Old Habits Die Hard When You've Got A Sentimental Heart (1/1) - A Bones Fic.
Title: Old Habits Die Hard When You've Got A Sentimental Heart.
Author: billpickle
Rating: pg
Pairing: Booth & Brennan
Word Count: 1,336
Spoilers: 5x13's "The Dentist in the Ditch" (you probably want to see it before you give this a read) with slight references to 4x20's "The Cinderella in the Cardboard" and 4x08's "The Con-Man in the Meth Lab"
A/N: Title comes from She & Him's Sentimental Heart.
Disclaimer: As always, I do not own Bones. Nor any of the characters, places, etc. associated with the fantastic show.
Summary: He swirls his drink around on the table and looks around the bar for a few brief moments. Bones is still in the ladies room, he's pretty sure, but he'd really like to actually know before he starts professing his never-ending love for her (or something like that) only to realize she's been standing behind him the entire time.
“When are you gonna grow a set and just ask her, Seel?”
He looks up and blinks twice; licks his lips a little bit, before-
“Huh?”
“Don't play dumb with me, buddy. You know exactly who and what I'm talkin' about...”
He swirls his drink around on the table and looks around the bar for a few brief moments. Bones is still in the ladies room, he's pretty sure, but he'd really like to actually know before he starts professing his never-ending love for her (or something like that) only to realize she's been standing behind him the entire time. He cringes.
“Look, I know what you're thinking, Jared, but things between Bones and I... they're really complicated right now, even moreso then they were before and I don't want to be like all those other losers who've had their chance, okay? I don't want to rush her into anything she might not be completely ready for yet. I can't just-”
“You can't just... what?”
His eyes flicker down and then back up again; they meet another pair of chocolaty browns. His younger brother is sitting across the table from him, smiling a little smugly now and he finds himself not liking it very much.
“Don't look at me like that. This is Bones we're talking about here. This isn't just an everyday someone... I mean... this is Bones. I can't just walk up to her one day in her office and tell her that I can't stop thinking about her and that I probably never will. Bones and I... that's not the way we do things.”
“But do you love her?”
“Jared, don't.”
“Do you, or do you not, love her? It's quite simple, really.”
He looks around the bar again, cranes his neck and keeps his eyes on wide alert. The coast is clear and he feels this strange sort of heat, flare within the insides of his cheeks.
“Of course I love her. Always will.”
He takes a sip of his drink, quickly.
“Then get over yourself and goddamn do something about it!”
“Did you not listen to a single word I just said? I just told you that-”
“Let me lay this out for you. Your 'partner' is here with you, meeting the same brother of yours that she pushed off a bar stool, and his fiancee because you wanted her to. And as if that isn't already enough... that speech? She practically said that, in the time she's known you, you've given her a reason to believe in love. Come on Bro, you can't be that dense. It's as clear as day that she's in love with you and all you're doing is wasting time.”
He laughs a little nervously. “Who are you? And what have you done with my little brother?”
Jared's laughs join his fading, half-hearted ones. “I guess you could say, in a manner of speaking, that I've found my Bones... speaking of which, looks like our girls are back.”
“Booth?”
He tilts his head up and lends her the kind of grin only she and Parker are capable of bringing out of him anymore.
“Hiya, Bones. You ready to get out of here?”
She nods; smiles a little sleepily and his grin widens.
“Okay then, let me take you home.”
He stands up and throws his jacket on before helping her thread her arms through the sleeves of hers. His arm instinctively curls its way around her waist and he temporarily ignores the pointed looks he's getting from the man still sitting at their table.
“'Night, you kids. Don't stay up too late, alright?”
Padme smiles and Jared just gives a sarcastic wave before rolling his eyes skyward.
*
“I like her.”
He makes a slight left, before flicking off his turn signal and diverting his attention to the slightly sleepy Forensic Anthropologist sitting in his passenger's seat.
“You do?”
“Yes. She's very sociable... and she made many attempts to engage me in conversation while you and Jared were talking about us.”
He smiles. “Yeah, well you're a pretty amazing person, Bones. I can hardly blame her for wanting to get to know you a little better.”
“You really think so?”
“Yeah, Bones. I mean, considering how they have that whole non secrets thing goin' on, I'm pretty sure Jared has already told her how important you are to his big brother. You're my best friend and we practically spend all our time together, so I wouldn't be surprised if-”
“You really think I'm amazing?”
He suddenly feels that familiar heat, flaming inside his cheeks again.
“What?”
“You just said that you thought I'm a pretty amazing person.”
“'Cause you are.”
“Since when?”
