Time Capsule, Part 7-1 "Hole at the Top of the World"
Title: "Hole at the Top of the World"
Series: Time Capsule
Fandoms: Castle
Rating: PG-13 ish
Genre: Romance, Gay Sex, Mystery etc.
Warnings: Slash, AU, unbeta'd,
Characters/Pairings: Javier Esposito/Kevin Ryan.
Wordcount: 2450 ish
Summary: David looked up to meet Kevin's eyes. "Yeah. Please, this has to be on the down low. And, uh, you're a little old for TeeNYC, aren't you?" Ryan hid the pang over the age crack with just a quick lip bite. "Just for the record, you are David Morales?"
Details: Written as a continuation for
ryanandesposito's Valentine's Day Mini Ficathon.
"Javier went back in the bedroom to find Kevin sitting close to the huddled young man and them talking in low voices. He had a strange pang of jealousy seeing Ryan like that with a cute young guy. He signaled that he needed to talk to Kevin. But as the Irishman got up, David grabbed his arm and pulled him back."
This story is a complete work of fiction and all characters are copyrighted to ABC, Beacon Pictures, Andrew Marlowe, etc. This is in no way a real representation of the actors or the characters. It's fun to play with them just the same.
Author's note: This is about Detectives Kevin Ryan and Javier Esposito but will involve several other characters from the show. I'm not sure exactly where this is going to go (aside from the obvious, a romance between Esposito and Ryan). I may jump around in time somewhat (e.g., flashbacks), and I'll try to stick more or less to the themes of the series and reference a few episodes, but no promises... it's obviously a parallel reality, though even on the show they're very friendly.
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Hole at the Top of the World, Part 1
(We continue to flashback to when Javier Esposito and Kevin Ryan's relationship was just beginning; about a year before the start of the first story in this series.)
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Kevin Ryan's gaze went to the floor. "I'm almost positive his real name is David Morales, he's an actor and singer on the TeeNYC Channel."
"You watch TeeNYC?!" Javier Esposito said a little too loudly.
Kevin rolled his eyes. "Sometimes. I have neices, you know"
"Nice save. Well, I've never heard of him."
"He's not THAT famous. He's kind of teen-girl famous."
"And so you know who he is? Just lost your bro card, bro." Javier smirked.
"You're just going to keep rubbing it in, aren't you?" Ryan scowled.
"Yes." The hunky Latino grinned then.
"Fine!"
"Well, it makes sense he gave us a fake name. TeeNYC being squeaky clean; he doesn't want it to get out he was sharing a suite -- and I guess a bed -- with another guy. So, the ID is fake, and nothing else in the wallet but cash. Do you recognize the vic?"
"No."
"Anyway, we'll get the key-card records, surveillance videos. We need to see how the perp got in-assuming of course it's not your David guy. I'll talk to the manager about that and start processing the scene."
"I don't think he could do this, but it's just my intuition."
"This is gonna get complicated. We need this guy to give us a statement, without any pressure and before he lawyers up. Okay. You know who he is... you to go sit with him and try to talk to him; he might relate better to you, than me or the unis. I'm gonna call Beckett and ask what else she wants us to do. Obviously the guy's a witness after the fact at least, to either a suicide or a murder, and we want him to talk. Adams can help you check the surveillance and go through the key-card records. And I'm sure this kid doesn't want to come down to the station if he can avoid it, because then Montgomery is going to want to hit him with the fact that he gave us a fake ID. So just talk to him, try to draw him out, but keep your objectivity. Don't blurt out right away that you know who he is. Got it?"
Kevin let out a big sigh. "Got it 'boss'." Then he smiled tightly. 'I get to be useful! Don't blow it Kev; like I haven't done this before." He walked over to the young guy.
"How're you doing?"
The youth looked up angrily. "My friend is dead, how do you think?" He was visibly shaking, his eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot from crying.
Ryan couldn’t help but notice even then the kid had beautiful green eyes.
"I'm sorry. My name is Kevin Ryan, I'm a Detective with the NYPD's 12th Precinct. Do you mind if I sit?"
"No, sure. How long will this take?"
"That kind of depends on you. We need as much information as possible for the investigation. You say you came back from the bar and just found your... friend in the bathtub like that?"
