"In recognizing the humanity of our
fellow beings, we pay ourselves the
highest tribute."
—Thurgood Marshall

: REASSIGNMENT

     Barry glanced anxiously in Sebastián's direction, face screwed tight with guilt and friendly concern. The newest detective stood from his desk, manila file in hand as he ignored Barry and his partner, and began heading toward the copying room. Almost as soon as Sebastián was out of earshot, Barry turned to Joe as he was flipping through notes on the Gonzales case.

     "Why'd you have to do that to him?"

     If the question startled his father, Joe made certain to show no signs of it. He casually glanced up from the notepad, dark eyes flickering to meet Barry's before dancing away across the page again. For a moment it felt as if he'd never answer.

     Then he spoke in a quiet voice, "Because. He's getting too close to this meta stuff. Too close to you. How many people know about your other self already?"

     "And how many have actually talked about it?" Barry shot back. "Sebastián wouldn't have found out anyways, Joe. He's not—"

     "How could you know if he'd find out?" Joe abruptly let the notepad fall to the surface of his desk, hitting the wood with a gentle smack! to startle Barry. "He's a detective, Barr. It's his job to know things and to find things that people don't want to be found. If he didn't find out during this case, he would've found out during the next one. Or the next. He would be bound to find out eventually given that we're lying to him."

     Barry struggled to find the words swimming in his mind, struggled to defend Sebastián's behalf but the proper words did not surface.

     "We're not lying to him," he tried weakly.

     "We sure as hell aren't telling the truth," Joe pointed out. "He just got here yesterday with his boy. I think he should be more focused on his kid rather than running around asking to get himself killed because he couldn't leave the meta-humans alone."

     Barry winced slightly. He knew how dangerous meta-humans could be, he himself was one and the power behind every movement he made roared so obviously within him that he couldn't deny the point Joe was making. "Is that what this is about?" Barry asked, voice soft. He glanced over his shoulder to keep an eye out for Sebastián's inevitable return. "Keeping him safe so he can go home to his kid?"

     It took a long time for Joe to answer. In the time that his father took, Joe rubbed a hand over his weary face as if the action could somehow take with it his worries and concerns in one swipe, only to be disappointed by the shattering reality when he pulled his hand away, and his storm of emotions were still there, that such a gift would never be given to him. He would have to live with his actions, his emotions, his restless thoughts and nightmares about the dangers of this job. In that time, Joe already knew his answer. It took him moments to come directly to it.

     "Yes," he answered firmly. "That's exactly what this is about."

     Barry opened his mouth to speak again but a quick signal from Joe, which happened to be his father leaning over his desk while pretending to write something on his notepad, told him that Sebastián was walking back to his desk. Their conversation was over.

     Slowly, Barry stood to leave so the pair could go meet with Carmine Ortega, but his eyes found Sebastián's for a brief moment. He sent a small smile the detective's way, hoping to pull him from his reverie and assure him that everything would work out for him. Barry wasn't sure whether it worked; Sebastián halfheartedly returned the smile but sat in his desk and began writing rapidly across the papers.

     He was back to work. Back to the business and back to what he'd been transferred for.

     Captain Singh knew of Barry's alter ego, he'd willingly bent to the plan proposed by Joe and while Barry could tell it had upset the man deeply, he couldn't help but feel it was the right decision. They were protecting him from himself.

     That felt right. It felt just.

     Barry turned away and led the path out of the central hub, Joe following behind at a much slower pace. He could feel Sebastián's eyes burning curious holes into his back, the detective knew where they were going. He knew they were going to meet Carmine Ortega and as badly as Barry wanted to invite him along for the first meeting with Jason Bureka, he knew it would be better if Sebastián stayed behind at the police station where he'd be safe.

     Carmine had been right about one thing for sure: Jason Bureka was not a good guy.

────────

     By the time Sebastián left the C.C.P.D., it was late at night and the sun had fallen well below the horizon. Both Barry and Joe had left him at his desk long ago and he'd spent the rest of his Saturday filling out a report about what he'd covered in the Gonzales case with Joe, including everything from how they'd canvassed the neighborhood to how he'd kicked down the front door at Jason's old home. It was mandatory and he hated it — he hated how he'd had to admit in writing that he'd overlooked something which resulted in his immediate removal from the case.

