"Each of you, as an individual, must pick
your own goals. Listen to others, but do
not become a blind follower."
—Thurgood Marshall

: FAMOUS INTRODUCTIONS

     "Hello Mr. Belmonte, pleasure to meet you," the principal of Central City High, a portly and distinguished man who had streaks of grey in his hair, held out a hand across his impeccably tidy desk to Sebastián. "And you, too, Holden. Please, sit." He beckoned the father and son to sit down in the comfortable armchairs stationed at the front of his desk. Across from Sebastián, the gold plated name-tag shined in his eyes.

     'RICK BLACKSTONE.'

     "It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Blackstone," Sebastián nodded in the man's direction, settling in the cozy green armchair. He glanced over to see Holden sit in the matching one. "So I guess I have a few questions for you," he looked back to the principal behind the desk. "About C.C.H.S. Is that okay?"

Rick Blackstone nodded, his head bobbing up and down quickly as he shifted in his seat. With the slowness of age, Rick's hands folded together and sat atop his prominent belly. "Of course, Mr. Belmonte, that's what I'm here for. Ask away."

Sebastián leaned forward in the armchair, unable to relax into it. "So C.C.H.S.... what's the policy with bullying?"

On his left, Holden let out a quiet groan and buried his face into his hands. Sebastián could see the heat rising up the back of Holden's neck as Blackstone rubbed his hands together. He felt bad for embarrassing his son but Holden's comfort would always come second to his safety.

"Dad," Holden complained quietly. "Do you seriously have to talk about that? Here, and now?"

Sebastián sent an apologetic glance in Blackstone's direction, then leaned over in the chair to speak directly with Holden. "Son," he emphasized, voice quietly stern like a parent scolding a child in public. "I don't want a repeat of last year, you hear me? Those kids were lucky I didn't find out that they were hurting you before we moved."

Holden remained quiet, face covered.

Before Sebastián could speak again, Blackstone cleared his throat quietly to draw the parent's attention away from his teen. "Erm — Mr. Belmonte — C.C.H.S. has a no-bullying policy put in place, and we are very adamant about ensuring both the emotional and physical safety of our students."

"Ah," Sebastián leaned back into his own chair now, leaving Holden to himself. "That's exactly what Greenville said too."

Blackstone lifted his chin, speaking airily. "While there is not a zero-tolerance policy in place, our staff deals with all instances of bullying as if there is a zero-tolerance policy. We pride ourselves on this determination that makes a visible difference within the social construct of C.C.H.S."

Sebastián sighed quietly, elbows resting on his knees. He reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand. "I need to make sure Holden is safe, Mr. Blackstone. If C.C.H.S. can't provide the safety my son needs—"

"Mr. Belmonte!" Blackstone interrupted, his voice softer and gentle. "I can personally assure the safety of your son. Holden will be safe here in Central City High, and if another student moves against him, I will handle the situation myself."

Sebastián rose his eyes to Blackstone again.

"I assure you," Blackstone was comforting him. "Nothing will happen in your son's remaining high school years."

"You can't promise that!" Holden finally spoke up, sitting straight in the armchair now. "Nobody can promise that. What if some other kid starts cyberbullying me or-or stalking me or something?"

Sebastián shared a glance with Blackstone. He turned to Holden and spoke quietly. "Are you worried about that? Has that happened before, and you didn't tell me?" Staring into Holden's green eyes, Sebastián already knew the answer; he already knew his son, the one person he was supposed to protect above all else, had been hurt far worse than he could have imagined.

A parent always knew the real answer.

But Holden lied. He shook his head, staring down at his knees quietly. "N-No, Dad, I was just saying. Like a what-if kind of thing. Don't take it so seriously."

Sebastián sighed again, turning away from Holden. He shook his head quietly, making a mental note to talk to Holden later about this. Blackstone leaned forward to his desk, staring directly at Holden. "Holden, if that happens, I implore you to alert me or another member of staff you trust. We will do everything in our power to help you, I promise."

Holden, as if at a loss for words, found himself quiet again. He nodded in understanding.

Blackstone finally turned to look back at Sebastián again. "Did you have any other questions, sir?"

Sebastián shook his head. "No, no, I just want to hear what else you've gotta tell me about C.C.H.S. before we go. If I end up having any more questions, I'll just email you again."

"Well," Blackstone leaned back in his overly large chair again. His hands found their way on top of his belly. "Get comfortable, Mr. Belmonte, I've got a few things to go over before you can leave."