"Y-yeah, he said he was tired and was going to go to bed early; we had a, uh, late night last night. I wanted to stay out a little longer. I should have come up with him. He didn't seem depressed or anything!"
"Is it possible that someone else went up to the room with him?" Kevin asked as gently as he could. The youth looked angrily at him. "No! It was just the two of us staying here alone. We're... he wouldn't have brought a stranger up."
Ryan considered his options and decided to take a big risk. In a much lower voice he said "I'm, uh, gay, man. I can see there's only one bed. He was your boyfriend? No wonder you're so upset."
The guy looked uncertain for a moment then started to break down. "We'd been together a year, this was our anniversary weekend! He would never've cheated on me! I should've gone to the room with him but I just wanted to have another drink or two and be in a crowd."
Kevin put his hand on the young man's shoulder and let him cry. 'Jeeze he's a lot younger than me and he was already having a one year anniversary with a guy; I guess they grow 'em up fast at TeeNYC.' "I'm so sorry. I have someone I'm close to and I can understand. But unfortunately we have to investigate this. Either he took his own life or someone murdered him, and we need to get to the truth."
The young man looked up. "Murdered? Who'd kill Kelley, or why? But I dunno why he'd kill himself either! This is so fucked up."
"I understand. And the first thing we need to know is who you are, really." Ryan said it almost before he realized. He was taking a huge risk, but he was leveling with the young guy and hoped it'd pay off.
"You know who I am." He said it more as a statement than a question.
"You're David Morales aren't you?"
David looked up to meet Kevin's eyes. "Yeah. Please, this has to be on the down low. And, uh, you're a little old for TeeNYC, aren't you?"
Ryan hid the pang over the age crack with just a quick lip bite. "Just for the record, you are David Morales?"
In answer, the young man fished around under the mattress and pulled out two wallets. "Yes. Here. The other one is Kelley's real one.He's - was - just a regular guy I met one day at a coffee shop; he didn't even know who I was, which was great. Kelley liked me for me, not because I was famous. We started going out. TeeNYC was even okay they said as long as we kept it secret. You'd be amazed how many TeeNYC guys are gay."
"Probably not. David you're only eighteen? I see Kelley was really only 19. So you had a fake ID saying you were Grant Brady, 22. You were drinking illegally."
"Yes, yes, arrest me if you want. I don't care about that now. Who'd want to kill Kelley? And make it look like he killed himself! I know he couldn't kill himself, when he left he was happy, just a little tired. He kissed me on the cheek right there in the bar and said he'd see me upstairs in a little while." The young man covered his face with his hands.
"Did anyone see him kiss you? Is there someone who might do something to hurt you indirectly?"
David raised his head up then with a horrified look on his face. "Someone who would kill Kelley to get at me? Oh god. No, god I hope not. No one I can imagine. I don't think I have any enemies. Not a lot of people even knew about Kelley and me."
"Maybe a rabidly jealous fan, a stalker?"
"I... I have had a few stalker fans. Mostly older guys -- no offense."
Again, Kevin bit his lip. "None taken. Any chance any of them could have seen you with Kelley?"
"I guess it's possible. But after we were going out for a couple months I told him who I was-he freaked out a little-and explained how we had to be careful. He was cool about it, he said he wondered why I was usually wearing a cap and sunglasses when we were in public. Poor Kelley, he was kind of clueless, but that was one of the things I liked about him, he was smart in some ways but so dumb in others. So after that we mostly got together at my place and ordered out, or I wore disguises when we went out. You'd be amazed where people would recognize me, even with my new blonde hair, we couldn't go anywhere in public."
"But you didn't wear one tonight."
"Yeah at the bars here, people leave you alone. I guess it helps that it's 21 and older only, and the guys tend to leave me alone more than tween girls. They just... look."
"Does that bother you?"
"I guess there's looking and 'looking.' I've seen gay guys grab their buds and say 'oh wow there's David Morales!' and that's flattering. But there are guys who stare and follow me around. That's creepy."
"See any of the creepy ones tonight?"
"No actually, and I feel like I've kinda gotten a sense for it. I can feel them watching me. There actually were a few older women too, by older I mean 30's I guess -- older for my fan base. God, I can't believe Kelley's dead!"
