Home Sweet Home [REWRITTEN] (TSS foster AU)

I - Home, Sweet Home

Virgil stared out the window, watching the houses go by. He silently wondered which would be his new home. He'd been moved 5 times in the past 2 years. Would this be the same?

Chelsea, his social worker, had promised this would be a better placement than the last one. "Thomas is a sweetheart, you'll love him."

Her voice brought him back to the present." We're here, Stormcloud." He nodded, smiling at the nickname, and grabbed his backpack.

Virgil followed his social worker as she walked up the stone path, then the stairs leading to the porch. She knocked on the white door and soon a man, presumably his new caretaker, opened the door.

Virgil guessed he was in his early thirties, probably around 6 feet, maybe just a few inches shy. He didn't seem too unfriendly. Virgil had gotten pretty good at figuring out what people would be like when he met them. He had brown hair and some light freckles, and he looked at Virgil with soft, warm brown eyes, the kind that look like honey in the sunlight. The boy looked at his hands. They were big, but probably soft. His theory was confirmed when he shook his hand.

Virgil silently judged the cargo pants and blue flannel, but made no outward comment.

Eventually, while Virgil was looking at the flowers in the garden, Chelsea turned to him. "Alright, Virgil, this is Thomas Sanders, you'll be staying with him now." Thomas offered a smile, which Virgil responded to with a small wave and a blank, bored expression.

"You have my number if you need me, Virgil. Take care," She gave him a reassuring smile. With that, Chelsea walked off, leaving Virgil alone with Thomas.

They looked at each other for a few minutes before Thomas spoke, breaking the silence. "Wanna come in?"

Virgil followed him into the house while he started telling him the rules. "Okay, so, the only real rules are to let me know before you leave so I don't freak out," he laughed nervously. "Uh, try to be home by 11, let me know if you're staying out later, and uh.. that's basically it." He smiled, turning to face Virgil.

"So, uh, would you like a tour?" Virgil shrugged. Thomas started leading him to the different rooms, taking his silence as a yes. "Down here is the bathroom, kitchen, and living room. Upstairs is another bathroom and two bedrooms." He led Virgil up the stairs. "The room at the end is my room, you can come to me if you need anything, and this," he said, opening the door closest to him. "Is your room."

Stepping inside, Virgil looked around. The walls were painted a dark plum and the floor was hardwood, a deep cocoa colour. There were two windows, one of which had a bay seat with a dark grey cushion. Each window had thin white curtains, with blackout curtains on top.

In one corner stood a bunk bed, the frame a deep brown and the sheets a pale grey. "Is the bunk bed okay? If not we can get you a new one, I just figured maybe you'd like a bunk for sleepovers or whatever." Virgil shook his head. "It's fine," he murmured.

Virgil set his backpack down on the bed. Thomas opened a black door in the wall, showing Virgil a closet with a pole and a few shelves.

"Tomorrow I'll take you shopping, alright?" Virgil nodded.

"Right. I'll go make dinner while you settle in. Are you vegan or anything, any allergies?"

"I'm not vegan, but I do have a seafood allergy," Virgil answered. Thomas nodded.

"They said you had a seafood allergy, but didn't mention any dietary habits otherwise so I figured I'd check. Salad and cooked tofu sound okay?"

Virgil nodded, his eyes lighting up. When cooked correctly, tofu was one of his favourite dishes.

"Awesome, you get settled in and I'll call you when it's ready." Thomas smiled, leaving Virgil to unpack.

Virgil didn't have much. He had a few shirts, two pairs of pants, and the hoodie he wore in his backpack. Aside from that, the only things he really had were an eyeshadow palette and a spider Beanie Baby he had been given by Chelsea for his 13th birthday.

He put his clothes on a shelf in the closet. Setting the spider next to him, he sat on the bottom bunk and started to examine the room more closely, trying to distract himself from his anxiety.

Soon after he finished unpacking, Thomas called him down for dinner. Virgil sat at the table as Thomas served up two dishes, a bowl of salad - with lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, and carrots - and a small plate with cubes of seasoned and fried tofu.

Thomas took the seat across from Virgil, setting some things down. "There's salt and pepper, shredded cheese, garlic and butter croutons, and Italian and ranch dressing." Virgil nodded silently.

After Thomas finished speaking, Virgil added some ranch to his salad and they began to eat. Thankfully, Thomas wasn't a horrible cook, and the tofu even came out pretty good. After dinner, Thomas offered him an ice pop. Virgil accepted and they sat in silence, eating their frozen treats.

"Well, it's getting late," Thomas said, checking the time. "If you want you can take a shower or you can go to your room for the night?"

"I'll just head to bed," Virgil replied. "You know, long trip and everything." Thomas nodded.

"Welp, if you need me I'll be down here watching Parks and Rec." He laughed. "Night, Virgil." Virgil waved goodnight and headed upstairs.

Tugging off his hoodie, Virgil got ready for bed. He didn't own any PJs - his last set had been left behind - so he stayed in his day clothes. He decided to leave his shoes by his door, in case he needed to escape for any reason. He set his spider next to his pillow and climbed into bed, choosing the bottom bunk. He slid under the black blanket, closing his eyes. Eventually, sleep overcame him.

A/N: first rewritten chapter published! can't wait to show y'all more x)