Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The teen standing in front of him was almost an exact replica of how he’d been at that same age. It nearly felt like he was looking in a mirror, if his reflection showed a pale-skinned kid with choppy, medium length hair that is. The teen girl stood behind a middle aged social worker with her eyes set on the floor. Her dark hair was a mess, both in the way it was cut and the way it was laying, it appeared as if the hood of the old, black hoodie she wore had previously been up whereas it was now down. 

Tide wasn’t looking at the social worker, so he hardly took in a word of the introduction she was giving until she thrusted a folder out for him. His gaze snapped to her, and he hesitantly reached out for the item. 

“This has any information, medical or otherwise, that you’ll need to know about her,” Mrs. Armstrong informed. She stepped to the side, better revealing the girl behind her. “As you can see, she attempted to cut her own hair, something about wanting to look masculine , and that was the last straw for her previous placing.”

Tide’s eyes found their way back to the kid about to be placed in his care, and as he studied her, taking in Mrs. Armstrong’s words, he came to a realization. The name on the folder read Willow Wisp , but Tide was smart enough to infer that that wasn’t the kid’s name. 

Mrs. Armstrong continued on about something, but it went on deaf ears as the teenager finally looked up, eyes meeting with Tide’s. The kid’s face didn’t give Tide much to go off of, besides the prominent tiredness they wore. He gave them a kind smile. They looked down. 

Everything that was required for the kid to be placed within his home had already been covered, and, after the social worker reached the end of her speech and took a moment to speak to the kid in private, Tide was soon left alone with the kid who was going to rely on him for everything for the foreseeable future. 

They stood across from each other in the entrance of Tide’s home, and for a doubtful moment the adult began to worry he had made the wrong decision. Who was he to raise a child? Was he cut out to be a father figure? It was the change from nothing to uncertainty in the teen’s mind that snapped him out of his stupor. 

Tide put on his kindest smile. “Hey, kid. You can call me Tide, what’s your name?” 

The kid’s gaze bounced between the folder in his hand and Tide himself in confusion. They then turned back to the floor. “It says it on the folder,” they informed, as if not wanting to say the name out loud. Their voice was quiet, just above a whisper. 

Tide shrugged, setting the folder down on the small table beside the door. “You know, Tide isn’t the name I was born with.”

This piqued their interest. 

“It has been legally changed now, all it took was one good man that understood.” He reached his hand out in a way that suggested that he was going for a handshake. 

The kid studied him with cautious eyes. They stepped forward, shakily bringing their hands together. “I’m William. William Wisp.” 

“It’s lovely to meet you, William. What do you say we show you around, bud?” 

****

Tide wouldn’t say that he was properly equipped with the skills to cut someone’s hair, but like most situations that came bundled with being a parent, he was certainly going to learn, and what better way to learn than to do?

Getting William settled into his new home went smoother than Tide had originally expected it would. As William was his first foster kid ever, Tide was relying purely based on how he wished he were treated when he had been in the same situation as a child in foster care. 

He took notes from his memory about his now adoptive father Dr. Lambert had done for him when he’d first got placed in his home, as well as what he had continued to do even after he’d settled in. 

Tide had known from a young age that he wanted to become a foster parent in his future. Even before he himself had been adopted, he was set on becoming someone that future kids in foster care could find their safe space in, their home. That is exactly why when William came to him on day three, asking if he knew how to cut hair, he searched up the best techniques to do so. 

As it turned out William wasn’t comfortable enough to go to a barber shop, and he didn’t trust himself to cut his hair again seeing as how the last attempt had gone. Therefore, he turned to Tide for help. 

Tide clicked the button on the side of his phone and set the device on the bathroom counter. He stared down at the back of William’s hair, trying to figure out where to begin. 

William pulled his feet into the chair they’d dragged into the bathroom, wrapping his arms around his legs to squeeze them close to his chest. He looked expectantly at Tide through the mirror.

Tide tried to smile reassuringly, as if he knew what he was doing. He reached his hands up, hovering them just above William’s head. “Can I touch your hair?” 

William looked confused by the question but nodded. 

Tide let out a drawn out sigh as he prodded at the boy’s hair for a moment. “Are you sure you trust me with this?”

The teen shrugged. “Anything is better than what I’m working with now.” 

So, Tide went about chopping, dark locks of hair soon littering the bathroom floor around them. He followed the different techniques he’d seen to the best of his mediocre ability, hoping that he wasn’t going to mess anything up. He moved through the sections of hair, making the choppy cuts blend as well as overall bringing it shorter like William had asked for. A few more snips, and he fluffed the teen’s hair whilst checking it over in the mirror. He hadn’t done too bad, for his first ever time cutting hair that is. 

“What do you think?” Tide asked, taking a step back. 

William carded his fingers through the freshly cut hair atop his head, a few loose strands going airborne. He studied himself closely in the mirror, his un-telling face installing a fear that he might not like it in Tide. Finally, he smiled, the realest one Tide had seen since meeting him only a few days prior. 

“I like it. Thank you.” 

“Of course,” Tide cheered. He swore at that moment that he’d learn how to do anything for William and any future kid placed under his care. 

****

Tide had never been more thankful to have brothers, more specifically one that worked as a principal. It made his current task much more simple. He sat across from his oldest brother, staring him down with the most threatening look he could muster. Though he was sure the look wasn’t necessary, Tide had never been one to be anything less than over the top about things important to him. 

Both fortunately and unfortunately, when William had been transferred into his care, he was also forced to change schools. There had been no placements near his old school that could take on another kid that hadn’t already taken him on before. Tide knew the struggles of being a trans kid in foster care all too well, not many were open minded about things. Luckily, William had only been in two other foster homes before he was placed within Tide’s care, and now that Tide had him, he didn’t plan on letting him run into any more transphobes so long as he could stop it. 

According to William, his parents had been deemed ineligible to care for him, so he’d first been taken to a temporary home in the area, then he was moved to a more long term one where he stayed for six months before the family had him moved. He hadn’t given Tide any information on what his parents had done that deemed them so, or how those six months with the last family had truly been, but that was more than okay. 

William appeared to be relieved that he would be switching schools, and so Tide was sat in front of his new principal two days before he would be starting at the school, ready to fight tooth and nail to make his time there more comfortable. 

“I need his name to be William on everything the teachers have access to. I don’t want them to even know his deadname.”

Magma nodded seriously. “I can do that for you.”

“And if you hear word of any bullying that he might be facing, please at least try to take care of it. I don’t want him to feel failed by this school, I want him to enjoy going here. If all goes well with his placement with me, then he’ll be going here for four years, I don’t want him to be miserable.” 

Magma studied him for a long moment, then gave him a rare smile. “You’re great at this, with him,” he complimented. 

Tide beamed, praise from Magma was even rarer than a smile. 

“I’ll do my best to provide William with the safest environment we can offer, I swear it.” 

“Thank you. I’d say I owe you one, but that is generally your job,” Tide chuckled. 

Days later, Tide would pick William up from school and be greeted with a wide smile. He was so amazed that his teachers called him by the correct name without him even asking or having to explain. 

****

It was two months into William’s time at Rockfall High School that there was an accident. Tide had been at work when it happened, but thankfully, he hadn’t been turning his phone on silent ever since William came to live with him. 

He flinched when the shrill sound of his phone ringing emanated from his pocket. Hurriedly pulling it out of his pocket to silence it, he froze when he saw who was calling. Panic welled in his stomach and he was quick to answer, stepping away from the thankfully empty register as he flagged down a co-worker nearby, making wild gestures for her to take over for a second. 

“Hello?” he asked through the receiver. 

“Hello, is this Tide Lambert?” a feminine voice asked from the other side. 

“It is,” he replied, worry clear in his voice. 

“This is the nurse at Rockfall High School,” the woman explained. “I have your dau- son, I have your son here in front of me. It seems that he broke his arm whilst in gym class, and you need to come get him.” 

Tide’s lungs were squeezed of all their stored air, and, for a long moment, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to re-inflate them. “What happened?” he choked out. 

“I am unsure of the full story, as William has clammed up and refuses to talk about it, but the coach said that he fell during running time and landed on his wrist in a poor way.” 

“I’ll- uh,” he trailed off, searching the store for his manager. He spotted her walking toward the breakroom and was immediately hot on her tail. “I’ll be right there. Tell him I’m on my way.” 

He didn’t wait for a response, much to the nurse’s distaste, and hung up as he pushed into the break room. 

“Marie,” he cried out, hurrying up to his manager. 

“You okay there, Tide?” Marie asked, brows furrowed in concern. She was a very caring woman, Tide knew that she’d let him go for this. 

“My son just broke his arm at school, I have to go get him, I…” He froze, unsure if he should tell her that he was leaving or if he should ask. Which was less likely to make him lose his job?

Thankfully, Marie seemed to discern the look in his eye and nodded. “Go, go get him. Take off tomorrow if you need, just call to let me know.” 

Tide gave a vigorous nod, but his feet were already rushing him toward the door before his mind could catch up. He only just managed to remember his keys that were left in his coat pocket in his assigned spot in the break room, and then he was off. 

The drive to the school was a blur, and he was sure he’d made it there in record time. He burst through the front door, going up to the secretary’s window breathing unsteadily. 

“Tide Lambert,” he introduced. “I got a call that my son was in the nurse's office with a broken arm, and I’m here to get him.” He was surprised he managed to form a coherent sentence. 

The man at the desk gave a nod and slid him over a paper attached to a clipboard. “Just sign him out there. I’ll tell the nurse you’re here.” 

Tide filled out the required information and then waited the painful amount of minutes it took for them to call up for William and for the boy to be walked to the door. Tide frowned when he finally laid eyes upon him through the second row of glass doors. 

William walked beside the school nurse, unsteady on his feet. His signature hoodie had been discarded, leaving him looking incredibly uncomfortable. He held his left arm with his right hand. The arm was definitely bent in a way that it shouldn’t be, making Tide wince. The boy had dried tear streaks on his cheeks, and fresh ones gathered in his eyes, but they didn’t fall until he made eye contact with Tide. The waterworks seemed to be turned to 100 after that. 

The nurse opened the door for him, and Tide stepped forward, gently bringing William into his arms. The teen sobbed.

Tide gave the nurse a polite half smile, before steering his teen toward the door to leave. They needed to get medical care as soon as possible. He kept one arm around William as he walked them to the car, rubbing his shoulder to sooth him. 

“It’s okay, Will. You’re okay, I’ve got you.” 

His words only seemed to make the boy cry harder, and Tide wondered for a moment if he’d thought that Tide wouldn’t have shown up to get him. He could only squeeze him tighter. 

He helped him into the car and got him buckled before hurrying to the driver’s side and starting the car. He pulled out of the school parking lot and drove off in the direction of the closest Emergency Room. 

In the waiting room of the ER, William leaned against Tide’s shoulder as the adult filled out paperwork. His tears had come to an abrupt stop before they needed to enter the building, but he was still shivering and uncomfortable with his missing hoodie. Tide had scrounged around in the backseat of his car until he magically produced a blanket that even he didn’t know was back there and wrapped it around the boy’s shoulders. It helped, but it wasn’t anything compared to his comfort hoodie. 

When the paperwork was complete and all there was to do was wait, Tide wrapped an arm around the boy again, planting a comforting kiss to the top of his head. He mumbled words of encouragement, but he wasn’t sure they were doing much to help. Still, William leaned into his hold like it was the only thing keeping him from drowning. 

After what felt like decades, but was likely only an hour, they were called into one of the rooms. The visit ended with William’s left arm covered by a blue cast with the word “Tide” scrawled on the spot just above the break. 

They were back in the car after the eventful day when William finally spoke about it. 

“Thank you,” he muttered, pulling the blanket tighter around his shoulders and pulling his knees to his chest. 

Tide reached over, ruffling the boy’s hair, which needed to be cut again. “Of course, bud.” 

“I get- uh - I get injured easily. My parents would never show up to take me home, though I had never done something as big as breaking a bone before now, but still… thanks.” 

“I’ll always show up. No matter if you just have a small headache, simply don’t feel like being at school any longer, or if you end up with another broken bone, which I’m praying will never be the case again for both our sakes, I’ll come get you no matter what, any time. My manager is understanding about family things, it won’t cause me any problems.” 

A tear streaked down William’s face again. Tide patted his shoulder. 

“Hey, what do you say I introduce you to the wonders of my favorite food?” 

That piqued William’s interest, shown by the curious raise of his brow. “Your favorite food?” he echoed in the form of a question. 

“Beef stroganoff,” Tide replied, swiping a hand through the air as if he was making a wondrous presentation. He watched William’s face turn unimpressed. “What? You ever had it?” 

William shook his head in denial.

“Well, you’re in for a treat, son. Come on, let’s go home.”

Chapter Text

Life with William had just begun to settle when Tide learned that he would be getting another placement. At first he could only find himself feeling worried for his current foster son, for what if this new kid wasn’t accepting of him? Or what if they didn’t get along? But then his own panic seeped in. Could he be a father figure to yet another kid? Was he even good for the one he had now?

It took the new kid standing in front of him for his thoughts to somewhat settle. He was greeted with the sight of bright, red hair that was spiked up and an oddly present smile. He could tell that the kid was tired, but there was a mask spread over his face that was meant to prevent others from noticing. However, Tide was a pro at discerning expressions. 

This time it was through a different social worker, who was thankfully a much nicer man than William’s had been. Paperwork was handed over to him, and Tide glanced down, studying it. The words Dakota Cole jumped out at him, and he let his gaze trail back up to the kids face. He gave him a kind smile. 

Tide was Dakota’s first foster home, which only made the whole ordeal more frightening. He had to set a good impression on the boy, as well as help him through whatever led him to end up in the system. But that was okay, he’d done everything correct when it came to William, right? He could do it again with Dakota. 

Dakota was only a few months younger than William, but the first interaction he had with the both of them couldn’t have been more different. Will was quiet and untrusting, and Dakota, whilst still very reserved, was happy and loud. Tide knew Dakota was likely playing things up, trying to make himself seem like a better kid than he felt like he was, so it made him a little sad. He was at a loss on how he could help the boy and it was only day one. 

The social worker went over the standard procedures, and then he was left alone with another kid in his care. Tide gulped down the rising anxiety in his throat and returned Dakota’s smile. 

“Hey, kid,” he greeted. “You can call me Tide, what’s your name?” Is that what he’d first said to William as well? Was he wrong to use the same greeting?

Dakota nodded in acknowledgement of the greeting. “I’m Dakota. It’s…” the teen looked at a loss for words for a moment, the creasing between his brows breaking through his happy mask. “It’s nice to meet you.” 

“Let’s get you shown around, bud.” 

****

Dakota was already going to Rockfall school before he was placed in Tide’s care, and seeing as he and William should be in the same freshman class, he expected them to at least know of each other. Dakota didn’t go to school on the day he’d been placed with Tide, but William had, so the two of them weren’t introduced until the latter arrived home that evening. 

It was odd to not pick William up from school, but after he’d called the boy during his lunch hour, William told him that he’d catch a ride home with a friend so that he could stay and help Dakota get settled. Tide could tell it was a nerve wracking situation for him as well. 

When it was nearing the time for William’s arrival home, Tide rounded Dakota up in the family room. 

“Your foster brother that I mentioned earlier is going to be home soon,” he explained. “His name is William, he’s rather quiet, but once he gets to know you he’ll open up. I think you’ll be good friends.” 

And he did think that. William might be bad at making friends due to his anxious nature and refusal to go up to people, but he was friendly . He was good at keeping friends, he was just bad at that first little step. Dakota, on the other hand, seemed like he’d excel at that first step. 

Dakota opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted at the sound of the door opening. 

Tide walked to greet William at the door, and Dakota nervously trailed behind him. 

“Will,” he greeted the teen with a wide smile. “How was school?” 

William turned from where he’d been kicking off his shoes beside the door and looked between him and Dakota for a hesitant moment. “It was fine.” 

For a long, awkward moment, William and Dakota stared at each other like they weren’t sure who should speak first. Tide’s gaze bounced between them, also at a loss for words. He went to say something to break the silent staring contest, but Dakota beat him to it. 

He stepped forward, offering a hand out for William to shake, though he looked much like a little kid who was copying the actions of the adults around him - a little awkward, but he made it work. “I’m Dakota.” 

William eyed the outstretched hand for a second, looking like he’d rather spontaneously fade into nothingness than go through another introduction like this, but eventually he shook it. “Willo- William.”

“Epic name, man,” Dakota smiled, squeezing William’s hand. 

William tensed at the squeeze, seemingly uncomfortable with how tight Dakota could do so, but he smiled. “Thanks. It’s - uh - it's mine.” 

William and Dakota didn’t become immediate friends after that first introduction. It took about a week for them to really click, and when they did their friendship happened like the flip of a switch. They went from acquaintances to best friends so fast that Tide suspected that something had happened. 

He was almost certain of it, as there was a day just before the change in behavior in which William had texted him not to pick them up from school because they were going to walk. Something surely happened that day that made them connect with each other, and, despite how much Tide wanted to know what that was, he respected their privacy on the matter. He could only be glad that they got along so well. 

****

“Hey, uh, Tide?” 

At the sound of the nervous voice saying his name, Tide’s head shot up from where he was focused on his laptop. He scanned the room, eyes settling on William. “Yeah? Everything alright? What happened?” 

