033. Too Much
"I can do that." Booth reaches to take the stack of paperwork from her hands.
Brennan hugs the file folder to her chest and tips her chin up defiantly. She can't fathom Booth arguing over case paperwork; a few months ago he would have been spouting off lines about spending this time with someone he actually cares about.
"It's no problem," she insists, even as his hand freezes over hers, still holding onto the file.
"That's gonna take you hours." His fingers slide down her wrist, slipping just beneath the sleeve of her suit jacket. His hand turns slowly in place, the tips of his nails tickling to a stop just over the place where she knows he can feel her pulse.
"Why do you want to help me with paperwork?" It comes out clumsily, any excuse for noise, because the silence is becoming too much.
Booth doesn't answer, but takes another step closer, tilting his head until she can feel his breath against her forehead. He's going to kiss her, she thinks, and panics. It's not as if it's unexpected; he should have kissed her long before now. Contrary to assumptions, Brennan actually has a very good idea how romantic relationships work, at least by studying them from afar.
He's going to kiss her, and she's going to like it, and it will be a huge relief to finally have it done with. But it won't end there. It will be the start of something epic and tragic, passionate and painful. It will begin with him becoming the first man to kiss her in her office and live to tell; a grin on Angela's face and hindsight-biased conspiracy theories from Hodgins. It will end with her prone on the floor in front of a withered Christmas tree, sobbing because all she has left in the world is encased in garbage bags.
Brennan hands over the folder and takes a step away. Booth rocks back on his heels, and she knows he senses the raw disappointment hanging in the air. But they're safe now. Better to ensure the future than live one dangerous, glorious moment that will flash and burn away into eternal night. They both know this.
"Thank you," says Brennan softly, and flees her own office.
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