Chapter Text
Bobby and Athena got married later on in their lives, so they never really had the opportunity to conceive children of their own.
They were happy together, of course, but it was impossible to deny that they both always felt like something was missing in their lives.
And with a home as large and empty as theirs, and jobs as stable, they'd only felt it right to use their privileged life together to welcome in some children who really needed that space to flourish. Children with whom they could share their love with, if only for a short while.
They hadn't been expecting to get four placements in the span of three months, but it all worked out for the best in the end.
~~~~~
Howard Han was their first placement.
An almost fourteen year old, whose father had abandoned him to return home to Korea when he was eleven, and whose mother had passed away from cancer earlier that year.
Friends of his mother were fighting for permanent custody, but his father was disputing it to instead have him returned to Korea, lengthening out the adoption process and only hurting the poor boy caught in the crossfire, leaving him in need of somewhere safe to stay in the meanwhile.
It was fitting, that they be Howard's first foster home, when he was also the first kid they'd ever taken in as well.
They were all starting on a blank slate, not knowing what to expect out of the entire thing.
Bobby was a nervous wreck. Athena, admittedly, was too, but she hid it well.
They hadn't been expecting for things to move so quickly- after the long and arduous process of being approved as foster parents- to have their first placement a mere two days after approval had been completely unexpected.
They had three guest bedrooms, all of which were clean and furnished, but they were sure to tweak at the largest one upon learning the age and gender that they were welcoming in.
They made a gift basket of essentials, all the things a teenage boy would need upon arrival. A toiletry bag, different candies and snacks, headphones, a gaming device with a gift card to buy games for it, some notebooks and pens for school or personal use, and a little card with their names written on it incase he forgot and was too embarrassed to ask. Clothes shopping would wait until he was there, they figured.
They waited by the front door that night, house impeccably clean and an array of food spread out on the kitchen island, which Bobby had been putting together all day so that the teen would have plenty of choice of what he wanted to eat once he got there.
They didn't talk to each other, just stared at the time counting down the seconds until he was supposed to arrive.
Howard and his social worker got there two minutes later than scheduled, but that was okay. Nearly made them trip over themselves when the doorbell finally rang though.
They hadn't really known what to anticipate when told it would be a teenage boy, as teenagers could be tricky. Athena, especially, knew just what sort of havoc they could cause when struggling, but they'd been prepared either way, aware that if Howard were more of a troublemaker that that was purely because he needed some direction, which they were more than willing to provide.
So, with all that in mind, they were both pleasantly surprised by the extreme politeness of the boy, and the mature way he carried himself.
Howard was a little quiet, during the first few days, but that was to be expected. He was surely nervous too, though he never once showed it, and no doubt was still in mourning of his mother. He soon started becoming a lot more chatty with them, revealing himself to have an absolutely wicked sense of humour fuelled by teenage angst, which had them both in hysterics most nights, at his dry remarks.
The manners, however, remained impeccable. Perhaps a little too impeccable, at times.
Howard avoided eye contact throughout conversations, always waited for them to eat first, and always bowed his head when they entered a room.
At first Athena and Bobby had thought that it was just nerves, and had done their very best to reassure him that he could relax and didn't need to be so formal with them, had assumed that his parents were especially strict. Had thought that, despite how very much they tried, the teen wasn't their biggest fan and wanted to keep them at a distance, that he didn't feel comfortable around them.
That fortunately turned out not to be true, as they discovered when having dinner with the Lees that Howard was simply expressing Korean manners towards his elders. The fourteen year old was comfortable around them, and just being respectful as they'd welcomed him into their home.
They'd all laughed over the misunderstanding, when they noticed the Lee's son Kevin expressing the same quirks.
The Lees were a lovely people, came over on Saturdays for dinner and Kevin and Howard already got along like brothers. The boys would play on Howard's gaming device together, the sound of their ruckus shouting drifting down the stairs from his room, whilst they talked with the other couple to learn more about the boy they were looking after.