William shook his head. “No, everything is fine. It’s just- um, Dakota has his first soccer game on Friday, and he told me that I didn’t have to show up - and I doubt he even told you it was happening - but I was wondering if you would go support him with me? I don’t think he’s ever had someone show up to one of his games before, I think that is why he told me not to go, to save himself from feeling upset when no one showed up, but I think we should-” 

“Whoa, William, slow down. You’re rambling. It's okay,” Tide said, calming the boy’s anxiety. “Of course we’ll go.”

William took a breath then smiled. He appeared to be at a loss for words for a moment, stuck somewhere between thanking Tide and not acknowledging it, but the words finally found him. “I don’t know a thing about soccer,” he admitted. 

Tide chuckled. “Me either. I’m sure we’ll figure it out. If not, we’ll have Dakota explain it to us sometime later so that we’ll understand future games.” 

 William beamed. 

On Friday afternoon, Dakota made some poor excuse about going to hang out with the boys from his soccer team and left the house with his sport bag in tow. Tide knew why he wasn’t telling the full truth, to save himself from getting upset, but it still felt strange to see him even give a half lie. Still, he said nothing about it. He’d simply called out a ‘be safe, goodbye’, and watched him leave. 

William had exited his room with excitement written in his eyes, and that is all it took for Tide to realize that William likely hadn’t gone to many school events in the past, meaning that this was a new experience for all three of them. 

The two of them loaded themselves into Tide’s car and drove the familiar route to the school. When they arrived at the field where the soccer games were held, Tide realized they definitely didn’t fit in. In a sea of school colors and soccer fans, he imagined that their confused faces and plain clothes made them stick out like sore thumbs, but they moved toward the bleachers still. 

William gently held onto Tide’s sleeve to not lose him in the crowd. It was obvious that he felt just as out of place, but they were both determined to get over that feeling. For Dakota, because he deserved to have all the support in the world. 

They sat toward the bottom of one section of the bleachers - mindful of William’s dislike for heights - hoping that they weren’t sitting in the wrong area. Things were uneventful until the game began, then Tide was nothing but impressed and proud for the rest of the evening. 

As it turned out, Dakota was an excellent soccer player. He was fast, he had a mean kick, and he worked well with his team. He was so good at the sport that he had Tide wondering why he’d never tried to watch the sport in the past. If it was this interesting, he had been missing out his entire life. 

In the end, Dakota had scored the most points, and the Rockfall Centurions won. Tide’s heart swelled with pride at the boy’s accomplishment, and when the rest of the team’s families began to gather to collect their child, he hurriedly went to do the same. 

Dakota was talking to another member of the team when he spotted them. It was merely a glance at first, but, once his brain caught up to his eyes, his head whipped back over in surprise. He stared with his mouth open as Tide and William both waved. He paid no attention to his still speaking teammate and made his way toward them. 

“You were amazing,” Tide cheered as Dakota grew closer. He held his hand out for a high five, but Dakota had something different in mind. 

The redhead crashed into his guardian, arms wrapped tightly around his waist. Tide’s air was momentarily squeezed clean out of his lungs, but he hugged back just as tightly. Taking only one arm away from the hug, Dakota reached out and grabbed William by the arm of his hoodie, yanking him into the embrace as well. 

“You asshole,” he croaked out to William. “Thank you. Thank you for coming.” 

****

It was the middle of the night when Tide heard a sound from within the house. It was faint, could’ve even been brushed off as a typical house sounds, but Tide could sense that it was more than that. Something was wrong with one of the boys, and Tide had been a parent for long enough that he could apparently sense that now. 

He got up from his bed, straightening out his clothes and cracking open his door. He peeked his head out into the hall, looking both ways. William’s door was cracked, but that is how he typically slept so it didn’t spark any alarms within Tide. Dakota, on the other hand, always slept with his door closed, and his door was wide open. Every light in the house was still off. 

Tide’s first instinct was to panic. He wanted to frantically run down the hall in search of the red-haired boy and make sure he was okay, but ultimately he knew that was irrational. He took a calm step outside of his bedroom, his feet not making a sound against the floor. As he came to the junction in the hall which split into both the family room and the kitchen, he could see a faint light shining from on the couch. 

Dakota was curled on one half of the couch, scrolling on his phone. His face was illuminated by the blue tinted light, just bright enough for Tide to see the tear streaks upon his cheeks. Tide frowned at the sight but quickly picked it back up when Dakota’s eyes flicked over to him. 

“Dakota?” he asked hesitantly. “Can I sit beside you? On the other side of the couch, I mean.” 

Dakota’s head jerked up and down, as if his neck were stiff, confirming that Tide could do what he asked. The light from his phone clicked off.

Tide left a few feet between them and sat down. He was silent for a moment, thinking over his options. “You know,” he began, catching the way that Dakota’s body twitched at the sound of his voice, “I get nightmares too.”

Dakota’s head tilted upward slightly, just enough to look at Tide. His eyes seemed to say ‘you do?’, but not a sound left him. Tide nodded at the unasked question.

“I do. I was in foster care too when I was younger, I understand more than you might think I could. I just want you to know that it's normal for nightmares to occur, but you don’t have to deal with them alone. You can always wake me up in the middle of the night for anything, or I’m sure Will would love to help you if you feel more comfortable with that. I-”

Tide’s words got lodged in his throat when Dakota suddenly sat up. He examined him closely, searching for any sort of uncomfortable behavior in his actions. Maybe he’d said too much. Maybe Dakota preferred to not be spoken to after a nightmare. Maybe-

Dakota scooted toward him on the couch, not looking at him as he laid back down, hesitantly hovering his head above Tide’s leg. Tide smiled as his racing thoughts came to a halt. Gently, he placed a hand on the teen’s head, pulling it down the rest of the way to rest upon his leg. He patted his hair. 

“I got you, kid. Whatever happened in your dream, you’re safe now.” 

Dakota’s breathing grew deeper, and his eyes fell shut. And, if Tide woke up in the morning to a confused looking William and a sore neck, it was worth it in the end. 

****

It was four months after the ordeal with William breaking his arm happened that Tide received another dreaded phone call from Rockfall High School. Luck was partially on his side this time around, for he was not at work when his phone rang out, the sound echoing through the empty house. 

At the sight of the caller ID, anxiety swooped into his stomach, constructing a city like it owned the place. He fumbled with his phone, having to press the answer button three times before it finally worked. 

“Hello?” he asked when it was finally held to his ear. 

“Tide?” a familiar voice asked from the other side. Magma. His brother, the principal, was the one on the other side of the call. Someone had gotten into trouble. 

“Magma? Is everything alright?” 

There was a pause on his brother’s end. “Neither of your boys are hurt…” 

“I’m suspecting that there is a ‘but’ to the end of that statement,” Tide suspected. “Please get to the point before my heart beats so fast that it explodes.” 

Magma sighed. “Dakota got into a fight,” he blatantly explained. 

Tide’s heart stuttered a beat. “What?” 

“He won’t say why, but we need to speak to both of their guardians, so maybe you can get it out of him. Are you able to come in within the next twenty minutes by chance?” 

“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll be right there.” 

Tide couldn’t even fathom Dakota getting into a fight with someone for no reason. It was not something he thought was a possibility since he had first seen the kid. He knew that something had to have happened for this to even be a thing. 

He drove calmly to the school this time around, knowing that there was no need to mindlessly panic. He walked through the first set of doors, seeing the same office man from last time behind the glass. He explained the situation and was let inside. 

He felt a bit sick as he came to a stop outside of his brother’s office. How was he meant to deal with this kind of problem? It took him a moment to finally knock, deciding that in the end Dakota needed him there above all else. 

Magma opened the door, letting him inside. The two chairs that sat across the desk from Magma’s chair had been scooted further away from each other and both were filled. Sat on the left was Dakota, and on the right was a boy Tide recognized from the soccer team, someone he remembered Dakota to get along with well enough to know that this fight had to have been provoked. 

Magma sat in his chair with a sigh. “Jimmy’s parents aren’t here yet,” he informed Tide. “Jimmy, would you mind sitting just out there in those chairs in front of the office whilst I speak to Mr. Lambert and Dakota for a moment?”

The kid, Jimmy, nodded and stood without saying a word. He stared at the ground as he walked past Tide, not allowing him to see his face. Tide sat beside Dakota, glancing sideways at him. 

Dakota didn’t meet his eyes. He was hunched in on himself, and his leg bounced up and down anxiously. 

Magma didn’t say anything, so Tide looked to his older brother at a loss for what to do. Magma gestured with a jerk of his head to the red-haired boy. Tide frowned. 

He leaned forward, attempting to see his face a little better. “Kota?” he said gently. 

The teen didn’t budge. 

“You know I won’t be angry,” he continued. “I know that you wouldn’t have started a fight without reason, all you gotta do is trust me enough to tell me what happened. I’ll understand, or I’ll try my hardest to, you know that.” 

