A/N: i copy and paste the following author's note to all chapters of all of my stories, for complete transparency. most of my writing is done on my phone and while i try to be sure my grammar, punctuation and the like are on point, the majority of my writing is in entirely lowercase letters! because i'm putting this disclaimer here, any and all comments about this aspect of my writing will be ignored. if it bothers you, please just don't read my work. thank you!


the day had started like any other for wilt. he had woken up next to eduardo, his husband, while their puppy, chuy, laid at the foot of their bed. wilt had awoken eduardo after several moments spent silently, sweetly admiring him as he slept. the two took turns with different preparatory activities in their bathroom, fed their pet, and said good morning to their various housemates as they walked hand-in-hand to the eating hall for breakfast. wilt couldn't help but glance over again affectionately at his partner as they ate. he felt so lucky to be married to ed. with him, every day felt like pure sunshine and rainbows. he'd never been more in love.

it was a tuesday in the summer, and mac showed up around noon. to greet his friend, bloo attempted to tackle him; but mac, now fourteen, wasn't knocked to the ground as easily as he was when he was younger - he simply lost his balance for a moment before embracing his friend in a hug. bloo struggled to free himself. mac muttered, "it's pointless, i'm not letting you go until you give in," and bloo finally complied and was let down.

bloo took mac's hand and started leading him away to show him something, and mac chuckled about bloo's height of only two feet. wilt, who had been sitting on the steps and watching the daily reunion, also chuckled, about mac's height. the kid was only five foot two and seemed to have stopped growing taller. mac was one to speak. then again, maybe it's about perspective, the basketball player thought to himself, remembering that he stood at ten feet. he shrugged to himself as eduardo entered the room.

"hola, mi amor! is senõr mac here?" he asked.

"sure is," replied wilt. "you just missed him."

eduardo smiled. "that's okay. i leave him time with senõr azul." the latino friend sat down next to his husband on the steps, and wilt laid a gentle kiss between his eyes, making eduardo blush. both of their smiles grew wider.

after a few minutes of peaceful silence that eduardo spent leaning on his husband, he got up, stretched, and wandered off. he had asked wilt if he wanted to join him, but wilt shook his head and apologized, stating that he'd rather see the bustle of the foyer. ed nodded and smiled before meandering off through the righthand threshold of the room.

twenty relaxed minutes passed. now and then a friend would pass through and provide a greeting, to which wilt always replied, and at one point in rushed mac and bloo, mac taking a moment to stop and acknowledge his tall friend. but for the most part, it was quiet, the same spread-out controlled chaos of foster's that wilt had grown so much to love.

then there was a knock on the door.

wilt flinched for a moment as if to get the door, but realized it wasn't his place to do so, and remained seated. frankie rushed by after a moment, and the big grand doors opened - time for an adoption. in walked one of the sweetest kids wilt had seen in a long while. she was maybe only seven, and had big blue eyes and platinum blonde hair that was tied in two messy pigtails, which fell loosely over her shoulders. she seemed timid, as most kids were when they entered foster's home. as her mother spoke with frankie, she glanced over towards wilt and waved at him, providing a small but genuine smile. her smile was missing teeth. it warmed wilt's heart. he waved and smiled back.

wilt overhead frankie suggest that the girl and her mother wander the halls of foster's and interact with some of the friends in hopes of finding the one right for her. off she went down the same hall that eduardo had gone down twenty-some minutes ago, her mother trailing. she and eduardo would make a pretty good match, wilt thought. both were timid sweethearts. wilt smiled again at the thought of the one he loved.

another relaxed ten minutes passed and in walked mac again, no longer accompanied by his blue friend. "hey wilt," he said, sitting down casually next to the imaginary friend.

"hi, mac. what have you and bloo been up to?" wilt replied.

"oh, you know, this here, that there. same as usual," answered mac. quietly he slung his tattered green backpack off his shoulder and pulled out a juice pouch. he pulled out a second one and reached up to wilt, but wilt shook his head kindly and mac returned the drink to his backpack. he took the straw off of his own and stabbed it into the plastic before taking a sip.

it was a silent few moments before mac said, "hey, did you notice the younger girl here for an adoption?"

"yeah," muttered wilt, "i was still sitting here when she first came in. she seems sweet. did you talk to her?"

"only for a second," said the brunette as he took another drink. "she asked me if i was here to adopt and i just told her i worked here 'cause that's easier than explaining my situation."

"you sort of do work here."

