Diego (gravitated) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2021-10-31 18:20:00 |
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Entry tags: | #group scene, #june 2018, diego, haisley, oliver |
Who: Diego, Oliver, and Haisley
When: early afternoon, Thursday, June 21st
Where: home
Status: complete
Oliver and Diego had discussed it, and they’d decided to wait until after Toby’s birthday party to tell Haisley their secret. It had to be done, and soon, before one of the psychics they were now closely associated with spilled the beans, but they hadn’t wanted to spoil an opportunity for her to socialize, either. Luckily nothing had come out during the party at Dragonfly, and everybody had seemed to have a good time.
Unfortunately, it meant that it was now time to face the music with their adopted daughter. Diego was nervous about it, even though he hadn’t been the one working for AIR. He’d kept it a secret for Oliver though, so that made him partially responsible for any fallout that was coming. He just hoped that Haisley would listen enough for them to tell their story and help her understand that Oliver had saved him. He hadn’t known what he was getting into, it had been years ago, and he’d never looked back. That had to be enough, right?
After they’d all had some lunch, Diego picked up their plates and took them to the sink, giving a meaningful glance over his shoulder. “So ... Haisley,” he said as he returned to the table and sat down again. “There’s something we need to discuss with you.”
With Diego clearing the table now, Haisley had picked up her phone, ready to zone out for a bit. She'd had a lot of fun the night before and was feeling more confident around the people she considered her friends - even if they were all a lot older than she was. But Diego's words drew her attention and she felt a strange sense of discomfort in her stomach, like she was in trouble or something. Was that why Oliver was here? He was usually working during the day, when he didn't have late shifts. Maybe she was in trouble. Or they had decided she was too much work and wanted her to leave... though Haisley knew deep down that wasn't it. She was their family as much as they were hers.
Still, she tensed in her seat, glancing between Oliver and Diego. "Okay...?"
Oliver felt the same sense of dread in the pit of his stomach and there was a part of him that wished Diego would just take over and tell Haisley everything. She always seemed to respond easier to him and Oliver was afraid that the truth would push her away. Oliver loved her but he knew their relationship wasn't quite as deep as her bond with Diego.
"There's something you should know about me," Oliver said, clasping his hands together on top of the table. "And about how Diego and I met. It was at the facility, where Diego was being held."
Haisley lifted a brow and looked over at Diego curiously before her gaze shifted back to Oliver. "So... you were a subject too? Like, you knew you were a null, or whatever Shane called it?"
"No, not exactly." He exhaled and looked at Diego himself, mostly for some help. Why was this so difficult?
Diego had never been good at these ‘we need to talk’ conversations, but this one needed to happen. He could tell everyone at the table was nervous, and it made him want to just bulldoze through it and lay everything out on the table to get it over with. Sitting back with his fingers laced in his lap, he watched Oliver struggle, then took a quiet deep breath as he looked at Haisley again. “The truth is ... Oliver worked for AIR briefly,” Diego said, trying to sound more matter of fact about it than anything else. “He was a technician, very low level, he had no idea what they were really doing when he signed on. That’s how we met, and fell in love ... and he’s the one who got me out. We ran, together.”
Diego just came right out with it and while Oliver was grateful, he still sucked in a soft breath. Honestly, Diego made it sound a lot better than Oliver probably would have and he watched Haisley carefully. "I promise you," he added, "once I realized how bad it was... I did whatever I could to get Diego out."
Haisley heard Oliver speak but she was still processing Diego's words. All she could really digest was that Oliver had worked for AIR. Her eyes widened as she stared at Diego, almost like she was afraid to look at Oliver. She knew what a technician was. They brought food and stuff. Except when they didn't. But Oliver worked for AIR. What if he still did? What if he was some spy? What if that's where he went during the day and not a hospital? Didn't Diego ask all of these questions himself? Maybe love made him too trusting. She didn't know what to say. It felt like words were beyond her at the moment because her heart was beating too fast and her body felt too heavy, making it impossible for her to even stand up.
Oliver licked his lips and tried not to look at Diego too. Haisley looked like she was in shock and not sure what to say but she was staring at Diego instead of looking at him and Oliver didn't want to say more and make things worse.
