Hello there! Welcome to this large ball of fluff.
It's literally a ball of fluff. The style is kind of disjointed/stream of thoughts type of deal, but bear with me. I'm not kidding about the fluff.
Timeline: really could fit in anywhere, but because of some references probably around the beginning of season five. Definitely before the 100th, because that opened a dramatic can of worms I wasn't up to tackling.
Disclaimer: Please. If I owned it, I probably wouldn't be sitting here writing disclaimers, now would I? ;)
Enjoy! Let me know what you think!
It is a night that really doesn't seem much different than any other night. A case is wrapped. It was an upsetting case. But then, aren't all of their cases upsetting?
Regardless, instead of their usual night out, Doctor Temperance Brennan and Special Agent Seeley Booth opt for a quiet night at her apartment. She offers to cook. He loves when she cooks.
He praises her cooking, and they eat in relative silence. It's a comfortable silence. While they eat, he can't help but to sneak a couple of not-so-professional looks at her, hoping against hope that she won't notice.
He's been doing a lot of thinking, lately. All these years he's been making these promises to her like 'someday' and 'everything happens eventually' and 'love is worth it'. All those things, all those promises, he made under the assumption that eventually he and she would be a them.
After that very first case, when things had gone from so good to so incredibly bad, he had been treading carefully. As much as he wanted her physically, he cared for her emotionally in a way that he'd never experienced before. So he took his time, got to know her, broke down her walls. But now, after all these years, he's beginning to wonder what he's waiting for.
Sure, for a while he was scared that telling her would result in her running for the hills. But by this point, he was pretty sure he knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't flee. She may be scared at first, but scared he can deal with. At the root of it all, they were best friends, and as someone who never really had people to rely on, he knew that Brennan wouldn't throw everything away if he told her how he felt.
Plus, there's the fact that he's willing to bet she feels the same way. If he were a betting man, that is.
There'd be obstacles, sure. He's fairly certain they'd be forced into some more time with Sweets. But they are so emotionally invested in each other already, he's sure the Bureau won't interfere too heavily. In fact, he's pretty sure the Bureau is already operating under the assumption that he and Brennan are together, and have been for a while. He's heard rumors of bets.
She's looking at him kind of funny, almost like she wants to say something, but doesn't quite have the nerve. He wonders absently if that's how he looks at her ninety percent of the time.
They begin to clean up. She's doing the dishes; he's drying them and putting them away. It doesn't strike either of them as odd that he knows exactly where everything goes in her kitchen.
He moves behind her to gain access to one of the cabinets over her head. She doesn't hear him coming, because, well, he's a Ranger. When she feels him at her back she jumps, and his hand falls to her hip to steady her as she swings around.
"Booth! A little warning next time!" she chastises, trying not to focus how his arm feels at her waist and how his aftershave smells.
"Sorry Bones," he grins sheepishly, and she's pretty sure he's actually not sorry at all. His brown eyes are on her blue ones, and maybe she's imagining things but it seems like his eyes are slowly coming closer. His grin is gone and she's fairly certain he seems a bit nervous. But Seeley Booth doesn't get nervous.
In the grand scheme of things, he's just a man and she's just a woman. And so? Maybe they're in love. Admitting that won't cause the world to stop spinning. That's when he makes his decision.
"Hey, Bones?" He begins, in what sounds suspiciously like a whisper, "please don't hit me."
"Why would I-oomph" She's cut off as his lips crash into hers. Before she can react he's pulling away, looking to her for a reaction. Instead of hitting him or yelling at him, she's grabbing the lapels of his jacket and pulling him down for more. Suddenly he's everywhere, all at once, and she can think of nothing but Seeley Booth and this.
Without shoes, she's straining to stay at his height. All of a sudden, her feet are no longer on the floor and he's lifting her, moving her backwards so that she's sitting on her counter, and he comes to stand between her thighs, one hand on either side of her hips.
As soon as she hits the counter, she suddenly wonders what the heck they're doing. She pulls back abruptly.
"Booth," She breathes, opening her eyes.
"Bones," he mimics teasingly, but as his eyes meet her he realizes now may not be the best time for jokes.
"Wait. We can't do this. We have to think about this." She's almost starting to panic, so he brings his hand up to brush her cheek, and he can almost immediately see the calming effect it has.
"Talk to me, Bones. What is there to think about?"
"This changes everything, Booth." He grins at her, sweeping a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"Entropy, Bones. Everything changes. Isn't that what you told me?" She smiles softly, surprised that he remembered what at the time seemed like such a trivial, passing remark. "I'm always listening to you, Bones," he said softly, once again seeming to read her mind.
Her soft smile slips away, and he can see that she's thinking, again. Always thinking. He reaches out to take her hand in her lap, and finds comfort in the fact that her other hand comes down to cover his. He runs his thumb along her knuckles as she begins to speak.
"I'm not good with change." A simple statement. Not a refusal, not a rejection. An admittance of…fear? He shrugs.
"I'm not good with change either. But you know what? We're good together. You and me, Bones, we can do this," he can see in her eyes that he is getting through to her. She wants this; just as much as he does. She just needs reassurance. Reassurance he is more than willing to give. "Besides, the important stuff? That doesn't have to change. We're already more together than most couples I know. You know me better than anyone; we spend almost all of our time together. All that this means is that, at the end of the day we can do this…"
His voice trails off and suddenly he's leaning towards her again, and her heart is beating so fast she's positive he can hear it. Her brain is screaming all kinds of warnings at her but apparently she's put her heart into overdrive, because one of her hands comes up to cup his cheek as their lips meet again.