"We really can't thank you enough for all you're doing for Howard." Mr Lee said at the end of the second dinner they shared together.
"It's our pleasure, you've got a wonderful boy coming to you." Bobby smiled, taking the dishes from the kitchen table as Kevin and Howard laughed especially loud over something.
"Yes, well, he had a wonderful mother." Mrs Lee said, ducking her head down sullenly as her husband placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Bobby and Athena exchanged glances, wondering how best to approach this particular subject.
Over the last two and a half weeks, Howard had adamantly refused to talk about his mother, always diverting the subject when it arose with an attempt at a witty joke, but it was incredibly clear that he was hurting over the loss, how could he not be?
Which made his fourteenth birthday coming up- his first birthday without her- a difficult one to navigate.
They didn't want to ignore the day, not at all, but they also didn't want Howard to feel like they'd forgotten the woman who'd brought him in to this world, or that they were trying to replace her.
Athena cleared her throat. "As his birthday's coming up, we wanted to know if there was anything in particular that he and Jee-Yun would do together to celebrate?"
The Lees exchanged glances with one another in a similar way to how Bobby and Athena had, both looking a little upset at the topic, which was fair as it was their friend who'd been lost too.
Mrs Lee was the first to respond, with a small melancholy smile on her face. "They both loved to sing, and Jee-Yun would take Howard to this place that had private karaoke rooms. He used to think he was so grown up, having his birthdays at a bar, even though that part of the building was only open after 7pm."
Karaoke. Okay, they could definitely do that.
Neither of them were so sure it would be a good idea to take Howard to the same place his mother used to though, it was too soon for that and they didn't want to overstep on a memory, so instead they bought the teen a karaoke machine as well as a few more games to play, and planned to host a sleepover on the weekend after his birthday for Kevin to come over.
On the morning of, Bobby cooked Miyeok-guk, a soup traditionally eaten for breakfast on birthdays to honour ones mother. The Lees has thought it a good idea, but they'd been incredibly nervous about it, waiting in anticipation for Howard to come down the stairs.
"Happy birthday!" they cheered when he got to the kitchen, only to be met with an uncharacteristic silence.
The newly turned fourteen year old stood stock still in the kitchen, staring at the food, and their worries tripled.
"I also made pancakes." Bobby added weakly after an entire tense minute of waiting for a reaction, reaching over to pour the batter he'd had ready incase something like this should happen in to the frying pan. And right as he did that, a sob broke out of Howard's mouth, the boy quickly using his hands to hide it.
Athena hurried over, grabbing his arm and using her other hand to rub up and down his back in comfort.
The fourteen year old struggled to get a hold of himself again, biting down on his inner cheek, and neither of them knew what to do because Howard had always hidden any emotional vulnerability with a cocky grin, up until that point.
He needed his Mom, not them.
Athena reached for her phone, to call the Lees, but right as she did the boy pressed himself closer to her in a brief hug.
"Thank you." he mumbled, bowing his head when he pulled away before sitting down to eat.
They spent his birthday in relative quiet, though he did love all his presents it was clear he wasn't in a celebratory mood. The quiet was very much needed though, as by the weekend the boy was ready to celebrate his birthday with Kevin, expressing all the teenage gusto he'd had before.
~~~~~
Howard had lived with them for a mere three weeks, when they got a call for another placement.
Henrietta Wilson was a thirteen year old girl, whose mother had fallen on hard times after her father walked out on them. She just needed some stability, whilst her mother found her footing, and hopefully they could be reunified soon.
They were the girl's third foster home, the first two hadn't gone so well with issues of drugs and crime, and the girl had been taken out of her last home after nearly getting shot, which was horrifying.
They made the second spare bedroom extra nice for her, and Athena started making plans to have a girls day together before she even arrived, incredibly excited to do so.
Henrietta, whilst appearing a little standoffish at first (fair, considering what she'd been through), was another great kid, and her and Howard got along instantly.