     While pride-stinging, Sebastián found a sort of release in it. Whether or not Joe had done this, he didn't care. The case was in good and capable hands and he'd just have to make sure he could prove his worth to Captain Singh, and Joe.

     Pending this new change in Sebastián's status on the case, Singh had sent him a memo (probably not wanting to confront him in front of the entire police department, scared of making some sort of scene like in his office) informing him that he'd be working with another detective on his first non meta-human case. The detective, Sebastián had learned, was named William Morgan and he was C.C.P.D.'s version of a scruffy, dirty street dog.

William Morgan had a spotty record. There were numerous complaints against his conduct and his interrogation methods but he did have some of the highest arrest rates in the department. Whatever method his madness was requiring was obviously working for him. Sebastián had been given a copy of Morgan's file and was glancing over it once more while sitting at his kitchen table when a wave of exhaustion hit him.

He slumped in his chair.

He'd been so consumed in his thoughts about his temporary partner that Sebastián had lost track of the time. He left the file sitting open on the table and made his way upstairs on silent feet, listening to the floor adjust under his weight. Sebastián glanced down the hallway at Holden's room, staring at the door wistfully.

Under Holden's door, Sebastián could see the lights were off. His son was more than likely asleep and, as much as Sebastián knew they needed to have a talk, it would have to wait until morning so they could focus on the content of their conversation versus their fatigue. He turned away and opened the door to his room, closing it behind him as slowly and as quietly as possible.

────────

     The chilly night air pulled at the leaves of the oak trees filling Carmine Ortega's yard and the resulting whispers sent the hairs on Barry's arms standing on end. His green eyes surveyed the scene as it unfolded before them but at the moment, all was quiet and Jason hadn't arrived yet. Barry sent a curious glance over at Joe, trying to catch his eyes. The darkness surrounding them placed Joe's features in a softness not often seen on the hardworking man's face.

     And between them the air felt heavier than it had in weeks, even worse than it had been when Barry had been keeping secrets from Joe and telling him half-truths his father could easily see through. The experience weighing his belt ensured him that — the opportunity to catch when people were being dishonest with him, and the chance to seize control of the moments where neither person could find the words to speak what was on their mind. Moments like these.

"Listen, Barr," Joe's voice came out gentle and quiet as if he were forcing himself to remain impassive. "I know you might not understand it yet, but there's a duty a parent has to their child. A duty and a responsibility that comes above all else."

"I understand that," he tried softly.

Joe shrugged his wide shoulders while turning his eyes away to scan the path leading up to Carmine's home. The kitchen light was on where the Latino man had assured the pair he'd be waiting, after incredulously wondering where Detective Belmonte was, of course, and reiterating that Spanish was probably going to be the dominating language of the conversation which 'only Detective Belmonte seemed to understand out of all of C.C.P.D.' Given Carmine's occupation and history with the police department, it seemed as though he knew what he was talking about.

The soft beams of moonlight broke through the barrier of clouds overhead and lit the already-dim car into something more suitable for reading facial expressions. Whatever had passed on Joe's face between his silence and his words had already gone; Barry had just missed it.

     "Maybe you do, maybe you don't." Joe didn't meet Barry's eyes. "But you'll never really get it until you're a parent yourself, Barr. Sebastián's main priority right now is his son. Mine was, and almost always has been, you and Iris. No matter what the job brought up or the dangers that I had to place myself in, my first thoughts were always of you and of Iris."

     Joe finally turned to look into his son's eyes, meeting them unflinchingly.

     "Our children are what keeps us going when nothing else can. Our children are what we live for, what we'd die for. Sebastián knows that, he feels it deep inside of him just the same as me, but he's younger. He's a lot younger than me, Barry, and I don't think he completely grasps the gravity of how serious these meta-human cases are; of how dangerous. I'm not going to be the one to tell his son his daddy's dead."

     "Joe..." Barry's face softened like butter under the heat of a hot day. He leaned closer across the seats and reached out to place a placating hand on his father's own dark-skinned one. "You're not going to. I'm sure he can handle himself. What you did wasn't fair, even if you're trying to protect him. I understand what you're saying but—" Barry broke off with a heavy sigh. He drew his hand back. "We don't know the guy yet."

