-Taishiro & Hina-
There were many questions running through the minds of the Toyomitsus upon their decision to adopt. How old of a child should they adopt? Boy or Girl? What adoption agency should they go through? It was a lot to think about when it came down to it. They were going to have a kid! Both Hina and Taishiro were going in with few expectations and preferences, but to make this decision was pressure on them to make a decision.
Taishiro's trip to the orphanage had left an impression on him; the chance to meet all of those kids did help somewhat. The interactions with that little girl that day had not been forgotten though, nor did he forget the things the caregivers said.
"Doodles? How would you feel about a little girl?" he asked as they were sitting in bed, winding down from a long day's work.
Hina was reading articles about adoption off of her tablet. "A little girl?" she asked, putting down the screen. "I think that either a little boy or girl would be good, but why do you ask? Did one of the kids that day catch your eye?"
Fatgum raised an eyebrow with a smile. "Kind of. Remember how I had told you about that kid that was watching after we raided Overhaul's base?" He received a nod from his wife. "Well, that girl, her name is Kuri-"
"So she's why you visited?" A smile spread across Hina's lips, "she made quite the mark, huh?"
"Yeah… all the staff said she was shy and hardly talked to any strangers but she just kind of lit up when I was there," he sighed, "she wasn't scared either when she saw all the things that had happened. Kuri actually wants to be a hero when she grows up."
Hina gave him a kiss on the cheek before speaking, "we can go visit her on one of my days off, you know. I kinda want to see how she's already got you wrapped around her finger! I might need to take notes!" She said, teasingly.
A bright red blush spread across Taishiro's face. "S-she doesn't! I-!"
Hina kissed him with a slight giggle, "Whatever you say, Taishiro, but I can tell." Placing her tablet on the nightstand, Hina then laid down and covered herself with the blankets, settling in for the night. With a sigh and a resigned smile, Fatgum did the same. Within the next few days, the two had set aside a day to go and visit the girl.
-Kuri-
The days after Fatgum's visit were filled with lots of coloring and pouting, Kuri had meant it when she said to come visit again. Maybe he was like all the other adults that had come and picked someone else. Compared to some of the other children that had come through, she didn't think she was liked by the adults or that her quirk was as amazing or flashy as theirs. Maybe she was just too boring.
The chime of the door opening broke her out of her thoughts. Kuri looked up in awe as she saw the BMI hero once again visiting. He did listen! In her excitement, the little girl got up from where she had been sitting and started running towards the hero. Unfortunately, a room full of kids wasn't exactly the neatest place or a good idea to run around; she ended up stumbling over a police car toy someone had left out, falling on her hands and knees, but she seemed to bounce right back and go up to Fatgum.
Taishiro stood there surprised when he saw Kuri fall and kneeled down. "Woah kid! Calm down! Are you alright?" He froze up for a second as the little one hugged him.
It was assumed that in her excitement, she hadn't noticed Hina had also entered the room. A chuckle escaped Artiste, "this is that shy kid? She seems like a little ball of sunshine!"
Kuri's eyes widened as Hina spoke and she buried her face in Fatgum's hoodie. Unsure of what to do, he stayed kneeling. "It's okay, Kuri. This is Hina; she's my wife."
A pair of golden eyes peered up at the UA teacher before quickly turning away again. "Hi…" she mumbled.
Hina got down on Kuri's level and put a hand on her shoulder. "You know, Fatgum told me a lot about you! You want to be a hero too?" The little one nodded. "That's awesome! Are you okay from that tumble earlier? You were running pretty fast!" She smiled as Kuri pulled away from Fatgum, but looked confused as she saw no signs of scuffs or injuries on the girl. "Huh. You're kinda strong! Not a scratch on you!"
Kuri nodded. "I-I'm stretchy… like a rubber band… and I can bounce too! I don't get hurt easily!" A proud smile was on the girl's face. With each word, she seemed to get more and more comfortable around Hina and a little more confident too.
It was a breath of relief for Fatgum watching the two girls interact so naturally. He looked at Hina with a hopeful look in his eyes. Hina looked at him with a grin. The two spent what felt like an entire day getting to know the girl when truthfully, it had been just a single afternoon. At the end of their time, Kuri bid them farewell with a wave and, "Please visit again, Mr. Fatgum! Miss Hina!"
