Fun with paint!
Not a date!
"Well I am off for the day." Beckett says checking something on her phone before getting up, grabbing her coat from the back of her chair.
Castle pokes his head out from the break room staring into the second cup of coffee in his hand disappointed. "But I made you coffee." He says pouting like he does.
"Thanks, but I have to go." She starts to walk to the elevator.
Castle puts the coffees down and rushes over to her. Waiting with her. "Guess I'll head out to." The elevator arrives and he steps in after her.
Beckett rolls her eyes and presses the correct floor before settling at the back wall. Castle eyes her from his place next to her. Hands clasped behind his back. He sways to and fro on the balls of his feet and keeps looking at her from the corner of his eye. Beckett sighs.
"I have plans tonight." She offers vaguely.
"I didn't ask." He says off handed but a gleam of interest in his deep blues.
She turns towards him sharply, eyebrow raised. "Yea, you were not asking very loudly." She retorts facing forward again.
He grins and the elevator stops at the ground floor. They walk out side by side. He's still watching her, in that creepy way so she decides to mess with him. They both stand at the curb for a moment. She turns her head towards him with a sly smile.
"If you must know. I have a date." She says coyly pausing for effect. He looks shocked with disappointment and something else crosses his face before she clarifies. "With a paintbrush" She looks away from him with a evil grin.
"Oh you tease." He remarks looking towards her, hands in his pocket as he tries not to show how upset he could have gotten.
"you're an easy mark Castle." She points out with a raised eyebrow, tight lip smile. She raises her hand for a cab.
"Want some help?"
"No." She replies right away. "No way Castle."
"Why not?" He stomps lightly on the sidewalk like an upset four year old.
"Because." She says, stepping down to get into the cab that has just pulled up. "I like everything nice and neat, and you'll just mess it up." She pulls open the door and glances back at him in all seriousness.
"You have so little faith in me." He looks truly hurt. He looks down at the ground pouty lips and sad blue eyes. She feels bad.
"All right be over in half an hour...wear something..." She looks at his attire. Expensive suit and such. "Just not that." And climbs into the cab.
His face lights up. "Yes Mam" He salutes and she rolls her eyes as the cab drives off.
~Caskett~
"Esposito was right. You are a control freak." Castle walks into the apartment thirty minutes later.
"When did he say that?" She asks offended shutting her door. She frowns. "You know what, never mind." She brushes past him.
"You have everything, and all laid out neatly, and wow!" He turns around looking at all the walls. "You've got the tape up already..." A sly smile creases his forehead when his eyes land on her. She's kneeling on a large sheet opening a paint can. "I would have assumed you wouldn't need the tape. Miss. Nice and neat. perfectionist."
He walks over towering over her. She looks up at him over her bare shoulder screw driver wedge in the top of the can, half of it open. "That's for you." She answers back just as cheeky.
He replies with a sideways smile crossing his arms and looking down at her perfect arrangement of paint tools. She has a two gallons of the same colored paint. A reddish color. And a quart of trim an ivory color. Next to the cans are three various paint brushes, two sticks to stir with and that spongey paint brush thing he doesn't know the name of he is sure you're supposed to use on corners. And of course two rollers. Everything is laid out in a neat line appearing in order of use.
"Whoa." He mutters. He hears her place the lid down on the sheet. She ignores him.
Castle had no idea she was this much of a control freak. Well her desk, although cluttered. Is a neat clutter. All papers and files stacked across her desk in a certain order. Even the little elephants are in a line.
"Ready?" She asks him standing up. And then she looks him up and down. "Is that what you're wearing?" She points at him with a paintbrush.
He picks one up for himself. He looks down at his clothes. He's wearing plain navy blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up and blue jeans. "What's wrong with what I am wearing?" He asks high pitched.
"Not ratty enough. you're going to ruin them." She says. walking away to a wall to start on the trim. She brings the quart with her and another sheet.
"I'll be fine." He then says. Not moving. He takes stock of her clothes. She's wearing a ratty white and orange tie dye shirt that hangs off one shoulder exposing a black bra strap, and ratty holed up jeans.
