Author's Note: No real reason behind this one. I was just having a gloomy day and was inspired to write something to cheer me up. :)

I do not own Bones or any of its characters.

Thank you to everyone who is reading/following/reviewing this.

D: I am also hoping that future episodes/seasons will continue to explore the emerging and ever closer dynamic that is developing between these two. It is very endearing and adds a lot to both of their characters, I think.

Peanutmeg: Thank you for the review. It was fun to come up with scenes that were "Bones-y" in regards to these two. :) I hope you enjoy this little snippet as well.

Lives in the now: Yes, the bank game is something me and my mom would do too. :) And with the two of them being big on studying people, I could see them doing it too.

Charlotte Thornton: Thank you. I also love to picture all of the little everyday things being done with them together, so I'll admit that it's fun to imagine them in fic. :)

Chapter Six—Thunder Storms

Sweets never cared much for thunder storms.

It wasn't as if he was scared of them or anything like that. Even as a child, rain, cracks of thunder, or flashes of lightening were not something that drove him under his bedcovers, shaking with fear. He had too many other more tangible and immediate fears as a child to let something as commonplace as a storm to scare him. It was more like they depressed him. The grey and then black skies, the lack of people enjoying the outside, the way that everything could blend into formless waves of color all planted a seed of melancholy within him whenever he saw it rain. As he grew older, he did not grow any more fond of them, even though he understood the essential need for rain once in a while. Rain became something that messed up his suits, ruined his papers, and could even destroy his leisure time.

Like today unfortunately.

He had taken the day off having worked the last ten in a row and had decided to treat himself to lunch at his favorite Thai restaurant. He had thought about inviting someone to go with him, but he knew that Daisy was going to be busy catching up on work that Brennan had assigned to her and that the rest of his friends had their own plans. It had been disappointing, but Sweets was determined to try to enjoy himself on his own.

While riding the subway downtown on the way over there, however, the grey clouds that had loomed overhead went from being a benign annoyance to an ominous threat as rain sprinkled downward. Almost as soon as he got off the subway, the rain had become a torrential downfall, and Sweets was stuck trying to find cover under the awnings of nearby shops which dotted the streets.

For a moment, Sweets considered abandoning this trip, but then his stomach rumbled and he hated the thought of just running back home. He saw some taxis race down the street and decided that it would be worth it to go ahead and try to catch one. He walked over to the curb, his sneakers slapping against the puddles that had already formed, and tried to flag a driver down.

His efforts proved to be fruitless, however, as he was unable to get a single taxi to stop for him. His clothes were soon soaked and to make matters worse, one taxi hydroplaned on a giant pool of water that had gathered near the curb. The result was a large splash of water that thoroughly drenched him.

Sweets closed his hands into fists and shoved them into his pockets as he started to walk down the sidewalks. Normally, he tried to reason people's actions away psychologically whenever he felt slighted or saddened by someone else's callousness to him. But on a day like today, it was all too tempting to simply give into the urge to sulk and allow the gloom inside him to take over.

'Fine, who cares?' he told himself. 'I didn't really want to get Thai today anyway. I'll just walk until I find somewhere else to eat.'

Sweets shook his head as he started to shiver. He knew that he was being childish right now with his refusal to get out of the rain, but he couldn't help himself. In a moment of clarity, he reached into his pocket to get out his cell phone so that he could call Daisy to pick him up.

And then he realized that he had forgotten to pick it up from his nightstand.

Sweets cursed quietly to himself and continued to walk, his pace slowing down and becoming more deliberate. He couldn't think of how the day could get any worse and had decided to surrender any hope of things improving.

'It's just weather,' he grimaced as he walked along. 'I shouldn't let things like rain, forgetting my cell phone and missing out on a chance to eat at a restaurant affect me so much.'

'I can maintain my locus of control. I don't have to let outside events dictate my mood.'

'Why is all of this bothering me so much?'

