castle fic: operation: get the fall guy drunk
Title: Operation: Get the Fall Guy Drunk
Words: 1328
Disclaimer: Not mine. Just borrowing.
Summary: post-"Always" Castle goes to talk to Ryan.
Note: Fun fact: I started this the night after "Always" and it has been mocking me all summer.
It's Jenny who answers the door, Jenny whose face cracks into a wide, relieved smile when she sees Castle slouched in the doorframe.
"Oh thank God," she breathes, wrapping her hand around the sleeve of his jacket and pulling him inside. "I was afraid maybe he wasn't just being dramatic, that you all really had left him."
Castle opens his mouth but nothing comes out - left him, they just left him - so he shakes his head instead. Jenny points down the hall towards the living room, squeezing his hand gratefully one last time.
Ryan's sprawled on the couch, staring at the ceiling; his right hand tucked under his head while his left picks at a small hole in the hem of his D.A.R.E. t-shirt. Even on the other side of the room, Castle can see the muscles in his jaw twitch as he grinds his teeth.
"Ryan?" He shoots up, swiping the back of his hand across his face. His bare feet smack against the floor as he waves Castle in.
"Castle, hey. What's up, man?"
"Jenny let me in I hope that's... okay." Ryan shrugs; he's glad someone has shown up but, honestly, Castle's easy. Fixing things with Castle has never been hard. He's not even sure why Castle left. It's the others he's worried about, the others he wants to patch things with as soon as possible.
Castle shuffles his feet, staring down at Ryan still sitting on the couch. "Look, I just... Kate told me what happened. On the roof and then at the precinct with Gates." Ryan nods, head hung low. His hands curl into fists against his thighs. "Kevin, look at me a sec, will you?"
He tilts his head back and Castle squares his shoulders: "I came here to thank you. Because you saved her life and because Javi can't thank you yet. He'll come around because you did the right thing and I'm sorry I couldn't be there to back you up. You called and I-”
Ryan shakes his head, protesting: "Your daughter was graduating, Castle, it was-”
"Yeah, okay, but that's not why I didn't pick up the phone. I didn't pick up because I saw it was the precinct and I was just so angry with her that you ended up being the fall guy. So, just... I'm sorry and thank you. God, thank you so much for her."
Ryan looks up again, eyes squinting at Castle's hoarse insistence. He stands slowly, looking at the writer like he's a murder board, and his eyes suddenly widen when he picks up the trail. "Did you two... I mean, she was calling your name when I pulled her back up, did she...?"
Castle smirks a little, shrugs one shoulder: "Do you really want details?"
"Ew, no, sister," Ryan huffs, something almost like a laugh, and it loosens the vice around his chest. He doesn't really feel any better but he can breathe easier.
Castle waves a vague hand at the couch: "You been here moping all day?"
"Moping, wow, really? Way to ruin-”
"No, c'mon! I was teasing, trying to- nothing, nevermind." Castle grabs Ryan's shoulder and pulls him close, tries to ruffle his hair but the detective ducks away. Castle settles for punching his shoulder as he skirts away. "C'mon, let's go to the Old Haunt."
"No, Castle, that's not ne-”
"Jenny?” Castle calls, and she must have been hiding in the hall, listening, because she appears immediately; Ryan watches the smile settle across the writer's face, listens to the charm lacing his voice as Jenny walks back into the living room. Castle slides an arm around her shoulders and hugs her close, lowers his voice as though they're sharing a secret that Ryan can still hear: "Would you mind terribly if I borrowed your husband for a while? I could use some company down at the bar. I'll have him back before midnight," Castle promises with a wink. "Though I can't guarantee he'll be sober."
Jenny kisses him goodbye, pressing a pair of socks and his wallet into his hands before shooing him out the door behind Castle.
"So where's Beckett? Figured you two would be joined at the hip... or some other body part." It's a lewd joke, one Castle would expect from Esposito, but it's a joke so he'll take it. (He always figured Ryan would lead off with "Mom and Dad, when are we getting more siblings?")
"Lanie found out what happened, demanded a Girls' Night. Which is why I was thinking-” Castle glances back at Ryan's building, like Jenny might be following them. "I know I told Jenny we were going to the Old Haunt, but I'm totally up for going to by Esposito's and beating some sense into him."
"We're not -- no - we're not going to beat up Esposito."
"Look, I know he's stronger, but I'm taller and there's two of us; I think we could take him."
