finished most of the bottle and her eyes are drooping. Molly puts her down in the crib and rubs her tummy gently as she drifts off the rest of the way. When she appears to be out, she puts the baby monitor on and heads back out into the sitting room.
12:10: Did you find the key?
It's amusing to her that he's at her flat and she's at his. Or, well, sort of his for now. She didn't expect him to go there but she doesn't mind. He's spent plenty of time at her place while she wasn't there. She does sort of wonder why he doesn't just come to John's, although that may be crossing a line in her job as babysitter. Likely if he were there, she wouldn't let things progress very far anyway.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-15 09:48 pm (UTC)From: Sherlock
12:11 PM: Picked the lock. I'll teach you sometime.
12:12 PM: Your bed's comfortable. Might consider similar for Baker Street once it's mostly habitable again.
He sprawls out, grinning, cheerfully ignoring Toby's brief protest at being locked out of mummy's bedroom yet again.
12:13 PM: You're welcome to move to my room.
The room he's currently occupying in John's place already looks like typical Sherlock: small piles of papers and magazines and other whatnot grouped by classifications it'd probably take him an hour to explain, a copy of 101 Stories of the Great Ballets on the nightstand along with some terrifically dense text about organic chemistry, post-it notes with his spiky handwriting all over the walls.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-15 10:12 pm (UTC)To: Sherlock
From: Molly
12:15: I'm glad you're enjoying my flat. :P
12:16: Just cleaning out a bottle. About to go there.
She takes the baby monitor with her as she goes into Sherlock's room and closes the door. He has sprawled out surprisingly efficiently in the space considering the short amount of time he's occupied it. More like the Consulting Tornado.
You've certainly made it your own.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-15 10:41 pm (UTC)From: Sherlock
12:17 PM: I like to get comfortable.
Speaking of which.
You normally shower before you go to bed, don't you? The pillows are absolutely full of the smell of your shampoo.
Not his best transition, but it is something he's noticing very strongly right now and sincerely enjoying.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-16 01:21 am (UTC)From: Molly
12:18: Is that a good thing?
She can't tell over text if he's complaining or praising it.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-16 01:31 am (UTC)From: Sherlock
12:18: Yes. Is it too early to admit I'm hard?
He can't help it. Having her scent on him again is bringing back powerful memories of exactly what they've done in this bed together.
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From: