Two R/E fills for Castle_Kink

May 09, 2010 23:03

Title: This is How the Story Ends
Word Count: 1076
Rating: 14A (Violence)
Prompt: Esposito/Ryan deathfic. That's how the team finds out they were together. Rip my heart out, please. I don't care who you kill off.



The gunshot echoes in the tinny walls of the warehouse, rattling the loose, broken panes of glass and sending a chill down Beckett's spine. It's not the first time she's heard the sound, and won't be the last, but every time, her heartbeat quickens and she feels a pit of dread collect in the bottom of her stomach, that won't go away until all heads are accounted for.

Her sensible heels don't slow her down as she races along between the shipping crates, sidearm at the ready, towards the sound. She knows her eyes are wide, her breathing shallow and strained, but she can't spare a thought to calming herself down. Not until she knows for sure.

There's a rapid succession of gunfire, four shots fired off with barely a pause between them, and over the sound she can hear a hoarse, harsh cry. Male; distraught, but she can't quite make out the words he's yelling--screaming--over the echoes.

It's a few seconds more before she realizes the string of curses is Spanish, and that quickens her pace. She's never heard Javier Esposito slip into his native tongue; he's an articulate guy, perfectly capable of expressing his distaste for criminals in the English language most of them understand. If he's screaming in Spanish...something's happened to Ryan.

She rounds the corner, and finds Castle (she really shouldn't be relieved, but she is) holding Esposito by the arms as his legs kick and flail at the floor, striking a pose that would be comical if it weren't for the two sprawled bodies lying a few feet away. One of them is still alive, slumped against a post, blood oozing from gunshot wounds to his shoulder. but the other is stock still, face down on the pavement with a slowly growing pool of blood gathering under and around him. Beckett knows without looking, even as she's pulling out her cell, that it's Kevin Ryan. And as she's dialling for backup, and delivering the distasteful phrase "man down", she already knows there's nothing anyone can do for him.

"Voy a matarlo!" Esposito screams as Beckett snaps her phone shut and approaches. Castle's got one arm wrapped around his, holding them behind his back, and the other slung across his chest. It's a struggle to keep him back. "Voy a matarlo!" She's surprised, a little, at the tears running down his cheeks, and she makes a conscious decision to stand in front of him, blocking his view of the man who's just killed his partner. Arms crossed, feet spread, and the taste of bile rising in her throat, she swallows hard and meets his eyes.

"Javier." He ignores her, turning his head away, but his shoulders slump just a fraction and the mask slips, anger falling away to show utter brokenness. Castle releases his hold just a little. Beckett notes that he's not looking at Ryan's body, either. None of them are.

None of them except Esposito, who's got his eyes fixated on the form lying there on the ground, as the sirens wail and paramedics get the suspect strapped onto a stretcher and whisked away in the ambulance. They're silent, all of them, and Esposito's not the only one with tears in his eyes now as Castle lets him go. All Beckett wants to do is fall on her knees and cry, and she stoically refuses to let Ryan's smiling face swim into her vision. There's time to grieve later, she tries to tell herself.

Esposito's thinking no such thing, though. His feet drag him over to where Ryan's lying, so damn still, and he's on his knees in the puddle of blood without a second thought. Beckett feels the reassuring weight of Castle's presence at her elbow, his hand on her shoulder as they watch in silence. She won't say it, but she's grateful that he's there.

With gentle, shaking hands, Esposito turns his partner's body over, gathering him up with Ryan's head in his lap. His fingers run through his hair, lightly trace over his shoulders, his arms, across his chest. His eyes shut tight, tears still manage to squeeze through, and fall on Ryan's face.

"Mi corazon," he whispers, and Beckett's eyes--shut against her own tears--blink open. She feels Castle's hand tense on her shoulder, but neither says anything. "Lo siento, mi corazon. No te pude proteger...no lo pude parar...no pude despedir a tu." He leans over, his fingers brushing now over the still cheeks, tracing the curve of his lips, before passing over his lids to close them. His own lips brush each eye, and even from their distance, Beckett can see Esposito's shoulders heave.

She turns, and buries her face in Castle's chest, feels the comforting strength of his hands on her back--the reassuring humanity of his own heaving chest as he struggles to hold back tears of his own--and lets the tears come.

The warehouse is silent.

~*~

It's a sunny day, with a clear blue sky and a warm sun balanced by a cool breeze that runs through everyone's hair, dries the tears on their cheeks. Javier was glad the day had turned out well, he said. It didn't suit Kevin to be buried in the rain; his smile was echoed in the brightness of the day.