"No, Castle, we're not- he my pa- fuck!" Castle startles to a stop. "I'm not mad at him! Or, well, I am. I don't know! That's the point. I did what I had to do, Castle, and I don't regret for one second being able to save Beckett's life, but I didn't have their back. I should have gone without Gates, or gone with them in the first place - three on one, we could have taken this guy-”
"Who says?" Castle demands, stepping forward, crowding Ryan and using his height to his advantage. "Who says you could have taken him? Don't you ever be ashamed about how this went down, Kevin Ryan; you saved their lives and they were too far off the rails to begin with. If you hadn't brought Gates, even if you'd saved her, they would have run right back out there. Kate had to fall off a freaking building to even think about stopping so if you hadn't been there to stop it..." Castle sighs, runs a hand through his hair. "Jesus, saying that all out loud really makes me want to go beat up Javi."
"He had her back," Ryan defends weakly.
"I know. Believe me, I know. That's not why I... I'm pissed for you, don't you get it? I know he had her back and he did the best he could; I'm pissed because he doesn't see what you did. And how are we talking about this still? I'm supposed to be cheering you up, or at least getting you drunk so you forget about it."
"I don't want your shitty beer."
"My bar does not have shitty beer." Ryan raises an eyebrow. "Okay, we have some shitty beer, but it's for the college students who fancy themselves writers-”
"Weren't you a college student who fancied himself a writer?"
"And I drank the shitty beer! But now I am a bestselling novelist millionaire and part-time police consultant who owns the bar, so I only drink the good stuff. And seeing as you're with me, you drink the good stuff, too. So," Castle pushes Ryan gently down the steps to the Old Haunt, "get inside and get smashed."
"You are very determined to see me drunk."
"I think you deserve it."
"I think you're hoping I'll call Javi when I'm drooling on your secret office carpet."
"The carpet is very soft, I'm just sayin'."
You have one new voicemail. Saturday, eleven forty-three p. m. [beep]
“[muffled noises] No, no, Ryan. Ryan! You're holding the phone upside down. There you go, bud-”
“JAVI. Javi, Castle got me drunk. But that's not why I called. Calling. I'm calling because I did right by you guys. We both did right by Beckett but you're being all hurt 'cause some pro-fesh-nal killer knocked you out. Which is stupid 'cause you're very good at your job. But stop being mad at me because I saved the day. Okay? Okay. Castle, turn my phone off, I want another shitty beer."
Words: 1328
Disclaimer: Not mine. Just borrowing.
Summary: post-"Always" Castle goes to talk to Ryan.
Note: Fun fact: I started this the night after "Always" and it has been mocking me all summer.
It's Jenny who answers the door, Jenny whose face cracks into a wide, relieved smile when she sees Castle slouched in the doorframe.
"Oh thank God," she breathes, wrapping her hand around the sleeve of his jacket and pulling him inside. "I was afraid maybe he wasn't just being dramatic, that you all really had left him."
Castle opens his mouth but nothing comes out - left him, they just left him - so he shakes his head instead. Jenny points down the hall towards the living room, squeezing his hand gratefully one last time.
Ryan's sprawled on the couch, staring at the ceiling; his right hand tucked under his head while his left picks at a small hole in the hem of his D.A.R.E. t-shirt. Even on the other side of the room, Castle can see the muscles in his jaw twitch as he grinds his teeth.
"Ryan?" He shoots up, swiping the back of his hand across his face. His bare feet smack against the floor as he waves Castle in.
"Castle, hey. What's up, man?"
"Jenny let me in I hope that's... okay." Ryan shrugs; he's glad someone has shown up but, honestly, Castle's easy. Fixing things with Castle has never been hard. He's not even sure why Castle left. It's the others he's worried about, the others he wants to patch things with as soon as possible.
Castle shuffles his feet, staring down at Ryan still sitting on the couch. "Look, I just... Kate told me what happened. On the roof and then at the precinct with Gates." Ryan nods, head hung low. His hands curl into fists against his thighs. "Kevin, look at me a sec, will you?"
He tilts his head back and Castle squares his shoulders: "I came here to thank you. Because you saved her life and because Javi can't thank you yet. He'll come around because you did the right thing and I'm sorry I couldn't be there to back you up. You called and I-”
Ryan shakes his head, protesting: "Your daughter was graduating, Castle, it was-”
"Yeah, okay, but that's not why I didn't pick up the phone. I didn't pick up because I saw it was the precinct and I was just so angry with her that you ended up being the fall guy. So, just... I'm sorry and thank you. God, thank you so much for her."