"that too, yeah."

mac finished his juice and stuffed the empty pouch into his backpack. "i'm gonna go see what trouble bloo's in. talk to you later, wilt!" wilt lifted his only arm in the form of a goodbye as mac walked off.

another quiet ten minutes passed by, and the midday silence was broken for wilt by a distant, familiar stomping, from a few rooms away. wilt smiled at the sound, and, just as he was anticipating, in shot eduardo, grinning from horn to horn. his eyes twinkled. he rushed over to his partner, and held him gently by the shoulders.

"oh, mi amante, i have such great news!" he exclaimed. his crooked tail wagged behind him, causing wilt to giggle.

"what is it?" smiled wilt back.

"i been adopted!" hollered eduardo. he happily threw his arms around his husband, and wilt's smile grew even wider.

"oh, my goodness, ed, that's wonderful! congratulations, sweetheart!"

as eduardo released wilt from his embrace, he laid a big, sloppy kiss on wilt's lips. "i so happy, wilt! the girl who adopt me, she so sweet, she like puppies and coloring and flowers just like me! she so perfect for me!"

now it was wilt that hugged ed. "i'm so glad you've finally found your kid! you deserve it more than anyone here. you're the kindest friend i know, i'm surprised you weren't adopted much sooner."

but suddenly wilt's expression drew blank, and he let out a sharp gasp, as he realized something that hadn't yet come to his husband's mind.

eduardo had begun to ramble. "the girl, she says she like to play knight, i be her horsey! she also say we can bake together, and her treehouse is just big enough that i fit in it! she say it just her and her mommy so it be nice to have another friend in her house."

wilt's lip quivered. "eduardo, i'm overjoyed for you, but... oh, honey, what about me? what about us?"

eduardo looked his husband in the eye, a confused expression having crossed over his features. "what about us-?" he started to ask, but then the reality of what was to happen finally set into the latino friend, and wilt could see his eyes glaze over with moisture. ed's smile dropped.

it didn't need to be said. both of them knew exactly what had to happen. eduardo was being adopted, and that meant he wouldn't be able to come back to foster's - he and wilt, his husband, would be separated, their marriage vows and the rings on their fingers left the only things binding them across miles. wilt had already realized this, but as it finally clicked for eduardo, gentle, warm tears started to stream down his cheeks.

"oh, mi alma gemela, i not even think- i not consider that we have to- to-"

wilt interrupted. "it's okay, ed. i've thought about the reality of our relationship before. i," he broke his sentence with a sigh, "i knew this would happen eventually."

"mi flor marchita," squeaked eduardo, "i never thought about this, even when we got married, i- i should have considered, i..." he trailed off, his words broken by a sob. wilt faded a bit.

the two stood hand-in-hand, eye-to-eye, for what seemed like an eternity. neither of them knew what to say - because what was there to say? every imaginary friend at foster's yearned for the opportunity to be adopted. some would spend their nights dreaming of the kind of kid who might adopt them. wilt knew far better than to keep eduardo from the same deep desire that he, too, had time and time again longed for.

wilt had practiced for this moment before. he had practiced saying goodbye to his one true love, whether it was his love or himself that was leaving. he figured that by preparing himself for the grim event, it wouldn't hurt so much when it actually came. his hypothesis couldn't be further from the truth. as he turned the thought over in his mind that he would no longer be able to spend every day with his husband, the friend's heart ached with a horrible dread that he knew wouldn't be leaving any time soon. his throat felt tight and his eyes felt tired. his whole body had seemingly weakened, slumped; as if some great weight had been slung over his shoulders. he felt a sudden tinge of loneliness. despair, desperation creeped upwards from his gut, enveloping his insides. he felt sick. he felt directionless.

these were emotions he knew. he hadn't felt this way in a long, long time.

eduardo's eyes still quivered, and tears still streamed silently down his cheeks, though he said nothing. still his eyes were locked on wilt's, whose own eyes had dulled. and beyond his control, as if some force had taken his body over, he quickly, desperately threw his arms around wilt. wilt's one arm came up to hold his lover, but the dull expression that had painted over his features didn't fade. "mi flor marchita, mi mundo entero," began the purple friend, "te amo mucho... nunca podría dejar de amarte."

wilt winced, his only remaining eye squinting shut, as if the words spoken had stung him. "i love you too, eduardo," he replied softly, "i always have, and i always will."

the two held onto eachother tightly for another eternity. after a minute or so, in walked mac.