────────

┌─────────────────────────┐
*New Message Received!
From: Holden
Dad, which box are my comics in?
└─────────────────────────┘

Sebastián glanced down at the message on his phone, sighing internally. Could it hurt the kid to just ask him to his father's face? He picked up the phone and typed a quick reply anyways, hitting send directly after. He re-read his reply to make sure it was acceptable and autocorrect hadn't messed up his text.

┌─────────────────────────┐
To: Holden
Labeled "H.C." for "Holden's comics."
(read 4:32 pm)
└─────────────────────────┘

Turning off his phone screen, Sebastián exited their new house and went to the car to grab the remaining boxes they'd brought with them. The moving truck would be coming early the next morning, but it, admittedly, didn't hold as much as one would think. Just some extra furniture, clothes, a few scrapbooks, and things they had to bring with them that couldn't fit in the car. Sebastián had bought the house furnished and it was worth the extra money, the furniture inside was in very good condition and complimented the color of the beige walls.

Stacking the last few boxes and balancing them in his arms, Sebastián kicked the car door closed with his foot. He turned and made his way over the threshold of their home, seeing Holden out of the corner of his eye as he made his way upstairs, an open box clutched between his hands.

"Did you find it?" Sebastián called out.

Holden paused on the stairs, glancing down at him. "Yeah," he called back softly. "Found it. Thanks, dad."

Sebastián nodded. "No problem kiddo. You need any help settling in up there?" He set the boxes in his arms down at the base of the stairs and dusted off his hands, raising his chin to catch Holden's eyes. Holden, while naturally shy, still turned and faced Sebastián, clutching the box close to his chest like it was a chest full of gold. His brown hair reminded Sebastián of chestnuts at Christmas, and his green eyes were bright with intelligence.

"No," he said quietly. "I'm doing okay."

"You sure?" Sebastián asked uncertainly as he stepped up onto the bottom step, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

Holden nodded. "Yeah. I'm just gonna read for awhile... is that okay?" His voice went up an octave, he shifted his stance on the landing. Sebastián could tell the move was affecting Holden already, he didn't want to push him any further.

     Sebastián sent a small and reassuring smile his way, nodding slowly. "Sure, bud." He turned back to the boxes on the steps and began to sort through, taking things out and setting them down in designated piles depending on where they'd go in the house. Kitchenware and appliances were sitting on the landing of the stairs, books and the like were piling up in the hallway. Everything was a mess.

     When he turned away, Holden continued up the stairs on silent feet and went down the hallway to his room. Sebastián could hear him quietly shut the door.

     While he was sorting through the carefully wrapped plates and silverware, Sebastián's phone began to ring. It buzzed insistently against his hip, demanding to be answered as it was followed by his ringtone. He reached a hand down to his pocket, grabbing the phone to answer as Sebastián pulled out a bundle of forks.

     "Hello?"

     "Hello, Mr. Belmonte. This is Cindy Calvin from C.C.P.D. I'm calling to let you know that Captain Singh would like to talk with you as soon as possible, preferably today."

     Sebastián froze as he set down another plate into the stack. That was his new boss's name. His new boss wanted to talk to him? For a moment, he freaked out until he realized the Captain probably just wanted introductions and a quick word about his first day at C.C.P.D., which was supposed to be the following day. Sebastián sat himself down on the bottom step, searching for the right words to say.

     "Oh — oh, okay. Yeah, Cindy, that sounds great." Sebastián ran a hand through his messy hair. "Please tell Captain Singh I'll be there in..." Sebastián pulled the phone away from his ear to check the time. It was 5:08 now, but the police department wasn't far. "Twenty minutes."

     If Cindy was impatient with Sebastián, she didn't let him hear it in her voice. "Alright. Thank you, Mr. Belmonte. The Captain's office is in the central hub. If you need direction upon arrival, stop by the front desk and I'll show you the way."

     Sebastián nodded. Then he remembered Cindy couldn't see it so he quickly spoke up. "Got it! Thank you again. Bye."

     He hung up and rubbed the bottom of his jaw tiredly. Sebastián stood from the stairs, heading up to the second floor to let Holden know he'd be gone for awhile. When Sebastián got to the teen's door, he knocked on it politely. "Hey, kid?"

     A moment of silence passed, then Holden was opening the door to let his dad inside. "Yeah?" Holden asked quietly.

     After a quick, cursory glance around Holden's new room, Sebastián took note of the top of his neatly-made bed where comics were scattered across it. One of the Batman Detective comics was flipped open, the bright colors and words popping out on the page. "I just wanted to let you know," Sebastián looked back at Holden now. "That I have to run to the station and meet my boss really quick. Do you wanna stay here and keep reading?"

