deal or no deal | Sherlock Holmes

28

𝐸𝓋𝒶𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑒

It's silent when I wake up. My side aches where the bullet pushed through my skin but it's not near as bad as before. My eyes flutter open, my vision is a tad bit hazy but I can see the sun peeking through my curtains.

My curtains?

I go to sit up but pain shoots through my body. I wince, grabbing at my hip. I feel a hand grab mine. I look over to find Sherlock, his face remains buried in a pillow that's laid on my calfs. He says something but the pillow makes it sound muffled.

He lifts his head, a few curls fall in front of his eyes. "No sudden movements." His voice is groggy, he looks exhausted.

"How did I get here?" My voice is very hoarse. I go into a coughing fit. It feels like nails are scratching the back of my throat. Sherlock jumps up from his spot and grabs a cup of water from the nightstand. I suppose he was prepared for this. He lifts the glass to my lips and I take a few sips. It sends a healing feeling to my esophagus.

That was a weird sentence.

"After you fainted we rushed you to the infirmary. I wanted you to stay there longer but the Doctor said you'd be far more comfortable here in your own home." He sits by my side on the bed. "How do you feel?"

"Like I got shot." I laugh softly. If I were to laugh any harder I'd probably take myself out. My eyes trail down his body and land on his arm. "How is your arm?" I whisper, running a finger over the area.

He looks down at it and shrugs. "It's been better. Doctor said recovery shouldn't be too bad."

"You took it like a champ." I smile and grab his hand.

"You're the real champ, darling." I love hearing him call me that. It always gives me butterflies. "Though it was very foolish of you to wait so long before telling me." He draws his eyebrows together. "Oh wait. You didn't tell me. The Lord had to do that because you were passed out on the ground."

"I'm sorry." I whisper. "I was going to but there was so much going on." I look away from him and scoff. "I suppose that's no excuse though."

He bites his tongue as it pokes out the side of his cheek. He looks away from me and rubs a pattern on my hand. "I thought I had lost you." He admits. He struggles to blink back tears which makes me want to cry. "I want to be completely transparent with you right now. Is that alright?" He keeps his eyes on my hand. I give it a squeeze. "I didn't fully understand the trauma you were facing when you found your mother. To be honest you scared me half to death when you had your moment in my bathroom." I feel a lump form in my throat. "But... having to just sit there and watch you practically bleed to death. Not being able to do a thing about it." His breath hitches. "It was the worst thing I've ever faced."

I manage to pull myself up in the bed. "I-I'm sorry-"

"Y-You know how many dead bodies I've seen? A lot. I've probably seen more lifeless bodies than living ones. But I've always managed to stay unemotional but when it's someone you love it's just-" He takes a breath and squeezes his eyes shut making tears run down his cheeks. "It's unbearable. A-And then I got to thinking about how you had to see your Mother like that. But that's so much more gruesome because you don't have any way to get her back. And the thought of not having you-" He shakes his head, getting an awful image out of his head. "That's a life I don't want to live."

"Sherlock..." I choke out as tears stream down my face. I grab his hand and pull him towards me, he wraps his arms around me and sobs into my neck.

I've never seen this side of him. Sherlock has always been more reserved and unemotional. Then again he's never really had a reason to cry.

I run my fingers through his hair, over his back, finding any way I can to comfort him. "I'm here now. I'm not going anywhere." I whisper.

I feel him grab a fistful of my nightgown. "I'm just so glad you're okay." He places a few kisses on my shoulder. "I don't want to lose you. Ever." He pulls back and brushes the stray hairs out of my face. I give him a weak smile in return. He drops his hands and pushes himself off the bed and into the floor.

"Sherlock!" I go to lean over but my bullet wound says no. I take a deep breath as the pain eases back down.

"This is not what I had planned." He stands by the bed. "But this is how it's going to go." He mumbles to himself.

"What are you talking about?" I give him a confused look.

"I love you." He spits out. I've heard it thousands of times from him but it still shocks me. "This-" He motions between the two of us. "This isn't some business deal we put together in the beginning. This here is real. I knew it from the beginning but it scared me so much I almost didn't want to accept it. But being with you the last few months has changed that. It's changed so much. Now I know. This is for life." He grabs my hands, his palms are sweaty. "It's undeniable."

"What is?"

"That I am in love with you, Evangeline. I am immensely, unconditionally in love with you." He breathes out quietly. I feel my heart thump in my chest at a steady rhythm, my cheeks heat up.

I try my best to pull myself off the bed so I can stand. My legs are so weak but I make it to the edge. I pull his tall frame towards me and embrace him.

"I love you too, Sherlock." I whisper into his chest then look up at him, caressing his stubbly cheek. "I-I don't know what more to say."

"Say you will marry me." He breathes out. My breathe hitches and my body stiffens.

"W-What?" I gulp.

"I didn't want to do it this way." He sits me on the edge of the bed and bends down to rummage through his suit jacket. He eventually pulls out a little black box. "I had a well thought out plan for the last two months but then everything happened and things haven't exactly gone my way." He fiddles with the box before slowly kneeling. "But that doesn't matter because at the end of the day all I want is you." I hear a gasp leave my mouth as he grabs my hand.

"S-Sherlock-"

"Evangeline." He whispers, popping open the velvet box to reveal a ring. "Will you marry me?"

Every memory I have with him floods into my brain all at once. Us meeting for the first time, investigating together, our first kiss, our early morning and late night conversations. I want that for the rest of my life. I want him. So I say the obvious answer.

"Yes!" I nod ecstatically.

A bright smile dances on his lips, he slides the ring onto my left ring finger and attacks me in a bear hug. He peppers my neck with kisses as he squeezes me tightly. Just not too tight. We giggle and cry together for a moment. He caressed my face and pulled me in for a tender kiss. We couldn't stop smiling.

I'm getting married. That won't settle in for a while.

*****
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Severely unedited...enjoy!