Fic: under your skin feels like home [bones, booth/brennan]
under you skin feels like home.
bones, booth/brennan
pg, 654 words
for deadduck008.
This was the picture she gave as a prompt.
“It just seems… anthropologically irresponsible of you, that’s all.”
“What?” Her ice cream is forgotten, mostly melted in the cup.
“You know, denying the future generation of your genius."
They eat at the diner in amiable silence, a gift they’ve discovered after eighteen months of “partnership” until Parker bursts in the door, his yell of greeting accompanied by the soft ding of the bell on the door and Booth’s face lights up. She likes to watch that, that moment when there are too many emotions on his face to calculate and organize. If she believed in that, it would probably be called something like a miracle.
Booth picks him up when they reach each other, spinning him around with a hug. Brennan gets a shout as well, “Hi Bones!”
“Hey Parker,” he’s got something wrapped in paper gripped in his hand, “What have you got there?”
“My new kite!” he says with a grin. “Daddy’s going to take me to see the flower trees and then he’s going to teach me how to fly it.”
She smiles at him, a boy who is impossible not to be happy around. “Sounds like a lot of fun.”
Parker whispers to his Dad, important secrets and Booth replies quietly before setting him down. He comes over to her, “Bones, will you come with us to the park?”
She is about to protest, to excuse and dodge, but Parker’s wide eyes and smile and Booth’s attempt at an innocent look above his head make it impossible. She twists her mouth to the side, half a grin and half mock consideration. “Okay, but on one condition. You have to promise, okay?”
“Okay!”
“You have to promise to call me Tempe today, not Bones,” she says and he gives a solemn nod while she grants him a smile.
Booth gives a chuckle and points Parker’s head towards the door. “Come on then Tempe. If you’re good I might even buy you some ice cream.”
-
Parker’s down by the water, maneuvering the kite up and down in the sky. He had sent them away with, “Daaaad, I can do it myself!” They settled on the lowest step with their quickly melting ice cream.
He studies her face as she looks out across the water to the blooming cherry trees, to the groups of laughing people, to Parker and his high-flying kite. “Rethinking it?”
She turns her head to him but keeps her eyes trained outwards. “Rethinking what exactly?”
“That not whole having kids thing,” he laughs, short and loud and light.
She scrunches up her nose at him, at the question. “Why would you ask that?”
He shrugs, takes a bite of ice cream cone with a loud crunch. “It’s just that you seemed so… happy today.”
“I’m a happy person,” she say, still confused.
He laughs at her again, “Yeah, sure you are, Bones.”
She is indignant, “I am.” He gives her a bemused look. “I am.”
He nods, still looking like he doesn’t believe her, before switching back to the original topic, “It just seems… anthropologically irresponsible of you, that’s all.”
“What?” Her ice cream is forgotten, mostly melted in the cup.
“You know, denying the future generation of your genius,” he says, angling to her with a grin. He reaches with his free hand to catch a strand of hair blown loose from her ponytail and tucks it behind her ear. His hand slows as their eyes catch, his thumb tracing the edge of her jaw. “Not to mention your bone structure.”
Her lips part and she could have sworn they started leaning closer to each other, right up until they are caught with Parker’s shout. “Dad!”
Booth stands up, and Brennan’s eyes follow him. “Nice flying buddy! Ready for some ice cream?”
“Yeah!”
They start walking until Booth turns back to the steps. “You coming Bones?” There’s a poke in his leg and Parker’s looking up at him. “It’s Tempe, Dad. I promised.”
“That you did. You coming Tempe?”
The open mouthed, shocked look vanishes from her face, a smile replacing it. “You bet.”
fin.