Prompt-Ryan and Esposito realize their true feelings for each other when one almost dies. An "I thought I lost you" moment.
...
It wasn't supposed to catch fire during their questioning, it was just a random, horrid turn of events.
Esposito ushered the man they were in the midst of asking about their vic when the fire alarm blared.
Ryan and Espo were almost out the door down the hall when a frantic woman came crashing down the steps. "My baby! My baby!" She screamed.
Ryan turned around and helped her down the steps and led her to Espo as people rushed past him to get to safety.
"Get her out, I'll get her kid." Ryan tried to shove Espo out the hall, but the Latino was stubborn.
"Ryan, I'm not leaving you here." Espo argued.
Ryan shook his head, "She won't go unless you see her out. I'll be right behind you after the baby's safe. We can't just leave."
Espo hesitantly agreed as the woman gripped his jacket and cried, "2B, she's only 6 but she'll answer if you call; her name's Brook."
Ryan nodded and turned to go back up the steps as Espo watched his partner run up as everyone else ran down. But isn't that what Police Officers did, they were supposed to run into the danger to help the weak while everyone ran?
"You better come back out!" Esposito screamed after his partner even though he wasn't sure he'd hear him over the crackling of the flames and the screams of everyone around him.
Espo knew he'd have to put Ryan in the back of his mind for a moment before he ran out or else he wouldn't be able to help everyone around him. "Alright, everyone just calm down and exit the building!"
Several minutes later, everyone was out of the building...everyone except Ryan and the little girl.
The chief firefighter walked up to Beckett, Castle, and Esposito who were anxiously staring at the burning building. "Anyone still inside?"
Beckett nodded, "One of our men was trying to save a little girl. Neither have made it out yet."
The firefighter sighed, "We're going to have to see how it goes, we can't afford sending our men in; the building could fall any moment now."
Esposito whirled around, "What are you talking about? You're just going to let a baby girl and my partner burn?!"
Castle pulled the fuming detective backwards. "Espo, calm down." He whispered.
"We tried sending one of our men in, but the entrance is blocked with debris. All that rumble could be what's holding the damn thing together and if we dislodge it, it may come crashing down." The chief shook his head, "I'm really sorry."
Esposito turned around clenching his fist, "Goddamn it!" He yelled at the burning building.
Beckett glanced over at Castle to tell him to grab Espo before he ran into the building himself. Castle grabbed his arm firmly and refused to let go.
"Chief, what about them? Is it possible for them to get out from the inside?" Beckett asked him.
"There should be a way out that they may see. Or there may not be. It really all depends on the building, the fire, how conscious your boy is." He answered slowly causing all three to cringe just imagining their Kevin Ryan struggling to escape a burning building with a crying little girl in his arms.
The four turned quickly to face the building when the heard a loud creaking and rumble. The building finally gave away and the large flames engulfed it.
"No!" Espo screamed shoving Castle off him about to run into the flaming building before Castle grabbed his arm again and pulled him in.
"Espo...he's...it's..." Castle couldn't believe it himself. Sure, he knew dangers came with the job, but never once did he think one of his friends would...die. Especially not like this, an explosion, more like a shoot out or such.
He's seen all three plenty of times after too close encounters, Beckett and Bracken's little sessions, Espo getting shot in the shoulder that one time, Ryan getting stabbed in the stomach and also shot in the thigh. And many more less fatal scuffles like bruises, scraps and falls down stairs.
"No!" Esposito screamed again, "He can't be! That fucking bastard! I never...!" He was shouting now, but trailed off before he could finish.
"Espo, I'm sorry, I wish..." Beckett tried to calm Esposito down, but she failed to as her voice started to break as tears burned trails slowly down her cheeks.
Espo fell to his knees muttering between sobs with Castle's hands still holding him. "Kevin, Kevin, Kevin, no, no, no!"
Castle looked helplessly up at Beckett and she shrugged her shoulders tearfully not knowing what to do either. No matter what you did, you were never prepared to lose a partner.
"I'll tell Gates and..." She looked up at the burning factory as she wiped a tear off her face.
Castle assumed she stopped speaking because she physically couldn't say what the three already knew, but feared. Instead, he was surprised to see her gaze locked on the hellfire.
"Kate?" Castle loosened his grip on Espo's arm but remained at his side.
"Oh my God," Kate uttered as she lifted her hands and covered her mouth.
