It's Kinda Corny
Esposito tried to warn Beckett, he really did. As soon as he noticed Castle making his way across the bullpen with his hands behind his back, Esposito whipped his head to where Beckett was talking on the phone at her desk.
He hissed a “psst” at her, but she was concentrating on the voice on the other end of the phone and didn’t hear him. He flailed his arms around in her peripheral vision, but she didn’t notice. He looked back to his left and watched Castle walk past his desk with a smug grin on his face and tunnel-vision for Beckett. Then he looked right again as Beckett hung up the phone. He started to watch the whole scene unfold before him with a kind of morbid curiosity before he smartened up and made his swift exit to the break room.
Ryan was sat at the table with a cup of coffee and an open folder when he snuck past to peek through the blinds.
“What are you looking at?” his partner asked him, curiosity getting the better of him as he stood to join him at the window.
“I think Castle’s about to give Beckett her Valentines gift,” Esposito answered, shuffling over slightly so his partner could get a better view of the scene.
“Oh man, what did he decide on in the end? It wasn’t the pony was it?”
“I dunno, bro. Last I heard he was tossing up between a marching band and sky-writing.”
“I tried to tell him to go for something smaller, but he wouldn’t listen,” Ryan sighed.
They watched in silence as Castle shuffled awkwardly in front of Beckett’s desk. They couldn’t tell what he was saying and Beckett’s face gave nothing away.
“Ten bucks says Beckett tears him a new one,” Esposito said, still not able to move his attention from the pair through the window.
“I’m not taking that bet. You’ll win,” Ryan mumbled back. “I hope he went with something small. Something that means something without making a big show about it. Something that lets her know that he knows her.”
Esposito glanced across at his partner then, but didn’t say anything and Ryan continued.
“I suggested picking her a bunch of her favorite flowers, or buying her a collection of her favorite candy, or just writing something nice in a card - he’s a freaking writer for God’s sake - but he said that was ‘corny’.”
Esposito smirked. “That’s ‘cause it is corny, bro,” he said with a small chuckle.
“Whatever,” Ryan grumbled.
Then both pairs of eyes widened in shock as Beckett slowly stood and placed a kiss on Castle’s cheek right there in the middle of the bullpen and gave him a brilliant smile.
The wide pair of bright blue eyes met the wide pair of chocolate brown ones.
“I should have taken that bet,” Ryan remarked.
The rest of the day seemed to pass quickly and nothing was ever mentioned about the exchange between Castle and Beckett. Esposito had gone to ask Castle a couple of times but Beckett was always within earshot and he knew she’d never tell them.
Soon the bullpen was just about cleared of people. Castle had left an hour ago, telling Ryan he had to go shopping so he could cook dinner tonight for “someone special”. Beckett had left ten minutes ago telling Esposito she was just “going to a friend’s for dinner”. It was as if they didn’t know the two men were detectives and told each other everything.
Esposito slowly switched off his computer monitor and grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair.
“G’night man,” he tossed at his partner as he started walking towards the elevator. “Don’t stay too late.”
“Just finishing up,” Ryan called back.
Just as Esposito got to the open elevator doors, he turned back to Ryan and said “check your bottom drawer before you leave”. Ryan was raising his eyebrow in question as the elevator doors closed on Esposito’s smirk.
Ryan immediately dropped his pen and opened his bottom drawer quickly. As his eyes fell on what lay inside, he grinned. There lay a bunch of pansies, tied with twine, which Ryan guessed had been picked from the small garden outside the coffee shop they went to for lunch sometimes. He picked the bunch up and a petal fell off and floated down to land on a box of his favorite toffees that lay underneath. There was a small envelope attached to the box and he opened it quickly, not caring when it gave him a small paper cut. The card inside had a picture of a corn-cob. Ryan laughed out loud as he read the message.
“I told you this was corny.”
When he’d slid the toffees and card back in his desk drawer and grabbed the bunch of flowers and his jacket, he walked briskly to the stair well and took them two at a time down to the parking garage. His flowers lost a few more of their petals in his haste.
Esposito was leaning against the side of his car when Ryan emerged from the stairwell. He tried to cover the fact that he was panting slightly as he walked seemingly-casually towards his partner.
Then he walked straight past him, around to the other side of the car and got in. Esposito smirked and got in the drivers side.
“OK you were right, it was kinda corny,” Ryan admitted as Esposito started the engine. “But, I was right too, ‘cause it worked.”
