An: hi again! Here's the next chapter. Uhhhh I don't know what to say here. Im listening to one last time and getting slightly sad cause Chris has the voice of an angel. Ok bye!
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The boys followed George and Martha into the Burger King building. On the far right, past the tables and chairs, is a glass wall and door that leads to the big play area, it was full of kids running around.

The Washingtons went up to the cashier line. They discussed what they were going to order. The boys have had burgers before, but they weren't that good. ( I picture the orphanage had like school food and school burgers are gross so...) Alex didn't want to get something and end up not liking it so he decided to get chicken nuggets. Lafayette was skeptical too but when Mr. Washington said he would get a cheeseburger, Lafayette wanted to impress him.

" Hi, welcome to Burger King how may I take your order?" The perky cashier said. It was her first week at her first job and she wanted to do it right.

" Hello dear, I want just a regular hamburger, please. " Mrs. Washington said. ( I'm an awkward person ok, I don't know how to write social interactions)

" and I will take a whopper." Mr. Washington said. Alex took that as ' just blurt out what you want.' And he wasn't going to throw away his shot.

" I want chicken nuggets!" Alex exclaimed. The cashier giggled a bit. "Of course, did you want that in a happy meal?" She asked him. Alex didn't know what a happy meal was but he decided to just go with it. " um, yes."

" alright, and what will it be for the fine gentlemen." She teased with a smirk-ish smile.

" um, just a cheeseburger. " Laf said with obviously fake confidence.

" ooooook. Anything else?" She asked while typing everything in. George said no, and he finished paying. Alex looked up at Laf, silently seeking approval. Gilbert smiled and squeezed Alex's hand.

Martha took the cups for everyone's drinks and led the boys to the fountains. She started filling The two larges and gave the boys two smaller cups.

" hey Laf, which one should I get?" Alex whispered. He was always too poor to get pop and the orphanage never had it either.

" I mean, I always got coke but you can get whatever you want mon petit lion. Sprite more fizzy and Fanta is more citrusy, but Dr. Pepper is sweeter." (#not sponsored)

Alex just decided on going with coke. He put his cup up on the machine but he struggled to push it back to get ice.

"Do you need help, dear?" Martha asked him. Laf looked down, wondering how he would respond.

" no,.. I'm... I'm good." Alex said, clearly still struggling. Laf finished getting his drink and set it down. "Come here," he muttered. Martha was going to help Alex, but Laf beat her to it.

George came back from the register. "Ok, we all have our drinks?" He asked. They all nodded. "thanks, dear." He kissed his wife's cheek as he took his coke. " anytime, love." Martha replied.

"Bleh." Alex squirmed. He wasn't used to parents being all sweet with each other, considering who his father was. Laf snickered and Alex's quiet comment. He actually found it sweet, his parents didn't have the greatest marriage. Even when they weren't fighting, they were never lovey dove-y. To him it was a sign of good relationship.

George  walked Martha and the kids into the play area. "ok, boys, take off your shoes and go ahead and have fun. Martha, I'm going to go wait for our order."

"ok dear." Martha said as he walked out. She turned around and watched for a moment as the boys marveled at the play place. She set her purse and drink down on a nearby table. "boys!"

Lafayette and Alexander turned around at the sound of their new mothers name. "Come here, set down your drinks, leave me your shoes, then go play." The boys did as they were told. At first they were hesitant, but they quickly started climbing and crawling around everywhere.

They climbed up, chasing each other. Alex climbed into a tunnel that had a plexi-glass end, so they could see all the adults sitting at the tables. Martha was sitting at their table doing something on her phone, probably scrolling through Facebook. Alex hesitated.

" Mom!" Alex called as Laf came up behind him. Laf wasn't expecting that from Alex. He arched a brow.

" what? I didn't know what else to call her!" Alexander defended himself. Martha looked up, the Alex and Laf looked down. They smiled and waved and each other.

Did he just call me mom? Oh my goodness! I have to tell George! Once Martha couldn't see the boys, she quickly went into her phone and texted her husband.

My dearest💞

George! Dear you won't believe
what just happened!

What?

So, the boys were up in the tunnel
things playing, and Alex called for my attention.
he called me MOM!

What?! I'm so jealous I didn't
think it would happen so soon!

Neither did I. It might have been
a one time thing, but that's ok.

Yeah.
Foods here finally I will be right there.

And true to his word, George showed up behind Martha not two minutes later. George called the boys down. They decided to  go down the slide since it was close by.

"Ah ah ahhhh ow!"  Alex grabbed his arm.

"Oh Alex, mon petit lion are you ok?" Laf came down behind him.

" y-yeah I- ahhhh." Alex tenderly touched his arm. He got a slide burn on the way down.

" hey, son, are you ok?" Alex stiffened ever so slightly as George got down on one knee in front of him. He was going to have to get used to having a dad, especially one that actually cared about him.

"Come on, Alex. Foods waiting. You'll be ok, right?"  Laf said picking himself up and offering a hand to Alex.

" yeah, I'll be fine I can walk it off " Alex said taking his hand. Mr. Washington stood up and led them to their table. That was.... Weird. Laf helping Alex up is a parents job, not a brothers. sure Alex was fine but would Gilbert have let him step in if it was worse? George thought no, he wouldn't, Alex probably wouldn't have asked for his help either, which might be an issue. Maybe I'm just reading too much into things.

