Billy tried to fake that moving again was going to be an adventure for Colton. He was just happy they weren’t going to move them to different places. He knew people didn’t understand why he and Colton wanted to stay together. They might not be real brothers, which was obvious since Colton was covered in freckles and red hair and Billy’s mother and father were of Asian descent, which one no one ever told Billy. He wanted to hate Max for making them move again, but the kid didn’t cause this on purpose. 

Billy was surprised when the cop listened to him when he told him that he and Colton needed to stay together. This home wasn't bad. Billy knew bad. They had three meals a day, clean rooms, and the mom made sure the clothes they had stayed clean, and bought what she could when she couldn’t repair the older ones anymore. They didn’t hit them, but they were always tired and it fell to the kids to help each other. 

Colton was jealous when he saw the expensive car Max sat in while they were stuck waiting for their foster parents to explain everything. Billy really felt bad when they hadn’t said anything about Max not being home. But he’d been helping Colton with his homework, and Max sometimes went straight to play in the backyard instead coming in when he got home.

“I hate this,” Colton whispered, as they were driven to the group home.

“At least the cop didn’t lie,” Billy told him, trying to get Colton to see it as a good thing.

“Maybe we should run away, then our lives would be up to us,” Colton said, not understanding that they had nothing and no way to take care of themselves.

At twelve, Billy knew better than to run away. He found out being hungry and cold wasn’t something he enjoyed. He had tried it before meeting Colton. Billy stopped trying three years ago when Colton came in his life because he didn’t want the younger boy to do it. Colton was eight now and never made a move unless Billy told him they should. While Colton liked to pretend he and Billy would have adventures on their own, he knew they wouldn’t run away. That would break the rules and then they would be separated. It’s why Colton no longer dreamed of being adopted, because most families weren’t willing to take him and Billy. 

The people running the group home welcomed them in, walked them into the room, and explained the rules before leaving them to unpack. Colton looked around, happy there were only two beds, which meant he and Billy wouldn’t have to deal with other kids. 

“What do you think happened to Max?” Colton asked, even if he was a little jealous when he saw the guy smiling down at Max in the car. Like the kid was precious to him.

“Don’t know, and it’s not like anyone would tell us,” Billy told him.

“I kind of liked Max,” Colton told him.

“You like everyone.” Billy joked, putting up everything for him and Colton.

Gabriel wondered about the men in Brian’s circle of friends. Apparently they had all picked up Brian’s habit of demanding Gabriel make what they want a reality. Drew and Emmett didn’t want to wait for an appointment and got Brian to call in a favor to get Gabriel to take them on. So they were sitting in his office, first thing on a Saturday morning after giving Gabriel a few days to look into the children they asked about. He was sure they wanted him to handle things the way he had for young Max, but they were just beginning. He was getting them approved for foster care, which meant dealing with the state mandates on approval. He’d spoken to a few people he knew, and like Brian and Justin did, they’d have to go through it all too. Even though they were at the beginning he still started the paperwork in case Billy and Colton decided that Emmett and Drew were who they wanted to call their dads. 

“It will take longer because you two are just starting the process. I do have one question, why come to me and not Melanie Marcus?” Gabriel asked, since he knew Mel was a part of this circle of friends.

“We value our privacy the same way Justin and Brian do. We don’t want it discussed to death the way the family tends to do.” Drew told him.

“Brian and Justin will know.” He reminded them.

“Unless we tell them, no one else will,” Drew said with confidence.

“Teddy will, and so will Blake because there’s no way I would be able not to tell,” Emmett told Drew.

“We just feel better our lawyer is just that, our lawyer.” Drew told Gabriel.

“How long will this take?” Emmett asked, wanting it to magically happen.

“Six months at least, for you to get approved, and that’s because I’ll cut through a lot of the red tape. I can’t change that you both have to be thoroughly vetted, which means meeting with a counselor and going through courses to prepare you for what being a foster parent will be like, and the kinds of problems you could face with children dealing with being displaced most of their lives. We can at least make it so you can spend time with Billy and Colton. Which is wise because the children deserve to know you both and decide if it’s what they want. I know it’s not the answer you want, but it’s what you have to do if this is the direction you both truly want to go.” Gabriel told Emmett when he looked disappointed that they just couldn’t walk in and save the day.

“We’ll have the rest of their lives to show them everything you want them to have,” Drew told Emmett.

“Can we go see them today?” Emmett asked.

“I got the feeling you would ask that, and yes, I got it approved so that you and Drew can spend the day with the boys. I have the information on them if you want to hear it.” Gabriel told them.

“No. I want them to feel comfortable telling us. If they have any questions those files could answer, we’ll save it to give them the answers.” Emmett tells him.

