"Where you see wrong or inequality
or injustice, speak out, because this is
your country. This is your democracy.
Make it. Protect it. Pass it on."
—Thurgood Marshall

: CC JITTERS

"Sebastián, meet Cisco Ramon. He's our—"

"Tech specialist and meta advisor with the fabulous, fabulous hair!" Cisco interrupted Joe with flair added to his entire being, reaching past him to shake Sebastián's hand. Although he was acting with over-exaggerated extravagance, he looked very ruffled. His shoulder-length black hair was messy and he was breathing heavily, as if he'd just run to get to Helena's home after receiving Joe's plea for help. "So you're Sebastián? Barry talked about you."

Sebastián glanced over at Joe, an inquisitive look on his face. When Joe rose his hands to show he didn't know what Cisco was talking about, Sebastián turned back to the former. What had Barry said? Sebastián could only wonder how he'd been brought up in conversation. "He talked about me? When?"

The tech specialist made a face like he realized he'd just said something he shouldn't have. "Oh, you know, just the last time I saw him... he mentioned that you literally ran into him. And-And that you replaced Joe's... old... partner." He paused when Joe turned away from them, taking notice of the older man's discomfort. "Oh-kay! So what do we have here that Cisco can look at for you and stop talking?"

A laugh forced itself out of Sebastián's throat, making him cover the lower half of his jaw with his hand. At least Cisco was amusing, despite this dark situation. However, his amusement died quickly when he turned back around to point at the mirror in Helena's bathroom where Ralph Gonzales waited, watching them with hopeful eyes. He was wringing his hands at his waist, rubbing his knuckles until they were white. "Well," Sebastián coughed. "There's this. He's on the other side."

     "Woah," Cisco breathed in awe, approaching the mirror with cautiously curious steps. He reached a hand out and traced the edges of the mirror, feeling the cool glass beneath the pads of his fingers. He looked up at Ralph briefly. "Somebody call Doctor Strange."

     Ralph facepalmed.

     Sebastián stepped up behind Cisco. "Mr. Ramon, we don't have time for fooling around. Ralph has been in that-that Mirror World—"

     "Uh-huh." Cisco stopped him. His tone of voice alone made Sebastián do a double-take. He turned around and reached out to place a firm hand on Sebastián's shoulder as if pitying him for something he didn't know that others obviously did. "Look. I know you're new here, Sebastián, but I name the weird things around here, kay? It's the Mirror Dimension."

     "But that's from—"

     "I know what it's from, but it's essentially the same thing." Cisco released Sebastián's shoulder from his grasp, turning back to the mirror. "I'm gonna need to examine this. Can you guys step back a little? This bathroom is very tiny and I dunno about you guys but it's a little too crowded for my tastes."

     Sebastián and Joe eagerly obliged, taking a few steps out of the bathroom as they spilled into the narrow hallway, peeking into the bathroom every few moments to check on Cisco's progress. Sebastián turned to his partner, a frown spreading across his lips. "Joe," he whispered. "Who is this guy?"

     "He works with C.C.P.D.," Joe shrugged nonchalantly. "He's extremely smart, used to work at S.T.A.R. Labs, and he's just trying to make a difference with Central City and help us with the metas. He's also one of Barry's best friends."

"Okay," Sebastián nodded. "But I still don't understand how he can help Ralph."

Joe sighed and put a hand on his hip. "Just... watch, okay? Cisco is very good at what he does and if anybody can find a way to get Ralph outta there, it's him. I'm sure he'll figu—"

"Guys! This mirror is completely, utterly, and devastatingly normal. I have no idea how to get your boy outta here."

Sebastián turned his unamused gaze back to Joe, raising an eyebrow. "You were saying?" But Joe stepped past his partner back into the bathroom, brushing shoulders with Sebastián quietly.

"Really, Cisco?"

"Yet," Cisco corrected himself, spinning around to face the detectives. "I have no idea how to get your boy outta here yet. I'll figure this out, I just need to bring this up with Team Fl—" he cut himself off, clearing his throat as he looked back at Sebastián. He was hiding something and it was painfully obvious, though the detective decided not to comment on it. It wasn't any of his business, after all, especially since he was the new guy in Central City. "... with the team. I'll see you guys later."

