Mildly M-rated, HAPPY NEW YEAR GUYS!

Kate Beckett wakes up with her head pounding like crazy. Fuck she shouldn't have taken that dare from the boys. Then again she doesn't like it when they make statements saying they could do something better than her just because she was a woman. And they always regretted taking her on so, even though her head hurts bad it's definitely worth it. With a grunt she rolls over to bury her face into the pillow next to her, breathing in a familiar scent. The scent almost immediately made her relax and a small smile tugged her lips upwards through the head pain. It's almost like the scent is some kind of soothing medicine that goes straight into her bloodstream and makes her all soft and relaxed instead of the ordinary uptight muscles she always gets when she's hungover.

After a few minutes of simply becoming a part of the sheets she's in, her fingers hugging the pillow beside her, she's suddenly very aware of feet approaching somewhere in a room not far away. She stills as she listens to the footsteps coming closer and closer until the door to the bedroom carefully pushes open. She stays silent as she listens to his breaths, waiting for him to say something but it never does and she grunts as she forces one eye open to peak at him. Her shadow. Her partner. Her husband.

"Good morning," he says in a low and soothing voice.

She grunts again, "Nothing good about it babe."

He has the audacity to chuckle and she pulls the cover over her head to shut out the light from the windows. They hadn't closed the blinds during the night because they both new they wouldn't be able to sleep for however long they liked. She has work tomorrow. And she swears she's going to drag him right there with her.

Kate furrows her eyebrows as she feels him remove the covers just enough by her feet to duck inside and before she can question him she feels his lips kissing her newly shaved legs. Biting her lip she can't believe how her skin still tingles like crazy every time his lips touch her nude body.

"What are you doing?" she says with a shudder as his tongue makes itself known.

"I've read somewhere that orgasms can help against headaches and hangovers," she hears him mumble against her skin and she feels a shiver go up her spine.

She's not able to answer him with a sceptical comment before she's moaning because he's, oh so devilishly, nibbling and kissing her inner thighs. It's not long before he's right where she wants him and her fingers have to grip a hold of the sheets in order to control herself from combusting right here and now. His lips are kissing and sucking and, fuck, when his tongue comes into play she's not in control anymore. He has her moaning his name in throaty tones as he's working her higher and higher until she's not able to do anything but let go and fall apart on his tongue. She's panting as he starts kissing his way up her belly, stopping at the scar between her breasts to kiss it properly before his lips are leading the rest of the way up her neck and her jaw to reach her own lips in a sincere and loving kiss. In which she can taste the residue of herself on his tongue.

"It's a good thing you chose to sleep naked tonight," he mumbles against her lips and she let's go of a breathy chuckle.

"You wouldn't let me do otherwise," she accuses him and he just chuckles before kissing her lips again.

When he pulls away she has a small feeling it is to let her catch her breath, since she's still kind of out of it. As she takes in as much air as she can she, at the same time, makes sure her nostrils are filled with his soothing scent. He kisses the top of her head as he lays onto his side, observing her with those blues she came to love more than she ever thought was possible.

"How's your head?" he asks, his fingers carefully following her facial lines.

She hums when he reaches into her hair, massaging her scalp as he waits for her answer. "Better."

They stay like that for a couple more minutes before her brain suddenly remembers something through the haze of the hangover. "Where are the kids?"

She looks up at him and he smiles at her, his fingers still heavenly in her hair.

"Your dad and mother took them to see the first movie of the year in theatres," he tells her and she smiles.

She wasn't sure what had done it but their kids' grandparents had demanded to have one first with the kids together each year and apparently this year they'd chosen movie. Last year it had been a baseball game, because the year before that it had been a musical.

"Of course they did. On the 1st January," she says while rolling her eyes and Castle laughs. "At least it means we're alone for a couple hours," she adds with a smirk which he immediately mirrors. He leans down to kiss her lips again and this time when they part they once again proves they still got that shared mind thing despite all the years they've been together.

Because both Kate Beckett and Richard Castle simultaneously says "Happy New Year babe".

THE END

A/N: Hope you all will have an absolutely amazing 2020! Until next time, xxxx