Authors Note: Well, here it is, the last chapter. Thank you all for reading and reviewing. Hopefully this fic looked better than the other. There are more fics in the work, trust me. If you like my fics then rest assured, there should be more. Thank you. Enjoy the chapter.

Chapter Eight: A Place to Call Home

"Everything all set up?"

"Yea. The walls look great, the furniture and electronics are all set up, and everything he could ever want is here."

"You think he'll like it here?"

"He'll love it here." He pulled me into his side then kissed my temple. "Come on, we gotta go pick him up…and give everyone time to set up." We walked downstairs, making sure all the decorations were in place and everything was running smoothly.

"How's it coming guys?"

"Food?"

"Check." Go Go said, kicking the oven closed.

"Music?"

"Check." Honey Lemon said from the living room.

"Visuals?"

"Check, dude." Fred called out from behind the TV.

"Decorations?"

"Check." Aunt Cass, Uncle Naes, and Wasabi said from various locations.

"Puppy?"

"Check!" Mateo and Jonathan shouted from the yard. Their reply was followed by a series of barks.

"Everything is running smoothly."

"We should be done by the time you guys get there."

"Alright, let's go."

"Right behind you."

I followed Tadashi to the garage, we climbed into his car then took off towards our destination. "Excited?"

"Very. This has been in the works for a very long time."

"I know…we're doing the right thing though." He took his hand off of the steering wheel and grasped mine.

"He's going to be so happy with us."

Over the past three years or so, Tadashi and I had been getting to know Haruki. Ever since we met him at the airport, we had been quite captivated by him. The moment we got back from our honeymoon in Tokyo, we visited him at the orphanage. We brought him some things from Japan and ended up talking and playing with him for about three hours. We learned so much about him, such as the fact that he loves all things anime, he wants to learn to draw like Tadashi and I because he's seen our sketches in newspaper articles, he loves animals, helping people, and wants to grow up to change the world.

He was dropped off at the orphanage when he was barely an hour old. When he was taken into the hospital for basic medical tests, they found an abnormal growth. Said growth began to exhibit signs of cancer when he was 2. By the time he was 4, he had spent most of his short life being treated for cancer.

Over the last three years Tadashi and I had talked more and more about having a child. Of course we could have our own with the aid of a couple of surrogates and we will but seeing Haruki and spending so much time with him we began to get more and more attached to him. We'll probably make him a big brother after he settles in.

Now, we were on our way to the adoption office to pick him up and take him home. It was a surprise to him. He thought we were taking him out again. Catherine had kept things under wraps for us and we were so grateful for that.

As we pulled up in front of the office, Haruki was already waiting on the steps with Catherine. When he saw Tadashi's car, he sprang to his feet before running to the curb. "You guys are back!"

"Of course we are, have we ever broken a promise to come back?"

He shook his head and as soon as we got out of the car he hugged both of us. "I missed you guys."

We each placed a hand on his back. "We missed you too." I knelt down in front of him, smiling as I saw how happy he was to see us. "You got all your stuff ready for the trip?"

"Yea! I can't believe you guys talked Cat into letting me go with you for more than a day."

"It took some convincing but we managed to do it. We just need to go inside for a bit before we go." Tadashi said with a broad smile gracing his features.

"Okay."

"We just need you to wait outside Catherine's office okay?" He nodded his head enthusiastically. I stood up and offered Haruki my hand. Tadashi did the same. He took both of our hands and walked with us inside.

"That's the last of the paperwork you two. Sorry this took so long."

"It was worth the wait. He'll be so happy with us."

"I know he will, he already loves you guys. Whenever you get back from some outing, he never stops talking about what you did or how well you treated him." Catherine filed the paperwork away before returning her gaze to us.

"Would you like to attend his welcoming party? We have more than enough food."

"I would love to…but Haruki might get a tad suspicious if I tag along. I'll probably be around a bit later."

"Alright. We'll see you later." We got up and extended our hands towards her. "Thank you so much."