He looks at her incredulously, somewhat forgetting about the fact that they've just driven past a 24-hour diner that he swears he's never seen before. He makes a note to take her there another time. “Since when, what?”
“Since when did you think that about me?”
“Well, I've always thought that about you. In fact, I'm pretty sure pretty amazing is a major understatement, Bones. I mean you're you and there's nothing I'd ever want to change about you and-”
“Booth...”
“It's true. I mean, there are these days when I wake up in the morning and think about how lucky I am to even know you, you know? To, not only, work on cases with you everyday but to also be your friend...”
His eyes widen and his fingers grip the steering wheel a little tighter. He's scared he's said too much.
“Bones, I didn't mean to... I hope I didn't make you...”
He feels her hand land on his arm and squeeze it gently.
“I'm glad I came tonight, Booth.”
He grins; breathes out a sigh of relief.
“Yeah, I'm glad you came too.”
And as he pulls off the highway, all he can think about is that one time that they were on his couch drinking his good scotch and how they were talking about love, saying things like transcendent, eternal and I promise, someday you will.
*
He walks her to her door eventhough she insists (she always does) that he not waste his time, getting out of the car.
She eventually invites him inside but he politely declines and all that leads to is this moment. He's standing in her doorway, not having a single thing to say other than I love you, while he smiles at her and she cutely smiles back.
“Bones?” His voice is gravelly, laced with sleep and the overwhelming desire to kiss her. He's leaning against her door jamb.
“Hmmm?”
“Is it true?”
“Is what true, Booth?”
“What you said earlier... about not believing in love, but believing in it now because of me. Is all of that... true?” He jams his hands inside his jacket pockets and rolls on the balls of his feet a little. “'Cause I just... I just wanted to know if-”
Before he can finish his sentence, she's taking his breath away with a kiss. Her lips are soft; her touch, gentle and his arms have wound themselves around her waist firmly. He's tugging her closer to him now, deepening the kiss as he feels her fingers grasp the short hairs at the back of his neck.
“Bones.” He mumbles against her lips and he pulls away, his hands still holding her waist. He looks down at her. She's looking up at him, wide blue eyes and cheeks a little flushed. He smiles.
“I'll see you tomorrow?”
She nods.
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
And as she closes the door behind him with a soft and gentle click, he touches his lips, still feeling the electricity of her kiss on the pads of his fingers.
FIN.
Author: billpickle
Rating: pg
Pairing: Booth & Brennan
Word Count: 1,336
Spoilers: 5x13's "The Dentist in the Ditch" (you probably want to see it before you give this a read) with slight references to 4x20's "The Cinderella in the Cardboard" and 4x08's "The Con-Man in the Meth Lab"
A/N: Title comes from She & Him's Sentimental Heart.
Disclaimer: As always, I do not own Bones. Nor any of the characters, places, etc. associated with the fantastic show.
Summary: He swirls his drink around on the table and looks around the bar for a few brief moments. Bones is still in the ladies room, he's pretty sure, but he'd really like to actually know before he starts professing his never-ending love for her (or something like that) only to realize she's been standing behind him the entire time.
“When are you gonna grow a set and just ask her, Seel?”
He looks up and blinks twice; licks his lips a little bit, before-
“Huh?”
“Don't play dumb with me, buddy. You know exactly who and what I'm talkin' about...”
He swirls his drink around on the table and looks around the bar for a few brief moments. Bones is still in the ladies room, he's pretty sure, but he'd really like to actually know before he starts professing his never-ending love for her (or something like that) only to realize she's been standing behind him the entire time. He cringes.
“Look, I know what you're thinking, Jared, but things between Bones and I... they're really complicated right now, even moreso then they were before and I don't want to be like all those other losers who've had their chance, okay? I don't want to rush her into anything she might not be completely ready for yet. I can't just-”
“You can't just... what?”
His eyes flicker down and then back up again; they meet another pair of chocolaty browns. His younger brother is sitting across the table from him, smiling a little smugly now and he finds himself not liking it very much.
“Don't look at me like that. This is Bones we're talking about here. This isn't just an everyday someone... I mean... this is Bones. I can't just walk up to her one day in her office and tell her that I can't stop thinking about her and that I probably never will. Bones and I... that's not the way we do things.”
“But do you love her?”
“Jared, don't.”
“Do you, or do you not, love her? It's quite simple, really.”
He looks around the bar again, cranes his neck and keeps his eyes on wide alert. The coast is clear and he feels this strange sort of heat, flare within the insides of his cheeks.
“Of course I love her. Always will.”