Ryan looks up again, eyes squinting at Castle's hoarse insistence. He stands slowly, looking at the writer like he's a murder board, and his eyes suddenly widen when he picks up the trail. "Did you two... I mean, she was calling your name when I pulled her back up, did she...?"
Castle smirks a little, shrugs one shoulder: "Do you really want details?"
"Ew, no, sister," Ryan huffs, something almost like a laugh, and it loosens the vice around his chest. He doesn't really feel any better but he can breathe easier.
Castle waves a vague hand at the couch: "You been here moping all day?"
"Moping, wow, really? Way to ruin-”
"No, c'mon! I was teasing, trying to- nothing, nevermind." Castle grabs Ryan's shoulder and pulls him close, tries to ruffle his hair but the detective ducks away. Castle settles for punching his shoulder as he skirts away. "C'mon, let's go to the Old Haunt."
"No, Castle, that's not ne-”
"Jenny?” Castle calls, and she must have been hiding in the hall, listening, because she appears immediately; Ryan watches the smile settle across the writer's face, listens to the charm lacing his voice as Jenny walks back into the living room. Castle slides an arm around her shoulders and hugs her close, lowers his voice as though they're sharing a secret that Ryan can still hear: "Would you mind terribly if I borrowed your husband for a while? I could use some company down at the bar. I'll have him back before midnight," Castle promises with a wink. "Though I can't guarantee he'll be sober."
Jenny kisses him goodbye, pressing a pair of socks and his wallet into his hands before shooing him out the door behind Castle.
"So where's Beckett? Figured you two would be joined at the hip... or some other body part." It's a lewd joke, one Castle would expect from Esposito, but it's a joke so he'll take it. (He always figured Ryan would lead off with "Mom and Dad, when are we getting more siblings?")
"Lanie found out what happened, demanded a Girls' Night. Which is why I was thinking-” Castle glances back at Ryan's building, like Jenny might be following them. "I know I told Jenny we were going to the Old Haunt, but I'm totally up for going to by Esposito's and beating some sense into him."
"We're not -- no - we're not going to beat up Esposito."
"Look, I know he's stronger, but I'm taller and there's two of us; I think we could take him."
"No, Castle, we're not- he my pa- fuck!" Castle startles to a stop. "I'm not mad at him! Or, well, I am. I don't know! That's the point. I did what I had to do, Castle, and I don't regret for one second being able to save Beckett's life, but I didn't have their back. I should have gone without Gates, or gone with them in the first place - three on one, we could have taken this guy-”
"Who says?" Castle demands, stepping forward, crowding Ryan and using his height to his advantage. "Who says you could have taken him? Don't you ever be ashamed about how this went down, Kevin Ryan; you saved their lives and they were too far off the rails to begin with. If you hadn't brought Gates, even if you'd saved her, they would have run right back out there. Kate had to fall off a freaking building to even think about stopping so if you hadn't been there to stop it..." Castle sighs, runs a hand through his hair. "Jesus, saying that all out loud really makes me want to go beat up Javi."
"He had her back," Ryan defends weakly.
"I know. Believe me, I know. That's not why I... I'm pissed for you, don't you get it? I know he had her back and he did the best he could; I'm pissed because he doesn't see what you did. And how are we talking about this still? I'm supposed to be cheering you up, or at least getting you drunk so you forget about it."
"I don't want your shitty beer."
"My bar does not have shitty beer." Ryan raises an eyebrow. "Okay, we have some shitty beer, but it's for the college students who fancy themselves writers-”
"Weren't you a college student who fancied himself a writer?"
"And I drank the shitty beer! But now I am a bestselling novelist millionaire and part-time police consultant who owns the bar, so I only drink the good stuff. And seeing as you're with me, you drink the good stuff, too. So," Castle pushes Ryan gently down the steps to the Old Haunt, "get inside and get smashed."
"You are very determined to see me drunk."
"I think you deserve it."
"I think you're hoping I'll call Javi when I'm drooling on your secret office carpet."
"The carpet is very soft, I'm just sayin'."
You have one new voicemail. Saturday, eleven forty-three p. m. [beep]
“[muffled noises] No, no, Ryan. Ryan! You're holding the phone upside down. There you go, bud-”
“JAVI. Javi, Castle got me drunk. But that's not why I called. Calling. I'm calling because I did right by you guys. We both did right by Beckett but you're being all hurt 'cause some pro-fesh-nal killer knocked you out. Which is stupid 'cause you're very good at your job. But stop being mad at me because I saved the day. Okay? Okay. Castle, turn my phone off, I want another shitty beer."