"Cailen, I have to pee." Ezekiel said, crossing his legs in front Cailen and doing a little dance.
Cailen let his suspicions go- for now- and smiled at the boy, ready to get up and take him to the toilet.
"I could take him?" William asked more than offered, looking from Ezekiel to Cailen then Asher. "You guys are probably knackered... I'm sure I could handle taking him to the toilet."
Cailen looked to Asher who only shrugged, not seeing a problem with that. Cailen looked to Ezekiel, raising his eyebrows at the boy.
"Is that alright, Zeke? Do you mind if Wil takes you?" Cailen asked.
Cailen knew William was trying to get some more time with the boy, probably wanting to get to know him or make up for the last time they met and Cailen wanted them to, but he didn't want Ezekiel to be uncomfortable.
Ezekiel looked to William, hesitating for a moment before nodding his head and starting to make his way down the hall.
William smiled and stood, chasing after the boy until he was walking beside him in slow strides so the little boy could keep up with him.
Cailen could hear William's voice trying to make conversation with Ezekiel but he couldn't hear what he was saying exactly and the further they got, the harder it became to hear them at all.
"He'll be fine, Cai. Wil's not completely helpless." Asher teased.
Cailen tore his eyes away from the pair walking down the hall and placed them on his husband.
Asher gave him a tired a smile to which he returned, curling himself up again- only this time, leaning into Asher, hooking his arm with his and resting his head on his shoulder.
Asher let him, resting his own head on Cailen's and letting out another deep sigh.
"I think that even if we did put Zeke to bed early, we'd just go to bed ourselves." Cailen teased, taking note of how they both seemed completely drained.
Asher only hummed in agreement, his head seeming to get heavier on top of Cailen's.
"Maybe we can get Wil to watch him one night." Asher offered, making Cailen laugh.
"Look at us, planning a night to have sex." Cailen said, lifting his head to look at Asher.
Asher lifted his as well, letting Cailen’s up and grinning at his husband in amusement.
"We are officially an old married couple." Asher commented.
Cailen chuckled, leaning in to place his lips against Asher's, lingering there for a second before pulling away. Although Cailen could see the hilarity behind it, he was a bit disappointed because it really had been a long time since they've done anything of the sort and he couldn't help but feel that maybe, it was affecting their relationship.
They hardly ever just cuddled and talked anymore. If they had time to cuddle, they usually ended up falling asleep. The only kisses they shared lately were quick and heatless. Any time alone they had where they weren't exhausted beyond belief was spent cleaning up the flat.
They basically had no sex life anymore and it was a bit frustrating. And he could see that Asher was getting frustrated by it too.
As if reading Cailen's thoughts, Asher leaned in again, placing his lips on Cailen's in another kiss, his hand reaching up to cup Cailen's cheek before pulling away. "I know, but what were we expecting when we decided to adopt?"
"I know," Cailen replied, entwining his fingers with Asher's, obviously, there wasn't much they could do about that particular problem at the moment.
*****
It's was a little after ten before there was any news on the baby.
Cailen had been debating on whether or not to send Asher home with Ezekiel because the boy was probably getting tired, if not completely knackered, even though he hadn't stopped playing with William on his phone all night.
William had downloaded some free Batman app for Ezekiel and now, the two were taking turns to see who could get the higher score. They were getting along pretty well, handing the game over to Cailen or Asher once in a while to see if they could do any better.
Cailen honestly couldn't, the game was stupid and badly programmed anyway, but Asher seemed to be messing up on it on purpose for Ezekiel's benefit.
It wasn't a nurse that came to get them but Matthew himself, a bright smile on his face as he pushed open the doors.
It took a moment for him to be noticed, everyone's attention locked on William's phone but when he cleared his throat, everyone looked up and immediately stood, waiting for the news.
Ezekiel however remained seated, taking advantage of the distraction to take an extra turn on the phone. Matthew just stood there for a second, smiling at his friends before turning to hold open the door for them.
"Would you like to meet our daughter, Aariyah?" Matthew asked and really, they couldn't have gotten through the door any faster.
