Disadvantageous

Chapter 39

"Sherlock, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Lydia asked in a hushed tone, closing the ring box in case anyone saw it.

Sherlock frowned as he tried desperately to form words, his heart suddenly sinking, "I just thought- I thought-"

"You thought this would please me?" Lydia demanded, shaking her head in disbelief. "Sherlock, how many times do I have to tell you? I love you. You, Sherlock. Not your average man looking for a wife and traditional family set up! I am perfectly content being your partner, living with you unmarried for the rest of our lives. All I need is you, Sherlock, not some wedding ring and a legally binding contract."

"Lia, I understand that, and I appreciate it. But I do genuinely wish to marry you," Sherlock tried helplessly to defend his actions, realising that his proposal was taking the worst possible turn. He had feared a negative response, but he didn't think he would actually get one and it hurt more than he had anticipated.

Lydia scoffed, "Sherlock, I was at John's wedding. I know your opinions of marriage and I don't want you doing something that you don't believe in simply because you think that this is what I want."

"It's true, I don't understand all of the traditions surrounding marriage and some of them are quite ludicrous to me. But what I said at John's wedding, it wasn't all real. I was jealous and upset with the idea of marriage. This ring, it's my grandmother's, given to me by my parents after I faked my death. When I was able to come back to London, I considered asking you to marry me. I went to see in you Les Mis and went backstage, only to find you with Liam and I realised that you'd moved on. I don't blame you for it, of course, but it made me bitter towards the idea of marriage, sentiments that crept their way into my best man speech. I was trying to convince myself that it wasn't worth it, that it was all folly. But in reality, the more time I spent with you, the more I found myself wanting to call you my wife."

"You've thought about marriage all this time?" Lydia asked, genuinely shocked by Sherlock's confession.

He nodded a bit hesitantly, hoping that she wouldn't shut him out again.

"And you seriously want to get married, you aren't just asking because you think I do?"

"There's nothing I want more than to be wed to you, Lia."

Lydia felt the tears welling up in her eyes, but she tried to blink them back, "oh Sherlock, I'm so sorry, I didn't realise that this was genuine. Of course I'll marry you, I'm so sorry."

Sherlock broke out into a large smile as he pulled Lydia closer to him, bringing his lips down to hers. She met the kiss eagerly, trying to convey her apology through her lips as tears now streamed openly down her cheeks.

She broke away, out of breath, "I forgot, did you want to give me the ring?"

Sherlock nodded, unable to keep the smile off of his face as he reopened the box, taking the ring out and slipping it onto Lydia's finger. She stared at it for a moment, too in awe to form words, and not being surprised in the least at the perfect fit - of course Sherlock knew her ring size.

"Do you like it?" Sherlock asked nervously, suddenly wondering if he should've bought her a ring himself instead of giving her this one. But even thinking about buying one specially for her overwhelmed him. What type of ring did she like? How was he supposed to find the one that was perfect for her when she herself was near perfection?

But Lydia quickly cut off his fears when she exclaimed, "Sherlock, I love it. It's just so incredibly beautiful and to think that your family would let you pass it on to me - oh, Sherlock, thank you! I can't believe this is actually happening!"