Dakota’s eyes finally snapped over to him. He looked less upset and more angry . Tide worried for a moment that he was the one making him so, but then Dakota finally spoke up. 

“He was bullying William,” he said quietly. 

Tide sat up straight at that, anger seeping into him as well. “He what?”  

Dakota turned to face Magma then, his voice growing louder. “He was calling William a girl. He was getting up in his space and saying all this mean shit to him, so I kicked him in the balls, and when he bent over in pain, I kicked him in the jaw.”

Magma nodded, looking back with an unreadable expression. “And where did William go after that?”

Dakota shook his head. “I don’t know, I didn’t see. He’s sneaky when he wants to be, and I had my attention focused elsewhere.” 

Magma turned to his computer, typing something then clicking. “He never showed up to his sixth period, which was right after the fight took place.”

“The bathroom?” Tide suggested. “He might’ve gone there to wait it out if he were upset.”

Dakota nodded silently, confirming that it was most like William to hide there.

“Okay, we’ll deal with William in a moment,” Magma informed. “Dakota, you did throw the first punch.” 

“Kick,” Dakota muttered in correction. 

Magma’s gaze grew more intense. “Whatever it may be that you used, you struck first. You should’ve gone to a teacher or to Tide after school, violence isn’t the answer, no matter the circumstances.”

Dakota was still, staring right back at Magma, unwavering. 

“Therefore, two days of out of school suspension,” the principal concluded. “You’ll be allowed back on Monday.”

“What about Jimmy?” Dakota questioned, clearly unaffected by his own punishment. 

“Jimmy will get a similar punishment for hitting back along with the bullying. I’ll be having a talk with him and his parents about that second detail. We do not tolerate that behavior here.” 

“Good,” Dakota nodded. “Are we free to leave now?” 

Magma sighed, then gave a defeated nod. “Let me go tell the office to call over the big speaker to have William check out.” 

Tide and Dakota waited in the lobby area for William to show up. Tide signed some papers to be able to take both of them, and when it began to look like William wasn’t going to show, he grew worried. Just as he was about to send Dakota in to find him, they saw the familiar mop of black hair covered by a black hoodie from the other end of the hall. 

William looked rough. His hair had been tugged in every which way, his eyes were rimmed red, and he walked slowly, looking as if he wanted nothing more than to fold in on himself and disappear forever. 

When he pushed open the door and got close enough, Tide rested a hand on the teen’s shoulder and pulled him into a hug. William all but melted in his hold, his hand gripping the side of Tide’s shirt. Tide squeezed him for a moment, then looked over at Dakota, holding an arm out for him to join if he so wished. 

Dakota did so hesitantly, certainly not expecting that type of reaction from Tide, and so the three of them stood hugging in the lobby of Rockfall High School for just a moment. When they pulled away, it was done without a word. 

Once inside the safety of the car - William curled up in the passenger seat and Dakota in the back, staring out the window with an unreadable expression - Tide finally spoke up. 

“I’m not angry with you, Dakota,” he began, catching the red head’s attention. “I’m rather proud, actually.”

“What?” Dakota said in disbelief. 

Tide nodded with a chuckle. “Yeah, even though I’m not fond of you handling it with violence, you stood up for William when you knew he wouldn’t do so himself. You showed everyone there that that type of bullying will not be tolerated, and for that, I am proud.” 

“I-” Dakota didn’t know how to respond. 

“You know what?” Tide asked. 

“What?” William muttered from beside him, curious at the change in his tone. 

“I think a celebration is in order. Dakota, you ever had beef stroganoff?” 

The car pulled out of the school parking lot, William’s groan of complaint lingering in its wake.

Chapter Text

Vyncent Sol, Tide’s third placement, had come to Rockfall from out of state. He wasn’t sure how to feel about the ordeal himself, but he could only guess how awful it would’ve been for the kid. 

He got the news a month after Dakota had gone back to school after his suspension. Their lives had calmed down after that event, and William hadn’t so much as been picked on again, for everyone was scared of Dakota. Even though Tide had grown rather confident of his parenting abilities, he still felt the usual panic making its appearance. He thought that was only normal, though, it would be scary if he didn’t feel at least a little nervous. 

He prepped the last empty bedroom in the house, making up the bed and putting together a necessity bin for the kid that included some personal snacks. He informed Dakota and William, and then all there was left to do was wait, and Tide had never been good at doing so patiently. 

By the time the wait was over, Tide didn’t think the house had ever been so clean. Every spec of dust or dirt had been violently demolished by both the chemicals in the cleaning supplies and Tide’s mean scrubbing arm. Everything was shining and spotless, at least it was until Dakota got home and didn’t take off his soccer gear before tracking dirt through the entire house. Tide didn’t have enough time to clean it up before Vyncent and his social worker arrived. 

 Tide opened the door with a kind smile upon his face, seeing a younger than expected social worker, whose hair was dyed pink. “Sorry for the mess, one of the boys just walked through the house in his soccer shoes.” 

The social worker didn’t give much of a response. He stepped inside, a teenager with long, purple hair stepping in behind him. Tide tried to peek around the adult to see the teen better, but the boy shied away from his gaze. Tide was handed a folder, the words ‘ Vyncent Sol’ standing out. 

The social worker didn’t seem like he wanted to be there as he went over the standard protocol, but at least he was still somehow nice - anything was nicer than William’s social worker, to be fair. He spoke to Tide, then to Vyncent in private for a second, then he was gone. 

Tide studied the kid’s nervous face for longer than he likely should’ve, seeing as the kid grew more and more uneasy under his gaze. His hair was tied back in a surprisingly neat bun, and he was nearly taller than Tide himself.. He acted much like a NPC, standing and waiting for the PC to interact with him so that he could join the story. And Tide was nothing if not repetitive. 

“Hey, kid,” he said, his kindest smile resting upon his face. “My name is Tide, what’s yours?” 

The teen eyed him for a second, giving him a solid once over, then he answered, hesitant and quiet. “Vyncent.”

“It’s good to have you with us, Vyncent. You have two foster brothers, not sure if you were told?” 

Vyncent shook his head. “Mr. Harlem didn’t tell me anything.” 

Tide wasn’t much surprised by that. “Well, I’m Tide, as I mentioned before, your foster brothers are William and Dakota, but you’ll meet them in a bit. For now, let’s get you shown around.” 

Vyncent was unsurprisingly silent during the tour. He followed him without a peep, and if Tide weren’t looking straight at him he would begin to worry that he suddenly evaporated. The tour was rather basic, not much of a place to show off, and once they were done, Tide directed Vyncent to the family room where he called William and Dakota out to meet him. 

The two boys walked in a bit unsurely, peeking around the corner to see the newcomer before actually entering the room. Tide swung an arm around William’s shoulders, pulling him into his side as he approached. William accepted the half embrace with ease, and Vyncent looked oddly shocked at the sight. 

“Boys, this is Vyncent,” Tide introduced. “Vyncent, this here is William, and this is Dakota.” He gestured to the respective teen as he said their names. “I think you’ll fit in nicely with our little family, make yourself at home, don’t be afraid to ask anyone anything.” 

Dakota stepped forward, and, moving slowly, he stuck his hand out for Vyncent to shake. “Nice to meet you, man.” 

Vyncent glanced blankly between Dakota’s face and hand for a heartbeat, then shook it. He didn’t say a word. When the handshake ended, he looked at William almost expectantly. William offered a friendly wave instead of another handshake. 

“Welcome home,” William said. 

****

It didn’t take long to notice that Vyncent wasn’t keen on being alone. It was also clear that he much preferred to keep in the company of his brothers more so than Tide, by the way he went virtually silent the moment Tide would enter a room and appeared to avoid him as much as possible. With the other boys, however, he did really well. Tide could hear him participating in conversation with ease, and he was thankful that he was comfortable around them at the very least. .

He saw how closely Vyncent would watch him as he interacted with the other two, looking surprised half of the time. It made him upset. He would later find out that Vyncent had been in foster care since he was a toddler, so it was no wonder why he reacted the way he did. There was no telling what kinds of homes he had experienced in his lifetime. 

Vyncent was sixteen, an entire year older than Dakota and William, but he had been held back once, putting him in their grade in school. Though that was unfortunate, Tide figured it worked out well since they’d all be together, which would hopefully make the new school a lot less threatening to him. 

The boys got along really well. Vyncent had clung to them like paper to glue as soon as he realized they wouldn’t protest. He was always sitting in the room with at least one of them no matter what. Dakota and him ended up playing tons of video games together, and William’s solo reading time turned into him reading books aloud to him. Vyncent didn’t appear to have much interest in the books, but he did seem more than happy to just listen to William’s voice. Tide was sure the boys even had sleepovers, because Vyncent never seemed to be in his own room most of the time, likely not used to having his own space and sleeping alone. 

