Driving: Part 1

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Booth tried to look like he was listening. He did this by attentively watching his boss's mouth move as he chewed him out, mostly about Bones. When Booth went to see Bones and share the grief, he got roped into chauffeuring Zack to a crime scene. No one knows how these things happen. You are walking along, and a brick falls off a building and hits you in the head. There is no explaining it. That's what Booth was thinking as the littlest squint was staring at him from the passenger seat of his car. They were headed to an out of the way spot so Zack could take some pictures and samples. The drive was both scenic and boring. Fewer and fewer buildings lined the road. Eventually they were surrounded by nature and nothing else. Maybe it was the bucolic view that had Zack's eyes still glued to Booth.

"You have a strong jaw," Zack said as a capper to all the staring.

"Kid, wait till I'm dead to start analyzing my bones."

"It would be an honor," Zack said. He sounded like he couldn't wait. The sick, little...

"I can't believe you can't drive," Booth said. But he could believe it. He just couldn't believe he was stuck driving him. "You are like something Hodgins raised in a terrarium."

"You are very manly," Zack said in return.

"Is you giant, mutant brain short-circuiting?" Booth asked.

"I thought we were just blurting out random things."

"No. We aren't. I definitely don't want to know about your random things," Booth told him. God knows what would come out of his mouth next.

"Because they might be sexual?" That's what came out of Zack's mouth next.

"That's exactly the kind of thing I don't want to know."

Zack turned to face forward giving Booth hope that he had put an end to the nonsense.

"They aren't. All sexual. But I have questions about that area," Zack said while sitting in that self contained, seemingly harmless way.

"Talk to your mom, or just wish real hard and maybe you'll get turned into a real boy," Booth said, gruffly.

"Like you."

"I'm a man."

"I am very aware of that." Zack looked at Booth's crotch then at his own. Booth stared at him for a second. Zack must have mistaken his disbelieving glower for an invitation to share.

"I mean, if you have a reaction to one person. An immediate, undeniable reaction..."

"Look, I have a gun and I am not afraid to use it," Booth told him. How had he lost control of the situation exactly? Was it when they left the asphalt for this bumpy, dirt road?

"A gun can be a stand-in for..."

And that was enough of that. Booth pulled over to the side of the road. Dust went flying behind the wheels. It was trunk time for the Squint.

"Ok, little buddy..." Booth started to say as he turned off the car.

"Could you pick another nickname?" Zack asked. He didn't seem to be grasping the gravity of the situation.

"It's not a nickname."

"We are parked. Does this mean what I think it means?" Zack asked looking around. It was a wooded area, and Booth had pulled into a space between some trees.

"If you think this means that I found a good place to dump your dead body, then yes," Booth answered him.

"This isn't a good place. You left distinct tire marks. The soil composition in this area..."

"Do you want to walk the rest of the way?"

"On the other hand the ground cover will hide us from sight if anyone passes by," Zack said as he looked back toward the road.

"No one is passing by."

Booth looked back too. Only a small piece of the road was visible from their spot. Two men, a deserted, lightly traveled road - the situation was wrought with possibilities. Possibilities that involved Zack's crotch from the looks of it. He kept glancing down at it and shifting his ass around on the seat.

"Is this is a good place and time for us to explore my urges?" he asked Booth as if he were talking about the time of day or, in his case, some maggot-infested corpse.

"What? You... Get out," Booth ordered. Zack didn't move.

Booth opened his car door and got out. He slammed the door shut making Zack wince. Zack turned in his seat to watch him as he circled around the front of the car to the passenger side. Booth opened the car door and grabbed Zack by the collar.

"You are walking," Booth said and dragged him out of his seat.

"But the equipment," Zack protested, pointing to the back of the car.

"The equipment knows how to keep its mouth shut. The equipment can ride in the car."

"This is manhandling. Isn't it?" Zack asked as if only now noticing Booth's hands on him.

"Yes. It's manhandling," Booth confirmed and handled him roughly some more to underscore the point. It was kind of fun.

"It's not diminishing my urges," Zack said like he was announcing the result of some experiment.

"Shut up about your urges!"

"They are very insistent urges." Zack looked up at Booth. His eyes were both innocent and undeniably needy. Booth was still holding him by the arm. He became very aware of the point of contact between them. It was like they were two crossed wires, and something was about to ignite. Booth tugged at his collar. It was getting a little hot.

"Oh, God," Booth said starting to feel some urges of his own.

"Does that mean we can explore my urges now?"

"Look..."

"I think we should start by kissing," Zack said and he moved in for a kiss. Boot took his other arm to hold him off.

"No," Booth said. But once the subject was raised, he couldn't stop looking at Zack's mouth. It seemed very red and really close. He just had to pull him in.

"Groping?" Zack proposed. He flexed his fingers as if getting them ready for some major groping action.

"Grope... No." But Booth was already softening his grip on Zack's arms, starting to move his thumbs around, to feel.

"Fondling?" Zack asked not getting discouraged by Booth's words.

"No!"

Zack didn't even pause. It was like someone wound him up. There was no stopping him.

"Should I remove my clothes. Would you like to remove my clothes? Or should I remove your clothes. We could remove each other's clothes, simultaneously or separately. There are so many options." Zack looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I think we should reschedule this," Zack said. He extracted himself from Booth's hands with no trouble.

"What?"

"We don't have time to try all the different combinations now. We should get to the crime scene." Zack was all business all of a sudden. He climbed back into the car.

Booth shook his head and got into the driver's seat. Did the car get smaller? It took Booth a minute to remember how to turn the ignition.

"Can you teach me to drive?" Zack asked as Booth started the car.

"I can teach you lots of stuff, kid."

Zack nodded. Booth glanced at him quickly and saw Zack sitting in his seat looking pleased.

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To be continued...