He takes a sip of his drink, quickly.
“Then get over yourself and goddamn do something about it!”
“Did you not listen to a single word I just said? I just told you that-”
“Let me lay this out for you. Your 'partner' is here with you, meeting the same brother of yours that she pushed off a bar stool, and his fiancee because you wanted her to. And as if that isn't already enough... that speech? She practically said that, in the time she's known you, you've given her a reason to believe in love. Come on Bro, you can't be that dense. It's as clear as day that she's in love with you and all you're doing is wasting time.”
He laughs a little nervously. “Who are you? And what have you done with my little brother?”
Jared's laughs join his fading, half-hearted ones. “I guess you could say, in a manner of speaking, that I've found my Bones... speaking of which, looks like our girls are back.”
“Booth?”
He tilts his head up and lends her the kind of grin only she and Parker are capable of bringing out of him anymore.
“Hiya, Bones. You ready to get out of here?”
She nods; smiles a little sleepily and his grin widens.
“Okay then, let me take you home.”
He stands up and throws his jacket on before helping her thread her arms through the sleeves of hers. His arm instinctively curls its way around her waist and he temporarily ignores the pointed looks he's getting from the man still sitting at their table.
“'Night, you kids. Don't stay up too late, alright?”
Padme smiles and Jared just gives a sarcastic wave before rolling his eyes skyward.
*
“I like her.”
He makes a slight left, before flicking off his turn signal and diverting his attention to the slightly sleepy Forensic Anthropologist sitting in his passenger's seat.
“You do?”
“Yes. She's very sociable... and she made many attempts to engage me in conversation while you and Jared were talking about us.”
He smiles. “Yeah, well you're a pretty amazing person, Bones. I can hardly blame her for wanting to get to know you a little better.”
“You really think so?”
“Yeah, Bones. I mean, considering how they have that whole non secrets thing goin' on, I'm pretty sure Jared has already told her how important you are to his big brother. You're my best friend and we practically spend all our time together, so I wouldn't be surprised if-”
“You really think I'm amazing?”
He suddenly feels that familiar heat, flaming inside his cheeks again.
“What?”
“You just said that you thought I'm a pretty amazing person.”
“'Cause you are.”
“Since when?”
He looks at her incredulously, somewhat forgetting about the fact that they've just driven past a 24-hour diner that he swears he's never seen before. He makes a note to take her there another time. “Since when, what?”
“Since when did you think that about me?”
“Well, I've always thought that about you. In fact, I'm pretty sure pretty amazing is a major understatement, Bones. I mean you're you and there's nothing I'd ever want to change about you and-”
“Booth...”
“It's true. I mean, there are these days when I wake up in the morning and think about how lucky I am to even know you, you know? To, not only, work on cases with you everyday but to also be your friend...”
His eyes widen and his fingers grip the steering wheel a little tighter. He's scared he's said too much.
“Bones, I didn't mean to... I hope I didn't make you...”
He feels her hand land on his arm and squeeze it gently.
“I'm glad I came tonight, Booth.”
He grins; breathes out a sigh of relief.
“Yeah, I'm glad you came too.”
And as he pulls off the highway, all he can think about is that one time that they were on his couch drinking his good scotch and how they were talking about love, saying things like transcendent, eternal and I promise, someday you will.
*
He walks her to her door eventhough she insists (she always does) that he not waste his time, getting out of the car.
She eventually invites him inside but he politely declines and all that leads to is this moment. He's standing in her doorway, not having a single thing to say other than I love you, while he smiles at her and she cutely smiles back.
“Bones?” His voice is gravelly, laced with sleep and the overwhelming desire to kiss her. He's leaning against her door jamb.
“Hmmm?”
“Is it true?”
“Is what true, Booth?”
“What you said earlier... about not believing in love, but believing in it now because of me. Is all of that... true?” He jams his hands inside his jacket pockets and rolls on the balls of his feet a little. “'Cause I just... I just wanted to know if-”
Before he can finish his sentence, she's taking his breath away with a kiss. Her lips are soft; her touch, gentle and his arms have wound themselves around her waist firmly. He's tugging her closer to him now, deepening the kiss as he feels her fingers grasp the short hairs at the back of his neck.
“Bones.” He mumbles against her lips and he pulls away, his hands still holding her waist. He looks down at her. She's looking up at him, wide blue eyes and cheeks a little flushed. He smiles.
“I'll see you tomorrow?”
She nods.
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
And as she closes the door behind him with a soft and gentle click, he touches his lips, still feeling the electricity of her kiss on the pads of his fingers.
FIN.