Summary: Castle nervously glances over to Kate, tries to decide how he's going to explain to her that Gates knows about them because he was stupid enough to bring a box of lingerie to the precinct and let it out of his sight. Entry for the Twelfth Precinct Valentine's Day fanfic comp.

Author's Note: I wasn't going to write anything for this. I really wasn't. I think Valentine's Day is stupid. So naturally my brain went and thought up something anyway.

Disclaimer: Castle and it's characters belong to ABC and AWM. I'm associated with neither of those.

Oops

"Bro, I thought you went to get lunch."

Castle gestures to his left where Kate is arranging a collection of take-out containers across the break room table. "I did."

"Then what's this?"

He whirls around to find Ryan and Esposito crowding the corner of Beckett's desk, mild looks of disgust mingled with amusement on their faces. And Ryan is holding up a...

"I...guys, no!" Castle exclaims, reaching for the red lacy number dangling from Ryan's left hand, but the detective turns just in time, holds the garment out of reach.

Esposito reaches out to run his finger over the strap, pretending to contemplate the skimpy...outfit.

"It's not really my type, Castle, but I'm flattered," he jokes, is met with a glare from the writer.

"Bro, I don't ever want to see you in something like this," Ryan teases.

"What, you don't think I'd look good in it?" he shoots back, swaying his hips in a dance very reminiscent of the one he performed with the Santa outfit Ryan picked out for Jenny two months back.

He wrinkles his nose, eyes fixed on the fabric. Or, well, what there is of it. "Mental images I really don't need."

"Guys, seriously, just give it back," Castle pleads, eyes darting back and forth between the break room and the lingerie, hoping that every scenario playing through his mind right now does not actually pan out. It's supposed to be a surprise gift. And Ryan and Esposito were certainly not supposed to find out about it.

Ryan passes the chemise to his partner instead, thwarting Castle's attempt to wrestle it from his hands.

"This is what you had in mind when you said you were hungry?" Espo asks jokingly as he examines the red material.

"Way too much info, bro," Ryan shoots back with a shudder. He really, really doesn't need to think about his coworkers in that way.

"Javi," Castle hisses, desperate to retrieve the gift before the commotion attracts Kate and the surprise is ruined. Enough other people in the room are already looking on in interest and he is not in the mood to deal with this amount of teasing or rumor-spreading or whatever else this may lead to.

"Why, you planning to have her try it on for you during her lunch break?" Ryan teases, blue eyes twinkling, and they are enjoying this way too much.

"The store is two doors down from the restaurant, okay?" Castle huffs. "And it's Valentine's Day. Now will you please just give it back?"

The detective finally relents, passes the lacy, barely there piece of fabric back to Castle, who begins to fold it and place it back in the box. He is just arranging it neatly, smoothing out the wrinkles, when a voice sounds behind them and he startles, nearly sends the box clattering to the floor.

"Mr. Castle."

He freezes, slowly lifts his hands from the garment and turns, but not before executing a very unsubtle attempt at sliding the lid back on the box.

"Yes, Captain?"

"What exactly is going on out here, if you don't mind explaining?"

He does mind. He minds a lot because even his writer's brain is unable to think up a successful way out of this situation. But he also has a feeling that her question is rather rhetorical and she does in fact expect an answer.

"I was just...I brought lunch," he offers, gesturing over her shoulder. "You know, because everyone was getting hungry. And I just..."

"Thought you would bring back a little something extra?" she cuts in, anything but amused.

"I...well...it's just...it's nothing, really."

She gestures to the male detectives who stand to Castle's right, acting completely innocent in the matter, and Castle is so going to hurt them. "I'm guessing it's not a gift for either of them."

"No sir," Castle gets in while Ryan stifles a laugh.

"In which case there's really no reason for all three of you to be...putting on a show."

This time it's Esposito who snickers.

"No, sir," Castle mumbles again, embarrassed and annoyed and he should have just gone back to the store after work tonight instead.

