Work Text:
“Thanks again for letting me stay here, I really appreciate it.”
Ryan spoke as he placed his bag down next to Esposito’s couch, taking no time settling himself in the place he’d been a thousand times already. Maybe there was an upside to his apartment flooding - for the foreseeable future, he got to spend all his time with his best friend/coworker/long-time crush. Although, when he thought about it, that might turn out to be a downside. After all, he didn’t know how he’d react to seeing Esposito so domestic - making breakfast, blasting music through his speakers and dancing around his apartment, fresh out the shower-
Right. Apartment, flooded. This was only temporary, so Ryan should act accordingly; that is, like a guest. Not a high school girl with a debilitating crush on the quarterback.
He took his usual spot on the couch, nestled between two cushions right on the very end - it came in handy when he came over to watch the game, with a table right next to him for him to place his beer and snacks. Conveniently, it also provided ample space between him and Esposito, which was for the best. At work, they may not have kept too much space between them - some may even suggest they took every opportunity to get as close to each other as humanly possible.
That was work, though. This was Esposito’s apartment, his home, and it felt much more personal. Close. So the space was necessary.
Esposito responded from behind him, “No problem, bro. Hey, it’s good for me - you’re basically a free removal service.”
Ryan peered around at the array of cardboard boxes that scattered across the wooden floor, and a part of him ached. This was the place he’d shared some of his most treasured memories with Esposito, and knowing he was about to move and leave that all behind struck a nerve. Sure, he’d always have the memories, but it would feel weird walking into a new space and not knowing the ins and outs like the back of his hand.
Whatever. Esposito was moving, and he was right - when Ryan woke up (back inevitably aching from sleeping on the couch) he would be right there to carry every box into the back of a moving van. Anything for his best friend.
He felt the other man’s presence behind him before he heard his voice.
“Speaking of- I’ll be needing those,” Esposito spoke, and Ryan could hear the amused grin through his words as he yanked the cushions from beneath him. Feigning offence, Ryan brought a hand to his heart and gasped, before watching Esposito walk across the room and laughing with him as he pushed the cushions down into a spare box. His fake offence didn’t last long, and he felt himself relax back into the couch while Esposito busied himself around the apartment. The next couple of hours went by in a blur - for Ryan, it was a mixture of mindlessly scrolling through his phone, staring at the various sports paraphernalia on the wall across from him, and drifting in and out of sleep. The first twenty minutes consisted solely of him telling Esposito that he felt guilty for not helping him pack, and the other man firmly grabbing his shoulder and pushing him back down onto the couch, insisting he deserved some rest after the day he’d had. It was useless trying to argue any further - as much as Ryan would like to wrestle with the absolute greek god standing above him, he couldn’t muster up the energy, and so admitted defeat fairly easily.
He was woken up around eight when he felt the weight of the other man slumping down onto the other side of the couch with an exhausted sigh. Once again, he felt the guilt of sitting uselessly while Esposito worked tirelessly, but restarting that argument wouldn’t do any good. Instead, he just shot him an empathetic smile, and offered to order pizza.
“Ehh, kinda in a Chinese takeout mood tonight. That okay with you, bro?”
Ryan just nodded and pulled out his phone, busying himself in an attempt to cover up how his heart stung at the ‘bro’ thrown on the end. This attempt was unsuccessful, however, as his screen lit up with a faded ‘no battery’ symbol.
Sucking in a breath through his teeth, Ryan waved his phone in the air, “Phone’s dead. Charger went down in the waves. You go-”
Before he could request to borrow Esposito’s, he was out of his seat, grabbing Ryan’s phone from his hand and walking over to his own outlet.
“Of course. I’ll order off mine, no worries.”
With that, Esposito left the room, leaving Ryan sat alone on the couch again, wondering where his partner had wandered off to and why - his phone, the one he was supposedly ordering from, was on the coffee table.
His questions were (partly) answered when Esposito emerged from the doorway with a duffel bag in his hands, dropping it in Ryan’s lap gently. It only took one look up at him, Ryan’s eyebrow raised in questioning, to prompt him to explain.
“Clothes. I know all your stuff got wet, and I’d find something else for you to wear, but it’s all in boxes, so… it’s my undercover bag. All the essentials - should be comfortable enough to sleep in.”