He's kissing her softly and sweetly and reassuringly, and her brain stops screaming and she swears her heart slows down and for a second she's not even sure if she's remembering to breathe. But then his arm comes up to wrap around her waist and pull her more flush against him, and suddenly she really doesn't even care if she's breathing because this; them, feels so incredibly right.
She never wants this moment to end. This feeling is one she never wants to let go of. And that, she suddenly realizes, is her answer. Try as she might, she will never be able to find another man like Booth. A man who rises to her challenges and challenges her right back. A man who is intelligent, courageous, selfless, and, well…gorgeous. A man who, with a hand on her back or a hug, or sometimes even with just a look, can make all her worries and fears disappear. For the first time (well, the first time she was willing to admit, even to herself), Brennan realized that she had no desire to try to find another man. She wants Booth. She wants this.
All too soon, Booth is ending the kiss, pulling back just enough to rest his forehead against her. When she finally brings herself to open her eyes, she finds his mere inches away. He's looking deeply into her eyes, and if she was capable of reading people she would say that his eyes were a mixture of trepidation and barely honed in hope.
"So what do you say, Bones? Are you willing to give this a shot?" She looks into his eyes, and tries to match the intensity she's seeing in his.
"Yes."
"Yes? Are you sure?" Booth looks absolutely bewildered, and Brennan is confused.
"Yes, Booth, I'm sure. Would you prefer I told you no?"
"No, Bones. God, no. I just, I guess I always expected this to be more complicated." She smiles, a wide smile, choosing not to torture him by pointing out the fact that he'd just admitted to picturing how something like this would happen between them.
"Why would it be complicated, Booth?" When he doesn't answer, she continues. "Everything about our lives is complicated. But this, this thing between us doesn't have to be. We care about each other, as more than partners, more than friends. This is the next logical step. I'm not going to run. You're not going to leave. More crazed serial killers aren't going to suddenly materialize and want to kill us. We can do this."
"My God, Temperance, you are amazing," he whispers, suddenly sounding breathless. He's shaking his head and smiling broadly. This is what he loves about this woman; about their relationship. Everything is give and take. They reassure each other, support each other, build each other up.
His arm is still around her waist, and at some point his other hand has come up to cradle her face. She brings one of her hands, which had been wrapped lightly around his waist, up to brush her fingertips lightly down his cheek, watching with a smirk as his eyes drift closed.
"I could say the same about you, Seeley." As his name slips through her lips, his eyes fly open and there is a new look in them, one that she can only classify under desire. His hand wraps around the back of her neck and he slams his lips down to meet hers. This kiss is deeper, more passionate, almost possessive. Normally she wouldn't tolerate such a thing, but she finds that she has no desire to pull away from him, ever. From her position on the counter, her legs come up to wrap tightly around his hips, and his arm tightens even more so around her waist. Someone moans, neither is sure who the sound originated from, but suddenly there is a growl-she's sure the sound came from him this time- and he's lifting her off the counter. Her legs tighten around him as he spins them around, and suddenly her back is up against the opposite wall. She notices that her head lands not against the wall, but against the back of Booth's hand, because even now, his first priority is her, and he'll never do anything to cause her pain. Her heart swells at the thought.
Their mouths are dueling and her hands are roaming until suddenly he changes their pace. He's kissing her more softly and begins to pull back, and she's reluctantly unwrapping her legs and bringing them down to the floor.
"Bones. Bones, Bones, Bones. You are going to kill me. We have to stop."
"I'm not following your logic." She looks up to meet his eyes, which are still a darker color than she's ever seen them. His arm is still pressed against the wall, the other laying on her hip, as he takes a shuddering breath.
"I don't want to rush this."
"Booth, it's been five years-"
"Bones, I know how long it's been. Trust me, I know. But I want to do this right. I want to date. To take you to dinner, open your door, the whole nine yards. You deserve that. We deserve that."
Normally, she would spout of some fact about alpha-males and how she can open her own doors, thankyouverymuch. But the look in his eyes (since when can she decipher the looks in his eyes?) tells her that this is important to him, and she'd be lying if she said it didn't sound nice. So instead, she bites her lower lip in a way that almost causes him to lose control all over again, and she reaches up to kiss him softly.
"Fine, Booth. We'll do this your way. But if you want to take this slow, then no offense, but it may be best for you to go. We don't seem to be doing very well with personal space at the moment." The grin he gives her only reaffirms her point, and so he begins walking towards her door, pulling her hand along with him. When he reaches the door he spins them around and pushes her up against it softly, not able to resist kissing her again.
As he pulls back, he informs her that he will be picking her up for dinner tomorrow at seven. He pecks her on the lips one last time before reaching around her for the door and making his exit. He turns to grin at her over his shoulder, trying not to take too much pride in the flushed look on her face.
"See ya tomorrow, Bones," he says with a little wave, as he makes his way down the hall. She locks the door (always keep your door locked, Bones) and nearly collapses on her couch, pulling her knees up to chest and grinning like a middle school girl who just got asked to the dance.
She isn't naive. She knows that this new aspect of their relationship won't be perfect. However, there is no doubt in her mind that no matter what, it will be worth it.
Fin!
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Thanks so much for reading! :)