"hey, ed, i just wanted to let you know that geneva and her mom are filling out the paperwork right now, they should be ready to go in about ten minutes," said the brunette, but as he reached the stairway to the foyer and saw the two holding eachother, he, too, realized what was happening, and his timid expression fell.

he spoke up softly, and so sincerely. "oh, eduardo, wilt, i'm so sorry- i hadn't thought about..." mac trailed off. he wasn't sure what to say. finally, he spoke up again. "are you guys... okay?"

eduardo held his embrace securely on his partner, but turned his head to look at mac. "no creo que realmente sepamos," he muttered.

mac nodded, and shuffled to the stairs, sitting down as their hug resumed. feeling awkward, he rested his elbows on his knees and his chin in his palms, and glanced mindlessly at the floor.

then in paraded bloo. "hey, ed, congrats on getting adopted," his shrill voice rang out, but then he, too, saw the couple holding eachother, and he turned to mac with a blank, confused expression. mac glanced up to his friend and patted the spot on the stairs next to him, gesturing for bloo to sit down, before whispering something to him. bloo let out a soft "oooohh."

"gosh, guys, i'm sorry, i hadn't really realized you'd have to, well..." started bloo, but he didn't finish. instead he took the same stance that mac had taken, resting his head on his hands.

mac stood up a moment later. "ed, i'm going to go pack up your stuff, okay? you stay here and spend time with wilt," he suggested, before turning and climbing the stairs. just as he left, coco walked into the foyer. her expression suggested that she had already realized what it had taken everyone else so long to think of. she sat on the floor at the foot of the stairs and closed her eyes solemnly.

wilt wasn't sure if he could ever let go of eduardo.

the two were wrapped in eachother's arms until mac came back down the stairs minutes later, carrying a large suitcase for eduardo. chuy trailed after mac. "i checked everywhere in the room to make sure i didn't forget anything. i think chuy knows something's happening, he's following me all of the sudden."

eduardo let one hand fall from wilt to pick up his pet and join the puppy in their embrace. mac sat down again next to bloo, and they stayed like this until finally and fatefully, the girl who had now officially adopted eduardo danced into the room, accompanied by her mother.

"hi, eddie!" she exclaimed. "are you ready to go?"

eduardo smiled sadly at the sound of her voice. he slowly let wilt go, and wilt was left yearning to be held for longer. chuy hopped down and sat patiently at ed's feet. "hola, geneva. i just saying goodbye."

the girl nodded, and eduardo turned and grabbed his suitcase, before kneeling and unlatching it. he rummaged through his belongings for a second before pulling out a small stuffed kitten, who was missing one of her eyes. he turned back to wilt. "this my beanie baggie, named pearl. she always remind me of you. i want you to have her," he told wilt, and wilt slowly took the plush from his husband's hand, not wanting to let their fingers untwine.

he gave a bittersweet smile. "thank you, ed." eduardo smiled back.

eduardo spoke up again. "mi flor marchita, please promise me i will see you again."

again wilt formed a half-hearted smile. "you will, love. i promise. i'll be here waiting for you. and if i'm gone by the time you return, somehow i'll find my way back so that we can be together again."

"i would wait here for a million years for you, mi alma gemela, mi verdadero amor."

"as would i for you, sweetheart." finally, wilt leaned into his husband and embraced him in a gentle, longing kiss. eduardo felt like he could stay there in his husband's arms for the rest of his life. but he had a newfound obligation. it was time to go.

eduardo pulled his lips from his husband and tore from his husband's embrace. he latched his suitcase shut, picked it up, and turned, heading towards the door. wilt sat down on the stairs behind him, broken.

as the big doors of foster's creaked open again, eduardo stopped in the threshold, and turned back to wilt. "take care of chuy for me, mi flor marchita. i love you."

wilt replied in a broken, shaky voice. "i will, eduardo. i love you too. good luck, honey."

the doors of foster's closed, and wilt faded even more. mac scooted over to him. "we're here for you if you need us, wilt. we love you too."

bloo stood up and shuffled to stand beside mac. "yeah, man. if you need to talk you can count on us to listen."

coco came around to wilt's other side and outstretched a wing. "coco co coco, co. coco co coco co, co coco co coco cococo cocococo," she cooed.

wilt scrunched up his face a bit. "thank you, coco. i don't quite think that's true, but i appreciate the thought." he turned to mac and bloo. "thank you guys, too. you're good friends."

wilt passed the stuffed animal to his stub arm and picked up chuy by the nape before standing up, turning, and lumbering slowly up the stairs. when he reached the bedroom that now belonged only to him, he set chuy down at the foot of the bed that only he would now sleep in and laid down himself, on the opposite side from where he usually slept. the pillow still smelled like eduardo. sweet, cowardly eduardo. the one wilt had fallen in love with. the one wilt couldn't live without.

for the first time in eleven years, wilt sobbed.


coco had said "it'll be okay, wilt. i know it hurts now, but you'll feel better about it eventually", for anyone wondering!