2024

"Well we have to start thinking about all the different options." Kurt explained as he shuffled through the pile of pamphlets he been gathering up over the last few months. "Do we want to adopt, or do we want a surrogate? And if we want a surrogate, which one of us will be the bio dad, or do we want to skip that fight and just go with a donor? And if we adopt do we want to adopt a baby or a toddler or a-"

"Kurt honey, breathe." Kurt did a few dramatic breaths. He flung the pamphlets down on the table and released a long sigh.

"I know it's just- I'm really happy Blaine. It's been me and you for so long, I can't wait to add to that." His gaze moved to meet Blaine's and Blaine covered his hand on the table between them, rubbing his thumb gently. Kurt felt Blaine's fingers trace his wedding band and couldn't resist the smile. "And I know you literally told me 30 minutes ago that you were finally ready, and I'm sorry if I'm overwhelming you I've just been waiting for this for so long."

"I know you have, I just I wanted to tell you why I figured out that I'm finally ready."

"And why is that?"

"Well," Blaine clears his throat. "It's because I love you, and because after 3 years of marriage, and 12 years of being together, I know that you are going be an amazing father. I also know that what I'm about to ask of you is not easy, but I know you will understand why I'm asking it of you."

"Blaine…" Kurt gave him his best "get to it" glare.

"To answer your first question I would like to adopt."

"I don't understand why you think that wouldn't be easy for me. Sure adoption could take years, and most of the time you don't get to be there for all of the child's life but-"

"I want to adopt a deaf child."

"Oh."

"Oh?"

"I'm sorry, that wasn't a bad 'oh', it was more of an 'oh, Blaine Anderson-Hummel, the love of my life, my husband, is one brilliant man'."

"I know how hard it is being deaf and feeling different and weird, and I honestly can't imagine having to go through that and not having a family to support, and protect me, and love me. I don't wish that on any kid, and if I have the chance to change that for some innocent child then I want to do it, with you."

"I can't wait until we're dads, because you are going to make a great one."

xXx

"Were you thinking boy or girl? Or does it not matter?" Sheila asked as they sat down for their final consultation before they would go to the orphanage and hopefully meet their son or daughter.

"There's actually just one thing we want to make sure of." Kurt started.

"We would like to adopt a deaf child if possible." Blaine finished; Shelia looked a little taken aback but quickly regrouped and began typing something into the computer.

"If I may ask," she started looking back to them. "Why would you want to put yourselves through the trouble of raising a deaf child, you surely know it will be a lot more work than if you were to adopt a hearing child." She was obviously trying to stay as politically correct as possible but Kurt could hear the "you have no idea what you're getting into" sprinkled in her tone.

"When I was 8 in an accident and was completely deaf until the age of 18. We both know sign language, the school where I teach English as actually a school for the deaf."

"Listen Sheila, we wouldn't be doing this if we weren't one hundred percent sure we could handle it." Sheila just nodded and turned back to her computer.

"His name is Damon," Sheila turned the screen around and Blaine and Kurt crowded around it. "He's 4 years old, parents died in a car crash, his car seat saved his life but he lost his hearing." Kurt eyed Blaine from the corner of his eye, and he saw it then. Blaine's eyes were shinning almost as bright as they were on their wedding day, and this was only looking at a blurry picture of the round faced, blue eyed, black haired boy through an outdated computer screen. He could only imagine the light that would be emanating from his husband's loving gaze tomorrow when they met Damon.

xXx

"Gosh I'm so nervous, should I be this nervous? Are they gonna think we're not ready if I seem nervous?"

"Kurt how many times do I have to tell you to breath." He sighed, rolled his eyes, and ignored Blaine's comment as the approached Sheila.

"It's normal to be nervous Kurt," she said taking in his slightly jumpy state. "Just you know try to relax so that he can be relaxed. Now just forewarning, Damen has a bit of trouble warming up to people, so if he hides behind the interpreter for a few minutes it's normal. He just needs time to warm up." They both nod eagerly.

"Ok, well whenever he's ready we're ready to meet him." His words were sure but Kurt felt Blaine shift nervously beside him. Sheila nodded and went through the door opposite the one they entered through.

"No going back now." Kurt said.

"I don't want to go back, not as long as you're going forwards with me." He grasped his hand lacing their fingers. Kurt smiled lovingly at him, and gave him a quick peck on the cheek just before the door opened. Kurt whipped his head around to meet Damon's beautiful bright blue eyes. The couple waved timidly, not wanting to overwhelm the boy.

The boy tucked himself behind his interpreter's leg, peeking out to glare at Kurt and Blaine. He had a look on his face that Kurt could only imagine meant "in five minutes you'll figure out that you don't want the deaf kid, so just leave now". His interpreter knelt down besides him and signed, Kurt usually only has to sign when they have Blaine's friends from Dalton visiting them so he's a little rusty but she says something along the lines of, "Can you tell them your name?"

"Why, they won't understand me anyway." The boy looked deflated, lost of all hope, like he had already pictured how this would turn out because he'd probably done this song and dance 10 times over. The first few times so hopeful that someone would adopt him and when no one did he stopped getting his hopes up because it made it so much easier when expectations were kept low. Damon turned to look at them and mustered up his best bitch face (Kurt already loved this child).