Javier stood, silent, at the side of the grave, dressed in a simple black suit. His hands were folded in front of his, and his eyes shut tight as he wept and whispered a prayer to his deceased partner. As the attendees filed away, she made her way through the maze of folding chairs to stand at his side, resting her hand on his arm.

"Javi," she said softly, using the nickname Kevin had coined for him--before any of them had ever known just what had happened between them. He swallowed, and turned to look at her, tears streaking his face.

"Don't call me that," he said quietly, his voice holding barely any of its usual force. "That's....that was his. That was us." She can feel the emotional walls building around him, trying to push her away, but she just moves her hand and wraps her arms around him instead, resting her forehead against his shoulder, trying to comfort him in any small way she can.

"I loved him, Kate," he says finally, voice so small, so broken that it breaks her heart all over again.

"I know," she whispers back through her own tears.

Title: Here in the Moonlight
Word Count: 715 
Rating: PG13 (slight kinkiness, kissing)
Prompt: Ryan/Esposito, an awkward situation. Ex: While on a case Ryan and Esposito end up in a compressing position. I wouldn't say no to a wet!Ryan either ;)



There really was nowhere else to hide. The moonlight illuminated the Aquatheatre, shining off the bleachers as brightly as a spotlight. When they'd heard the footsteps coming towards them--their suspect, ostensibly on the run from Castle and Beckett at the other end of the New York Aquarium complex--Esposito had done a quick scan of the area. Ducking under one of the bleachers was all well and good, but if their runner had the same idea, they'd be spotted. And Beckett had been pretty darn clear about what she'd do to them if that were to happen. So the quick thinking Esposito had grabbed his partner's shirt and yanked him over the short glass wall into the sea lion tank.

At the far side, a temporary "set" had been erected that was full of towers and caverns, creating all manner of lovely shadows, and it was there that he'd dragged the spluttering Ryan. They were both soaked through to the bone, but it was better than being dry and getting caught. He'd managed to corral Ryan into one of the darker corners, and they were squished in beside one another, keeping out of any direct light. Esposito could feel his partner shivering beside him.

"It's not that cold," he whispered harshly, craning his neck to see out of a stylized porthole, watching as their suspect made his cautionary way down the bleacher steps. He could feel Ryan's hair dripping onto his shoulder. His eyes tracked the suspect as he paced the Aquatheatre, keen as a hawk, watching for any sign of their backup. Neither Beckett nor Castle appeared.

As Esposito had expected, their suspect clambered underneath the bleachers, trying to use their patchwork shadows to hide himself. His white t-shirt shone under the glaring full moon, but he seemed to think himself well hidden. All according to plan.

"Espo, my arm is going numb," Ryan complained in a whisper that tickled his ear. He hadn't realized he'd pinned Ryan's arm behind him when they'd sidled into the cozy little corner.

"Sorry bro," he replied in an equally hushed voice, and some wiggling and bending managed to free Ryan's arm. They were smushed together, Ryan's chest to Esposito's side, as they struggled to keep out of the light. "...can you grab my phone? It's in the pocket on your side." It was time to put phase two into action. So long as they could keep the suspect from spotting them...

He felt Ryan's fingers wriggling into the tight opening of his pants pocket, using two fingers to gingerly grasp the phone and draw it out. The thought hit them both at the same time. It was soaked. Breathing a heavy sigh, Espostio sank back against the corner, as much as he could. "Looks like we get to wait it out," he sighed.

They didn't have to wait long. Ten minutes later, the beam of a flashlight swung down the path, and the two heard the distinctive sound of Castle's prattling and Beckett's long-suffering sighed replied. The suspect bolted, up the stairs and straight into the cuffs that were waiting for him. As Beckett read him his Miranda rights, they headed off, voices growing distant again.

Rolling his shoulders, Esposito stepped out of the corner, followed by Ryan, who stretched his neck from side to side. "Never do that again," Ryan lectured his partner, glaring at the tank of water they both knew they'd have to swim across again.

Esposito, however, was more caught up by the sight of a soaking wet Ryan. His white dress shirt clung to his chest, obscenely transparent, hiding none of the definition of muscle that he'd only glimpsed in the precinct gym. His hair was a tousled, dripping mess, hanging over one eye and curling, despite the weight of the water, under each ear. The droplets of water shone on his skin, reflecting and refracting the moonlight--the same moonlight that illuminated his perfect blue eyes as he gave Esposito his best "we are not amused" expression.

Wordlessly, Esposito pressed a hand to his chest and pushed him back into the alcove, sealing off his complaints with a heated kiss, their soaking wet bodies pressed up against one another in a way that was altogether more enjoyable than their configuration three minutes prior.

pairing:ryan/esposito, fandom:castle, type:fic

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