Sweet Little Birds (BxB Romance, Completed)

Pride Bonus Chapter: Sweet Baby Birds

So I know it's not Pride Month anymore but who says we can't celebrate Pride all year? And I got a request to write a chapter about when Robin and Tyler first met their kids that started to make scenes play out in my head. So I had to write it!

The table rattled in tune with Robin's shaking leg. Tyler put his hand atop his husband's knee to alleviate the anxiety coursing through his veins. "The social worker be here soon," he whispered, leaning his head on Robin's shoulder and sneaking in a kiss on a sweaty cheek. "Then we'll know what they need us for."

"I know..." Robin replied, his shaking leg settling as he exhaled. "I just didn't expect them to call this quickly."

It had only been a week since the couple submitted their application to be foster parents—after an ordeal of a process including interviews, a home visit, and references from friends and coworkers—and they had been told it could be a while until they were considered for a placement. So they had both been surprised when a social worker called them the evening before, inquiring if they could come in to discuss a possible placement. Which was of course thrilling but also nerve-wracking.

"It's good though, right?" Tyler massaged Robin's leg rhythmically. "It means there is a kid that needs us immediately and we'll be able to be there for them. If we hadn't applied, that couldn't have happened."

Robin nodded, inhaling before flashing a nervous smile toward his husband. "It's good," he agreed. "Really good. I just want to know more about the kid so we can start planning."

As if on cue, the door opened and a social worker walked in. The messy ponytail and wrinkled shirt indicated that her work probably wasn't entirely stress-free. The woman sat down opposite the couple, putting down a binder between them.

"Mr. Caster and Mr. Erie, I presume," she greeted the couple before immediately starting to flip through papers.

"Actually we're both Mr Caster-Erie," Tyler explained. "We hyphenated our names. Although maybe we should have made it Casterie... But you can just tell us Tyler and Robin." He flashed a smile, hoping to temper the tension in the room. Robin's leg, and thereby the table, had started to shake again, making the screws that held it together rattle.

"Very well," the woman replied, finally looking up for long enough to meet their gazes. She even took the time to return Tyler's smile. "I'm Samantha, and I'm the social worker in charge of the case we want to present to discuss a possible placement with you. I have to admit, I got really hopeful when I saw your application as we've struggled to place these kids for a long time. It's quite a tricky case you see. So I want you to know what you're getting into before making any decisions."

"Kids?" Robin asked, eager to find out the facts so that he could assess the situation. Tyler knew that's how his husband functioned. First, Robin read as much about a topic as was humanly possible, then, he could analyze whatever question was posed to him, usually by making long pro- and con lists. Which could be a bit exhausting if the question was about pizza topics—although Tyler usually just suggested something to Robin in such situations, based on what he usually liked—but was useful for important life decisions. Although when Tyler proposed to Robin no analysis or lists had been needed, the yes had flown out of his lips at record speed.

"Yeah, there is a pair of twins." Samantha slid a picture of two small boys, perhaps around two years old, sitting next to each other in a double stroller. One boy wore glasses and flashed a shy smile while the other boy was in blurry motion and turned away from the camera, busy trying to escape the confines. "Alex and Owen. And that's part of the reason we wanted to bring this case to you since you have entered that you're willing to take on siblings."

"And we definitely stand by that," Tyler confirmed, pulling the picture toward him to take a closer look. Gazing upon the small boys, in need of shelter and care, a warm sensation rose in his chest, bringing with it a paternal urge to provide them with those things and more. These little guys deserved endless summer days with popsicles melting down their arms, boxes full of ugly plastic toys from Happy Meals, and too much screen time on rainy days.