From what I've read up on the adoption process it can take as little as 6 weeks from start to finish if the children are above three years old. Now that is in America and I realize there may be many things I'm glossing over, so please forgive me if everything isn't accurate. Or if nothing is accurate at all for that matter…oh well…anyway…

Please enjoy!

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Kuroko just got off the phone and gave Kagami a tired smile before dropping on the couch to join his boyfriend. It had been a long week for both of them, Kagami had picked up extra shifts whenever he could and Kuroko had to constantly explain to a group of five year olds why their friend would no longer be attending class with them. Then today as soon as they got home from work, Watanabe had called with news concerning the adoption.

Kuroko stretched his legs on top of Kagami's lap and gave an appreciative sigh when large hands started massaging his feet. "Mmm…feels good."

"Yeah?" Kagami smiled, rubbing soothing circles into the worn out feet. "I'm pretty good at massages, huh?"

Kuroko nodded before raising his brows mockingly, "Those muscles are good for something after all."

"Yeah not like they're useful for my job or anything." Kagami rolled his eyes, before releasing his hold on his boyfriend's feet.

"Speaking of your job…you didn't have to pick up those extra shifts." Kuroko said placing his feet on the floor so he could move closer and run his hand through the fiery red strands gently, "We don't need the extra money that badly, and you look so tired."

Kagami shrugged, "I don't want money to be an issue with this adoption process."

"It's not going to be…at least it shouldn't be." Kuroko mumbled, before he noticed Kagami rubbing his eyes blearily. "Kagami-kun, if you keep this up you'll look so worn-out people will mistake you for an old man."

"Shove it, Kuroko. Can't you appreciate it when I do something nice?"

"Not when you're putting your life in danger." Kuroko said sharply his eyes narrowed, Kagami looked startled at the serious tone. "Your job isn't something where clocking a couple of hours will just mean less sleep, you're constantly in danger."

"Kuroko…lighten up. You know me!" Kagami grinned brightly, enthusiasm and optimism fueling his sudden burst of energy. Kuroko sighed shaking his head slowly.

"Kagami-kun…I worry enough about you as is. Please don't endanger yourself any more than you already do." Kuroko said, his voice almost pleading. "Especially not for the sake of Ayame or me, we need you alive more than anything."

Kagami stared at him for a few moments before giving in to a tired smile and closing his eyes, "You're right of course…but what if I promise not to do anything dangerous."

"You're promising as a fireman to not do anything dangerous?" Kuroko asked blankly.

"Well when you say it like that, I sound dumb…" Kagami scratched his head absently.

"Kagami-kun."

"It'll just be extra paper-work, that's it! I promise!" Kagami earnestly pleaded, Kuroko rolled his eyes.

"I don't know why you want to work so hard, but I suppose I can agree to that." Kuroko shook his head when Kagami grinned triumphantly. "Is it worth it, all this extra work you don't like doing for some extra money we don't need?"

"For you and Ayame?"Kagami shrugged, "Worth it." He yawned the last word. Kuroko smiled leaning closer and resting his arms against the broad shoulders of his boyfriend. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. What did Watanabe say?"

"She's getting the court's approval for visitation rights tomorrow, so we can see Ayame as soon as Wednesday." Kuroko said, "She also says she needs our recommendations by next week."

"Oh god she was serious about that…" Kagami griped.

"According to Watanabe-san we need three recommendations. We can choose who we want, but they preferably want at least one from a family member." Kuroko sighed and gave Kagami a long look. "Have you told your parents yet?"

"I haven't had time to breathe, are you kidding me?" Kagami grumbled tiredly. "What about you?"

"I'm pretty sure the last time I talked to my parents you hadn't even asked me to move in yet." Kuroko mumbled softly, he looked a little sad glancing away. "Remember, we aren't very close…"

"Right, yeah…sorry." Kagami sat up straighter, bringing an arm to wrap around Kuroko's waist and squeezing him encouragingly. "Well to be honest…I don't want to tell my parents either. I feel like they wouldn't be too happy with the idea of adoption."

