Bullet Proof.

"Is that so?  Well runt, you're gonna have to work for that-ya"  Eustass's smile was evident in the unusually soft way he spoke to the child, amusement growing even more at the feel of tiny hands threading through his thick mane of hair. If things didn't go well with Bellamy and Vitaly, the alpha would be tempted to take the boy home himself.  On a normal day he'd have immediately been aware of the eyes on him, most likely prepared to give some rude or snarky comment-
But when Nikita was in his arms...........it was as though everything else melted away. 
"What am I supposed to call you anways, brat? And how do you even know English-ya?"  He was astounded as he realized the child had spoken to him in their foreign language, blinking almost dumbly as he tilted his head back to gaze at the child perched atop his shoulders. 
"You some kind of genius or something?"
Bellamy merely gave an undignified huff in response to his mate, struggling to swallow back the worry that arose at the thought of Eustass having a hand in raising his child. For all he knew the alpa could still be dangerous.
"Eustass aside, what do you think about Nikky?"  The soldier had curled a warm arm around his mate's waist before speaking, leading the Russian just outside the room so that Nikita would not hear. The last thing he wanted was for the boy to listen in if Vitaly rejected him.

Nikita giggled at the man once again, amused by the incredulous look on his face.
"They teach us other languages here. I only know a lot of English though. And I don't know all the words, like I don't know what genius means." He admitted, repeating the unfamiliar word Eustass had said. "But I'm still real good at it." He nodded proudly, still enjoying patting the top of the man's head as he sat there. "Oh! And my name's Nikita. Nice to meet you, sir." He paused before adding. "They teach us to say that too."
Thatcher was grinning widely at the pair of them, finding it extremely adorable and unexpected to see Eustass being so sweet with the kid.
"You two are pretty damn adorable, aren't ya?" He chuckled before realizing he'd used a word Nikita probably didn't need to hear at this age.
"I don't know that one word either." Nikita shook his head.
"That's probably a good thing."

Outside, Vitaly was taking the alone time to press kisses everywhere he could reach on his lover while still listening to the man's question.
"I mean, he's obviously adorable. And it's impressive that he's so good with English already, that's a good thing if we're taking him back to the states." The Russian nodded his head, mulling this over. "It's not like there is anything wrong with him, I'm just worried." He sighed, dragging a hand through his hair before leaning against Bellamy's chest as he thought. "I'm going to be spending a lot of time alone with him, raising him. I'm not complaining about that because it's obviously not your fault, but I'm just scared. You said you two really connected and got along right away. What if he hates me?" They were unusually vulnerable words from the former assassin but truly, he was afraid.

"Im glad they taught you manners but I ain't no 'sir'."  Eustass's fingers had gently curled around one of the boys tiny ankles, capturing it long enough to run his fingertips across the pad of Nikita's bare foot.  The alpha was so enamoured with this child that he'd stopped attempting to control his face.  The ever present scowl had vanished along with the deep crease between furrowed brows.  In their place was a now delighted expression, an unbridled grin framed by bright eyes. "Say Eustass. Say it brat, sound it out.  Ee-U-stass."  The man spoke his name in three syllables, honing in on the childs heartbeat to assure he wasn't becoming too excited by the constant ticking at his feet. He was absorbing every moment spent with his mate and the giggling boy on his shoulders.  If he tried hard enough, Eustass could almost believe this was his life.

"Vitaly, I think its impossible for anyone to hate you."  The words were spoken in a soft hush, accompanied by hands tenderly cupping the Russian's cheeks in order to capture his attention completely.  "I gotta say, I've always been wary of Eustass. He's never friendly.  But somehow you guys managed to fly across the world together? If he likes you then honestly, why doubt yourself?"  Lips brushed over delicate cheekbones, landing kisses down the bridge of the boys nose and ending just at the corner of Vitaly's mouth. He was taking a moment to appreciate the bliss of simply holding his mate before summoning the strength to speak once more.  "I'll be home as much as possible. They might even allow me to go home with you if we adopt Nikki so that we can get settled in.  My mom and dad are great with kids, and I guess you have Eustass too. You wont do this alone, Vitaly.  And you don't have to do it at all if you decide you don't want to.  We can wait and talk about it later."  The soldier's gaze had shifted to the towering alpha, watching intently as the man held Nikita on his soldiers and caused bubbling laughter to spill from the boys lips. "But for now, why don't you spend a little time with Nikita and see what you think, yeah?"

