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I stumbled up to the window

Opened the curtains to blinding light

Make up all over the pillow

What went on? What went on?

What went on last night?

It's the gritty feel of make up, the almost greasy smudges under her eyes, that finally drag her from sleep. The way even though she doesn't try and open her eyes, they feel glued together by the rain smeared remnants of her mascara.

And she scrunches.

Inwards, upwards and backwards. Like a cat.

She feels like purring.

Muscles protesting hardly at all, which strikes her as a little odd. She's not even stiff. At some point soon though, probably after a long hot shower or bath, Kate knows she's going to feel...everything.

Good and tender aches between her legs and her thighs, her lips swollen and throbbing from kisses and...

Teeth marks across her throat...her shoulder…other places.

And the bad...

But for now...not so much.

Her eyelids feel tight and tired, even though she's slept pretty soundly, which is a bit odd because...she's in his bed and that...

That's new.

And it must be a truly decent amount of hours she's slept because she feels good, deeply, bone wearingly relaxed.

Surely that can't all be down to sex?

Admittedly, it's been a while but...her eyes drift to one side as she thinks. Because she doesn't really remember feeling quite this...

Eh, maybe it is the sex.

Or the sex with him?

Doesn't matter either way, she feels good.

Her hand twitches, fingertips flexing and she skims the floor.

With a groan Kate realises she's half hanging off the bed. Her mouth parted and the edge of his mattress pressed against her lips and when she opens her eyes she can't see because her hair has fallen in one great dishevelled heap across her face.

Lifting her hand, she runs it through her...

Oh hell...what is on top of her head?

Not her hair, it can't be.

It feels...

And ugh, it must look...ten times worse than it feels and it feels...her eyes widen as she rolls a bit, lifts away from the floor.

Her fingers snag, and snag again and she sighs, this is going to take a stupidly long time to fix. But she only has herself to blame, because seriously...

Who goes walking in the dark in the rain?

Who not only walks, as it trickles and falls in teeny droplets, but stands still, sits in it even as it gathers in heartfelt sobs of thundering misery in the sky above her head?

She rolls her eyes at herself, yeah; get all poetic about it now, after the sex and to justify the hair.

Not subtle Kate...at all.

She who gets caught in a downpour, turns up wet and dripping and then lets their partner do...well...yeah...

She smiles.

A lot of things to her.

Only has herself to blame for waking up with a mutant creation atop her head.

His bedroom's weird, she observes.

More masculine than she would have expected. Not that she expected frilly ruffles and pink...things but it's manly in a dark wood, black and white photo kind of way.

She likes it.

It's showy but not like if you went...

She scrunches her lips.

Well there are no mirrors on the ceiling, which had initially been a concern.

Not so much last night, when he did...that thing with his teeth, and in all honesty staring up at his naked ass wouldn't really have put a dampener on proceedings...

But it has crossed her mind, once or twice in the past.

Quite a bit in the last week in fact.

Still, curled on her side facing the wall, more comfy on the pillows with the sheet pulled high and the creature from the land of dripping wet and sex that sat on top...and Oh...thank god she thought that and didn't say it out loud.

She can imagine his face. Dancing somewhere between, "Lets just put it in and get it over with." and, "Focus Castle."

And no...no not good.

Where is her filter?

Smashed to smithereens a bit like her resolve to resist Castle's come ons.

And ugh...this is...oh it's going to be embarrassing.

Focus, Kate.

She grins, he would just love that, her yelling at herself and no...no.

Focus.

His room.

She lets her eyes drift up to the...really freaking huge picture of an elephant that hangs on the wall nearest to her, casually staring down at his bed.

And she can't help but wonder if it's some sort of...personal commentary...some comparison between an elephant's trunk and...

Jeeze, Kate what the hell is wrong with your brain?

Even if it's not exactly an...unfair comparison.

Apt...sort of...

And, oh what has he done to her?

One night with him and she's reduced to this...thinking about his...trunk.

Not that she hasn't done that before...but now she has intimate knowledge of his...what?

Trumpeting?

No that's just weird.

Trunking?

Where is she going with this?

Sex...yeesh. How hard was...?

Shhh.

She palms her eyes, rolls her neck and when she becomes more aware of her body she realises there is a hand on her ass and seriously?

He's groping her in his sleep?

If he's asleep...and she tries not to laugh, pressing her lips together tight because she wouldn't put it past him to be laying her there awake with a huge great smug smile on his face as he waits for her to find him.

Kind of how he did last night after the thing...with his teeth on her...

Her hand falls over her face and she bites down hard on her finger to keep from laughing.

And because of last night, it's going to be all about the sex today isn't it?

And as she turns, glances over her shoulder and finds him actually, really truly, still fast asleep, Kate doesn't even try to convince herself that she minds if it is.

When he wakes up, a little grumpy because he's still tired, worn out and mind weary, it takes him a few seconds to realise that something is covering his foot, and it's kind of asleep, and his hand is gloriously warm.

He spreads his fingers.

Soft and firm and...mmm squishy.

When he trails his fingertips, seeking just a little bit more of whatever delightful thing rests under his palm, he hears a sound.

