Diego (gravitated) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2020-09-17 09:36:00 |
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Entry tags: | #april 2018, #group scene, diego, haisley, oliver |
Who: Oliver and Diego, then Haisley
When: a Sunday afternoon, mid-April
Where: home
Status: complete
Diego felt like he was full of electricity as he speed-walked home from church. He would’ve been running, but he was overly conscious of being a brown Hispanic man in a predominantly white town, and he didn’t want to rouse any suspicion. His mind was racing and his heart was trying to beat its way out of his chest. He mentally cursed the fact that they only had one car between them and he’d opted to walk to church that morning so Oliver could run an errand on his day off. Diego could’ve texted his man to come pick him up, but honestly he needed to burn off some energy before he spoke to Oliver -- walking was just so fucking slow. Diego was tempted to lift himself up high and fly home, but he definitely couldn’t risk that, especially not now.
He was a little out of breath as he burst through the front door of their home in Seaview. Diego didn’t want to alarm Haisley, or even tell her what was going on yet, he just needed to find Oliver as soon as possible. “Mi amor!” he called into the house as he shut the door behind him. “Dónde estás?”
Haisley had met a couple kids in town around her own age, so as far as Oliver knew, she was out with them when he heard Diego call for him. His partner's voice didn't sound scared or panicked but Oliver's heart still skipped a beat with fear, thinking perhaps something had happened to Haisley. Or maybe someone had witnessed Diego's powers and they had to pack up and leave again. The thought filled him with dread. They had been in Point Pleasant for a couple of months now and Oliver was feeling settled and happy. So he left the bedroom to find Diego, a sweatshirt still clutched in his hand from folding laundry. "Here," Oliver said, trying not to panic until there was something to panic about. "What is it? What's wrong?"
Diego wasn’t even sure what all the emotions bouncing around inside of him were. It was a lot to try and untangle. He was scared, because AIR was here, in this tiny quiet town they had settled in. But he was also completely charged up with excitement and determination, because there were others like him here too, and they wanted to fight. He couldn’t describe how that made him feel. There was also a fair amount of anger too, old rage from a long time ago that was newly stirred up. Seeing Oliver’s worried expression as he came into view, Diego crossed the room in a few long strides to him. He grabbed hold of Oliver’s arms and pulled him into a firm kiss, then grinned when he released him again. “I have so much to tell you, I just had the most amazing conversation,” he said, his words already rushed. Diego stopped himself with effort and glanced around the living room. “Is Haisley here?”
The panic that had started to rise in his gut was momentarily quelled. Diego looked far too excited for it to be bad news so Oliver smiled with a bit of relief, his grip loosening around the sweatshirt in his hand. "She's out with some kids. I'm not sure when she'll be home yet. What's going on? Tell me about this conversation." Oliver was glad Diego was out meeting people as well. He hated thinking of Diego cooped up inside all day, lonely and bored but for the occasional chat and silliness he got up to with Haisley.
Diego was relieved that their charge was out of the house, he didn’t want her to hear any of this until they were ready to present it to her in the right manner. He didn’t want to scare her into running prematurely. Nodding, he took Oliver by the forearm to pull him along toward the couch. “Good. Come, come and sit with me,” he said. He sat sideways on the cushion so he could face Oliver, his face already animated with excitement. It was a dark sort of excitement, but God it was making him feel so alive at the moment. “The priest-- the preacher, at the church. He pulled me aside after service today and said he wanted to talk to me. I went back to his office and he revealed to me that he was a victim of AIR too. His power is telepathy and he said he’d been listening to me for a few weeks while I was there and he knew my background and wanted to reach out. And there are more, mi amor, at least three or four others in town. AIR is here, they have a facility here in Point Pleasant, and this man, he wants to fight them.” The words came out in rapid-fire Spanish, Diego hardly able to finish one sentence before he was onto the next, but he forced himself to pause to let Oliver react, dark eyes keen on his man’s face.
Out of everything Diego could have started talking about, Oliver was not prepared for anything having to do with AIR. As Diego spoke, Oliver could feel a heavy weight form in his stomach, making him feel queasy. It was so difficult to decide what to focus on first. The fact that a telepath was listening in on Diego's thoughts, that AIR was here or that this man wanted to go up against them - with Diego. Any sense of amusement that he'd felt from Diego's obvious excitement had faded, leaving him pale and on the verge of panic. "We have to leave," Oliver said numbly. "No, we can't stay. Not if they're here." He moved to stand, dropping the sweatshirt he held to the floor. They had to pack and quickly. Find Haisley. There would be no time to tell the hospital. They had been settled here longer than most places so there was more to do now than ever before. What if AIR showed up? What if they were already watching?
Oliver looked like he might puke in their laps, which made Diego feel like he wasn’t explaining things well. He got a jolt of his own panic when Oliver stood and said they had to leave. That was the very last thing that Diego wanted to do, not after his talk with Mal. “No! No no no, we can’t,” he hurried to say, grabbing for Oliver’s hand before he could get too far. “Please, Oliver, sit down, listen -- we can’t leave now. There are allies here, mi amor, more than I ever thought possible, and they are making a plan and they need our help. Please baby, just hear me out.”
He was having a difficult time comprehending what Diego was telling him and he was sure the confusion was evident in his expression. "We don't have allies, Diego. We've been running from AIR for over a decade. We're lucky they haven't beaten down our door already." His heart was racing from fear and he wondered if they ought to run out to find Haisley now, or pack up her things for her so they could leave as soon as she got home. "Who is this man you spoke to? You said he was the preacher?" Oliver was doing his best not to get intense or crazy about this, but he knew he was failing terribly.
Since Oliver refused to be pulled back down to sit, Diego stood up so they could be eye to eye. He could see the terror in his love’s face, and he knew very well why it was there. It had been what kept them moving every few months for the past ten years. Diego felt some of it too, he wasn’t stupid. He was just determined now to put an end to this once and for all. Now that they weren’t alone anymore. “We do have allies now,” he corrected with feeling. “Here, in this place. Yes, he is the preacher at the small church. He was born here, and those monsters took him when he was just a toddler, Oliver, and they stole his life from him. Some of the other victims escaped and burned down the facility here years ago, but AIR has rebuilt. They’re active here again, and God knows how many children they have taken now. This is it, don’t you see? This is why we’re here.” He clutched at Oliver’s hand, his gaze intently begging Oliver to understand. “This is our chance to do something. I’m so tired of running, aren’t you?”
