Call me maybe – Castle / Beckett – AU
A/N: I would like to compliment podoydoy and barkingowl12 on their excellent taste in music. And thank you for reviewing every chapter. Also, the anonymous reviewers: Thank you so much! I can't reply to you via the site... So I'll just do it over here. =) I would re-read the previous chapter if I were you to get in the mood again, since I'm jumping right in this chapter. Enjoy! X
Disclaimer: ... I have to admit that I enjoy making up a new disclaimer every week, but I can't come up with one that's original enough for this week. Boo.
''Kate, wake up''
She slowly opened her eyes and immediately closed them again, the reminder of the previous night fresh on her mind. ''Please kill me.'' She mumbled.
Rick chuckled. ''Do I look like a killer to you?'' He said pouting.
''Yes, you do. Job requirement.'' She removed her head from where it lay on his chest to look him in the eye. ''I never thought I'd say this, but you make a nice pillow Castle.''
''Thank you, I've been told that many times. '' She glared up at him and he suddenly felt the need to explain himself. ''My daughter- By my daughter.'' She shook her head and moved to lay next to him, burying her face in the pillow.
He chuckled and propped himself on his elbow, getting a better angle on her face. ''There's some juice and aspirin on the night stand next to you.'' She mouthed a thank you and pulled herself up to take the painkillers. ''I would have made you take some last night, but you were knocked out before I had the chance to say goodnight.'' He told her.
''Yeah, sorry about that.'' She sat back against the headboard, looking down at Rick.
''Hey, after the night we had, I figured I could at least try to sneak in a goodnight kiss, but you were knocked out. It kind of kills the mood, you know.'' A teasing smile on his face.
Kate laughed. ''Really? Does it now?''
He nodded. ''Yup. I don't think I would have survived if I'd try to do it while you were asleep. With your training and reflexes...''
''Most likely.'' She said, laughing. ''How about a good morning kiss, would that live up to your standards?''
''I- Yes. Definitely.'' He managed to get out. Was she actually suggesting... Nah. It couldn't be. He pulled himself upright and settled next to Kate, sitting against the headboard as well.
Kate smiled. ''Good.'' She watched him have a mental debate if he should act on her comment. Kate had expected him to be more forward, but once again he'd surprised her.
She took a quick look at his lips. Damn. If he wasn't going to take the wheel anytime soon, she would.
She saw his pupils widen as she looked back in his eyes. He smiled nervously at her and she moved to sit even closer to him, if that was even possible. Rick lifted his hand to move a piece of hair that had fallen across her face behind her ear. She leaned into his touch and closed her eyes. He gently stroked her cheek with his thumb, his touch feather light as he slowly grazed his thumb over her lips.
The moment she opened her eyes again, he was gone. He leaned in, maintaining eye contact for as long as he could before looking back at her lips. She tilted her head and allowed him to take the lead.
He pressed an ever so tender short kiss on her lips and then looked back at her face for confirmation. She opened her eyes again, wondering why it took him so long. The adoring look on his face almost made her tear up.
Finding the confirmation he needed, he started to move again, this time nipping on her bottom lip. She responded willingly and closed her mouth around his upper lip. A small moan escaped her throat and he repeated the movement to try to get her to do it again. She didn't disappoint and the sound once again filled his ears.
Kate pushed herself from the headboard to lie down and Rick quickly followed. She curled her hand around his neck and pulled him in again, with the result of him falling on top of her. They both laughed and he smiled nervously at her. She inches closer once again and brings her mouth to his in a slow tender kiss. He pulled back and put his forehead to hers, evening out his breath.
''You taste like orange juice.'' He stated with a huge smile on his face.
''You taste like coffee.'' She replied. ''You've been holding out on me.''
''I'll go get you some. Be right back.'' He moved towards the end of the bed and stood up. ''You're free to use the bathroom, just so you know.'' He said, before walking out of the room. She nodded and he went his way.
Kate took the opportunity of being alone and dragged herself to the bathroom to find out what kind of damage last night had done to her. The puffiness of her eyes didn't even shock her anymore after all the all-nighters she'd pulled through with her job. She was, however, surprised that Rick hadn't said anything about it.