"We need someone… and I know he isn't exactly related to you but you could ask-"

"No, nope I'm not telling Tatsuya. I think that's worse than telling my parents." Kagami muttered firmly.

"Kagami-kun, we need three recommendations and Himuro-san's would help a lot." Kuroko countered sternly.

Kagami sighed deeply, "But Tatsuya is always…he thinks I'm so immature and impulsive. Last time we talked, I told him we might be thinking of adopting a pet. So you want me to just call him up and be like, scratch the pet we're getting a kid."

"I can't believe you're afraid of your not-even-related-to-you-brother." Kuroko shook his head completely unimpressed.

"I'm not afraid!"

"Besides that, I've never even seen Himuro-san mad at you before."

"It's because he doesn't get mad…he just….I bet he'll think we're irresponsible and not thinking straight. And then he'll get all stupidly disappointed and….ughhh." Kagami let out a frustrated growl, before biting his lip nervously, "Do I have to?"

Kuroko patted his chest comfortingly, "It's cute how much you want to impress Himuro-san. It's like a little brother always trying to get his older brother's attention."

"Shut up!" Kagami flushed flinching away from his boyfriend, "It isn't cute…and that's not…just…shut up." He muttered in defeat. Kuroko smirked triumphantly and slid the phone towards Kagami.

"Call him. He has a radio show, he's practically a celebrity. And he loves you, even if he won't agree with our decision. I'm sure he'll still write us a good recommendation."

"Fine…but if I'm asking Tatsuya you're asking Akashi."

Kuroko's eyes widened dramatically. "But…I-"

"No, no, no…deal is a deal. Akashi owns his own company, babe. If a recommendation from a CEO won't help I don't know what will." Kagami grinned when Kuroko failed to come with a counter argument. The smaller man gave him a glare.

"You just brought Akashi-kun up on purpose….but you're right, it would help." Kuroko reluctantly admitted before giving Kagami a pointed look, "We need one more person."

"I was thinking Aomine…since you know…he knows both of us…pretty well…maybe...stop giving me that look." Kagami growled at Kuroko's growing smirk. "What?"

"Nothing." Kuroko pressed his lips against Kagami's shoulder to hide his smile. Aomine was probably Kuroko's first best friend, and he'd been pleased with the two former power forward's growing relationship. It warmed his heart seeing two people he cared about deeply becoming so close. "So, you can ask him at your next pick-up game?"

"Yeah..yeah. And I'll call Tatsu, but I'll do it tomorrow. He was in Kyoto for some promotion thing today. He's probably worn out." Kagami sighed, allowing Kuroko's head to rest against his shoulder. The couple finally seemed to be feeling the weight of their fatigue.

"Aren't we all?"

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"So you love me right?" Kagami asked casually balancing his phone against his ear with his shoulder. He was mixing a batter of pancakes for breakfast, his boyfriend still snoozing in the bedroom. "You know unconditionally, you have to. Brothers have to love each other."

A long sigh came from the other end, "What did you do Taiga?"

"I don't appreciate the accusing tone Tatsuya."

"What did you do Taiga?" Himuro emphasized managing to retain a calm tone.

"Well…Kuroko and I might be trying to adopt a child." Kagami winced preemptively waiting for a response. He had a feeling that Himuro wouldn't be happy, but Kagami knew that he needed his brother's support if they were going to get through this adoption.

"…excuse me?" Himuro asked a few moments later, his voice strained. "You are adopting a kid?"

"It was kind of last second, and I know you're going to think I'm being impulse and immature and-"

"Taiga, Taiga, calm down!" Himuro said, "I'm not judging you, just…can you calmly explain what is going on?"