"No," Oliver said, exasperated. "No, I'm not tired of running, if that means keeping you safe. You know what they're capable of. They're everywhere. What are you going to do, Diego? Fight them? They'll kill you. They'll kill Haisley. They'll kill your preacher, and whoever else he claims to have found. I'm not going to let you risk your life. We've come too far and have been through too much to... to play hero." He felt for the victims of AIR. He truly did. And while he didn't know this preacher well, he felt for him too. But Oliver's life was Diego. They had loved and protected each other for the better part of a decade and there was no way he could toss that aside for a handful of strangers. He wouldn't.
Diego frowned deeply and huffed some frustrated air out through his nose. He let go of Oliver’s hand and took a few paces away, running his fingers through his hair and leaving it a little wild as he turned back to look at him. “It is not play if we can actually do something,” he said, his features tense. “This man, he has -- he knows a survivor who can create lightning with his hands. A woman who can walk through the dreams of others, there’s another man who can make huge fires out of nothing, and he himself can control other people’s thoughts. They trained him to be a killer, Oliver. It’s not just us anymore, with nothing and no one. This could be big and I don’t want to run from it. You know what I can do, you have seen it yourself, I can help them.” His tone was passionate and he waved his hands around as he talked, animated by nature but especially when he felt something really strongly. “If there are more survivors, if we can find them, we can win this, we can stop them.”
Oliver pressed his hands together, as if in prayer though it was more to try and emphasize his side of the argument. "You don't know for sure that this man is not working for them. He could be working for the facility, luring in people like you with promises of revenge or whatever it is he's touting. He could be manipulating you, Diego, do you not see that? You said yourself, he can control other people's thoughts? That scares me as much as knowing AIR is nearby scares me." He was trying his best to restrain from losing his temper. He wasn't angry at Diego. But this was the very last thing he expected to hear, especially given how happy they had been for the past couple of months. "You don't understand. AIR is everywhere. For every one of you, there could be a dozen of them. And you're right, it's not just us anymore, my love, we have Haisley to consider now too. I cannot allow you to risk your life, or hers. I can't do it."
Oliver might not have been angry yet, but Diego was getting there. He knew Oliver had a point about Preacher Mal possibly working for AIR -- it had crossed Diego’s mind too. But the man had been so sincere, and he’d offered to introduce Diego to the others, he just didn’t think it was some AIR plot to draw him in. He really believed it was a growing resistance of survivors. “Don’t tell me I don’t understand, I have been here too for ten years,” he snapped, a bit of color coming into his cheeks. He and Oliver almost never fought about anything, but Diego couldn’t just roll over on this one. He was suddenly exhausted of running and hiding in fear, he wanted to put an end to AIR now that they had some backup. “You were there for months, I was there my whole childhood, Oliver. You don’t understand -- what they did to me, what they are still doing to others, the tests, the torture, the abuse, the isolation and loneliness. These are children! Babies! If they are everywhere at all times, why have they not taken us back, huh? How have we been here for months and are still alive and free? They are not God, Oliver, they don’t know about us, and that’s the perfect time to take action.” He stopped for a breath and paced away into the kitchen just to move around some more.
The problem was, Oliver did know. He had worked there long enough to know. He had risked everything to get Diego out of that facility and yes, he regretted not being able to help others. But it felt like everything they had run from, everything they had built together now held the risk of falling apart. Placing his hands on his hips, Oliver closed his eyes briefly before looking down at the floor. He needed to take a breath and try to reason with Diego. But he knew his partner was passionate and he could already tell this was going to be a battle. Oliver had always hated fighting with him, and he wanted nothing more than to walk to that church and tell that preacher to leave them alone. "They're going to know," Oliver murmured, finally looking back up at Diego. "They will find out, if they are as close as you say, especially if this preacher is starting to gather so many like you. This is only going to end up in blood and death. Do you think you'll just walk away from this unscathed with their entire operation up in flames? You could die, Diego. Do you understand that?"
Oliver had a quiet nature and always had, and sometimes Diego felt guilty for the way he got stirred up and loud at his man when they had disagreements. It felt like a deeply ingrained part of his personality, something he would’ve attributed to his family if he remembered them better. When he felt strongly about something, he just couldn’t seem to help himself. He opened the fridge with a jerk as he listened to Oliver’s maddening words, and pulled out a bottle of water. “Of course I do,” he shot back, his tone still intense as he twisted the cap off and turned to look at Oliver again. “But I could die at any time, no? We could do the wrong thing somewhere else, slip up and they could find us before we know it and kill us. This is our chance to strike first, Oliver, when we have allies to watch our backs, with more firepower than you and I alone could have.” Diego took a sip from the bottle and put it down on the counter, walking in closer again. His brow furrowed and he reached for Oliver’s hand, trying to make his voice softer. “Please just come with me, meet them all, hear them out. I need you on my side on this, my love, I feel this is why we were drawn here. It can’t be coincidence. This town, finding Haisley, this man finding me ... this is why we’re here, and if we do it right, we can stop running.”
He honestly hated that argument. Knowing that one could die anytime was not a reasonable enough excuse to purposely put one's life in danger. It felt like Diego was running into a burning building and Oliver was helpless to stop him. This would all end badly, he just knew it. "You do not know that they're our allies. You're putting blind faith into people you barely know." His hand tightened around Diego's fingers, but he kept his tone as calm as he could now, his eyes searching Diego's pleadingly. "We've been running from them for so long. We've given up so much to build this life together. Please don't throw it all away for strangers suffering from delusions of grandeur. The facility is too strong. How can I trust any man who can control another's thoughts? How can I meet him and believe he's telling me the truth, believe he won't manipulate me to agree to whatever plans he may have?"
Knowing Oliver had good points made it all even more frustrating. Maybe Diego was being naive, maybe he was trusting too quickly and getting too excited about something that might end up being their downfall. But how would he ever know for sure if he didn’t pursue it further? It felt so wrong to just turn his back on the opportunity to destroy something evil, to help innocent children who were caught in its web, to rescue those who might be suffering the same as he did. He knew Oliver was just trying to protect him, and Diego loved him for it, but big changes were never made from a position of absolute safety. They could run for the rest of their lives, dragging Haisley along with them until she got sick of it, or they could risk something now, do something now. He mentally kicked himself for revealing Mal’s power so soon, because of course Oliver wouldn’t trust a telepath. “It’s not just this one man though, what about the others?” he asked, his expression still pained. “It can’t hurt to go and listen, Oliver. To see what they say, who they are, if they can come up with a viable plan. Maybe the facility isn’t too strong. They kept us all separated and alone for a reason, mi amor, everyone and everything has weaknesses. And these people burned the facility down once as children, surely they can do more now as adults.”
