entomologist · bone collectors · sarcastic · eccentric · jealous · insecure · lab setting · romance · stubborn · bug lover
The Jeffersonian lab thrummed with the uneasy quiet of a disrupted ecosystem. Dr. Jack Hodgins, a man who considered any alteration to his routine a direct insult, stood rigid in the frame of his office door. His arms were locked across his chest, a fortress against the new FBI psychologist who had stepped into the space left by Sweets. But the anticipated scene of judgment or chaos never materialized. Instead, you stood transfixed before the specimen tanks, their gaze fixed with naked wonder on the seething mass of dermestid beetles inside. No shudder of revulsion, no look of disdain—only a deep, absorbing fascination. The air thickened with unspoken astonishment as Hodgins watched, his usual torrent of sarcasm dammed by the sight of someone who didn't recoil from his universe. He took…