He looked strangely sheepish as he rubbed the back of his neck and smiled softly, as if he thought Ryan would judge him for something. Instead, he just got up off the couch and patted Esposito’s arm, thanking him before going to the bathroom to change.
Esposito ended up waiting nervously, finding his own place on the sofa and contemplating what he’d just done. He didn’t have much time to, though, as Ryan walked back into the main room soon after, and all Esposito could do was admire him.
A black zip-up hoodie hung off Ryan’s shoulders, partly zipped but loose enough to showcase a significant amount of skin - he’d opted for no shirt underneath. Height-wise, the men were fairly similar, but Esposito’s time in the military and its lasting habits meant there was a noticeable difference in the size of the two, and Ryan looked as if he were almost drowning in the fabric. As for the sweatpants, they fit pretty well in comparison, only serving to make him look that much more comfortable.
He looked so…domestic. Esposito couldn’t help but smile.
And he hated it. Because he knew he could never wear these clothes again without thinking of his unrequited crush on his best friend, and so will be forced to buy a whole new outfit.
He got over it quickly, patting the couch cushions beside him and inviting Ryan to settle down for the night while he fetched the food from where the doorbell had just rung. There was no game on, and considering how tired the two both seemed, Esposito deemed it acceptable to stick on one of the various telenovelas his abuela was always watching. From there, the night seemed to go smoothly, worries of unrequited love pushed to the backs of both of their minds while they bonded over laughing at overly-dramatic stories of cheating and ‘you stole my hair clip!’ for hours.
At some point, Esposito notices the lack of laughter from the other side of the sofa. When he looks over, he sees Ryan sprawled out, head resting on the arm of the couch and hand dangling off the side. He smiled softly, taking a minute to admire him once again. His hair was sticking out all over the place, bedhead already in full effect, and his chest rose and fell at a reassuringly steady pace. Ryan’s hand twitched slightly a couple of times, and Esposito chuckled under his breath - it was reminiscent of how a dog’s paw would go in the middle of a good dream.
Esposito rose off the couch after a few seconds, making his way toward his bedroom to give Ryan some privacy - that was, before he felt Ryan’s fingers wrap loosely around his wrist, prompting him to look down.
“Stay, please. I want you to.”
It took a moment to work out what Ryan was saying, through his sleepy mumbling, but it was unmistakable. In that moment, Ryan thought he stopped breathing - what if he had messed everything up? This friendship, this relationship he’d spent years cultivating, and he may have just broken it all down because his sleep-deprived brain couldn’t help but express his true thoughts. The wrist left his grip, and he was seconds away from tearing his fingers back toward his body and rolling over to pretend it never happened, when he felt Esposito climb carefully over him and settle beside him.
Opening his eyes cautiously, he found Esposito’s - neither of them speak, just smile. Ryan went to talk, nerves getting the better of him and compelling him to ask what this meant for them, when Esposito’s finger met with his lips, effectively silencing him.
“You like me, right?” Esposito questioned, a gentle smile on his face.
Ryan nodded, if anything a little stunned, and for a second, a wave of fear overcomes him. Esposito is about to tell him he doesn’t feel the same.
Esposito, apparently, sensed this, and spoke again almost immediately, finger not leaving Ryan’s lips.
“I like you too. Have done for a hell of a long time now, actually.”
Ryan smiled against Esposito’s finger.
Once again, Esposito could tell Ryan wanted to ask a million questions, but spoke before he got the chance.
“Then that’s all there is to it. The rest can wait until tomorrow.”
Before he knew it, Esposito had replaced his finger with his lips, pressing a gentle but firm kiss to Ryan’s. They don’t make out, they don’t lead up to anything more. It’s just enough to show their love, their passion for the other.
They separate after a moment, and readjust, so that Esposito is lying on his back with Ryan’s head resting comfortably on his chest, listening to his heartbeat steady. He smiled up at Esposito, and the other man pressed a sweet kiss to his forehead, lips curling upwards against his skin. Once again, almost reluctantly, he straightened out again, letting Ryan snuggle up to him, nuzzling his chest and placing a hand on his bicep. Esposito let his fingers card through Ryan’s slight curls - they weren’t as defined as his own, but they were certainly longer, and showed themselves more without the gel he applied daily.
“Goodnight, Javier.”
Ryan felt Javi’s heartbeat speed up momentarily.
“Goodnight, Kevin.”
Javi felt Kev smile against his chest.