Bones Preferences

07. You Explain the Situation

Seeley Booth:

The visit to Seeley wasn't any different; he wasn't the type to outright show you how bothered he was. You deserved the best and he couldn't give you that if every minute was going to be strung with worry. Forget gray hairs, one of you could die and it would ruin the other's world. You saw it over the next couple of days. He was joking about the other man, forcing smiles, and distancing himself, but shouldn't you get over your own crush? He had baggage, a kid with an ex-girlfriend, what were your chances? Then you told him about a date and Seeley bluntly said that he didn't like the guy, so you confronted his jealousy. "You know I could get out of this bed right now and take you on a better date." That startled you, but Seeley jokingly tried to get up as you pinned him back. You canceled the date and spent the final night by the agent's bedside because there was no one else you'd rather spend it with.

「☠」

Jack Hodgins:

He'd said that he'd call but when Jack didn't contact you to ask about either the lunch or drinking date, you'd assumed he'd forgotten or had been busy. You didn't want to think about him losing interest, because you hoped he hadn't. Gathering pride and dignity, you'd called Jack to settle it. He'd sounded surprised to hear your voice, but dialed it down and got disinterested when he asked how the movie date went the other day. Jack really didn't want to know, unless it'd gone really bad and the reason you'd called him was because you'd realized it. Deep down, he hoped so. Both hiding behind your own hopes, you were the one to admit that the guy hadn't met any of your expectations and had been dull compared to Jack. You'd been too busy thinking about the next time you'd see the entomologist and Jack was instantly spirited by the news. "Oh, yeah?" He was ready to plan the official date.

「☠」

Lance Sweets:

You'd contemplated going off on Lance because you'd been upset about what he'd done at the bar. As your psychologist, he was well aware that you should not be left alone with strangers in that kind of setting. If he'd mistaken the situation, you wouldn't be feeling hostile but he'd blatantly ignored eye-contact for the rest of the night. Lance had noticed how you'd stopped meeting him; they weren't even sessions that had to be attended but you usually visited. But not this week. It was a game to see who crumbled first and it was him. He called and you answered, but left it to him to lead the conversation. "[Y/N], you know we can talk about anything. I can make room in my schedule to fit you in." That about did it and you vented to Lance how vulnerable he'd left you and that the next time he did it, you really wouldn't talk to him again. "Next time?" Of course there'd be a next time, as long as he stayed.

「☠」

James Aubrey:

If partners kept secrets from one another, where would the mutual respect and trust be? He'd been thinking irrationally, of course, due to how wrong he thought it was to invite an ex into your apartment. You were entitled to a private life, but he wanted to be a part of that, too. So he'd confronted you about it the next day while driving to work. "As a friend, I just thought that it was unsafe for you to have brought him into your home. That's all I'm saying." It was a pile of bull crap, but you'd gone along with it and told him that the guy had been over to help move things. In which case, James had pouted and informed you that you should have asked him. He was a helper, he liked helping, especially you. You'd given him a look and he'd returned it with a lopsided grin. "Call me, next time. Booty call, voicemail, beep me, whatever. I wanna be there." Well when he put it like that, you wanted him there, too.

「☠」

Zack Addy:

Zack hadn't been picking up your calls and you couldn't remember the last time you'd run into him. Well, you could but it seemed so long; two weeks, in fact. You'd faced his colleagues and Booth had made a comment to Brennan along the lines of, "Hey. Look who it is. It's Zack's lady friend." But clarity hadn't come to you until Angela had you cornered, asking about the new man you'd been coming in with. Your cousin. The 'new man' was your visiting cousin. From there, everyone had the 'oh' then 'uh-oh' moment. That evening, he drove you to the Jeffersonian and Angela had Zack sent out. Though he was unhappy with your company, it was the longest you'd ever seen him take to register something when the relative put out his hand and introduced himself as your cousin. After a moment, Zack inhaled. "It appears that I have jumped to conclusions. Though, for once, I'm relieved to learn that I was wrong."

「☠」

Wendell Bray:

To Wendell's dismay, you'd told your friend that you'd keep the vehicle for a few more hours. The customer rung a friend to pick him up, but that would mean the guy would be back later. Of all likely scenarios, Wendell truly thought that the man would return to sweep you off your feet and take you away. "High school crush, huh?" He'd still teased you after the friend had gone, but it didn't fully match the look on his face; he just wanted confirmation. You'd blushed and threatened to cut the paycheck of whoever had told him, jokingly of course. Going back to work, you nonchalantly talked about how the guy had been some good-looking, big-shot rugby player in high school. Looking back, it was all he'd been. He'd had no goals or motivations. Not like Wendell. You admitted to him that someone like Wendell would be exactly who you would have an eye on these days. His mood had lifted through the rest of the night.

「☠」

Vincent Nigel-Murray:

After his past failed advances on other women, Vincent knew how to take a hint. It was undeniable that he was arrogant when it came to how suave he believed himself to be, so it wasn't a surprise to guess that he'd deflected you, too. Perhaps he'd made a fool of himself by thinking you were actually interested. Although you worked in the same building, he was grateful that you didn't run into one another regularly. That way, he didn't have to see you coddling that other man. Vincent had been rushing after Dr. Brennan when he'd heard his name. You were waving at him from the lounge balcony, but he'd tried to ignore you. That was when you'd shouted after him about meeting for lunch. After some hesitance, he responded in defeat. "Can't you do that with your boyfriend?" Brennan called for her grad student, but you'd taken your shot by saying, "Not yet. Not until you go to lunch with me."