Cuddling

A/N: Takes place later in season 8, after Kate moves back in. Just a fluffy, meaningless lil thing. Hope you enjoy!

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Castle smelled the familiar lavender lotion Beckett always used at bedtime. He grinned to himself, but kept his eyes trained on the book propped up on his stomach. He was lying on his back in their bed, and just the familiar scent of it, of her, made his whole body ease, like he was melting down into the mattress. They were getting back to their normal routine, something he'd longed for for months.

Then, he felt rather than saw Beckett standing at the foot of the bed. He craned his neck up over the book and blinked at her. She was standing there rubbing lotion into her hands, wearing a pair of his boxers and an old baggy sweatshirt.

"Hey," he offered, wondering why she was hovering. He was half-tempted to swipe at his face or his hair. Why was she staring at him like that, with her lips all twisted up?

"Spread 'em," Kate said after a beat, and nudged his shin.

"Uhhh…" He set his book down flat on his chest, not comprehending.

Rather than explain, she just nudged him more insistently. "I said spread 'em. Please."

Thinking he might understand, Castle grinned slyly. He put his book on the nightstand and sat up on his elbows, spreading his legs wide enough to let her in.

Kate must have read his mood shift, because she shook her head and chuckled. "Not tonight, big guy."

Instead, she threw back the covers and laid on her stomach between his thighs, taking several long, uncomfortable moments to adjust until her chest was on his stomach and her left cheek was on his chest. She slid her arms up behind his body and rested her palms against his shoulder blades. Once she was completely wiggled in to this strange position, she sighed deeply.

Castle frowned, confused. That hadn't quite been what he was expecting. Kate was a snuggler at times, sure, but she usually preferred to be curled at his side or have him wrapped around her back. Now, with one knee lodged up under his thigh, they resembled a human pretzel. He liked it, but wasn't quite sure what to make of it.

"You okay?" he asked gently, and Kate somehow wiggled even closer to him. He sucked in a breath as she moved hard against his crotch.

"Mhm." She took another deep inhale, and he wracked his brain for what could possibly have come over her.

"Glad to finally be home?"

He felt her smile against his chest. "Mhm."

He let a few moments pass before his hands found their way to her back. He brushed back her hair so he could softly rub the spot between her shoulder blades.

"You gonna tell me what's going on?"

She snickered, but answered, slowly as if he were a child, "We're cuddling." When he didn't respond, she added, "Maybe you forgot what that was like on its own, given the amount of sex we've been having lately."

He barked a laugh, taken off-guard by her blasé comment. "And whose fault is that, I ask."

"I don't know what you mean," she giggled, and moved her head to nip playfully at his t-shirt.

"Ever since we got back together, your sex drive has been…" He made a wolf-whistling sound, causing another giggle to bubble out of her.

"I didn't think you'd complain."

He rolled his eyes, smiling wide. "Don't get me wrong. I am not complaining. Just simply stating a fact."

She gave a little half shrug with her free shoulder. "Making up for lost time, I guess," she mumbled, and he could almost feel her physically deflating, as if he'd somehow flipped a switch inside her brain from playful to forlorn.

Then it hit him.

He brushed her hair back from her face with one hand, then angled his neck down until he could plant a quick kiss to the top of her head. "That time of the month, huh?"

Kate said nothing, but she didn't need to.

He'd been pretty in-tune with her cycles when they lived together. He had to be, for his own safety. But since she'd been living elsewhere (he still didn't know where), he'd just taken what he'd gotten from her without complaint, and without looking too hard at a calendar. Some nights she'd sneak over, some nights she wouldn't. He never got a reason and didn't want to ruin a good thing by being too critical.

Given the way she'd behaved with him the last few weeks, needy and a little aggressive in her sexual pursuits, he probably should have known this was coming.

"It's okay. You know I love cuddling," he murmured, and held her tightly against him. As far as he was concerned, everything else in the world could wait. It was moments like these that he'd been desperately longing for ever since she'd walked out, and he'd be damned if he let himself say something stupid and ruin it.

Minutes passed, and Kate grew heavier and heavier. Soon, her grip on the backs of his shoulders slackened, and Castle knew she was falling asleep. Not quite wanting to fall asleep this way (his body was too old for that), he decided to try to nudge her onto her side.

"Roll over," he murmured lightly, and wedged his arms gently beneath her torso.

She groaned, but did as he asked, and rolled onto her side of the bed. Castle turned his lamp off and pressed in behind her, placing his warm hand on her lower stomach. Kate sighed dreamily, and curled into herself, one loose hand covering his. He smiled, and moved her hair so he could lie as close to her as possible.

After several long minutes, completely convinced she'd fallen asleep, Castle pressed a kiss to the back of her neck.

"'m so glad t'be home, Castle," she mumbled.

Castle sighed, feeling the comfortable weight of darkness washing over him. "I'm glad too."