fic [1/1]
Title: Cling and Clatter
Characters: Kevin Ryan, Javier Esposito
Pairing: Castle/Beckett
Words: 710
Spoilers: Post 5x01 'After the Storm' fic.
Summary: ‘So you noticed it too, huh?'
‘Hey, welcome back.’
Esposito looked over at his partner. No smile, no thanks, just a blank stare. They hadn’t spoken the whole time he was suspended, with the exception of those few days they had been trying to help Beckett find her mother’s murderer.
‘Hey Esposito,’ one of the other guys walked by and high fived him.
Esposito smiled and return the greeting.
He opened his mouth to say something, to object to the fact that Esposito was ignoring him, when he had been the one to save his life, when he made up for it by handing over his phone when he had been all but convinced that she was about to shoot a politician as revenge.
He had done all the right things.
But there was no point arguing, he knew his best friend better than that. The best thing to do was to sit back and wait for him to calm down.
It was a couple of hours later that Beckett and Castle came in from a crime scene. Ryan smiled to himself, it was good to see them again, he had really missed having all his friends around, even if they were mad at him.
Castle however didn’t ignore him, he came right over to say hi. He noted that Esposito also did not ignore Castle in a rude manner. The visit was short lived and he quickly returned to Beckett’s desk.
Something was different, he’d had the feeling for a couple of weeks now, but watching them sitting together at the desk, talking casually as though nothing had ever happened, noting the occasional glare Beckett shot in Castle’s direction, the way Castle’s hand lay closely to hers on the table -
No. He was imagining things. They had always flirted, that was the way things were.
He glanced at Esposito again. He was doing the same, his eyes narrowed and his gaze fixated on the others.
This was his opportunity.
‘So you noticed it too, huh?’ Ryan hoped that was enough.
‘Noticed what?’ he responded, avoiding eye contact, then looking back down at his paperwork.
Conversation ended before it had even started, but he wasn’t going to let Esposito win this one.
‘Didn’t you find it a little weird that Castle was at Beckett’s apartment that early in the morning when he called to report her missing?’
There was no response, but Ryan knew him well enough to know he had his attention.
‘Also, when I went over to her place to drag Beckett back onto the case? Castle was there, also bright and early,’ he paused. ‘And he was acting a little weird.’
Esposito looked up at him now, then back at the laughing pair.
‘Define weird…’
‘He couldn’t seem to get a full sentence out, there was just a lot of jumbled words followed by a question.’
Esposito fell silent again, looking at the others, and for a moment Ryan thought his plan had failed.
Suddenly he piped up.
‘You know, when I called her yesterday to ask her if she wanted to watch the game tonight she sounded like there was someone in the background, she muttered ‘be quiet’ and then I heard a slap…’
‘That certainly sounds like Castle and Beckett behaviour.’
‘But they would have told us, right?’
‘Beckett?’
Esposito half smiled and then shrugged. ‘Of course, what was I thinking? But do you really think Castle could hide it?’
They both looked to see Castle touching her lightly on the arm and her laughing and pushing his hand away. They both smiled before she looked back at her paperwork. Castle continue to watch her, smiling.
‘They’re both oddly happy,’ Ryan observed.
‘Lanie thought she was having sex with someone, she just had no idea who. Ryan, bro, I think we may have solved the puzzle,’ now his smile was a full blown one.
‘See, we are good partners.’
Too far. Esposito’s smile faded.
‘Yeah, well, I’m still angry,’ he picked up his pen and stared at the pile of paperwork in front of him. ‘But if you’re free tonight, I do need someone to watch the game with.’
‘I’m in.’
It wasn’t back to the way things were, but it was a start, and a few beers would definitely help.
Characters: Kevin Ryan, Javier Esposito
Pairing: Castle/Beckett
Words: 710
Spoilers: Post 5x01 'After the Storm' fic.
Summary: ‘So you noticed it too, huh?'
‘Hey, welcome back.’
Esposito looked over at his partner. No smile, no thanks, just a blank stare. They hadn’t spoken the whole time he was suspended, with the exception of those few days they had been trying to help Beckett find her mother’s murderer.
‘Hey Esposito,’ one of the other guys walked by and high fived him.
Esposito smiled and return the greeting.
He opened his mouth to say something, to object to the fact that Esposito was ignoring him, when he had been the one to save his life, when he made up for it by handing over his phone when he had been all but convinced that she was about to shoot a politician as revenge.
He had done all the right things.
But there was no point arguing, he knew his best friend better than that. The best thing to do was to sit back and wait for him to calm down.
It was a couple of hours later that Beckett and Castle came in from a crime scene. Ryan smiled to himself, it was good to see them again, he had really missed having all his friends around, even if they were mad at him.
Castle however didn’t ignore him, he came right over to say hi. He noted that Esposito also did not ignore Castle in a rude manner. The visit was short lived and he quickly returned to Beckett’s desk.
Something was different, he’d had the feeling for a couple of weeks now, but watching them sitting together at the desk, talking casually as though nothing had ever happened, noting the occasional glare Beckett shot in Castle’s direction, the way Castle’s hand lay closely to hers on the table -
No. He was imagining things. They had always flirted, that was the way things were.
He glanced at Esposito again. He was doing the same, his eyes narrowed and his gaze fixated on the others.
This was his opportunity.
‘So you noticed it too, huh?’ Ryan hoped that was enough.
‘Noticed what?’ he responded, avoiding eye contact, then looking back down at his paperwork.
Conversation ended before it had even started, but he wasn’t going to let Esposito win this one.
‘Didn’t you find it a little weird that Castle was at Beckett’s apartment that early in the morning when he called to report her missing?’
There was no response, but Ryan knew him well enough to know he had his attention.
‘Also, when I went over to her place to drag Beckett back onto the case? Castle was there, also bright and early,’ he paused. ‘And he was acting a little weird.’
Esposito looked up at him now, then back at the laughing pair.
‘Define weird…’
‘He couldn’t seem to get a full sentence out, there was just a lot of jumbled words followed by a question.’
Esposito fell silent again, looking at the others, and for a moment Ryan thought his plan had failed.
Suddenly he piped up.
‘You know, when I called her yesterday to ask her if she wanted to watch the game tonight she sounded like there was someone in the background, she muttered ‘be quiet’ and then I heard a slap…’
‘That certainly sounds like Castle and Beckett behaviour.’
‘But they would have told us, right?’
‘Beckett?’
Esposito half smiled and then shrugged. ‘Of course, what was I thinking? But do you really think Castle could hide it?’
They both looked to see Castle touching her lightly on the arm and her laughing and pushing his hand away. They both smiled before she looked back at her paperwork. Castle continue to watch her, smiling.
‘They’re both oddly happy,’ Ryan observed.
‘Lanie thought she was having sex with someone, she just had no idea who. Ryan, bro, I think we may have solved the puzzle,’ now his smile was a full blown one.
‘See, we are good partners.’
Too far. Esposito’s smile faded.
‘Yeah, well, I’m still angry,’ he picked up his pen and stared at the pile of paperwork in front of him. ‘But if you’re free tonight, I do need someone to watch the game with.’
‘I’m in.’
It wasn’t back to the way things were, but it was a start, and a few beers would definitely help.