Secrets

He didn't know. How could he have? There was never any hint, any indication. Not until Castle and his bets and that kiss. But when Ryan squares his shoulders, throws one last glare over his shoulder at a preening Castle, and crosses the break room to take Esposito's face in his hands and kiss him, Esposito lets him. Everything's warm and soft and wet, and Esposito's fingertips touch his cheek-a mere whisper of a caress-but he doesn't pull away. And when Ryan does, Esposito looks stunned and surprised and happy, and Ryan feels like complete scum because he didn't know.

Handcuffs

Esposito doesn't realize his handcuffs are missing until he reaches for them and comes up empty. Back at the precinct, he tears through his desk and locker. He finds a letter from his grandmother, a dull shark's tooth, fifteen dollars, and a grape lollipop, but no handcuffs. Finally, he turns to Ryan and exclaims, "Where did they go?"

And Ryan, with a completely smooth face that does nothing to betray the fact that his wrists are still a little red and raw under his shirt sleeves, looks him straight in the eye and calmly says, "Maybe they're on your nightstand."

Time Travel

The world starts to spin funny every time Ryan kisses Esposito. It's the only explanation he can think of for the way time fluctuates when they're together. Their lips brush and the clock ticks slower. A single slide of Esposito's tongue against his and they're whipping around the sun so fast that they should fly off the earth's surface. Every moment stretches into an eternity when he grazes his teeth over Esposito's lower lip, and his heartbeat rivals a hummingbird's when Esposito gasps against his mouth. Ryan's always believed in time travel, but he never thought it'd be like this.

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