Sebastián narrowed his eyes, watching as Cisco left the bathroom and brushed gently past Helena at the end of the hallway. He crossed his arms over his chest and rocked back on his heels a few times. "How charming," he remarked. "But Ralph is still gonna be stuck in the mirror, Joe."

Ralph had been watching the bad news delivered by Cisco, but now he promptly turned and walked out of their line of vision; trying to slip away without the preoccupied pair noticing. Joe and Sebastián exchanged a glance when they noticed Ralph moving in their peripheral vision, then made forward to the mirror. Ralph didn't return to their line of sight no matter how many times they called out his name. Helena had come closer to the bathroom, too, while they called out for her son, and she had to witness his leaving. Whether she blamed the detectives or not, they didn't know and she didn't say.

────────

Sebastián slumped down at his desk, woefully putting his head in his hands. He'd been reviewing his notes for what felt like hours after returning to C.C.P.D. from Helena Gonzales' house. Ralph hadn't returned to the mirror and while they'd waited for close to an hour for his reappearance, they had to return and work the case from a different angle; one concerning just how Ralph had gotten into the Mirror Dimension in the first place, a stifling question Sebastián was beginning to feel that they should ask Ralph's research partner, Jason Bureka.

     But as it turns out, Jason Bureka is a very difficult man to track down.

     "Nothing from his credit cards, nothing from facial recognition, and his neighbors are a bunch of old people who don't pay even attention to their neighborhood's surroundings—Joe, this guy is like a freakin' ghost." Sebastián complained, voice muffled by his hands. He parted his fingers, peeking over at the detective across from him who was staring intently at his computer screen. "It's like he disappeared into the stupid Mirror Dimension too."

     "Mm," Joe hummed in agreement, squinting his eyes at something. "Well I think we're just going to have to check out his address again. Start back at square one."

     "We already did though," Sebastián removed his hands, tilting his head at Joe. "Remember? When we canvassed the area, his neighbors said they hadn't noticed him for weeks. Even that old lady, literally the only one that keeps records of what goes on during the day, said she hadn't seen any movement from his place in a long time. We even knocked and he didn't answer."

     Joe started to stand from his seat, gathering his jacket and phone. He shrugged at Sebastián, edges of his lips curling up in nonchalance. "Then maybe we shouldn't knock on the door anymore. He could just be avoiding everyone, but he can't avoid us for forever. We have questions and he has the answers, let's go."

     Sebastián sighed softly and stood, following after Joe. "Okay, but can we get some coffee first? I'm dying over here without caffeine pumping through my system." Hearing his partner's immediate titter of laughter, Sebastián held up his hands defensively as they began to walk out of the hub. "Hey!" he defended himself. "It's not my fault that I have to chug coffee or risk falling asleep at the desk."

     "Yeah," Joe nodded, turning his back on Sebastián to tell the Desk Sergeant where they were going. "Cindy, we're going to head out and re-canvass Bureka's neighborhood, see if anybody caught anything and just forgot."

     A brisk nod from Cindy Calvin was all it took for Joe to turn back around, pulling his keys from his jacket pocket to twirl them around his fingers as if he'd done it many times before when finding himself bored. While they were walking to the elevator, Sebastián noticed Barry coming down the stairs on nimble feet. He gave the forensics expert a friendly wave, glancing over at Joe as Barry approached them with a bright and friendly smile.

     "Hey, where're you guys off to?" Barry queried as he walked beside Sebastián, hands shoved into his pockets.

     "Well, I'm gonna introduce Sebastián to Jitters so he doesn't pass out from caffeine withdrawal, and then we're off to Jason Bureka's place again." Joe explained as they all loaded onto the elevator with several other officers. Needless to say, it was packed to the very corners where Sebastián had squeezed himself into. He stood chest-to-chest with Joe and Barry as the awkward silence of the elevator took over the air surrounding them all.

     "Um," Sebastián muttered quietly. "You wanna join us?"