Nikita was too busy squealing at first to even try pronouncing Eustass's name. He had never been tickled before and he found that the sensation was making him squirm wildly.
"Ee-U-stass." He sounded out obediently through his laughter. "Now stoooop." He whined softly, gently thumping the back of the man's head.

"That sounds like a plan for right now." Vitaly nodded at his lover with a smile, pecking his cheek before heading back in to steal the child away from Eustass. "Alright, you've had your fun torturing the poor kid. Hand him over now." He smirked as Nikita looked down at him, grinning.
"Hi, pretty man."
"Hi, pretty boy." Vitaly mocked, smiling softly as he took the boy into his arms. "But really, my name is Vitaly. Think you can say that one?"
"Vitaly." Nikita repeated, nodding his head.
Vitaly smiled then before realizing he could communicate to the child in their native language. He moved over to sit on the bed, sitting Nikita in his lap before the two began a conversation in Russian, Vitaly trying to get to know the boy his lover wanted to adopt.

Thatcher had moved over as soon as Vitaly took Nikita, getting back in his position in the man's arms.
"Alright now I need attention, shithead." He smirked at the man. "The kid was stealing that smile I like seeing so much." He carded his fingers through his lover's hair, enjoying feeling so close to the man after their months apart.

Bellamy was sitting perched on the edge of Nikita's bed, watching with enchantment as his mate held the small child that had stolen his heart away. He listened closely, catching only simple things Vitaly had taught him but still enough to follow.  He found himself thinking finally that Britt's leaving him was a good thing.  It had lead him here, watching his beautiful lover speak native Russian to a child they were considering for adoption.  It was a glimpse into the life Bellamy had always dreamed of. 

"He wasn't stealing anything, Taylor but I appreciate the jealousy." A kiss fell against the soldier's chin. "Have you ever considered though that I was smiling because you were dropping profanity in front of the brat? Or because when I came in you were kinda damn adorable playing patty cake-ya." Eustass had gathered the soldier in a way that swept Thatcher completely off his feet, strong arms cradeling him against a warm and sturdy chest.  It was as though the alpha were rocking an infant. "Damn, I've missed you.  The bed is damn cold without you, and I burn everyfuckingthing I touch-ya." There was tender smile gracing  soft lips, a rare expression saved for Thatcher alone.  It was almost enough to hide the truth of his torment at having the soldier gone.  He hadn't slept in their bed since Thatcher had departed, and all the cabinets were bare without anyone bothering to stock them.  Eustass spent his days honing in on his mates heartbeat from half a world away, aware of even the slightest excitement that spiked the mans heartbeat.  The alpha knew especially whenever the soldier was sleeping.  It slowed his heart rate considerably, sometimes sending the alpha into a full blown panic.  Occasionally Eustass would have driven all the way to the airport before realizing his lover was simply asleep.

"Yeah, I know you do." Thatcher laughed. "I can't believe you've survived this long without me, man. I thought you'd have starved by now." He teased, leaning into his lover's chest as he spoke. "I've missed you too though, so fucking much. You don't even know, babe. You think you're lonely, it's fucking lonely as shit out here too. And cold as hell. I don't know how people live here." He whined lightly, trailing kisses down the man's jaw and neck in between words. "And don't make fun of me for playing with the brat, you seemed to like him too. I also might have dropped some profanity and that is why I am not a parent." He snickered softly.

After a while, Vitaly stood again, Nikita still resting in his arms. He and the boy seemed to have hit it off and he wasn't so terrified now. Still scared, but he wasn't worried about Nikita hating him anymore. The boy truly was adorable, seeming to make everyone who met him smile and just adore him.
As he approached Bellamy, he simply gave the man a look accompanied by a firm nod, letting him know that he was on board.
"I like the pretty man." Nikita smiled at Bellamy. "You were right, he's nice." He giggled softly.