Somewhere between a moan and the snort of a disgruntled...badger maybe...ugh not another tiger?

Oh...wait...

Beckett?

And his eye opens slowly, peaking out of one just...in case.

But he finds her there, still here, still in his bed...which means...

Last night actually happened.

And she didn't...run.

Both eyes pop open.

Bright blue and drinking her in, listening to her hum and huff, and watching as she puffs a strand of hair away from her face and...wait...bites her finger?

And she's pushed away from him, almost to the very edge of the bed, so that they are only connected by the palm of his seeking hand across her ass cheek and as much as he finds that...delightfully appropriate a way to wake up, given that there are probably teeth marks under his fingers, she's too far away, and that...that is just not acceptable.

Castle rolls.

Feels her flinch in surprise, did she not realise he was awake?

But then she sighs, sinks into the bed again and doesn't move.

Castle lets his hand drift down her body, sliding over her thigh, lifting the sheet as he moves again.

His head tips forwards and falls over her shoulder to rest against her face.

Soft and warm under the stubble of his cheek, and her eyes drift shut.

Naked, the full length of his body relaxes above her, pressing her down into the bed and his lips find her face. Opening against her skin, he lays a moist kiss to edge of her mouth, drawing her lip up between his own, like he did last night.

She moans and parts around him, eager for the invasion, the steady sweep. Castle nudges her nose with his, smiles into her kiss and pulls back just enough to speak.

"Mmmm...Morning." He kisses her again, one hand sliding down her side and the other dipping low to skim over the now quivering flesh he woke up holding.

Thank you roaming night hands, for that early morning treat.

"Sleep ok?" Castle brushes his lips over her jaw, feels the lift of her cheek as she smiles and he breathes her in.

Beautiful.

With that sated look and teasing grace. The smell of her everywhere in his bed.

On him.

He wants to eat her alive. Devour her.

Again.

If she'll let him.

And after last night, he's pretty confident she'll let him.

"Mmmhmm." Kate responds, lips scrunching as she fights another smile and her fingers curl backwards, lifting between them so she can graze his thigh where it rests over her hip.

And suddenly having her pressed below him like this is not enough. He can't see her, touch her properly. He wants to roll them, let them fall chest to chest.

And somehow that is exactly how they end up because the second he moves, before he has a chance to pull her or ask...

She's already moving, Kate with her smudged mascara, panda eyes and oh...what is on her head?

"Don't…" She warns, following his eyes as they drift over her, curling into his chest and pushing her knee between his legs.

Close, she wants to be close.

And Castle tries to reign in his shock, not entirely convinced he does a good job of it when she slides nearer to him, their feet tangling and her eyes rolling the entire way.

"I can't be perfect all the time." She states, and his mouth falls open, snaps shut fast in shock but then...he sees her eyes and her smile, and she's joking.

So far from perfect.

Aware of it and not caring.

The both of them just shy of broken or damaged.

Neither one of them whole.

And maybe that's why it's so good.

So fast, so...long in the making and so mind numbingly good.

Because they are each others perfect.

Made that way by the fact that they're...not.

His fingers curl around her ear, her cheek soft under his palm and Castle leans forwards, trapping her breathless smile against his lips.

It's hardly anything of a kiss, given...well all that happened yesterday, but they are chest to chest and warm, sated or hungry, somewhere in between.

Them.

And she's smiling.

Still smiling at him the way she did when she took his hand and he has to...say it.

"You're not always perfect," He agrees leaning away, just in case, "but you don't...usually...look quite so much...like a chicken."

He laughs a satisfying rumble at the shock on her face.

The way the smile darts away, chased off by annoyance, before it flits back with ease...and tease and she growls.

Her arms wind around his neck, pulling herself closer before she pouts, "Chicken? Ughh, is it really that bad?"

"Mmhmm."

"Not even a lie to spare my feelings." She lets her lashes trail his cheek.

"No more lies." He doesn't mean it to come out quite as...forcefully as it does.

But she lets it slide, understands, feels it too?

"Not even in bed?"

And it's his turn to growl, roll her a little, not completely onto her back, but enough that he can lean up onto one elbow and let his hand slide down her front, rest gently over her stomach. Toying with her skin.

"Especially not in bed."

She grins.

Wicked woman.

"You giving me free reign for honest commentary Castle?" Her head tilts, her eyes smoulder and the grin...

Too much.

She is too much.

His eyes are trained on her lips, the crease that runs through the bottom one that he would like to think is from her teeth pressing down on it when she held in that scream last night...

Yeah that didn't fool anyone Kate Beckett.

"Yes," He says, not caring, moving towards her mouth. "Whatever you want, in bed...you just say."

So close...

Her fingers clutch at his hair.

"We need to talk about the elephant."

"We can...What?" He freezes, but she keeps moving.

"But first..." And she grins again, something adorable and mischievous at play here that he's completely missing.

It might be wrong how very much he enjoys not knowing what's going on in her head that makes her smile like that.

"First, "She says again, lips barely a breath from his, and they close over him the second she speaks the words, "I wana see your trunk."