The store was a large, confusing place. JJ and Simon were pretty much starting from scratch with their new little one. The closest they'd ever come to dealing with a child so young was with Joe Davis, but they'd never actually taken care of him long term or bought things for him.
With nervous hearts, the men settled the young boy into a shopping trolley, and ventured into the first department: children's clothes. Simon pushed the trolley while JJ and Harry travelled alongside. The group stopped in front of a rack of t-shirts.
Harry immediately zeroed in on a bright green one with The Hulk on it. He held it up for all to see. "How about this one?" he suggested eagerly.
Simon blinked, fearing he might go blind from the colors, then glanced down at his passenger. The look on the youngster's face said it all. Absolute horror. JJ snickered at the child's reaction.
"Um, Harry, I don't think that is exactly the little guy's taste. Maybe a little too bright," JJ told him, careful to not hurt the elder boy's feelings.
Harry blinked, looked at the shirt, at the boy in the trolley, then back to the shirt. "Really? Huh. I love it!"
"We know Harry, you have one just like it in your wardrobe," Simon reminded him.
Harry grinned as he returned the shirt to the rack. "Oh yeah! I knew I liked it for a reason."
JJ addressed the child they were shopping for, "What about you? See any shirts here you'd like?"
The boy carefully scrutinized the rack of shirts covered with cartoon and comic book characters, soon wrinkling his nose in distaste and shaking his head no.
JJ sighed, this was going to be harder than he thought. "Alright then...." he grabbed a plain white t-shirt off a nearby rack. "How about this one?"
After a moment, the small boy gave a short nod.
JJ grinned excitedly. "Good! We'll take several of these then," he proclaimed as he held the shirt up to the boy for size comparison.
After going through a majority of the department, they managed to agree on several different kinds of tops, including some hoodies, some long sleeve t-shirts, and a couple button up shirts. After rejecting several pairs of trousers, the youngster allowed them to add a couple pairs of jeans and trackies, plus some shorts. He had absolutely refused any skinny jeans. After ten minutes of arguing about how all the boys had some, JJ and Simon had little choice but to give in.
In sleepwear, the group managed to pick out several shirt and short pairs, a few longer pyjamas for when it got cooler, and two onesies for when it got really cold. They also picked up some fuzzy green frog slippers that had caused the boy's eyes to light up when he saw them.
The bath section was next so, while Harry and the timid boy picked out some bath toys, as Simon and JJ had insisted, the two men picked out the other bath time necessities. Simon made certain to find a soft tap cover, to prevent injuries, while JJ found kid shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel. Simon stocked up on bubble bath and and a set of children's combs and brushes that would be better with those baby-fine locks than anything they currently had at home.
"Ok, now what?" Simon questioned as they paused just outside of the bath section.
JJ gave him a grin and pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. "Made up a list of a few things I've come across that we've needed but didn't have. Harry, you're going to be our scout and help us find what we need. First off," JJ glanced at the short list, "a booster seat for the table, so the little guy doesn't have to sit on phone books anymore."
Simon definitely approved of that item. Having the boy precariously perched on those Yellow Pages always made him nervous. "Find one with straps, to make sure he doesn't fall out."
Harry quickly pointed to one on a shelf above his reach. "What about that one?"
JJ joined his son in a few strides and looked at the boxes Harry was indicating. He grabbed two and turned to the youngster. "Blue or red, baby boy?"
It took the tot a second to realise the large man was talking to him. After a moment of deliberation, he hesitantly pointed to the red one. The man grinned at him, putting the blue one back on the shelf.
"Good choice!" he assured the child, putting the box with the red seat into the trolley.
The boy gave him a small smile.
"Alright, next thing we need is a step-stool, so once he's out of the cast, he can wash his hands and brush his teeth and hair all on his own," JJ told Harry.
"JJ," Simon spoke up from behind the trolley, "add a pram to the list."
The dark haired youngster whipped his head around to face the blond with dismay. Simon noticed the look be was being given, but ignored it.
JJ considered his partner's suggestion for a second, and then nodded his head in agreement. "Good idea Si. With that broken leg, it would really help us get him around, especially when we leave the house." He added pram to the list.
The little guy scowled from his seat in the trolley.
Meanwhile, Harry returned with two stools. "One for upstairs, one for down." he explained, displaying his find to his fathers with pride.
The final thing they picked out from the shelves was a large toy chest. They had a sales assistant take it to the register to hold for them, so they didn't have to lug it around the store.
The next area they entered was the toy department. The couple and Harry took great enjoyment from the expression of complete awe on the small boy's puppy dog face. Though, the idea that such a sight was so awe inspiring to the little boy caused the foster parent's hearts to clench. No child should be so unfamiliar with a trip to the toy section of a store. It was a look that they were familiar with though; their older three had displayed similar emotions the first time as well.
JJ swallowed the lump in his throat. "Harry, why don't you pick out a couple stuffed toys, grab one for yourself if you want one too. Si why don't you find a couple of games. I'm going to look at those Leapfrog educational things you hear about in adverts all the time."
Simon, with his passenger's help, easily picked out several children's games. Mouse Trap, Guess Who?, Hungry Hungry Hippos, and a sound matching game that helped young children learn to identify noises. Harry came back while they were still choosing games and tossed several stuffed toys into the trolley. Simon recognised the look on his son's face, it was his 'great idea' expression. He trusted his son so, with a simple nod of his head, Simon gave Harry permission to follow through with whatever plan he'd concocted.
JJ soon came striding back into the aisle with a pile of books, games, and some sealed electronics including a child's mp3 player and headphones. "They have some great stuff!" he declared brightly.
Before Simon could comment on the massive amount of things his husband had just dumped into the trolley, Harry came running back to the them with an armload of Play-Doh containers in every color of the rainbow. "I remembered loving this stuff when I was little," he proclaimed, out of breath from his dash to collect the Play-Doh.
