A/N: Because the Hugs/Cuddles Meme on Tumblr was too adorable to ignore. There will be 20 drabbles (I'm trying to keep them to less than 500 words each) although if you can think of a type of hug that isn't on the list, I'm open to doing more. Also, I'm literally going to update as I write, so hopefully this will be done quickly ;-)

Castle belongs to Andrew Marlowe and ABC. I'm just borrowing the characters for a while ;-)


1. Platonic


He watched a drop of condensation make the short trip down the side of his tumbler, adding to the ring of water slowly soaking into the aged wood of the table top. It had been a hell of a few weeks- breaking up with Gina, kissing Kate undercover, pretending it never happened, and then today...

He downed the last of his scotch in a single gulp, trying to swallow Damien's betrayal along with it. The Old Haunt was practically empty at this hour, and the place was only likely to become more morose as the evening wore on. It wasn't exactly the kind of establishment to bring your date on Valentine's Day, after all. Tonight, this bar would belong to those trying to escape the awareness that they were alone on this holiday.

Like the owner, he thought bitterly.

Her voice broke through his glum train of thought, effectively derailing it as only she could, effortlessly shining light into the darkness. "Did I ever tell you about Ryan's first week at the Twelfth?" she asked.

He looked across the booth at her, eyes glowing, hair falling in soft waves around her shoulders, mouth curled into a gentle smile. Always so beautiful. He couldn't help but smile in response, warmth curling around his heart and chasing the bad thoughts away.

He was here, with her.

So maybe he wasn't with her in that sense, but he got to be on the receiving end of her laughter and her openness. He listened with rapt attention as she expanded on the hazing they had forced Ryan to endure in his first week, laughing with her at her animated narrative, the pair of them in their own little bubble, safe from the world.

Eventually, though, her phone buzzed, and her smile faltered. "Josh has the evening off. I have to get going. Walk you out?" she asked quietly, allowing him to help her on with her coat and nudging him again as they made their way up to the street.

They paused at the top of the steps, out of the foot traffic, hanging tenaciously on to the feeling that it was just the two of them for a moment longer. He looked down at her, the sad smile playing about his lips again.

"Thank you for the drinks," he said. She reached up, hooking her arms around his neck and bringing him down for a hug- tight and comforting and far too brief.

"You're a good man, Castle," she murmured into his ear, before releasing him.

She hailed a cab, waving at him as it bore her away to her boyfriend and her Valentine's Day dinner, and he watched her go, smiling.

If being with another man this Valentine's Day was what made her happy, he could find happiness within that. She was his best friend, and while it hurt to see her go off without him, he was thankful at least that he hadn't spent all of Valentine's Day alone.

And he'd gotten a hug out of it. A platonic, you've-had-a-bad-day, I-have-a-boyfriend hug, but it was enough.

For now.


Thoughts?