"Oh no." She says setting up her area finally noticing the brush in his hand. "Gimme that" She takes the brush from him. She then drags a sheet way across the other side of the room with a gallon of reddish paint and a tray for it.
"What?" He follows.
"I don't trust you with the trim. Roll the walls. I'll do the trim. Here." She hands him a roller.
He takes it begrudgingly. She rolls her eyes at his childishness and goes back to her area. She hears the lid pop off and clatter onto the sheet. She ignores him and dips her brush into the brown ivory paint. With an easy stroke of her wrist the paint goes on easily. Behind her Castle is pouring the paint into the tray.
"What color is this?" He asks.
"It's called Cranberry." She says not stopping her careful brush strokes. Face molded in concentration.
"Oops." She hears him say. Her head whips around.
"Castle!"
"Got ya!" He laughs with his eyes and rolls the roller into the paint. Lifting it without really paying much attention he stands there holding it with one hand. The other on his chin in thought. "Ah, a fresh canvas." He says whispy like in a clever accent. "Reminds me of a blank page ready to be written with brilliant wor-"
"Castle just paint already." She groans rolling her eyes at the wall.
"Fine." He says mumbling something else she can't quite catch.
All is quiet except for the roller on the wall and the sound of her own bush meeting wood. It's so quiet she almost forgets he's there. Usually he makes sure she knows he's there. She closes her eyes for a moment with a deep breath, smiling with a sigh. Enjoying the quiet.
"That's what I like the hear." She remarks her hand raised high to reach up. Her arm comes back down and dips her brush again, scraping off some of the paint on the side of the can.
"I don't hear anything." He says. Stopping and turning to her.
"Exactly." She looks over her shoulder at him tight lip smile and a pointed look.
He makes an exasperated sound out of his mouth and blows his hair off his forehead. She turns back reaching up again, going onto her tip toes. He watches admiring his view. As she stretches, her shirt rides up. He angles his head slightly to get a better look at the exposed flesh of her stomach. He has an intake of breath and he bites down on his fist. And then he sees the hole in her jeans. Baggy jeans that hang down just enough to get a glimpse of her black underwear, and a hole right below her left cheek. He can see her underwear and a little skin.
"I don't hear you painting." She warns in a sing song voice.
"Just admiring the view." He teases and turns back before she can see him.
She stops halfway towards the trim and looks back at him confused. And then she looks back at herself. Of course she sees nothing unless she's stretched out. "Hmm." She hums and moves over to continue the trim. He's grinning. Although she seems to not know. He secretly thinks she dressed like that on purpose.
"So Beckett." He starts.
She raises an eyebrow looking back at him while she dips her paintbrush again. She waits for it. Something probably snide or cheeky to get on her nerves. "Yes?"
"I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess you always colored inside the lines when you were a sprite." He winks at her over his shoulder and continues to work. Seemingly in the same place.
"Actually, no."
He stops and turns towards her all together. "Really?"
"Yes really..." She stops, hand on her hip holding the brush. She looks at him and then his handy work. "Castle." She groans. "This is not going to get done if you paint the same area."
He turns his torso to look and then shrugs. " I got distracted by all the flesh." He leers.
"What?"
"You have a big hole in your jeans. riiight." He turns his ass towards her and points in the same vicinity only on his own butt. "There."
She turns quickly around to look. And then her brush comes down her side in a huff and she blows hair out of her face with the corner of her mouth. "I didn't notice." She says calmly and then shrugs.
"You so did it on purpose!" He shakes the roller at her and paint splatters the wall and wood trim, along with his shirt and cheek. He ignores it all looking at her accusingly but a glint in his eyes.
She stares back and points at his mess. "You obviously didn't color in the lines either." She retorts. She balances the brush on the edge of the can and walks towards him.
"And you said you didn't. You were a rebel weren't you?" His eye waggles suggestively.
Again she rolls her eyes. "You knew that." She then points out and takes his wrist, surprising him.
She takes hold of his waist and wrist and turns him towards the wall, lifting his arm for him and resting the roller on the wall. "You smell like Cherries." He says in a husky tone. Just like the first time.
