The Face With Two Skeletons

by: Tropicwhale

Disclaimer: Not mine. Legit. Not mine.

Author Talk: I'm still mostly focused on "Midnight" (only two or three chapters left in that) but I want finish this fic so I can get to the sequel; "The Squint in the Affair". Squirrels and nuts, my little cashews!

Chapter Thirty-Seven

After Booth was secured in his shower Zack went back to sleep. He awoke briefly when he heard the door click close, leaving the apartment in a blissful silence. The next time he woke it was close to noon. He rolled out of bed, falling in an ungainly clump with blankets and pillows on the floor. He groaned as he hit the floor. It took a minute or two to disentangle from the mess then he made the bed. He took a nice long shower and dressed in a pair of Booth's sweat pants and made himself a late brunch. He ate, ran the dishwasher, and started to vacuum the apartment. It was all very domestic and every few minutes or so he had a flashback to earlier that morning. At one point in his vacuuming he had such a strong flashback that he had to turn off the vacuum cleaner and lean against the wall. His mind narrowed into the visual of Booth hovering over Zack's body pushing into him repeatedly, making him feel so full that his breath caught in his throat. He had felt like he was drowning and all because of Special Agent Seeley Booth of the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

Zack's hand inched toward his waistband. As a general rule he didn't like to engage in masturbation, it always seemed so contrived and vaguely offensive like someone was watching him and disapproving. Of course that was illogical unless one was to engage in masturbation as part of foreplay with a partner. Zerbrowski always took great pleasure in watching Zack touch himself. He liked the selfish and voyeur aspects of the view. Bradley had not. Bradley always enjoyed being the one to give Zack pleasure, claiming that having sex was about an quest together. Bradley had said that sexual congress was a partnering to find out what pleasures the other person and not about people seeking out only their own pleasure, it was not a selfish act. Zack was not sure which category Booth would fall under but Zack shivered at the opposing images of Seeley watching him touch himself and of Seeley touching him. Zack inhaled sharply, suddenly feeling light-headed, and the movement of his hand was arrested. He took a few calming breathes, his hand continuing its journey toward his groin and growing arousal. Zack's other hand clench around the vacuum cleaner's handle and he forced himself to remove it. If he was going to engage in masturbation he would not do so clinging to a household appliance. He already felt shameful enough engaging in the act of self-pleasuring in the hallway of Seeley Booth's apartment. Perhaps he should go back to the bedroom? He hadn't thrown the sheets into the washer yet. There would be olfactory evidence of their early morning activities which could only aide in the act itself. Of course the thought of those sheets and that selfsame olfactory evidence only heightened Zack's arousal.

Why was it that everything about Seeley Booth had Zack almost perpetually sexually aroused by his presence in reality or within Zack's thought processes? His physical attraction aside Booth made Zack feel safe and just a little bit selfishly happy. He could almost bring himself not to care about Anne and Mrs. Oscarmann's murders or his apartment blowing up. If none of those things had happened he would not be staying with Agent Booth right now, engaging in almost regular sexual intercourse. He could see himself staying here, keeping house for Booth; never needing to go back to the lab or exercise his intellect ever again. He could see himself curled next to Seeley, watching television having already cleaned up a dinner Zack had made for them. Of course if he had mentioned this feeling to either Hodgins or any of the Copperheads he would have been accused of having the relationship tendencies of a human female. Zack was better off leaving that tidbit to himself.

Then there was the physical attraction. The way Seeley smiled at Zack sent Zack's heart thumping against his ribcage. Seeley's laugh caused gooseflesh all over Zack's arms and back. Booth's kissing him made Zack want to orgasm. Everything he had thought arbitrary and a little bizarre about the sexual experience suddenly made sense to him in the context of doing it with Seeley. Perhaps it would be the same with masturbation? If that was the case then an experiment would be in order. As Zack understood it masturbation usually commenced with a sexual fantasy. Okay, in the context of this experiment the fantasy would have to focus on Seeley. Seeley naked would be an acceptable start. That was where Zack's imagination failed him. All he had as a reference was his own sexually experiences with Seeley as a measure for the fantasy. Perhaps start with something small and move into the hardcore sex? Booth naked and kissing Zack. Zack's heartbeat temporarily fibrillated and he felt a flush of arousal. That worked. Seeley's fingertips running down his sides. Zack's heart beat faster. Seeley kissing his neck, pressing their groins together. Zack's fingertips dipped between his skin and the fabric of his pants, his breathing shallow and rapid. Seeley grabbing Zack's gluteus maximus major and pressing him against the wall. Zack closed his eyes in order to aide in the visualization part of the masturbation experiment. Seeley biting his neck. Zack groaned at the sensory memory, his arousal growing, his fingers sliding deeper into his borrowed sweat pants. Seeley slipping to his knees, his fingers hooking into the elastic waistband of the trousers. Seeley smiling up at Zack as he pulled the pants down to about an inch above Zack's knees, effectively limiting Zack's mobility. Zack licked his dry lips, trying to suck down more air into his lungs. Seeley's hand closing around Zack's-

THUMP THUMP KNOCK

There was someone at the door. Zack immediately pulled himself together, snatching his hand away his waist. There was another pounding at the door and Zack unlocked it, yanking it open to reveal Dr. Jack Hodgins. Zack exhaled. His masturbation experiment would have to wait until after Hodgins left. There was no way he was going to share this particular experiment with his best friend.