"Yes, thank you so very much." She shook our hands before picking up some papers on her desk and getting back to work. We exited her office, upon doing so, Haruki sprang to his feet with a smile on his face as well as a gleam in his eyes.

"So? Can we go?"

Tadashi chuckled before ruffling Haruki's hair. "Yes, we can. Get your suitcase and we'll go."

Haruki did as he was instructed before he followed us out to the car. I put his suitcase into the trunk before ushering Haruki into his car seat. "Aww come on, I'm way too big for this!"

"Last I checked, you were still under the height requirement to use the normal seatbelts."

"Only by an inch or two!"

"Haruki, you're 4'4, when you hit 4'9 we'll ditch the car seat."

He pouted a bit before relenting. "Okay…" I secured him in his car seat before taking my spot in the passenger's seat. During the ride I texted Fred and said we were on our way.

When we got to our house Haruki was looking around at his new surroundings trying to figure out where we were. "Hey Haruki, can you do us a favor?"

"Sure."

"When we get out we need you to close your eyes. Can you do that for us?" He nodded before undoing the straps to his car seat and climbing out of the car.

When we got out, Tadashi went to get Haruki's suitcase and I went to take Haruki's hand to guide him into our home. We walked up the steps and opened the door. We stopped when we got to the middle of the living room, I could see everyone almost bursting to shout 'welcome home' but thankfully kept quiet.

"Alright Haruki, open your eyes."

He did and was met with smiling faces and a cake that said 'Welcome to the Family'. "WELCOME HOME, HARUKI!" Everyone shouted.

He looked a bit startled but his radiant smile quickly replaced his stunned expression. Right before he began to cry. Even though he was crying, that signature smile of his remained. He his sobs sounded a bit like laughter.

"Well he looks happy." Go Go stated.

"I am happy! This is the best thing that's happened to me…aside from meeting you guys…wait…this means…"

Tadashi and I nodded. "You're legally our son now."

"You don't have to call us 'dad' right away, you can do it when you're ready."

"Thank you…Dads."

"Awww! That's so cute! Picture, picture!" Honey Lemon scooted us closer together before stepping back and taking a few pictures of us.

"Okay, okay. Let's eat! Oh, one more thing. Jonathan! Mateo! Do the thing!" I shouted. They both took up spots at the back door before pushing them open. Not even five seconds later, Duke was bolting into the house and toppling over Haruki. Duke started licking every inch of his face, Haruki was all smiles and giggles which warmed my heart.

"Okay, down Duke. Come on, let the poor child breathe." Wasabi said jovially as he tugged at Duke's bandana.

Haruki sat on the floor rubbing his face on his sleeves and giggling. "I like this place already! You guys have my favorite kind of dog. I've always wanted a Huskie."

"Yup, Duke's our furry child. He's also well trained. Hiro made sure of that." He pulled me in and kissed my temple. "Guys, start setting up the food and cutting the cake, we're going to show Haru around."

"Got it. Treat our nephew well or else Auntie Go Go is gonna knock some heads."

"Yes ma'am. Come on, we'll show you around." Tadashi and I guided him to the backyard and showed him to the pool house and around our pool.

"I can't wait to go for a swim."

"I remember you enjoy swimming. That's why we took you to the lake so many times."

"I really appreciate you guys doing that for me."

"Of course. We love you."

Haruki stood there in a stunned silence for a second before looking away. "Haru?"

"Are you okay?"

"You guys…love me?"

Tadashi and I looked at each other quizzically for a second before looking back at Haruki. "Of course we do…why wouldn't we?"

"My…my parent's didn't love me enough to keep me…I kind of thought…people couldn't love me. I thought love was one way. I was always giving people my love but I didn't feel it returned."

"Haru…I know for a fact that Catherine loves you. The hospital staff that took care of you when you were sick, they love you. We love you. Everyone in the house loves you. You know Duke loves you."

"And Duke is actually a really good judge of character. Every time we came home smelling like you, he'd get excited. After 3 years, he still got excited."

