He was making all sorts of nonsensical noises with his mouth as he tried to ignore the burning temperature of the cups in his hands and not doing a very good job of it. Realizing that everyone in the elevator was staring at him, Castle pressed his lips together and began silently cursing Starbucks for their crappy cardboard cup holders not being any good and willing the metal box to rise quicker to his floor.
"Ah, ah, ooh, eeeh oooh" Dashing out through the gap as soon as the elevator doors began to slide open he managed to get all the way to Beckett's desk only bumping into one person and with no spillages, calling out an apology in his wake. "Hot!" He announced as he set them both down and rubbed his fingers against his poor palms.
"Well yeah Castle, who wants to drink it cold?" Beckett looked up from the crime report she was perusing with a shake of her head, a small smile playing on her lips. Reached over for one of the cups, she let out her own verbal wince at the surprising heat of it, ignoring the I-Told-You-So smile that was now all over his face. Taking a sip she almost spat it back out and looked up at the writer incredulously.
"Hot Chocolate? Castle!" She dumped the cup unceremoniously in the trash can next to her desk and wiped at her mouth futilely with her sleeve as she tried to get rid of the unexpected taste that was filling her mouth and wondering what on earth could have possessed him to break from their routine.
"Yeah! It's gingerbread flavor as well … for Christmas! Alexis said it was delicious." He's disappointed, he thought for sure she was going to love the drink and he could bring up the whole Christmas thing, gauge what her take was going to be on spending the day together. He and Alexis had a very set Christmas morning schedule and it had taken him more than a little bit of bribing to be allowed to even think about asking Kate to join them.
"That is honestly the worst thing I've ever tasted in my life Castle, our thing is coffee for a reason." She can't help but let a smile creep onto her face as she stresses the word, his face is so shocked that she threw out his morning drink that she almost feels bad for dumping it so quickly. It was truly terrible though and she needs a strong black to wipe the memory of the taste from her mouth before it's embedded forever.
Dropping into the spare chair and crossing his arms over his chest, Castle's forehead puckers in a frown as Beckett crosses the precinct to get her coffee fix. Taking a sip himself he's shocked to find that she's right and it's pretty gross and he lets out a small hiss as the still-very-hot liquid slides down his throat and a new idea forms quickly in his mind. Perhaps he'll try the eggnog one tomorrow and see if it's any better, work his way up with an assortment of flavors before surprising her with a real coffee and an invite to spend Christmas morning with him, therefore making it an offer she won't be able to refuse.
Settling back in the chair with a smile spreading across his face, sipping the awful drink he chuckles softly to himself, across the room at the coffee maker Beckett smiles ruefully as she watches him. She knows that face, knows he's planning something and steels herself mentally for the inevitable fun and games that are about to begin.