     "No, we don't," Joe agreed instantly. "Which is why we have to be careful, for his sake and for ours. Cisco still doing the background check on him?"

     Just like that, the topic had changed directions. Barry knew this question would come up, it was inevitable. As much as Barry sorely opposed the idea of digging into someone's past when they could just ask them, Cisco and Caitlin had made very strong cases for doing so ahead of time to avoid surprises down the road. The results they'd yielded so far were vast and they had barely scratched the surface of Sebastián's and Holden's history.

     He still felt weird to think about it.

     "Yeah."

     "Find anything yet?"

     "Nothing we didn't know already," Barry glanced back across Carmine Ortega's yard to avoid looking back at Joe. The trees continued to guard the front door as if they, too, could sense the danger approaching in the form of a man named Jason. "Sebastián Belmonte worked as a police officer for Greenville, he helped run an intelligence division in Chicago for a few years, and was a detective at Greenville up until his transfer a couple of days ago."

     "Why was he transferred?"

     "He applied for it." Barry answered simply. He'd known, after reading the basics of the transfer history, that the truth was much more complicated. Sebastián had been denied his chance to leave Greenville twice before it was finally accepted, and without any reason attached to the decision. Whoever was pulling the strings in that small Nebraskan town had clearly wanted to keep Sebastián there, regardless of how he and his son had felt.

     Joe made a sound of understanding.

     Barry decided to indulge his father more, "While he was in Chicago he was a model detective. No complaints, no problems. He was everything that the division needed but Holden drew him back to Greenville. They both grew up there but it was their home, I guess. Then the business with his son happened—"

"Don't tell me." Joe interrupted. "I don't want to know unless Sebastián tells me. It's private."

A fair request. Barry nodded solemnly, knowing the dark truth of what had happened with Sebastián's son; knowing it was something that would upset a good father like Joe at just the thought of it, at the notion that the very same violation could have happened to his own son at a young age.

After all, it wasn't their business to be poking around the man's life, or his son's.

Barry knew they were protecting Sebastián by keeping him off of meta-human cases, he knew they were protecting his own alter ego, and Barry also knew that it would be for the best in concerns for everyone considering the amount of trouble and danger Team Flash had on their plate already. Despite knowing all of this and more, Barry couldn't help but feel guilty for knowing things he hadn't been told in confidence and the guilt gnawed away at the bottom of his stomach, threatening to tear him open.

     Headlights shone on the road as a car pulled up directly in front of Carmine's house. The engine died quietly and the trees took up their whispering in the breeze once more as if warning Jason Bureka to behave himself.

     Barry leaned forward to the edge of his seat, squinting to see the tall figure more clearly. Jason was wearing a long black overcoat to cover a rather expensive looking suit. His hair was slicked back and stubble coated his chin as if he'd woken up and forgotten to shave every day for a week straight.

Joe stiffened in his seat. His hand went to the car door, about to open it and confront the man but Barry reached over and made a motion for Joe to stop. They exchanged a glance.

"Carmine has a wire, let's just listen for a minute," Barry reasoned. "See what Mr. Ortega can get from Jason willingly before we go in."

"You mean before I go in."

Barry frowned, the action creating unhappy lines on his face. "No, I'm going in too."

Joe was gathering the equipment they'd need to listen to Carmine and Jason's conversation as Jason approached the front door slowly. He was taking his time, he was clearly comfortable in his current position of power over the landlord. It put Barry on edge, skin prickling with anger, as his father got the last word in.

"No you're not. You ran into Jason once before, remember? Just a few days before Sebastián arrived? You didn't do too well then and you're sure as hell not ready now."

"What makes you think you can han—"

"Shh," Joe shoved a pair of headphones into Barry's hands as he jammed his own pair over his ears. The men inside were already speaking.

"Hola señor Bureka," Carmine sounded nervous already. Barry watched as he opened the door for Jason and reluctantly allowed the man into his home. "¿Cómo estás esta noche?"

"Hello Carmine, I'm fine, thank you."