Oliver was dangerously close to finding some way to drug Diego. To take him out of Point Pleasant, drive west to the coast. They had loved living so close to the ocean. They could do it again, start a new life, away from this place and AIR. He knew he would never do such a thing, but the terror had sunk in deep and it was becoming increasingly difficult not to look at Diego and wonder if Diego would eventually choose those people over him. Closing his eyes, he pinched the bridge of his nose, breathing in deep through his lips before finally speaking again. "If you want me to listen to them, I will. But I can't imagine any plan where you're not going to be risking your life, or Haisley's, and I will never be okay with that. You understand that, yes? Where will that leave us, Diego? My entire life has been devoted to you, and I'm asking you to please think this through. Please."
Diego waved his free hand dismissively. “Haisley is still a child herself, she will not be involved,” he said. Oliver kept bringing her up like Diego was going to strap her to his chest and run into battle with her. Her power didn’t seem like it would be useful in a fight anyway. The rest of it bothered him though, the subtle way Oliver slipped some guilt in there -- my entire life has been devoted to you. It was true, but Diego’s entire life had been devoted to him too. He pulled his hand free to gesture emphatically. “Just because you can’t imagine, doesn’t mean there isn’t a way. There is no life without risk, Oliver, you risked your life for me, and still do every day. I’m thinking it through, this is just the beginning, I’m not rushing over there right now, okay? But if plans are made and they seem like good plans -- safe plans, as safe as possible ... I don’t know if I can turn my back on children suffering as I did. If there is a chance, I cannot be that kind of coward.” His jaw flexed and he stared into Oliver’s eyes intently for a moment, then turned to pace back to his water bottle.
Oliver wondered if Diego was naive enough to think Haisley wouldn’t want to be involved. She would try to help, or she would run, once she found out that AIR was nearby. A part of him didn’t want to tell her a thing, but he had no idea what his responsibility was when it came to her. But maybe they had time to think about that. He was too focused on Diego now, and wondering if his lover was implying that Oliver was the coward. It might not have been what Diego meant but it still stung, because maybe he was. He was scared of the facility. He was scared to lose Diego. He had no means to help, to fight. He was helpless and that was a terrifying thought. And now he had a terrible feeling that it wouldn’t matter how safe this preacher’s plan was, or wasn’t. The look in Diego’s eyes was intense and passionate. Determined.
Oliver rubbed a hand over his face before turning away. “I need some air,” he murmured, grabbing his jacket from the coat tree. “Please don’t tell Haisley about this if she comes home before I do.”
There was a fiery part of Diego that didn’t want Oliver to leave, so they could keep arguing. He wanted to yell and express himself and hash it out ... but he knew that insisting on continuing the fight when Oliver wanted a break just made things worse, not better. So he could give his man space to digest it all. Which he maybe should’ve done sooner, but there’d just been so much to tell him. Diego gave a little sigh and nodded, running a hand through his ruffled hair. “I promise,” he said. It would be difficult -- the desire to share with Haisley that they weren’t alone here was strong -- but Diego knew that was for the best. They were quasi-parents now, and they needed to be on the same page when they talked to her. “Be safe, mi amor,” he added, quieter. Maybe that was a ridiculous thing to say considering what they’d just been talking about, but it still came from the heart.
Oliver hated fighting with Diego. They didn't do it often, after all, and never about anything this dangerous. But he needed space to breathe and think. He needed to calm down so he could consider all of this with a clear head. It might help him recognize and understand where Diego was coming from, even if he didn't like it. It would be difficult not to drive directly to that church to have words with the preacher, but he knew that would only make things worse. All he needed now was some fresh air. Maybe a drink. Oliver nodded in acknowledgment of Diego's concern before grabbing his keys and pulling open the door to leave. He wouldn't stay gone long. Just... long enough.
It was rare, but it always felt so unnatural to part company without saying ‘I love you’ to each other. Diego braced his hands on the counter and bowed his head for a few moments after Oliver shut the door behind him, trying to take a few deep breaths and calm himself down. He didn’t want to have this discord in their home, and part of him was of course tempted to forget about being part of this fight against evil and just start packing bags for them. But every time he thought of running again, he felt vaguely queasy. He couldn’t help but remember himself as a young child, constantly afraid and confused, locked up in a small room and forced to do things he didn’t understand. And the facility ... they’d been planning to kill him before Oliver had rescued him. Throw him away as defective, uncontrollable trash. Not a person, a liability. If that was currently happening to another child in their clutches and Diego could do something about it but didn’t? What did that make him? An enabler to evil?
He eventually moved to slouch on the couch, but his mind was racing too much for him to sit still for long, so Diego started to clean. It was slightly soothing to have control over something, so he dove into making the whole kitchen gleam. He was on his hands and knees madly scrubbing the linoleum floor when he heard the front door open again. Diego perked up like a lemming to see over the kitchen island, his heart pounding with sudden nerves that it was Oliver and he was even more angry.
Haisley found she really liked Point Pleasant, even when it was cold as tits outside. She had met a couple of kids who went to the high school and while Haisley wouldn't exactly call them friends, it was nice to hang out with people her own age for a change. She had smoked a couple of cigarettes with them, which had made her feel like she fit in for once, but also left her feeling kind of queasy. The upside to all of that was she had also been able to feed. Teenage kids were super hormonal, something she knew all about, so it was easy to get them all horny before she left to walk home. Her fingers still smelled like the cigarettes and she was desperate to brush her teeth and swish some of Oliver's mouthwash.
When she stepped into the house, she toed her shoes off and then saw Diego peering over the counter at her. Haisley eyed him with confused amusement as she unzipped her coat to shrug it off. "What're you doing back there? Oh god, are you guys like, screwing on the floor? I can come back." Haisley began zipping up again, just in case that was what was going on.
Diego was both relieved and vaguely disappointed to see that it was Haisley and not Oliver. He chuckled a bit and moved to get to his feet, using the kitchen counter for a bit of help. “No, it’s just me,” he answered her. “I was scrubbing the floor. Be careful, it’s wet over here.” He gestured vaguely toward the part of the floor he’d already done, then nudged the bucket he’d been using into view as he came around the kitchen island. He dredged up a faint smile for her and reminded himself of his promise to Oliver not to talk about it all yet. “How is your day? Oliver said you went out with some friends? Did you have fun?”
