Chapter Text
After checking the text message one last time, Bones looks up at apartment building.
It's unassuming, old, made of brick and mortar, ivy sprawling all along the walls. The overcast sky makes it look a little more dreary than it should.
Winona: hey you still do art restoration stuff right? got a new project. lost media from the 70s. think it might be right up your alley
Glancing at the front door, a frown pulls at his face; he's probably gonna have to be hunched over the whole time, the door barely reaches his shoulder. While he's judging the pros and cons, his phones buzzes with a new text.
Winona: it won't be the same without yoU
Sighing through his nose, Bones pockets his phone and heads inside Winona's apartment building just as the first few drops of rain start to fall.
---
"Creak."
A dull thud, two small feet jumping from one spot to the next on polished hardwood flooring.
"Squeak."
The dog watches lazily from where she lies by the backdoor.
"Bang!"
A chuckle echoes down the hallway.
"What are you doing, little lark?" an old man asks, weathered hand holding his pencil steady as he pauses his sketching.
"I'm talking to our house!" a child's voice chirps back.
---
The door swings open and Bones can immediately see Winona's dark eyes light up.
"About time you showed up, Bee," she greets, stepping out of the way to let him. "Lori and Morgan should be here soon."
Bones' eyebrows rise at that. "I thought you and Lori weren't speaking to each other."
"Oh please, that's ancient history," Winona waves a dismissive hand as she heads for her kitchen. "Tea? Coffee? Juice?"
"It was two months ago, and coffee, please," Bones calls after her, looking around the mostly bare living room; Winona and Lori may be talking again, but things must still be rough if they haven't moved back in together.
"Like I said, ancient history!"
A noncommittal hum escapes Bones as he finally shrugs his jacket off and takes a seat on the couch - well, more like half of the couch. It's a tiny velvet thing, Bones' knees nearly coming up to his chest. Almost like sitting on dollhouse furniture.
"So... You said this new project has to do with some lost media from the 70s?" Bones asks when Winona returns with two cups of coffee.
"Yup! Lemme go get it," Winona rushes out as she scurries down the narrow hall, excitement practically radiating from her very being. A soft smile curls on his face; at least she's got something to focus on. Maybe now she'll take his and Morgan's advice.
Sipping on his drink, Bones watches the rain beat against the windows. Hands wrapped around a warm mug and the weather stirs something deep behind his ribs. A feeling of home.
(Vibrant oranges, yellows, browns, and greens. The sound of pencil on paper. 'Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa, men have named you' on vinyl.)
A cardboard box being placed on the coffee table with a sturdy thump draws Bones from his wandering thoughts.
"Here it is!" Winona announces with a grin, hands on her hips. "A children's' puppet show from the early 70s. At least, that's what I gathered so far from my envelope anyway."
"Your envelope?" Bones asks, leaning forward and getting a closer look at the box. It's addressed to Winona, written in what looks like colored pencils along with smudged, child-like drawings. Bones' brow furrows. There's something off, something he can't quite put his finger on...
"Mhm. There's one addressed to each of us." Winona holds up a candy corn colored envelope with her name written across the front in loopy handwriting, a flower dotting the 'i' in her name. Brows furrowing, Bones looks at Winona's envelope then back at the box, an odd something tugging at the back of his mind.
But, before he can say anything, there's a knock at the door.
"That'll be Lori and Morgan." Winona sets her envelope on the coffee table as she strides towards the door.
"There's no return address on this," he realizes, voice soft, barely a whisper.
Curiosity piqued, he reaches in and grabs the envelope that has his name on it.
It's dense, and heavy, nearly bursting at the seams. A vivid, gorgeous blue with a yellow border, his name written in sharp, uneven letters on the front.
On the back, there's a telltale smudge of faded color from something being erased, but Bones can still sort of read it from the amount of pressure the sender used when writing it.
'as above :)'