     If Barry was surprised by the offer, he didn't show it. Joe, on the other hand, pretended to be studying the ceiling of the elevator, interested in the shiny quality of the metal around them. An officer in his blues coughed, the noise muffled by his hand as everyone collectively listened in on the conversation happening in the back corner of the elevator. It's not like there was anything else for them to listen to, considering everyone else was silent and waiting impatiently for the ride to the bottom to end.

     "Oh!" Barry shifted his weight a little, bumping his shoulder and hip against Sebastián and the woman directly next to him. "Yeah. Yeah, definitely. I-I don't have anything else to do anyways."

     The elevator finally stopped to let off its awkward occupants. Sebastián flashed Barry a dazzling white smile as the space in the elevator was eventually cleared. "Great," he pointed ahead of him to let Barry out of the elevator first, pulse pounding in his neck as the close proximity was beginning to get to him. "Maybe you can... y'know, help us out on this. First case and I'm already stuck. I'm-I'm not as familiar with this meta-human stuff as you guys are."

     "You'll get used to it," Barry comforted him, walking behind Joe with Sebastián, eyes focused intently on his dad's partner. "It definitely takes awhile to get the hang of things around here, but you've got Joe — and me, I'm always open to help if you need it. You're in good hands."

     "So I've been told." Sebastián replied cheekily, heat rising up the back of his neck. "And I have no doubt about that."

     Joe cleared his throat in front of them quietly, not-so-discreetly trying to intercede in their conversation. Both boys looked at him with raised eyebrows, hands in their pockets as they all collectively stopped in front of Joe's car. "Well," the older man rocked on his heels, rubbing a hand over the top of his head slowly. "Who's sitting in the front?"

     A glance passed between Barry and Sebastián before they spoke simultaneously, looking at Joe as they tried to settle the dilemma.

     "Oh, I can sit in the ba—"

     "I'll do it if you wa—"

     Joe sighed tiredly, rubbing his eyes as he promptly turned and got into the front seat without waiting for either of them to finish speaking. He snapped his fingers to the passenger side and barked a name out of the corner of his mouth, starting the car. "Sebastián."

     Sebastián nodded, rubbing the back of his neck as he opened the passenger door and slid into the seat. Barry sat in the back behind them, folding his hands in his lap as Joe started the engine. It was quiet again and Sebastián glanced in the rearview mirror, watching Barry as his knee bounced up and down quickly. Was he scared of being in the car or something? Sebastián narrowed his eyes a little in suspicion. Barry continued to look out the window, not noticing his admirer, he rubbed his hands together slowly and the pulse at his neck was visible; thundering quickly.

     Joe glanced over at Sebastián, about to ask him a question when he noticed his partner staring at his son through the rearview. He continued driving with one hand and one eye on the road, discreetly smacking Sebastián on the arm with a quick hand and a frown.

     "Ouch!" Sebastián yelped, drawing Barry's attention as he recoiled from Joe into the car door next to him. "What was that for?"

     Joe glanced back at Barry, then back to Sebastián. His jaw clenched and unclenched successively as he returned his full attention to the road. As much as Sebastián hated to admit it, Joe sounded ominous when he spoke, "You and me are having a talk later." It was his tone of voice; it was the tone of voice Sebastián sometimes used with Holden or people that knew his son, it was the dad voice and that was not good by any means. A dad being protective of his son was not a nice dad to be around, Sebastián would know because he'd had to play to role several times himself but he'd never been on the receiving end of it.

     It was terrifying.

     Sebastián swallowed thickly, tongue feeling dry as he nodded slowly. "Yeah, sure," he muttered quietly, feeling red heat rising in his cheeks. How lame was it for Sebastián, a grown man, to be smacked by Barry's dad right in front of him as if he'd been caught doing something bad with the kid?

     Through the rearview, Barry sent Sebastián a sympathetic look. He'd noticed the tone of voice too, but he could only wonder what Sebastián had done to get it. They made eye contact and, before Joe could smack him again, Sebastián quickly looked away.