Relieved, Haisley tugged the zipper down again and pulled her coat off. The house did smell lemon-y and clean. She liked it. It was so much nicer than the chemicals and disinfectant the facility had used in her room. "Oh, yeah, I mean, I don't know if they're like, real friends. But one of the boys down the street goes to the high school? So he invited me to meet his friends. They're cool, I guess?" To be honest, Haisley didn't really have anyone to really compare them to. She hadn't had friends before and she kind of figured they thought she was a dork or something. Haisley was trying not to be awkward, but, well, she was awkward sometimes. "Where's Oliver? Did he have to work?"
“All real friends start out as not-friends, so just give it time,” Diego told her with a slightly easier smile. “If you like them, that is.” He’d technically been a teenager when Oliver had freed him, but he didn’t have a lot of experience with truly making friends in a place he would be staying for a while. He’d had Oliver from the start, of course, but they’d moved so often in those early years, Diego hadn’t ever found a real circle of friends anywhere. Nor had he gone to school, so that probably had something to do with it. Still, he wanted that for Haisley if she could manage it -- the most normal teenage life possible. To him, it was just another reason to set things right here and stay put. Diego wanted to give her an opportunity to set down roots, like they hadn’t been able to do. “He had an errand to run,” he answered, giving a slight nod. “He should be back soon.” Diego hoped so, anyway. “Are you hungry or anything?”
Haisley shrugged with a small smile, because she didn't know if she liked them enough to be friends. It was just nice to be around other people for a while. Brushing her brown hair back behind her ears, she got a whiff of the cigarette smell on her hands again and carefully walked into the kitchen so she could wash her hands. Her socks weren't dirty so at least she wasn't messing up Diego's floor. "I already ate," she told him with a knowing look. "But thanks. Are you like... okay and everything? You seem weird." He was smiling normal and talking normal but there was a weird tension about him that didn't seem right. She had spent years around tense adults who smiled just fine but had something going on behind their eyes. Diego didn't scare her the way those people did, but it still felt like something might be wrong. Maybe he could smell the smoke and was upset about it? Maybe she had left a mess in the bathroom sink with her makeup. Or maybe he and Oliver had bickered about something. Or maybe they weren't having enough sex? Something.
Diego’s brows rose briefly before he nodded to Haisley’s reply about already eating. He knew she didn’t mean food, at least not the kind you put in your mouth and chewed. He was curious what sort of vices she’d stirred up in the people around her in order to feed, but it always seemed like too personal of a thing to ask her. He suspected that sometimes he and Oliver fed her when they couldn’t keep their hands off of each other, but he honestly didn’t want to know for sure. It obviously wasn’t harming them, Haisley had been with them for months and they were all still fine. Her perceptive questions distracted his thoughts and he gave a faint chuckle. Of course she was perceptive -- she’d grown up trying to read the emotions and nuances of the only people she had contact with, he’d done the same. “Am I that transparent?” he asked in a murmur, not really expecting an answer. He moved to open the fridge and find something to drink. “Oliver and I are just ... in disagreement about something, that’s all.” That was honest enough, right? He didn’t have to give her details.
Haisley probably wouldn't have minded if Diego had asked more about her "eating" habits. But she only knew so much about why and how she did what she did. She kind of figured he already knew that she fed off of him and Oliver sometimes, but she didn't do it a lot and only when she was starting to feel starved. That was a big reason why she had gone to hang out with new people today. She couldn’t use Diego and Oliver as her meals all the time. "I don't know if you're transparent, but... I mean, grown ups try really hard to hide certain emotions and I think I just got used to figuring that out." Haisley soaped up her hands, but kept her attention on Diego. She didn't like hearing that he was having a disagreement with Oliver and Haisley frowned. Almost immediately her stomach hurt because what if that disagreement was over her? Maybe Oliver wanted her to leave or something. She never got the feeling that he didn't like her or want her there... she had fun with him almost as much as she had fun with Diego, but still. "Is it me?" Haisley asked, before she could stop herself. Her hands were dripping soapy bubbles onto the floor as she stared at Diego. "Did I do something wrong?"
Diego didn’t connect the dots that Haisley might think it was her until she started to look so worried. Her questions caused a sharper tug on his heart than he would’ve thought, and Diego briefly touched his chest as his expression turned sympathetic. He nudged the fridge closed without getting anything out of it. “Oh honey, no,” he said, stepping up next to Haisley to put his arm around her shoulders for a side hug. “It’s not you at all, don’t worry about that, okay? You’re an angel.” He kissed the side of her head and then let her go. “I’ll fill you in when I can, but I promised Oliver to stay quiet about it until we’re on the same page. But it’s not you.” Diego gave her a better smile, overly conscious now of his face. He wanted to tell her, in spite of saying to Oliver that she wouldn’t be involved. Not to recruit her but just to keep her in the loop. This affected her life too, it was true, but he still thought he was in the right. Haisley deserved to know, even if they kept her out of it for her own safety.
Haisley didn’t think she was an angel but it still made her feel better to know they hadn’t been fighting about her. Haisley had gotten comfortable there. She liked Point Pleasant and Diego and Oliver had become the family she’d never had before. The thought of having to leave made her feel sick to her stomach. Studying Diego, Haisley didn’t think he was lying to her. She wasn’t sure he ever had, or would, which was why she trusted him so much now. “Okay,” she said finally, turning back to the sink to rinse her hands. “Um, do you want me to hang out in my room when he gets back? I don’t want to make things weird if you guys still have stuff to like, talk about or whatever. I just, you know, want to make sure everything’s okay.”
Considering the kind of life they’d both had, Diego wanted to be as honest with Haisley as possible. She’d been deceived and held captive for years, he wanted to give her a safe, grounded place where she could come to actually learn about the world. He wanted her to trust both of them, as her de facto parents. Maybe Oliver was right, maybe the risk wasn’t worth it. Whatever children AIR had now were nebulous strangers, and he had a child to protect right in front of him. But she was one and if there were many that needed help ... God, it all gave him a headache. “We’ll see when he gets back,” he told Haisley for the moment, then chuckled faintly. “Maybe he’ll walk in and say ‘Diego you’re completely right and I was wrong’ and there won’t be much more to talk about.” He knew that wasn’t going to happen -- even if Oliver did say he was right, that would be just the beginning of discussions -- but he didn’t want Haisley to worry too much. “Everything will be okay though, don’t worry,” he added. No matter what happened, he had to believe they would be okay eventually, so that wasn’t exactly a lie.
