(Sort of a long) A/N: I really like this chapter, but I'm sort of worried that this story is getting too dialogue-y. A lot of the Booth/Sweets fics I've read before (not that there are many) seem to have Booth in a really confident roll, seducing a sweet little clueless/inexperienced Sweets. I still like them, but I just don't really buy those rolls for them. I think Booth, if he really did have a crush on a man, would have some religious/macho man-related hang ups and be a bit of a mess trying to deal with all of his feelings. But, I could totally see Sweets being bi, or at least having a less narrow-minded view of sexuality than Booth, so I really wanted to write about Sweets walking Booth through all of his emotional issues. I have most of the next chapter of this done but to be totally honest, I don't have a ton of plot in mind. I have an idea for how I want Brennan and the rest of the Jeffersonian team to react to Booth and Sweets together, but I'm not really sure how to get them there. Reviews might motivate me to figure it out, though :) Okay, sorry for the long schpeel. Onto the story!

Oblivious to the tire screeches of Clark making a shell-shocked getaway, Booth and Sweets were completely wrapped up in each other, still gazing heatedly into each other's eyes once their lips finally parted. A random lady walked by them and wolf-whistled, breaking the moment. Suddenly remembering they were in the middle of a very public sidewalk, the two disentangled themselves from one another.

"So, uh, where does this go from here?" Booth asked, feeling more shy and inexperienced than he had felt since high school. Sure, he thought that kiss had been just about the best thing ever, but what did Sweets think? Was Booth actually a terrible kisser? He'd never had any complaints from the women he had kissed, but maybe there was something you were supposed to do differently when you kissed a man. Sweets let him squirm for just a moment, revelling just a little bit in the fact that it was him, Lance Sweets, dorky kid psychologist that was making the legendary Seely Booth nervous. But, not wanting to torture Booth too much, Sweets smiled at him and gently took his hand.

"Well, it's whatever you're comfortable with, of course," Sweets said, "But personally, I was kind of hoping this-" he gestured between them with the hand that wasn't holding Booth's- "would get in a cab and go to my apartment."

"Come on in," Sweets said, shutting the door behind Booth and heading into the kitchen, "Can I get you anything? I haven't been to the store lately, so I don't have too much, but there's always the basics, water, coffee, tea…" Sweets trailed off when he realized that Booth, rather than following him into the kitchen, had stopped just inside the door and was frozen with his coat halfway off and an unreadable expression on his face.

"Booth? Are you okay?" Sweets asked carefully. Booth, for his part, couldn't figure out what was wrong with himself. He'd enjoyed flirting with Sweets in the bar, been more than okay with it when Sweets kissed him, and he'd liked it when Sweets held his hand as they climbed into the cab, but the short cab ride to Sweets's place had given him just enough time to psyche himself out. He couldn't stop thinking about all of the expectations Sweets might have that none of the women he had slept with before had, listing all the reasons why he had no idea what he was doing, and imagining the look of disappointment on Sweets's face when he realized Booth was totally inexperienced and terrible in bed.

"Booth?" Sweets's voice cut through Booth's inner-monologue, "You're totally freaking me out, man. Please tell me what's wrong."

"What?" Booth croaked. Sweets's brow furrowed with worry.

"Okay, let's just sit down a second, okay?" When Booth nodded, Sweets led him to the living room and plopped down in the middle of the couch, patting the cushion next to him. Booth finally shed his coat, which was still hanging off of one arm, and draped it over the back of the couch before joining Sweets.

"Ughh, I'm sorry, Sweets," Booth groaned finally, hunching over to place his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands as he spoke. Sweets instinctively placed his hand on Booth's back, rubbing comforting circles and waiting (a little apprehensively) for Booth to elaborate.

"I've been super confident, even over confident, about sex since I was a teenager," Booth explained, his voice tinged with shame, "I don't know why I'm acting like a silly little virgin girl about this now." Any psychologist would have a field day with those linguistic markers, but Sweets wasn't trying to think like a psychologist in that moment.

"I… What?" Sweets spluttered, genuinely confused as to why Booth was bringing up sex, when Sweets had assumed, since they hadn't even really defined their relationship and Booth had never been with a man and Sweets wasn't really one for casual sex, that things wouldn't really go past kissing tonight. Did Booth think Sweets was propositioning him or something?

"Booth, all I did was offer you coffee or tea!" Sweets said indignantly.

"I know how it works, Sweets. I know you brought me back here for sex," Booth spat back at him, giving Sweets a really? look, "I knew that's what you were offering when you invited me. I wanted it. I still do want it. I just… I don't know, I guess I'm… panicking a little," he admitted finally.

"Booth." Booth didn't react. "Booth, look at me," Sweets tried again. Booth slowly raised his eyes to meet Sweets's, surprised to find, not disgust and judgement like he was expecting, but compassion, in them.

"I did not invite you over here to have sex," Sweets explained bluntly.

"You didn't?"

"No!" Sweets exclaimed, "I'm not really a sex on the first date kind of guy, if that even counted as a date, and even if I was…"

"Even if you were, what?" Booth asked incredulously.

"Booth, we spent a long time talking about your sexuality the other day," Sweets said carefully, "It's not like I don't know that I'm the first man you've ever been involved with. Maybe you don't think that should be a big deal, but I kind of think it is. I can't even begin to tell you how honored I am that you trust me enough to open yourself up to me that way, and if you think I'm going to betray that trust by so much as holding your hand when you don't want me to, well, then you need to raise your expectations for your romantic partners." Booth was embarrassed to find tears in the corners of his eyes, and he swiped at them gruffly. Sweets hoped they were good tears- he hadn't meant to get so forceful by the end of his little speech, but the thought of anyone trying to manipulate Booth into a sexual situation he wasn't totally comfortable with had made him surprisingly angry.