Diego’s gift had nothing to do with reading any minds, but he thought he could read Haisley’s expression fairly well. He could guess at what kind of questions were swirling around in her brain, and he couldn’t blame her for any of it, as much as the distrust was going to sting. He sat forward and looked at her earnestly, aware that they were more bonded over their shared experience than Haisley and Oliver were. Diego just hoped it was enough, that Haisley could trust him, at least. “I know this is scary to hear,” he murmured to her. “I would be afraid too, if I were you. But I promise you, on everything I am, that there is nothing to fear. You are safe with us.” His gaze ticked briefly to his man, then came back to Haisley. “We were so young, Haisley ... barely older than you. Oliver made a mistake in choosing a place to work for. But if he hadn’t, I would be long dead. I have trusted him with my life, my everything, for over twenty years, and he has never done me wrong.” Diego offered Haisley his hand. “I am sorry we kept it from you, but I hope you understand why. We wanted you to hear it from us, not somebody else.”
Haisley was breathing harder now and she was imagining AIR breaking in through the door and windows and dragging her off, back to the facility. But no, Diego wouldn't let that happen. Even if she was scared, everything inside of her was telling her that he wouldn't let anything bad happen to her. She wanted to believe the same thing of Oliver but she just couldn't fathom how anyone could work at that place and not be evil. Ethan works there, her brain reminded her and Haisley hadn't felt anything off or bad about him when they had hung out. Her gaze fell to his outstretched hand and Haisley knew it would hurt him if she didn't take it. "I don't know what to think right now," she muttered, but put her hand in Diego's, gripping it tight. She still hadn't looked at Oliver, too afraid that she might see something there she hadn't before. "Do the others know?"
As much as Diego wished Haisley could just take in the information and trust everything he said and not give it a second thought, he knew it wasn’t that easy. He squeezed her hand firmly back and kept his eyes mostly on her too. He hated to shut Oliver out of this conversation about him, but they needed to handle it well, and Haisley obviously trusted Diego more. He hoped that would change eventually, but for now they had to work with what they had. “No,” he answered with a small shake of his head. “At least I don’t think so. If any of the more ... mind-readers know anything, they haven’t said so. But now that they’ve all met Oliver ... we wanted to tell you ourselves, just in case it does come out. And if you have any questions at all, we are full transparency now. Open books, okay? Whatever you want to know that will make you feel safest ... that’s all we want.”
Oliver had a pit in his stomach but he understood why Haisley was so focused on Diego. They had gone through similar experiences and she had always been closer to him. He was terrified now that she would only see him as the enemy and that worry alone only confirmed how much Oliver had grown to care about Haisley since she found them. Thinking about the others, especially Mal, made Oliver nervous because if they didn't know by now, they certainly would in the near future and their reaction to him could be much worse. He worried more for Diego and Haisley than himself. This mission, this fight, meant more to them for obvious reasons and he didn't want either of them in the position to have to choose between him and their purpose. "I care about you a lot," Oliver told Haisley finally. "I hope you can believe me when I say that. And when I say that I've had nothing to do with that place since Diego and I ran from it years ago. We've been on the run ever since. All I wanted was to keep Diego safe, and now you too."
Haisley wanted to believe them both so desperately. Diego had never lied to her before. She wasn't even sure she could consider this to be a lie because not telling someone wasn't the same as lying, right? And she knew if they had told her in the beginning, she would have run away and never looked back. Now she had a home and she had told people they were her parents. Haisley felt like she belonged somewhere. She didn't want to lose all of that because she was scared. When she finally looked at Oliver, she was relieved to find he looked exactly the same as always. His eyes weren't cold the way she feared they might be. "Okay," she said, gripping Diego's hand tighter. "But... doesn't that mean... if Oliver worked there and he was a good person... doesn't that mean there could be people who work there now who are good people too?"
Diego wanted to hug them both so badly, and his chest felt overly full as Oliver spoke. He knew that his man was absolutely sincere, that all Oliver cared about was keeping them safe. He couldn’t make Haisley believe that by force, but hopefully she would see that it was the truth, even if it took some time. He couldn’t help but smile when she said okay, it was at least a first step, and he rubbed his thumb against her small hand with its tight grip. His eyes ticked to Oliver at the question for a moment. “It’s ... possible, yes,” he murmured. “But I don’t think anybody above the lowest level employees -- anybody who knows what they really do there -- could be a good person.” He spoke cautiously, because it was difficult to think about and even harder to pin down a solid answer to.