She checked the mirror again and realized that she still had her make-up on, she groaned and proceeded to take it off. A moment of doubt entered her mind when she was halfway through cleaning. Would he mind if I didn't wear any make-up? Realizing that she actually couldn't care any less, she finished cleaning her face.
Kate checked her clothing and saw that she was wearing one of Castle's shirts. She looked around her and found a white dress shirt laying over a stool, she grabbed it and lay it within hand reach of the shower. She made quick work of her clothes, stepped in the shower and processed everything that had happened within a little less than 24 hours. She smiled to herself and closed her eyes.
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Dressed in the white dress shirt Kate stepped out of the bathroom again, her wet hair tied back in a knot. She was in search of some pants, which might be necessary if Alexis happened to walk downstairs. Oh gosh, what was the girl going to think? She took a deep breath and continued her search. She walked into his closet and found an old pair of sweatpants. Perfect.
She pulled them on and walked out of the bedroom, into the living room where she found Castle busy in the kitchen.
''I don't have any clothes with me- So I borrowed some of yours, I hope you don't mind?'' She said sitting down on one of the bar stools, crossing her legs.
''You can borrow anything you want.'' He said without looking up, still working on her cup of coffee, while balancing a frying pan in his other hand. Once finished pouring the coffee into the mug he quickly turned around and took her in. ''Scrap that, you can have my entire closet. You look better in my clothes then I do.''
Kate grabbed the mug he held out for her, quickly hiding her blush by taking a sip. ''Do you have any plans for today?'' She offered, subtly changing the subject. He put grabbed the toast he'd made and put it on a plate with some eggs and bacon.
''You mean other than trying to keep you here the entire day?'' He said with a suggestive look on his face while handing her the plate.
''Yes, Castle. Something other than that.''
''Well, not much. Maybe write a bit.'' He said, settling down on the chair next to her, grabbing his own plate. ''I have some catching up to do with my gaming though, I can almost feel my skills leaving my body.''
She chuckled. ''What game?''
He shrugged, eating a strip of bacon before responding. ''Depends on my mood. I might play some HALO to relieve some stress, shoot some aliens, save the world. You know, the usual. I might play some guitar hero... it's been a while since I did that.'' A exciting look covering his face. ''I used to play it with Alexis, but she says that she's too mature for the game now.''
''Wow, you are never too old to play Guitar Hero.'' Kate offered.
''I know right.'' He said with his mouth full. ''Alexis is staying for dinner tonight, want to stay till then?''
''Sure, it's not like I have anything better to do.'' She said with a straight face, his reaction however was quite surprising to her as she saw his disappointed face. ''I was kidding, Rick.''
''Ha. Yeah, I knew that.''
''Didn't look like it.'' She dropped the subject and stuck another piece of bacon in her mouth. ''I need to head home for some clean clothes though.
''What? No! You look way better in my clothing.'' He said with a smug smile on his face.
''So you keep telling me, but Rick, I really need some clean clothes if you don't want Alexis to get suspicious.'' She thought for a second. ''Okay, she already knows. But still, I can't wear your clothes during dinner. God knows who might show up.''
He chuckled. ''You make a good point.''
''I tend to do that from time to time, but everyone keeps getting surprised.'' He laughed.
''I do need to get some groceries for dinner tonight, so we could drop by your apartment, go to the store and then head back here?''
''Sounds like a plan.'' She agreed.
''Great. You better finish eating first though, it might get cold.''
''Castle, bacon and eggs... are you trying to get me fat?''
''The toast was for balance.'' He said with an innocent look on his face.
She pointed his fork at him and he suddenly looked serious again. ''It's not funny, I have to stay in shape for my job.''
''Come on Kate, you're in great shape.'' He assured her.
''Yet, you are trying to change that.''
''A little extra weight wouldn't hurt you, Kate. That's all I'm saying.'' He said with a serious look on his face.
Her brows raised. ''Are you saying that I should put on weight for you to think I look good?'' Definitely not what I meant.His mind panicked and figured that the truth would be the best option.
Rick grabbed her hands and held them tightly, forcing her to look at him. ''Kate. You will never know just how beautiful you are to me.'' He stood up and turned her chair around, with her now facing him.
She refused to look in his eyes and he went to stand in the v of her legs, letting go of her hands to put them on her cheeks, making him look at her. She covered his hands with her own and he could see the beginning of a smile beginning to form on her face.
