Fragile Balance
Title: Fragile Balance
Summary: He is grateful she seems comforted by his presence..
Rating: G
Pairings/Characters: Booth/Brennan
Length: 615 words
The Pennsylvania Turnpike seems like it will go on forever.
That idea is oddly comforting to Booth as he glances down at the woman sleeping trustingly next to him as he drives them back to DC.
He knows Brennan has been running on adrenaline and caffeine the past few days. Knows she’s been wired since they first got word that the field agents in Ohio thought they’d found Max Keenan’s body. Knows she’s pushed herself beyond her own limits while proving the bones discovered in the shallow grave were not her father’s. So when they started the long trek home and she was shivering for reasons that had nothing to do with the weather, his natural inclination was to offer her comfort. And hers was to take it.
He knows they are an unusually tactile pair for work colleagues. He generally keeps his hand on the small of her back when they’re walking, guiding her along the way, protecting her from as yet unseen dangers. They touch each other’s hands or shoulders to emphasize a point, they hug when the situation is dire enough that one or the other was truly afraid. But really, they’ve never crossed the boundaries of what any of the higher-ups would deem inappropriate.
And anyway, he’s a nurturer and a protector by nature. If she’s hurting, he’s going to try his damndest to make it stop. He’d do it for anyone. Right? And Temperance Brennan, eyes bright with tears and jaw clenched to keep her teeth from shattering, well…there isn’t anything in the world he would deny her. No matter how much of himself it may cost him.
So he tucked her into the vehicle, removed her boots, and wrapped his jacket around her like a blanket, pushing her hair off her face with a tenderness that surprised even him. While driving, he softly sang her songs that reminded him of his childhood as she leaned her head onto his shoulder and fought back the tears. He felt, rather than heard, her breathing begin to even out. He thinks he finally lost her to sleep as he was singing to her about a bullfrog named Jeremiah. He is grateful she seems comforted by his presence.
And if he occasionally rubs his cheek against her hair or plays with the ends of it with his fingers while he drives….well, that doesn’t have to mean anything life changing? Does it?
Nah. They are partners. That’s all. So what if he feels a pain in his chest whenever he knows she’s hurting? That’s normal, right? Doesn’t have to mean anything big.
But, the thing is, Booth knows people. And knows himself. And knows that whatever he and Brennan have going on, whatever this exhilarating and frustrating high-wire act of a partnership really is, well… he knows it’s only a matter of time before the balance is tipped one way or another and it all comes crashing down around them and they are forced to either redefine their relationship or walk away. He knows they can only fool themselves for so long. He just wishes he knew how it would turn out in the end.
So if he drives his government-issued SUV a little more carefully when he knows she’s fragile - if he slows down, steers with one-hand so he can pull her close and place chaste kisses on the top of her head every few minutes - if he takes the time to offer her the comfort he knows they both need…well, it doesn’t have to mean anything. Really. But he knows that it does.
Seeley Booth just hopes that when the end credits finally roll, this time the hero gets the girl.
Summary: He is grateful she seems comforted by his presence..
Rating: G
Pairings/Characters: Booth/Brennan
Length: 615 words
The Pennsylvania Turnpike seems like it will go on forever.
That idea is oddly comforting to Booth as he glances down at the woman sleeping trustingly next to him as he drives them back to DC.
He knows Brennan has been running on adrenaline and caffeine the past few days. Knows she’s been wired since they first got word that the field agents in Ohio thought they’d found Max Keenan’s body. Knows she’s pushed herself beyond her own limits while proving the bones discovered in the shallow grave were not her father’s. So when they started the long trek home and she was shivering for reasons that had nothing to do with the weather, his natural inclination was to offer her comfort. And hers was to take it.
He knows they are an unusually tactile pair for work colleagues. He generally keeps his hand on the small of her back when they’re walking, guiding her along the way, protecting her from as yet unseen dangers. They touch each other’s hands or shoulders to emphasize a point, they hug when the situation is dire enough that one or the other was truly afraid. But really, they’ve never crossed the boundaries of what any of the higher-ups would deem inappropriate.
And anyway, he’s a nurturer and a protector by nature. If she’s hurting, he’s going to try his damndest to make it stop. He’d do it for anyone. Right? And Temperance Brennan, eyes bright with tears and jaw clenched to keep her teeth from shattering, well…there isn’t anything in the world he would deny her. No matter how much of himself it may cost him.
So he tucked her into the vehicle, removed her boots, and wrapped his jacket around her like a blanket, pushing her hair off her face with a tenderness that surprised even him. While driving, he softly sang her songs that reminded him of his childhood as she leaned her head onto his shoulder and fought back the tears. He felt, rather than heard, her breathing begin to even out. He thinks he finally lost her to sleep as he was singing to her about a bullfrog named Jeremiah. He is grateful she seems comforted by his presence.
And if he occasionally rubs his cheek against her hair or plays with the ends of it with his fingers while he drives….well, that doesn’t have to mean anything life changing? Does it?
Nah. They are partners. That’s all. So what if he feels a pain in his chest whenever he knows she’s hurting? That’s normal, right? Doesn’t have to mean anything big.
But, the thing is, Booth knows people. And knows himself. And knows that whatever he and Brennan have going on, whatever this exhilarating and frustrating high-wire act of a partnership really is, well… he knows it’s only a matter of time before the balance is tipped one way or another and it all comes crashing down around them and they are forced to either redefine their relationship or walk away. He knows they can only fool themselves for so long. He just wishes he knew how it would turn out in the end.
So if he drives his government-issued SUV a little more carefully when he knows she’s fragile - if he slows down, steers with one-hand so he can pull her close and place chaste kisses on the top of her head every few minutes - if he takes the time to offer her the comfort he knows they both need…well, it doesn’t have to mean anything. Really. But he knows that it does.
Seeley Booth just hopes that when the end credits finally roll, this time the hero gets the girl.