There was a heartbeat moment where the alpha's smile faltered, threatening even to fall completely from his face. Eustass recovered quickly enough, covering the sudden chill in his chest by barking out soft laughter.  The soldier's words had been another indication that he would not want to be a parent, added weight to the already staggering heaviness the werewolf carried in his heart. He would never have a child of his own...
But he could still help with Nikita, and to simply have Thatcher by his side was enough to fuel his life.  "Vitaly makes me feed myself. If not it is highly likely I would have indeed starved-ya.  You need to come home sometime.  You remember that place, right? Blue shutters, an all around porch and a oak tree out front? All of your shits still taking up room in the house?"  The alpha was playfully nuzzling the crook of his beta's neck, planting soft and lingering kisses upon his shoulder. "You can't stay away from me in this frozen wasteland forever, Taylor.  It's like I fucking live in Alaska with how long my fucking sun goes away-ya."

"I know right?  Aren't we lucky we have the pretty man all to ourselves?" The soldier was cooing as he bent to sweep the small child into his arms, holding the boy cradled against his army greens.  The last thing he had to do was sign the papers.  They would call and adoption agency in the states to check up on their housing at some point but for now, if the paper got signed Nikita became theirs.
"Lets go talk to the people charge.  You can help us."  Bellamy shifted his to-be child onto his right shoulder in order to curl a free arm around Vitaly's waist.
"You ready to officially start our family?" The words were spoken in a whisper, lips pressing near butterfly kisses across the Russian's cheeks.

"Awww, does the big alpha wolf miss me?" Thatcher teased, although of course he missed the man too, more than Eustass could possibly know. "Well luckily for you it looks like Bell is really adopting this brat. They'll probably let him go home early to get situated. If I beg I can probably go with him. We're sort of a package deal anyways. If he goes, I go." He chuckled softly, smiling at the feeling of his alpha's lips on his shoulder, seemingly spreading warmth throughout his entire body. He truly hoped he got to come home. He had never minded being deployed, but now that he had a lover waiting for him at home it was complete hell.

"I can't wait." Vitaly spoke earnestly to his lover, leaning over to peck his lips gently as Nikita glanced back at them, smiling.
"Does this mean you're gonna take me to America?" He questioned, tilting his head and grinning. "And the zoo?" He beamed as he remembered their earlier conversation.

"You know damn well I fucking miss you, shitface."  The alpha was tempting to withhold a pout as the comment on his lover and Bellamy being a 'package deal' added more weight to the already crippling strain he felt at having to share his soldier with Bellamy.  "Im not sure I like you and Bellamy being considered a package, but I guess i'll take anything that manages to bring you home-ya." The idea of actually being blessed enough to take his soldier home had Eustass's fingers fastening tighter around Thatch's waist.  

"We're about to see."  Bellamy took one last deep breath to steady himself before surging forward, Nikita on his hip and Vitaly pressed protectively against his side. The meeting was easier than he'd predicated.  It seemed that the orphanage was full and they were in desperate need of extra beds. The choice of giving Nikita to a stable American soldier was letting choice at all.  Within two hours all the necessary paper work had been filed.  They promised an agency in America would come around to check on them at an undisclosed time, but for now Nikita was theirs.  With the last of the papers signed, the caretaker gave Nikita one last hug before gesturing towards Bellamy and Vitaly.  "These are your parents now,"  The agent spoke in soft Russian.  "They will love you as we have."

"Aw come on, big guy, you know Bell's the only friend I got besides you." Thatcher smirked lightly, not even attempting to hide how pleased the alpha's slight jealousy made him. "You can't be too jealous of him... even if I enjoy it." He chuckled, arm wrapping around the man's strong shoulders as he led him off to follow Vitaly and Bellamy.

Nikita was wide-eyed as he heard the agent's words, glancing back to his new parents.
"I go home with you now?" He questioned, tilting his head, reaching out to hug onto Bellamy. He then noticed Thatcher and Eustass entering behind them. "Does he come too?" He smiled as a tiny hand pointed towards Eustass.