Yay! Random B/B fluff! Aren't you excited? I know I am.

A Well-Balanced Breakfast

"I definitely need Cocoa Puffs," Booth said, grabbing a box and tossing it into the cart.

Brennan sighed and picked the box back up, replacing it on the shelf. "You do not need Cocoa Puffs. It is unhealthy to start your day with that much sugar." She strolled down the aisle a ways, leaving Booth staring mournfully at his beloved puffs, and grabbed a box of Muesli. "Here," she said, holding the box out for him to see. "This is a much better choice. It's rich in calcium and fiber."

"Yeah, but it doesn't have a cool bird mascot that's cuckoo for it," he pointed out, jogging after her.

"You choose your cereals based on their mascot?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Yeah," he said, like it was obvious. "Like Tony the Tiger. He's the mascot for Frosted Flakes. He is awesome. Or should I say 'grrrrreat!'"

She frowned. "I don't know why you should say that, Booth," she said, giving him a bewildered look. "But it's illogical to pick your food based on how cool the animal depicted on its container is."

"You do realize, Bones, that that's basically what every kid in America does."

"Well, now I know the psychological reasons behind the upturn in childhood obesity."

Booth sighed. "Jeez, Bones, you sure know how to take the magic out of a guy's cereal."

"It's relatively easy, Booth, when it wasn't magical to start with."

"C'mon, Bones, you must've had a favorite cartoon character when you were little."

She was quiet for a minute as they made their way down through the dairy section. Booth grabbed some chocolate pudding and tossed it into the cart. "I guess I enjoyed Bugs Bunny," she finally said.

"There you go, Bones," Booth said happily, giving her a friendly bump in the shoulder. "You know, there are moments when you seem almost human."

"I am human, Booth."

"Yes, Bones, technically. But you're a special kind of human. You're squinty. You're a squinty human."

Brennan frowned, her brow furrowing. "A squinty human? I feel like I should be offended."

Booth smiled and grabbed some cheese off the shelf. "It's a compliment, Bones. Trust me."

"If you say so," she said warily, but when she reached for a carton of milk, she was smiling.

He smiled too and hopped on the back of the cart as Brennan pushed it towards the vegetable aisle. "Booth," she said, "what are you doing?"

"Riding on the cart," he said, grinning.

"You're like a little boy," she said, craning her neck to see around him so she didn't crash into any unwitting bystanders.

"I feel like I should be offended," he said.

She smiled. "It's a compliment, Booth. Trust me."

"If you say so," he said.

They went by a stand loaded with six packs of Coke and Booth grabbed one as they passed, adding it to the cart. Brennan pointed out that they were loaded with caffeine and high fructose corn syrup, but allowed them to remain in the cart. As they turned down another aisle in search of coffee, Booth hopped off the cart. "Your turn, Bones," he said.

"Booth," she said, her eyes narrowed, "I'm not riding on the back of the cart."

"C'mon, Bones," he wheedled. "It's fun."

"I am mature," she informed him.

"You mean uptight," he said, but his tone was teasing. He pushed her towards the end of the cart, but she remained obstinate, crossing her arms and refusing to step up onto the bar. "Bones, c'mon, you've got to."

"No, I don't. I have this thing called free will."

He sighed, looking momentarily defeated, before an idea occurred to him. Brennan, who was standing a few feet away, did not like the look of his suddenly animated face. She liked it even less when he moved towards her, his eyes shining with mischief. He lunged forward and wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her off the ground. "Booth!" she squealed, as he shifted her in his arms so that he was cradling her, one arm supporting her back, the other resting in the bend of her knees.

"Bones!" he echoed, grinning down at her flushed face.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

He winked at her and she had the sudden, irrational wish that he would hold her for a little longer. She shook the thought away quickly as he walked back to the cart and deposited her inside it among the cereal, milk, cheese and pudding. "Nothing can stand in the way of Seeley Booth," he declared. "Not even free will."

And with that, he began walking down the aisle, pushing a Bones-laden cart in front of him. "Booth," she said, "I feel ridiculous."

"Calm down, Bones," he said. "Enjoy the ride."

He grabbed a loaf of bread and dropped it in her lap. He added some bagels and English muffins to the pile until she was half-buried in baked goods. An older woman passed them and smiled and he realized that to her, they must seem like a couple. The thought was oddly pleasing to him. More pleasing than it should've been. He felt like a five-year-old playing pretend.

He shook his head slightly to clear his thoughts. "Bones, do you, uh, need mustard?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Okay," he said softly, distractedly.

She shifted in the cart so that she could look at him. "Are you okay?" she asked him.

"Yeah," he said, a little too quickly. "I'm fine. I'm good. You…are you good?"

She frowned, her brow furrowing in that way that made her look so innocent and so beautiful. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, Bones," he said. "Why do you ask?"

"You just got really quiet," she said.

"I was just…thinking," he said evasively, focusing his attention on the multitude of barbecue sauce brands rather than meeting her gaze.

"About what?"

He sighed and grabbed a bottle, plopping it in the cart beside her. "Nothing, Bones. Just…nothing."

"Okay," she said softly, turning away from him.

They walked on in silence for a while, until they reached the vegetable aisle. "Booth, can you help me out of the cart?"

"What? You're not having fun?" he asked, suddenly feeling bad for putting a damper on the mood.

"I actually found the experience quite enjoyable," she admitted, "but I like to pick out my own vegetables."

He laughed softly. "Fine," he said. "I guess you can be released."