"We'll understand you." Damon's face lit up when he saw Blaine signing. He ran to stand in front of them, curls wild and bouncing around his round face, bitch glare gone, eyes lighter and smile showing off his baby teeth.

"You sign?"

"Yup, we both do." The boy looked up at Kurt, his smile grew a little. Kurt's heart fluttered in his chest, he'd never felt such a love for someone so quickly before, not even Blaine.

"Are you deaf like me?" They shook their heads and Damon's smile faltered slightly.

"But I used to be." Blaine adds.

"How were you deaf and now you're not?" Blaine bends down and waves Damon closer.

"See these teeny little scars?" He points behind his ear where the incisions were made years ago for his implants. "I got a special device put in my ear so that I could hear again."

"Do you-do you think I could get those when I'm older?" Blaine put his pointer finger on his lips, as if he were thinking hard.

"I don't see why not…" Blaine looked to his husband, Kurt knew the question behind those hazel green eyes and honestly didn't know why he thought he needed to ask. He nodded to him. Damon was just the right shape to complete their little puzzle. "But," Blaine continued. "You'd have to come live with us first, I mean if you'd like that." The boy took a moment to ponder it.

"Well," Kurt said as he knelt down next to Blaine. "You don't have to answer now." He explained further. "We can get to know each other, play for a while or color if you'd like, and then you can make your decision, but we'd really like you to become part of our family."

"You know," Damon looked down at his little feet, toeing the dingy tile floor. "You're the first couple who seems to really want me." Blaine smiled a pathetically sad smile, his bottom lip quivered and the evidence of wet tears trailed down his cheeks. Kurt grabbed for his hand, giving it firm squeeze before letting go. "And you're really nice, and you can sign." He looked up from the floor the baby-toothed smiling having returned to his face. "I think I'd like living with you very much."

xXx

Adoption was a long, detailed process, but now they were finally on the way home, after a grueling 3 days of paperwork. Kurt knew he was being obsessive, turning around every five minutes to look at their little boy in his car seat, it just didn't feel real yet.

"Kurt, relax." Blaine instructs, Kurt settles back into his seat with a huff.

"Blaine, we have a kid in the car. Our kid. Blaine we have a kid. We're dads, Blaine, we are responsible for an innocent life and you're telling me to relax?" Blaine peeks in the rearview, Damon is playing on the Nintendo DS he brought for him, just an old pocket game from Blaine's teenage years. Way out of date but Damon doesn't care, his little tongue was sticking out the corner of his mouth as he frantically pushed buttons.

"I still feel like this is all a dream, I mean god look at him Kurt. He's…"

"Perfect."

xXx

"This is your room." Kurt leads Damon in by the hand, flipping on the light and Damon beams.

"This whole room is mine?" It's a far cry from large, but Kurt guesses it's a lot better than sharing a room with 20 other kids with the only thing to call your own being a bed.

"All yours, and you can tell me what you like and we can decorate it however you want."

"Really?" He's on his tiptoes, bouncing up and down slightly, little face beaming with exuberance.

"Of course, what ever you like." Blaine ensures. Damon wraps himself around Kurt's legs, quickly switching, giving Blaine a turn.

They let Damon look around the room for a little while. They let him pick out his pajamas, and what color toothbrush he wants and they let him pick out what story to read to him. They finish The Very Hungry Caterpillar; Damon sinks down into his pillows, getting into a comfortable position.

"I'm really glad you're my… wait what should I call you guys?" Blaine looks to Kurt for an answer but he just shrugs.

"Well you could call us Kurt and Blaine,"

"But you're my dads now aren't you?"

"Well yes," Kurt sits on side of the bed with Blaine on the other and Damon in the middle.

"Then I want to call you dad names, not your real names. I just don't know two different signs for dad, cause if you're both dad, that'd get confusing." Kurt and Blaine share a smile over Damon's head, both their eyes stinging with the threat of absolutely heartbreakingly happy tears.

"You are right Damon, that'd get very confusing." The three of them sit there in thought for a minute, and it is Damon who finally comes up with a solution.

"I got an idea! What are your name signs?"

"Mine is the curly with a B."

"Mine is clothes with a K, what's yours?"

"I don't have one, the interpreter never used them, he taught me about them but I guess he just didn't give me one."

"Well I think it's time to change that don't you?" Damon nods enthusiastically, his giant grin making the corner of his eyes crinkle up.

"I've got one," Kurt suggests. "How about smile with a D?"

"Why smile with a D?"

"Because you have a great one, plus Blaine hasn't stopped smiling since we met you a few days ago, and neither have I."

"I like it! Oh! Anyway back to what I should call you! I can call you clothes with a D, and you curly with a B. Does that work?"

"It's awesome, you are one smart kid." Blaine says messing up Damon's hair, he laughs and Kurt's so happy to hear that laugh, and even happier that Blaine can hear it, but he won't be completely happy until Damon can hear it, if that's what he still wants when he's older. He and Blaine had discussed this earlier in the week, after they had gotten home from their first meeting with Damon. It was part of a much larger talk about what they would and would not do as parents. And so far everything seemed to be going right.

"Now I'm your smart kid."

"Yes you are." Kurt pushes his curls away from his forehead and kisses it. "Goodnight Damon. Sleep tight."

"Don't let the bed bugs bite." Blaine finishes.

"Love you." A tear that Kurt had tried to hold back escapes, rolling down his cheek and falling to the carpet.

"We love you too, so much."