She was curious about what they had been arguing about but Haisley was learning that there were certain social boundaries she had to be mindful of. Occasionally she was nosy and blunt, though never with any malice, but it felt like this was one of those times where it was none of her business and she needed to not pry. Diego would tell her what was going on eventually and more than anything else Haisley wanted them not to be fighting. Drying her hands on the dish towel, Haisley then reached up to tug at a piece of loose hair, bringing it around to her nose to take a sniff. It smelled bad too, which meant she would probably have to take a shower. Blech. She was never smoking again. "Has he ever said that before, when you guys are arguing?" Haisley asked, dropping her hair back to her shoulder and smiling at Diego. "I don't think I've ever heard you guys fight before, other than like... you know, bickering over small things." And even that felt rare.
Diego had to laugh a little and he wrinkled his nose. “I don’t think he has,” he admitted. “At least not in so many words. To be fair, I’m rarely completely right.” He knew he was a hot head and too passionate sometimes, and he could be unreasonable ... he just didn’t think he was in the wrong this time. Maybe he should be more cautious and take pains to shield Haisley from it all, but Diego didn’t want to keep her in the dark either. He nearly asked her if she would come with them if they had to move, but Diego stopped himself. That would lead to more questions he couldn’t answer without explaining more than he was supposed to. He moved to the sink to wash his own hands since he’d been cleaning with chemicals. “Tell me about these kids, did you have fun? What did you all do?”
Instinctively she wanted to know what the argument was about just so she would know whose side she was supposed to take, if any. Haisley supposed it depended on how serious the argument was. It must not have been too bad if Oliver left to go run an errand and Diego didn't seem super upset or anything. Leaning against the counter, Haisley watched Diego wash his hands. "I don't know much about them, to be honest. Joey lives around here. His friends seem okay too. We went to the arcade and then smoked, which was really disgusting." She wrinkled her nose. "I don't think I'll do it again." Haisley was about to say more when the door opened and Oliver walked in. He looked a little tired and a bit serious until he spotted her. Then he managed a smile which Haisley was sure was mostly for her benefit.
"How's it going in here?" Oliver asked. He set his keys down and began to shrug out of his coat. The smell of chemicals told him that Diego had been stress cleaning and Haisley didn't look scared or upset or anything so it wasn't likely Diego had told her about AIR. Oliver hadn't really thought he would. Diego had promised, after all, and he had never broken a promise in the past.
Diego already had a parental lecture on the tip of his tongue about smoking, but then Oliver was back and his heart was suddenly pounding with nerves. It sounded like Haisley hadn’t really liked the experience anyway, so she probably didn’t need the lecture. Diego dried his hands off and glanced between Haisley and Oliver. “It’s going fine,” he murmured, his gaze a bit fretful as he looked at his lover again. Diego couldn’t really tell how he was feeling just from his expression, sure that current neutrality was for Haisley and not for him. Now that he’d had some time to settle down, Diego was nervous about his man being more upset with him than when he’d left. “I cleaned the floor. Haisley discovered she doesn’t like cigarettes.”
Oliver hung up his coat and cocked a brow at Haisley. "That's good. Cigarettes are terrible for you. Are you feeling all right?" When she nodded, Oliver glanced between the two and realized he wasn't sure if he ought to talk to Diego with Haisley present, or try to find some common ground before including her in the conversation. While he felt calmer now, he wasn't sure how long that would last after he and Diego began to discuss AIR again. "Should we talk?" Oliver murmured, his eyes on Diego though he clearly wanted to know if Diego wanted to involve Haisley yet or not.
There was a small part of Diego that wanted to keep Haisley around as a buffer so this wouldn’t turn into a real fight, but he knew that was cowardly and stupid. He’d never feared Oliver for a second, he just hated it when they were clashing over anything, and this was especially important. He nodded and glanced at Haisley. “We’ll be in the bedroom, okay?” he said, reaching out to give her arm a squeeze. He could’ve asked her to go to her own room, but that didn’t really feel fair, since she lived there too and this was a common area. He and Oliver could talk just as well in their own private space. Diego started to head that way.
Haisley nodded and she had to plant her feet firmly on the floor to keep from following them. They clearly needed privacy but she just wanted to be there to make sure they didn't fight loudly, or break up. What would she do if that happened? Haisley watched them go before sniffing her hair again and wrinkling her nose. She could take a shower. That would pass the time.
Oliver shut the bedroom door quietly as soon as he stepped inside. Then he walked over to sit down on the edge of the bed, his hands clasped together loosely between his knees. He hadn't gotten drunk the way he wanted to, but he'd had a drink or two and allowed his thoughts to run away from him for a bit. Oliver wasn't sure that it made anything better though. "I'll listen to the preacher," he murmured finally. "I don't know that I'll be okay with whatever he plans to do. But I'll listen. That's all I can promise you."
Diego was nervous, but he stayed quiet while Oliver sat and thought. He couldn’t sit down and be still himself, so he stayed on his feet, but he managed not to pace. He idly re-folded a small stack of shirts that was sitting on the dresser instead. Diego looked over when Oliver finally spoke, and relief flooded his system. He crossed the space to where his lover was sitting and dropped to his knees in front of Oliver, reaching for his hands. It was then that he noticed the faint smell of alcohol, but Diego couldn’t hold that against him. Sometimes a man just needed a couple of drinks. “Thank you, mi amor” he murmured, pulling Oliver’s hands to his lips to kiss his fingers. “That’s all I ask. Just hear them out.”
Oliver didn't know what would happen if he heard them out and still hated the idea. Still didn't want Diego involved. Would Diego agree to stay out of it? Would they fight again? The uncertainty had the ability to drive him crazy, but Oliver knew there was nothing he could do about it now. They would have to cross that bridge when they came to it. "I'll do that," Oliver said quietly. "But you know I'll never be okay with any plan that puts you in danger. In any capacity. I know you're strong, Diego, and powerful... but I can't risk losing you."
