FIC Accidental Encounter
19/5/15 09:47![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shanachie_quillTitle: Accidental Encounter
Characters: Kevin Ryan, Javier Esposito, Aaron, Katya Tarasovitch, Anya Tarasovitch
Fandom: Castle
Series: City Protectors
Written For: irishjeeper/ k3nj1ph1
Prompt: teen sentinel and guide
Summary: Ryan and Esposito have an encounter when they’re still teens.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: my series mostly, Esposito’s background from the show and some conclusions
Warnings: boys, slight language, Esposito’s background, possibly bullying
Disclaimer: No one recognizable belongs to me. Not making any money off this.
Second Disclaimer Despite being fanfiction, this is MY work and I do not give anyone or any other site permission to republish this story under my name or any other without my authorization.
Author's Note: irishjeeper had a birthday! Happy birthday, darling! This was ready for her birthday, but I was too tired to actually post it. This is also because I lost a bet. I should know better than to bet with people, I always lose my bets. So anyway. I’ve actually got a couple more planned for this series. I keep saying I’m done… and then things like this happen. :-)
“Come on, Espy. It’s an easy in and out.”
Esposito didn’t take his eyes off the display he was pretending to study. “I told you before; I’m not committing any more crimes. And stop calling me ‘Espy’.”
The muscular teen flinched as his so-called friend moved closer. His nose wrinkled as stale sweat and garlic wafted over him, made more intense as all of the scents around him spiked for a moment before evening back out. “You know,” the guy growled, “you’ve been a real downer since you turned over this new leaf. I don’t think I like...”
“Back off,” Esposito growled back, wanting to shove Aaron away, but not wanting to cause a scene.
“Just think about,” Aaron said. “You’ve been bragging about how you’re turning over a new leaf, but what are they going to think if they knew the truth of everything you used to do?”
“They already know,” Esposito told him through gritted teeth before stalking away.
Ryan rubbed his head as he trailed behind Katya and Anya. On a good day, he didn’t have much of a problem blocking out the people around him, but for some reason the effort was giving him a headache today. He stumbled a bit as the girls stopped in front of a painting, clearly more interested in the boys ahead of them than the artwork. “What’s wrong, Kevvie?” Anya asked.
“Got a headache,” Ryan responded. He glanced at the boys. “Really, Kat? No.”
“Come on. He’s cute,” Katya complained.
Ryan made a face. “He’s a jerk.”
Anya threw her arm around Ryan’s shoulders, noting his wince as their skin came into contact. “Aaww, are you jealous?”
“Of him? Please.” He tried to wiggle out of Anya’s hold. “Lemme go.”
She eyed him for a moment before turning him loose. “Better or worse?” she asked in a low voice.
“Today?” He shrugged. “I don’t think it really matters.” Glancing around, he found the exit to the gallery. “I’m going to… go find a quiet spot.”
“The Sisters won’t be happy,” Katya warned.
“I’m not leaving the museum,” Ryan said. “I just want to see if I can find a quieter spot.”
“You wanted to see the arms and armour,” Anya reminded him.
“So come get me in about ten minutes,” Ryan told her. “I just need to get away from all these people.”
Esposito pushed through the crowd in the atrium, trying not to be brutal about it, but needing to get away from Aaron. He’d made a decision when Coach had started talking to him about baseball and all the ways he could leave the neighborhood. He knew he was breaking his mama’s heart by getting in trouble with the law, but there hadn’t seemed like another way. Coach had given him another way though and he was determined to see it through. He’d been doing pretty well staying away from Aaron and the others since he’d gotten out of juvie, but a class trip had given them enough time to corner him.
Shoving his hands into his pockets, he headed towards the back entrance, intending to get a breath of fresh air. The atrium was more crowded then he’d been expecting though and his senses spiked as he tried to fight his way through the crowd.
The material of his pockets was rough on his hands, scratching at his skin. His hearing faded in and out, throwing off his balance for a minute. The chatter around him sounded like so many television shows, all on full blast as he tried to work his way through the crowd. For a moment, his sight telescoped as if he was using a set of binoculars set on ultimate magnification, then zoomed back out so he could barely see anything at all. He blinked and it was like he was suddenly watching a black and white television.
