First [Book 2]✅

Twenty

Louis and Harry pulled up at the large house, nervous as to what was inside as they climbed out.

"They accept us, right?" Harry asked, taking ahold of Louis' hand.

The older boy nodded, "Yeah, I called the woman before and she said it was okay. None of the kids are homophobic, they don't know any better, she said," he assured, sneaking a kiss onto his husbands cheek.

Harry blushed, and opened the door, letting Louis go through before following him to the first room on the right. There was a woman sitting at a desk, though she looked up and smiled. "Hi!" she greeted, and saw their locked hands, "you must be Harry and Louis?" she questioned as she stood, to which they nodded, "great. Now, I have eight kids living here in total. Most of them are playing outside and the rest of them are in the living room. Follow me," she told them, gesturing after her as she walked out of her small office and out the door. The two boys followed, getting more excited as they walked through the open gate and into the yard, hearing a chattering of talking and laughing.

"Now is there a certain gender you're looking for? Or any age?" the woman asked, "my name is Cheryl, by the way."

Louis shook her hand, then Harry. "No, we haven't gotten anything specific. We did prefer a younger kid, three or four maybe, but other than that no," Louis spoke, rubbing his hands together to warm them up. Harry nodded in agreement, silently wondering how the kids were playing outside considering how cold it was.

Cheryl nodded as well, and stopped, "Mostly the older ones hang out outside, granted the eldest is only thirteen but still. The younger ones are probably hanging inside mostly. We don't have many three year olds but all the others, four, five, six, all them, they're probably somewhere running around. If you want to talk to any certain child just point and I'll get em," she smiled, and stepped behind them so that they could go at it.

Harry turned his head to Louis, "Can we look for three year olds?" he asked, a grin on his face.

"Yeah," Louis beamed at him, "c'mon, I'm excited," he giggled, and off they went.

It had only been five minutes later that a little boy tripped over his own feet, and fell onto the ground. Harry turned to the left and gasped, "Oh, c'mere bud," he spoke, and bent down to pick the toddler up. "You okay? Where's your jacket?" he asked, hoisting him onto his hip. Louis, who saw him be picked up by his husband, had turned to face both of them.

The boy shook his head, a pout on his lip as he kicked his leg out. "I fell!" he cried.

"Where does it hurt," Louis took ahold of his arm, "here?" he asked, blowing raspberries into his elbow. "Or here?" he blew raspberries into the boys neck. "How about here?" he tickled the boys tummy.

By that point the little toddler with the bright green eyes was giggling hysterically. "Again!" he exclaimed, his words stirring together in that cute baby babble that three year olds had when they still can't pronounce things right.

So, Louis did it again, tickling his stomach and then his neck, laughing in adoration as the kid laughed and giggled and buried himself in Harry's side.

Harry hoisted him up better, "What's your name, bub?" he asked.

"Aiden!" he told them.

Louis glanced at Harry, "Aiden. That's cool!" he spoke to the child, "what's your favorite thing to do?" he asked.

Aiden looked around, side to side until he spotted the older kids, who looked only about ten, playing football. "Dat!" he screeched, "and spidah-man," he said.

Both boys grinned, looking at each other with a type of look that told them what to do, as if they could communicate through their minds. "Aiden, love, would you want to come live with us?" Harry asked after Louis secretly waved over Cheryl.