The Nights We Stay Awake (TemperancexReader)

1. Sort of a Prolouge

There is this place where people like them like to visit, before going into foster families. Many of them even return to these places afterwards. Because no matter what, it was the closest thing to hope. And it's not a house or an office or anything special, it's just a part. Wasn't an official place either, it was just a place that every foster kid in Washington DC had seen in a picture in the offices and foster homes. It because a way to know that you weren't alone, and didn't have to suffer by yourself. That there was someone else in the same situation, or worse, or better, but you knew you weren't alone.

And that is where they first met, the two girls being complete opposites apart from having lost everything they thought they knew. The girl who had been left alone and the girl who only had her little sister. One smiling through the pain while the other hid behind science and logic. Only a few months separating them in age.

"Hi," a girl says, sitting down next to a brunette, who seems to be of the same block as herself, on a park bench. The starry night sky shining brightly above them both.

"Hello," she answers as she looks up at the girl. Admiring her. She herself would never have dared to utter the first word. Yo her or to anyone else.

"I'm Y/n." She holds out her hand to the girl who couldn't understand why a stranger would be nice to her, this late. Only reason she wasn't afraid was because she recognised her. Had seen her in the park before.

She decide that as she answered. "I'm Temperance." And they shake hands as an owl howls over the sound of cars. "I've seen you here before, with that other girl." And she'd thought that something made them so similar to each other. Maybe no in appearance of colours, but in their eyes, their smiles, just the way they... exist.

"That's my sister, Penelope." Y/n's weak smile is sad and Temperance feels bad to have caused it. "Do you have any siblings?"

"I..." Now it was Y/n's time to feel guilt over her chosen words. But before she could apologise, Temperance had decide to continue. "I have a brother, he left not long ago, not long after our parents."

"I'm sorry," Y/n takes Temperance's hand in hers, offering a sort of comfort that neither of the girls have ever felt before. "It's just me and my sister, our parents are gone too."

And that was the only thing they share. Only thing they had in common. But still, neither of them could deny the instant connection that built up between the two that night, or during the coming nights that they spend in the part. Watching the night sky. Sometimes in silence, sometimes they talk about hobbies, the future or something else that's happened. But mostly in the quiet of each others company.

Not even when they're separated do they stop. Different foster families, but their friendship continues to be strong. And the people who placed them saw that, to their luck, and placed them both as close as they could. Never cross state lines, barely in different cities.

And life continues, Temperance goes on to study anthropology while Y/n goes into criminology. But no matter what happened, or where they were, they always spend their nights under the starts to escape from the cruel world that's been shown to them. Even though Temperance hates psychology, she listens to Y/n's observations and results. And Y/n does the same, listening to Temperance talk about boring old bones that she couldn't care less about.

But under those stars that only shone at night, they weren't Dr. Temperance Brennan renowned anthropologist and novelist, and SSA Y/n Garcia of the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI. They were just Y/n and Tempe, two girls who find comfort in their opposites.

Y/n joined the BAU a year before her sister was "drafted" into it, and her team could not in a million ways understand their relationship. How deep it goes, and how they could even stay in such good shape of friendship considering their jobs.

No matter how many times they try to dissect it through psychology. Not a sister-friendship, no 'same trauma' friendship - even though it almost feels right - it went so far as to make them all use it as an example to something unexplainable.

When Temperance joined the Jeffersonian Institution, they couldn't understand it either. And they were supposed to be some of the brightest minds in the world, or so they say. But they could all see how different Dr. Brennan was around the Agent who sometimes popped by or was the only constant thing when asking her what she's done during the weekend or something in the past or future.

Then we have the matter about phones. Temperance hates to talk on them, loathes it, likes to talk to people face to face. But whenever Y/n is gone on a case, it would be in her hands at all times. Texts, calls, didn't matter what time or what they were doing.

One thing they all seemed to agree on, without the two teams having officially met, is that it's weird. One time they'd even suggested that it could be a romantic love that kept them together. But that idea was quickly buried by now grown women with separate love-lives... for now. Even though they kept prioritising each other over everything else.

Most of their time was spent at Temperance apartment as Y/n shares one with Penelope out of simplicity to both work and keep track of each other. But also because has has a terrace on the roof that's perfect. They drag up a few pillows and covers, snacks and drinks - often alcoholic beverages - and make it perfect underneath the stars that are barely visible under the city lights. But it's better than anything else. And they're together.

Together forever, until something could tear them apart...