     Holden nodded quietly.

     Sebastián stood still in the doorway. The silence transpired over them for the briefest of moments. He gestured over Holden's shoulder towards his comics. "That a good one?" He asked softly.

     "Yeah," he watched as his son's eyes became brighter. "It's my favorite one. Batman's, like, extremely intelligent. Sometimes I can't even believe he doesn't have any powers."

     Sebastián laughed, shaking his head. "It is hard to believe, isn't it? And he manages to do some pretty amazing things."

     Holden smiled now, happy to see his dad laughing again. It had been awhile since that laughter had flowed freely between them. "You bet he does."

     "Okay kiddo," Sebastián turned to go now. "You stay and read, I'm gonna go meet Captain Singh, and I'll bring us back some dinner after, okay?"

     "Aye, aye capt'n," Holden did a mini salute and turned from the door, leaving it open as he laid back down on his bed. Sebastián walked back down the stairs, grabbing his keys on the way out the door. He hoped there wasn't much traffic on the way to the station, he had to be there in less than fifteen minutes and being late when he set the time was definitely not a good impression for the days to come.

As luck would have it, there was very little traffic on the roads to the C.C.P.D. It was getting later in the day, most people were already home or on their way to it. Sports practice at the schools were beginning to get out, and most extracurricular activities for high school students were done for the day. Being Friday, those who wished to be going out were at home getting ready.

5 o'clock was a transitional hour for many people. Thus, the roads were mostly clear.

Sebastián parked in the lot next to the police department, doing his best to squeeze in between two parked patrol units. When he got out, a few officers who were standing just outside the front entrance turned their watching gazes to him. As if on cue, Sebastián held up the hem of his shirt to reveal the gold shield clipped to his waist.

It was from the Greenville Department but until he got his new shield from Central City, this would have to do as his access card. Their eyes turned from suspicious to friendly in no time at all. One of the female officers raised a hand in silent greeting.

She was pretty, Sebastián noted, but the guy standing next to her was even better. He was tall and dark haired with very handsome features like his square jaw, and beautiful blue eyes. Sebastián nodded his head in their general direction, making way for the door.

Walking into the Central City Department for the first time was, to state it simply, shocking; awe-inspiring, impressive. The building was a beacon of light. Even as the day grew longer, the inside of the police department was bright and golden. The floors were clean and polished. The officers and employees around him were clean and polished as well.

Sebastián had just exited the elevator and was walking into the central hub when it happened.

He wasn't paying attention like he should have been. Sebastián was gawking at the sheer beauty of the hub when he accidentally body-slammed some poor, unfortunate soul. Upon his mistake, Sebastián instantly took sight of the man in front of him.

"Oh dios mío," Sebastián began, reaching out to the man. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. Are you okay?"

The man, who was far more handsome than the officer out front, shook his head a little, his gaze still spinning. "Oh," he took Sebastián's appearance in, eyes catching on the diamond stud in his left ear. "Yeah, yeah I'm good."

Sebastián frowned. "I'm really sorry. I know I'm a brute, that must've hurt a little."

"Yeah," the man agreed after a moment, smiling brightly as if they'd just shared a good joke. "It hurt, just a little."

"I'm Sebastián Belmonte," Sebastián stuck out his hand as he introduced himself. He waited apprehensively for the person he'd nearly steamrolled to shake his hand.

The man turned his green eyes to Sebastián's hand, taking it in his own firm grip after a moment's pause that felt like an eternity. "Barry," he replied. "Barry Allen. Nice to run into you, Sebastián."

"Ahaha, you too, Mr. Allen," Sebastián laughed quietly to himself. He gestured to the hub behind Barry. "I was distracted by the C.C.P.D.'s beauty. It's very, very different from Greenville's department."

"Oh," recognition dawned on Barry's face. "You're the transfer from Greenville?"

Sebastián nodded. "That's me," he paused, then continued uncertainly. "I'm actually trying to find my way to Captain Singh's office, do you happen to know where that is?"

Barry rose his eyebrows a little, glancing over his shoulder. "Singh's office? Yeah, I just came from there." He smiled again, showing his pearly white teeth. The action made his whole face light up and Sebastián got the feeling that Barry Allen was a man who smiled often. "I can show you if you want?"

"Yes," Sebastián nodded quickly. "Please do."

"Follow me." Barry turned away from Sebastián, leading him closer to where all the detectives' desks were. Most were unoccupied, a sure signal that the night was just beginning. As Holden liked to quote to his dad, 'crime never sleeps, why should we?'

