I WROTE ANOTHER FIC WITH ZACK
You had been Zack's mentor for several months, so you knew perfectly well that once he finished his doctorate, you wouldn't have to teach him anything more, since it was quite likely he would be offered a position far away.
Addy's mind was something rarely seen; it was complex and intricate, yet at the same time simple and easily understandable, at least for you.
You were working on an analysis of a substance you had found in the victim's iliac crest when you felt her gaze on you from across the room.
You quickly raised your head, catching him red-handed.
The boy swallowed hard, nervously, before carefully picking up a bag containing a clear liquid.
"I've already analyzed the anomaly you found on the femur," he said, approaching you. "It turns out it wasn't a typical anomaly," he continued, pointing to the bones on the examination table. "The victim had repeated knee surgeries. The marks on the bone are erosion, because it wasn't repositioned correctly." "She must have spent her whole life in terrible pain," you murmured. He nodded slightly.
"Regarding that, I found traces of Ozempic, Clonazepam, and Tylenol adhered to the xiphoid process and the costal cartilage," he said. "They're all painkillers, I imagine to alleviate the pain she was feeling."
"Or at least to forget about it for a while," you added. "Very good work, Zack," you congratulated him, making him smile before turning to leave the way he'd come and continue working
"Zack, wait a moment," you said before he left. "I'd like to talk to you for a moment, just the two of us." The dark-haired man tilted his head from side to side before frowning curiously.
"We're already talking, and we're alone," he said. "It's lunchtime, so Angela and Hodgings have probably already eaten, along with Booth and Brennan," he murmured. "What do you want to talk about?" he asked. "Did I do something wrong? If it's about…"
"No, you didn't do anything wrong, Zack. Everything's perfect, as always," you added, making him smile. "It's just that I haven't been able to stop your attitude towards me from being different than usual these last few weeks," you said, "which makes me wonder if I've done something that might have offended you in some way." If that's the case, I apologize.
"I think I understand," he murmured. "You want to know why I'm behaving differently, right?" You nodded. "Okay," he took a deep breath. "I'm not sure there's another way to say this, so I'll just say it," he whispered, his attentive dark eyes meeting yours. "I like you, romantically speaking," he clarified. "You're a great professional, an excellent mentor, and an even better person," he praised. "I suppose with all those qualities, it was practically impossible for me not to like you," he said. "I know we have to maintain professionalism between mentor and student with a future doctorate, but that doesn't mean I can stop liking you, because I can't." “I…”
“Zack,” you gently interrupted, “I understand everything you’ve said, I really do, I understand it perfectly,” you replied. “That’s why I couldn’t agree with you more. I like you too,” you confessed, “and the fact that we like each other isn’t going to change anything, because we’re going to keep working the same way, solving cases and pestering Booth to let us carry guns,” you blurted out, making him laugh. “You’re the best assistant I could have, Zack,” you smiled. “You’re going to be a great Doctor,” you added. “I hope that when you get your degree you’ll come visit us. Angela will go crazy if she doesn’t throw you a party to celebrate.”
“I don’t like parties,” he replied, making you laugh, “but of course I’ll come back to see you, to see you,” he emphasized, holding your gaze for a few moments.
“Okay, enough talk, those bones aren’t going to analyze themselves.” "It's time to get back to work," you nodded toward the table.
"I'll let you know when I have the final results," Zack replied, turning away with a huge grin.