Shaking his head, Esposito kept it down as he tried to make his way towards the door. He was pretty sure he hadn’t lost track of it, but everything seemed a monumental task at the second.
Ryan almost groaned allowed when he reached the atrium and realized it was even more crowed then that Impressionists wing that he had just left. For a moment, he considered heading back to Katya and Anya before finding one of the Sisters to plead illness. His headaches were well-known enough that they would probably call one of his parents. The problem was he’d been looking forward to this trip and didn’t want to go home. He was sure if he just got some air, he’d feel better.
He was concentrating so much on keeping his head down and making it through the crowd without making a scene or throwing up that he didn’t see the older teen until he ploughed right into him.
Esposito grabbed at the slight boy as the kid bounced off him, just preventing him from hitting the faux marble floor. Hard. “Are you okay, kid?”
The kid shook off his grip, glaring up at him for a minute from under floppy bangs. “I’m fine,” he spat angrily, shoving the hair out of his face. “Why don’t you watch where you’re going, you… you… big… lug?!”
Biting his lip so he didn’t laugh at what was apparently supposed to be an insult, Esposito realized he was still holding onto the kid’s flannel shirt. Abruptly he let go, although he felt an instant loss and wanted to gather the kid back to him.
Released, the kid crossed his arms and continued to glare at him. “Are you mute as well as a bulldozer?”
Esposito opened his mouth to respond and drew in a breath of air, inadvertently inhaling the kid’s scent. His face contorted as he tried to place the aroma, his hands automatically reaching for the younger boy again, but the kid was twisting out of his grasp and backing away, an unreadable look on his face.
Ryan realized the exact second there was something different in front of him. His face changed as he almost lunged towards the smaller boy, but Ryan took advantage of his size and ducked away.
Eeling through the crowd, Ryan ran; not towards the open doorway but towards the paintings he’d left. Towards Katya and Anya and safety.
The girls had obviously been looking for Ryan because they met him halfway up the stairs, sandwiching him between their bodies and hustling him away from the crowds to a quiet corner. For a few minutes, they fussed silently over him, until Anya finally asked, “What happened, Kevvie?”
“I don’t. I’m not.” Ryan shook his head. “I ran into someone.”
“Did he hurt you?!” Katya demanded. She turned as if to go hunt down the culprit, but both Anya and Ryan grabbed her, pulling her back to them.
Anya and Katya were still fretting over him when the Sisters descended on them ten minutes later like an avenging thunderstorm.
Ryan couldn’t help the involuntary step back when he felt the two nuns approaching them, but at least he stifled the shirk that wanted to pop out. “Mister Ryan. Misses Tarasovitch,” the older of the two started when they were close enough to address the three students without raising her voice. “What were you told about running off?”
“We didn’t leave the museum, Sister Mary Catherine,” Anya answered immediately with a bright smile. “I didn’t realize that meant we had to stay in the Egypt exhibit.”
Confronted by the least disobedient student in the school, Sister Mary Catherine didn’t quite know what to do and finally clucked her tongue at them and pointed towards the exit. “Go.”
Herded out ahead of the two nuns, Ryan whispered, “Thanks” as they were swept up with the rest of the group.
Esposito gulped mouthfuls of air, trying to figure out where the boy had disappeared to. For one brief moment, everything had been crystal clear, sharp and in focus. Then everything went completely haywire again as the boy vanished and only sheer willpower stopped Esposito from crashing to his knees.
He was trying to pull himself into some semblance of control when he felt a heavy hand on his arm. “Espy, man, what’s going on?”
Jerking his arm out of Aaron’s grasp, Esposito growled, “I told you to stop calling me ‘Espy’! And nothing. What do you want?”
“Man, the teachers are going ballistic. Apparently we were supposed to stay all in one group or some shit. We gotta go.” Aaron shoved his hands in his pockets, jerking his head towards where Esposito could see their teachers attempting to gather everyone up.
Shrugging off the hand Aaron attempted to put back on his body, Esposito headed in the direction of the group, but not without one final look towards where he thought the kid had vanished. He knew he didn’t have a hope of seeing him again, but he couldn’t resist that final look.