"Great idea, kid!" JJ confirmed with a playful twinkle in his eye as he ruffled the boy's hair.
Simon's focus was on their young charge however. He'd noticed the boy's attention had drifted to the stuffed toys across the aisle. The child had torn his gaze away several times, but his eyes kept returning to the shelf. Simon crouched down to the boy's level.
"Do you see something you'd like? All this stuff is for you, so if there's something specific you want, all you have to do is point," Simon told him softly.
Dark brown eyes locked on to bright blue, evaluating the man. After several moments, the little boy shyly looked away and cautiously pointed. Simon followed the gesture and spotted a pale blue stuffed dog with floppy ears and a pink tongue. Picking it up, he noticed it was made of that extremely soft, fluffy fabric. Turning to his rider, Simon held up the toy. "Is this what you meant?"
The boy chewed on his lip, then nodded his head.
Simon smiled softly, then placed the doggy in his passenger's lap. "Then we'll certainly be getting this."
Large eyes stared at the toy in shock, then, joyfully it was clutched tightly in small arms as the boy rubbed his face against the soft fabric.
Simon gazed in wonder at big smile that truly emerged for the first time. He glanced up and caught JJ's gaze, his husband's eyes sparkling. He reached out and gave the other's hand a squeeze. He was very grateful that JJ had persuaded him into this now. He'd almost forgotten what it was like to be the one putting a joyful smile on a young boy's face.
"That kid's gonna be a heart breaker," JJ murmured into his lover's ear.
"Absolutely," Simon agreed, momentarily laying his head on JJ's shoulder.
JJ gave Simon's hand one last squeeze, then took hold of the trolley, giving the small nose a tap. "Well since we've got all we need from here, let's move on."
JJ then led them all to the book aisle. The left side had books for teenagers while the right side was shelf after shelf of children's books.
JJ took these selections seriously as he crouched down next to the trolley. "Okay, now I know you like reading. I've seen you read several of the smaller books we've still got 'round the house. Unfortunately, we gave most of the beginners books to Joe once Harry outgrew them."
"Except for the Christmas books," Simon corrected. "We kept all the Christmas books cause the boys still like to read them every year, no matter how old they get."
"That's cause it puts us in the Christmas mood!" Harry shouted, bouncing up and down the aisle, picking up one book after another.
"Harry," Simon said in a warning tone, "settle down."
Harry froze, and set down the book he'd just picked up, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry, Dad."
"Just remember your inside behavior," Simon reprimanded gently as he picked up some small, hardcover Penguin book set that caught his eye. "How about these?" he suggested, holding up the books.
The preschooler gave a nod of approval as he hugged the blue dog he'd yet to release from his grip.
Harry jogged up with a couple of thick books. "What about these Papa?"
JJ glanced at the covers and smiled. "Looks good to me. Every little kid likes nursery rhymes. Now, why don't you go find us some colouring books and crayons."
Harry set the books into the trolley and then hurried off to do as he was told.
Simon then added some Roald Dahl and Dot-to-Dot's. "I reckon I'd still enjoy them now," he joked to his partner.
JJ nodded his head in agreement. "You see anything you'd like baby boy?"
The silent child blinked, and eyed the rows and rows of books until his attention was captured by something familiar. Eagerly, a finger pointed at something further down on the left side of the aisle. Curious as to what the boy could want but glad he was actually asking for something, JJ pushed the trolley forward until the child pulled his shirt to stop. The hand not holding the stuffed dog reached for a collection of books, but it was just out of his grasp.
JJ picked up the book, frowning as he read the cardboard holder of the Horrible Histories book series box set. "Seriously? You really want this?"
The child nodded eagerly, his eyes shinning with enthusiasm.
JJ jerked his head for Simon to come over. With curiosity, Simon glanced over JJ's shoulder and read the title. "He asked for this? Isn't it a bit over his age group? Not to mention, kind of gruesome..."
JJ shrugged, bewildered, and gestured towards the boy. "That's what he wanted." Then he laughed. "My kind of kid."
Simon looked down to the boy, who was reaching for the books again. "You sure these are what you want?"
He nodded eagerly, grabbing at the books held just out of his reach.
JJ and Simon shared another look, shrugged, and then handed the child the box.
Harry came back a few minutes later with a stack of colouring books, and a giant box of crayons. "Sorry I took so long. The crayons were hiding on the lowest shelf. Didn't notice them for ages!"
"It's alright kiddo, we're in no rush," JJ assured him, "Hey, why don't you go get some of those Play-Doh accessories while we pick out some DVDs."
"Ok!" Harry eagerly agreed, running back off around the corner."
Back at the house...
Josh and Ethan had returned to the house and checked on Tobi, who was settled in front of the TV in the den, watching 'Empire'. Knowing that the show would keep their older brother occupied for at least another thirty minutes, the two knew they were safe to continue their mission. They then hid themselves in the study, locking the door behind them. They knew that if anyone came upon the locked door, they would just figure the two wanted privacy while they did their reading practice.
Ethan logged onto one of the family's computers and pulled up a search engine. Using their only lead, he typed in 'Hindu names', knowing that someone out on the internet had most likely created a site of such names. They were still a bit amazed however, when his search found such a large number of results. Ethan clicked through a couple sites but didn't find exactly what they wanted until the third one. It was a site simply titled 'Indian Hindu Names' and it was an actual database of Hindu names, organized by letter.
While perusing the B's, Josh and Ethan concluded that the kid's name couldn't have been anything too normal or too strange, or else the lady wouldn't have been able to recognise the name as something Hindu. They were able to rule out names like Brent and Bipin.
There were a lot of names though, so it might take them a while...