They're free. The wall fades behind them, sirens blaring but fading, as their wheels kick up more clouds of dirt until they turn to face their new future. Sean grips the wheel tighter under his fingers, glances down to watch them turn white from the pressure, and howls. He howls until his lungs scream at him to breathe again and he does, sucking in another breath just to howl again. Daniel watches him from the passenger seat, eyes wide with what he just did, what they just did, and he clenches his small hands in to fists in his lap and he too howls as loudly as possible. The wall disappears behind them and they're free.
They're in Mexico. They're safe. Safesafesafe. Sean's never been so relieved in his life.
He laughs, taking one hand off of the wheel to ruffle Daniel's hair when they both quiet down, laughing again when Daniel shouts at him and shoves his hand away. He feels like he's going to be doing a lot of laughing now. He flicks on the radio, turning to the first station that doesn't have static and drives to the sound of freedom.
It takes them a while to find their father's home. They have to stop several times in different towns to ask for directions and look at maps because Sean has no idea where they're at anymore. Honestly, travelling isn't much different than it is in the USA but with far fewer English speakers. He's thankful his father made him fluent at a young age. Daniel isn't quite as lucky and Sean wants to lock him in the car with how many times he tugs at Sean's shirt and asks what he and someone else are saying. They manage to steal, with Daniel's help, a few candy bars from a vending machine for their lunch before they make the final leg of their trip.
Eventually, they do get there and it's far worse than Sean previously expected. It's a disaster – furniture is scattered around, there's no electricity or plumbing and there's more than one broken window. It takes the entire rest of the day just to clear a spot for them to sleep that isn't filthy or covered in glass. It's a task for tomorrow, Sean thinks, curled close to Daniel as he slips into an easy sleep.
Tomorrow brings a giant list of things to do. They explore around the town a bit, familiarize themselves with their surroundings. There's a trio of schools not far from the house for Daniel to attend in walking distance. Sean picks himself up a job almost immediately at a garage; he's fluently bilingual and it turns out that they often get tourists visiting. He doesn't know much about cars but they're willing to teach him if he's willing to learn and he can't say no with the money they're offering. Signing Daniel up for school is significantly harder, especially since Daniel can't speak Spanish at all, but it works out in the end, especially when Daniel causes a distraction and Sean fiddles with their information in the computer. All that's left to do is clean the house, repair it, and get everything turned back on, which is going to have to wait until Sean gets at least his first paycheck.
A month later, they return to the house just as the electricity is kicking on and sweet, cold air is blowing in their faces. They celebrate with pizza and fight over who gets to take the first real shower. Daniel wins, because Sean can't say no to him. They flush the toilet twice to make sure it actually works.
Daniel picks up Spanish quickly, though it might be because they get a letter from Lyra where she states that 'everyone likes a cute Latino man'. They get letters from all their old friends. And, just as Sean originally thought, he gets along well with everyone in his class, and those who pick on him suddenly stop after seeing things they can't explain. Sean tries to scold him, teach him not to, but he knows it's useless. He makes a friend who reminds Sean of Chris, a sweet boy that often comes over and stays for dinner. Daniel's happy, so Sean never says no.
Their small, two-bedroom house actually looks like a home. They've bought furniture and curtains and kitchen supplies. They learn how to cook, together, off of YouTube cooking channels. They manage to burn most of what they cook at first, but they get better. Daniel only has to fling burning pots out of the window and into the ocean a few times. Their TV is huge, something they have mounted to the wall with every game system Daniel has requested in a stand underneath it. It's warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It feels lived in. It feels like a home.
Years pass. Daniel gets involved in some gang disputes, dyes his hair blond. He always wins, but Sean is terrified for him; he stays out late and when he returns, he's usually covered in blood and Sean can't tell whose it is. They fight like they haven't in years. Daniel storms off and doesn't return for two weeks. When he does, they fall into a hug and hold each other tight – Daniel apologizes and swears he's done. Sean believes him.
They open a mechanic shop together down the street from their house. Sean knows all he can about automotive repair thanks to his years working, and Daniel knows some whenever he asks Sean to teach him. Gang life comes back to bite them but with Sean's black eye prosthetic and Daniel's powers, they scare them away. They're well off, something their months on the road taught them to value. They have a home, a life, money, power. Their past is distant, but they remember it. It serves to teach them better. But most importantly, they're safe. They're happy. They're free.