"What?" Espo finally lifted his surprisingly dry out of his hands where he had still been cursing himself. His eyes followed where Beckett was pointing towards the fire, unsure if he really wanted to see what was at the end.
Instead of just flames eating up a rotting building they saw a figure coming closer at a slow pace.
"It can't be." Castle muttered in disbelief and let go of Esposito's arms.
Esposito laughed weakly, "I knew he wouldn't do that to me." He shot up to his feet along with Castle and the three began their mad dash to the man limping away from the building with a crying toddler in his arms.
Esposito reached him first, he ran straight into Ryan and engulfed him in a tight hug, seeming to forget the little girl in his arms.
"Javi...choking me and Brook..." Ryan said so Espo would loosen his hug. The little girl's mother was there half a second later and pulled her from his arms saying thank you after thank you after thank you hysterically.
Kevin nodded and smiled softly, his white teeth shining against his soot covered face before turning back to his partner once the mother carried the girl to the waiting ambulance.
Espo hugged him again, squeezing him even tighter than the first time. "Kevin, you fucking asshole." Espo pulled back and looked into his partner's blue eyes, now much more brighter in contrast with all the black ash on his face.
"I thought I lost you." Esposito whispered just loud enough for the two of them plus Castle and Beckett to hear as he cupped Ryan's cheeks in his hand. His brown eyes stared deep into Ryan's blue as Ryan whispered,
"I'm sorry Javi, I'm so sorry."
Esposito laughed and shook his head, "God Kev," Without another word he brought his lips closer to Kevin's before closing the gap between them.
Kevin's eyes widened for a second before he saw Esposito's slowly close and he followed suit with a small smile as their kiss continued. It was rough and needy, but passionate.
Esposito almost lost the love of his life and Ryan almost left his behind.
Castle and Beckett stood shocked behind them, not even having a clue that either felt romantically towards the other.
"What?" Castle blinked a few times as they pulled apart. "Since when?"
Esposito traced a gash on the Irishman's face to wipe the blood off in favor of answering Castle's question, "Kevin, I love you." He breathed. "And if you ever do that again, I swear-"
Ryan cut him off by hugging him tightly and burying his head into his shoulder and apologized again, "I'm sorry, Javi, I won't. I promise." Ryan felt tears begin to fall down his face.
Espo wrapped an arm around Ryan's back and used the other to softly stoke the back of his head; his fingers softly tangling in his hair, "Shh, it's okay, mi corazón, everything will be okay."
Ryan lifted his head and kissed his cheek once, twice, and three times. "I love you, Javier, I love you so fucking much."
The first tear that Espo cried that day feel down his cheek that moment as he kissed the Irishman's forehead, "I love you too."
Beckett and Castle stood beside and watched as the two finished their kiss. They felt dumb not noticing it between the two, but in their defense not even Ryan and Esposito noticed it.
Once Espo let go of Ryan, the Irishman gave one more longing look at his love before he stumbled over to Castle and Beckett.
He fell into Castle's arms first, the taller man being able to help Ryan keep some weight off his injured leg. Ryan smiled and fisted the back of the writer's jacket.
"I don't think I'll be able to give you a little speech as good as Espo's, but Ryan, I'm glad you're okay."
Ryan laughed and nodded, "Thanks, Castle."
Ryan shuffled backwards and looked over at Beckett. She noticed his limp as well, so she moved to bring Ryan into a hug.
"Hey, Becks."
Kate laughed tearfully, "Hey, Ryan."
"I'm sorry..." He whispered but she shook her head.
"Don't be, Ry, I'm just glad you're okay." She kissed the top of his head, "I know Espo's was much better."
Ryan blushed and Beckett found it cute as his cheeks tinged pink. "Oh, I'm just teasing." She hugged him again before letting him go.
Espo was at his side again, holding him steady like he did once busted his ankle when some dirtbag pushed him down the fire escape during a chase, but this time around he was much more loving. His hand and arm practically molded around Ryan's body rather than just go flat against him.
And there was no way he was letting go anytime soon.
...
I really like this idea, even canon, if was simply just a platonic "I though I lost you" moment between Ryan and Esposito that would be really cute.
If anyone ever decides to write some more "I though I lost you" moments between Ryan an Espo either platonic or romantic I would be more than happy to read it.
I have two more one shots for this series planned, so look out for those:)