Characters: Kevin Ryan, Javier Esposito, Aaron, Katya Tarasovitch, Anya Tarasovitch
Fandom: Castle
Series: City Protectors
Written For: irishjeeper/ k3nj1ph1
Prompt: teen sentinel and guide
Summary: Ryan and Esposito have an encounter when they’re still teens.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: my series mostly, Esposito’s background from the show and some conclusions
Warnings: boys, slight language, Esposito’s background, possibly bullying
Disclaimer: No one recognizable belongs to me. Not making any money off this.
Second Disclaimer Despite being fanfiction, this is MY work and I do not give anyone or any other site permission to republish this story under my name or any other without my authorization.
Author's Note: irishjeeper had a birthday! Happy birthday, darling! This was ready for her birthday, but I was too tired to actually post it. This is also because I lost a bet. I should know better than to bet with people, I always lose my bets. So anyway. I’ve actually got a couple more planned for this series. I keep saying I’m done… and then things like this happen. :-)
“Come on, Espy. It’s an easy in and out.”
Esposito didn’t take his eyes off the display he was pretending to study. “I told you before; I’m not committing any more crimes. And stop calling me ‘Espy’.”
The muscular teen flinched as his so-called friend moved closer. His nose wrinkled as stale sweat and garlic wafted over him, made more intense as all of the scents around him spiked for a moment before evening back out. “You know,” the guy growled, “you’ve been a real downer since you turned over this new leaf. I don’t think I like...”
“Back off,” Esposito growled back, wanting to shove Aaron away, but not wanting to cause a scene.
“Just think about,” Aaron said. “You’ve been bragging about how you’re turning over a new leaf, but what are they going to think if they knew the truth of everything you used to do?”
“They already know,” Esposito told him through gritted teeth before stalking away.
Ryan rubbed his head as he trailed behind Katya and Anya. On a good day, he didn’t have much of a problem blocking out the people around him, but for some reason the effort was giving him a headache today. He stumbled a bit as the girls stopped in front of a painting, clearly more interested in the boys ahead of them than the artwork. “What’s wrong, Kevvie?” Anya asked.
“Got a headache,” Ryan responded. He glanced at the boys. “Really, Kat? No.”
“Come on. He’s cute,” Katya complained.
Ryan made a face. “He’s a jerk.”
Anya threw her arm around Ryan’s shoulders, noting his wince as their skin came into contact. “Aaww, are you jealous?”
“Of him? Please.” He tried to wiggle out of Anya’s hold. “Lemme go.”
She eyed him for a moment before turning him loose. “Better or worse?” she asked in a low voice.
“Today?” He shrugged. “I don’t think it really matters.” Glancing around, he found the exit to the gallery. “I’m going to… go find a quiet spot.”
“The Sisters won’t be happy,” Katya warned.
“I’m not leaving the museum,” Ryan said. “I just want to see if I can find a quieter spot.”
“You wanted to see the arms and armour,” Anya reminded him.
“So come get me in about ten minutes,” Ryan told her. “I just need to get away from all these people.”
Esposito pushed through the crowd in the atrium, trying not to be brutal about it, but needing to get away from Aaron. He’d made a decision when Coach had started talking to him about baseball and all the ways he could leave the neighborhood. He knew he was breaking his mama’s heart by getting in trouble with the law, but there hadn’t seemed like another way. Coach had given him another way though and he was determined to see it through. He’d been doing pretty well staying away from Aaron and the others since he’d gotten out of juvie, but a class trip had given them enough time to corner him.
Shoving his hands into his pockets, he headed towards the back entrance, intending to get a breath of fresh air. The atrium was more crowded then he’d been expecting though and his senses spiked as he tried to fight his way through the crowd.
The material of his pockets was rough on his hands, scratching at his skin. His hearing faded in and out, throwing off his balance for a minute. The chatter around him sounded like so many television shows, all on full blast as he tried to work his way through the crowd. For a moment, his sight telescoped as if he was using a set of binoculars set on ultimate magnification, then zoomed back out so he could barely see anything at all. He blinked and it was like he was suddenly watching a black and white television.