"Sweets," Booth murmured with a small smile, "When Parker is old enough to start dating, I'm putting you in charge of teaching him how he should treat his girlfriends." To anyone else, the comment might have seemed random, but Sweets understood: Booth saying that Sweets was the kind of man he wanted Parker to grow up to emulate was the highest form of compliment he could ever give. Booth gazed into Sweets's deep brown eyes, which were now shining with emotion.

"Can I kiss you?" Sweets whispered. Instead of answering, Booth cupped Sweets's youthful face in his hand, guiding his lips toward his own. This kiss was slower, more tender than their first, both men trying to pour all of the emotions they were feeling into it. Despite lacking the frantic passion of their first kiss, this kiss was still intense, especially after Booth tentatively pushed his tongue into Sweets's mouth and Sweets responded with enthusiasm, sensually licking at Booth's lips, tongue, and teeth in a way that made Booth sure he was going to need a cold shower very soon.

Both men were breathless by the time their lips parted, and Booth still held Sweets's face close to his own, pressing their foreheads together for a moment before letting go. Sweets stayed close, but he pulled back just enough so that he could look at Booth's face, a genuine smile lighting up his every facial feature, his eyes a lust-tinted dark brown.

"So… uh… what did you invite me back here for?" Booth panted, hoping Sweets's answer would involve more kissing.

"Oh… you know," Sweets started, suddenly uncomfortable, "I… uh… I just wanted to spend time with you."

"And you thought spending time would mean…?" Booth prompted, determined to get whatever was embarrassing Sweets out of him.

"I don't know, Booth!" Sweets said exasperatedly, "I mostly just wanted to talk and enjoy each other's company. And… Well, I thought we could kiss and maybe, you know, cuddle a little, if you wanted to… Sorry if that makes me a total sappy dork," Sweets finished softly. Booth marveled at the soft blush that stained Sweets's cheeks. How could he possibly be so dang cute?

"You're an adorable sappy dork," Booth assured him, "And that sounds perfect." Booth placed an arm around Sweet's middle and pulled himself and Sweets to lay side by side on the couch, so that Booth was spooning Sweets. Sweets, still blushing a little, pulled a throw blanket off of the arm of the couch and tossed it over them both, wiggling back a little to make sure he was as close to Booth as possible. Sweets's perfect ass wiggling so close to Booth's crotch sent a spark of something delicious coursing through his veins, but Booth bit back his moan. His emotions and sexual urges were giving him whiplash right now, and besides, Sweets was right; tonight was not the right time to have (what Booth was sure would be extremely hot) sex with Sweets. So, Booth just tightened his embrace on Sweets to get him to stop squirming around so much, nuzzled his face into Sweets's soft curls, and let himself enjoy the moment.

Booth was quiet for so long that Sweets thought he might have fallen asleep. This was fine with him- he was just enjoying the feel of Booth's strong arms around him- but it surprised him when Booth finally broke the pleasant silence.

"So, judging by the fact that I was the only one having a little freak out earlier, should I assume that I'm not the first man you've been involved with?" he asked. Sweets sighed exasperatedly.

"Are you sure that's what you want to talk about right now?" Sweets complained.

"I want to know."

"Okay," Sweets surrendered, flipping ungracefully over so that he could face Booth (Booth tried very hard not to think about which particular part of Sweets's anatomy this movement put in close proximity to his crotch), "Yes, I consider myself bisexual, and yes, I've been with a couple men before you. It's been several years, though; you know I've pretty much only dated women since I've worked at the FBI, and I haven't been with a man at all since grad school. And, even then, it was, uh… it wasn't very serious," Sweets finished somewhat lamely.

"Hey, I thought you just said you weren't a casual sex guy." Booth's tone was light-hearted and joking, but Sweets could tell his answer was important to him.

"I'm not," he said emphatically. "I would prefer this with you to casual sex with some random person any day," he told Booth, kissing him sweetly on the forehead, "But grad school… man, grad school is a different beast, Booth. Sometimes you just get desperate to feel anything but stress and inadequacy."

"Yeah, I guess if Bones's interns are any indication, you're probably right about that," Booth chuckled, "You'll, uh, you'll show me what to do, right? When the time comes, I mean." Booth's tone changed, unsure again, but Sweets just smiled at him.

"Of course." Sweets reassured Booth with another tender kiss on his lips. I can't imagine how uncomfortable he's been, making himself vulnerable with me so many times tonight, Sweets thought as Booth kissed him back, he must really want this to work. The thought made Sweets smile against Booth's lips.

"So, what did you want to talk about, then?" Booth asked curiously, his voice strong, his tone back to normal.

"Oh, uh, I don't know," Sweets stammered, surprised by the sudden shift, "I just want to get to know you better, I guess."

"But you already know everything about me!" Booth insisted, "You know my deepest, darkest secrets!" Sweets couldn't help but giggle at the earnest expression on Booth's face.

"Yes, but I don't even know your favorite color!" Sweets exclaimed, unable to stop laughing at the absurdity of knowing your coworker/friend/potential boyfriend's "deepest, darkest secrets" but not something as basic as his favorite color.

"Lavender," Booth deadpanned, causing Sweets to bury his face in Booth's chest and laugh even harder. "Dork," Booth muttered affectionately, but he couldn't help but laugh with Sweets.