(COMPLETE) Family Is What You Make It

One Shot 4 - Elementary School and High School

Emile worries about elementary school and Patton begins high school.

TW - None. Just cuteness.

This takes place only a few months after the adoption.

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Patton looked through his wardrobe humming to himself. It was an important day. He could hear Roman and Remus talking to each other, probably bickering about who would shower first. Patton made sure to shower early so he had time to decide the perfect outfit. It was finally his first day at high school.

He remembered being a young child and watching the high schoolers at the park. They seemed so cool, playing soccer and figuring out extra curriculars and colleges. When Roman and Remus started high school he was excited to be so close to what seemed like an amazing time. And now he was there, with two amazing fathers. He went clothes and stationary shopping with his brothers the day before so now he had lots of choice in what to wear. Eventually he managed to choose an oversized light blue Nike t-shirt and light blue skinny jeans with white sneakers. It was simple – but it was perfect. He squealed in excitement and ran downstairs.

Virgil was making eggs on toast in the kitchen, his husband hanging on his back with a large smile. The family had spent several months of a honeymoon period together, with the kids being newly adopted and the summer holidays meant all the kids and Logan didn't have work or school. "Hi Dad! Hi Paps!" Patton cheered getting a breakfast serving. The two parents smiled but continued whispering sweet nothings to each other. Patton sat next to his little brother Emile, who was as excited as him since he was going to start elementary school. "Do you like my outfit?"

"It's perfect Patton." Logan smiled, finally dragging himself away from his husband to sit and eat breakfast with his sons. "Where's the twins?"

"Here Dad!" Roman shouted, running down the stairs followed by his brother. Roman had prepared for this day all summer, designing the perfect hoodie with golden stars cascading down his chest with rainbow across the sleeves. Remus was quietly following behind, finishing his eyeshadow quietly and taking deep breaths. "Here's to junior year!"

Emile watched his brothers and his parents quietly, finishing his breakfast and sucking his thumb. It was a nervous habit, a sweet nervous habit for the small boy. He did it when first introduced to Logan, then when first taken in by the Crofters family, and plenty of other instances. He watched his older brothers and fathers chat to each other, talking about high school. It wasn't something Emile knew about and it scared him. "Dada..." Emile chirped, tugging at his Dad's button up shirt and looking up to him. Logan finished his mouthful of food and smiled, facing his youngest son. "Is elementary school hard?"

Logan paused for a moment, glancing at Emile sympathetically. "Well... It should be quite easy since you're a smart boy – but if you find some bits difficult you have a whole big family to help you!"

Logan couldn't help but lift his son off his seat and place him on his lap. He was just so small and delicate that Logan couldn't help but cuddle him each morning. And Emile accepted it, he loved the attention he got from his parents. He hadn't felt such love before so he absorbed it. His brothers continued talking about high school, the twins warning Patton of certain social rules or argumentative teachers. Emile didn't mind following the conversation anymore. Logan was so attentive towards him, and Virgil was paying him attention too. He needed all the attention from them.

*****

Patton looked around the high school corridor nervously. He knew his first classroom, he believed he knew the way to it, but Roman, Remus and his Dad had abandoned him in favour of their classes. He looked around, recognising no-one, then opened his locker. He examined his locker with a small, sticking a few dog and cat stickers on his locker he already had, until a voice made him jump.

"Oh my God! Is that Mr Crofters' other kid? I think it is!" Patton followed the voice with his eyes, finding a schoolgirl who he nervously smiled and waved at. The girls looking at him only freaked out more, saying how similar Patton was to his Dad. It made Patton smile softly hearing them scream the similarities like the glasses, nervousness perceived as shyness, the posture. They weren't genetically related but he loved when people would think they were, although it was rare.

Eventually Patton was distracted when a friend from middle school ran up to him and walked with him into their first ever high school class. It was weird – he had been in the high school classrooms before when middle school teachers were absent so the layout wasn't too strange for him. That exact instance was how he first met his Dad anyway, when Mr Crofters was teaching an eighth grade class. He remembered how excited he felt that he was going to be taught in the high school for that lesson, and even better since he was going to be taught by Roman and Remus' maths teacher. It felt different actually being a high schooler though, knowing this was where he's spend the next four years learning and being shaped into his adult self.

Patton sat in a seat near the front next to his friend. Their teacher had his feet up on the desk watching the students walk in nervously. "Freshmen, freshmen come in. I don't bite – except on Friday nights." The teacher said. Patton knew of this teacher but hadn't actually met him before. He was an art and film studies teacher with a distinctive dyed side fringe and a bristly dark brown beard. "I'm Mr Golding, I'm having you for this morning. Homeroom's extended so don't go get paints or anything."

Mr Golding stayed in his relaxed position but played a PowerPoint, skipping unimportant slides. A few students preferred chatting and listening and the teacher seemed to honestly not care. He finally got to an important slide and sighed. "Right, freshers – we have to have a conversation about 'where you want to be in four years'... I think in terms of careers."

Patton hadn't given much of a thought to what job he was going to have. His older brothers told him to not be too involved in fantasies, and getting a job seemed like a fairytale fantasy before he was adopted. He was usually the type of student that would put his hand up straight away but with this question he was rendered silent. He listened to his classmates; they wanted to be doctors or vets or actors. They were probably allowed and encouraged to think of all the jobs they could do since they were small children.

"Hey, Nike kid." Mr Golding clicked his fingers causing Patton to look over from his classmates to his teacher. The teacher looked neutral until his eyes widened in realisation "Wait... You're a Crofters?"

"Yes Sir." Patton said quickly as if he was in the army. Mr Golding smiled and finally placed his feet off the teacher's desk to face Patton more comfortably.

"And what do you want to be?"

Patton shrugged, looking away from the teacher for a moment in thought. He could only think about it logically. And logically, he enjoyed being a big brother to Emile more than anything in the world. He loved watching Emile's little smile and help feed Emile's curiosity. So there was only one option he knew about. "I don't know Sir... Maybe a teacher?"

"Did your Dad pay you to say that?" Patton shook his head nervously causing the other students to giggle slightly. "Good. I don't accept any sort of bribery in this classroom – and trust me my juniors have tried their luck." Mr Golding went back to his computer and mumbled to himself, carrying onto the next slide.