A grimace found itself on Barry's face. Jason sounded just as self-assured and as confident as he had when he'd used his meta-human powers to stop Barry where he stood, to make him do things against his own will. Joe cast a cursory glance at Barry, probably to make sure he was okay, but he didn't rise to look back at Joe. He couldn't.

"Bueno, bueno."

"Lets get straight to it then," rustling of paper could be heard through Carmine's wire, "Here's your eight hundred, here's the rent, and I believe this will be our last transaction. ¿No te atreves a decir una palabra de esto a alguien, entiéndeme? Si lo haces, te mataré a ti ya tu hija."

"What's he saying?" Joe wondered quietly. His brow curved downward in confusion.

"I have noooo idea," Barry confessed, frustration ringing clear in his voice. He suddenly regretted not taking a language class in high school because, in that moment, it could've been extremely helpful. "It's Spanish."

Despite not understanding the content of Jason's words, the pair sitting in the car could feel Carmine Ortega's reaction to the dominating presence presenting himself in the middle of the man's home. They could hear the sharp intake of breath and something in the back of his mind told Barry that Carmine had been threatened once again.

Nevertheless, it didn't stop the man from finding his words.

"Sí señor."

"'Sí señor', ¿qué?" Jason demanded. Barry could practically hear the smirk in his voice and it made him sick to his stomach to think about the power that voice could wield.

However, Carmine was quick to amend, "Si señor, entiendo."

Joe pulled off the headphones with the rapidity of a lightning strike. In just a few moments he was out of the car and heading across Carmine's darkened yard, hand on the handle of his gun, and making to intercept Jason before he could get back in his blue car.

Skin itching for action; for movement, for anything, Barry discarded the headphones and placed his hand on the car door. If Jason made a move on his father, he'd be upon them in less than a second. Even a Mesmer like Jason wouldn't be able to see the Flash coming to stop him.

────────

"Dad, I don't wanna talk about it."

     "Holden, I think you need to!" Sebastián fretted and ran a hand through his constantly messy hair. He pulled more books from the boxes they were unpacking. "You need to confide in someone that's not me. I'm too involved, I'm too emotional. This therapist, whoever I happen to find, will be good for you."

     "Dad!" Holden whipped around to face Sebastián, turning his back on the bookshelf he was organizing. His voice cracked and sounded sad, ashamed. The sound of it hurt Sebastián's heart. "What do you want from me?! You-You want me to talk about what David did to me? You want me to just admit that I'm pathetic and helpless? That I couldn't watch out for myself? Is that what you want, Dad?"

     Guilt weighed down heavy on Sebastián's shoulders. His tongue and throat were coated in bitterness and the taste of copper as he tried to swallow the lump forming in his throat. "No, Hol," he was surprised to hear his voice shake. "I... I just want you to come to terms with it. I don't want you to still feel like it was somehow your fault—"

     Holden looked away, shadows falling over his face. "Wasn't it?"

     Sebastián's eyes widened at the suggestion of such a thing. He got up from his sitting position on the ground, moving past the open boxes to pull Holden closer to him. His son, who'd done nothing to deserve the horrible things David Rodriguez had done to him, was hurting and it was so visible to him that it nearly brought him to tears. The urge to cry pushed eagerly at the corners of his eyes, begging to release the tears within, but Sebastián just hugged Holden and kept him close.

     "Don't you ever think that," Sebastián snapped, speaking directly into his ear. "Don't ever think that. What happened was not your fault, you didn't ask for it! You weren't doing anything wrong. What he did is on him, not you. He made those choices, not you. You did what you needed to survive and nobody can tell you otherwise, understand me?"

     Holden nodded faintly against his shoulder, burrowing closer to his father as he submitted to the embrace and allowed his walls to come down. Sebastián could feel his shoulder getting wet and he knew Holden was crying. Worse so, he knew exactly why and he even knew what his son was thinking. No matter what Sebastián said, some part of Holden would always believe he'd brought David onto himself and that broke his heart.

     Sebastián choked back hot tears. "Say it. Say you understand. Say you understand, Hol."

     "... I understand."

