Sorry for the delay!
This one goes out to the lovely JMHaughey, who, as part of the fun Secret Santa project by biba79, requested B&B with some romance and humor and maybe a little angst. I've put this in the M rated section, since all of my stories are there, but this one is minimal M for Merry Christmas (late!)
-b&b-
Booth's gloved hand clenched the steering wheel, and Brennan admired the way his dark gray wool coat stretched along his arms and shoulders as he maneuvered the SUV through the snowy city.
"Oh, check it out, Bones," his voice had a breathy quality as he pointed to a street corner where a man was selling what appeared to be rows and rows of evergreen trees. "We should get one when we're done eating."
"No," she scoffed gently. "I don't think so."
"What?" he flashed her a surprised look. "It's a Christmas tree, Bones. We have to have one."
"No we don't," she insisted.
"It's a tradition," he countered, and she shrugged a shoulder.
"In earlier centuries, the first Christmas trees were cut down by local young men, and then they gathered the young women in the town and brought them into the town squares to be burned.
"The trees or the women?" he joked.
"The tree, Booth," she blandly replied, either not getting his joke or refusing to participate. "Don't be ludicrous."
"Oh," he muttered, too low to be heard. "I want a Christmas tree, and I'm the ludicrous one?"
"What was that?"
"Nothing…nothing…" he shook his head. When he didn't say anything else and just clenched the steering wheel again, her chin jutted out in defiance.
"Clearly you are not being truthful."
"You know, Bones," he gruffed out. "I'm just getting a little tired of you spouting all this stuff about respecting traditions all over the world as if their very existence makes them valid. But if I have something that's important to me, then it's ludicrous."
"What's your point?" she answered after a few seconds, her voice turning slightly icy.
"My point," he shifted in his seat and spared her a glance. "Is that Christmas is mine."
"It's not yours, Booth. It's-"
"I meant, it's my tradition. Christmas tree. Eggnog. Stockings. All of it. Tradition."
She didn't reply, and he didn't continue.
After several moments, she looked at him and asked him where he wanted to eat dinner. "How about Chinese?"
"Whatever you want, Bones," he told her, and she almost flinched at his tone. He'd said those four words to her many times, usually warm, in bed, his fingers lightly tracing her skin in anticipation of her revealing her desires. But now he just sounded resigned, tired and annoyed.
Well, that was fine, she told herself, staring back out the window.
"Actually, I'm not that hungry," he said softly, and her eyebrows rose. "If you want something, we can pick it up, but I'm good."
Brennan looked at him for a few seconds, but when he didn't look at her, she looked in her lap. "I'm not hungry either, so that's fine."
"Fine," he repeated. "Just…fine," he muttered under his breath. He pulled into a parking spot outside her apartment and surprised her again when he didn't turn off the ignition after putting it in park.
"You're not coming up?" Brennan asked, and his jaw ticked just before he rubbed it with one hand.
"Nah, I'm just going to go home," he answered, his tone deceptively casual, though he still didn't look at her. It's been a long day."
Brennan blinked rapidly but didn't say another word as she unfastened her seatbelt, grabbed her bag and quickly left the SUV. She didn't look back as she opened up the door to her apartment, but she did think about it all for the entire night. Tossing and turning and wondering how long this stand-off would last, she traced the spare pillow near her head, already missing Booth's presence. Part of her wanted to go over to his apartment and part of her wanted to see how long he would hold out.
-b&b—
He lasted until the next morning.
Early the next morning…outside her door, looking like he hadn't slept a wink and holding coffees the size of which they usually left for the mornings after all-nighters.
He didn't say anything about a Christmas tree, and he did lean in to kiss her hello. Their lips lingered for a second, and his softened, and when he pulled back, Brennan stared into his eyes and saw he was apologetic.
He drove her to work and then called her toward lunch time to say he had to pick up the rest of Parker's Christmas gift. "Do you mind getting a cab over to my place?" he asked. "Or if you want, I can swing by now and we can get your car."
"I don't mind, Booth," she answered, leaning back in her desk chair as an idea formed in her mind. "I will come to your apartment later."
"Thanks, Bones," he breathed a sigh of relief. "You're the best."
-b&b—
(Later that evening)
Brennan handed over the cash to the cab driver, and once she was one the sidewalk with her things, she dialed Booth's number.
"Booth," he answered in his usual terse tone.
"It's me," Brennan replied. "Come outside, please. I have something for you."
"Outside, where?" he asked.
Brennan's brow furrowed as she considered his question. "Outside your apartment obviously. I know where you are, Booth. Why would I tell you to come outside of a building you weren't in? That would be incredibly illogical, and as you know-"
"Fine," she could practically hear him rolling his eyes. "I'm coming down. Hold on."
Brennan waited a minute, and then she saw Booth walk outside toward her. When she saw him and her purchase, he froze, but not in the surprised happiness she'd expected.
"What in the hell is this?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
Brennan frowned. "A tree. Technically it's a pine-"
"I know what it is," he interrupted. "But what I don't understand is why you have it here. Why didn't you tell me you were doing this?"
"I…bought it," she explained, her spine stiffening at his lack of enthusiasm. "As a gift for you. Obviously you are not interested in receiving it, though I have no idea why."
He stared at her for a moment, and then shook his head with a sigh and walked toward her. "Come on." With one hand, he fisted into the tree until he wrapped his palm around the middle, and he picked it up and turned to walk back toward his apartment.
