𝙵𝙰𝙻𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙵𝙾𝚁 𝙼𝚈 𝙻𝙰𝚆𝚈𝙴𝚁

Chapter 29

M/n led them inside, having them take their shoes off, replace them with slippers, and hang up their jackets. He showed them around, leading them through the entrance. Immediately, Mrs. Duran was in awe at how cozy the big space looked.

"Very homey," she said, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

There were pictures hung up on the walls. Some were of M/n and his son and others were of both of them with M/n's parents. Others were younger pictures of M/n and his sister and their parents or simply just M/n and his sister. Regardless, the heartfelt smiles that made up those pictures rubbed off on Mrs. Duran.

"You all seem very happy together," she noted, gazing at all the frames before looking back at M/n. "May I ask..."

She didn't have to finish her sentence. To M/n, it was obvious what she meant to say. "Not in the picture," he replied, his polite smile still on his face.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, excusing herself.

"No, it's alright," he replied. "We're doing very well, and my parents are such a big help."

They continued walking through the house, the kitchen being one of the primary stops. It was stocked with the essentials, healthy foods, kids' snacks, drinks, and so on. Mrs. Duran was very pleased by the sight. They then moved on to the rooms. While M/n only gave the tour so as not to interfere with their inspection, he didn't sugarcoat any of his answers to their questions. He laid it all out for both ladies to see. 

His home was well-kept and organized, and most of all... it felt like home. The furniture was well-worn, there were family pictures everywhere, and little trinkets that served as mementos from small trips or family outings were scattered throughout the house. Children's toys weren't there for show, nor was M/n's son's room decorated for some sort of charming display. No, this... was the L/n family home.

At the end of the tour, M/n led them both over to the living room, where Mayumi had brought out the drinks she had prepared. She smiled politely as she set down the cups and pitcher. 

"Thank you very much," both ladies said to her before taking a drink.

Isabel then set her cup down and placed a folder on her lap. "Well, the house looks exemplary, Mr. L/n," she said, opening up the folder. "Everything else on the form is properly filled out."

She then turned to Mrs. Duran to await her feedback. Mrs. Duran looked back at M/n, her clipboard and pen now in hand. "Despite having no spouse, you are doing excellently for yourself, Mr. L/n. Your home is very welcoming and your son's room is well-kept but also fitting for a child of his age. It's clear that he lacks nothing in his home life."

It seemed Mrs. Duran and Isabel had reached a mutual agreement. "Congratulations on passing your home inspection, Mr. L/n. I had no doubt you'd exceed expectations," Isabel said and shook his hand.

"I'll pass this along to the family court and you should receive word tomorrow from them," Mrs. Duran said.

A relieved smile overtook the polite one M/n wore and thanked them. They conversed for a while longer before both ladies eventually had to be on their way. The black SUV left his home and drove down the road, disappearing behind the bend.

Immediately, he was back on the phone with his parents, hearing the more-than-familiar sound of Mitch's voice after the ringing stopped. "Hello? M/n! How'd it go?!"

--

"Papa!" S/n shouted as he ran inside after his grandma had unlocked M/n's door, the little keychain of his backpack jingling behind him.

M/n caught him effortlessly, spinning him in the air for a moment before settling him back down on solid ground. "Welcome home, S/n," he said and ruffled the little boy's hair gently.

S/n grinned and set down his backpack, letting his grandparents greet M/n as well. "Oh, I'm so happy for you, my son," his mother said, giving him a big hug.

Mitch grinned and nodded. "This will all be so exciting! I'm real proud of you, M/n!"

"Thank you," he replied to both of them with a soft smile before they all joined S/n in the living room.

He had a curious look in his eyes as he gazed up at the adults, wanting to know what they all seemed so happy and excited about. "Papa, are we going on a trip?" he asked in his soft voice.

M/n's expression softened tremendously but shook his head, patting the spot beside him as he sat down. "S/n, some big changes are coming. But I waited to tell you because I wasn't sure if it was going to be true."

S/n nodded in understanding, sitting beside his father while gazing up at him with trusting eyes. "There's a little boy coming to live with us. He's a little older than you, but you've met him before."

S/n thought back to any particular faces that sounded like they could be it. "He's Mikasa's friend," M/n added, receiving a gasp of excitement from S/n in return.

"You mean... Robot toy?!" he shouted, spreading his arms out dramatically.

M/n chuckled, aware of that moment S/n had lent the other boy his toy robot to play with. "Eren. That's right."

His grandparents joined in on the light-hearted laughter. "That's right, sweetheart. Eren is going to come live here with you and your papa."

"Yeah, and look at it this way," Mitch added with a grin. "You'll have yourself a big brother!"

S/n's eyes only seemed to shine more brightly. "Really? A new big brother?"

M/n reached out and ruffled the boy's hair. "That's right. He'll be your new big brother. Don't forget to be nice to him and show him around when he gets here, alright? I'm counting on you."

The boy's expression was joyous, a new sense of energy radiating from him. "Yes, Papa!"

The adults shared a glance, glad that S/n had taken the news so well. The boy seemed ecstatic to have someone new around the house to play with, go on adventures with, and share in the good times he spent with his family. The excitement continued to radiate through everyone in the room, the rest of the day spent planning and getting everything settled for what the next day would bring.

--

"No, no, I got it. Yes, I have it handled," M/n's voice echoed in the room, seemingly conversing over the phone as he walked through his house. "Rest assured, he'll be safe here."

Just then, there was a knock at the front door. Having heard it, M/n wrapped up the phone call and walked toward the entrance. S/n came bounding down the stairs at the sound of the door. The door then opened to reveal a boy with dark brown hair and bluish-green eyes.

"Welcome home, Eren."