Valentine's Day Project: Day One (Wendell/Hodgins)
Title: Paper Hearts
Fandom: Bones
Pairing: Wendell/Hodgins
Rating: PG
Summary: Craft projects.
A/N: Set in cinderlily's and my appallingly blissful domestic futurefic universe. I trust anyone who's interested in this pairing has already read the backstory on that; if not, this might be confusing. This is day one of my three-day Valentine's lovefest. It's all very romantic and filled with paper hearts and love and it's probably quite sickening, but if you don't enjoy that sort of thing, I don't really understand why you are reading my journal. ♥
Warnings: Kidfic. Deal.
The kitchen table's covered in paper; shades of red, white and pink sprawled across the surface, scraps littering the floor and Jack winces at the bottle of glue tipped on its side and dripping onto the wood. He picks it up and sets it on its end as Wendell looks up at him, smiling apologetically. "Thanks."
"No problem. Looks like you have your hands full. Literally," Jack says, nodding at Wendell's hands where they're stretched out on the table. Alex is kneeling in a chair on the other side of the table, lip caught between her teeth as she reaches out to pull a piece of tape off one of Wendell's outstretched fingers.
"Hi, Daddy," she says brightly, pausing long enough to grin up at him. "We're making valentines for my class."
"I can see that," Jack says, pulling out a chair and making sure it's free from glue or glitter before he sits down. "Are you almost done? The babysitter will be here any minute."
"She got here ten minutes ago," Wendell says, holding out his thumb so Alex can free him of another piece of tape. "She took the twins upstairs for their baths while we finished up in here. I just have to change and then I'm ready to go."
Jack smirks, but he doesn't mention the glitter on Wendell's cheek or the piece of doilie stuck to his arm. He'll notice eventually, and if he doesn't...well, it's kind of cute, and it’s not like they’re going anywhere fancy for dinner. He doesn’t really want to go out at all; he’s been sort of dreading it all day, to be honest, because all Valentine’s Day comes down to is an excuse for florists and candy companies to price gouge.
There’s no real significance, and the only reason they’ve even got reservations is out of some bizarre sense of obligation to prove to the rest of the world that they’re not spending a random February evening alone. But it's an excuse to get out of the house for a little while, to have a conversation that doesn't involve the words 'Nickelodeon' or 'Spaghettios'. And knowing them they'll end up talking about the kids the whole time anyway, but at least they can pretend they're not that pathetic.
So he’s resigned to steaks and wine in a roomful of couples holding hands and pretending to be happy. And at least he doesn’t have to fake that part, but the truth is he’d rather stay home and clean up the construction paper blizzard in the kitchen.
He swallows a sigh at the thought and pulls the last piece of tape off Wendell's hand. "Go change. I'll take over the Valentine operation."
"Thanks," Wendell says, pushing his chair back and dusting off a layer of glitter. He digs around under the piles of construction paper until he comes up with what he's looking for, then he leans over and drops it in front of Jack. He leans in and presses a chaste kiss against the corner of Jack's mouth, pulling back to grin at him from close up. "Happy Valentine's Day."
He's gone before Alex takes the last piece of tape, freeing Jack's hand to look at what Wendell's dropped in front of him. It's a piece of red construction paper, cut in the shape of a mostly even heart. It doesn't look all that different from the stack of valentines at Alex's elbow, except this one has Wendell's neat, close handwriting instead of Alex's childish scrawl. He reads the words slowly, grinning down at the bits of glitter that catch the light as his hand shifts.
Ten Things I Love About You:
I love your hands
I love your voice
I love your smile
I love it when you say my name
I love the way you laugh
I love the way you frown when you're concentrating
I love your brain
I love that you talk in your sleep
I love the way you take care of us
I love that you're not mad about the mess
When he gets to the last one he laughs, shaking his head and glancing up at the mess in front of him. He swallows a groan and looks down at the card again, reading the list one more time. His heart skips a beat at the way you take care of us and he clears his throat to chase away a sudden tickle, folding the heart carefully and tucking it into his jacket.
