A/N: Just a short little story I wrote off of 3x12. Hope you like it!
Disclaimer: I don't own Castle, but I wish I did, because it's complete sheer genius.
He set the box on the desk, tapped the lid, and snapped.
Nothing.
Beckett walked towards him, holding a fresh coffee. Nabe wore a bemused expression as she stopped and raised her eyebrows questioningly. "What'cha doing?"
He tapped it and snapped again. "Something I picked up at Drake's the other day. They say it's foolproof..." His voice trailed off as he picked the box up and shook it like a Christmas present.
Her smirk was mischievous as she said, "Well, then surely you should be able to work it."
He gave her a disparaging look. "Thanks. No, it's supposed to do something really cool..."
"I got that, it's a magic trick. What's it supposed to do, then?"
He smiled, "I guess you'll have to wait and find out."
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, if you ever get it to work."
She stepped around him and sat down, returning to the paperwork for Zalman Drake's case. As she worked, he tinkered with the box, which was cobalt with gold edges and small pictures in red and lime green. After a moment a wooden square shot out in the center of the side.
This was way too distracting. "Was that what it's supposed to do?" she asked sarcastically, deadpan.
"No, no, no," he muttered distractedly, pressing it back in. "It's a Drake trick. It'll be amazing, trust me."
She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms, giving up on work for the moment. "You don't even know what it does, do you?"
He glanced at her, his face seemingly lit up. "That's the magic of it!"
"Remember how Tobias told us that the key to magic is control? You're obviously missing that key at this point."
"No, it's gonna be amazing! Just as soon as I..."
He tapped and snapped one more time, then deflated when nothing happened.
She tried hard not to laugh as he pouted, pushing the box away. "Stupid magic trick."
"Don't feel so bad, Castle," she said with a bit of a smirk. "Not everyone can be a magician."
He sat down in his chair with a small frustrated sigh. The next second, he perked up—he must've thought of something.
"So, Detective, what is this magic trick you do with...ice cubes?"
"Nuh uh uh," she replied teasingly. "I only do that when it's really hot." She picked up her pen and looked back at the papers, missing the disappointed wince.
"You know, you can go home sometimes," she commented. "I'm just doing paperwork. Boring stuff that doesn't fit in a book."
"Yeah, you can go home too," he retorted. "The job does not require you to kill yourself because you do paperwork until three in the morning."
"The job doesn't require it, justice does."
He rolled his eyes. "You already brought the killer to justice. You're going to kill yourself. It's almost ten. Want to go get something to eat."
She shrugged, continuing to write. "In a minute. I'm actually pretty hungry. Let me just finish this."
He sat there staring at the box for what felt like forever. His stomach growled—he couldn't help but agree.
Finally she shut her pen slowly and stood up. He rose with her, impatient, and she put the papers into a folder. "Okay, let me just file this. But..." She reached for the box, her fingers hovering an inch from the top. She grinned. "Abracadabra."
She tapped it and snapped, and a mini cloud of smoke engulfed her. He jumped back in shock, coughing. "Beckett?" He cleared the smoke with his hands, but she'd vanished.
"You coming?" her voice called. He spun to see her standing at the elevator, smirking.
"Best. Trick. Ever," he breathed, and ran to catch up. "How'd you do that?"
"Come on, Castle," she teased. "You know a magician never reveals her secrets."