*So, I got a prompt for a "Hotchniss meets Caskett" fic, but it kind of transformed into "Prentiss and Beckett bonding over scars and secret relationships". Set during Castle season 4/CM season 7, before/replacing the season 4 two-parter. Established Caskett and Hotchniss. Enjoy!
(Emily)
"Is that a…brand?"
Emily freezes in the middle of rifling through her go-bag. She hadn't been thinking about the scars that Beckett might see when she'd stripped off her sweater. The damn thing had been irritating her scars all day, and she'd just wanted it off.
She briefly makes eye contact with Beckett and nods once. "Yeah," she says, going back to her bag. There's a clean shirt in here somewhere, she knows there is. One that won't itch and dig at her skin and also won't seem out of place at their end-of-case get-together that Castle had insisted on since they weren't flying back to Virginia until the morning.
There is a shirt that she can wear, she just…can't find it. She throws the bag down with a frustrated growl and flops down on the bed, flinging an arm over her eyes.
"Having some trouble there?" Beckett asks, amusement coloring her voice.
Emily sighs. "Clothes are stupid," she laments petulantly.
The bed dips slightly with Beckett's weight, shifts as she presumably reaches for something and pulls back. "May I?" she asks.
Emily nods, and silence settles over them as Beckett sifts through the bag. There's a pause, and then, "Found something that should work." Something soft lands on Emily's chest, and she sits up to examine it.
Oh. She freezes again. She forgot that this was even in her bag. Come to think of it, she's not sure she even put it in there herself.
"It's soft and light enough that it shouldn't irritate your scars, and it won't look weird if you pair it with jeans." Beckett trails off for a second, then asks, "Prentiss? You okay?"
She shakes her head, snaps herself out of…well, whatever that was. "Yeah, fine," she says, smiling. "And you can call me Emily, you know."
Beckett smiles, rearranges herself so that she's leaning against Emily's pillow. She's waiting, Emily realizes. For her to either put the shirt on and lead the way out the door, or for her to unload whatever weight's been on her shoulders all week.
She sighs, caves a little, decides to tell her the easy stuff. "It's just…I'm seeing someone from my team, and the rest of them don't know. And this shirt was originally his, and if I wear it tonight, they'll figure it out. And I'm just not ready for them to know yet."
Beckett nods. "Hotchner, right?" she asks, grinning when Emily's jaw drops. "Don't worry, it's not that obvious, but I picked up on a few of the signs."
"Because you saw the similarities to your relationship with Castle?" Emily teases. She's rewarded with a blush and a scrunch of Beckett's nose.
"As I was saying," Beckett continues, still bright red, "I understand what you're going through. And if you'd rather wear something else, I'm sure I have something I can lend you back at my place."
"I'd appreciate that," Emily says. She pulls the FBI Triathlon shirt over her head for the time being, changes into jeans, and pulls on her coat. She's heading to the door when Beckett's hand on her arm stops her.
"Look, about before," she says, "the brand thing? I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. It startled me, that's all, and the question just slipped out. I'm sorry."
Emily shakes her head. "You don't have to apologize," she says. "It's just not something that I like to show off." She pauses. "Most of my team doesn't even know it exists, and I don't think I could handle it if they knew. It's been almost a year, and they still don't treat me the same."
Beckett nods, unbuttons enough of her shirt to reveal a bullet scar nestled between her breasts. "Sniper. Last May," she says. "Everyone knows it's there, but since they don't have to see it every day, they get to pretend that it isn't. Castle helps, but some days are still a battle, y'know?"
Emily nods, smiles at the detective. Apparently, they've got more in common than she'd originally thought. "Yeah, I know."