Only this time he's leaning over her instead of the other way around. He's reminded of that time, and the time she thought she was teaching him how to shoot a gun. A shiver runs through her at his tone and she cannot help but look up at him. Her eyes go directly to his lips which are close to her face and she can feel his breath on her cheek, and smell his unique scent.
She looks away when he notices where her eyes were and looks at the wall. "Shouldn't be too hard Castle." And then she shows him. Bringing his arm up and down while pressing the paint covered roller onto the wall. It goes on nice and thick like it should. "See no weird lines."
"Uh huh." His voice still deep. "you're a great teacher." He then says same tone but now almost a whisper.
Now who's doing things on purpose. She thinks to herself and lets go of him stepping far back. "Just do it right." She walks back and grabs a chair to stand on to get the top of a window.
Things grow quiet again. Only now she can feel the tension more than ever. And feel his eyes on her every now and then. She closes her eyes and drowns it all out. Without realizing it, she starts to hum, and sing a little.
"Stars shining bright above you." She sings out, deep and sultry.
Rick stops mid roll. His hand staying where it is. He stares at the wall and listens. She hums a few lines.
"Birds singin' in the sycamore trees. Dream a little dream of me." She's completely oblivious to him. Even if he wasn't here she'd be singing. She likes to sing to herself when no one is around and she's doing little projects.
Rick eases the roller from the wall. Setting it down. He turns watching her paint and sing. She's humming again. And then her voice fills the apartment, as if she were here alone. "Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you But in your dreams whatever they be." Rick leans back on the wall arms crossed and entranced.
"Dream a little dream of me." He sings low enough where he thinks she cannot hear.
She freezes and turns towards him. He looks at her longingly and then shrugs. "Castle!" She yells at him pointing at the wall.
He jumps away from it and grabs the fabric of his shirt at the shoulder, looking back at it. "Oooooops." He says sheepishly and lets the shirt go. He can feel the paint seeping through.
She sighs. Again putting her brush down. "you're impossible."
"You mean improbable." He says. She gives him a look.
"Maybe you should go. you're only slowing me down." She says looking at the cranberry paint on his back and then the Castle sized smudge on the wall.
He looks at his wall. "I think you should leave it." He turns to look at it with her and then walks to stand next to his smudge. He poses the same way only this time not touching the wall.
She actually laughs at his goofy expression and shakes her head. "Just go." She laughs again.
"I'm going." He pouts. They both walk to the door. "I had a great date." He says with a straight face but he can't hold it for long.
She raises an eyebrow. "This was not a date."
"Uh yea it was. You told me you were going to have a date with a paintbrush, and then I came along. so by default. I was your date." He points at himself and steps out. All smug.
Beckett leans on her door frame arms cross in defiance. "Your logic is skewed Mr. Castle."
"Oh my dear detective." He says in a way that he thinks he's about to prove her wrong. "You had fun admit it."
"Sure a little."
"So it was a fun date. With Paint."
"Not a Date."
"Oh but it was." He's walking down the hall now.
"No Castle." She yells to him.
He starts to hum the song she was singing earlier and then turns towards her stopping with a twirl. "You know in romance movies after the lead goes on a date and they had a great time?"
"Uh sure." She wonders where he's going with this.
"They sing happily to themselves don't they?" He says dreamily and starts to hum again.
She says nothing her mouth slightly open in surprise because she has seen that done numerous times in movies and TV Shows, books even. He's started walking again now waiting at the elevator and sings.
She catches a "dream a little dream of me." Before he disappears.
She smiles and pushes off from the door. "Not a date!" She yells before the doors close. She closes her own door. Walking back and picking up the paint brush. After a few minutes of painting, she starts to sing again.
Tee hee. What did you think? Reviews always welcome and appreciated! And those of you reading In Your Dreams Castle (if not you should!) I changed the title to All the Songs make Sense and you'll see why later. AND! I have not written the next chapter yet. Maybe tomorrow. I got some inspiration finally for the book I have been writing so I worked on that today and then thought of this. But soon I promise! Again, please review!