Haisley wondered if that was what Ethan was. A low level employee. He made it sound like he wanted to do more, but if he really knew what was going on, would that still be true? There was a possibility that when AIR was destroyed, more people could die and Haisley didn't want the good ones to get hurt... people like Oliver, if Oliver was telling the truth. Even the slimmest possibility that he could be lying and still secretly working for AIR made Haisley's stomach hurt. "Then they should be sure," Haisley said. "I mean, all of us should be sure... before anything bad happens. I don't what people getting hurt who don't deserve it."
He gave her a smile that was a little pained around the edges, just from how much he loved her in that moment. After everything that had happened to Haisley, she was still so compassionate. Diego gave her hand another squeeze. “I don’t want that either,” he said with a nod. “And I don’t ... really think we have a plan together yet, but we’ll do our best not to hurt anyone innocent, okay? We don’t even know yet if they’re holding any kids in that building, we’re not going to go in guns blazing. So to speak.” Diego hoped to God that wasn’t the case, at least. He would definitely push for a more balanced approach, and since he and Shane were the main destructive ones in the group, Diego thought his opinion would have some weight. “We’ll try. All of us. Because you have a voice in this group too, you know,” Diego added. “Speak up with your concerns.”
"I will." Haisley was still grasping the fact that Oliver had worked for AIR. But he had rescued Diego from their facility and he had taken care of Diego for years. He had even let Haisley stay and bought her food and clothes. He was nothing like the people Haisley remembered at her own facility. They had been cold and distant and more often than not, cruel. Haisley wasn't even sure she had ever heard Oliver raise his voice. "I guess I'm just afraid that if we destroy the facility here... and people die... then the other places... the other facilities... will come here to find us. I mean, I want them gone, but..." Haisley trailed off. "I'm scared, I guess. I want you both to be safe, and I want the others to be safe too."
It was kind of ironic that she was taking this conversation in a direction that sounded so much like Oliver. Diego couldn’t help but smile a tiny bit as he glanced at his man, but it didn’t last long because it was a serious topic. “I’m scared too,” he said to Haisley. “I think we all are. But that’s what makes it brave, right? Being scared and doing it anyway? I’m sure you were scared when you escaped your facility, but it was still the best thing to do, wasn’t it?” Diego felt a stab of guilt as he realized it sounded like he was talking Haisley into being involved in all of this. She was so young. He sighed a bit and squeezed her hand. “You can back out anytime, you know,” he told her, more softly. “You don’t have to participate, and no one would blame you. You’re so much younger than the rest of us.”
Haisley wanted to be more like Jane and she was maybe a little disappointed in herself that she wasn't as blunt as the older woman. Haisley wished she could just say... let's burn the whole place down! and mean it. But she really didn't want people like Oliver to die... or even Ethan. She wasn't convinced that he was as evil as his uncle was. Shaking her head quickly at Diego, she gripped his hand harder. "No, I don't want to back out. I want to help. I just want to make sure we do it right and not make it worse. Which, like, I know is pretty obvious." She also wanted to make sure the others didn't hurt Oliver when and if they found out about him. But Haisley was pretty sure Diego would never let that happen. She glanced between the two men. "Since you worked there... do you think they're all the same? I mean, the way they do things? If you remember things from the facility, do you think that would help?"
Oliver had been slowly realizing that Haisley was going to be okay with the news and he felt immense relief that she wasn't like Jane and some of the others. He couldn't be sure who was working at the facility nearby or if they were in the dark the way Oliver had been. But it was probably a good thing to assume they could be. "I don't know if they run the same across the board. And it's been well over a decade since I worked there," he reminded her gently. "So they might have changed protocol in how they do things. I really don't know how much help I would or could be."
Diego had no desire to hurt innocent people either. He wanted to free any prisoners in the AIR building, destroy the facility itself, and maybe kill those in charge at the top levels. He didn’t know yet if all of those goals were achievable, but he hoped they could figure it out. His dark eyes ticked between his husband and daughter, part of him proud that she was thinking to ask these questions. It broke his heart a little to think about all the wasted potential of all the young people AIR had ruined over the years. Dangerous to them or not, they had to do something while they could. “There’s the other thing you can do,” Diego murmured, looking at Oliver. “I talked to Shane a bit last night ... maybe it could help us somehow. Maybe you can practice, make it stronger.”
