Closed (Not So) Baby steps

[Archie Renner]

Archie had always assumed he would be a father one day. That one way or another, one day he would adopt a child to take care of, to raise and nurture and love unconditionally that he hoped would also love him unconditionally in return. It was an eventual goal of his to adopt and raise a child in a loving home in the same way he had experienced when his family adopted him. It had definitely seemed a faraway goal too, because of the fact it was eventual, something in the distant future when he grew to be more responsible and settled down rather than in the present. At least fatherhood had felt this way his entire life, up until Archie had found out Orwell was going to be a father and he realised there was no better time than the present to become a parent. If not only so both his child and Orwell's child could be best friends like they were. It helped his decision too, when he realised his situation was considerably more stable and settled down than he first thought. He had a committed relationship with Asher, and after moving into more spacious flat with an extra bedroom, along with Knox who could babysit occasionally, Archie realised there could nor wouldn't ever be a more perfect opportunity or situation to adopt a child into his life like he had always dreamed of.

It wasn't a simple process to adopt, one Archie had since learned meant dealing with two of the few things he considered his mortal enemies, mountains of paperwork and bureaucracy, a word he to that day still couldn't spell or pronounce correctly but nevertheless something he had dealt with for months that felt like years as he tried to get his life together. As he searched and interviewed and followed process after process to go on the waiting list to adopt. It had been a nightmare really, and involved many complicated cogs in an even more complicated machine he could barely get his head around. A machine that involved the lives of real people and families that needed to be efficient for everyone's sake however felt mostly the opposite of it. Archie thought there would be no end to the stress of it all, that he would spend even longer months and possibly even years in the haze of trying to adopt. Though eventually, after the rigmarole he and Asher had experienced there they were, after finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel of it all when they were told they could bring their daughter home.

Archie had been tearing up all day, and when he finally arrived home holding his almost three year old daughter's hand, he couldn't hold back any longer and began to cry tears of happiness. He felt that finally, after spending his adult life without a plan or direction, everything was falling into place and he was exactly where he needed to be. He couldn't wait to see that the third bedroom of the flat he shared with Asher and Knox would no longer be empty because it belonged to his daughter. It would be her bedroom, in the house where she would grow up. They were home, and she was home with them. From that day onward, Dashley would be part of their rest of their lives. She was their daughter to raise and dote on.

Archie smiled to himself through the happy tears, walking into the once spare bedroom they had since decorated for her and showing her all they had brought to make her happy. The room was almost entirely pale pink, with shades of white and purple, all of which were her favorite colours. She had a comfortable bed and some play furniture, a set of tables and chairs for tea parties, and a pile of different stuffed animals in the corner. Near the window she had a pink, Victorian styled doll house, one Archie had spent way too much money on but became entirely worth the expense when he saw the smile on Dash's face, and her excited squeal as she ran over to it, beginning to play with each of the dolls and pieces of furniture. Wiping a tear from his face, Archie soon turned to Asher, unable to keep himself from smiling. "I'm so happy." He said softly, feeling that this day would be one of the most, if not the best days of his life.​

 

[Asher Beckett]

Asher had never considered being a parent. He'd never considered that he'd be this far in life, either. He'd assumed he'd spend his days as an eternal bachelor, up all night with cold pizza in his old room at the bands house, finding Leo in the kitchen at three a.m. making pasta from scratch or finding Vera with her paints or getting into play fights with Delaney. He'd thought after he'd caught his ex with his best friend and taken off, he would spend his life on the road, with nothing but whiskey and his guitar to keep him company.

But then he'd stumbled across Archie Renner. The beautiful ray of sunshine that had pierced through the storm in his heart and calmed the raging seas of his loneliness and regrets. Asher had spent a long time trying to get around it, to ignore how helplessly in love with Archie he was, how he'd been from the beginning. He couldn't pinpoint when he'd fallen in love with the blond. It just felt so natural to Asher. Loving Archie was like the beating of his heart, the breath from his lips. It was thoughtless, constant. Asher lived for Archie.

