Differences

Five

"How is he actually doing?" Casey asks after Evan leaves to grab some more beer and something else he wouldn't name from the store.
Kelly rubs a hand over his face. "Not great. He broke down the first day I was here, he was fine the second day but the third. Fuck, he didn't say anything to me until nearly midnight. He just wanted me to hold him, I think he was trying to crawl inside of my skin with me."
The frown on Casey's face deepens at his words. "Do you think it has something to do with the people he works with?"
"It has to. He doesn't talk to anyone else here." Kelly falls back into the couch before sitting back up. "You know I was at that station for barely ten minutes and I spotted so many violations or at least things that didn't seem right. At least by Chicago's standards."
Casey leans forward, "Is that why you asked what LAFD's regulations looked like?"
He nods, "And thank you for finding me what you did. I also texted Grissom."
"Jesus, Sev." The admission that Kelly had willingly got into touch with Grissom hit Casey hard. "It felt that bad?"
"Case, there is a glass wall that separates the floor from their lockers."
"On the second, right?"
Kelly shakes his head, watching as Casey groans. "Yeah, pretty much how I felt."

It's quiet between the two for a minute, before Kelly speaks again. "I'm scared, Matt." The use of his first name immediately catches the captain's attention. "I'm scared that this place has broken him so much that I won't be able to get him back."
"It hasn't. He asked for help, you have to remember that. He asked for help and you came running as soon as you could. He'll heal, it'll be a long process but he has you. That's all he needs right now."
Kelly nods, running a shaky hand through his hair. "Yeah, he'll be okay."

Evan comes bounding into the place nearly an hour after he left, breaking up the squabble that Kelly and Matt had gotten into over the last call they had together. Kelly looks around for what he bought, but only sees the beer.

They both talk to Matt for a few minutes before letting the man go, knowing that despite not having a shift, he had a busy day ahead of him. Kelly takes the offered beer from Evan, humming at the taste. "So, what else did you buy?"
Evan grins at him, before taking a pull of the beer. "What do you think I bought?"
There's a look in the younger's eyes that tells him what it might be, but Kelly shakes his head. Not willingly to give in just yet. "Cigars. You talked about finding a good place a while back."
Evan shakes his head, getting up. "I did get that, but I also got something else." He throws something at Kelly, making the man struggle to catch it and not spill his beer.
He almost expects it to be the cigars, but his breath catches when he sees what's in his hand. This was not what he had been expecting, not at all. "It's opened." Is all he manages to say.
"Why do you think I was gone for nearly an hour?"

Kelly lets out a laugh, of course it would happen like this. Like how he had expected, but also not at all. He stands up, placing his beer on the coffee table and letting the empty box fall out of his hands. Moving over to Evan, he takes the beer bottle from him and sets it on the kitchen counter, before backing him into it. He doesn't ask if he's sure, he wouldn't have done anything if he wasn't. Instead his hands find the younger's waist, grabbing him tight. "Here or upstairs?"
Evan grins, pressing into him. "How about both?"