Chapter Text
Monday morning, filing into the station, checking in and checking up on those colleagues that were returning from the weekend as well. There was no other feeling like it: the fatigue and reluctance rolled into one and creating an air of soberness that Sebastian shared as he walked into his department. There was already a queue for the coffee pot when he arrived, but Joseph appeared by his side with two mugs, handing one over to him without a word. He spotted Kidman booting up her computer, tapping a finger impatiently against the keyboard as the old machine protested. She gave him a quick nod in greeting, and then it was back to his desk and the cluttered mess of newspapers and files that he was still in the process of sorting out. He slung his coat over the stand in the corner of his office with a groan, before approaching the desk and shuffling the papers around.
"I told you not to leave it all out on Friday." Joseph had followed him in and was taking a look at the bulletin board. He glanced at Sebastian, who sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
"At least we don't have to go through all of those filing cabinets again," he muttered. Joseph afforded him a disapproving look, so he changed tact. "How was your weekend?"
"It was fine. I hope that you remember everything that you took out from the archives." He nodded at the desk. "You'll have to scan those in today."
Sebastian rolled his eyes. "I'll do it later. I want to give them another read to see which ones are relevant."
He could see that Joseph wasn't completely satisfied with his reply, but he left his office anyway, giving Sebastian the opportunity to sink into his seat and look over his desk. He'd lost count of the times that Joseph had reprimanded him on his desk, or his appearance, or his behaviour when on duty. But it was coming up to three years now of the two of them working together, and Joseph hadn't left the department just yet - nor had he stopped huffing whenever Sebastian's conduct didn't quite align to his liking, but then where was the fun in monotony?
Kidman wouldn't agree, knowing her, but to step in her way was to risk having a fist crunching into your stomach, or worse, a stiletto in the foot. It was permanently engrained into Sebastian that attempting to pull her into a friendly headlock would mean almost having all of the bones in his foot shattered. In the year that she'd been part of the team, he had never seen her without her phone clipped to her belt, ready for use, and the necessary files on hand. Even now, she was typing furiously, ignoring the people standing around the office with mugs in their hands and talking about their weekends. But for her determination, she had Sebastian's respect, and she never denied a doughnut if offered or joining a round of drinks after a particularly gruelling case had been solved.
He had barely found a place to put his mug amidst the papers when he spotted everyone standing up outside, facing the doors at the other end. Through the crowd, he saw the lieutenant, and, wondering what kind of announcement they had to accept today, rose from his chair to join everyone. Joseph had his arms folded, brow furrowed, and Sebastian nudged him.
"Any idea what's going on?" he asked.
"Burnes left KCPD last Friday, if you remember," answered Joseph, "meaning that we have a spare desk."
Sebastian did remember - the guy hadn't been the friendliest fellow on the force, so there hadn't been any tears shed at his departure - and now that he thought about it, it occurred to him that he hadn't seen a replacement enter yet. The lieutenant had started talking over the murmurs, and he quickly paid attention, a small twist in his gut. Now that he had a view over people's heads, the man standing next to the lieutenant was clearly visible, standing straight with his trench coat draped over his arm and gaze flicking over the department, taking it in with a faint downturn of his lips. But what startled Sebastian were the bandages wrapped over his hands and head, clean white, keeping most of his face visible. The man, probably as tall as Joseph, kept still, but his eyes continued to rove over the crowd - until they settled on Sebastian, meeting his stare unflinchingly. Sebastian clenched his jaw to distract himself from the uncomfortable prickling of his skin; the man finally blinked, but something had changed in his otherwise impassive expression, something slight and as such unfathomable from his distance.
"Everyone!" said the lieutenant loudly. "Listen up! We got a new guy on the team, movin' over from the department in Elk River! I'd like to introduce Detective Ruben Victoriano." Joseph stiffened, and Sebastian made a mental note to press him with questions later. A few others mumbled to their friends, until the lieutenant waved his hand and they quietened. "Castellanos," he said, and Sebastian's heart leapt. The lieutenant fixed him with a hard stare. "I'm countin' on you to give this fella a Krimson City welcome - you two will be partnerin' up, so make some room for one more on your team."