He avoided Tide like the plague for the first two weeks, and then suddenly something changed. Tide wasn’t sure what it was. Maybe one of the other two had spoken to him or maybe he had simply observed Tide long enough to no longer see him as a potential threat. But, one day, as Tide cooked them all dinner, Vyncent silently entered the kitchen with a textbook in hand, and made a place at the counter closest to where Tide was standing at the stove. 

Tide smiled at him, though Vyncent didn’t meet his eyes. “Hey, buddy,” he all but cheered. The teen did look up then. “What you got there?” 

“Math,” Vyncent answered with a distasteful frown, as if the word itself brought him suffering. 

Tide chuckled. “Ah, I see. Not a fan of math are you?” 

“It’s the reason I was held back,” the purple-haired teen admitted. “I don’t get it and none of the teachers will help me understand.” 

Tide moved to peer over his shoulder at the textbook. “Algebra?” 

Vyncent nodded in confirmation. “And Dakota doesn’t like math either, and William sucks at explaining it in simple terms, so I’ve just gotta figure it out.” He paused, then nervously looked up at Tide. “Sorry, didn’t mean to complain.” 

Tide shook his head. “Don’t apologize, you’re right to complain.” He turned, checked on his food, then placed a lid atop the pot and turned down the heat to let it simmer. He grabbed the bar stool beside Vyncent and pulled it closer before taking a seat. “Let me see, kid. I can’t promise that I’ll be the world’s greatest teacher, but I’ll put all my Dad magic into this.” 

“You’ll help me?” Vyncent blinked in surprise. 

“Of course I’ll help you. I told you, don’t be afraid to ask anyone for anything in this house. If I can’t help, then maybe Kota or Will can, and if none of us can, we’ll find someone who can.” 

Vyncent didn’t answer, just continued to stare. 

“What I’m saying is, if I am the world’s worst teacher like I’m fully expecting to be, and you still want help, then I’ll find you the world’s best tutor who will adapt to your learning style,” Tide explained. He scooted the chair a bit closer. “Now show me this book, we’ll get to the bottom of this.” 

Vyncent didn’t even blink, but his hand moved to push the book toward him. Tide grabbed the corner of it when it came into reach and pulled it close, examining the pages. Once he felt fully refreshed on the subject, he turned back to Vyncent, who he could’ve sworn still hadn’t blinked. His eyes were practically sparkling. 

“Let me see you attempt a problem, so that I can determine how to go about helping,” he requested. 

Vyncent did as he asked, finally blinking and turning to his notebook. Tide observed how he did the problem, getting halfway through before he hit a dead end. He spotted the kid’s problem, thankfully easy to adjust. 

“See this here?” Tide gestured to the third line of work that Vyncent had shown. “This number here actually needs to be moved first before this one, then this will go much smoother.” 

Vyncent thoughtfully took in the direction then gave a slow nod. “I think that makes sense. Let me start again.” 

He got the problem correct. He got the next one as well. He got stumped on the third, but it was a simple multiplication error, nothing a calculator couldn’t help. When the teen seemed to get into a rhythm, Tide got back up to check on the food. As he stirred the food around in the pan, he felt a presence join him near the stove. He didn’t have the time to look over before two arms were wrapping around his torso. 

Purple hair was attached to the head that rested against his shoulder, and the sight of it almost made Tide’s eyes well up with tears. He wrapped his unoccupied arm around Vyncent, rubbing his hand up and down his back. 

“Thank you,” Vyncent muttered. 

“Of course, buddy.” 

****

Tide had run into a problem. What was the problem? It was that he was unable to turn around without immediately running into a teenager.

After he’d helped Vyncent with his homework that night, the teen became his shadow. It was like a switch had been flipped after he noticed that Tide was truly a caring guy and would allow him to be in his presence without getting annoyed or angry. Tide felt sorry for the kid, because he knew that this was happening due to bad past experiences, but he really would love to enjoy some personal space every once and a while. It was like having a toddler who was in the clingy stage, except they were nearly as tall as you and deathly silent so you never knew when they’d be standing right behind you. 

He noticed it first whenever he would be cooking. He’d be facing the stove, and when he’d turn around, nine times out of ten Vyncent would be sitting at his newly designated seat at the counter. This was fine. Really, Tide loved to have company as he cooked, it was better than the days where he’d always been cooking for one person instead of four. 

Then Vyncent started to just appear behind him at random. Tide would be doing the laundry, and he’d turn to carry something into the other room, only to run straight into Vyncent. He’d be getting things ready for Dakota’s soccer game, Vyncent would be right beside him. The list went on and on, but at least he had a respect for privacy when it mattered, it could’ve been worse. 

Tide was happy for the teen, for he knew this behavior meant he trusted him now, but he had begun to worry that he was gaining some attachment issues, both to him and the other two boys. Tide wasn’t even sure what Vyncent enjoyed doing, for he was always spending his time doing something that one of them enjoyed. He played games with Dakota or attempted to workout with him, he listened to William read or watched his true crime documentaries with him, and he watched Tide do house chores or sat and watched his TV shows with him, but what did Vyncent enjoy?

Tide’s breaking point came one day when he needed space as he was deep cleaning their fridge, but Vyncent just happened to be standing there every time he turned. He paused, taking a calming deep breath before resting both hands upon Vyncent’s shoulders and steering him out of the kitchen. He gently guided him to sit on the couch and sat beside him. 

“Vynce,” he began, trailing off as he thought over how to go about this conversation. 

“Yeah?” Vyncent questioned. 

“Kid, what are your hobbies? Like what do you like to do?” 

Vyncent stared at him in puzzlement for a long while before he settled on an answer. “I hang out with you guys?” he replied, his answer sounding more like a question. “I play games and listen to Will read.” 

Tide shook his head. “No, no. What do you enjoy? Like if you were to do something on your own, what would it be?” 

Vyncent’s eyes turned fearful. “Are you- are you mad?” 

Tide sat up straight. “No, no, no. Not mad in the slightest, no. I just realized that I’ve never seen you doing something that you chose. What are your hobbies, Vyncent?”

Vyncent stared back blankly for a while. “I- uh. I used to whittle a lot a few years ago, but I was moved to a different home and I wasn’t allowed to own a pocket knife there.”

It was Tide’s turn to stare. Was he really going to give this kid a knife?

“Oh!” Vyncent suddenly jumped up from the couch and sprinted toward the hallway. “Wait!” He was gone for a few minutes, the sound of rustling coming from down the hall a sign that he was searching for something. He ran back in not long after. “Here.” 

He thrust a wooden figure into Tide’s unexpecting hand and sat excitedly beside him. Tide turned the figure over in his fingers, examining the whittling work and overall look of the little thing. It was a small dog, and it was a bit choppy but still great. Vyncent’s description of his abrupt stop to his hobby made him know that with time and practice he would’ve grown to be amazing at it. 

Tide looked back to the teen with an impressed expression. “Vyncent, this is amazing!”

“Really?” Vyncent asked, his face lighting up as if a thousand spotlights had been turned on at the compliment. 

Yeah, Tide was going to give this kid a pocket knife. 

They went to the store as soon as Tide finished with the fridge, for he didn’t want anything that was sitting on the counters waiting to be put back in to go bad. They left the store with a purple pocket knife and a few other helpful whittling tools that Tide didn’t know existed. Their only rule was that the pocket knife stayed outside of all bedrooms when it came time to go to bed. And, if Tide was stuck cleaning up wood shavings for all eternity, it was well worth it for the sight of Vyncent’s grin. 

****

Tide’s children seemed to find joy in shaving off years of his life through making him receive calls from the school. This time when his phone rang and he spotted the dreaded caller ID, he could practically feel three years of his life leave his grasp. 

With a disheartened sigh, Tide pulled his shopping cart to a stop at the edge of the isle so that he wasn’t in any of his fellow shoppers’ way as he clicked the green answer button. 

“Hello?” he asked. Worry was clear in his voice, and he did nothing to try and hide it; a call from the school could never mean good news. 

This time, an unfamiliar male voice spoke from the other side. “Hello, this is Mr. Wilson at Rockfall High School, I’m looking to speak to Vyncent Sol’s guardian?” 

Tide attempted to keep a hold of his thoughts to prevent them from racing through every possible thing that could’ve gone wrong with Vyncent. He just barely managed to wrangle them back to give a coherent response. “That’s me. Is everything alright?” 

Sensing the concern in his voice, Mr. Wilson was quick to assure him. “No one is hurt or in trouble,” he informed, and Tide’s shoulders sagged with relief. “But I have Vyncent in my office here, and he’s having a bit of a rough time.” 

Tide’s shoulders immediately tensed again. “A rough time?”

“I’m not entirely sure what’s set it off, but he’s having a panic attack and is struggling to calm down. I think it would be best if you could come and get him,” the teacher explained. 