     Even though they both knew it was a lie, Sebastián felt comfort that Holden could say it; that he could still find the will to lie and keep going. It was a sign of strength. Strength to continue and strength to find a way through the emotions he was feeling. Sebastián stood there and held his son for as long as he could, knowing that he had to find someone Holden could talk to and he had to do it fast. This resurfacing guilt, the dark thoughts that circled Holden's mind like wolves around their prey — it wasn't acceptable. He was still just a kid and the amount of adversity he'd already faced was incredible.

     Sebastián prayed he could hold on just a little longer, he prayed that his son would find solace and peace in Central City and in the distance it offered him from the teenager who'd brutally raped him in Greenville.

     When the pair finally pulled away from each other, Sebastián reached over and ruffled Holden's hair affectionately. He knew he had to try and change the subject. "School starts tomorrow."

     Holden sniffled quietly, wiping his cheeks free of the tears that shined there. As if he could read Sebastián's mind, Holden played along to the change of tune. "Yeah," he croaked, "I know. I'm not looking forward to it."

     "That's okay," Sebastián shrugged, trying to maintain a calm and collected exterior. He didn't want Holden to see how desperately he was clinging to the blatant lie he'd forced his son to parrot back to him. "There's, um, there's some girl that's supposed to show you around tomorrow. She's on the student council, her name's Cecile Meyers if I remember correctly. Maybe she can be your friend."

     "Dad, that's so lame."

     "How?"

     Holden shrugged and rolled his eyes, turning back to the bookshelf. He was busy sorting the books by author surnames, busy back to being himself once more. "She doesn't want to be my friend, she's just gonna show me around because she has to. It's different."

     "Ah c'mon!" Sebastián shook his head and returned to his previous position. The feeling in the air around them returned to something symbolic of normal. "Make her a friend. You're good at that, right?"

     "No, I'm awkward and can barely look someone in the eyes, Dad."

     Sebastián leveled his son with a scorching look. "But you look me in the eyes. What's so different? She's helping you out by showing you around and if you just be your usual, somewhat charming self then I'm sure she'll love you right away. It's not that hard to interact with people, bud."

     Holden sighed. "It is for me."

     "I know," he nodded slowly, looking down at a stack of books inside the box. "I know. Just... keep an open mind tomorrow, okay?"

     "Sure." Holden left the bookshelf and plopped down on the living room couch with a heavy breath. He laid on his back, legs thrown over the arm of the couch while he stared up at the ceiling. "So Dad," he began, waiting patiently for some brief acknowledgement of his words.

     "Hmm?" Sebastián was looking down at one of the books in the stack, reading the back of it. It was a book by Christopher Paolini. A book he'd never personally read but Holden had loved so much and had been pushing his father to read for the past month. So far, going off of the synopsis, Sebastián wasn't sure why he hadn't already picked it up before.

     Holden's voice caught him off guard. "Can we please just take a moment to talk about the Flash?"

     This was far different than anything he'd expected to hear from his son. Eyes slowly raising to meet Holden's insistent stare, Sebastián rose an eyebrow in question. "Sure," he shrugged. "What about him?"

     "Well I heard he helps the police."

     "I think I know where this is going," Sebastián nodded knowingly. He placed the book in his lap and leaned back onto the heels of his hands, gripping the carpet beneath him. "You want to know what I know, right? You want to meet him?"

     As if his mind had been read, Holden's cheeks and neck turned pink in embarrassment. A shy smile spread across his lips, transforming his face into something bright and happy that Sebastián hadn't seen in a long time. "Yeah, exactly."

     "Knew it," Sebastián smiled. "And I don't know much about him yet. He runs faster than should be possible, he's a different kind of human; a meta-human. From what I've heard he's a good guy." Sebastián listed off nonchalantly, shrugging a little. "Though I'm not sure if you can meet him."

     "Aww, why not?" Holden complained with a quiet whine, a frown instantly forming to take over the smile that was there just moments before.

     "Because."

     "Because?"

Sebastián sighed, an involuntary grin pulling the corners of his lips up in amusement. A short breath of laughter escaped as he shook his head. Holden's persistence was something he had learned to admire. "Because I said so, dork. I haven't even met him and until I do, you definitely won't. He's probably busy anyways."