And by some miracle, Archie loved him back. Somehow. And once they'd admitted their feelings to each other, finally taken that terrifying first step, it just seemed to flow so naturally. They'd started dating, then moved in together. And when Archie had wanted to adopt... well, Asher wasn't about to tell his Archie Baby no. Besides, Asher loved kids. And he knew his father and uncle would love to have another grandbaby.

He'd let Archie handle things, offering his support in every way that Archie would let him, but he knew this was something Archie needed to do. Eventually, the paperwork had gone through, and he and Archie were coming home with a little girl. Archie had his heart set on Dashley, and Asher had agreed without a second thought. It was cute, and unique.

He walked with Archie and Dashley to her room, smiling warmly as Dashley rushed inside happily to play with her toys. He leaned in the doorframe, hands in his pockets, and looked to Archie with a tender smile as the man turned to him. He straightened, opening up his arms for his love, curling his fingers to invite Archie in. "Me too, baby boy," He murmured.

 

[Archie Renner]

It was no sooner that Asher opened his arms that Archie fell into them like a moth to a flame, crying softly on Asher's chest as he wrapped his arms around Asher's waist. It felt all so natural to be with Asher and Dashley in that very moment, so perfect in every way and Archie felt that his destiny was finally becoming a reality in front of him. After spending so long wading through life without a plan he had found Asher, and together they had found Dashley. Now they were a complete family and Archie knew this was how he wanted to spend the rest of his life. He knew that Dash growing up would be his future, that he and Asher would become even more committed than they already were and their lives would blossom with even more happiness and milestones spent together. It felt almost impossible to think Archie could be even happier then, than in the moment he found himself in, however with the promise of many birthdays, of Dash starting school, of Archie growing old with Asher like he had always imagined he couldn't help but think it was all possible. That his path in life was becoming clear and he was happy to walk along it with Asher, Knox, Orwell and Dashley by his side.

Feeling his heart begin to calm down slightly, Archie sighed, hugging Asher even closer for a moment before shifting to look over his shoulder to where Dash was playing with her dollhouse. She looked over to them and showed one of the dolls, claiming the one with the pink dress was her favorite before she continued to play. "That one's my favorite, too." Archie responded as he smiled over to her, pleased to see she was already so comfortable. He was glad Dash seemed to feel like she was at home already, that she must have felt safe with them and happy to finally have a room and so many toys that were her own. Archie couldn't wait to get her everything she ever wanted if she ever asked it of him, if she wanted a new dollhouse a year later, he would do everything he could to make it a reality so long as Dash was happy.

Stepping away from Asher, Archie wiped any leftover tears from underneath his eyes. "I think we'll let Dash play for a bit then make dinner." He said quietly to Asher, knowing it was late afternoon and wouldn't be too long before everyone was hungry for dinner. Archie was already hungry if he was honest, however was happy to wait for a little while so Dash could play. Archie wanting to be included in Dash's game, soon shifted to sit next to her on the floor as he picked up one of the other dolls. "What's this one's name?" He asked Dash, moving the doll next to the one she was currently playing with.​

 

[Asher Beckett]

Asher smiled warmly, leaning his cheek against Archie's soft hair. He shut his eyes, enjoying the familiar scent of Archie's shampoo. This was nice. Archie in his arms, Dash playing happily with her toys. Archie was crying, but it was alright, he knew Archie was just happy. His partner was an emotional man, but Asher loved that about him. Archie was always so honest with his feelings, so open to expressing them. Asher had just needed to learn how to read them. He rubbed Archie's back as he cried, keeping the man close.

He smiled warmly as Archie pulled away, watching as the man moved to play and interact with their daughter. He chuckled, leaning against the door frame and watching them. Not wanting to interrupt, but wanting to stay close, Asher summoned his guitar. With that in hand, he conjured a bean bag chair against the wall nearby, and settled into it. He thought for a moment, before he relaxed and just began strumming- playing a happy, wistful tune. He shut his eyes, just enjoying the music swelling through the room and enjoying the company.