''All I know is that last night when I fell asleep next to you- It's just- I-'' I love you, Kate. The feeling completely overwhelming. This wasn't to happen yet. It's too soon Castle. Focus.
''I know.'' She wrapped her legs around his, pulling him closer. This time surprising him with her movement. She laid her head on his chest and listened to the sound of his heart beating, making her relax in his arms. ''I feel the same.'' He gave her a soft kiss on the top of her head and hugged her a little tighter.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
''We need eggs, right? You said eggs, I can't remember, was it eggs? Could have been bread.''
Kate chuckled. ''Sure Castle, because that sounds so much a like.'' She grabbed the checklist from her pocket and scrolled through the groceries. ''It was eggs.''
''Should have trusted my own judgment.'' He mumbled to himself, making his way to the right aisle in search of the eggs. Kate shook her head and smiled. What a man. She grabbed the cart and made her way to the next aisle.
Magazines. Ah yes, she still needed to pick up the new TV Guide magazine. She looked around and found a copy of the magazine. She threw it in the cart and then proceeded to look for a magazine on mode, you'd never know when that might come in handy. Apparently, Bordeaux was the colour selected for this winter.
She screened another row of magazines and found a familiar face staring back at her. Kate grabbed the magazine and flipped it open.
''I found the eggs! And got some Oreos too. I still can't believe how huge these stores actually are, you should go to Europe sometimes, they have normal sized stores.''
''Uhm, Castle?''
''Yes, Beck- Oh.'' He grabbed the magazine from her hand. Their faces on the cover of it. ''Castle steals the spotlight at Patterson's party.'' He flipped the magazine open in search of the article about them. He swallowed as he saw the headline above it ''New mistress for Richard Castle, is she running for wife number 3? We have the details.'' His blood was boiling from anger and he felt her hand on his shoulder. Another picture was displayed beneath it, one from his building, he and Kate stumbling into the building, his arm draped around her waist.
There were a few other pictures, including one of them at the after party, dancing with each other. It had been completely innocent, the two of them moving to the beat that Kate had recognized as a new Maroon 5 song. That was after a few drinks of course. The look on their faces had been a mix of pure lust and adoration. Kate blushed, she hadn't even realized they'd been sharing looked like this and now the whole country knew about it.
She then looked at the other picture at the right corner of the page, the two of them posing outside for pictures. The smiles on their faces were kind of hard to miss and Kate couldn't help but notice how right they looked together. His arm casually around her waist, pulling her in. She was laughing like a maniac and he had a satisfying smile on his face, probably from something that he'd just whispered in her ear. She couldn't exactly remember what he'd said, the moment she'd stepped out of the car till the moment she walked into the building had been a blur.
The third picture was the one that caught her attention though. She was talking to the bartender who had tried to flirt with her all night, while Rick had gone to the bathroom. She was laughing at something Matt had said and apparently Castle had just been on his way back to her, because the picture showed her laughing with the bartender with Castle staring at her from a distance, a somewhat jealous look on his face.
Rick sighed. ''I'm going to call Paula, see what she can do about this.''
''Let's finish shopping, okay? Then we can go home and sort everything out.'' She said calmly. He nodded.
''You're right. I'll call her in the car.'' He was already reaching for his phone, but Kate managed to grab his hand, intertwining their fingers.
''Not what I meant, but yes, you can call her in the car.'' She reached for the baseball cap he was wearing and put it on her head. He smiled at her and then stole it right back, keeping it out of reach for her and it made her realize that he was actually quite tall.
He grabbed the cart and made his way towards the cash register, dragging Kate with him. The cashier did a double take at the magazine as she realized the same people were standing in front of her. Castle just smirked and softly asked her to keep it quiet. The girl nodded and continued scanning the products. Kate put everything in bags, Rick paid and they made their to the car again. They quickly loaded everything in the car and Rick was already reaching for his phone the second he stepped in.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Kate stepped inside his apartment again, rolling her eyes at the comments Castle was making to Paula. She knew that the guy could get angry when it came to the press, but this was getting out of hand.
''Yes, please set it straight. Thank you.'' He dropped the grocery bags on the kitchen counter and rubbed his face.
''You up for some Guitar Hero?'' She saw his eyes lit up and took it as a yes. ''You'll need to teach me though, I've never played it before.''
