AN: Hey guys! This chapter's a little longer than usual, and I hope you guys like it.
Just a heads up the next chapter might be a little late since I'll be heading out to the lake tonight, and I won't have any internet all weekend. Since I write all of this on google drive and then transfer it to FF, I won't be able to write either.
Disclaimer: Does that look vaguely like something owned by a company or organization of some sort? Well, then it's not mine.
"Castle, I don't want to hear another word out of you," Kate said as they entered the loft.
"I didn't mean to push you into it! How was I supposed to know there was a patch of ice right in front of it?" Rick defended, hoping for some forgiveness from her.
"You didn't have to push me towards the giant pile of snow at all, ice patch or no ice patch." She glared at him while she brushed more snow out of her hair, peeling off her melting jacket.
"I didn't think you'd fall in! I swear, I was just trying to be funny, not cover you in dirty snow."
The pile of snow had been pushed up against the side of his building after it had been cleared off of the street, causing quite a bit of mud to be mixed into it. Trying to be playful, Castle had pushed her towards the snow mound, thinking she'd be able to step away from it easily. She would have been able to, had it not been for the sheet of ice covering that side of the sidewalk. Kate had turned enough to avoid getting any snow in her face, but her jacket and pants had been completely coated in snow, and a significant amount had found its way into her boots. As the snow melted on her clothing, it soaked her jacket, pants, and boots. In addition, the wet jacket had begun to make her shirt wet and the wet boots made for wet socks.
She handed her boots to Rick so he could place them on the boot dryer, then peeled her socks off her feet. Her turtleneck clung to her skin, and all she wanted was a hot shower and dry clothes to put on afterward.
"Yeah, I'm going to have to take a shower if I'm going to get any of this dirt off. D'you think I could use yours, Castle?" She glanced up from her shirt to look at him as he plugged in the boot dryer.
"Yeah, of course, Kate," he said as he turned back to her. "You know where it is, and you can use some of Alexis's or my mother's products if you'd like. Give me a shout once you're in there and I'll come in and grab your clothes so I can put them in the wash."
"Thanks," was all she said as she walked towards his bedroom to use his shower.
Rick grabbed a towel from under the sink to clean up the water that had dripped off of Kate's clothes, soaking up the water before heading to his bedroom. He knocked on the bathroom door before he spoke.
"Can I grab those clothes?" he called.
"Yeah, go ahead," came her muffled answer through the door.
He turned the handle and opened the door, making sure he was in and out of the bathroom in as little time as possible. He didn't want to linger and risk succumbing to the temptation of stepping into the shower with her. Technically, he wasn't supposed to take a shower until after his doctor's appointment on Thursday. He was allowed to take baths, but he was told not to take a shower until he was cleared to do so.
After grabbing the sodden pieces of clothing, he made his way to the laundry room, taking the time to check the tags on everything to make sure nothing needed to be washed separately. He forced himself to move quickly when it came to her bra and panties, not wanting to dwell too long on the fact that Kate Beckett had been wearing this underwear.
Kate herself was taking her time in the shower, not wanting to leave the hot spray too soon. Their walk had left her a bit chilled, and it felt nice to let the hot water warm her. She heard Rick briefly enter the bathroom again, and he assumed he was placing either her bag or pieces of his own clothing for her to wear, and she smiled at the thought of him looking through his closet to find something he thought would be small enough for her.
When she reluctantly turned off the water and stepped from the shower, she found that he had placed both her bag and a small pile of clothes on the counter. The shirt he had left for her was a Green Lantern tee that looked and felt as though it had been worn from use. He had also left a pair of sweatpants that seemed as though they'd almost be too small for Castle, and only a little bit too big for herself.
Nonetheless, Kate put on the extra underwear she had had the sense to put in her bag, then pulled on the t-shirt and sweatpants before returning to the living room where Rick was pulling out the couch cushions.
"What are you doing?" she questioned as she walked out from his office, brushing her hair as she did so, making him jump slightly at her sudden presence. He straightened from where he had been bent over the couch and turned to face her.
"Hey! I was just thinking that we could build a fort." His eyes sparkled in a way that made him seem like a little boy excited about a new toy. How was she supposed to turn him down when he looked like that?
"A fort?" she repeated.
"Yes, a fort," he answered simply.
She took a moment to shake her head and his childlike behavior, trying to hold back the smile that ended up blooming across her face anyway. Without saying anything more, she stepped up beside him and started pulling off one of the couch cushions on the side opposite to where he was. Together they pulled up chairs and found extra pillows and blankets, creating a tent-like structure that enclosed the entire area from the couch to the television, made considering larger when they moved the coffee table out of the way.
"This is the coolest fort ever!" Rick exclaimed as he carefully crouched to enter the space.
"Yeah, and it will be until we have to take it down and put everything back where it was," Kate reminded him. He simply shrugged in response, not daunted by the task of cleaning up. For a man-child, she had discovered, he was surprisingly tidy. He didn't usually leave things out to pick up later, seeming to prefer to not have to worry about clutter if he knew someone would be visiting at any point.
They turned on the TV once they were settled inside the fort, propping themselves up on pillows and covering their legs with the leftover blankets. After about ten minutes of arguing over what to watch, they finally settled on the X-Men movies. Kate moved to place her head on Rick's chest, smiling at his sharp intake of breath as her damp hair slid across his bare arms.
"Serves you right," she said after he shivered at the touch of her damp (and cold) hair.
"I told you I'm sorry. Is there anyway I can make it up to you?" The sincerity in his voice almost made her feel bad for yelling at him.
Almost.
"I'm sure you'll think of something."
He sighed. "The only thing I can think of I'm not allowed to do." His voice slipped into a deeper register, and Kate smacked his arm.
"That's not how you make things up to people," she huffed.
"Well then what do you want me to do? Oh!" He snapped his fingers in excitement. "I know! I can buy you that pony!"
Kate laughed at his enthusiasm. "And where exactly am I supposed to keep this pony?"
"I'm sure we can figure something out."
"Whatever, Castle. Let's just forget about it for now and just watch the movie." She made a show of getting comfortable his on chest, ensuring that he knew the conversation was over.
"Fine," he sighed, wrapping his arm around his partner. "I will find a way to make it up to you, I promise."