Summary: Patton and Virgil have finally achieved the last step of parenthood - their kid has graduated high school. Now comes college and then grandkids and retirement and such... But there is an adorable Kindergarten graduation to attend too.
Words: 1082
"Oh honey-sweetie I'm so proud of youuuuuuuuuu...." Patton was screeching in his usual baby voice at his and Virgil's grown up daughter. Sure, she was grown up, but Patton could not get rid of his fallacy that their only child was 18. And that she was graduating - literally on this day. Virgil just had to step back and let the crying chaos of Patton happen.
Their daughter was jokingly glaring back at her quieter father as her hair was ruffled. "Dad! Can you come save me here?" Virgil laughed but shook his head, leading the fresh adult to sigh through her squished cheeks. The only thing that would save the teenager now would be going off to college in three months - or if Patton decided he needed a shelter hug from his husband. "Good thing this graduation cap will cover this hair while I'm on stage."
While Virgil was watching his family he noticed the small gathering of younger parents under a nearby oak tree with very young kids running around them, and no teenagers near them. He then realised the small blue graduation caps and gowns held by the adults and his mind flashed back to the panicked thirty year old he was at his little girl's kindergarten graduation.
"Oh, Shadowy Songbird you're crying too!" Virgil really wasn't crying but he was dragged into the hug by his husband before he could complain. He let the hug happen and calmed Patton in the process, eventually persuading him to let go of their daughter when the high school principal called all high schoolers into the sports hall. A precious-looking lady stood beside him and called out for the kindergarten graduation class to enter the hall too. Patton's gasp could have caused everybody to look over. "Oh my God are we watching the little kiddos graduate too?"
Virgil wrapped his arm around Patton's waist to stop his excited jumps. "Mhm, I believe that was in the email." Patton and Virgil's daughter had forbid Patton from reading any emails about graduation for her sanity, as Patton would become a sentimental mess even at the mention of college. One of the first emails outlined the scheduling of the ceremony, and the first half an hour will be dedicated to clapping for the kindergarten class graduating alongside the teenagers - starting their academic journey just as the older children were finishing it.
Patton calmly watched his husband's focused expression as he watched their daughter line up for one of the biggest ceremonies in her life. Her graduation hat was decorated in her favourite Disney movie Wall-E, and showed a space with stars intricately hand-painted. Below the characters was a simple font saying 'Sept 2010 to June 2023... And ready to do it again!'. Yep, their daughter was going into teaching. She wasn't exactly sure what age or subject she'd teach but she wanted to work with kids. And she'd be an amazing teacher. Patton turned Virgil's head away from their amazing daughter and kissed him gently, feeling so in love and ready for an entirely new stage of life. The stage of raising an adult.
Soon the parents were all called in, kindergartener parents at the front and high school parents at the back. The little children were so adorable, smiling and waving and throwing their little hats. Virgil and Patton were exchanging stories about their baby girl, smiling at the memories. Each child had a family cheering for them anyway, the high school parents were too busy chatting amongst themselves about their bigger-little-ones.
Eventually came the last child of the kindergarten class: 'Thomas Sanders'. Both Virgil and Patton were watching as no-one cheered, just whispered to each other confused as the five year old ran towards the kindergarten principal with a thumb in his mouth. No waves, no jumping, no smile. Just teachers clapped for him. "Oh, poor little guy! His parents must have been busy."
Something was off - and Virgil hated seeing a child upset. So he did what he knew would be effective to do, texted his daughter as back-up.
Dad <3: Hey sugar-Belle, everything's OK, remember to breathe calmly. But we just saw this little kid, Thomas Sanders I think, and no-one cheered for the little guy :(. Do you mind just recruiting your theatre friends to spoil him a little?
Belle-Not-The-Beast: Yeah sure Dad, we all heard it happening too. Pretty sure the football team are giving him their jersey.
Good, Virgil trusted the high schoolers were opening their hearts. The rest of the ceremony went on and Patton and Virgil pretty much lost their voice as soon as they heard the name 'Belle Goth-Cooke' escape the high school principal's mouth. When the ceremony ended Virgil and Patton waited outside, capturing their daughter in the hug as soon as she was visible.
"How's that kid doing?" Virgil asked once the usual congratulations had finished. The ex-high schooler's smile faltered a little but soon came back.
"We think he's newly in foster care, and doesn't have any family to look after him. His social workers were meant to come but... seems like they were caught up with other cases." Virgil trapped his daughter in a hug again as the aura around the family became more solemn. Throughout Belle's childhood, she was a foster sister. Patton and Virgil had been foster carers until their daughter began high school, they only quit because they felt burn-out. But seeing Thomas run on stage with no-one clapping for him... That was going to change.
"Do you want a little foster brother Belle?" Patton softly cheered, as Virgil and his daughter watched the little boy in a red t-shirt run towards his teacher and get a larger than life hug. A hug Belle was definitely going to give all her students when she'd be a teacher herself.
Belle giggled and gasped as Thomas turned and waved at her (or probably just the big group of high schoolers all stood together). "Oh my God of course! Can we foster him, pretty pretty please?"
So it was no surprise that the week after Virgil and Patton drove their daughter to college, they welcomed a sweet first grader into their house on a long-term foster care basis. Reunification was unlikely so there might be an adoption in the cards, and Patton was excited for that possibility, but for now they were happy to be Thomas' carers. And they were definitely going to care for the little guy.