Shaking his head, Esposito kept it down as he tried to make his way towards the door. He was pretty sure he hadn’t lost track of it, but everything seemed a monumental task at the second.
Ryan almost groaned allowed when he reached the atrium and realized it was even more crowed then that Impressionists wing that he had just left. For a moment, he considered heading back to Katya and Anya before finding one of the Sisters to plead illness. His headaches were well-known enough that they would probably call one of his parents. The problem was he’d been looking forward to this trip and didn’t want to go home. He was sure if he just got some air, he’d feel better.
He was concentrating so much on keeping his head down and making it through the crowd without making a scene or throwing up that he didn’t see the older teen until he ploughed right into him.
Esposito grabbed at the slight boy as the kid bounced off him, just preventing him from hitting the faux marble floor. Hard. “Are you okay, kid?”
The kid shook off his grip, glaring up at him for a minute from under floppy bangs. “I’m fine,” he spat angrily, shoving the hair out of his face. “Why don’t you watch where you’re going, you… you… big… lug?!”
Biting his lip so he didn’t laugh at what was apparently supposed to be an insult, Esposito realized he was still holding onto the kid’s flannel shirt. Abruptly he let go, although he felt an instant loss and wanted to gather the kid back to him.
Released, the kid crossed his arms and continued to glare at him. “Are you mute as well as a bulldozer?”
Esposito opened his mouth to respond and drew in a breath of air, inadvertently inhaling the kid’s scent. His face contorted as he tried to place the aroma, his hands automatically reaching for the younger boy again, but the kid was twisting out of his grasp and backing away, an unreadable look on his face.
Ryan realized the exact second there was something different in front of him. His face changed as he almost lunged towards the smaller boy, but Ryan took advantage of his size and ducked away.
Eeling through the crowd, Ryan ran; not towards the open doorway but towards the paintings he’d left. Towards Katya and Anya and safety.
The girls had obviously been looking for Ryan because they met him halfway up the stairs, sandwiching him between their bodies and hustling him away from the crowds to a quiet corner. For a few minutes, they fussed silently over him, until Anya finally asked, “What happened, Kevvie?”
“I don’t. I’m not.” Ryan shook his head. “I ran into someone.”
“Did he hurt you?!” Katya demanded. She turned as if to go hunt down the culprit, but both Anya and Ryan grabbed her, pulling her back to them.
Anya and Katya were still fretting over him when the Sisters descended on them ten minutes later like an avenging thunderstorm.
Ryan couldn’t help the involuntary step back when he felt the two nuns approaching them, but at least he stifled the shirk that wanted to pop out. “Mister Ryan. Misses Tarasovitch,” the older of the two started when they were close enough to address the three students without raising her voice. “What were you told about running off?”
“We didn’t leave the museum, Sister Mary Catherine,” Anya answered immediately with a bright smile. “I didn’t realize that meant we had to stay in the Egypt exhibit.”
Confronted by the least disobedient student in the school, Sister Mary Catherine didn’t quite know what to do and finally clucked her tongue at them and pointed towards the exit. “Go.”
Herded out ahead of the two nuns, Ryan whispered, “Thanks” as they were swept up with the rest of the group.
Esposito gulped mouthfuls of air, trying to figure out where the boy had disappeared to. For one brief moment, everything had been crystal clear, sharp and in focus. Then everything went completely haywire again as the boy vanished and only sheer willpower stopped Esposito from crashing to his knees.
He was trying to pull himself into some semblance of control when he felt a heavy hand on his arm. “Espy, man, what’s going on?”
Jerking his arm out of Aaron’s grasp, Esposito growled, “I told you to stop calling me ‘Espy’! And nothing. What do you want?”
“Man, the teachers are going ballistic. Apparently we were supposed to stay all in one group or some shit. We gotta go.” Aaron shoved his hands in his pockets, jerking his head towards where Esposito could see their teachers attempting to gather everyone up.
Shrugging off the hand Aaron attempted to put back on his body, Esposito headed in the direction of the group, but not without one final look towards where he thought the kid had vanished. He knew he didn’t have a hope of seeing him again, but he couldn’t resist that final look.
