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It was finally happening.
It was a clear Thursday afternoon. The sun was shining, birds were singing, and Blue was about to get his brothers back.
He stood in front of the mirror at the Foresters’ apartment, adjusting his coat jacket. He wanted to dress up at least a little bit, even though he was wearing a simple dark blue t-shirt underneath. He quickly brushed his teeth, running a brush though his hair.
Malon peeked in. “You ready, honey?”
“I think so,” he said, letting out a deep breath. “Sorry for taking so long. This is just a really big deal to me, and-”
“There’s no need to apologize,” she said. “We’re glad to help you.”
Blue nodded, making sure his hair was tucked behind his ears. “I’ll see y’all tomorrow,” he said. “Thanks for all the help.”
“You’re welcome, sweetie,” Malon said. “Remember, if you need anything, don’t hesitate to call.”
Blue smiled. “I won’t.”
He walked out of the apartment, grabbing his keys and walking outside to his car. It was a quiet drive to the courthouse, and he kept his eyes trained on the road, not wanting to screw this up and get a speeding ticket.
He parked in the garage, grabbing a ticket and speed walking down to the front of the building. Blue slowed down as he walked inside, acknowledging the countless people inside.
He made his way back to the courtroom, checking the time. He was a minute early.
“Better than being late,” he muttered.
He pushed open the door, walking into the courtroom. He could see Green, Vio, Red, and a few other people (including their social worker) sitting behind a table. Red waved excitedly once he saw him enter the room.
Blue waved, walking over to the table and sitting next to Green. The judge called for attention, clearing his throat.
“We are gathered here today to celebrate the adoption of Green, Red, and Vio Centaro,” he said. “This is a very significant event for each of you, and for your older brother, who hasn’t done this before.”
Blue chuckled. “First time for everything, huh?”
The judge smiled warmly. “There is, indeed. There were several excellent letters of recommendation from coworkers, previous bosses, old friends from high school… Very good evidence that you’re suitable to be their legal guardian.”
From the look on Blue’s face, it was very obvious that he didn’t know that. He had mentioned it once in passing at work, but it was surprising that they had actually written the letters.
“And they trust you a lot,” the judge added, making Blue blush. “They trust you to be able to provide for them. I assume you’ll live up to that trust?”
“I wouldn’t ever break it.”
The judge nodded. “Anju, you conducted the home study, correct? Any complaints?”
The woman standing next to Cremia nodded. “The accommodations were a little small, but four people can definitely live in a smaller space.”
The judge cleared his throat. “Alright. I just have a few questions to ask before the adoption can be legalized.”
Blue took a deep breath. “Okay.”
“What is your full legal name?”
“Blue Easton Centaro, sir.”
“What is your age?”
“Twenty.”
“What is your address?”
“2634 Clover Drive.”
“How long have you lived in Castle Town?”
“I was born here, so all my life.”
“What do you do for a living?”
“I’m the manager at Castle Town Coffee Shop.”
“Still think that job pays way too much,” Vio muttered.
“Are you currently in any relationship, and do you have a soulmark?”
“No soulmark,” Blue said. “No relationships other than platonic.”
“What are the full legal names of the children you want to adopt?”
“Green Aden Centaro, Violet Alex Centaro, and Red Harrison Centaro.”
“How old are they?”
“Green and Vio are fifteen, and Red is eleven.”
“Do any of the children own property?”
“No, sir.”
“Are any of them from outside of this country?”
“No, sir.”
“How long have you lived in the same household as them?”
“Eighteen years,” Blue said. “I wasn’t able to take care of them for the first ten, though.”
The judge nodded. “Are you prepared to treat the three of them as your own children?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And you understand that once they are adopted, they have the same legal rights to inheritance as any other child of yours.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Do you wish to change their names?”
“No, sir.”
“Final question. Do you think that adoption is in their best interest?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Why?”
“I think that the three of them need to be in a stable environment where they know for a fact that they are loved, with an actual member of their family. No offense to any past foster parents, but I feel like I’m the best person to provide that.”
The judge nodded. “I have some questions for the boys, now.”
Red frowned. “Cremia told me I wasn’t gonna have to answer questions today.”
The judge chuckled. “My apologies. I have some questions for Green and Vio.”
The brothers in question straightened up, looking up at the judge.
“Full legal names?”
“Green Aden Centaro.”
“Violet Alex Centaro.”
“Ages?”
“We’re both fifteen,” Vio said, answering for both of them.
“Fifteen,” Green said, echoing his brother.
“How long have you lived with Blue?”
“Thirteen years.”
“Do you agree to him adopting you and becoming your legal parent?”
“Yes,” they said immediately.
“Do you want your name to be changed, and to what?”
“No,” Green said, while Vio hesitated for a second before repeating his brother.
The judge nodded. “Anju, Cremia? Any complaints?”
“No, sir,” they said at the same time.
The judge smiled. “If there is no further objection, I now pronounce you father and sons!”
Red squealed, pulling Blue into a tight hug. Blue hugged him back, reaching out an arm to pull Green and Vio into the hug.
“Took us long enough,” he muttered.
Vio could feel the itch of Shadow’s words blazing their way across his skin as they walked out of the courthouse, and he barely resisted the urge to lift up his shirt to read what was being written. He kept his focus on the path ahead, walking back to Blue’s car.