He pulls out his cell phone and dials the restaurant, waiting patiently for the hostess to come on the line. “I’d like to cancel a reservation,” he says, and makes a polite excuse when the hostess expresses her regret.
When he’s done he looks up another number and dials, fingers tapping against the table while he waits for the line to connect. He knows the dining room will be completely booked, but that's not the kind of room he's after. And they’ve always got space for him, even though he hasn’t taken advantage of that perk in years. They can’t ask the sitter to stay overnight on such short notice, but she doesn’t mind if they stay out late, and a few hours of room service and total privacy sounds a lot better than dinner in a crowded, noisy restaurant.
~
“This isn’t the way to the restaurant,” Wendell says once they’re in the car, glitter still sparkling on his cheek and it makes Jack think of the piece of construction paper folded in his jacket.
“Change of plans,” Jack says, turning onto the freeway entrance that will take them downtown. “I decided we can do better than dinner at the same place we’ve been a hundred times.”
Wendell raises an eyebrow skeptically, and Jack can’t help laughing at his expression. “I thought you didn’t even believe in Valentine’s Day.”
“That doesn’t mean I can’t make an effort. I’m very romantic.”
Wendell makes a noise that sounds a lot like disbelief, but Jack chooses to ignore it. Instead he focuses on driving until they reach the city, and when he pulls into Lafayette Square and pulls up to the valet outside the Hay-Adams, he glances over at Wendell again. “Much better than a crowded restaurant, don’t you think?”
“Yeah,” Wendell says, and it’s not the first time Jack’s taken him to a really nice hotel, but it’s the first time they’ve booked a room in their hometown. They hand the car keys over, and Jack catches Wendell’s hand and threads their fingers together as they walk into the lobby.
“How’d you get the babysitter to spend the night?” Wendell asks.
“I didn’t,” Jack answers, though he wishes now that he’d thought of this in time. “So we’ve only got a few hours. But the room service here is fantastic.”
Wendell laughs and glances around the opulent lobby, letting out a low whistle under his breath. “I didn’t know these places booked by the hour.”
Jack grins and squeezes his hand one more time before he lets go and steers Wendell toward the check-in desk. “For the right price they’ll do whatever you ask. Just don’t tell my husband.”
That makes Wendell blush, and by the time they get to the desk clerk he’s crimson and Jack’s trying not to laugh. He ignores the looks the desk clerk gives them while he checks in, because people probably don’t check into this place without any luggage all that often, and he knows what the clerk’s thinking. He doesn’t care, though, and once the key’s safely in his pocket he ushers Wendell to the elevators.
They wait until the elevator doors close to look at each other, but as soon as they do he’s pulling Wendell forward to kiss him. And it’s been a long time since they made out like a couple teenagers in a semi-public place, but Jack decides that this alone is worth the amount of money he just spent on the room. But they’ve still got at least four hours before they have to think about going home, and the night can only get better.
He knows when they finally do go home that he's going to end up cleaning up the mess, because Wendell will be fine with letting it wait until morning, and Jack won’t be able to leave it. That’s the way it usually goes, and somewhere along the way it became part of their routine. Part of how Jack takes care of his family, he thinks, grinning against Wendell’s mouth as he thinks of the valentine tucked into his pocket.
“Thanks for the card,” he says, gripping Wendell’s hand as the elevator doors slide open and pulling him into the hall.
“It was Alex’s idea. She said homemade valentines are the best kind.”
“Smart kid,” Jack says as he unlocks the door to their room. He slides his arms around Wendell’s waist and pulls him inside, kicking the door shut behind them.
She is a smart kid, because Jack’s gotten a lot of gifts in his life, but Wendell’s card is right at the top of the list. And they’ve got three smart kids and two hectic jobs and a huge mess to go home to in just a few hours, but for once he doesn’t mind.