By the second morning of her stay, the two already had inside jokes with one another and were giggling and whispering over their phones at the breakfast table, leaving both Bobby and Athena with the inexplicable feeling that they were gossiping about them. Not that they minded, it was good they both had someone to feel so comfortable with.
Henrietta- 'it's Hen'- didn't particularly like Bobby in the early days of her staying there, she just stared at him blankly whenever he spoke to her and sometimes left the room when he entered.
He gave her space and patience, not knowing what she may have been through in the other two foster homes and not wanting to make her uncomfortable.
Athena, however, didn't have the same problem. They went on a spa day on Hen's first weekend with them, and the two came back the best of friends.
Bobby would smile when, essentially every evening following that, the two would sit out on the back porch and talk or paint their nails or braid Henrietta's hair, sometimes just sit in companionable silence and look up at the sky. On Fridays Bobby would make them mocktails, and a little platter of mini cakes and sandwiches for them to enjoy, and each time he came out with it Hen would look pleasantly surprised before smiling in thanks.
Slowly, she warmed up to him too, and revealed herself to be such a kind and intelligent girl that fit in perfectly in their home.
Of course, having two teens under one roof wouldn't come without any problems, but Hen and Howard still kept things incredibly calm even when arguing, solving disputes out on their own with little intervention.
In fact, the only issue they had that kept cropping up was that, at times, they were too close.
It was illegal to have two foster siblings of different genders share a bedroom, especially when over the age of twelve, but the two didn't seem to care about the rules no matter how many times they asked them to please stop having sleepovers in each other's beds.
In fact, they'd stare at them like they were the most annoying people in the world when they'd say it, rolling their eyes in tandem before closing their bedroom doors.
And Athena and Bobby did feel stupid, each and every time they had to tell them off for being too friendly, but those were the rules and at the bottom line the rules were there for a reason.
They loved Howard, thought he was a great kid, but they weren't putting the safety of a teen girl on the line over their feelings. Athena knew for a fact that, unfortunately, no one could be entirely trusted, and something that would have lasting mental consequences could happen in under a minute.
Which was why she was in Howard's bedroom, insisting that Henrietta go to her own bed for the night and that they always leave bedroom doors open when together.
"I'm not accusing either of you of anything, I just want to make sure you both know that you are far too young to be doing anything remotely sexual, and I will not allow it in this house." It was the bluntest she'd been about their reasonings for the rules thus far, and the two teens both blinked at her like she was crazy in return, tucked beneath the bedcovers together in a way she really didn't like.
"Hen's literally a lesbian." Howard said then, like that explained everything, and Athena's mouth fell open in surprise.
Meanwhile, the thirteen year old casted an utterly horrified look in her friend's direction, smacking him in the shoulder for outing her when she clearly having wanted to keep it a secret. Howard's face fell when he realised what he'd done too, slapping his hand over his mouth as though to keep any more secrets from spilling out.
Athena quickly recollected herself at the sudden turn in conversation, not wanting to give either teen a misconception about what she felt about that, but also not wanting to be embarrassed at her horribly misreading the situation.
"Well then, as her friend I hope you respect her boundaries and don't try anything." She said with a sharp look at the boy before taking her leave, pointedly leaving the bedroom door fully open.
Howard quickly began spewing apologies to the girl, and for some reason it was that that told Athena she was safe with him.
Henrietta was back to being standoffish the next day, as though waiting for them to say something about the information that had been revealed. They didn't acknowledge it, until she got back home from school that day.
Bobby had made cupcakes, and dyed buttercream to top them off with in all the colours of the lesbian flag, inconspicupusly setting them out on the island, along with a little card that said they were proud of her, for the girl to find and acknowledge in her own time.
They sat on the couch, listening to the kids wonder around the house before heading to grab a snack from the kitchen.
Silence.
And then Hen came out with a pink cupcake in hand and tears brewing in her eyes, looking at them both as though observing whether her hopes of being accepted were really true.
Something that left them both wondering what sort of reaction she may have received before, and whether it had anything to do with the tension there often times was between Hen and her Mom when she came to visit.
