Scarlet and violet ( Rafael Casal x oc but also Daveed Diggs x oc )

Lifetime on the Road

Adeline heard shouting. She heard accusations. She heard apologies, promises, the soft impact of a hug. And she didn't breathe.

Daveed came in first, eyes meeting hers for half a millisecond then down in anger, fear, guilt, and confusion. Rafael leaned on the doorway as he spoke.

"Addie, I don't know what to say to you. I'm sorry, most of all, and I shouldn't have done what I did. But I think you're a mature, remarkable young woman (emphasizing on the word "woman"), and maybe it's best if we leave here for a while before people start to ask questions."

In a way, he was right, it was a rather quiet suburb and there would be noise complaints and visits and minute now, neighbors had already checked in many times about the strange triangle of men and minor.

Daveed stared at the floor, picking at his cuticles and giving the other man a look of worry and... love? There was no doubt he was attracted to him, and he agreed it was better to leave the neighborhood, the town, the state, the country, the earth, even.

He looked at his small companion, who was sitting crosslegged on the couch opposite him.

"Addie, start packing for a while. We'll be traveling alot and we have to leave tonight before it's too late."

The poor child tried to argue, to push back and change their minds, but in the end she had nowhere else to go. She asked about her parents, what would happen at their empty house when they came back. Diggs sighed and told her, with all the strength he could muster, that there had been a plane crash.

A fatal one in the ocean, no survivors.

Casal put a gentle but firm hand over her mouth before she could scream, and whispered condolences. He kissed her head, and then her tears, as she sobbed into his fingers. He took them away to kiss her mouth, and she leaned into him.

Not because she loved him, but because she was tired and all of a sudden alone, and oh my god she had no one except them.

Slowly she rose and went to her room, taking out her suitcase, and the one that belonged to her mother. Belonged. Past tense. Gone. She took one last look for something of her parents she could hide from the men, maybe in the lining of her purse or her case.

There. A scarf her beloved late mother gave her beloved late father, painstakingly dyed to resemble the painting Starry Night. Using nail scissors, she cut a small piece that held the moon, the stars, and her world.

"Adeline!"

Called her guardian's rich voice. She froze.

"Bring something nice. We might need to blend into the high end, baby."

She nodded even though he couldn't see her, soft ups and downs of her head, convincing herself she could leave at some point, just put on your game face.

Don't let them see your fragility until you're far, far away.

You will escape this.

They got into the car at two in the morning that night so they'd be sheltered in the promised secrecy of darkness, driving west, east, north, south, she didn't know. She just knew that maybe she wouldn't get away from them.

She knew they knew more than her, that they were strong, that maybe their intentions weren't all that bad. She leaned into Rafael's chest in the back seat, leaning her feet up on the dozens of bags and suitcases and backpacks, arranged in a nervous Tetris puzzle, preparing for a lifetime on the run if needed.

Her companion handed her a beer, and she sipped it slowly. He could take care of her. Why had she ever thought of escape? She was more mature than most girls her age.

She could enjoy this. She could try.

She took a gulp of the alcohol. Was there something in this? It didn't matter. He was here.

They were here.

She needed them... right? It was her last thought before she was pulled rather harshly into sleep.