Fandom: Bones
Pairing: Wendell/Hodgins
Rating: PG
Summary: Craft projects.
A/N: Set in cinderlily's and my appallingly blissful domestic futurefic universe. I trust anyone who's interested in this pairing has already read the backstory on that; if not, this might be confusing. This is day one of my three-day Valentine's lovefest. It's all very romantic and filled with paper hearts and love and it's probably quite sickening, but if you don't enjoy that sort of thing, I don't really understand why you are reading my journal. ♥
Warnings: Kidfic. Deal.
The kitchen table's covered in paper; shades of red, white and pink sprawled across the surface, scraps littering the floor and Jack winces at the bottle of glue tipped on its side and dripping onto the wood. He picks it up and sets it on its end as Wendell looks up at him, smiling apologetically. "Thanks."
"No problem. Looks like you have your hands full. Literally," Jack says, nodding at Wendell's hands where they're stretched out on the table. Alex is kneeling in a chair on the other side of the table, lip caught between her teeth as she reaches out to pull a piece of tape off one of Wendell's outstretched fingers.
"Hi, Daddy," she says brightly, pausing long enough to grin up at him. "We're making valentines for my class."
"I can see that," Jack says, pulling out a chair and making sure it's free from glue or glitter before he sits down. "Are you almost done? The babysitter will be here any minute."
"She got here ten minutes ago," Wendell says, holding out his thumb so Alex can free him of another piece of tape. "She took the twins upstairs for their baths while we finished up in here. I just have to change and then I'm ready to go."
Jack smirks, but he doesn't mention the glitter on Wendell's cheek or the piece of doilie stuck to his arm. He'll notice eventually, and if he doesn't...well, it's kind of cute, and it’s not like they’re going anywhere fancy for dinner. He doesn’t really want to go out at all; he’s been sort of dreading it all day, to be honest, because all Valentine’s Day comes down to is an excuse for florists and candy companies to price gouge.
There’s no real significance, and the only reason they’ve even got reservations is out of some bizarre sense of obligation to prove to the rest of the world that they’re not spending a random February evening alone. But it's an excuse to get out of the house for a little while, to have a conversation that doesn't involve the words 'Nickelodeon' or 'Spaghettios'. And knowing them they'll end up talking about the kids the whole time anyway, but at least they can pretend they're not that pathetic.
So he’s resigned to steaks and wine in a roomful of couples holding hands and pretending to be happy. And at least he doesn’t have to fake that part, but the truth is he’d rather stay home and clean up the construction paper blizzard in the kitchen.
He swallows a sigh at the thought and pulls the last piece of tape off Wendell's hand. "Go change. I'll take over the Valentine operation."
"Thanks," Wendell says, pushing his chair back and dusting off a layer of glitter. He digs around under the piles of construction paper until he comes up with what he's looking for, then he leans over and drops it in front of Jack. He leans in and presses a chaste kiss against the corner of Jack's mouth, pulling back to grin at him from close up. "Happy Valentine's Day."
He's gone before Alex takes the last piece of tape, freeing Jack's hand to look at what Wendell's dropped in front of him. It's a piece of red construction paper, cut in the shape of a mostly even heart. It doesn't look all that different from the stack of valentines at Alex's elbow, except this one has Wendell's neat, close handwriting instead of Alex's childish scrawl. He reads the words slowly, grinning down at the bits of glitter that catch the light as his hand shifts.
Ten Things I Love About You:
I love your hands
I love your voice
I love your smile
I love it when you say my name
I love the way you laugh
I love the way you frown when you're concentrating
I love your brain
I love that you talk in your sleep
I love the way you take care of us
I love that you're not mad about the mess
When he gets to the last one he laughs, shaking his head and glancing up at the mess in front of him. He swallows a groan and looks down at the card again, reading the list one more time. His heart skips a beat at the way you take care of us and he clears his throat to chase away a sudden tickle, folding the heart carefully and tucking it into his jacket.