────────

Already, five minutes after meeting William Morgan, they had a case to jump onto. It had been hand-delivered by Singh himself to Sebastián's desk, though he'd avoided eye contact with the detectives while they were talking to each other. The avoidance was making Sebastián feel that he'd overreacted yesterday in Singh's office. The guilt was gnawing away at the sack of his stomach, making him shift in his seat when Singh dropped the file and left.

     "I'll be damned," Morgan muttered under his breath. "We get a case before anyone else. Must be a goddamn holiday."

     Sebastián ignored Morgan as his partner reached over to grab the file and abruptly left his desk, heading towards the Captain's office with a long stride. His steps were weighed down by the embarrassment he felt after reacting the way he did, and there was only one way to fix it.

     The door clicked shut behind him as Singh stiffened in his seat. "Belmonte? Something wrong?"

     He remained silent as he sat in the chair opposite of Singh's desk. The Captain didn't try to push him to talk as Sebastián raised his eyes to Singh's. He waited and watched and listened.

     "Sir," Sebastián began, "about yesterday... I wanted to apologize for my behavior. It was erratic and completely uncalled for." His eyes flickered away from his boss's. "However, I do maintain that it is complete BS to remove me from the case. Anyone, sir, anyone could have made the same mistake as me. A colleague agreed with me on this yesterday and I see no reason I should be removed."

     He held his breath, waiting for his boss to respond.

     Sebastián knew it would be futile to argue himself back onto the case but he did want to make a point to Singh: people make mistakes. Real, everyday people make real, everyday mistakes. If his boss expected perfection, he would be sorely disappointed by everyone around him.

     "Mr. Belmonte, I appreciate the gesture of apology."

     The detective nodded.

     "But you're not getting back on the Gonzales case, I'm sorry. I really am, but you succeeded in rocking the boat somehow and your misconduct was reported to—"

     "Wait, wait," Sebastián held up a hand, brow furrowing in confusion. "Misconduct? What in the hell is this 'misconduct' you're just now bringing up?"

     Captain Singh's eyes betrayed a shadow of doubt as he struggled to lower his voice so their conversation could not be heard. "Misconduct, Mr. Belmonte; misconduct wherein you have broken department regulations to bend the rules in your favor."

     "What misconduct?"

     "Breaking down the door of the Bureka residence without reasonable cause. Bringing a civilian onto scene without prior permission. That's just what I was told."

     Teeth grinding, Sebastián found it hard not to seethe as he spoke. "Who told you that bullcrap?"

     Singh leaned forward while pushing his elbows against the corner of the desk. His voice was light, quiet and hard to hear but his voice sounded truly apologetic. "I can't tell you that and you know it, Belmonte. I'm sorry."

     Sebastián took a deep breath in and out, remembering to breathe slowly and oxygenate the blood going to his brain. It was the first step in keeping a clear mind and maintaining his relaxed composure. Out of Singh's line of sight, his fist clenched into a tight ball.

     "It's okay," he was surprised his voice didn't sound as angry as he felt.

     "Good," Singh replied good-naturedly with a nod. "Good. Is that all you wanted to discuss, Mr. Belmonte?" He leaned back in his seat again. His questionable gaze caught on Sebastián's every move; he was missing nothing.

     There was one more thing picking at the edges of his mind, something that he worried would bite him in the future.

     "About the misconduct—"

     "It's been taken care of." Singh assured him in a calm voice. He avoided Sebastián's eyes as if there were more he wanted to say but found that he couldn't. There was more going on here than what Sebastián could see, it made him wonder the motives of taking him off of meta-human cases once more but, at the moment, there was nothing he could do.

"You don't need to worry about it," the captain was saying, "just... don't do it again. Please." And that was the end of the conversation.

────────

Sebastián got the feeling that Morgan was the kind of cop who just sits back and watches the people of Central City destroy themselves, like he was a spectator who couldn't intervene until it was time for cleanup duty to arrive. He didn't seem very active when investigating the case they'd gotten just that morning, Morgan was completely comfortable with letting Sebastián do all the legwork.

"You're the newbie," Morgan kept saying. "You should do it."

