OOM: Man in the Mansion Coda

[paladinsuitsyou]

After this.

After Robert Frasier's conviction for murdering Terrence Bancroft, Booth's feeling pretty good. He's got his "bilious socks" and "ostentatious ties" back though he still hasn't quite gotten over the codpiece comment enough to wear a big belt buckle just yet. In spite of being lectured by Carolyn about wrecking his car and letting the Squint Squad run wild, he's doing all right.

So when he sees Hodgins walk into the diner, he grins.

Comments

[bugsandslime]

"I'm not sure I can really claim credit."

Angela has an innate ability to see the beauty in everything. Even slime and fungus.

"So," he adds slowly, "are we still cool? With me still being at the Jeffersonian?"

[paladinsuitsyou]

Booth looks down at his coffee as if it might contain the right way to answer this question.

It doesn't, though, and so he's left, as always, hoping he's got the words right.

"Course. The science was great. Would've been perfect, if it weren't for that little glitch about knowing the victim."

[bugsandslime]

It means a lot to Hodgins, having Booth's respect. Even though he'd reenact several scenes from Silence of the Lambs before admitting needing respect from a Fed.

Friendship, or whatever it is, really complicates things sometimes.

"Good."

"And I think the odds of coming across a case like that again are......really bad. Zach could probably tell you exactly how bad."

"So, no more glitches."

[paladinsuitsyou]

Booth couldn't say when Hodgins went from being "that bug and slime guy with the paranoia thing" to "my friend." Whenever that was, he's glad it happened.

"Excellent," Booth says. "And I'll just go with 'really bad.' I don't think we need to quantify it more than that."

Bones might, or Zach, but Booth's pretty sure that Hodgins will be willing to leave it there.