He didn’t know what would happen either. Things were still in the early stages, from what Mal had said. They were gathering support in order to make a plan. It was hard to know what they would be able to do until they knew what sort of firepower they were working with. If Diego’s power hadn’t been so fucking useful and dangerous, he might not have been so eager to help, but he knew that he could. He hadn’t had to use gravity to get Oliver and himself out of the facility in Washington, and maybe there was a part of him that kind of regretted that. He’d never really been let off his leash. And if he could help protect these other survivors and rescue children in danger, he wanted to. He knew Oliver would never like him fighting, but maybe they could aim for grudging acceptance. Diego squeezed Oliver’s hands gently and gave him a faint smile. “I know you won’t,” he murmured. “And I would feel the same. That’s love. But it’s important to me to at least see the possibilities here, so ... thank you.”
The only possibilities Oliver could see were pain and death. Even if this preacher managed to destroy AIR, what then? What about the other locations? What if AIR was part of something bigger? Something more dangerous? Maybe this life hadn't been ideal for either of them, but it had been theirs and Oliver felt like it could slip away so easily now. Breathing in slowly through his nose, Oliver nodded, clinging to Diego's hands for a moment. He wasn't happy about this, any of it, and it was too difficult to hide those emotions. It was just something they would both have to live with. "Should we tell Haisley?" Oliver didn't want to, but he had a feeling it might be impossible to keep it from her. "Or should we wait until after I've met this preacher?"
Diego was full of big emotions and always had been, so they didn’t scare him. Oliver was more even-keeled by nature, and maybe this was the biggest thing that had made them clash in their lives together, but Diego wouldn’t shy away from his man’s feelings either. They were a team, they had to operate as one. And Oliver was being reasonable and willing to at least give it a chance, so Diego felt reassured. If it really came down to the hard line, he would choose Oliver over anyone else, but he knew he would struggle with it. He wasn’t willing to give up without seeing where he could fit into this plan first though. Diego rose off the floor enough to turn and sit down on the bed next to Oliver, keeping their hands together. “I think we should tell her,” he said with a small nod. “So she knows to be careful around here, if nothing else. She already knew something was wrong when she came home and asked me about it, she was worried we were fighting because of her.”
Oliver grimaced a bit, as he didn't want Haisley to ever think their arguments were caused by her. She was a teenage girl and she'd had bad days, of course, but he didn't think it was anything he and Diego couldn't handle. "And what if she wants to run?" Oliver realized that was a strong possibility. It was one thing for Diego to want to plant his feet in place and fight back. But Haisley was still a kid, at least in Oliver's eyes. AIR may be too close for comfort. "I don't want to frighten her... you should probably take the lead there." He would be in the room and be ready to jump in to calm her, if that was needed. Maybe it wouldn't be. But Oliver supposed he was still scared she would find out he had worked for AIR and decide she didn't want to stay with them any longer.
It had occurred to Diego that Haisley might want to run, but he hadn’t thought things through enough to have an answer for that. If both of the two people he cared about the most were exhorting him to abandon this idea and flee ... well, Diego would cross that bridge when he came to it. He was sure he would probably give in if that was the case. He just hoped it wouldn’t be. Maybe that would piss Oliver off more -- Diego would run if Haisley said to, but not him? -- but there was no help for it, really. He couldn’t lose both of them. “We’ll see what she says,” he murmured, his eyes ticking toward the door before coming back to Oliver. “Are you ready now?”
No, he wasn't ready. Oliver wanted to wash his hands clean of this town now and flee. And that was a shame because he really liked Point Pleasant. It was such a cozy community. He liked his job. But he loved Diego more than any of that. And that was why they were staying... at least for now. Oliver nodded and stood from the bed, hoping they wouldn't have some kind of teenage-girl crisis on their hands once they filled Haisley in on what was happening. Taking Diego's hand, Oliver squeezed it, just so his lover would know that Oliver wanted to appear as a united front, even if they weren't... at least not deep down, at the heart of it all.
Haisley had planned to take a shower but she had snuck quietly to the closed bedroom door to try and listen in on what Oliver and Diego had been talking about. Their voices were too muffled for her to make it out, but they weren't shouting, so that was good. When she heard the floor creak under the weight of their footsteps, Haisley had turned and tried to run as lightly as she could to the living room where she flung herself on the couch, trying to look as indifferent and nonchalant as possible. She was still panting a bit when they both entered the room and she eyed them expectantly.
Diego was grateful for Oliver’s hand in his, and he gave him a little smile before they left their bedroom. He hadn’t heard Haisley’s footsteps, and he was too preoccupied to notice her elevated breathing as they walked into the living room. He aimed his little smile at Haisley and brought Oliver’s hand up to kiss the back of it before he let go and moved to perch on the edge of the coffee table so he could look at her. “Filling you in didn’t take as long as I thought it might,” he told her with a soft huff. Diego glanced at Oliver, then back to their charge. “We have something serious to talk to you about.”
Haisley brushed her hair away from her face and sat up. Her heart was pounding harder now, but more out of fear and anticipation than anything else. Something serious was never good, right? "Okay," she murmured, glancing between Diego and Oliver. Oliver looked more tense than Diego did, his hands on his hips as he stood off to the side. Something was definitely wrong. "Is everything okay?" That was probably a stupid question, considering how they were both looking at her. But Haisley didn't think she had done anything wrong, and Diego had told her earlier it had nothing to do with her. She had to believe that, at least.
He wished Oliver would sit down too, but Diego wasn’t going to make him. He just hoped his man would let him finish speaking before he jumped in with his own opinion. He had said he didn’t want to scare Haisley. Diego could read the worry all over her face, and he tried to give her a reassuring smile. “We’re okay right now, yes,” he started. “But ... I’ve made a discovery. I uh, met a man today -- I’ve seen him before, he’s the preacher at a church in town, but he talked to me today ... and he told me that AIR has a facility in this town. He is also a survivor, he escaped them too.” He wet his lips and kept his gaze steady on Haisley, stopping there to let that information sink in for her.
Haisley was mentally preparing herself for the news that Oliver and Diego wanted to move or something. Or that they would try to force her to go to school, or to get a job. But hearing that AIR was here, in Point Pleasant? Of all the small towns in this entire country. Haisley inhaled sharply, paling at the news. Her hands gripped the edges of the couch cushion she was sitting on. AIR was here. They were close. They probably knew Haisley was there too. Yes, the urge was there to get to her feet and run out of the front door and never stop until she had put Point Pleasant far behind her. But her feet felt like lead and Haisley struggled to put together a coherent response. "What are we going to do?" she whispered, panicked as she glanced between Oliver and Diego again. "Where are we going to go?"