-Taishiro & Hina-
As they stood outside of the room where the kids were Taishiro looked at his wife with a nervous smile. "So… what do you think, Hina? I want to know how you feel about this."
"Kuri seems really sweet, Gummy Bear. I can understand why you wanted to visit her," Hina looked up at her husband, "do you think we're ready? I mean, we're lucky that she's pretty much childproofed herself." She chuckled and then softened her expression when Taishiro nodded, "that's what I was thinking too." Suddenly, she hugged him, hiding her face similarly to how Kuri had earlier. A sniffle escaped Hina as her shoulders shook with a small sob.
"Doodles? Why are you crying?"
"I-I'm happy… I was so scared that we wouldn't be able to come to a decision… o-or that we would search forever…" she looked up at him with a smile despite the tears threatening to roll down her cheeks.
Fatgum wiped away her tears with his thumbs as he cupped her face in his palms before kissing her forehead. "We've got some prep work to do, but we can do this, I know we can." And so, the duo headed home to prepare a room for the newest addition to their family.
The next two weeks were filled with plenty of renovations and paperwork as the Toyomitsus readied their home for another member. An extra room that had been used as an art studio/home office had been painted in pastel blues and yellows. A loft bed was placed against the wall next to the window; the mattress was covered in a white bed sheet with blue and yellow butterflied all over. A solid blue comforter was folded nicely on top with matching pillows. The butterfly theme carried over to the rest of the room's decor with butterflies painted onto the walls courtesy of Hina. Once filled with documents and supplies, the closet now held a whole wardrobe for their soon-to-be daughter given by some close friends and family whom they decided to share the news with. Toys and books from some of the work study students were neatly placed in a corner.
-Kuri-
Every few days while finalizing the papers, either one or both Hina and Taishiro would go visit Kuri to make sure the girl was getting used to the both of them. Soon enough, the day came where they would go home as a family. One of the best parts was that she didn't even know she was about to be adopted. It started like any of their other visits, except neither Fatgum nor Artiste were in their hero outfits. Kuri ran over and hugged the both of them;it was far different from their first meeting, she had come so far out of her shell and it turned out she was a pretty energetic kid.
After about half an hour of being there, Hina and Taishiro pulled Kuri to the side. Two of the workers were there as well holding stacks of documents. Both Hina and Taishiro kneeled in front of the little girl; confused, she looked between the two, "Did I do something wrong?"
Hina and Taishiro looked at each other before he shook his head, "Not at all, kiddo." He took a deep breath before continuing, gripping Hina's hand for support, "How would you feel about Ms. Hina and I being your mom and dad?"
Kuri froze up. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. "You want… to be my mom and dad?" Hina nodded and the little girl's eyes began watering. "For reals?"
Hina's eyes also began to fill with tears as she once again nodded, "Is that okay with-!"
Before Hina could get through her question, Kuri had thrown herself at the two adults as she attempted to pull them into a hug to the best of her ability. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!" she shouted.
Taishiro was grinning ear to ear as he pulled both of his girls into a big hug. "Now, we just have to finish up some papers, but after that, how about we head for ice cream and then home?" The girl excitedly nodded.
-The Toyomitsus-
Within the next hour, all the documents were signed and in order; the few belongings that Kuri had were packed into a box and carried out to Hina and Taishiro's car. Kuri looked back at the orphanage and some of the workers stood outside, waving the girl off. She gladly waved back before grabbing Hina and Taishiro's hands and walking towards the car. After four years, Kuri would get to know an actual home with a mom and dad. She climbed into the back seat quickly and looked up at the two adults with wide eyes.
Hina and Taishiro looked back with smiles. Hina reached her arm back to hold Kuri's hand; running her thumb over the little girl's knuckles, she said, "how are you holding up? Are you excited?"
"Yes, Miss Hina! Thank you so much!" The little one replied.
"You can call us 'Mom' and 'Dad' if you want, Kuri," Fatgum said, hoping to make her more comfortable.
"Yes sir!" she said smiling. There were still so many steps to take together throughout this whole process, but great strides were made today.