l saw you trying to hit the "door close" button in the elevator but I made it in and then I pushed every single button to make you later for work, but now we're stuck in this fucking elevator as it stops at every single floor and I don't know what to say other than "you started it" AU
Kate rolls up the sleeve of her light brown overcoat in the cab, glancing at her watch which states that she's already three minutes late for her first day at her new job. With a large exhale, she covers the watch with the fabric once more (out of sight, out of mind) and places her hands palm down on her navy blue slacks, wiping off the small amounts of perspiration on her bouncing legs.
After a look through the windscreen, she lets out another breath, considering the option of giving the cab driver all the money in her purse, and possibly her firstborn, if he would stop letting pedestrians cross the street and slowing to a complete halt at stop lights.
As soon as they reach the destination, Kate shoves a cluster of bills into the cabbie's hands, unsure whether it's more or less than the correct amount, and jogs to the entrance, her laptop bag rhythmically hitting against the top of her thighs with each stride.
Once inside the building, which is buzzing with ringing phones and animated conversations, she hurriedly glances around the office, looking for any signs that will point her in the right direction.
"Can I help you?" A woman at the reception desk pipes up, her expression showing no sympathy for the new employee.
"Yeah," Kate managed to huff out, clearing her throat before speaking again due to its croakiness, "I'm the new civil rights attorney. I have a meeting with Roy Montgomery."
With one hand, the worker scrolls on the computer in front of her, seemingly noting that Kate's in a rush and deliberately spending extra time reading each letter.
"Katherine Beckett?" She asks, Kate nodding her head after the first syllable, "Room 147. First, let me print you off a badge."
Kate rolls her eyes once the employee isn't looking, almost positive that she isn't in need of a piece of paper if she's already hired, and as soon as the small white rectangle is handed to her, she grabs a lanyard from the box on the desk, chucking it over her head and hurrying off.
She runs to the elevator as quickly as she can without possibly spraining her ankle in her new five-inch heels, immediately pressing the button for the seventeenth floor.
"Hold the elevator!" A voice exclaims from her left.
Kate grimaces at the words, and in a hasty decision, leans over to hit the 'door close' button, then straightening up as if nothing occurred.
However, she knows she's lost when a figure emerges in front of her, glaring with his blue eyes. He rushes in with a millisecond to spare, the right door nudging his arm as it swoops closed, making his to-go coffee spill over his dark maroon shirt and black pants. Kate simply stares at the wood panelling on the wall to help keep her lips pressed together so a chuckle doesn't bubble up, the accident at least making her day a little brighter.
Her head whips around when she hears sudden beeping sounds.
"What the hell are you doing!?" Kate remarks, swatting the other person's hand away, but it's already made it to every button between floors one to sixteen.
He opens his mouth to argue back, before closing it, obviously unable to muster up an answer when he's faced with her daring tone and large frown.
She continues, "Couldn't you see that me pressing the 'door close' button obviously means I'm late?"
"Hey, I'm late too!" He finally rebuts, crossing his arms over the brown stain.
"Then why did you do that?" Kate shouts back.
He glanced down for a moment, speechless again until he grumbles a quiet "You started it."
Kate scoffs loudly, "Are you just a nine year old in an Armani suit?"
"An Armani suit that has coffee on it thanks to you!" He rallies back, stepping closer to Kate.
"Well maybe if you hadn't pressed every goddamn button, you could go to the bathroom to change!" She reasons, arms gesturing wildly.
Suddenly, a smirk blossoms on his face as he meanders closer to her once more, "Are you offering to help me with that?"
A loud groan falls from her mouth as she leant past him, slamming the 'door close' button before they even open on each floor, a huff coming out with each press.
"I know you're new here," He began, and Kate is already rolling her eyes at just the sound of his infuriating voice, "but you could have a bit more respect for the office."
"Shut the fuck up before I shove you out on the next floor." She threatens with a snarl, glancing at the number screen above the buttons, seeing that they've just passed the thirteenth floor.
"That wouldn't be such a good idea since I'm-"
"I don't give a fuck who you are!" She interrupts, "In the two minutes that I've made your acquaintance, you've made me late for my first day on the job, made a sexual pass at me and insulted me."
He seems to be speechless at her rant, his eyebrow quirking upwards in amusement at her gritted teeth and reddened cheeks. Once his mouth finally opens to speak, a ding floats around the box, indicating that they were at their final destination.
"Finally!" She puffs, storming out with determined strides.
She didn't even have to look back to realise that he's following her, like a stray cat that spotted her and wouldn't leave her heels.
"Seriously? You didn't get enough harassment in already?" She calls out, not faltering in her stride as she glances at each room number.
"I'd hardly call this harass-"
Her legs halt as her head whips around, wisps of hair flying around her, "Just stop following me!" she accuses, poking his chest sternly.
"I'm not, my meeting's this way too!" He argues, grabbing her offending hand until she quickly yanks it away.
"Fine."
"Fine."
"Great." Kate answers sarcastically, once again on route to the desired office room. She could practically feel his eyes glued to her ass as she strode, but couldn't care less when she finally finds the room with a silver plaque that says '147'.
She shuffles in past the chairs of her other co-workers who are looking her up and down, probably thinking she had a completely different kind of inappropriate experience in the elevator by her dishevelled hair and shortened breath.
Kate can't bring herself to care as she drops down to an empty chair, relieved that her boss hasn't arrived yet, though she's almost certain she can hear his low voice outside the closed door, conversing with another man. Wait, his voice sounds familiar…
Before she can finish the thought, Mr Montgomery walks in with a big grin, placing his laptop and folders at his seat at the head of the table, then addressing his employees.
"Good morning, everyone." Roy greets, clasping his hands in front of him, "Before we get started, I'd like to introduce to you, our partner from the new firm."
All the eyes in the room glance over to the door as it swings open, except for Kate's which are clenched shut, because knowing her luck…
"Richard Castle."
She lifts her eyelids, and unsurprisingly, the man from earlier is standing in front of her, his stance oozing bravado and cockiness, even though he's still stained with his beverage from earlier. Rick has the audacity to wink teasingly at her, making everyone's heads snap over to her as they make their own assumptions.
Kate groans under her breath. Maybe it's time for a new job.
Fun story: I actually wrote this weeks ago when I first saw the original au post on Tumblr, but I finished it at about 3am and decided to check it in the morning before posting, then forgot about it completely until the prompt popped up on the castlefanficprompts Tumblr blog.
So thank you to whomever prompted it for reminding me!
And thanks to everyone who's made it this far for reading, hope you liked it!
Lou xo