Jaime Reyes | Blue Beetle (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
beetlebutt) wrote2021-04-12 07:08 pm
beetlebutt) wrote2021-04-12 07:08 pm
Memshare#2, cw: subtle implication of child abuse
Jaime is close to the same age in this memory. Maybe only a year or two younger than he is now.
"We are so, so screwed," says a redhead, peeking around a fence, up a street.
"This is so not my fault," says a tall, muscular teenager.
"You were the one that was supposed to keep track of time, Paco," says the redhead.
"Brenda, it's not my fault you guys and Eduardo picked such a snorefest series of movies that I literally could not stay conscious. It was like an elephant dart to the face."
"Do you think someone could come get us?" Brenda asks Jaime.
"No way, they'll already have the road blockades set up by now."
"Maybe if we explain what happened and ask super nicely they'll let us by?" Brenda suggests, super skeptically, as if she already knows the answer.
"Maybe if we had your complexion, but two brown dudes walking around after curfew? Adios, kneecaps, we hardly knew you. They recruited too many from La Migra," says Paco. "And even if they let us go, we can't let Jaime get on some watchlist, when he has to hide he's a meta. We could go back to Eduardo's, crash for the night."
"My dad would freak," says Brenda, anxiously. "I mean, with you guys he's got you both slotted in assuming you're like brothers and have no game."
"Ow," says Paco, hand over his heart, shocked and offended. "We do so have game. Just not directed at you."
"He knows I think Eduardo's cute and is super paranoid over me spending time there," says Brenda.
"You think Eduardo's cute."
"That's no go," says Jaime, "Let's not piss off Brenda's dad."
Brenda looks at her shoes, and the two boys share a concerned look, like pissing off Brenda's dad will invoke more than just a grounding.
"Look, at this point we're closest to my house anyway," says Jaime, peeking around a corner at at uniformed thugs crossing a street up ahead on patrol. "We may as well try to get the rest of the way there. You guys can spend the night."
"Your folks might come looking for us anyway, though, bro. How do we stop that?" asked Paco.
"Already texted and lied about staying at your house so they don't come looking."
"Aw, dude, RIP, because when we show up at your place, your mom is going to kill you on sight."
"Kill us," says Brenda. "None will be spared."
"...oh crap, she is going to equal opportunity murder, isn't she."
Jaime finishes assessing the situation on the road ahead.
"We're going to have to jump fences and take back alleys. That's the only way around the patrols. I can use the suit to pick up on life-signs, to avoid them. Our only other option is me flying you guys and we might get spotted."
Stupid early curfew. During the summer, it wasn't even dark yet at this time of day.
"Becoming amateur track stars it is," says Paco, bending over to tighten his shoelaces and make sure they're tied.
"Guess so," says Brenda, literally girding her loins and tucking her skirt into her waistband, revealing cycling shorts underneath. She slips off her sandals and produces slip on sneakers from her backpack.
"Smart," says Paco.
"Never know when we'll have to run from Super-thugs or do side-kick-ey things."
"Let's go," says Jaime, leading the way down an alley.
They escape attention at first, just using back alleys, but then there's the buzz of a drone.
"Shut it down," he hisses, presumably at the suit, but the drone starts blaring an alarm before self-destructing. "Ah fuuuu - we're marked. Go go go!"
They hear angry voices calling out: "Hey! Stop right there!"
The three of them jump fences and move through the backways like this has become a common set of paths for them recently. Even before curfew hours, they try to avoid patrols.
Every time one of the secret police appear at the end of an open alley, or jumping over a fence Jaime is ready for them, forming an arm cannon and blasting them so they fall on their ass before they can get a good look at the trio or what even hit them. They're terrifying to behold - with full face masks and red goggles.
One time there's a click of a safety and Jaime only just throws up a small round blue shield in time, as both Paco and Brenda curse. He manages to deflect the bullets into a tree rather than a house - and looks horrified that he needed to at all - then blasts the gunman through a fence.
Finally the trio jump a last fence into Jaime's back yard. He scans the air to make sure no drones are nearby and goes over to his bedroom window, the suit oozing through the gaps and unlocking it, then popping off the screen from the inside. The three of them climb through and tumble to the bedroom floor.
Brenda is the last one through and she quickly slams the screen back into place, closes and locks the window, closes the blinds, and pulls the curtains.
The three of them hide next to the bed to make sure no outlines can be seen. The outlines of several shock troopers pass by, temporarily blocking the light of a nearby streetlight.
But then they move on.
"They left. I can tell with the sensors."
Then Jaime's door bursts open but it's not shock troopers - it's Jaime's dad, with his shotgun.
"What are you doing here? We thought someone broke into the house!" says his father, lowering the gun.
"You said you were crashing at Paco's house," comes a voice from behind them and they all shrink back and closer together, like safety in numbers will do a single thing to save them now.
"That was to keep you from trying to motor through several blockades," says Jaime. "We got stuck halfway home."
Bianca's chest rises like a tsunami about to break against shore, but her husbands holds up a hand.
"Let's save the lecture for later when there aren't patrols roaming around nearby," he says, "Because of the inevitable - and very well-earned - volume. Besides, they're scared. Let's let them breathe for a minute."
Jaime nods a few times and then throws himself at his mother. The anger melts away and she holds him tight.
"It was really, really close. I'm sorry. We were stupid."
"It was my fault, Mrs. Reyes," says Paco, "I was supposed to keep track of the time."