Drops of rain dripped down his nose and made him have to blink frequently in order to keep the water out of his eyes. Sweets wished he understood why he was prone to these moments of melancholy, but in all the years that he had spent thinking about it, he hadn't been able to find a satisfactory answer. All he knew right now is that he wished that he was back home with his parents, even though he knew that that was impossible.

But more than anything else, he wanted to stop feeling alone.

"Sweets? Hey Sweets what are you doing?"

The psychologist looked up and was shocked to find Booth's SUV pulling up to the curb beside him. The passenger side window had been rolled down and Sweets could see Brennan sitting next to the agent.

"You got caught out in this rain?" Booth shouted to him. "Where's your car? Bones and I can drive you to it."

"I didn't drive," Sweets said, his voice coming out in a stutter as he shivered again.

"Booth, we can't leave Sweets out in this weather," Brennan said. "While there is no direction correlation between lower temperatures, damp weather and illness, he probably should…."

"Yeah, I get it, Bones," Booth said as he hit a button on the console beside him. "Come on Sweets, I unlocked the back door. Go ahead and get in."

The psychologist nodded and silently complied. Once he was inside he drew his arms up to his chest and huddled downward, his head drooping.

"Sweets, are you cold?" Brennan asked, concern seeping into her voice. "We can turn on the heater for you."

"Yes please," Sweets mumbled, not looking up. Soon hot air started to waft back his way and his shivering lessened.

"What were you doing out in this weather anyway?" Booth asked him. Sweets shook his head. He didn't really want to answer Booth because, right now, his stubborn refusal to seek shelter seemed foolish. He hoped that remaining quiet would encourage Booth to drop the subject.

His silence, however, had the effect of causing the two people in the front seats to worry. Booth and Brennan gave each other a series of glances before Brennan spoke again.

"Booth and I were going back to my place and planned on ordering take-out," she said. "Why don't you come with us? You can get something to eat and your clothes would have a chance to dry." Sweets shook his head.

"You don't have to…."

"Come on, Sweets," Booth said as he continued on toward Brennan's apartment. "You can't keep wandering around in those wet clothes. Besides, you could probably use something to eat by now anyway."

About twenty minutes later, Sweets was curled up under a blanket on the couch, a towel draped over his head. Booth had offered him an old sweatshirt and sweatpants of his to change into while his clothes dried, and while they were a couple of sizes too big, they were comfortable and far warmer than what Sweets had been wearing. While he had changed, Booth and Brennan had made a place for him on the couch and called for takeout. By the time he was finished getting out of his wet clothes, Booth and Brennan were snuggled up together on the loveseat.

"Thanks for letting me do this," Sweets said, rubbing the towel against his damp curls. "But I can just go after my clothes…."

"It will take awhile for your stuff to get dry, so why don't you just settle in?" Booth said. "Besides, Bones and I already ordered food for the three of us. No point in leaving until you get something to eat, right?"

"I guess not," Sweets said, a trace of a smile finally appearing on his face. Booth and Brennan smiled in response.

"Ok then," Booth grinned as he reached over for the remote. "Why don't we flip through the channels for a few minutes."

"I never understand why you do that," Brennan said. "You never stay on a channel long enough to make an informed decision on what program to watch."

"That's sort of the point, Bones," Booth said. "To just keep flipping around."

"But isn't the original intent to find something worthwhile to watch?" she asked. "Why else would you engage in such a repetitive and meaningless activity?"

Sweets' smile grew as he sank into the couch and listened to the two of them bicker while the channels flickered in and out. The conversation and the channel surfing continued even after the food had been delivered and they were all partaking from their meal from a sea of paper cartons.

He couldn't really explain it, but something about being here with them, warm and well fed, gave him a comfortable secure feeling that he found soothing. He barely realized it when he was starting to get drowsy and wasn't fully aware when he plopped over to his side and fell asleep on the couch.

But Brennan and Booth both noticed and enjoyed it, choosing to leave him alone to sleep while they enjoyed the rest of the afternoon.