Stonewaller - Hoodie x Reader

Prologue

The armored squad car was silent while they prepared to escort the convicted murderer into the asylum, but as soon as the vehicle door opened all hell broke loose. Flashes of light blinded the man in handcuffs while he was dragged towards the stone steps. Out of the short lapses of sight he had between camera flashes he could see crowds of news reporters on each side of him thrusting microphones towards his face, shooting question after question until all their voices bled together into one chaotic hum. The two heavily armed police officers on each side of him pressed through the crowd harshly, shoving reporters out of the way and dragging the man along and up the cracked stone steps, then walking down a fifty-foot cement path past the tall black rod iron fence. The reporters weren't allowed past the gate thankfully, but that didn't alleviate any stress of the apprehended man.

Three months ago, Brian Thomas was captured and taken into custody after being surrounded in the city several blocks away from a shooting near a college campus. He was drenched in the blood of his victims, and the bullet casings on the scene matched those of the gun that was on his person. There was a plethora evidence proving that he hadn't acted alone, but due to strange circumstances they rushed to convict him so he could face justice in the form of a life sentence in an asylum for the criminally insane. What were the strange circumstances? From the moment Brian Thomas was taken into custody, he refused to utter a word. Medical examiners discovered that he wasn't mute, but simply chose to never speak. No matter what he was threatened with, his voice never left his mouth. And so, the court deemed him mentally unfit for a fair trial. Until he was at least mentally stable enough to talk, his case would wait to be reopened. Until then, he would reside in Aurora Valley Psychiatric Institution to receive treatment.

Brian was forced through the front door of the institution, barely able to take in his surroundings before he was escorted to a barred door alongside many in a dwindling hallway. Inside was a simplistic bed with white sheets on an iron bedframe. Nearly a half hour passed, and Brian had been dressed in a cream-colored inmate's uniform. Straps dangled loosely around his waist leading up to his chest. Using those and the sleeves that hung a couple inches past his fists, the uniform could be fastened into its straitjacket position. Thankfully, the sanatorium's orderlies left him in his 'room' with the jacket undone. His hazel brown eyes stared intently at the wall as he sat on the flat but somehow simultaneously lumpy mattress.

Two women sat at a table next to the window in a large café. Patrons came and left with their drinks and food, some sitting at the booths inside and some enjoying what they bought in the seating outside. One of the women raised her sepia skinned hand to catch several black and white box braids that fell in front of her face, swiping them away to rest on her shoulder. She returned her hand to the white porcelain cup, her golden wedding band clinking against it.

"Congratulations again on getting the job, I knew you could do it babes." The woman said to her friend sitting across the booth from her.

"Thanks Nia, I still can't really believe that I got it. I wouldn't think they'd give such a high-profile case to someone who just graduated though, regardless how many strings my dad had to pull. It's my first official patient, I don't know if I'm ready yet."

"(Y/N), it doesn't matter that your dad helped you get it or that it's your first patient," Nia reached her hand across the table and rested it on (Y/N)'s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, "you just got your what degrees again?" Nia asked.

"You know what I just graduated with-"

"Nope, I want you to tell me." Nia persisted.

(Y/N) let out a sigh but played along for her best friend's sake. "I just graduated with a Doctorate's degree in Psychology and a Bachelor's degree in criminology. Happy?"