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xfirefly9xTitle: The Deadliest Time of Year
Fandom: Castle
Characters: Castle, Beckett
Prompt: the last minute Christmas rush
Word Count: 581
Rating: PG
Summary: Christmas shopping can be one of the deadliest events of the year.
Notes: Written for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
iluvroadrunner6. 3/12/11.
“They say that Christmas shopping can be one of the deadliest events of the year. The frantic rush of people seeking out various items of interest to give to their beloved... it’s accompanied by the rage inside each and every one of us that tells us ‘kill strangers in the mall, fellow shoppers, or be killed by the loved ones who don’t appreciate getting nothing for Christmas’.”
Throughout Castle’s eloquent speech, Beckett had been looking through various ties. Now, she turns and smiles sweetly. “Castle?”
“Yeah?” He looks at her, sheepish, as if caught in a situation far more shameful than their current one.
“Shut up and help me pick out a tie for Ryan and Esposito.”
“On it,” he says quickly, and twenty seconds later, he’s holding two ties out before him for her to examine. “Yes? Am I good or what?”
“Wow, Castle. Maybe there’s a reason for your being here after all.”
“Ha,” he says, though he seems more put off by her statement than amused or entertained. Over the next half hour, he wears the same perturbed look.
“Oh, get over it,” Beckett says later. “You’ve been pouting all morning.”
“You’ve been telling me all morning that you don’t want me here, to shut up, and that I’m getting in the way,” he replies, not exactly saddened as he says it, but more...thoughtful. She starts to protest. “No. No, don’t argue. Listen for a minute. Christmas is a time to spend with people you care about. So, Kate. If you don’t care about me, what am I doing here?”
Beckett frowns and grips the vase in her hands a little tighter. “What?”
“Do you care about me, Kate? Or am I wasting my time here?”
“Of course I care about you, Castle. We’re friends.”
“Are we? Really?”
“Yes, we... At the office and on jobs we’re-“
“Colleagues. Colleagues, Kate. Not friends.”
“Castle,” she says. “I... I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t bother then. I’ll go. Good luck with the rest of your shopping.” He looks sad now like someone just ran over a puppy. Twice.
“No, wait. Castle.” She looks at him, pleading him with her eyes.
He walks off.
“Hey! Stop.” She takes up chase and grabs him by the arm. “Listen. You are my friend, Castle. Of course you are.”
“Oh? Then why do you keep putting me down?”
Beckett frowns, letting her fingers toy with the edges of the tie Castle picked out for Esposito. “I don’t mean to. It’s just... it’s our thing, isn’t it? Poking fun at one another.”
“If it is, then maybe we should find a new thing,” he says. “I’m a semi-muscular man and I can take it, but... that doesn’t mean... Well. It’s just getting old, okay?”
“Okay. Fine. We’ll find a new thing.”
They stand there, by a rack of men’s shoes, and stare at everything but each other. Some things cannot be said without a price. In this case, the price is their ease with one another. A man bustles by with his wife and Castle shifts to get out of their way. He bumps into her, only gently, but it is enough.
“Castle,” she says, his touch bringing her to talk.
“Beckett,” he replies.
“So, where does this leave us?” she asks.
He has no answer for her. Frenzied shoppers around them move past, blur past, and they stand on the spot and don’t move. “I guess that’s something we’ll have to figure out.”
Fandom: Castle
Characters: Castle, Beckett
Prompt: the last minute Christmas rush
Word Count: 581
Rating: PG
Summary: Christmas shopping can be one of the deadliest events of the year.
Notes: Written for
iluvroadrunner6. 3/12/11.“They say that Christmas shopping can be one of the deadliest events of the year. The frantic rush of people seeking out various items of interest to give to their beloved... it’s accompanied by the rage inside each and every one of us that tells us ‘kill strangers in the mall, fellow shoppers, or be killed by the loved ones who don’t appreciate getting nothing for Christmas’.”
Throughout Castle’s eloquent speech, Beckett had been looking through various ties. Now, she turns and smiles sweetly. “Castle?”
“Yeah?” He looks at her, sheepish, as if caught in a situation far more shameful than their current one.
“Shut up and help me pick out a tie for Ryan and Esposito.”
“On it,” he says quickly, and twenty seconds later, he’s holding two ties out before him for her to examine. “Yes? Am I good or what?”
“Wow, Castle. Maybe there’s a reason for your being here after all.”
“Ha,” he says, though he seems more put off by her statement than amused or entertained. Over the next half hour, he wears the same perturbed look.
“Oh, get over it,” Beckett says later. “You’ve been pouting all morning.”
“You’ve been telling me all morning that you don’t want me here, to shut up, and that I’m getting in the way,” he replies, not exactly saddened as he says it, but more...thoughtful. She starts to protest. “No. No, don’t argue. Listen for a minute. Christmas is a time to spend with people you care about. So, Kate. If you don’t care about me, what am I doing here?”
Beckett frowns and grips the vase in her hands a little tighter. “What?”
“Do you care about me, Kate? Or am I wasting my time here?”
“Of course I care about you, Castle. We’re friends.”
“Are we? Really?”
“Yes, we... At the office and on jobs we’re-“
“Colleagues. Colleagues, Kate. Not friends.”
“Castle,” she says. “I... I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t bother then. I’ll go. Good luck with the rest of your shopping.” He looks sad now like someone just ran over a puppy. Twice.
“No, wait. Castle.” She looks at him, pleading him with her eyes.
He walks off.
“Hey! Stop.” She takes up chase and grabs him by the arm. “Listen. You are my friend, Castle. Of course you are.”
“Oh? Then why do you keep putting me down?”
Beckett frowns, letting her fingers toy with the edges of the tie Castle picked out for Esposito. “I don’t mean to. It’s just... it’s our thing, isn’t it? Poking fun at one another.”
“If it is, then maybe we should find a new thing,” he says. “I’m a semi-muscular man and I can take it, but... that doesn’t mean... Well. It’s just getting old, okay?”
“Okay. Fine. We’ll find a new thing.”
They stand there, by a rack of men’s shoes, and stare at everything but each other. Some things cannot be said without a price. In this case, the price is their ease with one another. A man bustles by with his wife and Castle shifts to get out of their way. He bumps into her, only gently, but it is enough.
“Castle,” she says, his touch bringing her to talk.
“Beckett,” he replies.
“So, where does this leave us?” she asks.
He has no answer for her. Frenzied shoppers around them move past, blur past, and they stand on the spot and don’t move. “I guess that’s something we’ll have to figure out.”