Oliver had talked to Shane a bit too, but he was still unsure about what being a "null" meant. Not in the technical sense, but just how he fit into all of this. Would they all still want his help if they knew he had worked for AIR? Oliver was used to dealing with uncertainty but this felt much heavier somehow. He eyed Diego, managing a small smile. "I... wouldn't know the first thing about how to make it stronger. If it's always been there, I've never felt it... but I can try." If it somehow helped in keeping Diego and Haisley safe, then he would do whatever they asked him to do. "Maybe you both can help me," he added, glancing between the two. "I think I'd be more comfortable with that."
“Of course, with us, that’s what I meant,” Diego was quick to say, a little incredulous that Oliver could think anything different. He wasn’t about to throw his man into the group of Point Pleasant AIR survivors who didn’t know him and his background, to practice something he hadn’t even known he could do a month ago. “You’ve never felt it, but I think I have. So we can work on it, see if it’s something you can ... do more of, or if it’s all just ... passive, or what.” He looked at Haisley, his brows raising curiously. “Have you felt it? Is it harder to feed from Oliver, or when he’s around? I know your power isn’t active all the time, but ... have you felt any difference at all?” It seemed hard to figure out an anti-power, but Diego at least knew he could flex his gravity in measurable ways, so they could experiment.
Oliver thought about his conversation with Shane at Dragonfly and was relieved that Diego was on the same page as Oliver. Diego trusted these people and while Oliver trusted Diego, he was still wary of this entire thing. He was just trying to hide it better. Maybe if he played more of an active role in all of this, he could keep them safe. It was just all feeling so much bigger than him, which made it a bit overwhelming.
"I've never felt it," Haisley admitted before shrugging sheepishly. "But honestly, I don't try to feed off of you two too much. And if I do, you're both here so it could just be I'm getting more from you," she told Diego, "rather than Oliver and I just never noticed it. I could try now if you wanted me to. I just don't wanna do it without your permission." She hadn't felt guilty about it when she first found Oliver and Diego but now there was a tickle in the back of her head that made her feel bad about making them feel things without them telling her it was okay.
To Diego’s knowledge, Haisley had never made him feel anything bad, so it didn’t really bother him. They fed her in other ways too, it was all part of being a parent, and so what if sometimes they felt more amorous than they normally would have? He could understand how she couldn’t tell the difference when she was using her power on both of them though, so maybe they ought to narrow it down. “Could you focus it just on Oliver?” he asked, glancing between them. “Or do I need to go to another room, or ...?” He couldn’t really give permission if they were just experimenting on his man, but it was a good thing that Haisley was asking.
Oliver shifted in his seat, though he wasn't all that worried about Haisley feeding off of him. This was just to see if she felt anything different with him and he knew she wouldn't go overboard. She never did.
"I can focus it on just him, you can stay here," Haisley said, looking at Oliver for permission. When he nodded, Haisley took a breath, feeling more nervous about this than she usually did. Lately it was just natural for her to feed when she needed it. It took a moment but eventually she felt something. It just wasn't as strong as it usually was when she was feeding off of both of them, probably because she was getting most of her sustenance from Diego.
"I don't feel anything," Oliver said, looking at Diego. "I mean, I feel like I could eat a snack... but that's about it."
Haisley couldn't help but smile. "I felt it, but it was really, like... faint. Almost like it was too heavy to pull, if that makes any sense." She always had a hard time explaining her abilities to people. They always wanted to know how it worked but Haisley honestly didn't know. It was as natural to her as breathing now.
It made Diego wonder a bit if he’d just been feeling those random bouts of lust that cropped up now and then more than Oliver had. He nodded his understanding to what Haisley said -- his own power felt different, but her description made sense anyway. “And you weren’t trying to do anything at all?” he questioned Oliver, though it seemed pretty obvious that had been the case. “Can you try again, this time ... concentrate on not feeling anything? Or voiding out Haisley’s power? It might not feel different to you, but maybe it will to her ...” Diego was just spitballing here, with no real idea how one would practice being a null. But it seemed important to try. “Maybe it would work better with mine, since it’s more ... active?”
Oliver squinted thoughtfully. "I mean, I can try again... I just don't know what to do other than... nothing." He laughed softly before running a hand through his hair. "Maybe if I feel her ability a bit I can... push back. But yeah, yours is more active, so maybe you should try." He always knew when Diego was using his ability, obviously, so maybe it would be easier for him to try and stop it with his mind. Or whatever it was working through his body. Haisley looked eager for that as well and she nodded before straightening in her seat.
"Yeah, you try," she told Diego, mostly because she always loved it when Diego worked his "magic" around her. It was always so cool.
