Big, Little and Tiny Sef <3

Maybe.

Youssef's POV:

Nate and I had drove to school in almost silence. We were both tired, and Nate couldn't sleep last night.

"I'll see you at lunch sweetheart." I smiled, kissing his forehead a few times.

"I'll be too busy sleeping on the floor."

"I'll have to do some finger painting then." I shrugged, knowing he had the rainbow in paints.

"You leave them alone." He warned me, opening his eyes for the first time in almost twenty minutes.

We made our way inside and to our classrooms. Yusuf wasn't there today, thank goodness. I had about half an hour to catch up on lesson plans and answers emails. Boring teacher stuff really.

"Youssef." Thomas coughed, knocking on the open door.

"What do you want?"

"My classes are far more peaceful without Yusuf. Could you take him in here again? First lesson today."

"I'm not an English teacher, so no. Yesterday was a one off, he had gone mute and he doesn't cope well in situations like that."

"Find someone else then."

"I'm sure someone likes you enough to do you a favour. I have a lesson to plan so...thanks for stopping by."

He stormed off in a fit of rage. Fragile rage. Like a three year old. Typical. I was definitely going to take him for first lesson but I had to make him work for it.

The kids slowly started to pour in, Yusuf eventually walked in with Jace and gave me a smile.

"Hey sir."

"Hi Yusuf, you okay?"

"Yeah man, are you?"

"I'm sound lad, but that's sir to you."

He walked to his seat next to Liam and mostly stared at his hands. The half an hour of form was mostly quiet, just kids asking questions and talking about the night before. Once the bell rang out, everyone either got to their lessons or groaned on the way there. Except for Yusuf.

"Were you being serious about...yknow maybe fostering me?"

"Yes, if you got placed with me."

He nodded, a tiny smile creeping across his face.

"My older sister works for Social. She said they like to keep younger kids with their siblings if they can. Would you want that?"

"They'd all go to their mum."

"I thought your mother passed?"

"She did. My mother. Mine, Noah and Asher's. Amir, Dina and Yas' is still alive. She left my dad a few years back but she still sees the kids."

"So they'd get placed with her?"

"Definitely. She's been fighting for full custody for ages."
"My point is I'd be alone either way, might as well be alone with you and your boyfriend."

"What about your older brothers?"

"Been to juvie, they'd go to a group home with someone who specialises in it. They told me."
"Please foster me. I don't want anyone else. You're nice, and you get me. I don't want to meet new people and then probably hate them."

"I'll try my hardest, but I can't promise anything. You know that kiddo."

"I know."
"I've got English now."

"Mr Reed came asking if you could sit in here for English. I'll let you, of course, but if he asks, you couldn't find anywhere."

He smiled before his face dropped into a knowing expression.

"You hate Reed."

"Very much so."

"You can't hate another teacher."

"Says who?"

He stayed quiet for a few seconds before shrugging.

"Show me a picture of your boyfriend." Yusuf spoke after about ten seconds of silence.

"You've already seen him."

"...who is he?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

"Tell me his name then."

"Nathan."

"Nathan and Youssef. Yeah, it sounds legit."

For the next week, he pushed and pushed about Nathan. I didn't have anything to hide necessarily, I just didn't think it was his business yet.

Yusuf had also kept me updated about the situation at home. His father was distant, thankfully, and Yusuf had high hopes I'd end up fostering him. I did too if I'm honest.

"They're taking me tomorrow. Have you had any phone calls or emails?"

"Not yet, I think you'll fall in with the emergency foster kids. My sister has put me and Nate forward though, so hopefully you'll stay with us."

"Why the emergency kids?"

"Your father still needs to go to court and prove himself. If he was innocent, you'd stay with me for about two weeks at the least, maybe a month or two at the most. Point is that you wouldn't stay very long so they put less care into it."

Yusuf nodded along as I explained.

"When the trial is over, they'll reevaluate and if you're happy and healthy with me, they'll keep you with me."

"He's guilty. They know it."

"I know, he's definitely not getting you guys back for a good year or so. Even then it'll be supervised visits and that's up to you if you want that."

"It is?"

"Well it'd be up to me, and I'd just do whatever you want."

He laughed a little.

"So, what is my room right now?"

"A spare room. I'll take you shopping and you can decorate it a little more."

"You're that confident I'll get placed with you?"

"I'm manifesting. Nathan says it works."

He laughed again.

We spoke for the whole hour, about everything. I tried to steer away from the fostering talk but he caught on. I forget how clever he is sometimes.

"Come on, you've got Art now, yes?"

"Yes."

"I'll drop you off, I think Ajayi is covering your lesson for today."

He stood up and waited by the door for me. I took that as a token of respect as he would've ran from most other teachers.

"Thanks kid." I nodded, petting his head a few times before we started to walk.

"Can we go the long way?"

"We can go the way I take you, how's that?"

I heard a groan from in front of me but I ignored it. We went upstairs and saw Nathan knelt down helping Raegan.

"Hey Yusuf, come sit down, I've got your plan from last week." Nathan smiled.

He walked over without a word.

"Hey Sef."

"Hi Nate, everything okay?"

"Yeah, Dean brought coffee so I'm okay now."

"Thank goodness for Dean then."

Dean is an SEN teacher, he specifically teaches kids with learning disabilities so they still get a good education. He's worked with Yusuf a few times and he's pretty good with him.

He's also one of my best friends, along with Jamie. They both work at Truham and they make it fun. Jamie is a science teacher, like me but he specialises in Chemistry. He's pretty funny, and I've known him since high school. He taught me, actually.

"You look busy, I'll see you at lunch?"

"See you at lunch Bear."

Nate calls me bear for some reason. I'm not quite sure why, he won't tell me. Either way, I really like it.