I knelt down to his level so I could look him in his eyes. "Haruki Morino, of course we love you. Since the day we met you, we felt that there was something special about you. When we got on the plane the first thing we talked about was you. For the last 3 years we've been putting in so much work trying to get to know you and getting everything together to bring you home."

"Really?"

"Of course. We feel like you're the missing piece in our life." He threw his arms around me and started sobbing into my shoulder. I picked him up then started rubbing circles into his back. Tadashi sandwiched him between us, encircling us in his arms.

"Shhh, it's okay. You're alright. You're home now, you're with people that love you unconditionally."

Eventually, his sobs stopped and he pulled away from my shoulder to look us in the eye. "Ready to finish the tour?" He nodded but refused to let go of me, so I carried him around. Not that I minded, I felt like a real dad. I was already comforting my child.

We took him back inside and up to the second level to show him to our room, the bathroom, and his room. "Wow! Is this all for me?"

"Of course it is. State of the art television and laptop complete with a printer and scanner."

"Lofted bed-futon combination. All the seasons of your favorite shows and all the volumes of your favorite manga."

"School supplies, you start in a week by the way."

"And, that envelope on your bed, it has forms regarding an apprenticeship with a vet clinic a mile or two from here. It just needs your signature."

"There's more in the basement but we'll let everyone else tell you about what's down there."

Haruki ran his hand over the railing that comprised his new bed. He seemed to not be concerned with all the tech. "I love it…I've never really had a bed this nice before. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate everything you guys got me, everything you've done for me, but the bed is the best so far."

"You mean…we could get rid of everything, live in some crappy studio apartment in the worst part of town…"

"And I'd still be happy as long as I had a decent bed, or even just my Dads and Duke."

"This kid is too much…I'm going to cry,"

"Come on, let's go back downstairs and enjoy your welcome party before Tadashi starts crying."

We descended the stairs and joined our guests. Catherine had shown up while we were giving Haruki a tour. We all enjoyed the food, skillfully crafted by Wasabi and Go Go, while watching a slide show of pictures and videos from our days at SFIT and the days after our wedding. Eventually the party moved to the pool and then around the fire pit where we made a few s'mores before calling it a night.

Before everyone left, we took Haruki down to the basement to show him what was waiting for him. In addition to the gifts upstairs, Haruki also received a custom go-kart, hand crafted by Go-Go, a life time subscription to Photoshop, courtesy of Fred, a chemistry set, designed by Honey Lemon, a cook book from Aunt Cass, and a hand crafted sword dubbed 'Gin No Sora', meaning silver sky, from Wasabi. The blade was black with silver swirls resembling clouds near the guard. We made him promise to learn how to use a sword safely before he got to use Gin No Sora. He was excited to start learning self-defense in our personal gym but we told him he would have to wait until he was settled in.

After everyone had gone, we noticed that it was nine thirty. "Okay Haru, time for you to go get ready for bed."

"Okay!" He bounded up the stairs and a few minutes later we heard the sink turn on.

We started picking cleaning up down stairs in a comfortable silence before I heard Tadashi chuckle. "What's up with you?"

"I'm just happy. We have a son. We have a child together." He tossed some trash in the garbage can before relaxing against the counter. "And he's so happy to be here, he already accepts us as his parents…we're parents."

"I know, there's nothing like it in the world." I walk over to him and stand between his legs.

"You really think he'll be happy here?"

"Of course. He only needs us, Duke, and a bed. Everything else is just a perk of being our son."

"You're right." He gave me a peck on the lips before wrapping his arms around my waist.

"I love you."

"I love you too. Come on, let's get upstairs, I could actually use a few more hours of sleep."

"That does sound good. Especially considering in a week, we'll have to take him to school. Might as well start getting our sleep schedule together now."

"Crap, you're right. Why don't you head upstairs and make sure Haru's okay. I'll make us some tea."

I kissed him on the cheek. "That sounds good." I walked down the hall and up the stairs then headed towards the bathroom. The light was on but Haruki wasn't using it. I flipped off the light before heading to Haruki's room, where I found him on the futon with Duke on resting his head in his lap. "He really likes you."