Haisley’s fascination with his power always struck Diego as cute, and he couldn’t help but smile at it now. He considered making her weightless, to give her a little thrill, or Oliver, but if this did work, he didn’t want either of them getting injured by accident. Diego straightened in his own seat and looked steadily at Oliver, focusing on the gravity underneath his own chair. A moment later he was starting to levitate a couple of inches off the ground. Diego began slowly turning the gravity around him down further, and that end of the table started to lift as well as the edge of it got caught in the area of effect. He kept it low key to see if Oliver could do anything about it, staying alert for anything that felt different. “Concentrate now,” he murmured in Spanish to his man.
Haisley held her breath and watched things begin to move. It was by far the coolest thing anyone could do and she waited to see if Oliver would be able to stop it. Despite knowing it was coming, Oliver looked a bit startled at first but then his expression settled but for his furrowed brow. He didn't feel much of anything, at least not at first. All he could do was try to concentrate, the way Diego instructed him. The focus was on trying to smother Diego's ability, pushing it away, rather than just accepting it. Shane had been able to feel his "fire" cool immediately upon meeting Oliver so something had to be there inside of him. "Anything?" Oliver asked, his eyes closing as he worked harder on trying to lower the items Diego had lifted.
Diego was open to just feeling anything at all, so he was a little surprised when the chair he was floating on dipped an inch or so. He got the sense that he was going to lose control of things, and it took more effort to raise himself up again to the height he’d been at. All of these were disturbing things to feel, since no one had ever actively meddled with his power like that, but triumphant at the same time. Oliver could focus it. “You’re doing it,” Diego said with a half grin. “Keep going ...” He didn’t know if this was wearing Oliver out or anything, but the more practice they could do, the better at it he would get, and maybe that would end up saving their lives one day.
Keep going. Oliver wasn't even sure how to do that beyond just trying to shut the whole thing down. For a moment he wondered what it would have been like if the facility had locked him in a room to get the full force of whatever he could do. He was pretty sure by now that they had known what he was, they just hadn't told him. Oliver wasn't feeling worn out at all, at least not at first. There was a heaviness that was starting to seep into his bones but he pushed past it, wanting to bring Diego's chair completely to the ground. He didn't think he could do that just yet but at least he was trying.
He could feel the pull of gravity getting stronger under him, like the force itself was struggling to get back to what it had been before he’d flexed his will. Diego was still expending effort, it just wasn’t doing as much. At any other time that would have been upsetting, but in the moment it was amazing. He stopped pushing so hard on his end and just tried to maintain, and his chair drifted back down to the floor with a soft thud. He didn’t think he’d ever been so delighted to be dragged back to the ground. Diego let his power drop completely and grinned across the table at his man. “You amaze me more and more every day, mi amor,” he murmured. “How do you feel? Okay?”
Haisley was just in awe of what was happening in front of her. Her ability was all internal and people could feel it but it wasn't the same as seeing someone floating in a chair. Her apprehension about Oliver and AIR had dulled significantly watching him too, even though she couldn't see what he was doing beyond Diego's chair lowering. "That was so cool," she said, well aware that they must already know that.
"I feel okay," Oliver said, exhaling slowly once Diego was solidly on the ground. "A little achy in my body, but nothing painful. It was a strange feeling." He huffed out a laugh and glanced between Diego and Haisley. "It's a bit disconcerting that I never knew this was inside of me. I wonder if they knew, at the facility."
“I’m a hundred percent sure they knew, now,” Diego said. An intensity crept into his voice that he didn’t completely have control over. “They knew and they used you. Just like they were trying to use all the rest of us. I was particularly troublesome, and they kept sending you to me because you calmed me down. Maybe they thought it was your power -- and maybe some of it was -- but it was mostly just you.” He gave Oliver a meaningful smile, then stood up to come around the table. Diego wrapped his arms around him in a fierce hug and kissed his cheek. “You did great. A little more practice and you could maybe help us a lot.”
Oliver smiled softly and reached up to rub Diego's arm. "I'll do what I can," he promised. It was still worrisome that this had been inside of him for so long and that the facility had used him in such a way. But that wasn't surprising, given what they were and what they had done and were doing. He had told Shane he would do whatever he could to keep Diego and Haisley safe and he meant that. If he had to work on this and learn more, he would, no matter how strange it made him feel.