He walked to the side of the cart as she stood up, holding her waist with one hand, and steadying the cart with the other. She placed her hands on his shoulders for balance, and tried not to think about his hand on her hip, his fingers holding her, keeping her from falling. Once she was up, he shifted his other hand to her waist and lifted her out of the cart, gently lowering her to the ground.

As her feet hit the ground, their eyes locked. His arms slipped around her waist. Her hands trailed from his shoulders to rest lightly against his chest. "Thank you," she said, her voice soft and a little breathless.

He swallowed and nodded slightly. "No problem."

She took a shaky step away from him and turned towards the apple selection. "I found a recipe for apple pie I thought I might try," she told him.

"Oh?" he said, shaking himself back to reality.

"Yeah," she said, focusing intently on each apple she picked out. "I thought I might make it this Saturday when Parker comes over. We could have it for desert after the Nationals game."

"Yeah, definitely," Booth said, taking the bag of apples she handed him and placing it in the cart. "That's really nice of you, Bones."

"Well," she said softly. "I know how much you like pie."

He nodded, a soft smile gracing his lips. "I do like pie." His eyes trailed across her face, landing for a beat on the swell of her lips. "I like it very much."

She smiled, a little hesitantly, and made her way over to the vegetables, grabbing a bag of lettuce and a few peppers. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," he said as he scanned a row of bananas.

"What do you eat for breakfast?"

He glanced over at her. "You don't know?"

"Well, I know you like oatmeal with brown sugar, and Cocoa Puffs, and pancakes because that's what you had that time we stayed up all night for a stakeout and went to the diner at dawn, but we never really have breakfast together." She turned towards him, suddenly feeling insecure at his silence. "I was just wondering," she said hastily. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

He chuckled. "No, it's just…" He trailed off. Shook his head. "It's just funny. I'm so used to eating with you, I never really realized that all those meals are usually lunch and dinner."

"Well, we have breakfast before coming to work, so it's normal that we wouldn't share that meal."

He nodded as she made her way back over to him, adding her veggies to the cart. "I normally eat eggs," she offered. "Or toast."

"Never the two together?" he asked, smiling. "Always one or the other?"

She shrugged. "Usually. One time I had some banana bread with my eggs, but most of the time I choose either one."

"What about your Muesli?" he asked, grabbing the box from the cart and giving it a shake.

"I have it sometimes," she told him, "but I prefer hot breakfasts."

"Because their more healthy?" he teased.

"No," she said, "because they're more…comforting."

"Comforting?"

"Yeah," she said, her tone almost shy. "It's nice to start the day with something warm."

He nodded and unconsciously lifted his hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "I know what you mean," he murmured.

She closed her eyes at his touch, unconsciously moving closer to him. "Booth?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I tell you something?"

"Of course," he said gently.

She opened her eyes and focused them on his face. "When you were holding me before…" She trailed off and her gaze skittered away from his face. "That felt good." She swallowed and met his eye again. "I mean…I liked having you hold me."

He smiled. "I liked holding you, Bones," he told her, his voice soft and rough.

"What does that mean?" she asked him.

He shook his head slightly. Shifted closer to her. "It means…It means that you're my girl. My Bones."

She smiled slightly at that and tilted her head towards his. "What does that make you?"

He slipped his arm around her waist and drew her close. "Your guy."

"My guy," she breathed, her voice low and wondering.

He nodded and held her tight against his broad chest. "Can I kiss you?" he asked.

She leaned towards him. Nodded. "Yeah," she said and so he kissed her, right there under the fluorescent lights of the vegetable aisle. She wound her arms around his neck and pressed against him, craving the feel of his body, the heat of his skin, the tingle of his fingers as they trailed along her lower back.

She parted her lips and he pressed deeper, tasting her taste, breathing her breath, until he felt the lines blur and fade, until he was just a man and she was just the woman he loved. He moved his lips to her cheek and kissed her there. Kissed her jaw and chin. Felt her melt against him, her cheek resting against his shoulder, her lips at his neck. "Booth," she sighed, the sound somewhere between contentment and desire.

"My Bones," he said, smiling.

She lifted her head so she could meet his gaze. "Let's go home."

His eyes flashed with something she had seen many times before but only now allowed herself to recognize as lust. "Okay."

—BB—

Booth woke up, stretched and groaned when his body shifted against the very warm, very soft body that was currently draped across him. "Bones," he mumbled sleepily, happily.

Bones was in his bed. Even better than that, Bones was naked in his bed. How many times had he dreamed this only to wake up cold, alone, and extremely turned on? But this wasn't a dream. This was very real.

Brennan began to stir, making him groan as she moved against him. "Mmm, Booth," she mumbled, opening a pair of sleepy, blue eyes and focusing them on his face. "Morning."

He smiled and kissed her nose. "Morning."

She smiled too and moved up his body, pressing a light kiss to his lips. "I like waking up like this," she told him.

"Me too," he said softly.

"So," she said, absently trailing her fingers across his chest. "Are you going to show me what you have for breakfast?"

"In a minute," he said.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked him.

He grinned and rolled them over so that she was pinned beneath him. "Well, Bones, if you didn't already know—the only thing I like more than starting my day with a hot breakfast, is starting my day with you."

"Mmm," she hummed. "I like the way you think."

"I'm glad," he said, his lips hovering just above hers. "Because it might be a while before we get to the breakfast table."

Gosh, I just love them to pieces. They are the cutest things ever. Especially in bed.

So, anyways, aren't I nice for giving you fluff during these angsty times? If you, I don't know, want to thank me or something, you could press that little blue button and review. I'd be much obliged.