Javier Esposito walked up to the hotel room, the cold air barely noticed by the Latino detective. In his hand was the gathered handles of the duffle bag which contained both real and duplicate currency. His brown eyes were set with determination – this was the day. This was the day he came face to face with '3XK' and won.
As he approached the door, anxiety began to creep up. Like a climbing vine, it wound itself around his feet, making it harder to walk and slowing his pace. His dark eyes scanned the surroundings, searching the shadows for hidden threats.
He held his head high, exuding the confidence he wanted so badly to have. He wanted his partner to see his face, strong with a set jaw and reassuring eyes ready to face down the foe. He wanted – no, needed – to be Ryan's hero and save his life.
His features were the image of a solider as he approached the rusting door of the ground floor motel room. It looked the same as any door, painted with a forest green paint in need of reapplication. He steadied himself with a deep breath as he brought his hand up to knock on the door. On the exhale he brought his fist forward, just as the sound of a gunshot pierced the still air.
The bag was dropped and fell with a soft sound. The soldier within Esposito was quick to knock down the door. The Latino detective barely registered the pain which radiated of his shoulder, only acknowledging the rapid heartbeat pounding in his chest.
For a moment he allowed himself to envision a victorious Ryan, blue eyes bright with satisfaction. He imagined the incoming warmth as they hugged, and Kevin smiling against his shoulder. But he was faced with the image from his nightmare.
Tyson had seen this coming. He had wormed his way into Javier's dreams, peeling back the layers until he reached the fearful innocence that was his relationship with Ryan. He was utterly protective of him, and held their relationship with child's gloves. He was teetering on the edge of falling – falling in love with a partner who was smart, beautiful, and straight as a ruler. He had allowed himself to dream and now the man he loved was dying in front of him.
Tyson stood grinning with a sadistic smile reminiscent of the Cheshire cat. He was twisted, taking joy in their agony. Esposito felt his heart clench painfully as he looked to Kevin. Red blood spilled out of the bullet wound in his chest, contrasting the sharp white shirt. Unlike in his nightmare, he could taste the iron on the air as it poured from the wound at a rapid pace.
The Latino detective felt like a bull in a ring, angered by the sight of red and fruitlessly chasing the enemy. The pained sound of his partner was almost inaudible over the heartbeat which raged in his muscled chest. Ryan turned slightly towards the door, hissing in agony as he rolled onto his side. Esposito reached down for his side arm, only to realise he had left it at the station as per Tyson's request.
"You should have used real bills." said Tyson, smiling as he proudly examined Javier's distraught face.
Brown eyes shifted to study the face of the injured man, watching as a pale hand pressed tightly against the dep wound. The pale fingers were loose and red liquid seeped through them easily. Nails dug into the flesh above his heart, creating crescent moons below the bloodstained fabric, as if trying to remove the source of his pain. Red liquid stained his t-shirt almost down to his abdomen.
His gaze moved slowly, finally glancing at his partners face. It was contorted in such a way that you could nearly feel the agony rolling off in waves. A crease in his forehead represented just how much pain he was in. If it had been any other day he would have said it was kind of cute, although he would never admit it. Now it was like torture. He could see all that pain but could do nothing for it, only stay paralyzed and watch his partner bleed out.
As Ryan peaked his eyes open, Javier was surprised at the serenity in the blue orbs. Ryan looked off to the distance, unable to stay focused, but Esposito say acceptance in their depths. It was as if Ryan knew he was going to die, like he knew he wouldn't survive. Even through all the pain, Esposito couldn't help but stare at his partner. In so much pain but accepting death, something he never thought Ryan would do.
Maybe it was just his imagination, but Ryan seemed almost happy, in a way that seemed to say "I'm glad you're here." It was cliché and he knew it, but staring back at him were the same eyes he saw every day at work and all the madden nights in-between. They lit up when he won a bet or started to cry when the detective laughed too hard at one of Javier's jokes.
He didn't even register the panicked look that had suddenly taken over those eyes. He had been too caught up in his partner and was shocked when a bullet pierced the Latino man's thigh. He fell to the ground, not so much falling but almost kneeling in slow motion. He crashed to the ground and a sound, a mix between a yelp and a scream, managed to escape him. It wasn't the physical pain as much as the emotional, and the look of Ryan's face in full blown panic for the first time that evening.
He tried to move, only to find the muscle screaming out in pain. Tyson laughed, not like the ones in the old super villain movies, but one of genuine happiness like it was the funniest things in the world. With no warning Jerry just left, not even a glance at either of his two victims. He stepped over Ryan's crumpled form with ease.
When he reached Esposito, Javier tried to reach up and grab the man, but his remained stationary from where they wrapped around his wounded thigh. He could only look up in disgust as Ryan's kidnapper exited completely unharmed, silently like the ghost he was.
Turning around and facing his partner he was shocked to Ryan no longer in pain. His ashen hands lay awkwardly by his side, no longer clasped over his chest. Esposito felt oddly at peace with the lack of pulse.
Although his soul was being ripped apart with agonizing slowness, not a tear left his eye. His partner lips had a ghost of a smile, and Javier knew his partner had found peace. Esposito couldn't help the unconsciousness that overtook him. It was not from blood loss, but the emotional and physical drain of seeing his partner, his best friend and maybe just a little bit more slip away.