A/N : Trying my best to heal from the after-shock of 'Sweetheart'..
"Come on, Kate. You know you want to."
She levels a glare at him from across the table, but somehow it doesn't carry as much leverage as it used to. Castle twinkles back at her, head resting on upturned hands, morning hair mussed in directions that shouldn't even be possible, and damn him there's no way she can stay annoyed. Eyeing the offending frying pan, fizzling gently behind his back, she's almost beginning to consider the option of...
"Castle, how many marshmallows did you just put in?"
He's quick, surprisingly quick, but she's been trained for years to notice the small details. Her partner blinks innocently back, hand whipped back under his chin already. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Jaw tightening she flounces over, ignoring his not-so-subtle once over of her bare legs under his huge shirt; he can't seem to keep his eyes off her in it, which she can't say wasn't her intention; and peers into the pan where a disgusting goo of melted mashmallows is slowly melting into whatever atrocity he's attempting to make her eat. "That's it. No way."
"But it's a smorelette." Castle looks completely bemused.
"That's exactly my point."
"One bite." He sucks his bottom lip in, schools his features into a puppy-like expression, giving her a sudden flash of a Castle four years younger, scruffy and dangerous, sat in the interrogation room asking for photos of dead bodies. Sometimes she forgets just how much he's changed. He's softer, warmer, more thoughtful now, although she wishes that she could take the worry that always seems to linger at the edges of his eyes, and those fresh lines that she's pretty certain she's responsible for putting there.
"I love you, but not that much."
Kate's words come out when she's still on the fringe of her memory, without thinking, the kind of blurted honesty she never indulges herself with otherwise.
Mouth opening instantly to draw back her words, smooth things over with a teasing finish carry on as normal but-
"You love me?"
Oh.
Oh, Castle.
His eyes are lit up with a thousand unspoken words, orbs of brilliant blue enhanced by crinkles just waiting to turn into laughter lines, eyebrows raised up in amazement. Lips twitching at the corners, seconds from bursting into a full watt Rick Castle grin. It breaks her heart, because there's so much hope and happiness, barely concealed - he's never been good at hiding his emotions - striving against anxiety as he takes in her hesitation.
She's the only thing holding it back.
It's not how she meant to say it, not at all, but surely if she's been planning it then that only proves how true it is? She loves this man, this silly, selfless, loving man that makes her smorelettes and brings her coffee, and it suddenly seems so stupid holding it back any longer. He deserves the truth, now more than ever.
"I love you."
It comes out quick and nervous, like she's had to spit the words out, the little statement that's been crawling up her tongue and bouncing round her head for longer than she cares to think about. Once they're into the open though, instead of the instant panic she expects to grip her chest, there's just relief. Finally, they're on the same page. Her fingers play absently with the soft folded sleeve of his shirt, hanging warm and heavy on her shoulders, a reassuring blanket. So when she says it again, her voice stops shaking, and she can lift her eyes to meet the ones glowing back at her. When did he move that close?
"I lo-"
Her back hits the table with a thump, but it's forgotten in an instant because his mouth is slanted over hers, pouring all the feelings warring across his face into a kiss, hands roughly sliding through her hair to hold her head still, hips pressing her hard against the table rim. Too taken by surprise to respond, she settles for half-melting into his embrace, fingers caressing the soft hair at the nape of his neck, legs near to buckling beneath her. He tastes of mashmallows and chocolate, but their petty argument just got thrown out the window.
His fiery passion dims as quickly as it began, and he breaks away, although only to press his forehead against hers. Somehow this is even better; their panting breaths mingling, his elation clear on his face, one hand still buried in swathes of her hair while his fingers circle across her scalp.
When he speaks his voice is full of relief, like a weight's been lifted from his shoulders, his happiness finally allowed to roam as free as he likes. "Kate, I love you too."
There's a sudden cocaphany of sparks and fizzing behind them, making her startle enough to crash into his shoulders and for him to make a strangled yelp. Whipping round, they find Castle's nightmarish idea of breakfast popping and burning to smolten pieces.
The writer blinks, the smile he can't seem to keep off his face returning with added amusement. "I must admit, your methods for escaping the eating of smorelettes are quite impressive." One of his eyebrows quirk, but like her killer glares, the smugness is belittled by the adoration shining unconciously from his eyes, something she's most definitely mirroring.
And no, it's not how she planned it, but she wouldn't change it for the world.