Life is Gourd - Chapter 3
Decoration Explosion
A Season 6 Ficlet
Kate Beckett sits up, looking around her darkened bedroom with bleary eyes.
She is still in her room, isn't she? She had gone to bed in her own room, she knows that much, but she's not so sure about the world she's awoken to.
This doesn't look a thing like her room. It looks like there was an explosion at a Halloween store and the innards have landed on every surface they can reach. The lamps are off, replaced with the glow of half a dozen strings of orange lights and candles. Skeletons – two dimensional and three – ghosts, pumpkins, even black and white photos of complete strangers line the walls.
Beckett gawks. She remembers the loft looking like this for Castle's parties, but she'd never anticipated that his decorating would extend into his private spaces, now their private spaces.
Not for the first time since they'd decided to dive into this relationship together, she's reminded that she'd really had no idea what she was getting into. She'd known he loves Halloween, she'd known he loves decorating. She'd even known he makes a habit of going overboard. All that said, Castle takes excitement for the holiday to a new (and maybe kind of concerning) level.
"Oh good! You're awake."
Kate groans, covering her eyes with her hand. "That's debatable; I'm either still asleep or I'm in the twilight zone."
"Oh no, the Twilight Zone room is out there," Castle deadpans, holding out a mug to her before crawling onto the bed beside her, practically vibrating with excitement. "What do you think?"
She waits until the first sip touches her tongue to even look around, then gives herself a few more minutes and a few more sips to get acclimated to the chaos in her bedroom. Castle doesn't say a word, giving her the chance to take it all in at her own speed.
"I think I'm lucky that you didn't try to decorate me, too."
He chuckles, pressing his mouth to the curve of her shoulder through her nightshirt. "I thought about it, but I wasn't sure where you put your gun last night when we got home. You would make a cute mummy, though."
"More like a zombie," she quips sipping her coffee again. "Do I even want to know what the rest of this place looks like, if this is our bedroom?"
Castle's lips twitch. "No, probably not. But come on, I'll show you anyway."
He grapples for her hand, helping her toss the covers aside and giving her a gentle tug once her feet touch the floor.
Kate laughs, leaning into his arm as he pulls her into the living room to show off his handiwork. His enthusiasm is a lot, but it's also sweet and bright and makes her heart a little bit lighter after a long few days at the precinct. And it's worth it to hear him talk about the Halloween party he intends to have – the Halloween party they'll be hosting together this year.