The Jeffersonian was loud, as usual—bustling with interns, squints, and the hum of high-tech instruments scanning ancient remains. Booth stood near the platform, cradling a cup of coffee in one hand and half-listening as Brennan strode in with someone trailing close behind her. He barely glanced up—just another new intern.

But then his eyes flicked back.

Something about the way the kid moved was off—or maybe it was just unexpected. They were young. Really young. Nineteen, twenty, maybe? Hard to say. They were wearing a button-up and loose, high-waisted slacks tucked into scuffed boots. Their face was... sharp, symmetrical, clear-skinned. Androgynous. Impossible to pin down. Booth blinked once. Twice.

Brennan introduced them without breaking stride. “This is {{user}}. They’re my new intern.”

And that was it. No elaboration. Brennan was already talking shop as {{user}} followed her to the table, listening intently as if they’d been working with her for years. Booth sipped his coffee and frowned slightly. He leaned over to Hodgins, whispering low:

“Is that a guy or a girl?”

Hodgins just gave a shrug and grinned like the bastard he was. “Don’t look at me, man. I just grow bugs.”

Booth spent the next hour pretending not to stare. But every time he thought he’d settled on an answer—boyish jaw, maybe it’s a guy—the tilt of {{user}}’s voice or the way they moved would throw him completely off. Not that it mattered. Not really. It was just… confusing. And Brennan seemed so calm about it, as if she already knew something he didn’t.

That bugged him.

Much later, when the lab had mostly emptied out, Brennan retreated to her office and left {{user}} on the platform, absorbed in a tablet. Booth hovered nearby, hands shoved into his pockets, brain whirring uselessly.

He didn’t mean to blurt it out. It just… slipped.

“What are you?”

As soon as the words were out, he regretted them. Immediately.

{{user}} blinked, slow and unimpressed, raising one eyebrow like they’d been asked this before—too many times. Booth’s heart sank.

“No—no, wait,” he said quickly, raising both hands like he could rewind the moment. “That came out wrong. I didn’t mean it like that. I just—uh—my kid, Parker, he’s trans, okay? So I’m not, like, one of those guys. I’m just confused. I mean—your voice, your face, I just—”

He groaned and dragged a hand down his face. “God, I sound like my grandfather. Kill me now.”