Panic welled in Tide’s stomach, and, in an instant, he was ditching his half full cart without so much as a second thought. As he weaved through fellow shoppers, rushing toward the doors, he thankfully remembered how to use his voice. “I’ll be right there,” he informed Mr. Wilson. “Tell him I’ll be there!” 

He hung up the phone as he pushed his way out into the Rusty’s parking lot and searched the sea of cars for the one that belonged to him. It was important to not panic in moments like these, but Tide had never been good at the important things. In the disarray that was his own mind, he’d managed to forget where he’d parked. 

Now was not the time for this. He all but sprinted in the direction he thought it might be in, scanning the area for a blue van as he pressed the button on his key to get it to make sound. He nearly tripped when he finally laid eyes on it. 

He didn’t go straight to the driver’s seat and instead flung open the door to the backseat. He haphazardly dug through the piles of random items that had accumulated over the course of having three teenagers, looking for one thing in particular. A pair of blue headphones were discovered under one of William’s spare hoodies that had become a permanent resident of the backseat, and Tide held them up as if he’d just found gold. 

He hopped into the driver’s seat, turning on the car and tossing the headphones into the empty passenger seat. Rusty’s wasn’t far from the school, so Tide took a moment to calm himself before getting on the road. 

Tide had filled out the paperwork to check out one of the kids more than enough times for it to go quickly once he’d arrived at the school. Unexpectedly, however, the man at the front office gave him a pass and told him where Mr. Wilson’s office could be found. 

Even though he knew where he was going, Tide felt almost lost as he made his way through the halls. Tide had had plenty of panic attacks himself, sure, but what if he was no good at helping calm someone who was coming out of one? What if this was where he’d fail as a parent and let down one of his kids? 

There was no time to dwell on it as he was soon standing in front of Mr. Wilson’s door. He let out a puff of air. You got this, you got this, you got this . He knocked just loud enough to be heard. The door opened a second later, revealing a disheveled and stressed looking man, who was clearly just as panicked about not being able to calm down the teen. 

“Vyncent’s dad?” Mr. Wilson asked hopefully. 

Tide nodded and was immediately dragged into the room. 

“He’s calm now, but he’s not saying much. I wasn’t sure how to help from here, breathing exercises can only get one so far after they’ve already managed to breathe correctly.” 

Tide ignored the teacher in favor of observing his kid. Vyncent was a sight for sore eyes - completely hunched in on himself, his eyes red-rimmed and face tear streaked. He wore a dark hoodie that Tide didn’t remember him having on when he’d dropped them off this morning, likely a result of William surrendering his dearly loved hoodie in an attempt to make Vyncent feel better. His arms were wrapped around his torso, and Tide worried that if he squeezed himself any tighter he’d explode. 

He knelt in front of the chair that Vyncent sat in and stared for a hesitant moment. Vyncent met his eyes with ease, and they had a brief staring contest before Tide shook himself into action. He gave the teen a smile and held out his arms. Vyncent collapsed forward, falling into Tide so that the adult was forced to catch him. 

So there they sat, on the floor of a random office in Rockfall High School, hugging each other like the world could end at any second. Vyncent’s shoulders shook as more tears wracked his body, and Tide rubbed circles on his back, holding him until the tears dried, and even for some time after that. He wasn’t sure how long it took mumbling to the boy that he was safe and that he wouldn’t let anything happen to him for Vyncent to finally calm, but it did eventually happen. 

When Vyncent was ready, they got to their feet. There were little words of parting shared with Mr. Wilson, a simple, quick ‘thank you for calling’, and they were soon making their way back through the building and toward the car. 

Tide kept an arm around him the whole way, and since he’d already signed paperwork, he was able to just take him straight for the car. He snatched the headphones from the passenger seat before Vyncent could accidentally sit on them, and when the boy got in, he handed them over to him. 

Vyncent returned a questioning glance, turning the headphones over in his hands as he awaited an explanation. 

“They help me,” Tide explained. “Whenever things are getting overwhelming or I can feel a panic attack incoming, I put those on and turn on some music. It doesn’t make everything magically go away, but it sure helps. You can try them out, I can talk to the school and make sure you’re allowed to use them whenever you need them. If they help, then they’re yours.” 

Vyncent stared back with blank eyes for a moment, and Tide worried for a moment that he’d dismiss the idea or perhaps even start crying again, but Vyncent did the opposite of that. He smiled.

“Thank you,” he croaked out. “For everything. Thank you, Tide.” 

Tide clapped a hand on his shoulder, squeezing comfortingly. “Of course.” He turned to the front of the car, resting one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the gear shift. “Now, what do you say you try my favorite after-panic-attack meal?” 

Vyncent’s brow quirked in curiosity. “What is it?”

“Beef stroganoff,” Tide answered as he pulled out of the parking spot. “Don’t worry, William’s a big fan, you’ll love it.”

Chapter Text

[Within the first week of Dakota living with Tide and William]

William had struggled to connect with foster siblings in the past, so being the only child placed under Tide’s care had been a wonderful change for him. Not only did Tide understand him and help him feel more comfortable in his own body, William didn’t have to worry about forced connections with other foster kids or mean foster siblings that would make fun of him for how he looked and dressed. Maybe all of those reasons combined is why he felt sick to the stomach when learning that he’d be getting a new foster brother. 

The news was dropped last minute, as it typically was, and, to make things worse, he was informed over the phone in the middle of the school day. He’d told Tide not to pick him up and that he’d catch a ride with a friend, wanting to give him more time to get the new kid used to the place and all that, but seeing as William didn’t have many friends to ‘catch a ride’ with, he ended up walking. Luckily, they didn’t live terribly far, and the walk helped clear his mind.

He tugged uncomfortably at his binder, wiping any sweat that had accumulated on him off on his hoodie as he attempted to calm his breathing to make it unnoticeable that he had walked home. A few deep breaths and an anxious pep talk within his mind later, William was pushing open the door to the house he’d grown familiar with over the weeks he’d lived there. 

Tide greeted him at the door, a blob of red hair lingering behind him, and William’s anxiety forced him to turn away, busying himself with the task of kicking off his shoes. But, of course, Tide had to ruin his tactical avoidance with his dumb wide grin and asking how his day had gone as if his phone call earlier that day hadn’t sent William into a spiral. 

At the question, William finally decided to look at his new foster sibling. Bright red hair and a curious, but polite, smile greeted him. The boy looked about his age, and he looked kind unlike the siblings he’d been placed with in the past. What if it was just an act? He could probably see right through him, and the moment Tide wasn’t in the room, the bullying would start. William gulped, pushing back his feelings in order to not leave Tide waiting for an answer. 

“It was fine,” he replied to the question of how his day had been, and god , had his voice always been so damn squeaky? He subtly cleared his throat, his gaze going back to the red head. 

It was awkward, and that was putting it lightly. William wasn’t sure who was meant to speak first, and by the time he’d realized it was probably supposed to him, he was about to explode from the heaviness that weighed in the air. Was anyone else in the room struggling to breathe properly? 

He’d completely frozen in place, but luck was on his side in the end. The kid stepped forward, offering him a handshake. “I’m Dakota.” 

A handshake, really? William accepted it and gave a half-hearted shake. “Willo-” oh for fucks sake , “William.” 

“Epic name, man,” Dakota complimented, but his polite words and smile didn’t hold much weight when he squeezed his hand far tighter than William considered humanly possible. 

William smiled nevertheless. “Thanks. It’s - uh - it's mine.” 

They didn’t speak much the first couple of days that Dakota lived with them, but William supposed that he’d take the silence over the usual bullying. Yet, he could tell that Dakota wasn’t like the foster siblings he’d had in the past; he was genuinely a good person, and that made William want to be his friend. However, William didn’t know how to make friends. What could he say to make Dakota want to talk to him?

The solution to his situation came a few days later, but, like always, it came in the form of another problem to solve. Dakota had been acting strange all day. William had watched him across the cafeteria the last few days, so he knew how he typically acted with his friends, all loud and joyful, but he wasn’t even close to that typical string of behavior on that day. He was quiet, reserved, and he stared at the table or a wall for the majority of the day. 

At some point during their lunch hour, Dakota had looked up, locking eyes with William across the crowd of tables and students between them. They stared for a moment, then Dakota got up and walked his way. William went rigid in his seat. Was this where Dakota picked on him? Was this where he beats him up for staring?

He was rather surprised when Dakota did neither and sat in the seat across from him. 

“Why’re you sitting alone?” Dakota asked quietly. 

William’s throat felt dry. “New kid,” he muttered in explanation. “No friends.” 

Dakota raised a brow at that, but William wasn’t sure if it was confusion, concern, or judgmental, so he looked down at the table. 

“Hey, look, can you tell Tide that I have soccer practice after school and won’t be riding home with you guys?” 