She relaxes out of her anger and hugs him back then gestures at Paco and Brenda. Brenda launches herself into the hug, too, visibly shaking. Paco hangs back but Alberto puts a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Let's get some food in you first, okay?" says Bianca. "Then the yelling."
"We are so, so screwed," says a redhead, peeking around a fence, up a street.
"This is so not my fault," says a tall, muscular teenager.
"You were the one that was supposed to keep track of time, Paco," says the redhead.
"Brenda, it's not my fault you guys and Eduardo picked such a snorefest series of movies that I literally could not stay conscious. It was like an elephant dart to the face."
"Do you think someone could come get us?" Brenda asks Jaime.
"No way, they'll already have the road blockades set up by now."
"Maybe if we explain what happened and ask super nicely they'll let us by?" Brenda suggests, super skeptically, as if she already knows the answer.
"Maybe if we had your complexion, but two brown dudes walking around after curfew? Adios, kneecaps, we hardly knew you. They recruited too many from La Migra," says Paco. "And even if they let us go, we can't let Jaime get on some watchlist, when he has to hide he's a meta. We could go back to Eduardo's, crash for the night."
"My dad would freak," says Brenda, anxiously. "I mean, with you guys he's got you both slotted in assuming you're like brothers and have no game."
"Ow," says Paco, hand over his heart, shocked and offended. "We do so have game. Just not directed at you."
"He knows I think Eduardo's cute and is super paranoid over me spending time there," says Brenda.
"You think Eduardo's cute."
"That's no go," says Jaime, "Let's not piss off Brenda's dad."
Brenda looks at her shoes, and the two boys share a concerned look, like pissing off Brenda's dad will invoke more than just a grounding.
"Look, at this point we're closest to my house anyway," says Jaime, peeking around a corner at at uniformed thugs crossing a street up ahead on patrol. "We may as well try to get the rest of the way there. You guys can spend the night."
"Your folks might come looking for us anyway, though, bro. How do we stop that?" asked Paco.
"Already texted and lied about staying at your house so they don't come looking."
"Aw, dude, RIP, because when we show up at your place, your mom is going to kill you on sight."
"Kill us," says Brenda. "None will be spared."
"...oh crap, she is going to equal opportunity murder, isn't she."
Jaime finishes assessing the situation on the road ahead.
"We're going to have to jump fences and take back alleys. That's the only way around the patrols. I can use the suit to pick up on life-signs, to avoid them. Our only other option is me flying you guys and we might get spotted."
Stupid early curfew. During the summer, it wasn't even dark yet at this time of day.
"Becoming amateur track stars it is," says Paco, bending over to tighten his shoelaces and make sure they're tied.
"Guess so," says Brenda, literally girding her loins and tucking her skirt into her waistband, revealing cycling shorts underneath. She slips off her sandals and produces slip on sneakers from her backpack.
"Smart," says Paco.
"Never know when we'll have to run from Super-thugs or do side-kick-ey things."
"Let's go," says Jaime, leading the way down an alley.
They escape attention at first, just using back alleys, but then there's the buzz of a drone.
"Shut it down," he hisses, presumably at the suit, but the drone starts blaring an alarm before self-destructing. "Ah fuuuu - we're marked. Go go go!"
They hear angry voices calling out: "Hey! Stop right there!"
The three of them jump fences and move through the backways like this has become a common set of paths for them recently. Even before curfew hours, they try to avoid patrols.
Every time one of the secret police appear at the end of an open alley, or jumping over a fence Jaime is ready for them, forming an arm cannon and blasting them so they fall on their ass before they can get a good look at the trio or what even hit them. They're terrifying to behold - with full face masks and red goggles.
One time there's a click of a safety and Jaime only just throws up a small round blue shield in time, as both Paco and Brenda curse. He manages to deflect the bullets into a tree rather than a house - and looks horrified that he needed to at all - then blasts the gunman through a fence.
Finally the trio jump a last fence into Jaime's back yard. He scans the air to make sure no drones are nearby and goes over to his bedroom window, the suit oozing through the gaps and unlocking it, then popping off the screen from the inside. The three of them climb through and tumble to the bedroom floor.
Brenda is the last one through and she quickly slams the screen back into place, closes and locks the window, closes the blinds, and pulls the curtains.
The three of them hide next to the bed to make sure no outlines can be seen. The outlines of several shock troopers pass by, temporarily blocking the light of a nearby streetlight.
But then they move on.
"They left. I can tell with the sensors."
Then Jaime's door bursts open but it's not shock troopers - it's Jaime's dad, with his shotgun.
"What are you doing here? We thought someone broke into the house!" says his father, lowering the gun.
"You said you were crashing at Paco's house," comes a voice from behind them and they all shrink back and closer together, like safety in numbers will do a single thing to save them now.
"That was to keep you from trying to motor through several blockades," says Jaime. "We got stuck halfway home."
Bianca's chest rises like a tsunami about to break against shore, but her husbands holds up a hand.
"Let's save the lecture for later when there aren't patrols roaming around nearby," he says, "Because of the inevitable - and very well-earned - volume. Besides, they're scared. Let's let them breathe for a minute."
Jaime nods a few times and then throws himself at his mother. The anger melts away and she holds him tight.
"It was really, really close. I'm sorry. We were stupid."
"It was my fault, Mrs. Reyes," says Paco, "I was supposed to keep track of the time."
She relaxes out of her anger and hugs him back then gestures at Paco and Brenda. Brenda launches herself into the hug, too, visibly shaking. Paco hangs back but Alberto puts a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Let's get some food in you first, okay?" says Bianca. "Then the yelling."