"Sorry. I only realised after dying the fondant that I should have double checked with you that you were actually lesbian, and not another type of lgbt-" Bobby said, and it was that which made Hen hurry over to them and sling her arms around both of their shoulders in a hug.
They squeezed her back, Bobby not minding that the cupcake she was still holding was getting smudged on the back of his shirt.
Howard walked in taking a big bite out of an orange coloured cupcake, casually sitting down next to them before turning on the TV to begin playing the YMCA on full blast.
~~~~~
Evan Buckley was a completely new experience for them, not only because of his younger age but also because there was no end goal in sight for his time in the foster system.
Bobby and Athena were heartbroken, reading through the seven year old's file that was far larger than the two teen's had been put together.
For the first four years of his life, he'd lived with his parents and two older siblings, and had been conceived to be a saviour for his sick brother.
He'd spent the early years of his life in and out of hospitals and surgeries, giving endlessly without any say in the matter, until his brother finally made a full recovery. His parents dumped him at a fire station soon after he'd met his end goal to them.
As though he was completely disposable, outside of that one purpose. Just a means to an end.
Since then, he'd been bounced around from home to home, life constantly uprooted due to the 'behavioural problems' he had, which had no doubt stemmed from the trauma.
It felt like a huge commitment, agreeing to take him in, given he had no family fighting to adopt him and so would be with them for an interminable amount of time.
But looking at the picture of the little boy with the bright cheeky grin, they'd been unable to say no.
As soon as Evan arrived, he was a hurricane of noise and movement, bouncing around the house without a care in the world, and keeping them on their toes.
The seven year old hated to be told no, as a matter of fact he took refusal as blanket permission to explicitly do something, irregardless to his own safety.
Bobby and Athena quickly lost track of how many times they'd watched the seven year old do something they'd specifically told him not to, all whilst staring them directly in the eye in anticipation of a reaction.
Because that's all it was really. Attention seeking, clear as day.
The child had never had anyone in his life care for him specifically, and so acted out purely to receive some sort of acknowledgment. Something that became painfully obvious whenever Evan was behaving himself, by the way he always looked surprised whenever they spoke to or smiled at him, as though under the assumption that he were completely invisible when not acting out.
It was because of that heartbreaking expression that would cross the child's face whenever they included him in things on a day to day basis, that they never quite knew what to do when he was misbehaving. Because they didn't want to punish him when he clearly just needed love, but they also couldn't reward potentially harmful behaviours.
The counsellor he was seeing recommended that they completely ignore him when he was being bad and only give attention when he was being good, completely flipping what he was used to.
Bobby and Athena had been hesitant to try it, neither of them liking the idea of ignoring the affection starved boy under any circumstances. And they both felt awful when they blanked the seven year old's pestering at the dinner table, the boy flicking food at Howard (who'd also been told not to acknowledge him if he misbehaved) after having his fussing ignored.
Evan stared at Athena and Bobby, frown on his face as time passed by and they didn't say anything. He quickly got bored of flicking food, and instead stood on his chair, making it rock back and forth which they'd told him multiple times not to do incase it knocked over and he smacked his head open.
Bobby put his foot on one of the chair's legs to keep it still out of worry, and that was, unfortunately, all the reassurance Evan needed to do more.
With a beaming grin, he started singing in a purposely bad voice at the top of his lungs, swinging the chair around more and more by leaning his weight on the back of it.
He then climbed on to Bobby's lap, poking his face and stealing his food, and the man closed his eyes like that would help him.
At the lack of reaction, he reached for the glass of wine Athena had, and the woman quirked a brow which to the kid looked an awful lot like a challenge. He took a sip before- as she'd hoped- spluttering at the taste and putting it straight back down.
"Good boy." she praised only then, and Evan's face fell in confusion at the turn of events.
He soon clambered off of Bobby's lap and wondered off, leaving Hen and Howard to exchange judgmental glances between each other, clearly disagreeing with their new parenting strategy.
