Chapter Text
George Washington watched as his wife Martha read through the case file he'd finished earlier. He knew her decision was made, likely it was made before she even opened Thomas Jefferson's file, but they had four other boys in the house they had to consider. As much as they would love to simply agree to bring the young man who desperately needed someone to take care of him into their family, they had to make sure it was the best decision for everyone. They didn't want to undo any of the progress their boys had made over the last few years and they didn't want Thomas to feel like he was merely another addition to a house full of boys.
George couldn't help thinking of his boys and how they each came into his life. Gilbert Lafayette was the first, a favour to his parents when the thirteen year old had started hanging out with a bad crowd and his parents had thought getting him away would help. George always thought if they'd paid their son a little more attention then he wouldn't have started acting out but he would never say it out loud. Aaron was next and came to them when he was twelve after his parents died in an car accident where he was the only survivor. Even now Aaron would only get in the car if someone he trusted was driving. Alex was brought to them by a social worker who had heard that the Washingtons had had success with Aaron. The thirteen year old barely spoke to anyone after losing everyone in his life and his social worker was hoping George and Martha could work a miracle on Alex. Now it was hard to get him to be quiet but they wouldn't have it any other way. Their newest addition was John and he was the only boy the Washingtons had met before taking him in. He'd been friends with their three boys, often over at their house, and there'd never been a sign there was something wrong until recently. They had all noticed he was getting thin and pale and looked sick most of the time. It took some prying and a lot of tearful conversations before John admitted his father had thrown him out for being gay and he had been living on the streets for two months, sneaking into the school early to shower and stealing just enough food from the cafeteria to not starve.
His boys were all so close and, along with their friend Hercules who George and Martha considered part of their family, had helped each other heal. The media loved the credit George, Senator Washington and his wife and their big hearts, but the truth was the boys had helped each other more than George or Martha could have ever hoped. When Alex had a nightmare, the other boys could be found sleeping with him in his room the next morning. When Aaron needed to sit in silence, the television went off and the books or sketchbook came out. When Lafayette worried that his latest outfit was too extreme, it was the boys who were the first to tell him he looked amazing. When John would berate himself for flinching at being touched unexpectedly, it was the boys who wouldn't stand for it and designated what George and Martha fondly called a puppy pile on the couch or in one of their beds.
"We have to talk to the boys," Martha said.
George nodded, having expected that exact answer. They wanted to give this Thomas Jefferson a chance but they would only do so with their boys' approval.