"I like him too, he's so nice to me. He's been by my side since we came down for the party. He didn't try to steal my food, he didn't whine when he wanted some, or stare at my plate. He just stood by me the entire day."

"He's happy he gets to meet you. Tadashi and I had been talking about you and had been coming home smelling like you for a long time, so Duke was curious as to who we had been spending so much time with." I stroked Duke's back a few times. "Knowing him he'll probably sleep with you tonight. He can climb the ladder if you decide to sleep up top tonight."

"Well…I was hoping I could sleep with you guys tonight."

"Of course you can, but eventually you'll have to sleep in here. Duke will be with you when you do."

"Okay…read me a story?"

"Of course. Pick out a book from the shelf and I'll come read it when I'm done getting ready for bed." I got up, kissed Haruki on the forehead, and then walked down the hall to my room to get ready for bed.

As I was washing my face, Tadashi crept up behind me and grabbed me around my waist. "Hey there, big daddy."

I stood up straight, dropping my face towel into the sink. "Hey, yourself."

He pressed himself into me, conforming to the natural curves of my body. "You feeling frisky tonight?" He slid two fingers into the waistband of my sweatpants.

"A bit, but I promised Haru that I would read to him and he could sleep in our bed tonight."

"Already acting like a father." He kissed my neck before resting his head on my shoulder, looking at our reflections in the mirror. "You know, after all these years, we don't look that different."

"Speak for yourself. I've grown, I'm almost your height."

He let out a short laugh. "You're still off by about 3 or 4 inches."

"I cut my hair so it's not as big and wild." My usually disheveled crow's nest of hair has neatly trimmed but still resembled my former 'carefree' style.

"You've also got some muscle definition going on. Trust me, I spend enough time exploring to know."

His hands found their way under my shirt, tracing over my stomach and chest. "You've bulked up too, and I've come to appreciate a little stubble on you."

"North or south of the border?" I elbowed him in the gut.

"So much has changed…I can't believe we're the same two brothers from five years ago…"

"That it has…I-"

"Daddy?"

Haru appeared at our bathroom door with Duke by his side. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Your father and I got caught up talking. Go wait in your room, I'll be right there."

"Okay, Daddy."

Haru turned and left, heading back towards his room. "Sorry, didn't mean to keep the little guy waiting." Tadashi let go of me and began to ready himself for bed as well.

"It's okay. Maybe you can read with us,"

"I'd like that."

"Alright, I'll be down the hall." I kissed him on the cheek before heading towards Haru's room. "Hey, bud."

"Hi." He was sitting on the futon with Duke resting at his feet.

"Your father's going to be in here in a bit. Why don't we turn the futon into a bed so we can all lay together?"

"Okay!" He slid off the couch, making Duke stir in curiosity.

We had the futon converted and found a comfortable spot by the time Tadashi came in and joined us. He slid into a comfortable spot next to Haru, pulling him close to his side before giving him a kiss on the top of his head. We opened the book Haru picked out and began to read it. Since there were multiple characters, Tadashi and I took turns reading so we could do different voices. Haru got a kick out of hearing Tadashi voice female characters, I have to say, I did too. By the time we finished the book, Haruki was fast asleep. I had a feeling that would happen. Tadashi and I slid out of our spots next to Haruki, flipped on his lamp, leaving the room glowing with dim, ambient lighting, and shut his door on our way out.

"He's so cute when he's sleeping."

"Remember we were driving back from the carnival one time and he wanted you to sit in the back with him?"

"Mmhmm, he fell asleep on my lap on the ride back."

"I saw you stroking his hair through the rearview mirror."

"He looked at ease. I think that's the moment I knew that our bond was cemented."

I took Tadashi's hand and led him to our bed. "You two looked so cute together."

"You two looked cute when I came in earlier. And when you were carrying him around today."

"He was almost surgically attached to me. I felt the love." I chuckled.

