Based on a prompt from Docnerd89 that she kindly passed my way about a gazillion years ago because she saw a quote on a donut box that 'made her think of me'. I tried and could not settle on what way I wanted this prompt to go, so instead there is this. A small collection of one shots with BITE! We even yet Doc?
"Love at first bite."
They are playing possibly the stupidest game ever. It's all Castles idea and damn him, it's perfect. Right up until the moment it... isn't.
They are stuck, waiting, the four of them in a car, just waiting. They have been here for hours, waiting, waiting and she is not a patient person and did she mention waiting?
Cabin fever is most definitely setting in and Ryan is agreeing with everything that comes out of Castle's mouth and that is getting on her last nerve, and Espo's too judging by the way they've started an elbow war in the backseat.
She actually utters the words, "Don't make me come back there." To two grown men, and she's on the verge of unbuckling her seat belt reaching back there and smacking them both upside the head.
She is NOT their mother.
"Lets play a game."
She grips the wheel harder, turning to face Castle, her face does that thing that barks questions at him in silence and he answers them with his eyes.
"What kind of game?" Ryan asks leaning forward between the seats, his eager little head bobbing back and forth.
"Something you never knew." Castle says and she blanches, they have played this game before, alone, in the comfort of their bed and...really?
"Er." She turns to him, her eyes wide, pleading almost, but Ryan interrupts again. What is with him?
"What's that? How do you play?"
"Bro, you sound like a five year old right now."
"I do not."
"Do too."
"Castle collects superhero boxers and antique teaspoons." She blurts out, unable to take anymore of their bickering.
"What?" Ryans snorts and Espo giggles, leaning forwards so that the two men are smooshed in the gap between the seats again.
"Really?"
"Thats how you play." Kate swallows ignoring the feel of her writers eyes on her, she scrunches her lips and feigns innocence.
It doesn't work of course. Castle turns towards her bodily and she can't help but meet his gaze, his blue eyes alight with mischief and this familiar look that means she's probably going to regret what she just said.
"Beckett has..."
"Ryan has a stuffed rabbit that sleeps on his nightstand." Espo leers and both Kate and Castle turn to Ryan with their eyebrows raised.
"It was a gift from my Grandmother when I was three and I'm gonna give it to the baby." He shrugs.
"It's been there for the last twelve years." Espo elaborates.
"I.. er." Ryan mumbles, blushes.
"It's called Binkie."
"Esposito went undercover as a drag queen when he was a rookie."
Castle snorts and Kate whirls so fast she thinks she might have given herself whiplash. She starts to laugh and smothers it when Espo blushes, it's sort of cute. "I was a hooker first year out." She laughs, "Gotta do what you gotta do, right?"
Espo nods at her gratefully. "Plus my legs looked good in that dress."
"Beckett has a tattoo."
The entire car falls silent. Three sets of eyes falling to the writer who is staring contentedly at his amusing muse.
"Castle!" She warns.
"We knew that." Ryan says, rolling his eyes, "You didn't stop talking about it for a week when you found out."
Kate splutters, "What?"
"Yeah, when you told him, he wouldn't shut up about it." Espo snorts, "Kept guessing what it was. So yeah, we know that."
"You don't know where it is, or what it's of." Castle grins again.
"Don't you dare tell them where it is." She glares, reaching over to smack his shoulder.
"Fine." He grins widely. "It's double stem cherries with the words 'bite me' written underneath."
There is a beat of silence and then an inhuman noise rises from the back seat, either of disgust - which hello! So not the people to be judging - or appreciation, which she really refuses to think about.
Her eyes and her mouth open wide, somehow she's glaring through it too and he's laughing, laughing like she isn't gonna drag him home, make him apologize to the tattoo and then make him pay. All before she kills him.
"What?" He shrugs, smirking bastard, all innocent and batting his eyelashes over those gorgeous blue eyes. "You never said I couldn't tell them what it was."
Yeah, she's definitely going to kill him.