"Now, if you're quite finished, I suggest you get back to work. Our vic's financials came in as well as the footage from the surveillance tapes."

Ryan and Esposito take that as their cue to leave, snagging a folder from Beckett's desk on their way to the break room for lunch and...more work, apparently...leaving Castle awkwardly standing in the bullpen with Gates.

"I'm just...going to put this away," Castle stammers, turns to grasp the box and fumble the lid the rest of the way on.

"Actually, I believe I'll be holding on to this for now," Gates demands, and Castle's mouth drops open in horror. From the break room doorway, Ryan and Esposito look on, entertained smiles on their faces as they try...and fail...not to laugh at Castle's current situation. "No need for any more inappropriate behavior."

"I...but...uh...Captain, is that really necessary?" he asks desperately and is this seriously happening to him right now?

His palms are sweaty against the box and he can't even believe this and he really just wants to turn around and walk out and go home for the rest of the day. But then Kate would wonder where he was and she'd call him and how exactly is he supposed to explain that he got in trouble for bringing sexy red lingerie to the precinct?

The captain extends her hands, fixes him with a stern glare. "You can pick it up at the end of the day."

He sighs, reluctantly hands it over to her, crossing his fingers that she won't open the box. Then again, she obviously already saw what's in it or he wouldn't be in this predicament in the first place.

Kate is so going to kill him when she finds out about this.

"And Mr. Castle," Gates calls over her shoulder.

"Yes sir?" he replies, voice strained.

She gestures to the break room where Kate is seated with her back to them, digging into a container of sweet and sour chicken. "Don't think I don't know exactly what's going on between the two of you. You're not as subtle as you think you are."

Before he has a chance to formulate a response she's gone, shutting her office doors behind her and setting the box on the corner of her desk.

Castle nervously glances over to Kate, tries to decide how he's going to explain to her that Gates knows about them because he was stupid enough to bring a box of lingerie to the precinct and let it out of his sight.

Then again, it's Valentine's Day. Maybe if he's lucky, he'll be able to pass it off as a romantic gesture.

Or maybe not so much.

Maybe he should...

Roses.

Roses make everything better.

He pulls out his phone, dials an old friend who owes him a favor from a couple years back, and winds up leaving the precinct an hour before the others to make sure everything is set up just so, completely forgetting about the box perched in Gates' office.

Before the team heads out for the night, the captain pulls Kate aside, informs her that her...personal behavior...regarding her partner is being closely scrutinized and that any future inappropriate interactions will be subject to disciplinary action.

She nods in confusion, clueless as to what inspired this sudden interest in her...relationship...with Castle. Until the woman hands her a box, tells her that she assumes it's for her, and wishes her a good night.

Kate manages to wait until she steps into the elevator to open the box and when she does, she almost drops it. How did this even...?

Oh, she is so going to kill him.

When Kate walks into her apartment twenty minutes later to find candles flickering from every surface and a trail of rose petals leading to her bedroom, she almost forgets about the fact that she is holding a box of lingerie that Gates handed her.

After he hands her a dozen beautiful roses and bumbles his way through an explanation, she decides to take pity on him, because it was sweet and he meant well, he just...didn't do so well.

Kate disappears into her bathroom, emerges five minutes later with tousled hair and smoky eye makeup and the red chemise that leaves very little to the imagination and Castle is so not going to make it through the night.

She crawls onto the bed in a manner far, far too sexy to be legal, settles herself on his lap, thighs bracketing his hips, and leans in for a deep kiss. His hands rise to cradle her waist, the pads of his fingers running over the lace, and the sensation of the fabric against her skin sends tingles shooting through her veins.

For all the trouble he went through to buy the lingerie for her, it spends a remarkably short amount of time actually being worn.

By the sated way she wishes him a Happy Valentine's Day three hours later and then curls up against his side, limp and exhausted, he's pretty sure she has no complaints.

Neither does he.

END