That’s when William knew something was wrong. It was just a feeling, but he’d always been good at telling when things weren’t quite right, and he trusted his gut on this. Despite his thoughts, he nodded in confirmation to the question. “Yeah, I’ll do that now, so I don’t forget.”

When he messaged Tide, he told him that both of them wouldn’t need a ride, and then he began to devise a plan. 

William Wisp had always been good at disappearing, it was something he considered to be his specialty. Blending into crowds with ease, falling silently into the background, it was something he’d had to get adept at to survive, and that is exactly what he did to figure out the issue at hand. 

He typically preferred to be nowhere near the sporty kids, for they were typically the ones most likely to pick on him, but this time he did it without thinking. He stuck close when he was able, he watched, and he listened. And that is how William Wisp solved the case. There was no soccer practice that evening, confirming his suspicion that something was up. 

So, why did Dakota lie? What was he going to do instead? How would William solve that part? The answer to that was that he would follow him, and luck was firm on his side, seeing as they had their last period together. Don’t get him wrong, William wasn’t a stalker, he was just far too curious for his own good, which always led him to situations like these. 

Dakota was quick on his way out of the classroom, but William was quicker. He left through the backdoor that led out to the soccer fields, but he didn’t stop at the soccer fields for some self practice like William considered he might’ve been. He trailed after Dakota, the two of them going past the sport fields and into the city on the other side. They’re walking in the opposite direction of their home. 

Dakota moved down the sidewalk, either unaware of William in his shadow or uncaring. He didn’t falter in speed until they came to a small parking garage a couple of miles from the school, and the red head turned to walk inside of it. William lagged behind then, climbing the stairs at a much slower pace than his foster brother to not alert him of his presence. 

When he managed to get to the top, sweatier and more out of breath than when he’d begun the climb, he spotted Dakota sitting near the edge of the building, staring down over the city. William watched for a long while, allowing Dakota his space, before he decided to approach. He walked carefully, as if approaching a ticking bomb or a wild animal. 

“I’m not running away, if that’s what you think.” 

The sound of Dakota’s sudden voice made him jump out of his skin and his heart leap to his throat. How had he heard him approach? He could’ve sworn he was being sneaky. William puffed out a breath, trying to calm his racing heart in order to give a conscious response.

“What?” he asked, blinking at Dakota’s back stupidly. So maybe not a conscious response, but at least he said something .

“I’m not running,” Dakota repeated, louder by just a notch, “I just needed some air.” 

William contemplated then he stepped forward, sitting beside him. “I understand. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t going to do anything you’d regret.” 

Silence fell over them, and they sat comfortably atop the building side by side for a long time before one of them broke it. The sounds of car horns beeping from below filtered upwards into their little bubble of peace, but it didn’t disturb it. William’s eyes danced along the horizon; the city was different from this high up. He did all he could to not look over the edge, for his fear of heights would surely ruin the moment. 

 “My aunt was placed into rehab last week,” Dakota muttered. The sound of his voice was so gentle that it didn’t burst the bubble around them; it only pulled it in tighter, making this moment that they shared even more meaningful. “She was my guardian, so that’s why I’m with you guys. Things weren’t great when I lived with her, she was nice and all, but she wasn’t there , you know? She was physically, but you could see it in her eyes that she wasn’t-”

He trailed off for a moment. William gave him space to find his words again. 

“I used to come up here all the time,” he continued. “For air. When I’m this high up it's like nothing can touch me.”

William battled himself within his mind, trying to form a proper response. “I get it. Having an escape, a place or thing that gives us the ability to breathe, is probably the best thing that we can get with our situations.” 

Dakota looked at him, eyes searching his soul. “What is yours? You talk like you have experience.” 

William swallowed down his anxiety with a gulp . “My parents were never the best even before I came out, but after they were even more distant and uncaring. I had a teacher, she’s the reason I’m out of their care. My middle school teacher, Miss G was her name, she was very attentive to how her students were doing. It didn’t take her long to figure out my home life. She helped me, though, she was the first one that ever did help me. My escape was her, I sat in her room during lunch to get away from the other students, and if I was ever having a rough time, I’d go to her. She even helped me pick out my name.” 

Dakota, taking note of the past tense he used, looked hesitant as he asked his next question. “What happened?” 

William gave him a bitter smile. “I was moved because of the system. I haven’t seen her since.” 

His brother was wordless for a beat. “You can join me up here anytime,” he offered. 

William smiled. “Thank you.” 

It was with little effort when they became close after that. 

****

[A while after Vyncent]

William wanted to crawl out of his skin. No, he needed to. He craved being but a pile of bones walking around without a worry in sight. Well, a pile of bones would likely have its own issues to deal with, but William would be fine with anything but his own problems. 

Why did William wish to become a skeleton? It was because skeleton’s didn’t need lungs or skin, and if William didn’t need to be able to breathe and couldn’t feel pain, then he’d be able to wear his binder for way longer. In fact, if he were a skeleton, he wouldn’t even need the binder. 

But, William didn’t have the power to become a skeleton at will, so he resorted to curling into a tight ball on his bed, refusing to move. He knew he was worrying Tide, as he had tried, and failed, numerous times to get him to leave his bed even if for a few minutes, but, at the same time, Tide seemed to understand his behavior. He had sat with him for a while, giving him company that he apparently thought he needed, but he’d eventually had to leave. Therefore, William was left alone in his room yet again, until Vyncent decided to make it his personal mission to force him out of it.

One minute William was alone and invisible to the world, and the next Vyncent was beside him, a wide, almost mischievous grin on his face. William pulled his blanket tighter around him. 

“What?” he muttered. “Why’re you looking at me like that?” 

“Come to the living room,” Vyncent insisted.

William raised a brow. “What’s in the living room?” 

“Us?” 

William hummed as if in thought, then shook his head. “I’m okay. Sorry.” 

Vyncent frowned. “You’ve got nothing to be sorry about, for you will be coming to the living room,” he declared. William only stared blankly at him, so Vyncent softened. “Will, please? You’re worrying us with this, we just want you to be okay. If you really don’t want to hang out, it’s okay, just… I don’t know.” 

William didn’t blink, perhaps he had finally turned into a skeleton. Him and Vyncent had been rather fast friends, surprisingly faster than him and Dakota had been, for he’d grown confidence in his friend making abilities after cracking the Dakota code. He knew that Vyncent didn’t understand what he was feeling at that moment and meant well, and maybe that is why he sat up, pulling his blanket tighter against himself. 

“We have Minecraft set up on the tv,” Vyncent informed, his face having lit up at the sight of William sitting up. “We might be able to convince Tide to play.” 

William had to stifle a laugh at the mere thought of Tide playing Minecraft. That had him shuffling to the edge of the bed to get up. 

“Okay,” he muttered. “Just give me a moment.” 

Vyncent nodded and left the room. 

William took a prolonged breath of air before huffing it out. He gathered his blanket in his arms, holding it to his chest as he walked toward the door. And that is how he found himself for the first time surrounded by his family on a bad day instead of cooped up in bed the whole time. And that is also how he almost died from laughing too hard at Tide’s gaming abilities. 

Maybe he didn’t want to be a skeleton. 

****

[A while after Vyncent]

Vyncent had a tell for when it was a bad day for him. Dakota wasn’t very observant, he didn’t often take note of the little details, but even he knew this about Vyncent. It was an unspoken thing within the household, that if Vyncent was wearing his blue headphones around his neck, it was a tough day for him. Sometimes, Tide would ask him if he’d want to stay home, but Vyncent would rarely take him up on the offer, and today was no different. 

And that’s how all three of them ended up at school that day. Dakota had two classes with William, one in the middle of the day just before lunch and their very last class. He only had one class with Vyncent, and it was their first period: History. Vyncent wasn’t much good with History, but Dakota had always been a fan. His memory had an odd amount of space in it for world events, so he didn’t worry much about paying most of his attention to watching Vyncent that morning instead of the lesson. He was worried about his brother, and, therefore, school didn’t matter. 

Nothing seemed to go wrong for Vyncent in first period, as he didn’t put the headphones on or seem any more upset, so Dakota’s mind was put more at ease. Less worried about Vyncent, the beginning of Dakota’s day passed without trouble. Instead, it was at lunch when it arose. 

Since he and William had their bonding moment, and since he’d learned that William sat alone at lunch, he’d moved to sitting with him, and when Vyncent came along, he joined them. It was only the three of them who sat at that table, so it was very obvious when one of them were missing, and Vyncent was just that: missing. 

William and Dakota sat at their table across from each other, waiting. Time passed insufferably slow as they went back and forth between glancing from the cafeteria door to each other with identical worried faces. Five minutes passed. No sign of Vyncent. 

As more time passed, Dakota’s impatience and concern swirled together, mixing in a large pot in the pit of his stomach that grew too heavy to bear. He snapped up to his feet, sharing a knowing look with William. 

“Bathroom,” they said in unison. 