Athena took a large sip of her wine irregardless to the little boy spluttering in to it, and placed her hand on Bobby's knee as they both strained their ears to listen out for whatever Evan had planned next, because they doubted that was it.
Sure enough, he was soon taking his skateboard for a ride down the staircase and crashing on the ground with a loud scream.
They all ran over to him immediately, Bobby scooping the sobbing boy up to discover that he'd dislocated his shoulder, and the adults immediately regretted all of their decisions leading to that point.
Bobby kept the boy on his lap, cradling him close to his chest and whispering comforts, as Athena drove them to the nearest hospital in her patrol car, sirens blaring.
Evan kicked and screamed upon seeing where they were, begging not to be taken inside, and it didn't take a detective to know why. Clearly, his experiences in his early life had traumatised the poor kid against hospitals, since he'd only ever been to have painful things done to him rather than to be treated. And Evan wasn't at all assuaged at the promises the doctors would make his arm feel better, the boy looking at them in complete betrayal when they placed him onto a stretcher.
It was a long night, following that, as Evan's social worker interrogated them on what had happened and had to go through all of the protocols with them and Evan to determine whether they were safe for him to return home to. It was the early hours in the next morning, when they were left alone.
They stayed by Evan's bedside for the entire time that he was in hospital, having called the Lees to go over to theirs and stay with the teens for the night upon arrival.
Evan was knocked out from pain killers for most of the night, but neither of them budged from his side, wracked with guilt and worry.
When the boy woke up, he gave them that familiar look of confusion, before asking bluntly "Why're you here?"
Athena moved to sit on the edge of the bed, running her hand through his soft curls.
"Because you were hurt, and we care about you."
The seven year old didn't look like he believed them in the slightest.
The boy struggled to sit up, and Bobby leaned over to help him before offering some water for him to drink, holding it to his mouth for him.
Evan gulped it down, before taking to fiddling with the thread of his sling, unnaturally meek all of a sudden.
"Aren't I going to a new family now?" he muttered, and they both felt like their hearts had been ripped out of their chests and stomped on.
No matter how difficult Evan had been over the last week and a half that he'd been with them, they couldn't fathom sending him away when all he needed was some love. Couldn't imagine being another name on a list of people who'd failed him.
"No. Not unless you want to." That was a huge commitment, considering Evan didn't have anyone else fighting for him so would probably be staying with them for far longer than their other fosters.
Evan's blue eyes were wide, as he blinked at them for a few moments in thought, before the little boy gave a big sigh and slumped back in the bed.
"When can we go? I hate it here."
They both let out breathy laughs, and assuaged the boy by promising to play any game he wanted whilst they waited to be let out.
The seven year old made the most out of that offer, and they spent the next seven hours following the child's every desire.
Evan was as good as gold, that day, despite being in a place he didn't like and unable to run around like normal.
And that was how Bobby and Athena realised that all they'd really needed to do this whole time was provide some positive undivided attention to get Evan to calm down, which, in hindsight, was a no brainer.
A mere two days after getting home, Evan was bouncing around on the furniture, despite being told not to incase he fell on his injured arm again. But Bobby and Athena had a plan, this time, and were eager to try it out.
"Why are you doing that?" Bobby asked, leaning against the back of the couch the child was springing up and down on.
"'Cause it's fun."
"Is another trip to the hospital fun?"
Evan screeched, and jumped over to the coffee table to get away from him as though that question were a threat. "You can't make me!"
"Are you bored, Evan?" Athena chimed in, her tone purposefully curious.
"Yes!" He complained, continuing his bouncing. It was like the kid was constantly fuelled up on caffeine, such endless energy not even Hen and Howard could keep up with despite their youth.
"When we're bored, we like to go to the beach." Bobby said. "And we go for a swim, and to the fair park on the pier, and then get some ice cream. Would you like to come with us?" They'd dropped Hen and Howard off at the movies and bowling ally, so that they could have some alone time outside with Evan in the hopes that it would help. It was a good thing they were both old enough to not also require such constant attention, because they didn't know how they'd handle that.