Tadashi flopped down onto our bed, sighing with content. "God it feels great to lie down in our bed."

I slid in next to him. "That it does."

"Good night, babe. I love you."

"I love you too."

This was it. We were parents. Our first day wasn't so bad, I knew that the days to come would be better and worse than today, however I did not dread them. I welcomed them. Each day from now on meant that we would be together as a family. I was content with life and I knew whatever life brought, I wouldn't have to face it alone. I had Tadashi, Aunt Cass, Uncle Naes, Go Go, Honey Lemon, Fred, Wasabi, Jonathan, Mateo, Duke, and now Haruki as well as everyone's respective families. I would never be alone, we all had each other. Fortunately, the future looked bright.

"Haruki Hamada, get down here now or you'll be late for your belt test!"

"Honey, calm down. We have 2 hours."

"I know, but it's not exactly a stroll up the street to the studio, and Haruki needs to eat something."

"Daddy, no yelling."

"See, even Eiji agrees."

"Eiji's just being a kiss up." Haruki said as he strolled into the kitchen.

"Be nice to your brother." Haruki rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Yes, Dad." He hugged me before going to hug Tadashi and kiss Eiji on the top of his head.

"Where's Koji?"

"In our room." Eiji responded.

"I'll go get him, Tadashi make sure Haru eats something."

"I was gonna!"

"Sugar coated cereal and candy don't count." He slumped into his seat and pouted,

"Calm down. I'll make you something you'll love."

"Omelet and pancakes?"

"Your Dad already made the pancakes and was prepping the eggs for the omelets."

"You guys know me well."

"Thank you, Tadashi," I went up the stairs towards Eiji and Koji's shared room and found Koji reading on his bed. "Hey, we're eating breakfast, you should come downstairs."

He closed his book and fiddled with his glasses. "I know…sorry Daddy."

"What's the matter?"

"I…umm…"

"You know you can talk to me."

He remained silent for a minute or two. "Haruki-nii is so good at martial arts, even Eiji is good at it. I'm…"

"It's not for everyone. Auntie Honey isn't very good at it. Neither is Uncle Fred. The only reason we wanted you and your brothers to learn is to be able to defend yourself and others if necessary. You aren't your brothers, you're you. You'll get it, it'll just take you a bit longer."

"How long did it take you?"

I thought about what made Tadashi start teaching me again and let out a sigh. "It took me a few years to get decent at it but then your father stopped teaching me. He started again when we needed to protect our family and ourselves. With the added pressure, I quickly improved. But for you, all you have to do is go at your own pace."

"Really?"

"Really. You know something?"

"You do somethings better than Haru and Eiji."

"Really?!"

"Really. You make sure every part of form is smooth and flows. You're the embodiment of a waterbender. Haruki…he's more forceful but still flows, he's a fire elemental through and through. Since you and Eiji are twins, he's water as well, however, he follows after Haru and your father so he's ended up more or an airbender."

"Do I follow after you, Daddy?"

I put my hand atop his head. "Yes, you do. Do you feel better?"

"Yea!"

"Good." I pulled him into my side, rubbing his shoulder and kissing the top of his head. "Now, run downstairs and get something to eat before we leave."

"Alright. Love you Daddy."

"Love you too."

"Congrats, ya little squirt! I never doubted you."

"Thanks Oba Go Go."

"I'm so proud of you, those axe kicks of yours are getting better."

"Thanks Auntie Honey."

"I gotta spar you more often after seeing you and that black belt go at it. Your dads have taught you very well."

"You're right Uncle Wasabi, they have. It's been a long road but I finally ranked up to red belt."

Hiro and I scooped up Haruki, sandwiching him between us in a bone crushing hug. "We're so proud of you!" We said in unison.

"Dads…crushing…me…can't…breathe."

"Boys, put that poor child down."

We did as Aunt Cass asked and proceeded to shower Haru with kisses. "Daaads, you're embarrassing me."

"We don't care, we're proud of you."

"You did so well."

"We're all going out to celebrate. Cleo and Naes are meeting us at the place."