Kagami sighed, "There is this little girl in Kuroko's kindergarten class whose parents died recently, she doesn't have anybody else and we decided to try and adopt her. I know this is kind of sudden and that we haven't thought this through-"

"What's her name?"

"Oh…it's Ayame.

"Ayame, huh…what does she look like?"

"She has brown eyes and brown hair; usually they're in these little pig tails. And when she smiles you see her dimples and cute little freckles on her cheeks."

"Ayame sounds adorable." Himuro said softly.

"She really is…her laugh is contagious, I swear. Then she does this silly thing where she calls me Tiger, I pretend to be annoyed but honestly it's kind of cute." By then Kagami hadn't realized he was grinning like crazy.

"I can't wait to meet her."

"Yeah, I-wait, really?" Kagami's face brightened. "You…you're okay with this?"

Himuro laughed softly, "Of course Taiga. I'm proud of you, of both of you. It is a big step though, but…it sounds like you really care about this little girl. Besides it's your life, and I trust you. Both of you have my total support."

Kagami felt a sense of relief flood his body. Himuro's opinion about the adoption wouldn't affect their decision on the matter but it still felt good that his brother was okay with this. "I'm so glad Tatsuya! I really am, it…it means a lot."

"It shouldn't," Himuro mused lightly. "But I'm happy that it's comforting."

"More than you'd ever know! I was worried you'd be all disapproving and everything-"

"Don't get me wrong." Himuro warned, "I'm not saying this is going to be easy. And you two are crazy for doing this but just hearing you talk about…Ayame-chan, I can tell the decision has been made. Besides…if anyone can face such a daunting challenge it's you and Kuroko."

"We do make an awesome team." Kagami nodded, "Oh…but we do need help with something. We need to turn in recommendations; do you think you could write one for us? I'll email you the paperwork."

"Of course, whatever I can do to help." Himuro chuckled softly, "But I will be honest. If I have to tell them about embarrassing stories when you were a kid, I won't hesitate."

"God you're the worst…let's hope it doesn't come to that." Kagami groaned, but he smiled softly when he heard Himuro laughing. A sudden realization made him grin wider, "Tatsu, you know what this means? You're going to be an uncle!"

Himuro was silent on the line for a moment before Kagami heard a soft whisper, "Thank you Taiga, I look forward to it."

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Kuroko yawned as he stepped inside of the kitchen; he glanced up at Kagami talking enthusiastically into the phone and smiled softly. He poured himself a mug of coffee before sitting at the breakfast table. After work Kuroko and Kagami was going to visit Ayame for the first time since she left the hospital. She wasn't pleased the last time they saw each other, so Kuroko was a little worried.

He paused in his thoughts when his phone buzzed on the table, seeing it was Watanabe he answered immediately. "Good morning Watanabe-san."

"Good morning, Kuroko-san." The woman answered warmly, "I have some good news for you. I got the date for your in-house interview."

"Really? Already?" Kuroko asked.

"Well, we cleared through the initial paper-work pretty quickly. It isn't surprising; they want to get Ayame into a home as soon as possible." Watanabe explained coolly, "Now, the first interview will be at the adoption center with Ayame. That's going to be in two weeks, and then a week after that we'll be at your place for the inspection."

"Wow…this is all happening so fast."

"Which should be a good sign…you guys are being a major exception to the rule. I see a future of jealous glares from passing adopting couples." Watanabe joked, "Now don't get too overwhelmed. Just concentrate on getting those recommendations in and making sure they're good. One mess up in this entire process and it's over."

"Oh…right, okay."

"Don't bail on me now, you guys can do this. I'll talk to you later, have fun seeing Ayame today. Say hi to Kagami-san for me. Bye now!" Kuroko blinked staring back down at the phone.

"Two or three pancakes?" Kagami called out from the kitchen.

"Three please." Kuroko responded, Kagami returned to the table placing the pancakes down. "Watanabe-san just called with the dates for the interview and the inspection."

Kagami whistled lowly, "When is it?"

