Chapter Text
“Are you sure you’re ready?” a nervous Taehyung asked his husband.
“Babe, we talked about this several times over the last few years, and yes I am ready if you are,” Jungkook replied.
The two got out of their car and walked hand in hand towards the building. Today was the first meeting at the orphanage. They had three meetings with the adoption agency, all positive. They had filled out hours upon hours of paperwork. Their closest friends had been interviewed. The agency even asked to inspect their home to make sure that it was child- friendly. After months of waiting, they would be able to meet some of the children that were available for adoption.
Jungkook and Taehyung were very specific when they met with the agency. They didn’t want a newborn. They were OK with someone a little older. Taehyung was an elementary school teacher so he was familiar with children and Jungkook was a child psychologist. They had explained to the agency they weren’t afraid to adopt a child with special needs or a child who was having psychological problems. Both were aware that those children were often looked over by couples looking to adopt as they are often more challenging. Taehyung and Jungkook had a lot of love to give a child as well as patience. The adoption agency informed the couple that the orphanage had several children between the ages of 2-5 that would fit what they were looking for and that Jungkook and Taehyung could come down and meet some of them today.
They were met at the front door by a friendly- looking Nun who introduced herself as Sister Maria Theresa. She explained that she was one of the sisters who helped run the orphanage and the adoption agency had contacted them to let her know that the couple was coming in today. Sister Theresa led the husbands down to the classroom where the children were.
“There are 3 girls and 2 boys in this class. Each of them is unique to our orphanage. Two of the children have Downs Syndrome, one of the boys is deaf, one of the girls has brittle bone disease and the other little girl had been adopted but we were fooled by the father. He used to abuse her and she no longer speaks.” Sister Theresa explains to Jungkook and Taehyung before they enter the classroom.
“She hasn’t spoken since she was returned to the orphanage?” Jungkook asked
“That is correct Mr. Jeon. She does what she is asked to do. I believe she is bright for a 5 year- old. I hardly see her smile. I do notice she does flinch at times. Before she left for the first time, she was a bright ray of sunshine. Her smile could light up a room. We actually named her Joy because she brought a smile and happiness to all who came in contact with her”
“Oh my goodness! Poor thing! How did this happen with the adoptive parents?” Taehyung asked.
“Her adoptive father was a sociopath and manipulator. He was charming and we had no clue how evil he really was. Not only did he abuse Joy, but his wife as well. The ER doctor finally reported things when Joy's arm was broken. Joy’s mother broke down and admitted it all. She was not mentally stable to keep Joy on her own so she was returned to us. Joy really has not been able to connect with any prospective parents. To be honest, most of these children are overlooked due to their disabilities so we were quite pleased when we received your application and interest. I am sure you will be great parents to one of these children. Please go in and interact with them. My superior and I will observe you from a distance to see how you interact. If you feel a connection with any of them, please let us know. We will then let the agency know and proceed from there”.
Taehyung and Jungkook opened the door to the room and stepped inside. Five heads with inquiring eyes met them. One young girl immediately ran up to the couple to say high. Eventually, three other children made their way over to them. Taehyung knew a little sign language so he was able to communicate with the boy who was deaf. Jungkook noticed that the young girl with brittle bone disease moved slowly. Both men noticed the young girl sitting in the corner watching them and assumed that was Joy. She never made a move to come closer. The other children were happy to color and play games.
After a half- hour Jungkook noticed Taehyung get up and make his way over towards Joy. She was sitting by the bookcase. He casually took a book out and sat down. Little by little she inched closer to Taehyung until she was sitting next to him.
“This is one of my favorite books” He whispered to her. “Would you like to read it with me?”
Joy looked at Taehyung with wide eyes and nodded yes. He motioned for her to sit on his lap and she gingerly climbed into his arms while he began to read. After a few pages, Taehyung noticed she had relaxed and her hands were reaching for the pages to turn them along with his.
“That was a good story don’t you think? My name is Taehyung. That handsome man over there is my husband Jungkook. Would you like to meet him and color with us?” Taehyung asked.
She shyly nodded her head ‘yes’ and they made their way over to the table where the rest of the children were coloring with Jungkook. Joy climbed into the chair next to Jungkook and took a piece of paper. She began to draw a picture. After a few minutes, Jungkook felt a tug on his sleeve. He turned to Joy to find her holding out a crayon to him.
“Do you need some help?” he gently asked.
She nodded her head yes and pointed to a discarded puzzle piece shaped like a dog.
“Do you want to draw a dog? Do you need some help to draw the dog?”
She nodded her head yes again. Jungkook gently took her hand in his and started to draw the outline of a dog. When he was finished, she colored in the picture. Soon Sister Theresa came into the classroom and announced it was time for Taehyung and Jungkook to leave. Each of the children was sad to see them go. Before the husbands could walk out of the room, Taehyung felt someone tug on his pant leg. He turned around to find Joy. Taehyung tapped Jungkook’s arm and motioned for him to turn around too. Joy held out her picture of the dog to give to the two of them and then hugged Taehyung’s leg. At that moment, both men knew that Joy was the child they needed to adopt.
“Thank you, Joy. We will come back and visit you soon, OK?” Taehyung told her before leaving the classroom.
As they were walking down the hall, Sister Theresa couldn’t help but comment on Joy’s behaviors.
“She has never interacted with any couple before. You two are something special,” she remarked.
“We believe she is special too, Sister Theresa. We would like to pursue adopting Joy if possible. All of the children in that room are precious and we would take all of them if we could, but I think Taehyung would agree with me that we felt a special connection with Joy.” Jungkook replied.
“I think that would be a wonderful fit. I will let the adoption agency know what your thoughts are. We will be in contact to set up some one-on-one time with her here. If that goes well, the next step will be supervised home visits. If that is successful, she will be yours.” Sister Theresa explained.
“That sounds good. We will look forward to your phone calls. School is almost done for the year so hopefully, this can be done during the summer so she can adjust before I go back to work in the fall,” Taehyung answered.
The drive back to their home was quiet. Both men pondered over what had happened today.
“I am glad you feel the same way I do,” Taehyung stated breaking the silence.
“ This might be hard. She will need a lot of love and reassurance. You were so gentle with her. Not too many people can resist the Kim Taehyung charm though.”
“I know it will be hard. She is precious. All those children were precious, but I just felt a special connection with her. When we first stepped into the classroom, I felt drawn towards her. I didn't want to overwhelm her either, so I took my time. That is what we will need to do with her. Go slow and be patient.”
“I agree my love. Sometimes I wonder why you don’t have the child psychology degree,” Jungkook replied before kissing the back of his husband’s hand.