He looked down at the address in his hands and then back up at the small building he stood in front of.

 

This is the place, he thought.

 

Was he really going to do this?

 

I have to, he thought, or I won't get better.

 

He began to move forward, one foot in front of the other as he made his way to the front doors. His nerves suddenly reappeared and his heart began to pound so hard Leo thought it would burst.

 

He pushed open the door and was greeted with the cool air of the air conditioner. Sighing so softly he almost didn't hear it himself, he closed the door and walked towards the receptionist who appeared to be on the phone.

 

She smiled softly at him and held up a finger. He nodded and swallowed thickly, turning to take in the room before him.

 

The walls were white, with paintings of flowers and gardens on them. Leo could tell who had done the paintings, and he began to smile softly. There was a sentence written in black paint, and the words were written in the most beautiful handwriting.

 

'Life is a garden...dig it!'

 

"The children tried very hard on this"

 

Leo turned around to see the receptionist standing up, although still behind the desk.

 

"It's beautiful" Leo whispered, a small smile appearing on his usually emotionless face.

 

"Do you have an appointment?" The receptionist asks. Leo nods and walks towards her.

 

"Jung Taekwoon"

 

The lady typed it in and the screen lit up her face softly as she clicked a few times and finally smiled, looking up to Leo.

 

"Ah yes, well Taekwoon if you just wait here; Mrs Peterson will be out shortly" she extends her arm shortly towards the two seats along the back wall.

 

Leo only nods, walking over to the chairs and sitting down. He crosses his leg over the other and intertwines his fingers, lacing them over his knee.

 

He looked around the room, taking in all his surroundings just as he does any other time he goes somewhere new - which isn't very often. Leo hates everything that is new.

 

His eyes then landed on a flower pot on the widow pane and his eyes began to twitch. It was off centre, and Leo felt like he was going to burst. He had to bite his lip to stop from saying anything to the receptionist, that would be rude and Leo was trying to get rid if that side of him. So instead he sat there, itching in frustration trying to look at anything but the flower pot.

 

He was saved exactly five minutes and twelve seconds later when he heard his name being spoken. He look up and saw a different lady, a much older lady smiling at him from the end of a hallway.

 

"Mr Jung, if you'll follow me we'll be able to get started"

 

He got up off his seat and walked towards the elder, returning the soft smile the receptionist sent him.

 

"Good luck" she whispered excitedly just as Leo was whisked away into another large room, his nerves making his legs wobble and his heart pound.

 

 

------------------------------------------

 

 

"Is there an age in particular you're looking for?"

 

This question had never dawned on Leo before. Although during his endless hours he spent deciding if this was the right decision, he had never actually - genuinely - thought about anything other than "Should I do it?"

 

Was there an age he wanted? Did it honestly matter? He didn't necessarily want a newborn, but did he really want a 17 year old either?

 

"No" he finally decided. "I don't mind. As long as I'm helping someone, I don't mind what age they are"

 

Of course only some of this was true. He didn't mind what age, but he didn't necessarily want to adopt a child for their sake; more so for his. It sounded heartless, cruel and selfish but that was ok. That was how Leo rolled.

 

Not too long later he was taken down another long hall covered in paintings done by the children until they reached a room.

 

"Inside here you'll find all the children aged from four to seventeen. Take as long as you'd like, a decision like this should not be made lightly"

 

Well that little pep talk was greatly helping Leo's guilt. He walked inside and was surprised to see it didn't look anything like he had originally thought

 

Instead of there being bunk-beds along the walls and a dull, grey looking room; this seemed to be only the play room. It was a lot bigger than he thought previously too, the room looked almost as big as his apartment times five

 

A few children looked at him, mainly the younger ones who seemed to be at that curious age where everything that moved had to be intensely observed.

 

He slowly walked around, but stopped as he was unsure at exactly where to go and what to do

 

Did he simply walk over and start speaking to them? Or did that make him look creepy? He was sure some of the children here had been put here because of creepy men, let alone being looked over by one on - probably - a daily basis.

 

Luckily he didn't have to debate for too long when he felt a tug on his leg. He looked down at the touch - after jumping and almost squealing like a girl - and immediately smiled at the little cuties standing before him

 

She had blonde EXTREMELY curly hair that was tied into piggy tails on the sides of her head, with ocean sparking blue eyes that were so big Taekwoon wanted to adopt her right then and there. He looked almost identical to her, aside from the fact that he was he and she was a she. They obviously were twins, and Leo felt a pang of sadness inside his heart.

 

How could anyone leave such beautiful humans?

 

"Hello there" he smiled softly bending down so he was squatting in front of them.

 

"Hello! How are you Mister?" The girl asked. Her hair seemed to be just like her voice, loud and bubbly. He loved it

 

"Mica! Quinn! Don't harass the poor man!" Another voice was heard making Leo and the twins turn the attention to the incoming sound

 

A teen stood before him, looking down at the three of them with an apologetic smile - although something was different in her eyes. She looked weary of Leo, rightly so.

 

"We not harassing him Julie! We being polite like you said!" The girl - Leo still didn't know who was who yet. Both names sounded uni to him - exclaimed. He could straight away notice she was normally this loud, and it wasn't a nervous habit that some people acquired during their lives.

 

"I'm very sorry about Quinn, she doesn't know when to stop talking half the time. She just rambles on and on! I hope she didn't annoy you for too long. Oh God now I'm rambling aren't I? Sorry I'm very nervous-"

 

"There's no need to be nervous" Leo interjected quietly. Leo found it ironic how the teen apologised for the child's rambling ways, yet she seemed to be able to talk just as long.