He narrowed his eyes, not completely believing her. ''Of course.'' They put the grocery away in the refrigerator and then walked back to Rick's office, where his console was installed. ''First rule. Remove your shoes.'' She rolled her eyes, but did so anyway. ''I'll go first so that you can see how it works, alright?'' She hummed and sat down on the couch facing the television and pulled up her feet. Castle took of his dress shirt and threw it on his desk, he had a simple black t-shirt beneath it. He should wear simple shirts more often, she thought to herself.
The game started and Rick was totally in his element, sliding across the floor on his socks, pretending he was a huge rock star, jumping around like a fool. She laughed as he stood up again, from where he'd 'break-danced' on the floor, holding a hand to his back in support.
He tried to even out his breath as he walked up to her. ''And?'' The look of an exciting kid all over his face.
''That was... interesting.'' He smirked at her.
''Your turn.'' He handed her the plastic guitar and waited for her to put the strap around her shoulder. ''Just pick the song you want to do and then press this button.''
A minute in the game Castle had already completely lost his focus on the game and had focused on Kate who looked like she was making a math test, a serious look covering her face.
''You've totally played this before.'' He said with an accusing tone in his voice, looking at her perfect score on the screen.
''Nope, Castle.'' She replied without looking at him, continuing her game. ''First time ever. What's wrong, you can't accept the fact that someone might be better at playing a game then you?''
''Hey, at least I put on a show, not like you, just standing there stiffly.'' He said, daring her.
She gasped and forgot to press the buttons for the next set of notes. ''You want a show? Alright, I'll get you a show.'' She took a couple of steps back and made a short sprint, resulting her to slide across the floor on her socks. Castle looked at her from where he sat with his back against the couch with a huge smile on his face, she was finally letting herself go.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
''Looks like we forgot to take ice-cream with us. How did I manage to do that? I always buy enough for an entire month and it's Sunday so Alexis expects ice-cream for dessert.''
''Oh, I don't know, maybe it had something to do with the girl near the water melons that was asking you to sign her chest.'' Kate said with a mocking voice.
''I- You know how I- Sorry!''
''I was just kidding Castle, we can get some ice cream at the 24/7 store around the corner.'' He nodded, feeling guilty and walked after her to the door. They both put on their shoes and made quick work of their jackets.
They stepped into elevator and she grabbed his hand. He looked down at their fingers and found her thumb stroking his hand. He smiled and looked back at her. They arrived downstairs and they walked outside, feeling the fresh air once again filling his nostrils. She looked up at him, not wearing her heels, and smiled. She simply smiled.
His heart started beating faster as he watched her, almost running into a lamppost. She chuckled and pulled him along through the crowd, away from the lamppost. He stopped in his tracks and Kate looked up at him with a concerned look on her face.
''What are we?'' He asked out of nowhere.
''You're going to label us?'' She asked him.
''Yes, because I can't see you running of with some other guy while I'm here falling head over heels in-'' She cut him of with a passionate kiss, her hands reaching for the back of his neck, pulling him even closer. He nestled his hands in her hair, deepening the kiss quickly.
They were in the sidewalk. People were staring.
He gave her a short kiss and then pulled away.
The weather had turned suddenly and it started drizzling. ''Are you my- This is going to sound stupid- Would you- Uhm- Kate Beckett, will you be my girlfriend?''
She nodded enthusiastically. ''Well, duh.'' He laughed and stepped in for another kiss, the crowd slowly disappearing inside the stores as it started to rain a little harder. He shielded her from sight, holding her safely in his arms. ''Let's get some ice-cream, shall we?'' He nod and proceeded to grab her hand.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
''Castle!'' A voice yelled from behind the door. ''Open up.''
''Oh crap.'' He mumbled and Kate managed to keep her laughter quiet. He stood up from his place on the couch and walked towards the front door. ''Paula.''
''You make me go all terminator on these editors and then you pull a stunt like this?!'' She said stuffing the printed page in his face. He grabbed it and smirked when he saw the cover.
''What can I say. It was worth it.'' The picture of them kissing in the middle of the sidewalk, when it had just started raining. ''Do you think you could get me a copy of that picture?''
(a/n) I'm sorry if the kissing scenes don't look realistic to you, my experience is... limited. ;)
