A/N: Good evening! This is a little one-shot dedicated to my friend Effie who provided the prompt for this story. So, this is a cute little B/B interaction, set in the very new future and it is fluffy and sugary. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Bones or Hostess. Though I have to admit, either could be fun.
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The lights of the supermarket seemed blinding to Brennan as they walked out of the darkness of night into the twenty-hour store.
"I still can't believe it," Booth was saying and Brennan could only groan. He'd been going on and on about this for the last three hours of their stakeout. She didn't understand why he was adamant about this, but as soon as they had arrested the suspect he'd insisted on driving to the closest store. "I mean, really Bones? You've never had a Twinkie?"
"I already told you I haven't Booth," Brennan reminded him. "And I don't know why you insist that I should. It's just monoglycerides, artificial coloring and flavoring, and sugar. It hardly seems appetizing."
"Monogly…what?"
"It's a chemical that…"
"Never mind Bones," Booth interrupted putting up his hands to stop her. "I don't want to know."
"But…"
"Nope," Booth said with a shake of his head. "Because I'm certain whatever you are about to tell me will be revolting and I'd rather not know. I like Twinkies and I don't want to start to dislike them. Okay…snack cakes, where are you?"
"Are you expecting them to answer you Booth?"
"Very funny Bones," Booth answered with a sarcastic smile. "Just follow me."
"Do you know where you are going?" Brennan asked after a few minutes of silently following Booth around.
"Sure," he answered, "it's a grocery store, they can't be too hard to find…"
"Yet we haven't found them…"
"Ah-ha!" Booth exclaimed cutting her off, "there they are! Twinkies, the preferred snack choice to people who have any sense."
"Just because someone has sense doesn't mean that they eat Twinkies. Me, for instance…"
"Bones," Booth sighed, "it's just a figure of speech. I realize you have great intellect. However, you are missing out on an important childhood snack and I just can't let that go on any more."
"But Booth…"
"You want something to drink?" Booth asked, interrupting her agreement again. "Milk? Water? We should get something to eat our Twinkies with."
"What would you suggest would be an appropriate drink to accompany our snack?"
Booth feigned a shocked look when he answered her question, "You actually want to take advice from me?"
Brennan smacked his arm playfully, "if I've never had a Twinkie before then I would need to refer to you, since you have to know what we should have with it."
"Makes sense," Booth agreed, "I just like hearing you are taking advice from me."
"I ask you for advice."
"Yeah," Booth agreed, "but you don't always take it."
"I took your advice about mine and Angela's fight last month," Brennan reminded him. "And that worked out well for me."
"Maybe that should teach you to take my advice more often."
"So, what are we getting to accompany our Twinkies Booth? I would like to get home sometime tonight."
Booth turned and walked down the aisle, leaving Brennan to follow him without an answer to the question. At the end of the aisle he grabbed two individual milk containers and turned back to Brennan flashing her the smile he kept just for her.
"Milk," he answered her earlier question, "definitely milk. You ready to go?"
"I've been ready to go," Brennan informed him, "since we got here. So yeah, take me home."
"You aren't going home quite yet Bones," Booth said with a smirk. "We have Twinkies to eat."
"And we can't eat Twinkies in my apartment?"
"Nope," Booth assured her. "This is a special occasion, which calls for our special spot."
"Our special spot?" Brennan asked, eyeing Booth questioningly. She wasn't sure she knew which spot he was talking about and that worried her.
"Just," Booth answered flustered, "a special spot. I meant a special spot…not ours, per say. I mean…let's go."
Their bickering had picked back up in the car ride as if Booth's slip in the grocery store hadn't happened. He had known she'd pick up on it the moment the words left his mouth. And he had barely kept himself from cringing when she did. When he pulled into the familiar parking lot he glanced over to her and he couldn't help but smile when he saw the smile on her face. Even if she didn't realize it, this was their spot.
"We haven't been over here in awhile," Brennan said quietly, "it's a beautiful night for it too."
"That's what I thought too," Booth agreed and grabbed the grocery bag from the backseat. The walk up to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial was quiet, but soothing. The sounds of the city around them were reassuring and familiar.
"Alright Bones," Booth said suddenly when they'd finally reached a spot to sit down, "are you ready for the best thing you'll ever eat."
"I am certain that these, things, won't be the best thing I've ever eaten, but yes; I'm ready to get this over with."
"Get this over with? GET THIS OVER WITH?" Booth exclaimed throwing his hands up. "Nope, you don't get yours until you're ready to enjoy these delectable snack cakes."
