Summary:
Sherlock and Molly take up an international case that requires both of their skill sets. After a grueling week, they have a day of rest to recharge back in their hotel room.
Notes:
Flufftober fic for Oct 25th- "Snuggling & Cuddling"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I was wondering if you'd like to have coffee?"
Molly had just thrown away her breakfast plate as whips herself around, shocked by the sudden throwback of her own words from years ago, and facing the ever dapper, curly-haired detective in her midst. She smirks at him, a blush creeping onto her cheeks as she looks up into his heterochromia blessed eyes.
This particular case of Sherlock's (though primarily Molly's), had them traveling. Decades-old human remains had been found in a troubling area and a handful of the best pathologists in Europe had been asked to come and help form the story of the person whose bones were left behind. Of course, Molly was chosen, and then Sherlock Holmes was called to see if he could make a dent in the case as well, which led the newfound couple here. In a hotel lobby during a breakfast buffet in Scotland.
Molly's eyes glint with a hint of mischief as she shrugs nonchalantly, grabbing their room key. "Hm, they finally re-filled huh. Cream, two sugars, please. I'll be upstairs." Holding back a laugh, she scuttles to the elevator before he can retort, leaving him dumbfounded in the middle of the packed breakfast bar.
They had been working non-stop all week on this case, and today was their allotted break day. All Molly truly wanted to do was crawl into bed and not get out of it for the rest of the day, not having slept very well this week. She knows that Sherlock has barely slept also, knowing how his brain is prone to keeping him awake and focused on a case at hand when there is one to work on. Plus, last night they had other endeavors on their mind other than sleep, mainly each other, having worked themselves to the bone with no relief for the past five days, they had desperately indulged in each other's bodies as a way to de-stress, and damn, it had worked. Now Molly was just exhausted.
Swiping into their hotel room, she takes a deep breath, letting her shoulders sag and a large yawn escapes her as she crawls back into the bed, curling up. A moment later Sherlock swipes his keycard and enters the room, carrying two coffees. He goes to speak and then sees her curled up in bed. His brow furrows, wondering if he had offended her earlier. Setting down the coffee on the night table, he strips down to his boxer again and crawls into bed, noticing she's asleep again. He smiles fondly and strokes tendrils of hair from her face, stopping to stroke his thumb across the blushed yet pale porcelain of her soft cheek. Laying down, he draws her into his arms, holding her close against his chest and kissing her forehead.
"I love you, Molly. I'm proud of you, my little pathologist", he murmurs softly into her hair. Molly stirs a bit and pulls him closer, making a small noise in her sleep as she nuzzles into his chest.
Meaning every bit of what he said, he smiles to himself, replaying the moments Molly's skill had absolutely fascinated him during this case. It was thrilling to see her take control and put her brilliance on full display in ways he had never quite seen in full capacity before. Molly Hooper was more intelligent than anyone ever gave her credit for, mostly due to how big her heart was. Sherlock finally realizes how idiotic it is to judge someone's intellectual abilities based on how emotional they are. Emotions don't necessarily equal a lack of brainpower, but in fact, a deeper level of intelligence that even he had not fully mastered yet: emotional intelligence.
His Molly has both intellectual and emotional ability, being able to balance them by wearing her heart on her sleeve and working to the best of her skillful ability in the pathology field. Most times those things would not mix, especially when one has to see victims' families. That's when how incredible she is comes into play, because she can be professional when she needs to, and emotional when she wants to. It never fails to awe him.
Slipping into his mind palace for a while, it's hard for him to concentrate, as his Mind-Molly keeps hovering around, distracting him in the best of ways. Sherlock decides to use that to his advantage and let her assist his thoughts by bouncing theories off of her and hearing what her hypothetical response would be.
Once he emerges from his Mind Palace with a soft smile on his face, he immediately sees his real Molly staring up at him with adoring eyes.
"Molly", he muses, leaning in to kiss her gently.
"Mm, hello. I'm sorry I didn't see you when you got back, I must have dozed off."
"Don't apologize, I've seen how hard you've worked this week. And last night", he winks and smirks devilishly.
She giggles and rubs his chest. "Mhh, yes, well.../that/ wasn't working. Not mentally anyway. It was an incredible, sexy, amazing release from the stress we've had on us."
Sherlock nuzzles her nose and hums in agreement before wrapping her up in his arms again. "I love you."
"I love you too. I like when we can work on things together. Makes it seem less like work, and more like a hobby, because it's more enjoyable when I'm with you."
"I was thinking the same as you slept. I was saying how proud of you I was because I'm in awe of the depth of your skill that I've never witnessed before."
"Oh, you were? Well, I /was/ asleep", she chuckles.
"Yes, I know, so I'm telling you now. Plus, it's...it's sexy. In a weird way."
Molly laughs and places soft kisses down his jaw. "I understand. It's like when I watch you working on a case, or deep into your mind palace. It's just something with how focused and smart you are."
"Mhm, that's it", he smiles.
Molly yawns again and nuzzles his neck softly. "Can we stay here all day until we get hungry? You're always so warm and cozy, and I just want to feel my fiancé against me", she murmurs against his skin.
Sherlock blushes. "How could I say no to that, Moll? It's impossible to do so. And you know what I say. Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable must be the truth. So yes, it is impossible to say no to you, Molly."
"Good, I was hoping you couldn't", she grins, looking up at him with those pleading doe eyes.
"You will wear me down, woman."
"Oh, I already have, mister", she laughs.
"Wear me down, or smarten me up?", he smirks. "What you see as making me a more emotionally acceptable partner, I see as you educating me on how to properly route my emotions in certain situations. Such as this week. Do you know how many times I wanted to ravish you anywhere and everywhere? But no, I controlled myself because it would come with a consequence. So I waited and was rewarded with last night. And that was certainly worth the wait rather than ten minutes here or there."
"Ten minutes?", Molly snickers.
"Well, if we were making do", he smirks.
"I would love to see you try that in ten minutes", she challenges. "But not today, because I'm still tired and I just want you to hold me.
"Challenge accepted. Maybe in the morgue when we get back, that's always been a bit of a daydream of mine."
"Sherlock!", Molly gasps and turns red.
"Hm, I see I'm not the only one."
Molly flushes redder and slaps his chest playfully, burying her face into his neck. "Ugh, just hold me."
"That I can certainly do", Sherlock grins, embracing his soon-to-be wife and encircling her with love as he warms her smaller frame against his in a big cuddle. They stay this way for the rest of the day: snuggling, watching crap telly, and having fun conversation, thanks to room service. He was even able to order her a fresh coffee.