"Yeah, I wanna swim!" Evan's eyes gleamed with joy, and he jumped back over to the couch Bobby was standing by, the man having to steady him before he could topple over head first.
"Okay, go get dressed then. Your new swim trunks are in the top drawer, put a shirt on with them." Athena said, hoping that maybe she'd get away with the order without an argument for once. Evan loved to refuse to get dressed, especially on school mornings when they were already running late.
Unfortunately, compliance was not the case, as the seven year old paused and then, for some reason, decided he was not happy with that arrangement.
"No." he pouted, arms crossing over his chest.
"Why not?" she sighed.
"I wanna go in my pyjamas."
Bobby took a hold of his good arm. "That'll be really uncomfortable if you get sand and seawater in your pyjamas. You'll be dirty and wet all day, then how will we go to the fair?"
"I'll get naked for the sea." the boy giggled, dimples in full force, and it certainly helped them remain calm and patient that the kid was so damn cute.
"That'll be a nasty sunburn." Athena pointed out, to which Evan only continued to grin at. Getting sterner now, she crossed her arms over her chest. "Either you get dressed and we go to the beach, or you stay in pyjamas and we stay at home bored. It's up to you whether we go or not."
Evan scrunched up his face in thought, clearly debating between his stubbornness and his desire to get out there and do something. Eventually, the latter won out, and he ran up the stairs to get changed.
They'd already made a coolbox full of snacks to put in the car, as well as a bag stocked with plenty of sunscreen, towels, and a change of clothes for the boy which they put by the door ready to go.
It took Evan a mere minute to put his swim trunks on and his favourite shirt, the seven year old soon bounding back down the stairs, pausing at the bottom.
"Are we really going?" He asked mistrustfully, as though worried this were some sort of ruse just to get him dressed.
And they were made to wonder just how often people had learned of Evan's eagerness to bond and be loved, and used it to trick him in to doing what they wanted just to then go back to ignoring him, breaking promises. That would certainly explain why he often continued to fuss even to the detriment of his own enjoyment, because he didn't believe them when they promised something nice.
"Yeah, come on, it's beach day." Bobby said, picking up the coolbox and holding out his other hand for the boy to take.
Evan bounced from foot to foot with a squeal of excitement, before happily taking his hand and being the most compliant he'd ever been when getting strapped in to the car.
For the entire day, the seven year old was so sweet and well behaved, holding their hands when asked to and staying in their sights, only huffing a little when told that he couldn't climb on the pier or that he needed to stand still whilst they put more sunscreen on him.
He was still endlessly energetic, of course, but that wasn't a problem because that was just who he was. Bobby and Athena had both topped themselves up on plenty of caffeine in preparation for the day, and took turns swimming and running and kicking a ball around the beach with the child.
"That was the bestest day I've ever had, thank you!" Evan was cheering later that day when they were trying to tuck him into bed, the boy clinging to the woman's neck in a hug. He'd gotten a little tired on the car ride home from the beach, but they'd kept him awake, not wanting him to nap, with music. Now that it was actually bedtime, it seemed the tiredness had dissipated, so Bobby and Athena were pulling out all their usual tricks to settle him down.
"Thank you, for being such a good boy for us today." Athena smiled, gently lowering herself and the boy down until he was lying on the bed, and pulling herself away from the hug, sitting down on the bed instead.
"We really enjoyed our time with you." Bobby added, whilst dimming the lights and putting on the ceiling projector, as Athena began to soothingly play with the boy's hair to keep him calm and still.
"You did?" He asked disbelievingly, like no one had ever enjoyed playing with him before.
They both hummed in affirmation, and Evan twisted to lie on his side, extending his hand out to Bobby for him to take.
And it was as the man crouched down by the side of the bed to also soothe the child to sleep, that he felt a lump build in his throat at the level of domesticity they'd reached.
Despite how he'd been when getting ready for bed, Evan must have still been tired because as soon as he allowed his eyes to slip closed he was out like a light.
~~~~~
They almost said no, to taking Edmundo Diaz in.