────────

     "They have a drink named after the Flash?" Sebastián turned to look at Barry as they stood in line at Jitters, talking amongst themselves as Joe went to save them seats. The car ride had been thankfully silent the rest of the way to the beloved coffee shop and Sebastián had hurriedly scrambled to get out of the car, grateful for the fresh air, and eager to get away from Joe as soon as possible. The longer he could stave off that dreaded 'talk', the better.

     "Well, yeah," Barry grinned at him. "After... certain events, which you obviously weren't here for, the Flash helped save the city and they must've wanted some way to thank him, I-I guess." The forensic scientist shrugged as if this were a casual, everyday conversation. A casual meta-human saving Central City? Normal day! A casual meta-human robbing you on the streets? Normal day!

     Well, not that Sebastián had been there long enough to be robbed on the streets by an overly-casual meta-human, but same thing. Right?

     "Hmm," Sebastián hummed and crossed his arms over his broad chest. He eyed Joe waiting at their seats, who was watching like a hawk ready to take wing at the slightest sign of provocation. "And which events were these exactly? Do I need to know about them?"

     Barry considered the question for a few silent moments. The line got shorter as the pair took a single step forward. The line was long, lining up to the clear glass doors and nearly spilling out onto the sidewalk outside. "Maybe." He answered, voice terse as he, too, took notice of Joe's watchful gaze. "Probably. I mean, if you think it might ever be useful in work or might affect something important," Barry paused as they took another step forward. "I-If I were you, I definitely would. Y'know, it's-it's a new place and something could come up."

     "Yeah," Sebastián cleared his throat quietly. They made eye contact and instantly looked away, pretending to be more interested in their surroundings than in each other. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence but it definitely wasn't easy; knowing your partner is watching you isn't fun, especially when he's so open and obvious about it. Joe was truly being shameless and, to some degree, it frustrated the detective. Did he not trust Sebastián around his son? Did he think Sebastián would try something?

A pang of sadness echoed inside of Sebastián. He felt dirty and misplaced once more, almost as insecure as he'd felt inside of Joe's car parked beside Helena Gonzales' house before revealing one of his better kept secrets to his partner. Is this how it was always going to be in Central City? Were people always going to see his sexuality before they see him? It wouldn't be the first time, Sebastián knew it sure as hell wasn't going to be the last, but he'd be damned if he let that get in the way of his quality of life.

Joe wanted to talk? Fine. Joe could talk to him but, in that moment, Sebastián decided he was going to talk to Joe too.

He could understand a father's protectiveness for his child and he could understand the uneasiness that another man might feel about a gay man being his partner at work but Sebastián clearly had to lay down some groundwork for them to use. This whole situation was making him very uneasy and it's not like he'd been hitting on Joe's son or anything. Sebastián hadn't 'made a move' or shown any outward signs of flirtation or attraction and the fact that some people could naturally assume something when they, in fact, knew nothing infuriated Sebastián to no end.

Sebastián, like everyone else in Jitters, was a normal man. He wanted to be treated like one and he wanted that little space of trust that straight men were granted. If he was being completely honest, Sebastián really liked Joe; he admired the man's work within C.C.P.D., he admired his passion about being a present and loving father, and he admired his willingness to work with Sebastián even after finding out about his sexuality. Joe had said that it didn't affect his ability to do his job and that made him fine with it but Sebastián had a sneaking suspicion that maybe Joe wasn't as easygoing about it as he'd let on, especially with Barry being what he perceived to be the primary target of Sebastián Belmonte's affections.

Convincing Joe otherwise could prove to be difficult, but Sebastián had no crude intentions for his son and he'd just arrived in Central City. He didn't know anyone and now was not the time to be worrying about relationships when there were bigger fish to fry. Holden starts at C.C.H.S. soon, Sebastián had to talk to his son about seeing a professional therapist, he had to worry about work and the Gonzales case they'd just received — it was a completely full plate.

Indeed, there was no time for trivial things like finding a boyfriend.

By now, Barry and Sebastián were almost to the front of the line. They hadn't spoken a word to each other since their awkward silence had taken hold of their tongues but Sebastián was growing sick of it. He turned to Barry, catching the man by surprise as they met eyes once more. "So Mr. Allen," a wide grin spread across Sebastián's lips, one which was easily reciprocated by the younger of the pair. "You're a CSI, right? That means you've gotta be pretty smart and that could be pretty useful."