"Interview at the center in two weeks, and then the inspection will be the week after that." Kuroko said cutting into the pancakes and letting the blueberry syrup seep down. He licked his lips before taking a bite, "You think you're ready for the interview?"

"How hard could it be?" Kagami said in a muffled voice, stuffing more bites in his mouth. "Couple of questions about our life and if we're nice people and haven't murdered anyone and blah blah bleh, we're done."

"I doubt it will be as easy as that." Kuroko mumbled. He looked away with a flat glare. "If anything…that's when they'll question whether two men can take care of a girl."

Kagami paused before shrugging and continuing to eat, "Like I said easy, stupid stuff." He sent a grin towards Kuroko, brimming with optimism. "Remember? We can handle anything."

Kuroko stared at his boyfriend before smiling softly and shaking his head. "Yeah…of course we can."

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Kuroko waited at the lobby of the adoption center patiently waiting to see Ayame. He was nervous about seeing her, the last time they saw each other she was crying and it was his fault. Kuroko sighed, before hearing the door open.

"Hey, sorry I'm late." Kagami said breathlessly taking off his jacket. Kuroko blinked at the sight; did Kagami really have to wear his tight fireman shirt? When Kagami leaned down to press a peck against Kuroko's lips, the smaller man gripped Kagami's shirt to pull him in closer for a deeper kiss.

"Mmmhh…whoa .This is the wrong place to get it on, but hey I'm up for it."

"It isn't my fault, that shirt should be out-lawed." Kuroko shook his head seriously. Kagami snickered.

"If anyone knew how much of a pervert you actually are-"

"Please, Kagami-kun. Don't get us kicked out before we even get to see her."

"Right, right…" he chuckled, sitting down next to Kuroko. Kagami slid a hand down Kuroko's thigh before giving it a squeeze, "You look tense, relax. Ayame can't stay mad at us forever."

"You'd be surprised how long five ear olds can hold a grudge."

"Kuroko-san, Kagami-san?" a woman suddenly appeared from one of the doors, smiling at the couple. "Ayame is ready to see you; I'll take you to the room she's staying in."

Kagami glanced at Kuroko, "Ready?"

"Yes, let's go." Kuroko nodded firmly. They stood up and joined their hands together before following the woman. When they entered the room Ayame was sitting on the bed reading a book, her hair for once in a messy braid. She looked up when the door opened her eyes widening at the sight before her cheeks puffed out angrily and she stubbornly looked down at the book pretending to read.

"Ayame-chan." Kuroko called out patiently, Ayame's brows furrowed but she refused to look up. "I know you're angry with us, but talking might help."

Ayame's frown deepened and she thrust her face further into the book, "I wonder what that noise is?" she drawled.

"I dunno maybe its two people who care about you and are only trying to help." Kagami responded with a soft smile. Ayame scrunched her nose unhappily.

"I think it sounds more like an ugly Tiger."

Kagami's brows twitched, "Ugly-?! If you can't see us how do you know I'm ugly?"

"Cause ugly things usually smell!"

"Oi, what was that brat?!" Kagami snapped.

"Who's the brat?!" Ayame yelled back looking straight at them. She startled at her accident admission to their presence, before crossing her arms and looking the other way.

"Kagami-kun, please refrain from reverting into a kindergartener yourself." Kuroko muttered with a glare, "Ayame-chan, haven't you learned to use your words to express your feelings?"

"No! I don't care what you taught me!" she shouted, "You guys abandoned me, I hate you!"

She huffed angrily, and broke off the gaze. Kuroko's eyes widened as he stared back at Ayame. He knew Ayame didn't mean it, and that she was just lashing out because of the situation. But even with this knowledge in the back of his head and Kagami's comfortingly squeezing his hand, it all still hurt.

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Happy Birthdaaayy to meeee! So be nice and maybe I'll update super-fast. Thanks for reading! :D