Many thanks to Rythana, Just For One, and OrangeAxolotl for being my betas :)

Jasper was pacing back and forth in the living room with nervous excitement, glancing at the front door every so often. He could hardly contain his anticipation.

He and David had done all the work required of them to be able to foster a child before summer had started. Jasper and David both agreed that they were willing and able to take care of one. They had talked about it before, a couple of years ago, but neither of them felt that were stable enough to handle a child at the time. However, starting this year, both he and David were finally in the spot they wanted to be in to raise a child together, with better-paying jobs and a more accommodating home in their new apartment.

Today, he and David would truly start their first day as parents! About a fortnight ago, near the end of his summer job at Camp Campbell, David had given him the news that one of his campers under his care was in dire need of a home, due to his neglectful parents.

When David had called and talked to him about his plans to gain custody, Jasper had readily agreed. David had managed to secure the child for fostering for the time being. Adoption was a likely possibility later on.

The child they would be taking into their care was a ten-year-old boy named "Max." Max had confided in David about the state of his home life after the boy's parents failed to show up for parent's day. According to David, Max was adamant that they wouldn't even show up to pick him up at the end of camp because they used the camp to get rid of him.

David had tried to get in contact with Max's parents himself but was completely unable to get a hold of them, and so far, they had eluded the search of child services and law enforcement as well.

Camp Campbell has always been a subject of disagreement between David and Jasper. David loved the camp with every fibre of his being and Jasper… thought the place was a bit of a shithole. When Jasper was a camper himself, he too had a similar sentiment, but due to certain circumstances, he had become disillusioned with the camp. Around that time David stopped hating the place and became the model camper Jasper once was, funnily enough.

Jasper felt he was completely fair in his assessment considering he had his award taken off him for using his goddamn light up shoes, which saved his life from being mauled by bears. The scars on his chest from that encounter remain to this day.

So, the overall shittiness of the camp obviously made it popular for parents to dump unwanted children onto it, or at the very least, popular for parents who have no idea how terrible the place is. Jasper just wished the place would get shut down and spare kids from experiencing it.

The only downside of that would be that David would be heartbroken, and Jasper hated to see him cry. David always looked stunning with his signature smile. It was part of the reason he loved him, David always had a contagious level of cheer and joy to him that never failed to leave Jasper smiling with elation as well.

Taking another anxious glance at the door, during possibly his hundredth lap from one side of the room to the other, Jasper wondered how it was going to go. Especially this year, he often loved to daydream about being a dad.

He imagined he'd be the "cool dad". He'd play soccer with his son, go to the arcade with him, watch the latest big blockbuster action movie with him, or get up to friendly mischief with his this while David reigns the two of them in with a knowing smile with his hands on his hips. Jasper snorts at this image, all very cliché tv show family stuff, kind of like him and his parents when he was a kid. He smiled fondly at the memory.

Not that David wouldn't be a cool dad, of course, he loved that sort of stuff too. It's just that his boyfriend was a bit more of a stickler for the rules.

Jasper heard muffled voices outside. He immediately stopped pacing, his gaze snapping to the front door as he listened attentively. Jasper reminds himself of David's warnings about Max's various quirks.

Max apparently has a foul mouth, a tendency towards mischief, a cynical outlook, a rude behaviour, and trust issues, especially towards adults.

He wrung his hands apprehensively, Jasper wasn't overly familiar with how to interact with someone like that. David had said that the young boy had been hostile towards him when they first met but had warmed up considerably despite not wishing to show it.

However, Jasper was determined to be a good dad. He straightened up, put on a confident and welcoming smile, and awaited company as the sounds grew less muffled and more intelligible.

He could hear David using his lecture voice, "-Remember to be nice to Jasper, he's excited to meet you, Max."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you've already fucking said this like ten times," replied an irritable voice, this clearly being the foul-mouthed Max.

Jasper could hear the clattering of keys as David began to open the door. He quickly and eagerly stepped forward, turned the doorknob, and opened the door to reveal the pleasantly surprised freckle-faced David with his familiar red hair bright in the dim corridor.

