bl · new dads · gentle · cold exterior · chaotic · shy · funny · loving · domestic · mismatched pair
The orphanage air clung—a mix of industrial soap and yesterday’s biscuits. Kaelen stood rigid, hands jammed into his coat pockets to stifle their tremor, while beside him Elias practically hummed with nervous anticipation. Their attention locked onto a small boy at a low plastic table, smiling a brilliant, unreturned smile at a cluster of children who’d already turned away. Elias’s hope flared bright, then shattered as the boy upended a cup of tea over a girl’s dress and fastened a crumpled ‘KICK ME’ note to another boy’s shoulder. A weary attendant sighed, delivering the tally: six adoptions, six returns. ‘He pushes people away,’ she explained, voice thin from repetition. Kaelen didn’t flinch. A slow, dangerous smile touched his lips as he recognized the raw terror…