The drive to the shop is uneventful as all of the boys are tired. Foolish is fast asleep in his car seat, reindeer tucked under his arm, still secure. Punz is in the front seat looking anywhere but the road ahead. Purpled is dozing off to the right of Foolish, face pressed against the window. Dream is still awake but his eyes occasionally droop as he stares at the road.
"I've gotta get a few things for dinner if that's alright with you guys. I just gotta run in and out." The two older boys nod at Puffy as she pulls into a car park and reverses into a spot.
"Do you guys wanna come in?" She asks, and Punz shakes his head. She glances over at Purpled who is now asleep, and then at Dream who is hesitantly taking off his seatbelt.
"I will if that's okay."
"Of course it is. Punz if Foolish or Purpled wake up can you let them know where we are? We won't be long, ten minutes tops."
Punz nods and gives a hesitant smile and she doesn't miss the face Dream makes at his older brother.
The shop is fairly small, and Dream grabs her a basket as they walk through the automatic doors.
"I was thinking of making a bolognese, do you guys have any dietary requirements I need to know about?" She keeps her voice soft to not embarrass Dream. He's a teenager after all.
"Um, we're not fussy." He says, and Puffy knows it's a lie. She also knows she can't force the boys to trust her completely on the first day. She was a kid too once, sceptical of everyone and everything. There was a time where she only trusted two people with her entire being. Rome wasn't built in a day.
"You can tell me, Dream. I don't want to buy you food you guys don't like." She keeps her voice sincere and Dream sighs, almost with agitation.
"Punz doesn't trust you," he says, and Puffy doesn't even flinch, but her stomach churns a little, "and to be honest he has every right not to. But I trust you, and I don't know why because every bad feeling I've ever had has turned out to be true... I feel safe here and I don't know why."
Puffy's eyes crease in sympathy.
"The only people I have felt like this with is Ponk and Sam. Punz doesn't trust you. But he wants to. And I'm only saying this because if he messes up, even by accident, I need you to promise to not kick him out or separate us."
Puffy feels stunned. "Dream I-"
"Sam trusts you so I do too, but Punz doesn't and sometimes he does stupid things to test it."
"Dream I promise-" Puffy starts but she's swiftly cut off.
"Purpled doesn't like mushrooms, yogurt or bananas, I think it's a texture thing. Otherwise he'll eat anything else. Punz will tell you he'll eat anything, and to an extent it's true, but he has a weird hatred for anything that is pork-based including ham. I don't like raisins." His voice is steady and Puffy has no choice but to nod as they walk down each isle.
They shop mostly in silence. Puffy notices that Dream bounces on his heels as he walks. He towers over her, but it's impossible to be intimidated by the boundless energy in front of her.
Puffy has fostered before. Foolish was a baby, days old, and considerably easier since she didn't have to get to know an entire personality. She was less intimidated back then as she cradled the sweet boy in her arms. She remembers the slight tinge of gold on his skin, the way it dusted his skin like freckles. His eyes were so bright and full of life and Puffy was furious at the world for being so cruel to him.
She remembers Sam assuring her that Puffy is the best thing to ever happen to that child, and even if in the first hours of his life, Foolish was cast aside as though he was nothing, Puffy would have an entire lifetime to make sure it never happens again.
When the adoption was made official three years later, Puffy swore that she would give every child the same opportunity. It was just unfortunate that she never got another foster until now.
She will be the first to admit that when Sam told her three teenagers, boys no less, she had a short internal conflict. Was she ready to continue this journey? Was she ready for teenagers? Would Foolish be ready?
Alas, as she catches Dream slipping a packet of bon bons into the basket, she knows she at least has one brother on her side.
They pay and get back to the car. Punz is still not looking at anything and Purpled and Foolish are still asleep. Dream slips silently into the backseat and Puffy loads the bags into the boot before sliding into her seat. She glances through the mirror at the three boys in the back and smiles her reassurance to Dream as he catches her eyes. She also sneaks a glance at Punz but all she can see of the older boy is the back of his head.
When they do eventually pull up at the house, Puffy reluctantly wakes up the two youngest and they both groan in protest. She feels a little a guilty. Punz gets out in sync with Dream. Puffy an tell they're whispering to each other.
"Mama, what's for dinner?" Foolish asks tiredly.
"Spaghetti, does that sound good?" She replies and Foolish nods. As soon as they're all in the house, everyone disperses, and she is alone in the kitchen.
She sends a quick text to Sam, asking him if there is anything else she needs to know about the boys, and is mildly disappointed when he replies that everything she needs to know is in their files.
She doesn't want to read the files. Foolish has a file and she hasn't touched it since she held him in her arms for the first time. She supposes, though, it couldn't hurt to read a small bit.
YOU ARE READING
Reputation
Fanfic"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:...