Haisley's grin widened as she watched the two of them. Now that she sort of understood how they met, she had so many questions. It was super weird to think of them both as her age and meeting at the facility. None of the techs that had come in to deal with her had been anywhere near her age and none of them had been nice to her. "So, like, you two liked each other even then? That's when you fell in love?"
Diego lingered close to Oliver for a moment, leaving one hand resting on his shoulder as he smiled at Haisley. “I thought he was handsome the moment I saw him, but it was really when he started speaking Spanish to me that I got really hooked.” He had been so trapped and angry, a mistreated lab rat, and Oliver had come along and made him feel free, even before they’d escaped. How could Diego not fall in love with him? The fact that it had lasted so long and gotten so deep between them felt like some kind of miracle. “Then just ... every time we got to see each other, my feelings got stronger.” Diego smiled and carded his fingers through Oliver’s curls.
Oliver chuckled. "The language of love," he told Haisley playfully. "How could he resist me?" Oliver had been smitten immediately, which had been such a strange sensation since he had figured he was something akin to being asexual at the time. He had never had any strong feelings for men or women back then, no real sexual attraction. But then he had met Diego and his entire world had changed. Diego had never been just a subject to him and despite all of the hardships they had faced, he couldn't imagine not having this life with him.
"That's cute," Haisley said, feeling more at ease now that things seemed normal again. She still had some reservations but Oliver was Oliver and she couldn't really fathom him hurting anyone. Haisley clasped her hands in her lap and raised a brow. "So if I walk up to some boy and start speaking Spanish he'll just naturally fall in love with me?"
It would have been a massive understatement to say that Oliver had changed Diego’s world. He would’ve been dead a long time ago without him, having never known what it was like to love someone romantically. To be touched without violence and power imbalance. It hadn’t always been an easy road for them, Diego had come away with a bucket full of issues to work through, but they’d done it together and now he felt happy and whole most of the time, so what else could he ask for? Diego laughed a bit at Haisley’s question and shot her a teasing little nose wrinkle. “Perhaps if that boy barely knows English and has never been loved before?” he offered. “We can teach you some pretty phrases to try out.” Grinning, he moved closer to Haisley to give her a hug too. He was so relieved she hadn’t run away from them, and all of this was so encouraging.
Oliver wanted to remind Diego that he was sure his parents had loved him but that would probably be painful and start a completely different kind of conversation so he resisted. Oliver had only ever really had his dad after his grandmother died and even now he got pangs thinking about them. But Diego had saved him too, even if it was in a different kind of way. "We can even teach you some really terrible insults but they'll sound pretty if you say it right," he added with a chuckle.
"I know some Spanish, just from listening to you two," Haisley reminded them, returning Diego's hug. It was still so nice to feel any kind of physical affection after having gone so long without it. "Soon I'll know it as much as you and you won't be able to hide what you're saying from me."
Diego squeezed Haisley and kissed the top of her hair before laughing a bit. “You may hear things you wish you could unhear, then,” he teased with a grin. He and Oliver made an effort to mostly speak English around her, but it was kind of nice to have a private language to switch to when they needed it ... or were obscenely flirting with each other. Diego patted their girl a bit more before he moved away, feeling happy and full of energy now. “We should go out,” he suggested. “To the pier or the park or somewhere ... as a family. The sun is still hiding, but it’s nice out.”
Haisley was thinking it was a good idea to get out of the house. She was starting to feel hungry again and she didn't really want to feed off of Diego and Oliver after everything they had talked about today. Being on the pier meant being around people, so she nodded eagerly. "I'll go get my shoes on," she said, pushing back from the table to head for her bedroom.
Oliver watched her go before standing from the table himself. He pulled Diego in close and nuzzled him. "I was afraid that was going to go much worse than it did," he admitted. "It would have if you hadn't been here, so thank you.."
Diego wrapped his arms around his man, still unable to stop smiling. He gave Oliver a tight squeeze and kissed his face. “I will always have your back, my love,” he murmured. “You protect me, I protect you. She loves you too, I knew she would understand if we did it right.” And apparently they had, thank God. Diego cupped Oliver’s face in both of his hands and gave him a brief but thorough kiss. “I love you. You can breathe free now, so let’s have a fun afternoon together, yeah?” He offered him a warm, adoring smile. Diego hadn’t been completely confident that Haisley would accept the truth about Oliver, but he’d had faith in their little family, and it seemed to have paid off.