A/N- Definitely AU. Not sure where in the series timeline this would even fall. Silly little fluffy one-shot for Steph.

*Also posted to tumblr*

Disclaimer- I do not own Castle or anything involved with the show, but all mistakes are mine...

Tequila

Tumblr prompt from Sugar Free Vanilla/ Castleholic : Silly drunk pre-couple Kate

"I told you I could drink you under the table," Beckett yelled across the bar.

Castle looked at his partner and friend as she leaned forward, propping her head up with her hands. He chuckled as she wobbled in her seat. She wouldn't be winning any awards in the 'most sober' category tonight, but she didn't appear to be completely wasted either.

"Drink me under the table? Or end up under the table? Because with the way you're swaying, you look like you're about to fall off of the barstool," he teased, catching her arm before she slipped.

"I'm fine, Castle," she said, taking far too long to say his name. "I could do another shot. Unless you can't handle it?" She moved her hand to rest it on his forearm, but it slipped down to land onto his upper thigh.

Well that's something…

A bright red color painted her cheeks and he nearly choked on his drink from the contact. This was simply something they didn't do. They barely ever touched each other, let alone in places that hovered near the partners to lover's line.

"Uh, Beckett?" His words broke the silence, but she didn't move her hand. Castle glanced back at her face and he noticed her embarrassed expression was replaced with a look that he couldn't quite label. This was a dangerous game of chicken that she was playing.

"Hey! Hey! You!" she yelled for the bartender who was in the middle of helping someone else at the other end of the bar. "Do you think he's ignoring me?" she asked, turning toward Castle.

Okay, maybe she was a little drunk.

"I don't think you're loud enough," Castle teased, looking into her eyes and then looking back at her hand still firmly planted on his leg. Did she even realize it was still there? Sure she was tipsy, but was she that wasted that she had lost all realization of what her appendages were doing?

"Excuse me? Bartender?" Beckett called out, managing to finally get the man's attention.

Castle just sat there and laughed into his final sip of his scotch. When Beckett had suggested getting a drink after the tough case they had closed tonight, he had never imagined it would've provided this much entertainment.

It was nice to see Beckett letting her hair down.

The bartender walked over to where they were sitting and instead of being irritated by her almost rude behavior; the man appeared to be amused. Well at least he wouldn't spit in their drinks.

"So—what was your name again?" Beckett asked, leaning forward against the bar.

"Chris," the man said with a wink, turning his full attention to Kate and ignoring the fact that Castle was even there. This man was not subtle as he checked her out, but it didn't seem to faze her.

"So Chris, my friend and I would like to take some tequila shots…" Kate squeezed his thigh to emphasize her point.

Oh, this was a bad idea.

"We would?" Castle asked, raising an eyebrow in her direction.

Beckett didn't even acknowledge his surprised expression and continued to talk to the bartender.

"We would. Lime and salt please and keep them coming…"

The man nodded to her and walked away with his shoulders slumped.

"Are you trying to get me drunk, Beckett?"

"Maybe…or maybe I'm still trying to prove I can hold my liquor better than you can…"

"You're doing an excellent job proving that," Castle said, laughing as he looked back down at her hand.

"Am I making you nervous, Castle?" she asked, looking down at her hand as she slowly started moving it closer to crossing the line. "Do you think I honestly don't realize what my own hands are doing?" She looked at him with through her dark eyelashes and now he was sure that he was the one blushing.

"No, no. Not nervous," he stuttered.

Okay, maybe he was slightly nervous.

"Mmmhmm," she hummed with a small smirk.

"I uh—I just don't want you to do something you'd regret…" Castle explained, as the bartender brought over the shots.

"How about I worry about things I'll regret and you worry about drinking your shot," Beckett said, pushing the glass of tequila over to him.

She wasn't sober. This much was certain, but she seemed noticeably more coherent than she did moments ago. Her eyes were darker, but she appeared determined instead of tipsy.

"One shot and then we call it a night?" Castle asked.

With the way she was acting right now, there were plenty of other things he'd rather do than call it a night, but she was his partner. He wouldn't take advantage of her in an intoxicated state; no matter how much he had wanted her from the moment they met.

"Why call it a night? Are you admitting defeat?" she asked, as she pulled her hand off of his leg to grab one of his arms. Her eyes met his as she licked the inside of his wrist and poured salt on it.

He visibly gulped as it dawned on him. Kate didn't just want to take tequila shots; she wanted to do body shots. Who was this gorgeous woman with dark eyes and where was his usually straight-laced partner?

Beckett sucked the granules from his wrist, threw back her shot and sucked the lime between her teeth.

"You're turn, Rick." The way her tongue rolled over the K in his name; he couldn't help but stare at her mouth.

This was such a bad idea, but he could feel the effects of his last drink of scotch start to take hold in his system and he no longer wanted to use logical part of his brain.

Maybe Beckett could actually drink him under the table…

She nudged the salt shaker toward him and held out her wrist in anticipation.

"Kate—are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked, as the last bit of his self-control crumbled to dust. She leaned forward slowly while bringing her wrist closer to his mouth.

"Like I said before—you have no idea," she husked into his ear.

That was all it took. He held onto her arm and brought his tongue to the delicate skin on the underside of her wrist, not breaking eye contact as he did it. She sprinkled the salt down for him before he sucked at her skin and let the alcohol burn down his throat. He pulled the lime into his mouth, allowing the juice to soothe the sting.

Slamming the shot glass down against the bar top, he glanced back at Beckett's hooded expression.

"No idea?" he asked. She leaned forward into his body, close enough that he could feel the heat from her body and feel her breath against his skin.

"Nope. But how about I clue you in," she whispered onto his lips, as she threw down a couple twenties and pulled him toward the exit.

THE END

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