'Jeez, what is it with this kid and all the 30s being old cracks?' "And I guess normally you'd have friends traveling with you, like a 'posse', but since this is kind of a 'secret' life, there's no one else who knows you're here?"
"My manager, she knows everything. It's part of her job now to keep my relationship under wraps. I... I don't even know what to do now, who I can call."
"Well, we're gonna need an official statement from you. We don't need to go down to the station if you can give one here with a witness,since you're legal age. We can be sensitive to your need for privacy. Maybe we can get a nearby room here, because my partner and the CSU guys are going to need to process the scene. And we'll need your fingerprints and DNA, just so we can eliminate you as a suspect in the investigation."
Ryan kept a friendly arm around David's shoulders, 'Wow he's just as cute in person as he is on TV. I wish I didn't have to meet him this way. Poor kid. If I lost Javi now... I'd just die.'
"Sure, I'll cooperate in any way I can."
Out in the living area, Esposito was on the phone with Beckett. "So Ryan may be able to get the kid to talk; if we drag him in he's gonna lawyer up like nobody's business and not tell us anything, if he really is this TeeNYC celeb Ryan thinks he is."
"Looks like most of the Brass are tied up across town and can't get there for awhile, but when Castle heard there might be a celebrity, he
practically flew out of here. Wait for him... it's unorthodox but if Ryan can get him to talk, all the better, then you guys can take the official statement with Castle as the witness. Just keep a close eye on him, Espo. He might be in good with the Mayor, but it's still tenuous and I'm making him your responsibility. And keep tabs on Ryan too... don't want him getting in over his head just because the kid responds to him."
There was something about the way Beckett said THAT that sent a funny shiver down Javier's spine. "You got it boss, I'll keep him out of trouble."
"I know you will Espo, that's why you two are such good partners. Just try to follow procedures exactly, with Castle there, especially."
Javier went back in the bedroom to find Kevin sitting close to the huddled young man and them talking in low voices. He had a strange pang of jealousy seeing Ryan like that with a cute young guy. He signaled that he needed to talk to Kevin. But as the Irishman got up, David grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
"I just want to say, I trust you okay? Please for Kelley's sake and mine I hope you've been straight with me."
Javier fought back the urge to cattily say 'He's been 'straight' with everyone,' seeing his new lover hung onto like that.
Kevin looked the cute actor in the eyes. "I've been totally honest. Sometimes as things change it can get out of our control. But I promise I'll do the best I can for you."
"Thanks man."
Esposito and Ryan went out into the living area. "How's it going?" Javier asked in a low voice.
"Well, he IS who I thought. He's a wreck. He came here alone with his boyfriend. Not a trick; he said they've been together a year. He's agreed to prints and DNA, and to give a statement. I think we should move fast, though, I hate to take advantage of him. I asked him about possible jealous stalkers and he said he didn't know of any. But in certain circles he's very famous."
"Good job bro. Speaking of moving fast and famous, I just got off the phone with Beckett. Castle's zooming on his way. You know how he can't resist the action, especially if it involves another mover-n-shaker, of any age and 'talent'. Beckett said he can be the statement witness but we need to keep him in check."
"Great, like we need more work. Well, I suggested we get David a nearby room, and told him we had to have the clothes."
Javier tried to smile through another jealous pang. "My, you HAVE been thorough. Taking the sexy young thing's clothes. Even Castle would be proud, well, if he knew the full details. But, uh, be careful. It looks like he's getting kind of attached to you and you know that can be trouble for us later."
Kevin gave Esposito a quizzical look. "Really? Attached to me? He's a kid!"
"Just... be careful. I can tell this kid can be charming when he wants."
"Okay bro. You're not... jealous are you?" Ryan smiled at Javier. "Of course not... oh are you pulling my leg?"
Esposito tried to grin back.
When they returned, bringing a CSU tech with them, David was just hanging up his cell. "The hotel said they have a room next door they can put me in; they're sending someone up with a key card."
"Great David." Kevin smiled at the star. "David Morales this is Javier Esposito. He's my partner and he's taking lead of processing the scene here."
"Hi David, now I just need to get a DNA sample. If you could open your mouth for CSU Tech Amos here, he needs to swab the inside of your cheek. Great, and now he'll need to get your prints to eliminate you, and see if we can pick up evidence of this other person."
To Be Continued...