After they were inside, Vio finally let himself breathe, pushing up his sleeve so that he could see the writing.
Did the adoption thing go well?
Vio
Vio answer me
What are you doing
I’m bored
He sighed. “Does anyone have a pen?”
Blue grabbed one from the front seat, throwing it back at him.
It went fine, there’s no need to worry. I’m omw to my brother’s house.
Okay good
I was a little worried
Are you picking up the flowers?
I hope so. Patton promised me he would hold onto them if I didn’t get there today.
“Blue, can we make a stop somewhere? I need to pick something up.”
“Where do you need to go?”
“A store on Main Street.”
“Why?”
“I literally just told you.”
Blue sighed. “Fine.”
Yeah, I’m going to pick them up.
Please tell me you didn’t tell them you got them flowers
I’m not that stupid, Shadow.
They arrived on Main Street a minute later, Vio jumping out of the car and running down the street. He arrived at his destination just seconds later.
“Patton!” he said, rushing into the store. “Do you have that thing I asked for?”
The owner of the flower shop came out of the back, holding a small bouquet of flowers. “Yep!” Patton said, grinning. “What’s the occasion, again?”
“My brothers and I finally got adopted,” he said breathlessly. “Wanted to do something special.”
“Aww, that’s so sweet!” Patton said. “I remember, when Logan and I adopted our sons, Roman tried to do the same thing, except he didn’t know that I owned the shop.”
Vio chuckled. “That must have been a pretty funny misunderstanding.”
“It sure was,” Patton said. He checked over the bouquet again. “So we have blue amaryllis, white camellia, red germanium, purple morning glory, green chrysanthemum, and violets. Is that it?”
“Yeah, how much is it?”
“I’m not gonna charge you for this honey,” he said, handing it over.
“Wait, but I can’t-”
“Take it,” Patton said. “Think of it as a gift, okay?”
Vio nodded. “Okay,” he said, gently taking the flowers from Patton’s hands. “Thanks, so much.”
“It’s not a problem!” he said, beaming. “I’m always welcome to help.”
Vio smiled running back out of the shop and back to the car.
“Where did you go?” Blue asked, before looking at what he held in his hands. “Oh. Oh, wow.”
“Amaryllis for pride, camellia for affection, germanium for friendship, morning glory for affection, chrysanthemum for joy, and violet for wisdom,” he said. “And they’re in our colors.”
“That’s actually pretty cool,” Green said, feeling the flower petals. “How much research did you do?”
“I have a friend who’s a florist,” he said. “He helped me pick the flowers.”
“I wanna hold the flowers!” Red said.
“Be careful with them,” Vio replied. “Don’t let the water spill in the car, okay?”
Red nodded, excitedly putting the vase in his lap and looking at the flowers.
Vio picked the pen back up, scribbling some more words on his wrist.
They really like them.
Good
Hey I gotta go my dad is calling me
I’ll talk to you later.
He tossed the pen back up to Blue.
“What did you need this for?” he asked, looking back at him while they were stopped at an intersection.
“Vio wanted to talk to his boyfriend,” Red teased.
Vio sighed. “Shadow isn’t my boyfriend! We haven’t even met yet!”
“He’s your soulmate, that’s practically the same thing,” Green said, wrapping his arm around his twin brother’s shoulder and pulling him in close. “Just admit it, you’re head over heels for him.”
“Stop!” he said, shoving Green off of him.
Green just rolled his eyes. “Killjoy.”
Blue sighed, turning up the music and driving down the street. A few minutes later, they arrived at his house.
He pushed his key into the lock, pushing it open and walking inside. “Twins, you get the loft. Red can have the downstairs bedroom, underneath the master bedroom. We’ll go get stuff to decorate tomorrow. Until then, we have mac n’ cheese and leftover cake.”
Red cheered, sitting down on the couch. “Mac n’ cheese! Mac n’ cheese!”
Vio sighed, sitting down next to him with Green plopping down a minute later. “I will never understand him.”
“I don’t think I will either,” Blue said, grabbing the food out of the fridge and placing it on the table. “Let’s just roll with it. Dig in, guys.”
As Red, Green, and Vio ate, Blue checked his phone for the first time in hours. The other staff members had been texting the group chat all day, begging for updates on how everything was going.
Blue: guess who’s a ‘father’ now :D
Sky: That’s awesome!
Legend: how much are you regretting this so far
Blue: a lot
Twilight: Wait but I thought you were really excited for that
Blue: Ever heard of sarcasm?
Blue: but yeah they’re eating cake right now
Blue: Someone please send Malon my thanks because she makes amazing cakes
Wild: um i helped do i get thanks?
Blue: Sure
He put his phone away, looking back over at his brothers. Vio had set the flowers on the table, and they had their arms around each other in a sort of strange hug.
“Blue?” Green said in a quiet voice. “Thanks.”
Blue smiled. “You’re welcome,” he said. “You know I’d do anything to keep my family together.”
Red jumped off of the couch, running into Blue’s arms. “I love you,” he mumbled, pressing his face into his big brother’s shirt.
“I love you, too,” he said, barely holding back tears as Green and Vio joined the hug. He looked down at his brothers, smiling fondly as he looked upon them.
They were finally a family again.