Diego instantly felt awful, she looked so small and scared. He told himself to prepare to have his passion completely shot down. If Oliver and Haisley both wanted to run, what could he say? He resisted the instinct to look at Oliver, staying focused on Haisley. “That’s the thing ... and I’m not saying we can’t leave, because we can. Oliver and I, we have moved countless times to avoid them, and we would never leave you behind, okay? Just to say that up front. But this man ... he’s finding other survivors, and he’s gathering a force to fight back,” he said with quiet intensity. “He has met several already, from this local facility, and they burned it down back when they were children and escaped. He believes we can fight back ... we can destroy them for good this time.” Diego struggled to keep his expression neutral so he wouldn’t influence her, but he’d always worn his heart on his sleeve and it was difficult to cool down the emotion in his dark eyes as he stared at her.
Oh yes, she was ready to run. She was ready to grab Diego's hand and run with him. They could go somewhere really warm and pretty, like... some place not here. Geography still wasn't her strong point. But the more Diego spoke, the more her thinking and fear began to shift. Because while she hadn't expected to hear a facility was in town, she really hadn't expected to be told that some preacher in town was gathering others like them to fight back. There were others like them. It was a lot to take in and Haisley stared at Diego, imagining the building she had escaped from set ablaze. It was... satisfying... even if she knew they weren't talking about going back to Michigan to do that. It was symbolism, or whatever the word was. "There are others?" she whispered. "Here? How many?"
He nodded an affirmative, then squinted one eye. “He said there were around five so far, not counting me. I believe they’re all looking for more.” Diego’s gaze flickered to Oliver, but didn’t linger there. He wet his lips. “Now ... I didn’t tell him about you. If we move forward with this, it will be dangerous,” he said, his tone low and serious. “Oliver and I, we’re going to protect you as much as we can, okay? But if you ... if you want to leave town ... that’s what we’ll do.” It was difficult to say and he hoped Oliver wouldn’t hold it against him, but Haisley was still a child in a lot of ways, and Diego didn’t want to put her in the line of fire. Risking himself was a different story.
Haisley glanced at Oliver again, but Oliver's gaze was on Diego. So that's why they had been arguing. Oliver probably didn't want Haisley involved. He probably didn't want Diego involved, especially if it was going to be dangerous. She felt a flicker of something in her chest, something that told her she ought to side with Oliver and tell Diego she wanted to leave and move somewhere safe. But... they had the chance to take down the facility? At least one of them? There were others like them in this town. People that Haisley didn't have to pretend around. She didn't think her ability was helpful in any way, but she was still a part of this, wasn't she? Her eyes found Diego's again and the fear had disappeared from them, replaced by steely resolve. "I want to help," she said firmly. "Fuck the facility. If there are others that can help us, then I want to do anything I can do to take them down."
Diego couldn’t help it -- he beamed at her. He’d both been sure of and been afraid of her wanting to join in. Just because she wanted to help didn’t necessarily mean she would be on the front line. Maybe their little resistance could find a use for her abilities somewhere, but they could at least keep her in the loop. She could meet others like them. Diego finally turned his eyes back to Oliver, his smile fading but not completely disappearing. “Are you still game to hear him out?” he asked his man. Diego didn’t want him to feel like they were completely making this decision without his input, even though he had a feeling the majority would rule on this one. At least to start off with. “The preacher?”
It did feel like the decision was being made without him. Diego knew how Oliver felt about this, but he had already agreed to listen to this preacher first, so there really wasn't much he could say about it. He recognized the fiery look in Haisley's eyes, because it matched the same look he had seen in Diego's. While he didn't mind it if Haisley met the preacher as well, he didn't want her to be too involved. She had become their responsibility and Oliver wasn't sure he could bear the thought of losing either one of them. "Of course," he murmured, trying to appear understanding even if his stomach was twisting uneasily as he spoke.
Haisley was feeling eager and excited, even if she could tell Oliver was worried. Diego might wear his heart on his sleeve for everyone to see, but Oliver tended to give things away in his eyes. Yes, she felt a little guilty about it, knowing he would be concerned, but this was too big, too important. Haisley would have wanted to run if it had just been them, but knowing there were others... she couldn't run away now! "When can I meet him?" Haisley breathed, trying to keep herself calm.
Diego knew that Oliver had sympathy for their situation. He’d seen and been a small part of the way the Facilities treated their ‘guests.’ And if he had been anything other than horrified at all of it, he wouldn’t have risked so much to rescue Diego. Diego gave him all the credit for that. But being an outside observer was not the same as being in a facility. Having no freedom from such a young age, denied education, family and friends, human warmth. Used as a guinea pig in all sorts of painful experiments. Oliver couldn’t know what it was really like, how much they’d suffered. But Haisley did. Diego had loved having her around because they understood each other in ways no one else could, and he could practically feel her excitement prickling against his skin, like electricity in the air. After studying Oliver for an extra beat, he turned back to the girl and nodded. “After me and Oliver meet with him first,” he told her. “Soon, but ... Oliver is worried, so I want to let him vet the guy before we even mention you, okay? Just for your safety.” He reached out to squeeze her hand, smiling at her again. “Just wait for our say so, promise?”
It was impossible to mask the disappointment that settled over her when Diego said Oliver had to meet him first. What if Oliver didn't like the preacher? What if he told Diego that he didn't want Haisley meeting him at all? It seemed unfair because there were others like her and now she had to wait to meet any of them? It was physically painful to agree because she was tempted to just go out and find the man herself. But Haisley managed a nod, hoping Diego knew how hard it was for her to do so. "Yeah, okay, but don't take forever? I want to know who they are too." And she wanted to help take down the facility, whether Diego and Oliver liked it or not.
Oliver was thankful that Diego pushed off Haisley meeting the preacher until Oliver had. That seemed like the safest way to go in case there was something off about the man. He could tell Haisley didn't like it and he half expected her to freak out on them, but she wasn't so... that was all he could really ask for. "We won't leave you hanging," Oliver promised her. "The sooner we talk to him, the better."
Even if the preacher was full of shit, Diego wanted to get connected to other survivors. If they didn’t end up doing anything against AIR, so be it, but he wanted to know them, ask them questions, share in the sense of community that was just blooming in him because of Haisley. He resolved to tell her that they would still find their people, just at a time when Oliver wasn’t around. It felt kind of private, which was odd. “As soon as he’s able to talk to us, we’ll do it,” he agreed. “But things could be dangerous out there, they could be watching for us, you know? So keep this quiet.” Diego nodded a bit, sure that Haisley knew that already, but he wanted to say it anyway. He didn’t want her to get antsy and start asking questions around town on her own. They needed to stay off the radar.
