3 word prompt #2: A hug means...
The water should burn her skin as her fingers scratch at the blood that gloves her hands. She’s however, unfazed, mechanical in washing them clean.
Stomach hollowing out inside, the scene replays over and over in her head without relief. The shot she’d taken a mere few minutes ago has left nerves in riots with the tactile memory of her gun and how it had jerked in her grip.
Now the beat of her pulse pounds violently under the surface, trying to drown out the gunshot but she relives that split second decision unblinking, unaware of her surroundings now. All she sees is Coonan’s gun training onto Castle and the feels the reflex that pulled back her trigger.
You did what you had to do.
Much worse could’ve happened.
It’s the daze of this reverie that prevents her from hearing the swing of the door. Certain it’s him she doesn’t even bother to look, concentrating on the flowing water instead but he shuts off the faucet to stop her.
“Is the adrenaline rush of nearly dying inhibiting you from finding the right restroom, Castle?” she tries with a smirk, but it’s dull under the clog of her stuffed nose.
Instead of answering he grabs the cheap, crisp napkin she rips from the roll beside her and cradles her hands that now glow red, dabbing them dry without meeting her gaze yet. He just focuses.
“I’m fine,” she mutters with a broken tone. A wane, faltering, airy lyric that trembles through her breath. She hears him internalize a scoff that he muffles into a hum, unconvinced.
Crushing the damp paper into a ball and tossing it across the room towards the trash can, he finally fixes his gaze on her. It’s not one she’s accustomed to – maybe one he himself isn’t used to giving. The creases on his forehead resemble concern, and the stare he gives sucks in her attention, the look terribly tender. The foreign nature of it startles her and she resolves by facing away a moment later.
A bitter smirk lines her lips, swiftly returning to a frown before she speaks. “I should’ve known this would happen,” she muses, crossing one arm across her chest while the other reaches her hand up to comb through the chestnut locks and tame them. “I had him. I had him and then I lost him.”
“It’s not your fault.” It’s mine she hears dangling after the words he could speak..
“No, I…I need to work things out, to figure–”
“A-huh, I know – come here.”
It’s seemingly a request, but his arms curl around her in an embrace before she can shy away.
“What are you doin?” she asks as her hands fall to her sides, suspending as they struggle to figure out their placement.
“It’s a hug. A hug means…I’m here.”
Her hands want to push back in protest, and they do manage to lift up at her side ready to pry him away, but the hook of one arm around her neck eases her face to meet the refuge of his shoulder and the safety of his other arm bands around her back to keep her as close as she can be, the comfort and security destroying her guard. Her fingers slide up on his shirt and cling, clutching the fabric near his collar as she crumbles.
“You found him,” he says low, trying to convince her otherwise of the wrong she thinks she’s done. “Now you know.”
Both her legs falter in their stance but he steadies their bodies, allowing her to sob in silence and try to shake away her grief. She pours it out into him and he just rocks her, slightly swaying side to side as every curve meets in a kiss.
She breathes him in as she rests on his chest, fighting to calm herself. Her misery resists though, tearing apart her body that falls limp against him…but he doesn’t let go. He holds her tighter even, and as the moments pass she’s sure he won’t be the first to stop this.
She doesn’t stay as long as she wants, but it’s long enough to hear his heart and what kindness it has to say…what promises it pledges.
You’re not alone. I’m here for you. I care.
When she pulls from him her brows furrow knowing she has to leave this, a thousand words causing traffic in her head. There’s so many things to say.
“Thanks for…being there.”
Her eyes lift to his and catch some kind of uncertainty, but she dismisses it as she goes to walk out –
soothing the burn she’s able to feel now in her hands.
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