silver diadem

day six (planning the bachelorette party)

Liam and Niall were hesitant to leave Louis unattended the next morning. Often, when Louis slipped he would subdrop when alone.

"Ni, he'll be okay. I'll call Harry's mother to come take care of him," Liam assured Niall as they prepared to go to an orphanage.

Now that Liam was convinced he could be a good father even when he didn't have a good example, they decided to adopt a child in Doncaster before returning to London. They decided they'd begin with a foster type of system instead of adopting immediately. They wanted to make sure this was right.

Liam called Anne, establishing she had already planned to come talk to Harry and had no problem watching over while the boys found a child.

"We're going to try to make this quick. Just certification today, maybe we can look at the children, okay?" Liam was trying to be as dominant as possible, knowing this was scary for him. He didn't want to show his weakness to his little, his submissive, his husband.

"Yes, sir," Niall ensures happily.

When they arrive, the facility is quiet. A tall woman greets the two. "Hi, I'm Mrs. Benson. I'm head here at the orphanage. You must be Liam and Niall," she greets softly. The boys both nod happily. "Well, it's currently nap time for most of the kids, however, the 10-18 year olds are still awake upstairs. I know you only came for clarification, which takes about a month, but seeing the children we already have here might speed along the process if you specify who you want in your papers," she explains. Niall is glowing while Liam tries to listen intently.

His nerves are shocked as they head up the stairs, his hands clammy and shuttering. "Daddy," Niall whispers to him, snapping Liam out of his trance.

"Yes, baby," Liam smiles, kissing his boys nose.

"She asked what age. I was thinking 10-12. Maybe 13-15. And a boy," Niall proposes.

Liam just nods. He feels like he can't breathe. When they walk through the large wooden doors, toys litter the floor. Bunk beds are all throughout the room; some boys sit on them alone, reading or drawing in notebooks. Other boys are grouped together, speaking loudly. Clear cliques litter the room.

"Hello boys!" Mrs. Benson calls. The boys immediately fall silent, curiously watching Liam and Niall. Liam grips Niall's hand harshly, Niall squeezing back lightly in comfort.

Liam had no interest in any of the groups. He could tell they were loud and ignorant, giving the boys disgusted looks, ignoring them.

Niall and Liam walked around with Mrs. Benson, saying hello to each of the boys. Liam was ready to give up with this age group before he saw a small boy squished between a bed and a book shelf, clearly hiding. He released his hand from Niall's and creeped over to the boy. As he neared, he could tell he was tall and looked older than the others. He must have been 12, nearly 13 soon: one more room up. His immaturity shined, still.

"Hello, bub," Liam greeted quietly.

"Shh!!" The small brunette hushed. "They'll find me!"

"Who will?" Liam questioned. He couldn't tell if it was a game or if the boy was truly scared so he played it safe, his voice full of concern.

"The soldiers! I've been in this trench for weeks, sir!" The boy playfully saluted, before becoming falsely serious again, his eyes racing the room wildly.

"Ooo, how strong of you! The war has been going on for months now!" Liam played along.

The two went back and forth, at some point pretending they had a radio to speak to the head colonel in this "war."