A/N OK, so I wasn't actually intending for this to be anything more than a oneshot, but I decided to continue. Reviews and welcomed, of course, and I hope you enjoy it!
"So, Grasshopper, I think I've decided on a perfect way for you to loosen up a little
When Booth picked her up from court later that afternoon to drive her back home, he mentioned nothing of their conversation. They discussed the case that she had just wrapped up, and he asked her of her plans for the weekend. Temperance thought that he had forgotten about his plan, however when he turned to look at her as they stopped at a red light, she realised she hadn't been so lucky.
"So, Grasshopper, I think I've decided on a perfect way for you to loosen up a little..."
"Does it involve copious amounts of alcohol?" she asked hopefully. If she had to be forcefully dragged out of her comfort zone, she wanted to have some fun while doing it.
"Nope."
"It's not a tattoo, is it?"
"Nope. But you're getting warmer."
"I don't think I like the sound of that."
"Well you'd better start liking it, because we're almost there."
"Where?" The panic started to make itself known in her voice, and hers eyes widened. She hadn't taken him entirely seriously when he suggested that they do something impulsive together, and now she was beginning to regret her decision to go along with his plan.
"You'll soon find out," he replied in a sing-song tone, a wicked grin growing on his face.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
A few minutes later (or what seemed like hours later for Temperance) they turned off of the main road and down a side street. Shadows were immediately cast throughout Booth's car, adding to the mysterious atmosphere he hoped he was creating for her. He had noticed her tense up in her seat a little and he'd been mildly aware that she was wringing her hands together nervously, but that was all part of the fun for him - seeing the usually cool-as-nails Temperance Brennan becoming increasing flustered as they drove farther downtown was really appealing to his slightly more sadistic side.
"Will you please tell me where we're going?"
"I can't, it'll ruin the surprise."
"Oh, come on!"
"You just have to trust me, Bones. You do trust me, don't you?" She thought about his question for a moment - Booth had practically abducted her and wouldn't tell her where they were going. And he had mentioned jumping out of a plane. So, right now, she didn't entirely trust him. "Your silence says it all, Bones."
"Well what do you want me to say? I have to trust you; you won't let me have my own gun."
"Wow, you sure know how to make a guy feel special!" He shot her a look of mock-hurt and put a hand on his pretend broken heart.
"I'll tell you that I trust you if you tell me where we're going."
"No deal."
"Why?"
"Because you're about to find out for yourself." He gestured out of the passenger window towards a row of buildings. They were all dark and sinister-looking, except the one furthest away, which had bright blue neon signage in the window and was very sinister-looking. They weren't close enough to read the lit up letters, but Temperance only knew of three kinds of buildings with lights in the windows."
"You're taking me here? To either a police station, a tattoo parlour, or a brothel?"
Her last suggestion made Booth laugh out loud as he got out of the car and came around to open the door for her. "Bet you can't guess which one."
"You said it wouldn't be a tattoo!"
"I know. And I wasn't lying."
"This is a tattoo parlour!"
"Relax, Temperance, I won't make you get a tattoo. You can get a piercing instead."
"No thanks!"
"I thought you wanted to learn the art of spontaneity and living in the moment?"
"I did. But this isn't either of those things, its just stupidity!"
"What's up, are you scared?"
"As a matter of fact, I'm a belonephobic."
"Baloney phobic?"
"No. Belonephobia is a fear of needles."
"Needles? Doctor Brennan is afraid of needles?"
"If you're going to mock me, I'm going home. Screw all your carpe diem crap!" She turned to briskly walk away, but slowed when she realised that she clearly hadn't thought this all the way through, and hadn't planned how exactly she was going to get home.
"Calm down, no one's mocking anyone," he said, putting an arm around her shoulders and guiding her back towards the tattoo parlour. "Think of it this way - you get to be impulsive and cure your irrational fear."
"It's not that irrational."
"If you say so, Bones. But I'm not going to make you do this if you really, really don't want to."
She thought for a moment. "What are you suggesting I get pierced?"
"It's your body, so I thought I'd let you choose."
"Gee, thanks."
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
After much coaxing and arguing, Booth and Temperance (plus a naval ring) emerged from the tattoo parlour forty-five minutes earlier. It had taken almost that long to get Temperance inside the building, but once she was in there, she had become very distracted by observing what she called 'a fascinating subculture' of employees.
"Hey, Bones, how come you never told me you used to be a sailor?"
"Huh?"
"I've never heard such foul language before in my life! And I was in the army."
"What's that got to do with sailing?"
"Wha... Never mind."
"I don't see why you have a problem with cursing, it's just an involuntary reaction to painful or unexpected stimuli that some people have."
"And I suppose crushing all of the bones in my hand was an involuntary reaction as well?"
"Yes," she said, visibly blushing and looking away from him.
"Did it really hurt that much?"
"Yeah!" She lifted her shirt a little to look at it again. It was kind of cool-looking really, and she felt like a total rebel – something she had never experienced before. She had the urge to get in touch with all of the people who had ever called her a loser in school, just to show them her stomach.
"You don't have to keep it if you really don't want to. You can just say that you did it, then take it out."
"Why would I do that?! It's awesome! What are we doing next?"