Looking back, she always seemed to overlook how unpleasant he was. He really was cranky, now that she thought about it. She remembered the first time she had heard him really snap at Zach. It was ridiculous now, to think of it. Zach would always be Hodgins' best friend. Hodgins never said this, of course, but she always could read people. She understood all the actions Hodgins made towards the interns when they asked about Zach. There was a definite barrier there… yes, there was. They had every right to be curious about why the beloved intern before them was gone. None of them expected the fierce devotion evident in Hodgins though. He was never expected.
He was quite angry a lot, she supposed. With family like royalty that would never accept him being the 'bug man,' it was easy to see why he would experience strain. He was clever, there was no denying it, but his anger seemed to stem from his feeling of never knowing enough, never being quick enough. She remembered that silly rubber band he would snap on his wrist when Zach said some plainly rude thing about his usefulness. Hodgins used to take such joy in those short moments when he could test a possible murder weapon on the dummy. He always made Zach be the dummy.
He was also oddly gleeful, she argued to herself. Those moments when he found something that he knew Dr. Brennan would appreciate, his whole face would light up and he would scuttle away to wherever she was working. She laughed inwardly. He kind of did scuttle, she thought. He came off as a little hermit man when she first saw him, with his crazy curling hair and huge blue eyes; he was quite the spectacle.
He used to be just as bad as the rest of the squints. He had no people skills, she was fairly sure he had anger management problems, and he was brilliant. He fit perfectly in the dysfunctional family that was the Jeffersonian team. Though, he still does, she thought. He had developed people skills slowly, but they had come, with time. She liked to think she was a part of that transformation. She was sure that sleeping with him was part of the reason his mood improved so drastically. She distinctly remembered when Zach said "Naomi in Paleontology thinks he is so angry because he needs to 'get laid.'"
Though she also remembered, with shame, how she had not been thrilled to work with him. She had surely overlooked his unpleasantness—she tried to not be judgmental, and it was a daily struggle—but she did not like the way he shamelessly hit on her. She was mortified that she would be working with people who barely qualified as normal. But, when it came down to it she needed the money if she was going to get back to Paris. And she really, really wanted to go back to Paris.
It was funny, how they finally got together. It had always been purely physical—probably based on their shared frustration, their shared need for someone. And then… it was something. Something that could probably be considered a normal relationship containing two normal people. Hodgins was never a completely normal person, she thought. But, he had put his genius mind to better uses. He was absolutely darling when he asked her to marry him. It had been so stressful when the wedding had halted, but even after learning that she was married already, Hodgins just seemed to love her more. He was so dedicated when he had a cause. He was determined to find her husband. He was nervous, too, though. She remembered reassuring him, again and again. He was darling, really. His mind reverted to his anger management days and he doubted whether he would be enough. But he was. He was enough.
And then things changed. She didn't like to think about that—she didn't like it one bit. It was losing her best friend. There was no other way to describe it. She had abstained for months, she had devoted herself to her art, she had spent time with Roxie, and she had spent time with Wendell, but it was never quite right. She hadn't realized it at the time, but it wasn't. And there was also the pregnancy scare. She thought that was what opened her eyes. Hodgins said, "I'm your guy." He had never stopped loving her, she knew now. Wendell had talked about bearing the consequences. But Hodgins was her guy. He was always her guy.
The day they both realized that was the day they spent in jail. Throwing pennies into a cup. Throwing pennies into a cup. And then they were kissing, and then they were married, and it was splendid. And he was perfect. And now, now they were going to have a baby.
She glanced down at the ring on her left hand. Yes, Hodgins had definitely come a long way.