“I do want to know about the parents.” Drew told Gabriel.

“Colton’s father is like Max’s; unknown. But likely that’s because the mother didn’t get names in her profession. She didn’t fight giving him up and disappeared from the area to avoid any charges related to the conditions they found Colton in. Billy was left in a mall when he was three and no one claimed him. There’s nothing to go with since his birth wasn’t registered in the US, and he could only tell the police his name was Billy. According to the information I have he doesn’t remember his parents. Which isn’t surprising because of his age at the time.” Gabriel told them.

“They were never even considered for adoption?” Emmett asked.

“Colton had health concerns due to the way he was living and most families want healthy children. Billy had a hard time connecting with people until Colton. They seem to look out for each other.” Gabriel told them.

Billy and Colton both were confused that only the two of them were being taken out today. Normally trips were planned for all the kids, not just two. They hadn’t bothered to get to know any of the other kids since they’d only been here for a week. So they didn’t ask if this was normal. Billy and Colton’s only plan for the weekend was to hang out in their room all day since there wasn’t a lot to do unless they wanted to hang out in the common room with the other kids. They were told when they went to eat breakfast that they were being picked up for an outing.

They were waiting in the front for the people who were taking them out today when one of Billy’s heroes, which he didn’t have many of, came walking up the sidewalk. Colton recognized the man who was at the foster house with Max, but like Billy, he knew who Drew Boyd was. Both of them were a little upset they weren’t going to be here to find out why Drew Boyd was here. This outing couldn’t have been planned at a worse time for the boys, as far as they were concerned. It didn’t even cross their minds that Drew and Emmett were there to meet them. They were both shocked when Drew Boyd spoke to them, and didn’t pass right on by.

“Which one is Billy?” Drew Body asked them.

Billy raised his hand, feeling like a dork for not being able to say anything.

“You’re Colton?” Drew asked.

Colton nodded, starstruck, so he looked at the tall smiling guy next to Drew. “I saw you at the other place.” He told Emmett.

“I’ll go in and take care of everything. You boys be nice to Emmett for me, okay?” Drew asked them, as Emmett planted himself next to the boys, not wanting to do anything but get to know them.

“Maybe we can tell the people we’ll go some other day.” Colton whispered to Billy.

“What people?” Emmett asked.

“Not sure. We were told we had to go somewhere today.” Billy told him, feeling better that he could talk again.

“You don’t want to go?” Emmett asked them.

“We’d rather see Drew Boyd, he’s like totally bada… on the field.” Billy told him, managing not to cuss.

“I can’t watch anymore. Everytime he gets tackled my friends laugh at me because I close my eyes.” Emmett laughed.

“Why is he here?” Colton asked.

“We, meaning Drew and I, wanted to get to know you and Billy. Hopefully, you won’t mind me tagging along with your hero.” Emmett told them.

“Are you serious!?” Billy shouted at the idea he would get to spend time with Drew freaking Boyd.

“Emmett told me about you two. And since Emmett wants it, I do too.” Drew told them, coming back out of the house.

“Where are we going?” Colton asked, getting up.

“A couple of our friends are having a party today. We thought you guys might like to swim and get to know us. This way if we bore you, you’ll have other kids to play with.” Emmett told them.

Billy winced, since he knew he and Colton would end up sitting alone while the other kids ignored them, but it was better than sitting in their room today, so he followed with Colton to the huge car. 

“We don’t have swimsuits.” Colton told them.

“First stop will be the store then.” Emmett told them.

“That’s why you didn’t tell them. You wanted to shop first.” Drew laughed at Emmett’s excitement.

Billy and Colton wondered if Emmett was nuts when he told them to pick anything they liked. Neither of them understood, because their clothes were bought for them. No one ever cared or asked what they liked. Billy picked the first swimsuit he saw, turning red when it was the wrong size.

“Here, if you like the suit, this one should fit you.” Emmett told him, after calculating the boys’ sizes.

“Do you boys want to get a snack since lunch is going to be a while?” Drew asked, since he never really like to shop.

Drew didn’t laugh when the boys just nodded, he was used to it with fans. Hopefully, they’d get over it soon. He went to get drinks and soft pretzels, not wanting to ruin the boys' appetites today. Justin had let Max decide on the food today, and from what Emmett was able to tell him, the boys should be covered with the four different choices Max decided on. Emmett and the boys met up with Drew to get back in the car to go to Brian and Justin’s house.

Emmett wondered how Brian’s call to Michael went, since he promised Jenny he’d tell Michael before she landed. He figured while the kids played they’d have time to talk about it. He looked back at Billy and Colton, who were whispering and eating and looked happy to be with them. Drew took his hand, squeezing it when Emmett faced forward, wiping his eyes.