The boy was eight years old, and suffered with panic attacks, which had led to his first foster family sending him away.
His parents had sent him to live with his grandmother after a falling out with the boy, and after living with her for months his Aunt had reported the parents for child abandonment, and sued for child support payments.
Unfortunately, that had led to Edmundo being placed in to State custody, whilst his parents protested that he remained under their 'care', and his Aunt argued on behalf of his grandmother that the boy stay with them permanently and they get paid for the childcare.
And as upsetting a story as that was, Bobby and Athena had been hesitant to take him in mostly because he would have to share a room with Evan, and they didn't think that was in either boys best interest. They'd also been worried about how they'd go about splitting their attention between Evan, who was very demanding, and Edmundo who reportedly also had issues of his own, along with still providing time for the two teenagers also living with them.
Their lives had become so incredibly hectic in such a short space of time that they were struggling to keep up with it, and with the summer holidays quickly approaching that would only make things more difficult with the kids staying home.
But, when it came down to it, they simply didn't have the heart to turn the boy away, not when knowing that there was every chance he could be placed in a horrible situation if not put with them.
So, after a great deal of discussion with the kids already in their care about how this would work, they said yes.
In contrast to Evan's arrival, Edmundo was quiet and reserved when they welcomed him in. Much more similar to how Howard had been in the early days, only it was far more unnerving to see such behaviour in a young child who should be behaving without a care or worry in the world.
Evan had, unfortunately, been a little distasteful towards the eight year old at first, behaving incredibly possessive over his toys and Bobby in particular, and glaring whenever Hen or Howard had the audacity to play with Eddie in front of him. On the first night, when Bobby and Athena tucked Eddie in, their seven year old had looked at them with an absolutely heartbroken expression, then climbed out of his bed to cling to them in despair, the night only ending when they agreed to let him stay in their room with them.
They'd luckily managed to move past the jealousy rather quickly though, by taking the kids out to a soft play centre together.
At some point in between rough housing, climbing, and flinging themselves around the centre, Evan decided that he actually liked Eddie, and the two boys became fast friends from that point onwards.
Which turned out fantastically. Evan really helped bring Eddie out of his shell, the eight year old revealing himself to be a very sarcastic little boy, and helped in getting the eight year old (who'd clearly had far too high expectations set on his shoulders) to loosen up a little.
And, in turn, Eddie helped Evan expell some of his excess energy by being a playmate to roll around with. At bedtime, Evan would actually lie down without a fuss, knowing that he wouldn't be left alone in his room as soon as his eyes closed, and having a buddy his own age around in general helped with his behaviour.
They balanced each other out perfectly, and even as the school holidays rolled around Bobby and Athena found themselves managing a full house quite well. Hen and Howard had many clubs to attend throughout the summer, and when Bobby and Athena's work shifts overlapped the boys had plenty of fun together at a day long summer camp, running around outside and causing plenty of hijinks.
They never really had any problems with Eddie.
At least, non they'd known about for the first two weeks.
They discovered that the boy had been having troubles with his aforementioned panic attacks, one night when the camera in the kitchen went off.
Evan had had a problem with sleeping through the night before Eddie got there, and would often wonder around the house to keep himself entertained.
Bobby and Athena had begrudgingly let him continue to do so, so long as he stayed out of trouble and didn't have school the next morning.
The baby camera had been put in the kitchen after Evan woke them up one night with a loud crashing noise downstairs. Athena had pulled her gun out of the safe and they'd both ran down, just to find the kid clambering around in the cupboards, wanting to make a cake.
So now, whenever the kitchen camera sensed movement and notified their phones, one of them would wake up to make sure the kid was just getting a snack and not doing anything that could be too much of a fire hazard.
This time, it was Bobby's turn, and he rubbed tiredly at his eyes before reaching blindly for his phone, squinting at the light it emitted.
He was surprised to see that Eddie was with Evan in the kitchen this time, and felt a shot of worry go through him when the camera picked up on the tear tracks shining on the older boy's cheeks.