Esposito chuckled softly and shook his head as he pulled out of the parking garage.
“Happy Valentines Day, Kevin.”
He hissed a “psst” at her, but she was concentrating on the voice on the other end of the phone and didn’t hear him. He flailed his arms around in her peripheral vision, but she didn’t notice. He looked back to his left and watched Castle walk past his desk with a smug grin on his face and tunnel-vision for Beckett. Then he looked right again as Beckett hung up the phone. He started to watch the whole scene unfold before him with a kind of morbid curiosity before he smartened up and made his swift exit to the break room.
Ryan was sat at the table with a cup of coffee and an open folder when he snuck past to peek through the blinds.
“What are you looking at?” his partner asked him, curiosity getting the better of him as he stood to join him at the window.
“I think Castle’s about to give Beckett her Valentines gift,” Esposito answered, shuffling over slightly so his partner could get a better view of the scene.
“Oh man, what did he decide on in the end? It wasn’t the pony was it?”
“I dunno, bro. Last I heard he was tossing up between a marching band and sky-writing.”
“I tried to tell him to go for something smaller, but he wouldn’t listen,” Ryan sighed.
They watched in silence as Castle shuffled awkwardly in front of Beckett’s desk. They couldn’t tell what he was saying and Beckett’s face gave nothing away.
“Ten bucks says Beckett tears him a new one,” Esposito said, still not able to move his attention from the pair through the window.
“I’m not taking that bet. You’ll win,” Ryan mumbled back. “I hope he went with something small. Something that means something without making a big show about it. Something that lets her know that he knows her.”
Esposito glanced across at his partner then, but didn’t say anything and Ryan continued.
“I suggested picking her a bunch of her favorite flowers, or buying her a collection of her favorite candy, or just writing something nice in a card - he’s a freaking writer for God’s sake - but he said that was ‘corny’.”
Esposito smirked. “That’s ‘cause it is corny, bro,” he said with a small chuckle.
“Whatever,” Ryan grumbled.
Then both pairs of eyes widened in shock as Beckett slowly stood and placed a kiss on Castle’s cheek right there in the middle of the bullpen and gave him a brilliant smile.
The wide pair of bright blue eyes met the wide pair of chocolate brown ones.
“I should have taken that bet,” Ryan remarked.
The rest of the day seemed to pass quickly and nothing was ever mentioned about the exchange between Castle and Beckett. Esposito had gone to ask Castle a couple of times but Beckett was always within earshot and he knew she’d never tell them.
Soon the bullpen was just about cleared of people. Castle had left an hour ago, telling Ryan he had to go shopping so he could cook dinner tonight for “someone special”. Beckett had left ten minutes ago telling Esposito she was just “going to a friend’s for dinner”. It was as if they didn’t know the two men were detectives and told each other everything.
Esposito slowly switched off his computer monitor and grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair.
“G’night man,” he tossed at his partner as he started walking towards the elevator. “Don’t stay too late.”
“Just finishing up,” Ryan called back.
Just as Esposito got to the open elevator doors, he turned back to Ryan and said “check your bottom drawer before you leave”. Ryan was raising his eyebrow in question as the elevator doors closed on Esposito’s smirk.
Ryan immediately dropped his pen and opened his bottom drawer quickly. As his eyes fell on what lay inside, he grinned. There lay a bunch of pansies, tied with twine, which Ryan guessed had been picked from the small garden outside the coffee shop they went to for lunch sometimes. He picked the bunch up and a petal fell off and floated down to land on a box of his favorite toffees that lay underneath. There was a small envelope attached to the box and he opened it quickly, not caring when it gave him a small paper cut. The card inside had a picture of a corn-cob. Ryan laughed out loud as he read the message.
“I told you this was corny.”
When he’d slid the toffees and card back in his desk drawer and grabbed the bunch of flowers and his jacket, he walked briskly to the stair well and took them two at a time down to the parking garage. His flowers lost a few more of their petals in his haste.
Esposito was leaning against the side of his car when Ryan emerged from the stairwell. He tried to cover the fact that he was panting slightly as he walked seemingly-casually towards his partner.
Then he walked straight past him, around to the other side of the car and got in. Esposito smirked and got in the drivers side.
“OK you were right, it was kinda corny,” Ryan admitted as Esposito started the engine. “But, I was right too, ‘cause it worked.”
Esposito chuckled softly and shook his head as he pulled out of the parking garage.
“Happy Valentines Day, Kevin.”