Upon approaching the door, Barry opened it without bothering to knock, which surprised Sebastián but he chose to ignore it as he followed behind slowly, listening to the Captain's surprised voice when Barry came into his office without warning.

"Allen? What do you need? Did you forget something?"

Sebastián watched as Barry shook his head. "No, sir," he replied. "I just came to show him where your office is." Barry turned when he mentioned Sebastián, reaching out to grasp his forearm. A quick tug was all it took and Sebastián was pulled into Captain Singh's immediate view.

Sebastián glanced over at Barry and he instantly released his forearm from his hands. "Sorry," Barry apologized, it was so quiet that Sebastián was sure only he could hear it.

     "It's fine," Sebastián nodded to Barry and smiled gently. "Thanks for showing me here, Mr. Allen. I'll see you around sometime."

     Barry returned the smile quietly, but his phone buzzed in his pocket and broke the momentary silence. After a brief struggle that both men watched with amusement, he finally managed to fish it out and look at the screen. His eyes widened and suddenly Barry was halfway out the door. "See you around!" He called out over his shoulder.

     They were alone now. Sebastián was staring at the space Barry had just vacated. He felt bare now, as if arrows were going to rain down on him and he'd just lost his shield. Barry left like his ass was on fire, Sebastián thought to himself, I wonder if he normally does that? Staring at Captain Singh now, Sebastián supposed it was safe to assume that 'yes, he is normally like that and everybody is used to it by now' was an accurate answer.

     The Captain didn't seem surprised, to say the least. He just shook his head and rubbed a calloused hand over his growing black beard, turning his flinty eyes to Sebastián now. "God, that kid. What's your name?"

Sebastián opened his mouth before he remembered that Barry hadn't introduced him. He stepped forward to the man's desk, watching as Singh rose from his seat and they clasped hands in a brief, but firm, shake. "Sebastián Belmonte. I was transferred from Greenville. Cindy Calvin told me you wanted to speak with me...?"

He held his breath before recognition dawned on Singh's face. The Captain nodded and sat back down again, gesturing to the chair positioned at the side of his desk. "Yes, I do," he answered, speaking briskly. "I was hoping we could go over who your partner is, maybe get someone to show you around the place, and set up your desk before tomorrow."

"Great," Sebastián nodded. "Then who's my partner?"

Singh reached down to the top of his desk, picking up a thin manila folder to offer it to Sebastián from across the desk. Sebastián reached up and took the folder. He opened it in his lap, reading the name printed in bold across the top.

JOSEPH WEST — C.C.P.D. DETECTIVE.

     "Joe West," Singh was saying, drawing Sebastián's attention again. "He's been a detective with CCPD for awhile, and he's one of our best. It would do good if you shadowed him for a bit while you get the lay of the land."

     "Hey," Sebastián looked up from reading Joe's file. "Isn't he the detective that was working the Bloodbath case? I remember hearing about it all the way in Greenville, it was a tough one."

     Singh nodded once. "That was him. Hell of a case to solve, but he did it."

     Sebastián looked down at Joe West's picture now, staring in awe with wide eyes. "Wow," he breathed quietly. The Joe that stared up at him was clean, his facial hair was neatly trimmed, and a small smile was settled on his lips like he knew something everyone else was too stupid to see. Sebastián could only wonder what the man in the picture was really like. Would he be nice, or mean? How would he react to getting a new partner, especially one, Sebastián thought as he took notice of his listed age, much younger than him?

     Sebastián was only thirty but he'd been paired with partners who were less than pleased about the age difference, among other things. Take his pierced ear, for example, or his refusal to grow a beard and get married.

"If you want," Singh drew Sebastián's attention away from the file. "I can get Joe here to show you around."

"Where is he?" Sebastián looked over his shoulder and outside of the glass separating the Captain's office from the central hub. The men and women wearing blue were bustling about in the hub; a large disarray of activity. "Is he here?"

"He's probably getting coffee in the break room right now."

Sebastián looked back at his boss and smiled. "I can go find him if he's here," he said as he handed back Joe's file. "I'll introduce myself while I'm at it."

Singh put the file in one of his desk drawers, staring up at Sebastián. He looked very tired. There were dark circles beginning to form under his eyes, and the crow's feet only deepened when Singh sighed. "If you want to, then go ahead. I'm heading out soon, so I'll see you bright and early tomorrow, Belmonte."

"Yes, sir," Sebastián agreed and stood from the chair, turning to leave and find his new partner. "Bright and early." He made sure to close the door behind him. When Sebastián faced the hub again, he caught the eyes of a familiar face.