Oddball Surprises for Bones
A/N: This is way too short, but planning a wedding takes a lot of time. I'm adapting one of the prompts for anti-Valentine's Day to write a story based on another February holiday. I've covered a whole bunch of them in this little piece. Hope you enjoy.
Brushing his teeth one snowy morning in late January, Booth mulled the coming Valentine's holiday which his partner derided as a merely commercial construct which prompted inordinate ill-considered spending by illogical consumers trying to demonstrate their affection for one another. He had loved her Tommy gun idea for him the previous year; it was so original and uniquely characteristic of his Bones. Spitting and rinsing several times, he grinned at himself in the bathroom mirror at the idea that just struck him.
He'd celebrate the other holidays of February with her! On Lincoln's birthday, they'd have a picnic lunch on the Memorial steps where they'd sat together so often. None of this Presidents' Day for Seeley Booth. Both Abraham and George deserved individual recognition. On Washington's birthday, he'd bring her fresh cherries for a tasty, vegan-approved, non-pie treat. If there was anything Temperance Brennan disdained, it was fruit pie or cooked fruit in any form for that matter! Procuring fresh organic cherries in the midst of a D.C. winter wouldn't be easy or cheap, but his partner was worth every cent he might spend.
Booth resolved to check the internet for a list of February holidays once he got his first cup of coffee at the office. There had to be some 'off the wall' ideas he could utilize to give his partner a pleasant surprise. He knew there were several menu-related national days of observance for various foods, and with all the late-evening take-out meals he shared with Brennan as they finished case reports, he'd have plenty of opportunities to surprise her in the month ahead.
In keeping with his foodie ideas, he'd bring her butter pecan ice cream for breakfast on that odd holiday, and carrot cake for its national day of recognition, knowing it was one of her favorite varieties of cake. That one he could bake himself, using Grams' generations-old family recipe she'd taught him the summer he turned ten. He could combine National Chocolate Fondue Day, Nutella Day, Chocolate Soufflé Day and Dark Chocolate Day with her favorite desserts at Martino's, hoping the two of them didn't need to observe National Toothache Day afterwards.
And the fettucine alfredo house specialty would be a perfect entree for that night's celebratory dinner, since it was one of Brennan's preferred meals; a weakness and near-addiction of hers his closest "guy-hug" friend stoutly refused to acknowledge. Guy hug indeed, what a wuss he'd been that day, he thought ruefully. Who would 'a thought there was a Fettucine Alfredo Day? Probably "thunk up" by some struggling Italian restauranteur. That had been one of Aunt Frannie's classic expressions. God, how he missed his fun-loving, nephew-indulging aunt! When he needed inspiration for what to do with Parker on a Saturday, he'd just think back to the wonderful outings his aunt and her partner Ruth would so often plan to entertain Jared and him.
It would be great romantic fun to celebrate National Shower with a Friend Day together, but observing that very private holiday together would have to wait a few more years in the future. At least he hoped they'd get there someday…before too long…come on, Lord, give a guy a break, please, and give Bones a little nudge, if I'm right, he whispered silently, gazing at the ceiling.
He chuckled to himself at the one holiday his partner would have trouble observing but never admit it…National Get Up Day! Temperance Brennan woke up insanely early for work every weekday, and many weekends, but Booth knew how much she actually loved sleeping in when she got the rare chance to do so. Maybe he could bend the rules a little bit, and buy her a card for National Women Physicians Day. Bones might not be an M.D. or D.O, but she had three doctorates, more than most medical folks; and that ought to count for something! It would also knock out another holiday, National Send a Card to a Friend Day. Surely Hallmark or American Greetings had a hand in popularizing that one, he smirked to himself. Pops had frequently made his own cards for Grams, sputtering disdainfully at the claptrap he'd found in stores. His beloved grandfather was a decent amateur poet, and Margaret Booth had kept every card her husband ever sent. Her favorites resided in a pasta-festooned cigar box Edwin had made in third grade for Christmas.
The gold spray paint from that era must have been really potent to have lasted so long! For decades, the agent mused, creative grammar school teachers had been helping their students create parent gifts on a shoestring budget, often out of their own pockets. Booth and Rebecca always supported Parker's teachers with practical gift cards, but he resolved to give Mrs. Edmunds an additional check for art supplies at the next teacher conference.
Thinking of Parker made Booth realize he could combine two holiday observances to delight his two favorite people; Give Kids A Smile Day, and Frozen Yogurt Day. Rebecca approved of that treat for their son, and smiling around Bones and Parker was as easy as pie, the proud father thought.
Pie…his stomach rumbled. Engrossed in his holiday idea, Booth had skipped breakfast and it was still four hours til he could meet Brennan at the diner for lunch. Better go see if anyone had left donuts in the break room, and then get to work. It was going to be a fun month slipping treats into the lab when his partner least expected them. Maybe he ought to recruit Hodgins for his plans. The two of them could help each other outfox their respective 'best friends' with surprises. Booth pulled his phone from his lapel pocket and dialed.
"Hey, Hodgins, it's Booth. I've got an idea I'd like to run by you…"