It's almost midnight when they pull into the driveway.
Sam's house is one of two down a quiet country road. It neighbours an old farm, which was run by a family Purpled envied.
When the brothers were first put into the system, Sam and Ponk had taken them to the farm to try and calm them down. Purpled doesn't remember it, but Punz and Dream do. They loved the goats the most because they were the loudest.
The pigs were their least favourite because of the smell. Dream remembers being allowed to feed a lamb, his tiny hands gripping the bottle as Ponk tried to help him keep it steady.
Punz remembers falling face first in the mud after tripping over his own feet. He remembers Sam hugging him tight after that, telling him that he is okay. In retrospect, Punz has never been one to feel pain. Sam knows this. As they shuffle out of the car, Punz realises maybe Sam wasn't just comforting him because he fell over.
Punz helps Sam with their bags whilst Dream wakes up Purpled.
"Have you boys eaten yet?" Sam whispers. Ponk is probably in bed.
"No. I actually don't remember the last thing I ate." Punz lies. He does remember. It was the sweets Dream had stolen.
"I think we have lasagne left over. It'll take a few minutes to heat up, you boys get ready for bed alright, I think Ponk made up the beds, remember two of you have to share."
Punz nods. The house has three bedrooms; Ponk and Sam's room, a room with a double bed and a room with a single. Punz and Dream rarely share whenever they are in a similar situation with other fosters, as Purpled doesn't like being left alone (though he would never admit it) and Punz doesn't mind sharing as long as the other person doesn't kick.
When Dream and Purpled get upstairs, the youngest looks as though he's about to collapse, his purple eyes half lidded and body slumped into Dreams side.
"Gotta stay awake Purp if you're gonna eat." Dream says, shaking the boy gently.
The only reply they get is a mumble before his full body weight is leaning on Dreams side, and the middle brother carefully picks him up before placing him on the left side of the double bed.
"I don't wanna wake him." Dreams admits.
"He should eat."
"We've gone longer without food, and it's not like Sam won't feed us tomorrow."
Punz nodded in agreement. Sometimes it's best not to argue with Dream, but he is also right.
"I'll share with him, I don't mind."
Dream shakes his head, but smirks, knowing Punz hates bickering.
"You're the oldest, you get your own room."
"Dude, you'd just piss him off, we all know what you're like, besides it's only one night."
Dream's smirk is wiped from his face, and he suddenly sobers up from his sleepy state.
"Yeah, yeah I suppose. Okay, fine you two share. I totally get to lay in tomorrow."
Punz rolls his eyes and makes his way back down to the kitchen, where Sam has three plates of leftover lasagne on the table.
"Where's Purpled?" He asks.
"Out like a light." Punz replies, digging in to the hot meal, something he hasn't tasted in so long.
"Oh, well I can't reheat this a third time." Sam shrugs and digs into the third plate. They all know that if it were anyone else, Sam would have woken him up to eat, but he knows Purpled well enough to understand that there are other things that are much more important...like sleep.
"Sam?" Punz speaks up.
"What's up?"
"Where are we going next?"
"Well an old friend of mine, Puffy, lives about ten minutes from here. She used to foster frequently but stopped when she adopted her son Foolish, he was very young, baby young, and she didn't want to stress him out with kids coming and going. However, she's recently decided that Foolish is old enough to be accepting new people into their household."
Punz just nods. Secretly, he would rather stay here with Sam and Ponk, but would never admit that out loud. Sam had saved them from so many bad places in the past. It's no secret that Punz associates Sam with safety and warmth.
"How long have you two known each other?" Dream speaks up, breaking up the silence that looms over them.
"Puffy and I went to school together. It was me, Puffy and Phil. The three mentally stable amigos." Sam laughs.
They know Phil. He has three boys of his own. Tommy is a year younger than Purpled and Techno and Wilbur, twins, are the same age as Dream. They've been to the same school a few times, but moving schools all the time doesn't really give the boys an opportunity to make friends. Before they moved away, Phil became headteacher.
Actually...
"What school are we going to?"
Dream's head snaps up in interest, his green eyes flickering between Sam and Punz.
"Well I was talking to Puffy, and she thinks it's best to send you her son's future school."
"And what school is that?"
"L'manburg."
So they were going back to the same school as Phil's kids. And also the same school Phil is in charge of.
"Great, we'll be the new kids there for the third time." Dream groans in protest, but there's no bite behind the remark and Sam laughs.
"Hey Sam, y'know I'm not technically in school anymore." Punz speaks up. He had finished with school when he was sixteen, and he is fast approaching eighteen with no work experience or further education.
"It's up to you what you want to do next. L'manburg has a sixth form, you could always apply there, have a look at their courses. It's only two years."
Punz scoffs.
"Purp is the intelligent one of this family, not me."
Sam and Dream both look at Punz with sad eyes.
It was no secret that the oldest has always felt self conscious about his education.
"Hey, you've got the to think about these things. They don't mind if you join a little late. There's always college too. Or you could get a job."
Punz just nods, finishing the last of his food. Dream finishes too, and they both head up to bed together after saying goodnight to Sam.
As they brush their teeth, Dream looks over to Punz.
"You're smarter than you think." He says, toothbrush in his mouth.
"I swear to fuck Dream if you get sappy on me now I'm gonna kick your ass."
They laugh and head off to bed. It's gonna be a long day tomorrow.
YOU ARE READING
Reputation
Fanfiction"Dream legs it down the alleyway, bag gripped tightly in his hand. His cheeks are already red and angry from the bitter cold wind and his feet numb inside his shoes. He can hear rasped shouts from behind him, and forces his legs to move faster." Or:...