" George, dear, is something wrong? " Martha looked up at him. George had already gotten to the table and absentmindedly started eating with everyone else.

" oh no, dearest, I'm fine, just lost in thought." George said. They all wrapped up their meal and the boys got their shoes back on so they could leave.

*Time skip to went the get to the store brought to you by a not sponsored target run*

"Ok Gilbert, Alex, we're coming to target to get some stuff for your room and maybe some new outfits." Martha said as George pulled into the parking lot.

"This store is big so I want you boys to stay close, and don't wander off without telling one of us where your going." George instructed. He was a former spy, which made him extra cautious when in public.

"Got it!" Alex said as he jumped out of the car. He had never really been shopping without a strict list of things they were going to buy.

"Alex! Mon petit lion don't run in a parking lot, you could get hurt!" Lafayette yelled after him.

The adults looked at each other. He really does sound like a parent. Martha thought. They both were concerned that Gilbert acted so much like an adult. He was only 9 years old, and they wanted him to be a kid.

They went into the store and Alex followed Martha to get a cart. They all went to the Decor section and the boys picked out some sheets,  lamps, and storage bins. At first the Washingtons had a hard time getting Alex to look away from the price tags, something he was so used to doing. Once that habit was broken however, he started having the time of his life. Laf also came out of his shell. He wasn't used to putting himself first, so shopping was never his favorite thing in the world, but he enjoyed it nonetheless.

After a while, the boys each had a handful of stuff for their rooms and several outfits. Laf needed to use the bathroom so after a few minutes he worked up the courage to ask.

"Um, uh," he hesitated. Shoot what do I call him?! " hey, uh, dad?" Laf asked.

George turned around, and his heart was set aflame. Pride wasn't the word he was looking for, there was so much more inside him now. " yes, son?"

" um, I-I gotta.. I gotta go the  bathroom." He said awkwardly.

" oh ok son, one second." He turned around. " Martha!" She poked her head out from around the corner. " Im gonna take Laf to the bathroom, I'll be right back." Martha nodded and smiled.

Mr. Washington led Gilbert to the bathroom, but the line was so long it went OUT the bathroom. Luckily there was a single stall bathroom that someone had just walked out of. George quickly told Laf to go in there. Laf did his thing and stepped out.

" ok son, I'm gonna go too since we're here, don't move." George instructed. He went into the bathroom.

It realistically was only three or four minutes but it felt longer for Laf. He never truly addressed his attachment issues. The only person he was close to was Alex and they were always together. Gilbert had quickly clung the the Washingtons, so when George left him alone in the hallway, a small part him panicked.

He's coming back, right? Of course, he JUST took me in, he wouldn't leave, right? He- he's got to come back, I couldn't have done something wrong so soon, right?

When Mr. Washington finally did come back, Laf unknowingly let out a big sigh of relief, and it didn't go unnoticed. George eyed him, wondering what was going on inside his head. Did... did he really think I was gonna.....

George shook it off. He would have to think about it later. "Let's go, Laf. " they both went back to where they were and walked around until they found Alex and Martha.

Time skip brought to you by an off "screen" trip to Walmart and ✨ trauma✨

The Washingtons popped the trunk and told the boys to help them bring everything in. They both grabbed as many bags as they could carry and followed George to the door. George fiddled with the key before getting it opened.

The boys put everything on the kitchen counter like their.... Screw it I'm calling them their parents. (HEY you better pay for that fourth wall!) The boys put everything in the kitchen like their parents did and looked around.

For Alex, it was the best house he had ever seen. He wasn't used to living in comfort. Lafayette thought the smaller house felt cozy. Lafs parents had money, so they lived in something much bigger, even though it was only the three of them. This house felt more like a home.

Sometime later Washingtons helped Laf and Alex set up their rooms. Once they were all settled in, Alex grabbed a book off his shelf and went into Lafayettes room.

"Alex? Oh, you brought..." Laf trailed off when he saw what was it Alexander's hand. He chuckled. "Ok, come here mon petit lion."

It had become a tradition for them to read the first The Boxercar Children every night before bed. Alex snuggled up to Laf as he cracked open the she book to where they had left off. They were towards the end already so they managed to finish it.

Washington waited in the doorway for Laf to finish the last paragraph. He remembered reading those as a child. I should see if I still have the series from when I was young. He thought.

"How often do you read that?" Mrs. Washington asked, making her presence known.

The boys jumped, not realizing they were being watched. "Oh, this? We read this every night." Laf admitted.

"Wow. Well, anyway, we just came to say goodnight." Mrs.Washington said, making her presence known. The couple came forward, and Alex instinctively tensed up. Mrs. Washington gave them both a kiss on the forehead and wished them a goodnight.

Once George and Martha got to their bedroom, they started to discuss how the day had gone. "Yeah, hon, it does sound like our Gilbert has attachment issues. "

"I know Martha, but i don't think he wants to or even knows how to address them."

"We can help him, dear, don't worry. Those kids are safe now."

An: I'm not that proud of this one ngl... but anyway hope you enjoyed! Uhhh also I opened my washingdad one shot book so please go read and LEAVE SUGGESTIONS! (Why is this the book I always self advertise in?!) anyway see you later, hamilfans!