Bones|Temperance Brennan|Confidence Part 2
Title: Confidence (2/2)
Fandom:Bones
Characters:Brennan/Booth
Prompt:055. Ill Mannered
Word Count: 1,019
Rating: K+
Summary: "“I know that I have limited people skills. Everybody knows it, including you! So why the hell do you always jump the gun to shove that fact down my throat?
Author's Notes: Part 2! I think I like this one. Feedback please!! Enjoy. :)
Part 2
“Do you always need to be so blunt when we talk to the victim’s families?” says Booth as they walk down the road towards his SUV.
“Do you always have to rub it in?” she counters. This is just like him, she thinks, faulting her for something she can’t help. He knows that she’s no good with people and just because he can communicate and understand the average person on the street better than she can doesn’t mean that he has the right to criticize her for it. There are many things she can do much better than he can, too.
“Rub what in?” Her face falls, but somehow she’s not surprised. He really is oblivious to the effect his words have on her. She was hoping he would have noticed. But then, if he’d noticed the comments would have stopped long ago.
“All I’m saying, Bones, is that when you’re going to tell somebody how their family member died, the gore really isn’t all that necessary. Okay?”
“No! It’s not okay!” She stops short behind him and he turns to face her when he realizes that she isn’t following him. She’s at the point now where she can’t handle any more of Booth and his antics. She’s finally going to call him on it, like she’s wanted to do all these months. “Why don’t you tell me what to do, Booth? Because you’re so good at this.” She says sarcastically. On some level she hopes that it hurts him.
“Good at what, Bones?”
“Good with people! You’re always generous enough to point out when I’m being insensitive or hurtful when I don’t know it, but you don’t ever try to help me prevent it from happening again!”
Booth is shocked into silence. Why hadn’t he noticed before that she’d been looking to him for guidance? He knew that she was trying her best to ameliorate her people skills, but her attempts were almost laughable to him and she had made no noticeable improvement. But instead of encouraging her like he should have, he always shot her down.
Looking at her now, he could tell she was angry. He could see it in the stiffness of her spine and the hardness in her eyes. She was hardly finished with him yet, and he made no move to stop her, feeling that he deserved it. How could he have been so blind?
“I know that I have limited people skills. Everybody knows it, including you! So why the hell do you always jump the gun to shove that fact down my throat? I mean, it’s not as if other people don't remind me of it enough already. I don’t need you reminding me of it, either.”
“Bones-”
She ignores him. “I’ve been trying, Booth. Especially since I met you, I’ve been trying to become less dysfunctional. I’m having a bit of trouble because this is not easy for me. It’s really not, and I don’t want people’s first impressions of me to be that I’m cold and unfeeling anymore. But I don’t know how to change that because if I don’t distance myself things become personal. And doing my job would be much too hard for me if I didn’t. I thought you understood that.”
Booth feels like she’s slapped him. She’s the last person he wants to hurt.
“But when you make a comment about how I should stay in my element, or about how insensitive I’m being with what, to me, looks like very little remorse, it doesn’t exactly help my case! It makes me wonder if there’s still hope for me, because if you’re not encouraging me then who else is there?”
She’s rambling and there’s no way he’ll be able to calm her down.
“Despite what you may think I care about what you think of me! So, whenever you brush me off like you do, it hurts!” She stops short and her eyes widen. She hadn’t meant to go that far or reveal that much to him. He wasn’t supposed to know that little detail.
There are a few moments of awkward silence between them before Brennan walks past him. Booth is floored, but he catches up to her and grabs her by the wrist. He has some important things that he wants to tell her. “Bones.”
She turns to face him. “What, Booth?” She is annoyed and slightly embarrassed. She just wants to forget that the past few minutes have happened at all. She hadn’t meant to get so emotional. And that, perhaps, was the bulk of her problem.
“I had no idea. I’m sorry, Bones.”
She tries to pull away, sensing that he’s going to go a bit deeper that she would like him to today. He doesn’t let her, though, and holds fast to her wrist. “You are not cold. You are not unfeeling. You are one of the most compassionate and caring people that I know. I know that you have trouble showing that sometimes and I’m sorry that I’ve been treating you so terribly for it. I’m sorry, I really am. Forgive me? Please?”
She gapes at him for a few moments and then nods dumbly. ‘Does he really think that of me?’ she wonders. “I just wish people could see the reasons behind my apparent heartlessness.”
“First of all, I’m pretty sure nobody thinks you’re heartless, and we’ll work on getting people to understand you. It might require you opening up to people a little more, but I’m here to help you and encourage you every step of the way, alright? I care. I promise you I won’t ever make you feel down on yourself again because of this. If I do, you have my permission to kick my ass.” He smiles at her.
“Thank you, Booth.” Booth hasn’t made her a single promise he hasn’t kept since she’s known him. He was only there to help her from here on in. She smiles back at him.
“Now let’s go. We’ve got a case to solve.”
She nods, and walks by his side to the SUV.