"And you're a Senior Detective, you should be working with me not against me." Sebastián reminded his new partner, trying to remain as polite as possible. Across from Sebastián's desk Joe was nowhere to be seen. He hadn't come to the hub in the entire time Sebastián had been at work after leaving Holden to his own devices at the house and, when he was just thinking about it, Barry hadn't been spotted around the department anywhere. Maybe it was family business. Or maybe they both got the day off.

Morgan leveled Sebastián with a face that said, 'Does it look like I care?'

"Before you say it," Sebastián grumbled and turned away from Joe's desk to stare at the file sitting in his lap. "No. It doesn't look like you care at all."

"Nice detective skills. See? You're doing great already, newbie."

"Whose idea was it that we work together? I'm doing everything. You could at least look over the criminal records of our suspects." Sebastián flipped a page, glancing over the financial records with sharp eyes. He wasn't having a nice time with this detective at all.

Morgan was rude, ignorant, arrogant — everything Sebastián loathed, everything that reminded him of his old boyfriend in Greenville, Raphael. That was a story that had not ended well for either of them, one that made Sebastián wonder at how stupid he was as a teenager. How could he allow himself to hang out around people like that? Around thugs and addicts? It was a wonder he managed to pull himself out of that vicious circle.

Sebastián briefly glanced up at Morgan, who was leaning back in a chair so far it looked like it would topple over and he'd hit his head on the desk behind him; like the way kids sit in class. The older man looked to be reading a book but when Sebastián's eyes found the cover, it was upside-down. He squinted his eyes to see the title, struggling to read it. The detective recognized the book as something thin and not even a book at all.

Morgan was reading a comic book. One of the Marvel ones that Holden had in his collection.

"My son reads comics," Sebastián tried to connect with Morgan, pushing himself to look back down at the growing pile of files in his lap. A phone rang a few desks over, a detective quickly answered it. He didn't see Morgan's reaction but his partner stopped leaning the chair back, and the rustle of paper told Sebastián he'd closed the comic book. The burning feeling of eyes on him told Sebastián that Morgan was studying him closely.

"Really?" Morgan sounded genuinely curious. "How old is he?"

The question was a shock. He'd never expected Morgan, of all people he'd met so far in Central City, to give half a damn about anything pertaining to the life of his partner. Once the shock wore off, Sebastián found himself raising his eyes to meet Morgan's, head still bent at an angle to read the words on the page.

"Seventeen."

Morgan nodded, the ghost of a smile lighting up his face. "Seventeen's a good age. What's his name?"

     Sebastián leaned back in his chair. A thin, teasing smile crossed his lips as everything fell into place. Morgan liked children. He now knew his partner enjoyed the simplicity of children. "Holden." Sebastián felt proud to say the name. "What about you, Morgan? Got any kids of your own?"

     "Nah," Morgan shook his head. "Not my kinda lifestyle, you know?"

     "It's not for everyone," Sebastián agreed.

     "But kids are great," his new partner quickly tried to amend his previous statement. "They're so positive all the time. Teenagers are a little different," Morgan shrugged, "but they're refreshing compared to some adults. Honest, usually. Or at least straightforward."

     "I can understand that. Holden's a good kid. He doesn't normally lie to me but he's... he's more shy than other teenagers." Sebastián turned away from Morgan, feeling his partner's probing stare at his back as he moved papers around and pretended to look busy. He hoped Morgan couldn't tell that there was something more behind his words, but Sebastián knew the senior detective could feel a difference in the conversation. Even Sebastián could.

     Morgan leaned back in his chair to resume his normal position. Sebastián heard the comic book open as the conversation came to a steady halt. He released a deep sigh and ran a steady hand through his hair, ruffling it and pushing it back from his forehead.

     "I won't ask," Morgan's voice caught Sebastián's ear. "But he's not alone."

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A/N. Let me know what you guys think! I don't like silent readers and I appreciate all comments whether they be constructive criticism or just random thoughts.

I posted on my message board but I just saw the kid who helped inspire Sebastián while at my friend's house. His name's Connor and he's even got the left ear piercing and everything, plus he looks similar to Jon Seda. It's insane.

Though Connor gives more gangster vibes than anything. He is a slightly terrifying but immensely fun child. But yeah. :) Thanks for reading this random author note.