Castle Imagines

5. Too Much Fun (Javier Esposito)

(Published October 2, 2021) 

   "Hey, Javier," I greeted quietly. 
   I stood over by the wall out of the way of the bustling employees, knowing I probably shouldn't be bothering him while he was working.  It would only take a minute, though, so I decided it was worth it.  
   He turned from the white board he and Ryan were examining to face me.  He gave me a smile once he recognized me, and Ryan gave me a small wave.  I noticed that I had caught Beckett's and Castle's attention, too, and they smiled at me from where they sat at Beckett's desk.  They didn't seem to mind the interruption, at least!  
   "What's up?" Esposito asked, taking a few steps over in my direction.  
   "So, I was shopping for costume pieces today, and I found this shirt-" I paused as I pulled up the image on my phone to show him.  "I wasn't sure if it'd work or not or if you'd like it, so I asked the cashier to hold it for me while I asked you."  
   He looked it over a minute, squinting to examine the small image.  "Looks like it'd work.  It's brighter than we need it to be, but I don't think it'll be a big deal."  
   "That's what I figured.  Oh, and I managed to find a wig shop that had the perfect wig," I pulled up another picture to show him and he chuckled.  
   "Good job, chica." 
   "So what are you two being for Halloween?" Beckett asked with a smile.  
   "Drax and Mantis," I said at the same time as Esposito said, "That's confidential." 
   "Oh, that's a fun idea," Beckett stated as Esposito gave me a playful glare.  I shrugged innocently in reply.  I hadn't known it was supposed to be a secret!  
   "It's way better than Castle's idea.  He's claiming he's going to resort to Dracula this year," Ryan told me with a smirk.  
   "Dracula is a very deep character, I'll have you know," Castle defended himself.  
   "Vampire in a creepy castle who eats people.  That's real deep," Esposito teased his friend.  
   "I mean, Dracula?  Edgar Allan Poe?  You're becoming predictable, bro," Ryan joined in.  
   "Personally, I liked his Elvis cosplay far better," Beckett shot me a wink.  
   "That's because the charm and confidence was very real," Castle replied cockily.  
   The rest of his team chuckled at that.  I glanced over at Esposito, hoping for an explanation, but he just avoided my gaze.  Beckett noticed, though, and realized that I was out of the loop.  
   "Esposito didn't tell you about that?" She asked.  When I shook my head, she beckoned me over with her hand.  "Come here, you've got to see this." 
   "You have a photo?" Ryan and Esposito demanded at the same time.  
   She just laughed.  I walked over and stood over her shoulder as she pulled up her email.  She clicked on one of them and it pulled up a short message with an attachment.  Opening the attachment so it was full screen, she glanced up at me to witness my reaction.  
   It was a photo of Castle in a black Elvis outfit including the hair, sideburns, glasses, and cape.  It was a cosplay that was undeniably awesome!  He looked like Elvis.  It was the two other guys cosplaying Elvis behind him that cracked me up, though.  Ryan and Esposito wore matching white Elvis costumes along with the hair, sideburns, and glasses.  As crazy as the sight was, they also looked freaking cool!  It was definitely a sight I had never expected to see.  
   Still...  I couldn't help but laugh a little.  
   Castle leaned back in his chair and grinned at his teammates.  "We really did pull that off fantastically, didn't we?"  
   "You guys have way too much fun," I commented, turning to face the guys.  
   "In a job like ours, it's better that way," Ryan told me.  
   "I'm forwarding the picture to you," Beckett said quietly to me.  
   "Thank you," I replied happily.  
   "Whoa, she doesn't need that kind of blackmail, Beckett," Esposito protested, but a smile was tugging at the corner of his mouth.  
   "Well, she's got it now, so you'd better watch your back." She leaned back in her chair with a grin.  
   "Alright, I'll let you guys get back to work," I stated as I walked back over to Esposito.  
   He slid an arm around my waist and pulled me in for a quick peck on the lips.  "See you tonight, chica."  
   "Bye, Naomi," Beckett, Castle, and Ryan all stated, though they weren't quite in sync.  
   "Bye," I replied with a little wave.  
   As I turned to walk away, I overheard Ryan's teasing that was aimed at Esposito.  
   "Now who's whipped," He joked.  
   "Shut up," Esposito retorted good naturedly.  Both of them chuckled a little at that.  
   "They really do have too much fun," I murmured to myself as I started down the staircase.  "But I'm glad they do."