Have Your Back
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, then I don't own it.
A/N: For 2021 Whumptober #3 "Who did this to you?"
Detective Javier Esposito sauntered into the precinct early. He waved to his fellow officers with a friendly, greeting and a smile. He'd been back to work for a while after Gates almost fired him over the Costas screw up. He felt like the 12th had his back through the whole thing, lending an ear or word of sympathy if he needed it. He'd been bitter at first over the unplanned vacation but he'd used it to visit his mom and entertain in the bedroom so it hadn't been all bad. Now he was back to the job he loved.
He'd been bitter towards his partner's actions as well. The two had gone through a rough patch in their partnership after the incident. Javi felt a stab of guilt at his behavior towards his best friend. He'd frozen Kevin out of his life with his anger and hurt. When he wasn't ignoring the other man outright he'd spoken harshly or put him down. He'd felt betrayed by the person he'd trusted the most to have his back. In the end, Kevin had always had his back. His actions had saved his and Beckett's lives. It just took him a while to accept it.
They had gotten their partnership back on the right track. They'd had their heart to heart. They'd talked out their issues. They were all good.
Javi had come into work early to catch his partner for breakfast. The younger detective had had to come in to do some recertification. He clutched the donut bag tighter as he imagined the face Kevin would make when he saw his favorite pastry.
"Oh man," He heard Ryan hiss as he entered the locker room.
"What's wrong, bro?" Esposito stopped dead in his tracks. The paper bag fell from his numb fingers as he took in the sight before him. His partner stood at his locker, his workout shirt lifted up over his chest as he examined the skin on his stomach. The skin was varying shades of purple and greens. Ryan stood still like a deer caught in headlights before he dropped his shirt back into place. He turned back to his locker, shuffling through the contents, without looking up at his partner.
"I had to recertify on taking down a suspect." Ryan refused to meet his eyes, "It got a little out of hand."
Esposito broke out of his shock and entered his partner's personal space, demanding answers, "Bro, who did this to you?"
"It's not a big deal," Ryan shrugged off the concerned hand with a wince, "I'm fine."
"No, you're not," Esposito grabbed his partner's arm to keep him from walking away, "Kevin, talk to me man."
"Drop it, Javi."
"No, someone did that to you," Javi intended to find out who and give them a dose of their own medicine. Nobody laid a hand on his partner.
Ryan sighed, dropping his head in defeat, and begged his partner to just let it go. Esposito stepped in front of the younger man and gripped his shoulders in reassurance. He hated seeing his partner so forlorn and beaten down.
"Kevin," He spoke firmly until the troubled blue eyes reluctantly met his. The one ringed in dark bruises made his blood boil hotter, but he fought down the anger, trying to appear calm to his hurting partner.
"I need to go find my shoes first," Ryan mumbled, embarrassed.
"Where are your shoes?" Javi asked, dumbstruck. Ryan just gave a hopeless little shrug.
The growing unease that had begun to grow in his gut had just turned to ice. The weird things surrounding Ryan had finally clicked. The younger man, usually punctual, running late, missing or misplaced items or reports, and finally his partner being quiet and withdrawn at the precinct. He stayed at his desk and didn't talk to anyone unless he had to for the case. Javi had ignored all things, Ryan, when he first got back and was feeling so good about patching things up that he didn't really look outside himself afterward.
Javi had never thought about how the rest of the department viewed his partner's action. He had forgiven Ryan, so therefore there was no longer an issue. Some detective he was.
"How long has this been going on?"
Ryan just shrugged once more, looking down at his bare feet. Esposito couldn't take that pitiful lost little boy look. He looked around the room to find the stolen shoes. He spotted a dangling black shoelace at the sink. He walked over to find Ryan's dress shoes drowning, he pulled the dripping pair out. He clutched the sink as red hot anger coursed through his veins.
"Why didn't you say anything?" He choked out through his rage.
"Oh yeah, ratting on them to Gates because they were bugging me for ratting to Gates. That would have worked out beautifully."
"Why didn't you come to me?"
Ryan's silence sat heavy in the room and spoke volumes, more than words ever could. Clearly, their relationship was not as good as Javi had hoped if Kevin was keeping secrets.
His partner did not come to him when he was being harassed at work. His brothers in blue had executed judgment against one of their own. Punishment consisted of making Detective Ryan's life a living hell until he quit. Practical jokes, missing items from his desk, work locker being broken into, and verbal abuse. Now physical abuse. Kevin has taken his Judas status in quiet acceptance like a damn Catholic whipping boy.
"I want names," Javi growled. He would fix this. He owed Kevin that much.
"While we're at it, we'll just go turn in our badges to IA, save them some time," Ryan quipped.
The inclusive "we" and "our" was not lost on the older detective. Kevin still had his back. He was the one that had dropped the ball in their partnership. He'd allowed his hurt to put a wedge between them. Ryan's actions had saved him and all he'd done was give him a hard time about it. The whole precinct had given him a hard time and Esposito had practically given them permission with his own actions. That ended today. Nobody got to hurt his partner, not even him.
"I'm your partner," Javi turned to his best friend, echoing his words, "I'm with you till the wheels fall off."
Kevin smiled pulling on his split lip, but it was the first real smile Javi remembered seeing in some time, "I know, bro."