Little needles trailed in his wake, and Brennan was quick to catch up to him. "You should know that it was incredibly inconvenient to haul this here, Booth," she climbed the stairs to his apartment after him. "However, I'm told it's one of the best trees to have at this time of year, so that should satisfy your need to have-" her voice trailed off when he opened his front door and proceeded to walk inside his apartment and plant the tree she'd purchased right beside the one he'd purchased. "What in the hell is this?"
His eyebrows rose and he faced her, once again crossing his arms over his chest. "A tree. A pine tree, Bones. For Christmas."
"But…why didn't YOU tell me you were doing this?" she frowned. "I got you one! It was supposed to be a thing…to make up for last night," her head tilted to the side and their eyes met, hers communicating hopefulness that he would understand her intent.
He shook his head and a smile threatened to curve up one side of his mouth. "And I got this one…" he thumbed toward the tree he'd purchased. "Because it was also supposed to be a thing…to make up for last night," he repeated her words. "I wanted to prove to you that it could be special. Our thing," he walked toward her and his voice dropped lower the nearer he moved.
Brennan's eyes roved over his chest and her hands landed against his shoulders when he tugged her into his arms.
"We certainly make quite a pair," she offered, by this point able to see the ironic humor in the situation.
"That we do, Bones," Booth sighed with a smile. "That we do."
They both leaned in for a short kiss and when she pulled back, she looked over his shoulder toward the two bare pine trees. "What are we supposed to do about those?"
Booth's eyebrows waggled before he pulled back and grinned, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "We are going to decorate them. I've got lights and garland and ornaments, and we can string popcorn, and I've already put on Christmas music, and it's going to be amazing." He nearly laughed with childlike excitement, and Brennan couldn't help but chuckle along with him.
It wasn't necessarily her preference, but he was her preference, and so she figured this was a good concession. "You know, Booth," she followed him into the kitchen and watched as he poured another small pitcher of water. "I almost purchased one of those artificial trees. Some of them are even pre-lit. It's quite efficient, and-" she stopped speaking when he tossed her a disgusted look.
"Don't even think about it, Bones. Real all the way. That's the only way to do it."
She snorted and examined the pine needles already scattered on the floor. "Let me guess. Tradition?"
"That's right," he nodded, and they got to work.
It took a few hours, but they finally had both trees decorated. There had been bickering and some heated discussions, but mostly smiling and kissing, and when they were done, Booth insisted they turn all of the lights off to "fully appreciate the amazingness, Bones."
The trees were pretty, and Brennan murmured her approval. Booth grinned and tugged Brennan close and pressed a kiss to her cheek before he laughed and pulled her fully into his arms. They swayed a bit to the music and then he dipped her over his arm. She gasped and gripped his arms, but when he pulled her back up, she was flushed, smiling and pretty, the twinkling Christmas lights creating a lovely haloed effect around her.
Booth's mouth parted, and his eyes softened as he took in her beautiful features. "I'm sorry I acted badly last night," he murmured, and her fingers immediately tightened against his bicep.
"Booth-"
"No, I mean it," he offered and pulled her over to the couch. He sat down and pulled her onto his waist until she was straddling him. His hands rested against her hips, and he met her eyes with his. "The thing is, Bones…" he swallowed. "I like my traditions, but…I discovered last night that I'd rather be with you than have any of them."
A smile crossed her face, and she gently traced the curve of his jaw. "I felt the same way, Booth. I see no need in fancy holiday decorations, but…if it means being with you," she leaned down and let her lips follow the path her fingers had trailed. "I want that."
"Hmmm," he turned his face so they could kiss properly. His hands on her hips moved to her back as he pressed her flush against him. Soon she was flat on her back on the couch and he was staring down at her. "Perhaps…" he began, a shy hint to his tone. "We can have our own traditions."
Her fingers slipped beneath his shirt, and she brought the material up and over his chest, shoulders and head. "I think that is a wonderful idea, Booth…" she agreed, already skimming her fingers and mouth over his bare skin. "Though I don't think two trees should be one of them."
"Aw, Bones," he pouted playfully. "I was thinking that would be perfect. I would pick one out, and you could pick one out, and then we could decide who had the best one, which obviously would be mine, because I…oh," he groaned and his head fell forward into her neck as she undid his pants and slid her hand inside to find him hard and ready for her.
"You were saying?" Brennan teased, her palm doing serious damage to Booth's self control.
He let out a low growl and knocked her hand away before rising up off the couch and stripping out of all of his clothes. Brennan admired the tall length of his body with the lighted tree backdrop, and she stretched out her hand toward him. Booth took it and knelt by the couch, leaning in to kiss her lips as he helped her dispose of her clothing as well. When she was fully naked, she figured he'd climb back up to the couch, but instead, he pulled her down toward him, until he was flat on his back, and she was over him.
Soft cries and low groans filled the space of Booth's apartment as they joined, and when they were both satisfied, Brennan tucked her head on Booth's chest and sighed happily.
"This is definitely going to be one of the traditions," he declared huskily, and she chuckled, her own voice raspy from their physical interlude.
Brennan rose up on her knees and stared down at him before standing up fully. "I believe there could be more room for traditions in your bed, Booth."
One of his eyebrows quirked up in hopefulness, and she laughed at the picture he made, naked and happy and lying on a floor lightly dusted with pine needles. "Don't those hurt your back?" she commented after he stood up, and she wiped a few off of his bare skin.
"Nah," he shrugged and caught her to him and made his way back to his bedroom. "When I'm with you, baby, nothing hurts."
Brennan smiled and accepted his kisses when he laid her in the center of his bed and followed her down, covering her body with his. "I'm glad to hear it," was all she said before they both proved to one another once again that being together was almost always about pleasure.
-b&b-