December 9: Yuanfen
"Say it again."
She sighs, rolling her eyes at him, and he doesn't even care, because-
"I love you."
She loves him. And sure, he knows. He's known. But it's still so wonderful to hear.
He gets an arm around her waist to tug her against him, the curve of his body forcing hers to curl up too, the two of them concentric arcs in his bed. He nuzzles at the nape of her neck, brushes the thick mass of her hair aside so he can kiss her. The skin over her top vertebra is like paper; he likes to see how hard he has to press before he can feel the bone.
She wraps both hands around his arm, already whimpering. He's been teasing her for hours, ever since he woke her up with the brush of his thumb over her cheek. It won't take much to make her come apart now.
"Did you get your word yesterday?"
"Hmm?" When his teeth catch at her earlobe she drives her hips back against his, her nails biting his palm. "Yeah. Before you woke up. Didn't get my gift though."
"Yes you did."
She turns to face him, nose brushing his, and when she kisses him she's smiling so wide that their teeth knock together. "I did?"
"Uh huh. Remember that very first ornament I gave to you to hang up?" He runs the pad of his thumb over her frown lines, eases away her confusion. This morning, this month, with mistletoe secreted away in the drawer of his nightstand, he wants only for her to be happy.
She slips a knee between his, the heat of their bare skins next to each other so very delicious. "The carousel horse?"
"Yeah. That one's new. It's for you." He slides his palm down from the small of her back, circumnavigating her thigh.
Her eyelids are fluttering, her hand on his chest curling into a fist. "Oh. The Scott Dunn case?"
"Yeah. I didn't want to remind you of your apartment getting blown up." He brushes the hair away from her neck where it's sweat-damp and curling. "Or of Agent Shaw."
"Why not? I liked her."
"Eventually. Have you forgotten how jealous you were?" He brings his hand up, mapping the whole of her side until he reaches her ribcage and then spreading out, his little finger just grazing her hipbone, thumb brushing the underside of her breast.
She swats at his chest, flicking him hard at the sensitive flesh just underneath his ribs. "I was not jealous."
"It's okay. I know you were. But for the record, there was never any reason for you to be." He kisses her response away, easing her onto her back and nudging her legs apart with his own. "You were all I wanted even then. Only reason I didn't do this was because you weren't ready."
She arches her neck, catches his bottom lip between her teeth, a growl all in her chest that he feels where they're pressed together. "Stop talking."
"Morning Kate, Richard." His mother smirks at them from around a forkful of something, a bowl in front of her at the counter.
Alexis is facing away from them, bent over the coffee machine, but she turns at her grandmother's words, smiling so wide at the two of them. "Hey Dad, Kate."
"Morning ladies," Castle grins, pressing an errant kiss to Kate's temple before he goes to assist his daughter. "This thing playing up again?"
Kate joins Martha at the counter, hands folded between her knees. His mother leans in, mouth just glancing across Kate's ear. "You two disappeared rather fast last night, dear."
"Oh, I'm so sorry Martha."
The older woman shakes her head, overly-large earrings rattling about her ears. "No need to be sorry. I'm happy for you both. And thank you for keeping it down."
She feels all the blood rushing to her cheeks at that, ducks her head.
"Mother, are you terrorising Detective Beckett?" Castle folds his arms and leans against the counter, frowning at his mother.
She raises her hands in mock-innocence, her eyes shining. "Wouldn't dream of it."
Alexis joins them with four mugs of coffee and Kate tries not to accept hers too gratefully, taking an eager sip and scalding the roof of her mouth. "Oh, Kate. Gram and I were wondering yesterday if you wanted to decorate your apartment as well? I mean, when you go back there we thought it'd be nice for you to have a small tree or something."
"Alexis," Castle nudges his daughter, shaking his head. "She's not going back."
"Castle don't be ridiculous, last time I checked I haven't moved in. That would be… wonderful, actually." Kate takes another sip of coffee, suddenly feeling naked under all of their gazes.
He rounds the counter to sit next to her, his hand falling to rest on her thigh. "Okay then. Only, not today. We have dinner reservations."
"We do?" She shoots him a surprised glance, a smile quirking half her mouth. "All of us?"
"No, just you and me. You two are out, right?"
His mother waves a hand at him, apparently absorbed in the script she has resting next to her coffee, pen in hand and the lid between her teeth. Alexis shrugs, sips her drink. "Yeah. I was gonna head back to my dorm tonight, so sure, I'm out."
"Where are we going?" Kate turns a just a little in her seat so her knees can graze his thigh, hopes it will get him to spill.
"It's a secret."
She sighs at him, glances at his family for help but Alexis is bent over the counter discussing a stage direction with her grandmother, neither of them paying much attention. "Is it today's gift?"
"Yeah." He drains the last of his coffee, waits for her to do the same before he takes her mug and gets up to put them both in the dishwasher. "But the reservation isn't until eight, so I guess we could do your apartment if we get going now."
She's trying so hard not to tremble.
It's just-
It's gutting her, having his entire family converge on her apartment, a space that has been only Kate's for so long. Even when Castle has spent the night and been so at home, it's still been hers. And now the Castles are lugging boxes of decorations, overflow from their own apartment, through to her kitchen, Rick cradling a three foot tree against his chest like it's a child.