"Booth…"
"Nope," Booth interrupted her. "I'm not giving it to you until you're going to take your time and enjoy it."
"Just give me the stupid cake Booth," Brennan demanded and Booth smirked, but shook his head no. "Come on Booth, it's late and I'm tired and…"
"You have to promise to enjoy it."
"Booth."
"Promise."
"Fine," Brennan finally relented, "I promise to take my time and enjoy the stupid cake. Now will you give me one?"
"Yes," Booth answered and opened the box and handed her one the plastic wrapped snack and a container of milk. "And thank you."
Brennan only rolled her eyes and took a bite of the Twinkie that Booth had insisted she try. Slowly chewing the spongy cake and vanilla crème filling she found herself actually enjoying the taste.
"So?" Booth asked as she swallowed the first bite. "What do you think of your first Twinkie Bones?"
"It's…enjoyable," Brennan finally admitted. "I can understand why children like them."
"Children? Only children?"
"Well…"
"Just admit it," Booth encouraged. "You liked it, didn't you?"
"It was decent," Brennan said after another bit. "Thank you for making me try this Booth. I'm glad you did."
"Wow," Booth said grinning. "You really should listen to me more often…"
"You do seem to have good taste for deserts," Brennan reluctantly agreed. "But I'm still not willing to try pie…"
"I know you'd like it…"
"I wouldn't," Brennan insisted.
"You don't know unless you try it."
"I don't like warm fruit," Brennan said scrunching up her nose and she licked the vanilla cream from her fingers. "I wouldn't mind having another Twinkie though."
Booth reached down into the box to hand her another cake when he noticed the smallest bit of cream on the corner of her mouth. Before he could stop himself he reached over and used his index finger to wipe it off.
"What…?"
"You had cream," Booth said as he showed her his finger, "on the side of your mouth."
"Oh," Brennan said in a whisper, "thanks."
"Yeah, sure. No problem."
"Did you eat lots of Twinkies when you were a kid Booth?" Brennan asked, a lightness in her voice trying to erase the tension they'd both just felt. Booth couldn't just erase it though. "I'd guess you did, but mainly because boys eat more than…"
Her words were cut off when he pressed his lips to hers gently. It was a brief kiss, not more than two or three steamboats, but when he pulled away his heart was pounding. Her already big eyes seemed to grow larger and he wished more than anything that he could see inside her mind.
"Bones, I uh, I…"
He stammered and stuttered and watched as Brennan just stared at him. He didn't know what to say or what to do. But he knew that he needed to say something. To do something.
"Bones," Booth started again. "I…we…uh, I you…"
"Booth," Brennan interrupted, her voice raspy. "It's okay. You don't have to apologize or anything. It's just the repercussions of your brain tumor. We can pretend this never happened."
He started to shake his head. He knew that wasn't the case, his tumor had been over six months ago and his feelings for Temperance had only grown. Sweets was wrong. His feelings weren't going to go away like another symptom of his tumor. He loved her. And he always would.
She went to stand up and Booth grabbed her hand. A warm tingle ran down his arm and Brennan turned to look at him. Her blue eyes big again.
"I wasn't going to apologize," Booth stated, his eyes not leaving her. "I've wanted to do that for years…"
"No Booth," Brennan started saying, her eyes floating over to Reflecting Pool and the lights of the Washington Monument. A moment later her eyes lifted to the stars and Booth swore he saw a reflection of tears in her eyes. "It…Booth, your brain, it's just still the tumor…"
"Bones," Booth stopped her with a finger to her lips. "The tumor was months ago. It isn't the tumor. I've been in love with you since before my tumor."
"In…love?"
"Yes," Booth whispered, "I'm in love with you."
"Booth…"
"Temperance," Booth whispered softly. "I know you don't believe in love, or in marriage, but I need you to know that I do, I love you. And I'm not going anywhere."
"Booth…"
"I'll give you as much time as you need," Booth assured her, "I'm not going anywhere."
"Thanks Seeley," Brennan answered after a silent moment. When she threaded her fingers through his, he smiled a smile he through would stretch his face. She squeezed his hand and left her fingers in his. "I may need some time, but…I'm glad you are staying Booth."
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A/N: So, what did you think? Did I capture the essence of B/B banter and bickering? I really hope I did!
And for everyone reading my other stories Entanglements in Destiny the next chapter is almost done and should be updated either later this evening or tomorrow sometime. I just have this slight perfectionist tendency and so…yeah. I'm working on that.