"Hey there buddy." Hodgins held up a plain brown paper bag that had greasy stains on the bottom. "Chinese? I got your favorite, chicken and broccoli. It's from Sid's."

"Hodgins, what are you doing here?"

"Funny thing happened today. I realized that you and I haven't hung out since this whole mess started and that the last time we really talk I was sort of a jerk. Can I come in? Great." Hodgins easily pushed his way past Zack and into Booth's apartment. "Wow, this place is a lot smaller than I thought it would be. Aren't FBI guys like top rung on the whole public service shtick? You'd think he'd have a nicer place…or at least bigger." Zack shut the door, resigning himself to Hodgins' presence.

"Booth pays child support for Parker…which includes a nanny because Rebecca works. A lot of his paycheck gets funneled toward his son and rent." Hodgins froze.

"Oh, yeah. Forgot about that."

"Not to mention the rent rates in DC are really high…it's one of the main reasons I live in the apartment above your garage…or at least I used to."

"And will again." Hodgins said. "The rebuilding is going along nicely, by the way. You are going to get multiple rooms…like the place had when you first moved in. Of course, this contractor is going a lot slower because the FBI bum squad keeps claiming stuff as evidence. It's really a headache. You're lucky you don't have to deal with it."

"I am sure it is. I am glad I don't have to deal with it because of my non-existent social skills." Zack stood there and blinked at Hodgins.

"Dude, come on. Are you going to stay mad at me forever?"

"I'm not going to live forever, Hodgins, so staying mad forever would be as close to impossible as statistically feasible. Also, I'm not angry with you. Frankly, I haven't thought about our last conversation since I stormed out of Dr. Brennan's office and got stuck in Limbo for fifteen hours and twelve minutes. I've had other things to worry about like the fact I'm still a suspect in a double homicide and still homeless among other problems. I don't expect Booth's hospitality to last forever." Hodgins flinched at Zack's straightforward and mechanical tone. Either Zack was angry at him or he just interrupted the kid's 'personal time'. Hodgins spent a split second considering whether or not Zack Addy was capable of masturbation. After all, Zack was a human male in his mid-twenties. Even the most cerebral of dudes shook hands with himself at some point and it wasn't like Zack had anything better to do at this point in time. On the other hand Zack was Zack. The kid was so innocent that he still asked questions about sex at twenty-five. He might not see the point in masturbation the same way he didn't see the point in salivating over smoking hot movie stars and mostly naked models airbrushed into perfection one could find in Playboy because, according to Zack, why would anyone find someone whom they never actually met sexually attractive when there were plenty of humans that were much more viable options. Hodgins failed to explain the logic of the sexiness found in the unattainability concept to Dr. Zack Addy. What would be a natural right to a normal man Zack's age the little guy probably thought was arbitrary and bizarre. Hodgins attempted to imagine Zack slapping the monkey and just couldn't do it. What would he even use as material? Knowing Zack the fantasy portion would most likely focus on something like advanced Calculus formulae. r(T) = r(t0) + T v(t0), or something like it, would turn him on. It was not as if Zack was the most physical of people "Hodgins?" Hodgins snapped out of his thought processes.

"Sorry man, I- nevermind, I was- it was a thought about the case-there's a weird thing going on with the- my area of expertise. It's hard to be King of the Lab when I got nothing to go on, ya'know?" Zack looked completely nonplussed and Jack really didn't want to exactly explain where his mind had been gathering wool. "Chinese?"

"Actually I've already eaten although I suppose I can sit and hang out with you while you eat. Let me get a shirt on." Zack walked back into Booth's bedroom and grabbed a blue tee shirt he metaphorically swam in. The sleeves went down to his elbows. He came back out and Jack looked at him like he had literally grown a second head. "What?"

"You are wearing Booth's clothes?" The shirt had a logo stating "Everyone's Favorite FBI Agent", and on the back it read "Agent of Female Body Investigating". Booth had worn it last Saturday with a blue button-down over top of it so no one could read the back. Zack shrugged.

"Most of my clothes were blown up in the apartment and the ones that weren't are being kept as evidence by the FBI. I have exactly one pair of pants, shoes and a shirt left. Luckily, Booth bought me some socks when my last pair got really worn out. Right now my pants and shirt are in the dryer. Booth doesn't mind and it's not like I have anywhere to go."

"Right. I knew that." Hodgins unpacked the Chinese food and tucked into his General Tso's chicken and shrimp fried rice "Zack, do you think people can be quantifiable?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Yes. When they are deceased and I can examine their bones there is always evidence of their lives that are observable, irrefutable."