"Useful?" Barry quipped, voice raising in pitch as he folded his arms across his chest and rose a curious eyebrow. "What for?"

"Well... you know I've got a teenager at home, right?" Sebastián shrugged a little, ignoring Joe's probing gaze. "I'm not nearly smart enough to help with some of the work that kid's got going on. I mean — Holden is really smart, Barry. He's so smart it blows me away and he's just too fast for me. Maybe he could talk to you sometime?"

If the mention of Sebastián's son surprised Barry, it definitely didn't show on his face. In that moment, nothing but a pearly white and charming smile could be seen. There was some glint in Barry's emerald gaze that was hard to pin down. What was he thinking? Sebastián would give anything to know the other man's inner thoughts, even just for a moment.

"Sure!" Barry nodded as they approached the counter. "That sounds great, I'd be glad to talk to Holden. Anything for a friend."

Sebastián's cheeks hurt from how much he found himself smiling and basking in the happiness of Barry's presence. He soon forgot about Joe's nosy eyes and enjoyed talking with Barry as they waited patiently at the counter for their coffees. It was nice to just talk for the sake of talking. As it turned out, Barry was an open book and fairly easy to read when he allowed himself to be. Though Sebastián couldn't help noticing how Barry's pulse continued to race at his neck, visible to the world as they conversed. The thought briefly crossed his mind that he could be making Barry nervous, or that Barry had hypertension. It seemed unlikely but their conversation was friendly and relaxed so there was no way that Sebastián could be making him nervous.

     No way at all.

     Their orders were finally ready. Barry reached forward and went to grab the coffee as Sebastián leaned over to help him by grabbing Joe's coffee and his own. When met with the beginnings of protest, Sebastián shushed Barry quietly and sent him a brave wink.

     "I've got this," Sebastián assured him as they made their way back over to Joe. "But, truly, thanks for trying, Allen. I think I need to earn some points with your old man here first though, so..." he trailed off with a wide smile as they finally reached Joe in the corner he'd picked out for them. It was in a good position, they could see the door clearly and the occupants of Jitters fairly well. A cop never turned his back to a door — a lesson that Sebastián had learned the hard way in Greenville, a lesson that had nearly cost him his life when he'd first started the job.

     Joe held out a hand to take his coffee from Sebastián, eyeing the men curiously as they sat down around the table. Sebastián took the seat next to Joe while Barry sat across from them, the former keeping one eye on the door and the other on everyone sitting inside with coffees and croissants. It was a friendly atmosphere and Sebastián quickly took to it like a child learning to ride a bike. Jitters reminded him of Donna's Diner in Greenville; just about the only place there worth eating that was clean and full of polite waitresses.

     If he were being honest with himself, Sebastián didn't miss Greenville at all. He didn't miss the crowded neighborhood. He didn't miss the shabby, rundown cars and cranky people that he'd known all his life. He didn't miss the 911 calls for domestic disturbances or public nuisances that frequently came with hillbillies and their hookahs past midnight. He didn't miss the shitty graveyard shift he'd been stuck with before his stint in Chicago. He just couldn't find it inside of him to miss anything about Greenville, though he did find himself thinking fondly of the trees that surrounded the town.

     The whispering pines under which he'd had his first kiss. The trees that had witnessed several hot pursuits and on-foot chases through the winding paths that everyone knew so well and used daily. The trees that supported the local children as they climbed high on their limbs, feeling as if they could see the whole world from the top and then some. The trees that waited quietly, watching Greenville change and go through the cycle of life endlessly because they had nothing else and no one else to watch.

     Sebastián sighed quietly, sipping his coffee as the action pulled himself away from his thoughts. Every time he closed his eyes, if he focused, he could smell the pine trees as the wind blew their comforting scent through town and the memory alone made Sebastián question, once again, if Central City was the right place for him. He'd consider the thought and then remember all the bad that came with that town. It was no place to live in, not after what had happened to Holden. Sebastián remembered that day like it was just yesterday and he was reminded of why he'd had to say goodbye to Greenville's whispering pines.