"Hey Davey!" Jasper greeted him happily with a big grin, stepping forward to pull David in for a tight hug before he could reply. After a second, David quickly reciprocated. Jasper released him after a few seconds and stepped back while placing his hands on the other man's shoulders. "I've missed you!"

David smiled brightly. "I've missed you too, Jas," he responded joyfully and stepped forward while tipping his head forward. Jasper did the same and met him in a kiss.

The sound of something slamming on the couch behind him made him pull away and turn around to see a young boy with tan skin, bright green eyes and a mop of unruly hair sitting on the sofa with an uninterested stare fixed on the two of them. This boy was clearly the often-talked-about Max.

Next to Max, he had his suitcase, which he had managed to pull through the door and across the room without Jasper noticing. "Oh no, continue. As if I give a shit," he stated in a snarky voice.

Jasper swallowed nervously and put on the kindest smile he could and walked over to the boy. When he reached the couch, he bent down to Max's height.

"Hey, Max, I'm Jasper! It's absolutely radical to finally meet you," he said enthusiastically, and after a second he decided to put out his hand to Max for a hospitable handshake.

Max glanced down at his hand with an unimpressed frown. "Nobody says radical anymore. We're in the twenty-first century now, get with the program," he uttered in total deadpan. Jasper's smile twitched and he dropped his hand.

"Well kiddo some of us love the old lingo," he countered with some amusement. David slid into view with a slight frown.

"Now, Max, remember what we agreed upon," the counsellor said in a slightly stern tone. The boy stared blankly at David, who returned with a stare of his own, albeit now with a cheery smile. After several moments, the staring contest ended, and Max returned his gaze to Jasper with a somewhat dramatic sigh.

"Hello, Jasper, my name is Max. I'll be the little bastard that will be living here now," Max proclaimed with feigned liveliness.

The way David's smile broadened told him that this was likely the best he could hope for at this time. Jasper decided he'd take what he could get.

"So! How about I show you your new room, hey, little dude?" he pronounced with great gusto. "I made sure to have it all set up once I heard the news."

"Yeah, that's right, Max! Let's go see your new room, huh?" he said with similar glee.

Max hopped off the couch with a huff and grabbed his suitcase to follow the two men as they lead him to his new room with uncontained relish.

As they approached the room, Jasper stepped forward and pushed the door open and gestured towards the room with a wave. "And here we are Max, your new room!"

Max traipsed in with his belongings and did a quick scan of the room. The bedroom was quite plain with a bed in the middle of the room, a bedside table and a cupboard to put his clothes in. David had said that he wanted Max to be able to give his own personal touch to the room, which Jasper found very appealing.

"Alright, you can stop fucking hovering I can unpack by myself," Max enunciated impatiently. David nodded in agreement.

"Alright, Max, have fun getting the hang of your new room!"

"Yup, lots of fun putting clothes away," the boy sarcastically replied.

The two men stepped outside to move towards the living room, behind them the sound of a door closing shut was heard.

When they reached the living room, David turned towards Jasper and rested his head on Jasper's shoulder. Jasper wrapped his arms around him as he did so.

"Sorry 'bout that, Jasper," David said apologetically. "He can be a bit rude towards people, especially adults. He gave me and Gwen quite the workout this summer. I kinda already gave up on correcting his language for now," he continued with a small laugh. "We can try and work on that again later."

Jasper was quick to respond, "Hey, hey, hey, I totally understand, Davey. It ain't your fault his parents were crappy." He gave a small smile. "All we can do now is be the good parents he needs."

David glanced at him with a small smile. "Thanks again for letting me take him in, Jas." Jasper gave a big smile.

"As I've told you, I'm really excited to be a dad. It makes me upset that a kid that young could have such terrible parents, but I'm happy we can be there for the little guy now." David nodded slightly with his trademark smile.

"Well I'm going to go get dinner ready, it's getting late and I'm sure Max is hungry after our drive here." David stepped out of his boyfriend's arms and moved towards the kitchen.

Jasper grinned, it would be the first dinner they will have as a family. Jasper loved the sound of that, a family.