 

The teenager - Julie - recognised his personality to be quiet, reserved and a man that hated being out of his comfort zone. Julie liked her gift of being able to read people.

 

Julie stopped speaking and sent Leo a small smile. He seems nice, she thought, quiet but nice nonetheless.

 

"I'm Julie, this is Mica and you've already met Quinn" Julie held out her hand for Leo to shake and he just stared at it for a moment. Leo disliked unnecessary skinship; just the same as he hated Hakyeon's love for it.

 

Julie noticed his uncomfortableness and retreated her hand, but didn't seem offended by Leo's lack of emotion

 

"What's your name?" The little boy - Mica - questioned; speaking for the first time since Leo had met the twins and Julie.

 

Should Leo say his real name? Or the name that he goes by regularly? Decisions, decisions.

 

"Leo. My name is Leo"

 

"Leo! Leo! Leo! I like the name Leo. It's short and easy to say and it's a very pretty name" Quinn began to ramble, and continued to mumble even when Julie's hand was placed over

 

"I'm so sorry-"

 

"You apologise too much. I don't mind her speaking, as long as nothing rude is coming out of it can move as much as she wants"

 

Leo surprise himself with his response. Too many words for people he did not know. Maybe it was because Quinn and Mica were so cute, and Leo didn't have his guard up for cute things

 

"Well that's fair enough"

 

Silence overcome the group, the only sounds being the chatter and playful shouts of the children around them.

 

"Leo come!" Quinn suddenly shouted, making Leo himself jump almost out of his skin. He jumped back inside of his skin when he felt small fingers intertwine with his own, before he was being yanked along the width of the room

 

"Leo come please" Julie mumbled looking after the energetic girl. There was no stopping Quinn when she started and that - surprisingly - didn't seen to scare Leo like it may have previously

 

"I drew a drawing and I want to give it to you"

 

The young girl holds up a crayon drawing to Leo and he freezes. Was he supposed to take it? Deny it? What was supposed to happen in this particular situation?

 

"Oh...Oh, oh Quinn. It's ah-lovely" he smiles slightly down at the little girl while taking the drawing off her and looking at it closely

 

There wasn't much to it, it was a drawing of flowers in a garden. It was messy and showed no talent, but for some reason Leo's heart still swelled. Why was this happening? Why was he feeling like this? Could Leo be going soft? There was, there was no way he was getting soft

 

"Thank you very much! I tried my very, very best on it. Ask Julie, I made her sit and watch me do it for hours so it could be perfect"

 

"How come it had to be perfect? Who was it for?" Leo doesn't think he had asked so many questions to someone so young before, without fear that they may not understand. Leo had a feeling that this little girl was very clever.

 

"I didn't really draw it for anyone, I knew that someone who deserved it would come. And here you are!"

 

Well damn. This little girl sure knew how to make someone feel like they're a little bit of alright.

 

"Well thank you Quinn, it's one of the best drawings I've seen. I'll hang it up on my fridge. How does that sound?"

 

Leo thought it sounded alright, and he had a feeling that Quinn agreed as her face lit up and a wonderfully bright grin made it's way onto the rosy cheeks of the younger girl.

 

"That sounds great Leo!"

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

"It's not a lot, but I hope you guys will like it"

 

Two hours of talking, laughing and playing later; the papers were signed and the four of them walked into Leo's quiet and quaint apartment. The children's eyes were wide as they walked into this new and different place. Now all the while Leo's face showed no emotion; he was panicking on the inside and oh boy was he panicking.

 

"It's absolutely wonderful!" Quinn shouts, her unusually bright and vibrant attitude contrasting the dull aura of his apartment. It was different, but different was what Leo needed right now. It was why he went to the orphanage, why he took the initiative.

 

"I'll show you to your room, this way"

 

Leo hoped that Julie wouldn't mind sharing with the twins for a while, he needed to clean out his study so it was fit to be a bedroom. He had only intended on bringing one child home, two at the most if he was presented with twins but Julie - a third child - was not thought of.

 

He slowly opened the door to the spare room and Quinn ran towards the first of the two single beds. She looked so happy, so content that Leo himself couldn't stop the small smile from appearing on his face. He wiped it off immediately though. Smiling was still a new path for Leo, he couldn't push himself.

He was only human for God's sake.

 

"The bed is so soft! Mica, Julie come and feel the beds!" Quinn shouts. Mica doesn't need to be told twice and soon enough both twins are jumping on the bed. Leo felt no need to stop them, he decided that it was ok - just this once - for them to jump on the beds. This is a whole new world - a whole new life - for them.

 

"Guys, stop that!" Julie hisses only to have Leo stop her. "It's fine" he mumbles, "I forgot to mention, you're going to have to share this room with Mica and Quinn for a little while. I still need to clear out the study for your room"

 

Julie's face softens from the hard look it wore when she was scolding the twins.

 

"Y-You mean I'm going to have my own room?"

 

Leo furrows his eyebrows and nods slowly, "Of course. I mean you have to share for a little while but after that yes". Oh my was Leo confused. "Why are you so shocked?" he questions.

 

"At the orphanage we - Quinn, Mica and I - shared a bed, just one lone bed. It's been years since I've had my own bed is all"

 

All Leo could think of was how privileged he was and how often he took advantage of it all. He had his own home, he had food, he had money and he had a bed that he slept in every night without even thinking. These children haven't had any of that for God knows how long yet they were still waking up every day and finding something to smile about

 

A/N: Not Edited 

I hope you all enjoy this and I apologise for yet another story