It took a moment for that fact to sink in, and by the time it had, the lieutenant had already instructed everyone to continue with their work and treat Victoriano with the respect of any other detective. Sebastian had frozen on the spot, aware that Joseph and Kidman had struck up a quiet conversation to the side. The newcomer, Victoriano, cleared his throat, and the lieutenant clapped him on the shoulder, causing him to blink slowly, as though the gesture pained him both physically and mentally. Most people dispersed when the lieutenant had nothing more to say, going back to their desks, but some remained to greet Victoriano. Sebastian took a deep breath, then looked to Joseph, who was avoiding his eye
"Talk about a turn of events, huh?" he said with a half-hearted grin. Joseph fiddled with the cuff of his gloves. "You all right?"
"I..." Joseph pursed his lips. "The Victorianos. Haven't you heard of them?"
Sebastian frowned. "Should I have?"
"Well, it was all over the news - the fire that completely burnt their mansion and killed their parents. I had no idea that the son became a detective. You don't know about them?"
A fire. Sebastian caught a glimpse of Victoriano slipping through the other officers to find his desk, bandaged fingers flexing when someone called his name. No one had lit a cigarette yet, but the acrid smell of smoke still stung his nose. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Shit, I never heard about that. When did this happen?"
Joseph hummed. "Last year, I believe. It was when..." He trailed off, prompting Sebastian to fold his arms expectantly. "Never mind. Make sure you read those files."
He returned to his desk, and Sebastian turned his eye to Victoriano again. All things added up, he could only imagine one reason for Joseph not wanting to bring up last year's events, and in all honesty, he wasn't eager to think about it either. It only heightened the foul smell haunting his nose, causing him to pull a face. At that moment, Victoriano looked at him, raising his eyebrows as Sebastian hastily relaxed the muscles in his face and inclined his head. So, another detective on the team? When people joined the KCPD, they had the opportunity to learn the ropes from the older officers; Victoriano came from a department with its own method of working, and Sebastian had seen the friction firsthand between experienced newcomers and the veterans of the KCPD.
Still, at least he had experience. After waiting for his friend Connelly to move away, he took his chance to walk up to Victoriano's desk and watch as the man examined his new workspace, who didn't seem perturbed in the least that Sebastian was leaning against his desk, ready to talk. When Victoriano booted up his computer and showed no signs of initiating conversation, however, Sebastian finally spoke.
"Detective Sebastian Castellanos," he said, holding out a hand. The fact that Victoriano didn't shake it wasn't surprising; those bandages were on for a reason, and his reaction to the lieutenant's slap on the shoulder hadn't been missed. At least he had Victoriano's eyes on him, cold grey that cautioned him to keep his distance. "I'll be sending some work over your way to get you up to speed to our recent cases. Might as well hit the ground running."
There was a second where Sebastian sought a reply - some kind of acknowledgement that this wouldn't be a problem, because tough luck if it was - and Victoriano merely stared at him. Then he humphed, a ghost of a smile on his half-scarred lips.
"Sebastian Castellanos." He sounded as though he was weighing his name on his tongue. "I've heard a great deal about...your habits." He glanced down at Sebastian's belt, and Sebastian didn't need to follow his gaze to know that it had settled on his hip flask. He bristled. Victoriano tilted his head enquiringly. "Nothing to say in your defence? Or are you afraid that it may be used against you?"
For a moment, Sebastian was speechless, reading the man's face even though it may well have been a blank slate for all of the answers that it held. Then he grinned. "Welcome to the force, Victoriano."
"Ruben," he corrected.
Sebastian nodded. "Ruben."
Walking to his office, he could feel the man's eyes on his back, and not even Joseph's pointed glare could remove the smirk that he still wore. Monday morning, and things had already gotten interesting. Well, it was about time. He dipped a hand into his trouser pocket and drew out a cigarette from the packet. The only question was what else the day had in store.