In the room, Hazel sat upright in the bed, her hair an absolute sweaty mess but he doubted she cared at the moment since her full attention was focused on the baby in her arms.
To be honest, Cailen has seen many babies newly born, and Aariyah looked no different, but there was something about the fact that this was Matthew's baby that had Cailen cooing in adoration when he got a close enough look.
Hazel smiled up at them, pulling her attention away from the baby for a brief moment before returning it. Matthew went to stand by Hazel, leaning over slightly to kiss Aariyah on the head before exchanging a look with Hazel.
Hazel nodded her head, her smile growing as she turned to Cailen and Asher.
"Would you like to hold your god-daughter?" She asked softly.
Asher was standing right behind Cailen, so close that he actually felt Asher freeze, going completely still in shock. Cailen on the other hand reacted in a completely different way.
"What?" He exclaimed, quickly slapping a hand over his mouth and cringing at his volume. The baby didn't even stir. "Are you serious?" Cailen asked much quieter.
Hazel and Matthew both nodded, Hazel giving a slight giggle and shifting slightly so Matthew could maneuver the little girl out of her arms.
Cailen looked back at Asher, seeing a smile on his face as he turned to look at Cailen as well. Cailen couldn't believe they had made them the god-parents but he was very happy that they trusted them with such responsibility.
William scooted closer to Cailen so he could see better as Matthew handed the little girl over to him.
Cailen gently took her, making sure to cradle her head, and held her close to his chest. He could feel both Asher and William peering over his shoulder but his real attention was on the blue eyed baby in his arms.
She was beautiful, with her mother's blue eyes and father's long eyelashes, honestly, those eyes were going to be the death of many.
"Can I hold her?" Ezekiel asked from below, peering up at Cailen with curious eyes.
Cailen glanced at Matthew and Hazel who looked a little uncertain but eventually nodded, giving the okay. Cailen however, was a bit unsure himself and didn't want to risk Ezekiel dropping her.
"Get up on the bed, love." Cailen instructed, watching as Ezekiel climbed up near the end, Hazel moving her feet to make room.
He could tell she was exhausted by the amount of effort that seemed to take and made a mental note to not stay too much longer.
"Put your legs out straight and hold out your arms." Cailen instructed and waited until the boy did as told.
Cailen then bent over, gently placing Aariyah in his lap so her feet were at his stomach and her head near his knees.
She was basically resting between Ezekiel's legs with his hands holding up her head and although there wasn't really a way for him to drop her, Cailen kept a hand on her, wrapping one around Ezekiel's back and one by her head underneath Ezekiel's hands.
"She's so small!" Ezekiel said in a loud whisper, smiling up at Cailen.
Cailen chuckled, turning his head to place a quick kiss on his temple.
"Yeah, she is. So you have to be really careful with her." Cailen explained.
"Make sure to hold her head up, but gently, Zeke." Asher instructed.
Ezekiel did as told, slightly adjusting his hands so her head was tilted up a bit more, then looked to Asher for approval. Asher nodded, smiling down at him and reaching out to ruffle up his hair.
"Okay, I see why you picked them as god-fathers." William said, going to stand by Matthew, smiling fondly at the end of the bed.
Matthew pulled William into a side hug but Cailen was too entranced by the blue eyes of baby Aariyah.
"Am I late?" Came a Scottish voice from the door.
The door slowly opened and then Noah was poking his head through, peeking in and seeing everyone in there as well.
He stepped through, quietly closing the door behind him and tip-toed over to the bed. There was something about a baby, sleeping or not, that made you feel like you had to be quiet.
"Just on time." Matthew greeted. "Meet Aariyah." Matthew smiled and gestured to Ezekiel's legs.
Noah leaned over the boy, reaching out to stroke his thumb along her cheek, silently cooing a little.
"She's so tiny." He whispered, grinning down at the baby.
"Cai and Ash are the god-fathers." William said proudly.
"Good choice." Noah smiled.
Matthew and Hazel smiled at this, turning to each other before Matthew leaned down to kiss her, murmuring something Cailen couldn't hear but he figured it was a private moment anyway.