Just as he lifted his bedsheets to get up and go check on them, another figure moved in to the camera. Two, actually.
All four of their kids were downstairs at three in the morning.
Howard picked Eddie up, placing him on the kitchen counter, and Evan climbed to sit right next to him too, the boys holding hands.
Hen pulled out some ingredients from the pantry, and Bobby's recipe book, and the man watched in curiosity for several minutes as the teens entertained the kids whilst baking what looked like cookies.
Bobby finally slipped downstairs when the cookie dough was done and about to go in the oven. He moved quietly, throughout the house, listening in to their kids whispering and giggling between themselves.
"You should put the dough in the fridge for a bit first, it makes a better texture." he informed, right as the teenager went to put the baking tray in. He realised that was a bad idea, when the girl almost dropped the tray in her surprise, as they all jumped.
"Bobby!" Evan then cheered with a bright grin, jumping off of the counter to take his hand.
The teens greeted him with sleepy sheepish smiles, and Eddie ducked his head, hiding his tearful face from view.
"What are you all doing up?" he asked, eying the eight year old worriedly.
"Evan woke us, Eddie had a nightmare and they wanted to make cookies to make it better." Hen explained, whispering the part about Eddie in a soft tone.
"'Cause I'm not allowed to use the oven by myself." Evan huffed, arms crossing over his chest, and Bobby was unreasonably proud that he'd not only remembered but listened.
He patted the youngest's head in praise. "That's right, you're not, good boy for listening." Evan beamed up at him. "But why didn't you wake me or Athena up?"
At that, Evan averted his gaze, staring at his friend who in turn shrank in on himself even more.
Bobby sighed, and turned to the teenagers. "Can you two go to bed please, I'll bring you both a cookie up when they're done."
They both nodded appeasingly, and made their way to their rooms quickly and quietly, only whispering to each other once up the stairs.
Bobby put the tray in the fridge, before turning to the boys.
"Eddie, can you look at me please?" The eight year old did so after only a brief moment of hesitation, he was a very obedient kid. His face was red, flushed with what was probably embarrassment and renewed tears. "Why did you not want Evan to wake us up, were you worried we'd be upset with you?" he asked, the only explanation he could think of, and based on the quickly averted eye contact he knew he was right.
Evan chewed at his bottom lip, before owning up to everything for his friend in one big blurt. "He said men aren't allowed to cry, especially not over something silly like nightmares. And usually he's okay when we cuddle after bad dreams but today he was really upset and not breathing properly so I went to get Hen and she went to wake you both up but that only made him more scared so instead she calmed him down then we got Howie up to make something sweet together."
Bobby's heart hurt, at the insinuations that this wasn't the first time the boys had been up from bad dreams at night, but been too scared to tell them.
He picked Evan up and sat him back on the counter top, standing in front of the two kids. He held the seven year old's hand, and, after offering it, took Eddie's too.
"It's normal to cry when you're upset or scared, Eddie, everyone does." he wanted to fight whoever the hell had drilled in otherwise to the kid to the point that it sounded like he'd had a panic attack at the idea of them finding out. "And either way, you're not a man yet. You're a kid, which means we're here, as your adults, to help you when you're feeling that way. Okay?"
He had to take a hold of Eddie's chin to make him look at him again.
"Yes, sir." the eight year old mumbled, rubbing at his red rimmed dreary eyes, clearly exhausted.
Evan wrapped an arm around the other boy's waist and squeezed him in to a hug, kissing his cheek in a mimicry of how Athena would when tucking them in to bed. Which was so sweet beyond comprehension.
And, when he was escorting the boys back to their room, and his wife stood on the stairs having been listening in on the conversation and asked "everything alright?" Bobby could truly say that yes, everything was alright.
Perfect, even.
Because they'd never had children of their own, but that was okay because it meant they had room to meet and love four excellent kids.
And, seeing Hen and Howard hide under the bedsheets to stay up on their phones for longer, and watching Evan pet at Eddie's hair to soothe him back to sleep, neither of them would have it any other way.