What a pair.
FINE
Fandom:Bones
Characters:Brennan/Booth
Prompt:055. Ill Mannered
Word Count: 1,019
Rating: K+
Summary: "“I know that I have limited people skills. Everybody knows it, including you! So why the hell do you always jump the gun to shove that fact down my throat?
Author's Notes: Part 2! I think I like this one. Feedback please!! Enjoy. :)
Part 2
“Do you always need to be so blunt when we talk to the victim’s families?” says Booth as they walk down the road towards his SUV.
“Do you always have to rub it in?” she counters. This is just like him, she thinks, faulting her for something she can’t help. He knows that she’s no good with people and just because he can communicate and understand the average person on the street better than she can doesn’t mean that he has the right to criticize her for it. There are many things she can do much better than he can, too.
“Rub what in?” Her face falls, but somehow she’s not surprised. He really is oblivious to the effect his words have on her. She was hoping he would have noticed. But then, if he’d noticed the comments would have stopped long ago.
“All I’m saying, Bones, is that when you’re going to tell somebody how their family member died, the gore really isn’t all that necessary. Okay?”
“No! It’s not okay!” She stops short behind him and he turns to face her when he realizes that she isn’t following him. She’s at the point now where she can’t handle any more of Booth and his antics. She’s finally going to call him on it, like she’s wanted to do all these months. “Why don’t you tell me what to do, Booth? Because you’re so good at this.” She says sarcastically. On some level she hopes that it hurts him.
“Good at what, Bones?”
“Good with people! You’re always generous enough to point out when I’m being insensitive or hurtful when I don’t know it, but you don’t ever try to help me prevent it from happening again!”
Booth is shocked into silence. Why hadn’t he noticed before that she’d been looking to him for guidance? He knew that she was trying her best to ameliorate her people skills, but her attempts were almost laughable to him and she had made no noticeable improvement. But instead of encouraging her like he should have, he always shot her down.
Looking at her now, he could tell she was angry. He could see it in the stiffness of her spine and the hardness in her eyes. She was hardly finished with him yet, and he made no move to stop her, feeling that he deserved it. How could he have been so blind?
“I know that I have limited people skills. Everybody knows it, including you! So why the hell do you always jump the gun to shove that fact down my throat? I mean, it’s not as if other people don't remind me of it enough already. I don’t need you reminding me of it, either.”
“Bones-”
She ignores him. “I’ve been trying, Booth. Especially since I met you, I’ve been trying to become less dysfunctional. I’m having a bit of trouble because this is not easy for me. It’s really not, and I don’t want people’s first impressions of me to be that I’m cold and unfeeling anymore. But I don’t know how to change that because if I don’t distance myself things become personal. And doing my job would be much too hard for me if I didn’t. I thought you understood that.”
Booth feels like she’s slapped him. She’s the last person he wants to hurt.
“But when you make a comment about how I should stay in my element, or about how insensitive I’m being with what, to me, looks like very little remorse, it doesn’t exactly help my case! It makes me wonder if there’s still hope for me, because if you’re not encouraging me then who else is there?”
She’s rambling and there’s no way he’ll be able to calm her down.
“Despite what you may think I care about what you think of me! So, whenever you brush me off like you do, it hurts!” She stops short and her eyes widen. She hadn’t meant to go that far or reveal that much to him. He wasn’t supposed to know that little detail.
There are a few moments of awkward silence between them before Brennan walks past him. Booth is floored, but he catches up to her and grabs her by the wrist. He has some important things that he wants to tell her. “Bones.”
She turns to face him. “What, Booth?” She is annoyed and slightly embarrassed. She just wants to forget that the past few minutes have happened at all. She hadn’t meant to get so emotional. And that, perhaps, was the bulk of her problem.
“I had no idea. I’m sorry, Bones.”
She tries to pull away, sensing that he’s going to go a bit deeper that she would like him to today. He doesn’t let her, though, and holds fast to her wrist. “You are not cold. You are not unfeeling. You are one of the most compassionate and caring people that I know. I know that you have trouble showing that sometimes and I’m sorry that I’ve been treating you so terribly for it. I’m sorry, I really am. Forgive me? Please?”
She gapes at him for a few moments and then nods dumbly. ‘Does he really think that of me?’ she wonders. “I just wish people could see the reasons behind my apparent heartlessness.”
“First of all, I’m pretty sure nobody thinks you’re heartless, and we’ll work on getting people to understand you. It might require you opening up to people a little more, but I’m here to help you and encourage you every step of the way, alright? I care. I promise you I won’t ever make you feel down on yourself again because of this. If I do, you have my permission to kick my ass.” He smiles at her.
“Thank you, Booth.” Booth hasn’t made her a single promise he hasn’t kept since she’s known him. He was only there to help her from here on in. She smiles back at him.
“Now let’s go. We’ve got a case to solve.”
She nods, and walks by his side to the SUV.
What a pair.
FINE