“You wait here, don’t want to overwhelm him,” Dakota told William. 

The red-head snatched his backpack from the cafeteria floor and shot off toward the nearest bathroom. The bathroom was very unclean, as public school restrooms typically were, but Vyncent didn’t seem to care at that moment. He was tucked against the sinks at the right half of the room, unblinkingly sitting on the dirty floor. His hands shook where they rested on his legs, his arms having been wrapped around his legs to pull them to his chest. Dakota expected his headphones to be over his ears, but they were discarded on the floor. 

Without a word, Dakota kneeled on the ground beside his brother, taking the headphones into his hands. Inspecting them, he took notice of the problem. Broken. He looked at Vyncent, who avoided his gaze, and began to dig through his own bag. His hand hit the item he was looking for amongst the mess of lost papers and unused folders, and he carefully took them out. 

He plugged his headphones into his own phone, picking something he knew Vyncent would like to play. He inched closer to Vyncent slowly, letting him be aware of his every movement, and put the headphones over his ears. 

It was a few minutes before Vyncent looked at him, and when he did, Dakota only smiled. 

I’ve got you, don’t worry.  

****

[A good while after all of the above]

It began as a joke. At least, as jokingly as one can call someone ‘dad’ behind their back. It began as a joke, but under the surface all three boys knew that it wasn’t so, it was only too daunting to name it the truth. 

It was a thing all around the world in all kinds of situations to respond ‘okay, dad ’’ to someone when they were worrying too much over you, and that is almost precisely how the so-called joke began.

The three boys had gone into town alone for the day, wanting to spend some time out of the house together, and Tide, although worried as any parent would be, let them do so. They hit a few stores and eventually found a park, and, as the hours dragged on, William received a text from Tide.

Remember to be home before dark. 

Just as William opened the text, his phone dinged with another. 

But still have fun! :D

William rolled his eyes fondly. Looking at the clock, he knew they needed to start heading back soon to arrive on time, so he stood up from the park bench where he was watching Dakota do skateboard tricks from. 

“Guys,” he called, catching the attention of his brothers. He waved his phone a bit for more of an explanation as he spoke again, “ Dad over here wants us to be home before dark.” He spoke with clear sarcasm written in his voice, and the other two caught on, chuckling. 

After that, the joke became recurring within their little circle. 

Tide was being overly parental? An ‘ okay, dad’ would be mouthed across the room to each other when he wasn’t looking. Tide called them to do something around the house? A ‘ Dad needs me’ would be sarcastically thrown out as whoever he needed left the room. Never was it said to his face, however. Even if it was clearly a joke, it was too real; too many chances of being a thing . And, seeing as the boys refused to talk about it to each other about the implications, they didn’t want it to become a thing . 

Gradually, the sarcasm in the words dissipated. It was no longer ‘ dad over here said this’; it was ‘hey, dad said this’. It was passed far too casually between the three of them, but still kept far from Tide’s ears. Sometimes, it was hard not to say it in front of him, for, after a while, he had fully become ‘dad’ in their minds. Yet, they had to keep it from him. What if he didn’t want to be called dad? What if it would make him uncomfortable? They couldn’t handle that confrontation. 

Therefore, Tide became ‘dad’ behind closed doors for over two months, until an opportunity arose, and the boys’ confidence had grown a smidge enough to take it. 

Against his better judgment, Tide had agreed to go into work on his birthday. He wasn’t even scheduled, but his co-worker had an emergency, and he’d decided to do the nice thing and cover her shift for her. It was a school day, anyway, so he didn’t have any company at home. His shift would extend into the time where he’d normally have off to go pick the boys up from school, but they’d assured him they’d catch a ride with a friend, so Tide had gone to work. 

The day was slow. He wasn’t used to starting work later in the afternoon, so the whole day felt off. He spent his time at the register slumped over, watching the clock as if it’d make time pass by faster. By the time his eight hours had finally ended, Tide wanted nothing more than to see his kids. He’d missed them the whole day, having previously wanted to spend his birthday surrounded by his family. Why did he do these things to himself? 

The drive home was silent save for the noise of the engine and the odd rattling of his air conditioning that had recently appeared. Tide needed a break from noise. Tide needed a peaceful evening with his kids. 

He felt relief unlike any other as he pushed open the door to the house and stepped inside. It was strangely quiet, which made Tide a bit worried, but as he kicked off his shoes beside the door, William made himself known by approaching. 

Tide smiled, not noticing the nervousness that practically radiated off of the teen. He reached out, opening his arms as a gesture for a hug. He needed one, but he would never force any of them into one. Thankfully, William seemed to understand, and accepted the embrace with only a brow raised in concern. Tide squeezed the kid, and William echoed the action. 

He felt the burden of the long, heavy day roll off his shoulders, finally allowing him to be at peace. As he went to pull away, not wanting to keep William captive in his arms, a loud noise emanated from the kitchen followed by Dakota sharply whispering, “shit, shit!”

Tide moved to check on if they were alright, but William was suddenly wrapping around him even tighter, holding him in his place. He glanced frantically between the mop of black hair that laid against his shoulder and the end of the hallway that riddled the kitchen just out of view. He patted William on the back, wondering how to proceed. 

“Sorry,” William said, his voice muffled. “Just a - uh - rough day.” 

Tide rubbed the teen’s shoulder comfortingly. “I’m sorry, bud. You’re okay.” 

There was another noise in the kitchen, and this time Vyncent’s voice could be heard from inside. 

William didn’t budge. It was almost as if you tried to take your dog in a direction and they absolutely refused, sitting on the sidewalk entirely unable to move. 

“You boys alright in there?” Tide called, giving up. He patted William on the head awkwardly. This was the longest burst of physical contact the kid had ever allowed him to make, something certainly had to be wrong with the kid. 

“Uh-” Vyncent said. 

“Yeah, Tide,” Dakota cheered, interrupting the purple-haired boy before he could say another word. “We’re all good.” 

Everything about this was suspicious. He opened his mouth to say something else, but Dakota’s voice cut him off this time. 

“Okay, Will!” 

Tide didn’t have a second to process or ask what he was okaying William for, for he was no longer locked in an embrace and was being pulled down the hallway toward the kitchen instead. 

William dropped his arm as they reached the entrance to the kitchen, and ran to stand by his brothers in front of the counter. 

As Tide entered the room, the three of them yelled out in unison. 

“Happy Birthday!” 

Tide could feel his heart stutter in his chest. How did they even learn that it was his birthday? He certainly hadn’t told them. 

Dakota stepped to the side, revealing a small blue cake on the counter previously behind him. Tide could see words written on the top, but he couldn’t quite make them out from where he stood. 

“We asked Magma when your birthday was so that we could do something for you,” Vyncent explained, answering his previous question. 

William nodded. “You’re always doing all kinds of things for us, so we wanted to do something for you. To show our appreciation.” 

Dakota grinned. “The cake was my idea!” 

Tide tried to push back the tears that burned the back of his eyes, threatening to appear, but he wasn’t sure he was doing the best at it. He was rooted in place, unable to do anything but stare. He wanted to cry. He wanted to bring all of his kids into the tightest embrace known to man and sob. Of course they’d do something like this, they’re all far too kind. He wanted to do so many things at once, that he only ended up stupidly staring with tears in his eyes. 

William’s face softened. “Do you want to look at the cake?” he suggested. 

Tide nodded mutely. He stepped forward, expecting to see the typical ‘Happy Birthday, Tide’ written upon it, but what he did see was far better. 

The main part of the cake was a dark blue, but it was adorned with a mix of light blue, purple, and red swirls decorating the edges. In the center of the cake, a message was written in white icing that Tide never wished to ruin. 

Happy Birthday, Dad!

The tears fell. He didn’t notice that they had until they bounced against the surface of the kitchen counter below, far too close to the cake for comfort. His gaze reluctantly tore away from the masterpiece in front of him, landing on his kids. A gentle sob wracked his body, and he reached out for the closest one. 

He pulled Vyncent into a hug by the shoulder, his free arm swiping uselessly through the air at the other two, who thankfully got the message and joined in the group hug. 

“I love you boys so much,” Tide cried. “Thank you.” 

“We love you too, Tide,” Vyncent muttered. The other two chorused their agreement.  

After a moment, Tide finally managed to compose himself and pull away. He gawked stupidly down at the cake again. 

“I don’t even want to eat it,” he chuckled. “It’s too perfect.” 

“Well,” William began, “it won’t last forever, so might as well have it rest in your stomach instead of watching it get gross.” 

“I hate how right you are.” 

At the end of the night, when cake had been eaten and they’d gathered in the living room for a family movie night, Tide thought of something. 

“You know the only thing that could’ve made this night even more perfect?” 

William’s eyes snapped to him with a light-hearted glare. “If you say beef stroganoff, I’m going to scream.” 

The sounds of their laughs echoed off the walls of their home.