A/N: This is from a prompt on castlefanficprompts - 'pre couple, they go to a museum'
A large coffee cup gets placed in front of her, and she glances up to see her shadow drop down onto his seat next to her desk. She immediately reaches for the cup, welcoming the break from the large piles of paperwork she has to get through today. She takes a sip, savoring the warmth, her usual flavors of vanilla interspersed with the coffee making her tastebuds hum.
"Hey," he starts, leaning back into the chair. She didn't think he'd be in today - there was no body drop so far, and he expresses his distaste for paperwork often enough that she's come to accept how eager he is to avoid it.
"Hey. Thanks for the coffee, Castle," she replies. "You dodging writing responsibilities again?"
"Nope. Ah, well, yes. But not the main reason I'm here. I have a favor to ask you."
She squints, wondering if this will end up with him asking her to use police resources illegally. But he looks excited, and his eyes light up when she gestures for him to go ahead.
"You like museums right?"
Well, she hadn't been expecting that.
"Uh, yeah, I do," she answers, her voice uneven, thrown off by his question.
"Great. I have two tickets for the opening of the new exhibit at the Natural History Museum, and Alexis can't come because she's got plans with friends. Please say you'll come? It's this Friday night." He looks at her, deep blue eyes pleading, and he is definitely sticking his bottom lip out on purpose. From the way her heart rate has sped up, his gaze may be working, so she purses her lips and looks down, avoiding his stare as she thinks it through.
She does love museums, she used to go a lot when she was younger, but uncertainty simmers in her stomach. It sounds like it's in the territory of a date, and she's not sure she's ready for that. Not yet at least.
"I don't know, Castle."
"Come on, Beckett. We had fun on our date last week right?" he says, grinning.
"That was not a date," she splutters.
"And this isn't either, if that's what you're worried about. Just two friends enjoying an event, looking at some cool dinosaurs." He raises an eyebrow, and she laughs. Of course that would be his selling point.
She ponders on it for a moment, and mentally weighs up the pros and cons. Imagining herself and Castle going to such an event doesn't fill her with too much dread, and rather anticipation rushes throughout her body. She taps her fingers along her jeans, knowing she is killing him with this mental torture, but in the end finds herself gravitating to a yes.
Because damn, she does like museums, and she hasn't been to one in so long.
She bites her lip, her teeth peeking through as she struggles to suppress her smile. "Okay, fine."
The exclamation of joy that erupts from his lips is enough to convince her that she made the right decision, and his happiness becomes mirrored in her now exposed smile. She shakes her head as he pumps his fist, but she revels in his joy as she relaxes back into her chair.
Since the Coonan case, since he almost left the precinct, left her, she wants him to know she appreciates having him here, that his happiness is important to her. He calms quickly, probably not wanting to scare her off, and grips the armrests as he relaxes his body back into the chair. His face has softened, but his bright eyes bore deep into hers with gratefulness, and her hand twitches in her lap, wanting to reach out and grab his.
"But no limo." She goes for light, teasing, saving the deep emotional reactions for another time. She doesn't need a limo, she prefers casual over the extravagance that she knows he could be capable of.
"Deal," he agrees, standing from his chair - apparently this was his only task for today. "But it's black tie, Beckett. Do you need me to buy you a dress again?"
She huffs. "Definitely not." As much as she liked the dress he bought her last time, the thought of him seeing her in a new dress, the way his eyes would roam-.
"-Great. I'll pick you up at seven?" he asks, breaking her fantasy, and she nods in return, her mouth dry and her skin prickly with thoughts of dresses and dates - not dates - and she smiles to herself as he walks away.
Going to a museum with Castle? Okay, she may be a little excited.
She's touching up her lipstick when she hears the knock on her door. Her outfit for tonight is a floor length black dress that hugs her curves and displays far more of her back than she's used to. Lanie had insisted that they go shopping together when Kate had mentioned the event to her, and they'd gone out in their lunch break yesterday to find her something to wear. When Kate had stepped out of the dressing room wearing it, the gasp that her friend had let out was loud enough to turn heads of other customers. Despite Lanie mentioning how great the dress would look on the floor of Castle's place, she had convinced her to buy it, raving about how beautiful she looked and how well it suited her figure.
Dark red lipstick, and curled hair complete her look and she can't help but feel elegant, as she looks at herself in the mirror, her fingers soft as they trace the neck of her expensive dress. Butterflies flit in her stomach as she walks to the door, dress swishing and heels clicking on the floorboards.
She opens the door and is met with Castle standing there in a sleek tuxedo, and she has to pause and take in the sight of him. He looks good. His hair is gelled-up a little, and hands are in his pockets, clenching like he's not sure what to do with them.
Her mouth goes slack, and the butterflies are dead now, burned by the fire that has come alight inside her.
They both are silent, staring at each other in a state of dress that they rarely have seen. His eyes roam over her, his jaw slightly ajar and his irises dark, spreading tingles throughout her body with his gaze, and she wants to push him away and pull him towards her bedroom at the same time.
She shifts, trying to the shake the latter feeling away, because his stare and her reactions are much too serious for this 'not a date' evening.
"Kate, wow. You look incredible," Castle says finally, and her stomach flips with the compliment. She's glad she bought the dress.
"Thank you, Castle." She gives him a small smile. "You- uh, don't look so bad yourself." Kate clears her throat, hoping she appears calm and collected on the outside. "Want to come in?"
She gestures inside and he steps through her doorway so she can close it behind him.
He returns her smile and then starts to look around at her apartment, surely trying to take in as much as he can while he's here.
"I'm just gonna grab my bag and then we'll go?" she asks, and he nods, eyes darting back to her, and then flicking around the room before coming to rest upon her again. She can see he's conflicted between staring at her and investigating the trinkets lined up on her shelves, and so she rolls her eyes and makes the decision for him.