Haisley sighed, her eyes ticking away from Diego to stare at a spot on the wall. It wasn't like she had close friends to talk to, but the idea of tracking down this preacher on her own had crossed her mind and Diego must have sensed that. But he was right. She didn't know if the facility was watching them and Haisley's desire to remain free outweighed her desire to find the other man. So she nodded again, looking back at Diego. "I won't say anything to anyone. I promise." Of course she was already impatient and eager for answers but Haisley recognized there wasn't much she could do about it now. If she wasn't so worried about disappointing Oliver and Diego, she would have already been out the door to walk to Diego's church. But Haisley didn't want them angry with her, so she stayed on the couch, hoping Diego understood how badly she wanted to talk about all of it.
Haisley's promise only made Oliver feel a tiny bit better about the situation. He would do whatever it took to keep them both safe, and that meant potentially making difficult, unpopular decisions. It seemed like more than a mere coincidence that this is where he and Diego had ended up... where Haisley had ended up. Point Pleasant as barely a blip on the map and yet... here they were, with AIR nearby. It was terrifying to think of what forces had drawn them there. "I need to finish folding the laundry," he muttered, though it was more about just needing some time to think. More time to think, anyway.
Diego knew that if he’d been in Haisley’s spot, he would’ve wanted to track the guy down himself too, so it wasn’t a huge leap to figure out what she was thinking. Even though Diego had felt like Mal was sincere, Oliver had a point that they weren’t sure if he could be trusted, so it was best to keep Haisley clear of him for now. He thought they’d made the right call in telling her though, they were already keeping a pretty big AIR-related secret from her as it was. Diego looked around at Oliver again as he spoke, watching him turn and go back to the bedroom with a deep furrow between his brows. Diego sighed a bit and rubbed at his forehead as he turned back to Haisley. “He’s afraid for us,” he told her softly. “Please be careful. I mean it.”
Haisley watched Oliver disappear down the hall and she frowned, feeling like maybe she had done something wrong by wanting to meet the preacher, by wanting to destroy the place that had hurt her. "We'll be okay though," Haisley said, clutching her hands in her lap. "I mean, if the others can do even half of what you can do, the facility doesn't stand a chance. He should be happy that there are more of us, right? You won't have to hide what you are anymore." Haisley wasn't even sure what a sense of community felt like. Diego and Oliver were the closest thing to family that she had, but that was all she had. What would it feel like to have friends, real friends who wouldn't be afraid of her, or judge her, or think she was a freak? Haisley was so ready for that, to be able to talk to people who knew what it was like.
Her optimism made Diego smile, and he nodded a bit. He hoped they would be okay, that was for sure. Oliver didn’t seem to have much hope for that, but Diego understood why. They’d been running at top speed for so long, stopping and whirling around to face their enemy was an abrupt shift. And they had another life to look after as well. “I’ll still have to be careful about the company, and so should you,” he said, giving Haisley a look that was only slightly stern. Then Diego smiled again. “Now you see how excited I was to find you. I’d never met anyone else who’d gotten out of there before. Now to know there are even more than us here? It’s exciting. Even if this preacher’s plan is full of shit, we’ll find the others, you and me. I promise you that much.” They weren’t alone-alone, not with Oliver around, but having a community of people like them around would be something different.
Haisley smiled, her own excitement intensified by Diego's. She didn't even care if all of the people were older than her. She felt like she would still have more in common with them than anyone her own age. "What's he like?" Her voice was lower now, just in case Oliver could still hear them. "The preacher. What's his name?" Already she was fascinated. Haisley knew nothing about church or religion but she knew preachers were supposed to be messengers of God or whatever. She was picturing some older guy with balding hair and glasses which... might have been someone in a movie or show she had seen in the facility when she was good enough to get a couple of hours of entertainment time.
“His name’s Mal,” Diego answered first, since that was much easier than describing the man. “He’s ah ... he’s tall and lanky, maybe in his thirties. He has this quiet calmness to him, he’s soft spoken. But every word he said had my attention.” He smiled a bit. Mal was an attractive man, that hadn’t escaped Diego’s notice, but he’d found his voice much more compelling somehow. He didn’t want to tell Oliver that lest he suspect Mal was just manipulating him. Diego didn’t think that was the case. “He said AIR took him when he was just a toddler. He’s a telepath, and they developed that in him until he was powerful enough to sell to some shady network of people. He escaped years and years later.” He paused and glanced back toward the hall Oliver had disappeared down. “Oliver’s worried he’s working for AIR or just using his telepathy on me,” he told her in a quieter tone. “That’s part of why he’s so worried about this.”
Mal. Tall and lanky. That sounded okay. Haisley was more excited by the way Diego talked about the guy, like he might be someone who could really help them. And if not, he was still like them. A telepath was a bit disconcerting though, because Haisley wasn't sure she wanted someone being able to read her thoughts, no matter how cool the ability was. And maybe Oliver had good reasons to be worried, even though Haisley wanted to believe this Mal person was telling Diego the truth. "But once they meet and Oliver sees that Mal is the real thing, that he wants to take down AIR... he'll be okay, right?" Haisley kept her voice quiet like Diego. Oliver had to see how important this was to them both.
Diego winced a little at the question, tilting his head back and forth. “I can’t promise, it might still take some work on him,” he admitted, giving Haisley an almost apologetic look. He couldn’t really predict how Oliver would react to Mal, if he would even give the guy an ounce of trust, knowing he was a telepath. Diego kind of thought that meeting the other AIR victims getting involved might do more to encourage Oliver’s trust. “Don’t hold his skepticism against him,” Diego went on, smiling faintly. “Being paranoid has kept us alive for so long, it is hard for him to just turn it off. He just wants the best for both of us, believe that. But this is important enough not to give up on, do you agree?”
She understood the paranoia. Before she found Diego, Haisley felt like she had to keep moving, forever looking over her shoulder just in case. She hadn't had to do it as long as Diego and Oliver though. But this was different, wasn't it? They had help here. Knowing Diego wanted to see this through made Haisley happy though because it felt like they were in this together. "Yeah, of course," Haisley said, a smile forming quickly on her lips. "I mean, fuck those guys. We should do whatever we can to like, fuck them up. Who knows how many kids they have locked up right now. If we have people who can help us, it'd be wrong to leave."