Comfort

A/N: Just a fluffy lil thing, post season 8. May or may not be based loosely on IRL experiences, haha! Hope you enjoy!

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Castle felt consciousness return back to his body in waves. It started with the tickle of Kate's hair on his arm, and then from the lack of sensation in his hand from where it was pinned under her body. He shifted, eyes squeezing shut against the brightness of the room, until he could lift his arm further up, situating her neck on his inner bicep. She didn't even flinch.

He sighed. He was comfortable again. When he opened his eyes, he could just make out the digital clock on his nightstand, bright white against the black: 8:03. He grinned, unable to help himself. No calls. She was finally able to sleep past 7 for the first time in almost two weeks.

And he was not a man to waste such a wonderful opportunity. He used his free hand to wipe the crusties out of his eyes and then directed his attention down to her still form. She was clad in one of his oversized shirts and her underwear, lying on her side. Her hair was stick-straight from the day before, mostly fanned out over her pillow, except for the stubborn lock falling into her face. He carefully tucked it behind her ear, grimacing as he moved slowly.

She sucked in a deep breath through her nose, but still she didn't wake. She just curled up closer to him, pressing the soft, still-early swell of her belly into his.

He wouldn't give these moments up for anything in the world. Seeing the usual tightness in her face completely at ease. Feeling the way she gravitates towards him, even in her sleep. It gave Castle a kind of peace that he wished he could bottle up and give to the whole world. He had it in abundance, and it felt wrong to keep it all to himself.

His eyes traveled from the top of her head to her lower half tucked under the blankets. She was so beautiful like this. No makeup, in her pajamas, without a care in the world. And she was all his. It almost hurt, watching her. The love he had for her and their unborn child was like a creature struggling to break free from his chest. He could hardly keep it contained at times. But still it struggled, pressing against his sternum from the inside out.

"Mmmm," Kate mumbled, and shoved her face into Castle's armpit.

He froze, not sure what to do. He didn't want her to wake up. He wasn't finished admiring her.

"Are you watching me sleep?" she grumbled against his t-shirt.

He winced. Had he been that obvious? Her eyes weren't even open. "No?"

It was then that Kate took a deep inhale through her nose. Somehow, her body became even more limp.

Castle pursed his lips, fending off a smile. "Did you just smell my armpit?"

Kate said nothing, but wrapped her arm more tightly around his body. Then, her small voice offered an unconvincing, "No?"

He let out a soft chuckle. He couldn't help it.

And then she did it again. This time, she let out a long, almost moaning sigh on her exhale, and he craned his neck just in time to see a small smile form on her lips.

"You did it again!" he accused, and then clicked his tongue in mock-disapproval. "That can't possibly be pleasant."

"Oh, but it is," Kate responded. Her voice was almost sultry with how low it was, and the small smile was still hanging out at the edges of her lips.

"I haven't showered."

"You don't need to."

"Oh, I'm certain after last night I do."

Kate chuckled and, eyes still closed, pressed her whole body flush against him. He tightened his arm on her waist, but still her nose was lodged firmly against his armpit. "The baby wants what the baby wants."

Castle rolled his eyes playfully, but he was glad she couldn't see him. "Oh yeah? Well, that's pretty strange considering how sensitive your nose has been."

"What can I say? You smell good, Rick."

He smiled, planting a kiss on the top of her head. "I can smell me from here. I most certainly don't smell good. But thanks, I think."

Kate offered a disinterested shrug. "I could probably come up with a better explanation if I was more awake. Something about pheromones or something."

"But instead you're blaming it on the baby."

Kate opened her eyes for the first time that morning. She pulled back, looking up at him sleepily, like she was in a daze. "Your smell makes me feel safe," she offered after a long moment of looking into his face. "It always has."

Castle felt his throat close. His lip twitched, wanting, and trying, to frown. But he wouldn't let it. "Yeah?" he croaked after swallowing a few times.

She nodded. "Mmmhmmm."

"That's…" He didn't know how to finish that statement.

This was all he'd ever wanted in the whole world. And he would go through every trial and tribulation, every path to hell and back, if it meant ending up here with her, in this moment.

It was overwhelming.

"I love you, you know," he offered instead.

Kate closed her eyes, pressing her face back the way it was. She took a deep breath, and her little sigh clenched itself around Castle's heart.

"I love you, too."

She was asleep again within minutes. Castle wasn't too far behind her.