Chapter Text
William and Est had sat in Principal Boom’s office many times, most notably with Santa. Boom had met several of their foster children, fear-ridden and shocked, signed the necessary paperwork, set up in school-counseling, filed accommodation requests, and assured the couple of the children’s safety. He’d become a close personal friend of theirs throughout the process.
“The boy?” Boom questioned, his hands flying over the computer's keyboard as he opened a necessary 504 plan document.
William nodded, answering for the both of them “Yep. 17, should be a junior.”
“I received a notice from The Department of Children and Families at 4am this morning which was incredibly brief. Describe the situation as an emergent placement and stated the child would be arriving on campus straight from the DCFS location. I naturally assumed you two would file for temporary placement.” he continued, only pausing to unlock a filing cabinet and pull out a stack of papers.
Est offered a frail smile, the last six hours having been one never ending blur. They’d been awakened by a phone call at 5am that morning from their social worker Aou asking if they were willing to take in a foster placement. Est immediately agreed, staying on the phone through the legal proceedings while simultaneously assisting their adopted son Santa with getting prepared for the school day.
Santa had been their third placement, and the only one they’d retained legal custody of, with reunification always being the goal. The adoption had been finalized three years ago, when the boy was eleven, although he’d been staying with William and Est since his ninth birthday.
They were familiar with the system. Still, each placement came with its own unique challenges.
“It’s been quite the experience” Est acknowledges, nervously playing with the ring on his left hand. Something William immediately noticed, taking his husband's hand in his own to halt the nervous tick.
Boom looked up from the screen at the exhausted couple in front of him, “What you’re doing for the foster youth is incredible… don’t you ever forget that. I’m going to go ahead and grab your boys”.
William nods, “Please…we appreciate it.”.
A moment later, Boom returns, Santa leading the group.
“Hi!” he chirps out, immediately side hugging William and Est.
Est wraps an arm around their son, turning to the family’s newest arrivals.
The boy houses a sickly thin frame, pale reflection, and multitude of serrated purple scars across his face, the most prominent jutting out from his lips. His body barely fills out his clothes as he loiterers awkwardly behind the principal. His cuticles are hastily destroyed from a few too many hours of anxiously picking, outer palms to elbows littered in fading remnants of brutal self destruction.
The juxtaposition between their healthy child and the boy was a stark contrast.
“Hi, I’m Est” he gently announced, before motioning towards the others “William, and our son Santa.”.
The boy glanced between the three, his expression unreadable but body language painfully tense “Pond” he murmured under his breath in response.
William and Est shared a small uneasy glance: this was not going to be smooth.