She turns to her bedroom and she hears him suck in a breath. Oh. He must have seen the back of her dress. She swings her hips a little as she walks, lips smirking and body thrumming, enjoying the power she holds over him in her formal attire.
Kate grabs her bag, a black clutch that unfortunately does not have room for her gun, and checks the mirror one last time. She spritzes herself with some perfume, hints of vanilla and musk settling onto her skin, and she walks back out to meet Castle.
He's apparently taken it upon himself to check out her entire book collection, body hunched over as he skims his hand along the titles, and ok, they need to go before he finds the book that he signed all those years ago.
She watches for a moment, enjoying the way his jacket has tightened across the breadth of his shoulders, and laughs quietly as he scrunches his face up at her collection of Patterson novels.
"Come on, Castle, let's go."
He straightens up at her voice, and walks briskly over as she goes to grabs her coat from the closet. He's behind her before she can even start to put it on and she inhales at the feel of him so close, his hands reaching for the coat to take it from her. He holds it up and she slip her arms through and she has not let out the breath she's been holding this whole time. Once it's on he carefully lifts her curls out from the collar, fingers brushing her neck, causing goosebumps to form. She reminds herself to breathe, but her exhale comes out louder than she wants, and her skin flushes as she hopes he doesn't notice. They exit her apartment and make their way to the elevator, Kate trying to block any more involuntary reactions her body may decide to have.
Because putting on coats and getting goosebumps are things that happen on dates.
And this was definitely not a date.
While not a limo, he did call the town car for transportation, and she had found herself enjoying the comfort and easy ride. Expensive leather seats and room to stretch her legs shifted her appreciation for this lifestyle, and she had relaxed as her and Castle shared small talk in the car.
Now, as she steps out in front of the museum, she realizes that anything less than the sleek town car would have looked out of place. Large banners, bright, colourful lights, and a small amount of press decorate the entrance. It's not as overwhelming as the Heat Wave book launch though, and her shoulders relax as she takes it all in.
Castle comes around the back of the car to meet her and lifts his elbow out for her to hold. She loops her arm through and rests her palm in the crease of his elbow, the heat from his body seeping into her palm, and any hesitation she had from this action last week has dissipated as they walk up the stairs and through the entrance.
Coats are checked and they are immediately presented with tall glasses of champagne. Kate sips the liquid, relishing the sweet taste and burst of bubbles as they slide down her throat.
The entrance room holds a large Barosaurus, and no matter how many time she has been here, she always enjoys gazing at the height, marvelling at the way scientists have managed to recreate the creature from its bones.
"You know, Beckett, it is night time. Who knows what exhibits may come to life here," he jokes, his eyes dancing with mirth as she turns to face him.
She laughs, rolling her eyes. "That was a movie Castle, I don't think any capuchin monkeys are gonna come wandering out to make friends."
"But you have to admit, it would be fun."
"Hmm, yes," she agrees, "I do think that playing fetch with a T-Rex would be pretty entertaining."
Her eyes are alight, and she glances to his to see a similar expression in his, the banter outside of the precinct causing a smile to bloom on both their faces. She's enjoying herself so far, Castle is proving himself great company, and the rigidity that had worked it's way through her body was evaporating by the minute.
They wander around the large room, their discussion light, mostly work related. Occasionally acquaintances of Castle's walk over to mingle, ones who pretend to know more about him than they actually do. He introduces her every time, complimenting her in different ways, her work, her beauty, and she can see his eyes glow each time he gets to show her off. While not exactly one to like bragging, his compliments cause the butterflies to fly back in, flapping their wings furiously inside her. His enthusiasm and delight as he gets to talk about her feels more important that the actual words he is saying, she's left speechless so often that she doesn't even try to stop his words.
They are called into a new room for the official opening, and as they walk through, she cranes her neck up to see a blue whale strung from the roof, encompassing the large space above them. It's huge, this magnificent creature, and her mouth opens as she stares in wonder. Most people around her are doing the same, needing to take in the enormous creature as it spans the length of the room.
Kate looks around, wanting to share her marvel with Castle, but can't see him immediately on either side of her. She jumps as she feels Castle's hand pressing into her bare lower back as he guides her further in to follow the crowd. The touch of his skin directly to hers causes her pulse to quicken and she has to prompt herself to breath as his hand is jostled from their movement and his fingers delicately brush her spine as they walk.
"Pretty amazing, huh?" he leans down and whispers near her ear, though her focus has been torn away from the whale now. It's not that quiet in the room, so she's not sure why he feels the need to whisper, but his breath skates her ear, and goosebumps trail down her neck. She sips her drink, needing liquid for her suddenly parched mouth.
She nods, ignoring her body's reactions, and yeah, it's amazing. She's seen the whale plenty of times, but the atmosphere of the room adds to the reaction; the blue and purple lighting that sweep the room, flashing and flickering in patterns, the embellished stage for speeches creating a focal point. The elegance of the evening creates a magical vibe, and she can't help but smile up at him, eye crinkling and teeth on display. She flicks her eyes to his lips and back up, a wave of desire sweeping over her, and she blinks and turns away, a small smile resting upon her face.
He drops his hand from her back once they've settled to face the stage, and she immediately misses the heat that radiated from his hand. Disappointment, and subsequent confusion with herself, form a tornado in her stomach, but she pushes them down for now, pulls her focus back to him and the buzzing in the room as a man steps on stage. She squeezes his arm briefly in thanks, and shifts closer to him, shoulders touching as they turn their attention to the speeches that are about to commence.
He's right. Tonight is amazing.
Thank you for reading. This will be a two shot, the next chapter will be posted tomorrow or the next day.
A huge thank you to Lou for betaing, and Moana for coming up with the title.