He pulls out his cell phone and dials the restaurant, waiting patiently for the hostess to come on the line. “I’d like to cancel a reservation,” he says, and makes a polite excuse when the hostess expresses her regret.
When he’s done he looks up another number and dials, fingers tapping against the table while he waits for the line to connect. He knows the dining room will be completely booked, but that's not the kind of room he's after. And they’ve always got space for him, even though he hasn’t taken advantage of that perk in years. They can’t ask the sitter to stay overnight on such short notice, but she doesn’t mind if they stay out late, and a few hours of room service and total privacy sounds a lot better than dinner in a crowded, noisy restaurant.
~
“This isn’t the way to the restaurant,” Wendell says once they’re in the car, glitter still sparkling on his cheek and it makes Jack think of the piece of construction paper folded in his jacket.
“Change of plans,” Jack says, turning onto the freeway entrance that will take them downtown. “I decided we can do better than dinner at the same place we’ve been a hundred times.”
Wendell raises an eyebrow skeptically, and Jack can’t help laughing at his expression. “I thought you didn’t even believe in Valentine’s Day.”
“That doesn’t mean I can’t make an effort. I’m very romantic.”
Wendell makes a noise that sounds a lot like disbelief, but Jack chooses to ignore it. Instead he focuses on driving until they reach the city, and when he pulls into Lafayette Square and pulls up to the valet outside the Hay-Adams, he glances over at Wendell again. “Much better than a crowded restaurant, don’t you think?”
“Yeah,” Wendell says, and it’s not the first time Jack’s taken him to a really nice hotel, but it’s the first time they’ve booked a room in their hometown. They hand the car keys over, and Jack catches Wendell’s hand and threads their fingers together as they walk into the lobby.
“How’d you get the babysitter to spend the night?” Wendell asks.
“I didn’t,” Jack answers, though he wishes now that he’d thought of this in time. “So we’ve only got a few hours. But the room service here is fantastic.”
Wendell laughs and glances around the opulent lobby, letting out a low whistle under his breath. “I didn’t know these places booked by the hour.”
Jack grins and squeezes his hand one more time before he lets go and steers Wendell toward the check-in desk. “For the right price they’ll do whatever you ask. Just don’t tell my husband.”
That makes Wendell blush, and by the time they get to the desk clerk he’s crimson and Jack’s trying not to laugh. He ignores the looks the desk clerk gives them while he checks in, because people probably don’t check into this place without any luggage all that often, and he knows what the clerk’s thinking. He doesn’t care, though, and once the key’s safely in his pocket he ushers Wendell to the elevators.
They wait until the elevator doors close to look at each other, but as soon as they do he’s pulling Wendell forward to kiss him. And it’s been a long time since they made out like a couple teenagers in a semi-public place, but Jack decides that this alone is worth the amount of money he just spent on the room. But they’ve still got at least four hours before they have to think about going home, and the night can only get better.
He knows when they finally do go home that he's going to end up cleaning up the mess, because Wendell will be fine with letting it wait until morning, and Jack won’t be able to leave it. That’s the way it usually goes, and somewhere along the way it became part of their routine. Part of how Jack takes care of his family, he thinks, grinning against Wendell’s mouth as he thinks of the valentine tucked into his pocket.
“Thanks for the card,” he says, gripping Wendell’s hand as the elevator doors slide open and pulling him into the hall.
“It was Alex’s idea. She said homemade valentines are the best kind.”
“Smart kid,” Jack says as he unlocks the door to their room. He slides his arms around Wendell’s waist and pulls him inside, kicking the door shut behind them.
She is a smart kid, because Jack’s gotten a lot of gifts in his life, but Wendell’s card is right at the top of the list. And they’ve got three smart kids and two hectic jobs and a huge mess to go home to in just a few hours, but for once he doesn’t mind.