"Yeah, I meant when they are alive, Zack."

"I am not good with people, Hodgins."

"Yeah, but just because you can't figure them out doesn't mean that other people are equally incapable."

"That is sound logic. Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan figure out people's motives all the time. As does Angela, Cam, Robbie, and Ms. Julian."

"I didn't mean criminals. I meant normal people, Zack."

"Define normal."

"People who don't kill other people."

"Is that in the context of this conversation or in general?" Hodgins found himself getting frustrated with his best friend.

"In the context of this conversation."

"So does that make this a debate?"

"It makes it a conversation."

"Why do you sound like you are getting upset?"

"Because I am. With you."

"Why am I upsetting you?"

"You're just being you."

"Why does being myself make you upset?"

"Dammit Zack! You're like a little kid. You're asking all these questions and it's getting us –getting me off track."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be myself. It's just that I don't know how to be anyone else." Hodgins felt like a heel. He felt a grade 'A' heel.

"Zack." he started and froze. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Then how did you mean it?"

"I just…I don't know. I guess I was…it was an emotional response…the evidence in the case keeps pointing to you and it's really upsetting thinking of you as a suspect."

"I don't think it's possible to fully understand anyone on an empirical level. People just have too many variables."

"So you believe that you can know someone for awhile and they can still surprise you?"

"Yes." Zack tilted his head at Hodgins. "Hodgins, is everything okay with you and Angela?"

"What? Yeah. Why do you ask that?"

"Because you are wondering about someone you have known for awhile and they are still surprising you."

"Dude! I was talking about you!"

"Oh. I didn't realize that."

"Yeah, no kidding." Zack looked like his giant brain was kicking into overdrive.

"I didn't kill either of them."

"I know. I believe you." There was a quarter of an hour of silence and Hodgins eating. "So, no clothes, huh?"

"Yep."

"You could call Angela and she'd probably take you shopping."

"I don't have enough money to replace my entire wardrobe, Hodgins. This is fine for now." Hodgins shifted.

"I could pay for it. You and Ang' could go hog wild with the shopping."

"I am not interested, Hodgins."

"Zack, I'm only trying to help you out."

"I told you before I don't need help."

"Zack-"

"Are you offering to buy me clothes because you are my friend and want to help me out or because you feel guilty from leaving me temporarily homeless after my apartment blew up as well as not realizing I'm bisexual or could have a social life outside of our experiments together?"

"I! Wha-? I'm not that shallow."

"You could have taken exception to the fact that I was bisexual or the fact I was having an affair with a married man whose wife ended up in our lab but you took offense at the fact I play basketball."

"With a lawyer."

"A public defense lawyer. And how did you know that Zerbrowski was a lawyer?"

"Hello, you said it."

"No. I said Anne Zerbrowski and that I play basketball with and have an affair with her husband. You were the one that asked 'Since when do you play basketball with a lawyer?' before anyone mentioned what Zerbrowski did."

"I-"

"Did you have me investigated, Hodgins?"

"Zack…"

"You did."

"You were moving into my property. I had to do a background check."

"I see."

"Zack."

"Did you know about what happened to me in Michigan?" Hodgins put down his container of Chinese food and folded his hands.

"Some of it."

"So you already knew about my interest in men."

"Yeah."

"And I didn't join the Copperheads until after I moved in with you which explains why that is what surprised you."

"Zack." Hodgins took a deep breath. "Angela said that you could move in with us until the apartment is ready." Zack squinted at Hodgins.

"Why tell me now? Why didn't Angela come with you to ask?"

"She's having lunch with Brennan. Girl time." Hodgins gave a grin that Zack took to mean something vaguely sexual.

"Why do I feel the impulse to tell you that statement was inappropriate?"

"I don't know, Zack." If anything Hodgins' grin just widened. "You did just admit that you have difficulty understanding people."

"That's true." Zack did not look convinced In fact, he looked fairly confused.

"So, what do you say? Come move in with Angela and me?"

Author After Talk: Okay during the interim I was continuing to write off and on but I didn't want to post because A) the majority of the chapters coming up are cliff-hangers and I don't want to be responsible for a bunch of fatal coronaries and heart attacks occurring during long periods of non-posting (after all, who would read my fic?) and B) I wanted to finish this other difficult to write fic first because if I don't finish it now it'll never get done. C) I also want to figure out the external action plot for "Skeletons" sequel "The Squint in the Affair" and D) I kind of am in love with "Skeletons" and don't want it to end but at the same time I know I need to finish it. There, I admit it; I don't want it to end. There is more coming, I promise, and the fact people keep tells me that I can't just hide in my dark corner of the world and stroke the last few chapters, keeping them to myself, croon them to sleep….was that half as creepy as I think it was? You people just are so insisting! Love you anyway, from a healthy distance.

Love from the Dorkside;

Tropic