"What place are you talking about Oba Go Go?"

"Can I tell him?"

"Sure."

"We're going to the same place we went to for your birthday."

"SHIT, REALLY?"

"LANGUAGE!" Hiro, myself, and Aunt Cass all scolded at once, causing Haruki to wince.

"Sorry…I'm just excited. That place has everything! Go-karts, paint ball, laser tag, mini-golf, even a water park!"

"I wanna ride with Auntie Go Go!" Eiji and Koji said in unison.

"Hey! I've beaten her before. You guys don't wanna ride with your dear old dad?"

They looked at each other. Then proceeded to cling to Go Go's legs and chant her name. "Wow, washed up as a father at only thirty years old."

"I know, my own boys, my own flesh and blood."

"Aww, sweetie, you'll be fine."

"Umm, hello? Can we get going?"

"Sure." Hiro tossed Haruki his keys. "You're driving."

Haruki stared at the keys in his hands for a second before smiling and hugging Hiro. Even after seven years, his smile still shines as bright as it used to. We all piled into our respective vehicles to go meet Go Go and Honey Lemon's daughter, Cleo, and Uncle Naes. Once we arrived, we grabbed Koji and Eiji form their car seats before proceeding inside. From then on, we all went on the most of the same rides together.

By the days end, all three of our boys were in bed and Hiro was passed out in our bed. I was left awake reflecting with our loyal dog. I couldn't believe it. Just over seven years ago we were bringing Haruki home and about 8 months later Cleo joined the family. She was a perfect fusion of her mothers. Go Go's style and love for speed, combined with Honey Lemon's love for all things pink and scientific. Two years later we had our twins, Eiji and Koji. Due to advancements in technology, Hiro and I were able to have healthy boys that had both of our genes. It was amazing, I'll never forget welcoming them into this world.

Haruki is 15, Eiji and Koji are both 5, and Cleo is 8. Fred and Wasabi were even thinking of having a kid. They have been married for quite some time now just like Honey Lemon and Go Go. Speaking of couples, Mateo and Jonathan are still going strong. A few bumps here and there, but they were still in love…and in college now. Mateo was studying to get a business degree and Jonathan wanted to teach. Aunt Cass was still in the restaurant game but she oversaw a few Lucky Cat Café's around the country. Uncle Naes' business was still booming as always so he helped Aunt Cass finance expanding her business. Go Go and Honey Lemon worked for a company that worked closely with SFIT and its students. They helped up and coming students with their inventions and were guest speakers in a few classes. Fred had a few contracts with design companies, making posters and art work for them and doing editing projects on the side. Wasabi was a Tai Chi instructor and helped us out a lot when we taught our students. Hiro didn't really work so much as volunteer at almost every place in town. I, on the other hand, work closely with Uncle Naes, he's grooming me to take over the company. He understands I'm a father and lets me take off when I need to, but he still works me hard. All and all, life was pretty sweet.

"Babe…"

"Hmm?"

"You're still up?"

"Yea…just…thinking."

"Why are you…oh, I see." I stopped midsentence, as I turned to see the reasons Hiro was up. He was holding Eiji's hand and was balancing Koji on his hip.

"Can't sleep, Eiji?"

He rubbed his eye with his free hand. "Koji woke me up again."

"C'mere." I stood up and picked him up, letting him curl into the crook of my neck, matching his brother's position on Hiro. "Hmph, they really are twins."

"You okay?"

"Actually…" I looked at him, then at our boys, then at Duke, who was standing by my side, looking up at me. "I couldn't be better."

Hiro smirked at me before leaning in to kiss me. "Good. Let's get these two to bed." He started up the stairs, followed closely by our loyal canine.

"Right behind you."

Right! Thanks to all my readers and reviewers! I really appreciate everyone who read both of the fics to the end. Any critiques are welcomed. Oh, before I forget, I'm working on a story (or 3) but one of them is related to this one. Haruki is going a journey of self discovery. It's nowhere near done but it's getting there. Thank you everyone for reading!