Trailer S4 E 05-- With thanks to celtic33 for his proofreading and suggestions!
The three of them were lined up at the lab's urinals, talking with their eyes cast straight ahead at the wall, because their friendly sarcasm toward one another was but an overlay for the deep respect each had come to have for the other. Plus, it's just rude to eye another guy's equipment.
"Dude, I didn't want to mention this upstairs," Jack said slowly, "but... um... did you see next week's trailer?"
Booth nodded, grimly, the muscle at the edge of his handsome, chiseled jaw the only sign of the deep inner turmoil he felt as the voiceover narrator implied that Bones was going to hop in the sack with a pretty boy squint. "I did. Of course, we're just characters, we won't really know until they air the episode if it's just titillation, or if they're going to mess up continuity again after the Wexler thing." He sighed, then admitted to the two men who appeared to be his only male friends on the show, that "I'm also concerned that this implication is out of character for Bones. I mean, she's a well-regarded professor, she can't honestly think it would be appropriate to cross that line... especially after what happened with Stires. I mean, Bones is emotionally obtuse, but surely she learned her lesson in that episode, about maintaining purely professional relationships..." He trailed off, regretting all over again his own damned line, and damning his hypocritical thoughts. He could hardly condemn her for her relationship with Stires or this looming new terror when he wanted to blow his own "professional" line out of the water.
Sweets finished his business, zipped up, and headed to the sink. "I certainly hope it's just titillation, it would be cruel to the viewers, not to mention you, to allow things to appear as though Dr. Brennan was willing to engage in some celibacy while she processes Inspector Pritchard's words about climbing Mt. Everest."
Booth smiled in memory. Pritch was hot, and it was flattering for a female character to finally express some real interest in him, but in the end, she just wasn't Bones. But he affected macho bravado, tinged as ever by his alpha-male possesssive feelings for Bones. "Yeah, tallest mountain in the world, and I'll rope it all off as soon as Bones grabs my icepick."
Hodgins guffawed. "Nice, dude."
But then Booth fell serious again, and said, softly, "Really, though, you'd think we could just have a few episodes of hurt/comfort or friendship/implied romance and give my poor, tired heart a break." His soulful deep eyes showed a world of weariness, and Jack and Sweets averted their gazes, wishing their actors could do more with just shifting facial expressions, like Booth's actor could.
The door to one of the stalls opened then, and Max Keenan emerged, shaking his head. "I agree with you, son, and I can't help but blame myself for Temperance's shyness at lasting relationships, and her refusal to interact with all men but you on only an intellectual or mere physical basis. If I hadn't abandoned her, perhaps she'd be more willing to open her bed to you, and not just her heart, which already scares her witless, and causes her to act hot and cold around you."
Booth nodded, appreciating the other alpha-male's understanding, even as he agreed that Max's abandonment of his poor Bones had caused her to terribly disassociate her heart from her brain and her body, so much so sometimes that he despaired of ever helping her put them back together. "Thanks, Max. But in the meantime, I'll just have to be outwardly stoic, while inside, I hide deep, heartrending sobs of loneliness."
Max clapped him on the shoulder as Jack and Sweets continued some discussion over by the sink, then bent in and said, quietly, "Want me to get that grad student out of the way... permanently?"
A dark expression passed over Booth's face as he reflected that there was very little he wouldn't do, in the end, to make Temperance his. "We shouldn't be talking about this, Max. Besides, you left a real mess the last time, and I don't want to have to clean up after you again."
Max backed off, saying only, "Cleaner this time, got it," then nipped out of the bathroom before Booth could say anything. He was an unpredictable guest star, after all. Booth wasn't sure that even he could control Max's actions toward Bones' best interests.
Just then, Sid came in. "Sid!" they all cried.
"Man, what are you doing here? I thought you said your actor died?" Booth shook his head in wonderment, missing Sid's pies all over again.
Sid grimaced. "Nah. A bad IMDB and celebrity gossip site got Heavy D confused with one of his Boyz. The reports of my death are deeply exaggerated, which means I'm really annoyed, because now there's no good reason for having written me off the show."
Sweets, swallowing nervously, recalled the "cognate psychologist" comment the bartender had made, but Sid, always perceptive, smiled at him encouragingly. "Kid, don't worry, I'll settle for an every third episode cameo, or for them to replace the diner with Wong Fu's again."
Jack nodded. "Well, maybe if enough people write and comment on fansites and fanfics that they want you back, the writers will listen. Kind of like Tinkerbell and clapping to let her know that people believe."
Booth sighed, sensitively. "God, I hope so, and while they're at it, they can weigh in on that grad student. He's way too good looking for my comfort level."
Jack clapped him on the shoulder, suppressing his burgeoning man-crush. "Nah, man, the kid's too soft-looking. Kind of like a younger Ryan Seacrest-- and everyone knows he's either gay, or a total patsy. You're her rock, man."
Feeling encouraged by the manly show of support, Booth brightened, then leered, and waggled his eyebrows. "I'm her gun, too." The rest of them laughed, then followed him out of the bathroom, each reflecting in their own, totally platonic, completely respectful, heteronormative way, how good Booth looked in that suit.