She stands in her living room watching them stacking boxes, a hand pressed to her mouth. Castle notices, of course, puts the tree down on her counter to come for her, his arms so tight around her back that it knocks her bones together, creates more space for her lungs to work with.
"We don't have to do this if you don't want."
She shakes her head, lower lip caught between her teeth so it blanches. She can feel the blood draining right out of it. "It's okay. I want to."
"Just the invasion of your space, huh?"
"Yeah. I'm gonna have to get used to it sometime, Castle." She steps back from him, gives him a half-smile that never quite reaches her eyes.
He lets her go, following her through to the kitchen. She kneels next to Alexis, helps the girl sort through the boxes from Castle's loft. She only wants some décor for her tree, maybe a couple of other things.
Alexis keeps handing her things, tree ornaments and baubles, while Castle is next to her unwinding a string of lights and rooting around for another tree stand. The two of them dragging her along like a riptide so she doesn't have a spare second to crumble under the ache of an absent mother.
She stays on the floor, the bones of her ankles cracking against the hardwood when she moves to watch them.
"Hey Kate, where are we putting the tree?" Alexis pokes her head out from behind it, strands of her hair caught up around the branches like tinsel.
Kate shifts onto her knees, scanning her living room for the best place. "How about we move that lamp and the tree can go on that end table right there?"
Castle's already lifting the lamp, standing awkwardly with it while his daughter puts the tree down. "Where do you want this now?"
"Oh, uh, in the closet I guess."
He brushes past her on the way to the closet, his free hand resting briefly at her crown like she's a touchstone, and then she finds she can stand up.
"Oh Kate. Wow. You look-" he shakes his head, has to take a moment to try and find a word to describe her, unsurprised when he comes up empty. "Breath taking."
She still flushes even now, her cheeks temptingly stained. He leans in to dust his mouth over her cheekbone, catching a lungful of her perfume where she must have splashed it behind her ear. She runs a hand down his tie when he steps back, takes the bunch of flowers he offers. "You're not so bad yourself. I still can't believe you went home to change though."
He grins, so very delighted with her. "Are these okay? I didn't want to be so cliché but I can't help myself."
"Castle, come on." She's laughing at him, eyes like liquid lust and lined with charcoal. "Don't be awkward. We're coming up on seven months together."
"I know, I just- first date, Kate." He shrugs, the shoulders of his suit jacket riding up around his ears. "I want this to be special."
She cups his cheek in her palm, thumb stroking back and forth underneath his eye. "It will be special. Of course it will. Just relax."
He's allowed to settle his palm at her spine when they get inside, his thumb sweeping over the expanse of her back left bare by the dress. She shivers, turning to look at him over her shoulder, her eyes dragging over his mouth.
He nudges her forwards, wonders if she's worked out what's going on yet, but she's already smiling, the full and wide and beautiful one with all her teeth, so he thinks she knows.
She must know.
And then Madison is coming over to them, all blond hair and genuine smile. She embraces Kate, shakes the hand Castle offers. "Hey. You ready to eat?"
"God yes. Tell me you still do the pumpkin gnocchi?"
Both women laugh at him, Kate's hand curling around his upper arm. He would never expect that of her, isn't with her for her arm candy potential, but it's so wonderful to feel the soft weight of her at his side and revel in the solidarity.
"We do actually. Come on; let me show you to your table."
Maddie has them seated in a secluded little corner of the restaurant, their table set beautifully with candles and flowers. He gets to pull Kate's chair out for her, immediately sliding his own feet between hers when he sits down himself.
Kate sighs at him even as she stretches a hand across the table to trace patterns over his wrist, follow the map of his veins. Maddie grins at them, nods her head at their joined hands. "Guess you are hot for Castle after all, huh Becks?"
"Aren't you supposed to be taking our order?" Kate glares, sliding her menu from the holder and pointedly not looking at Madison.
Castle's gaze flicks between his girlfriend and her friend, still so fascinated by their dynamic. "No. I'm the owner. I'll go find your server."
Maddie disappears and he takes his chance, laces his fingers with Kate's. "Hey. Thank you for being okay with my kid helping decorate your apartment. It means a lot that you include her."
"Castle, she's your daughter. And she's a really great kid."
He can't help beaming at her for that, his thumb running over her knuckles. "She thinks you're great too."
In the cab on the way back to his place he keeps nuzzling at her, his mouth hot and insistent at her neck, her jaw. "Did you have a good time?"
"Yeah. Thank you." She turns her head to kiss him properly, smiling through his soft exhale of surprise.
When he pulls back his brow is furrowed, hand still heavy over her ribs. "Do you ever feel like people are meant to be together? Like even if you hadn't arrested me at that book party we would have met someplace else? I can't imagine my life without you in it."
"Is this about today's word?"
"Yeah. But even so."
"Does it really matter?" She rests her head against his shoulder, the whole day suddenly rushing up to meet her, knocking the breath right out of her chest.
"I guess not. I just like the idea that you're the one I was always meant to be with."
Yuanfen:
(n.) a relationship by fate or destiny; the binding force between two people
