Roni and Joey: Chapter 25: Sign on the dotted line

The group made their way back to the conference room in silence. They followed Mr. Hunter with Tonya perched on his shoulder, Mr. Hale taking the lead in front of Roni and Joey, both trailing behind side by side. The pair walked a little bit slower, with Roni stealing glances out of the corner of her eye as she monitored Joey’s emotions. It was clear that whatever he and Tonya had talked about bothered him, and she wanted to be there for when he was ready to share what was on his mind, but every time she looked over she saw the same thing: Joey’s mind elsewhere, lost in thought. He stared at the floor as they walked, a small frown on his face and his brows low and his eyes full of thought. She could see his fingers drum on the side of his leg as he walked, and his nostrils flared as he took deeper breaths to keep himself calm. Roni moved closer and grabbed his hand, and felt the tension in his body start to dissipate, his shoulders relaxing and his eyes softening. He still didn’t look at her, but it was clear to Roni that Joey felt comforted by the gesture.

“Joey…” whispered Roni, her tone filled with concern, “are you okay? What’s going on? What happened between you and Tonya?”

Joey’s eyes flickered from the ground to Roni, his expression softening and his mouth opening and closing before he looked back at the ground. “I..I’ll tell you later. Promise, Veronica…” he murmured.

Roni squeezed his hand in reply, her heart rate and concern growing. She hated it when Joey used her full name. It was always bad news. Smallara, fights with his parents, his grandfather’s passing, all superseded by her full first name. Now it seemed there was another bout of bad news on the horizon that not only she had to hear, but it had to come from Joey again. It pained her so much for him to have more bad news, especially when they were on the brink of him officially being her brother and securing a safe haven for himself, and a bright future.

Roni’s attention was brought back to the present as they re-entered the conference room and gathered around the table. They all began sitting at the table while Tonya was given a change to move down Mr. Hunters and to her desk to restart the recording. Once they all confirmed their names and ages again for the record and Tonya gave the thumbs up, Mr. Hunter pulled out a final manilla folder and took a deep breath before presenting it to Joey.

“These are the final batch of Generitech documents that we are going to need signed by Joey and Roni. They are, in essence, a binding agreement that upon the completion of your metamorphosis that you, Joseph Theodore Calhoun, your adoptive name being Joey Theodore Hale,  are consenting that your adoptive sister, Veronica “Roni” Lynn Hale, will be your official Guardian and that you will become her registered little. Do you understand, Joey”

“Y…Yes, I understand, Mr. Hunter” Joey said quietly as he felt the significance of just a few papers start to sink in, the finality of the situation becoming more and more clear.

“Good.” Mr. Hunter turned more of his attention to Roni and Mr. Hale, without outright looking away at Joey so he would feel included in this next part. “Just…to go into further details, the documents have the usual stipends regarding the claiming of littles by their families, though there are some differences due to the expedited adoption and claims process. Upon Joey’s change, the 72 hours mark will be waived so long as you can get him to a Genericare facility. Granted, we technically don’t have a way to guarantee you do this, but, as your legal counsel, I highly recommend you do this following his change without hesitation. These documents and adoption processes will not protect you from harboring an unregistered little.”

Mr. Hale and Roni nodded in understanding. There had been a handful of reports on the news of smugglers and kidnappers in the poorer parts of the country and the sentencing was as severe as one could get by the legal system. Doing it by accident not only would be bad for the Hales, it’d be an insult and betrayal to Joey who is putting his faith in them.

Seeing the two exchange looks of understanding, Mr. Hunter gave them a professional smile, wanting to move through this last part of the process as quickly as possible. Not that he was in a hurry to be anywhere, but because it sometimes wasn’t the explanation that took the longest. 

Turning his full attention back to Joey, Mr. Hunter pulled out his own copy of the documents and adjusted them so Joey and Roni could follow along. “Joey, I need you to enter your banking information and social security number here. Normally we’d need your biological mother and fathers signatures, too, but since you have your own bank account and they’ve signed their parental rights away, we can skip that part. Additionally, any property that is registered to the State and Federal Government will need to be noted in this box here. In this instance, I believe it is just your truck, based on what your parents sent over.”

Joey nodded in agreement to this. “Yeah, that’s correct. I don’t really own anything that’d be of consequence or registered to the government outside of that” he looks at Roni and gives her a small smile. “Looks like you’re getting a hand-me-down from your big brother. Aren’t I so thoughtful?”

Roni stuck her tongue out at Joey playfully. “Oh just the most thoughtful. You’re the best big brother ever, JoJo” she teased back, making Joey blush a little.

“Hey, only Sandi and CiCi can call me that!” he fought back, eliciting a giggle from Roni before immaturely blowing a raspberry back at Joey. Not to be deterred, Joey stuck his finger in his mouth and quickly pulled it out with a pop before sticking it in Roni’s ear, who grimaced and slapped his hand away, leaving Joey laughing. He knew she hated the feeling. Whenever Roni got under his skin, even as kids, he would do it just to throw her off her game while he came up with a better comeback.

“Ugh! You’re so groossss!” whine Roni as she wiped away the remnants of the wet willie she’d just received. 

“I hope that stays on the record!” Joey said mid laugh, “Nothing better than some brotherly love, eh sis?”

Mr. Hunter and Tonya smirked to themselves seeing the two of them interact like this. It was nice to see Joey in a bit of a better mood considering what it was he was about to sign. 

Mr. Hale, on the other hand, was a little less thrilled. Sighing, he stood up from his seat and rested his hands on either teenager’s head and gave them a gentle shake. “Veronica, Joseph, focus on the task at hand, please. You’ll have plenty of time to screw around at home, got it? I want you both to start this part of your lives on the right foot and to not miss anything” Though internally, he was glad they were still messing around like this. It brought back memories of when they were younger and Joey would stay the night, moments where they would run around the house terrorizing each other with pranks. It brought a warmness to the room that the three of them needed at that moment.

Joey and Roni both let Mr. Hale guided their vision back to the table where the folder sat like he had when they’d talk too loud during movie time with the whole Hale household, looking at each other through the corner of their eyes with a playful glint, knowing this wasn’t over. Roni, however, spoke for both of them. “Sorry, daddy. We’re focused. I promise.”

“Yeah, sorry Mr…err…dad.” Joey said in agreement as Mr. Hale removed his hands from the top of their heads with a nod of approval, taking his seat once again.

Focusing back on the forms, Joey filled out what he needed to for Roni. He supplied his banking information, social security number; everything that he was required to disclose for Roni to take ownership of was all now listed on the document. Once he was finished, he put down his signature and slid the form over to Roni. She reviewed everything, her eyes nearly shooting out of her socket when she saw his account balance. 

“Is that a real number?!” She exclaimed, a little too loud as Tonya covered her ears in surprise.

“Roni” hissed Joey, “Tone it down. Did you forget about Tonya?”

Her face went red with embarrassment and she immediately looked over at the little on the table wincing in pain. “Shit…I’m so, so sorry, Tonya…” whispered Roni, a light mist in her eyes from the immediate guilt of causing someone so small that kind of pain.

Rather than being upset, Tonya merely shook her head and uncovered her ears, “Don’t worry about it, Roni. You’ve been very accommodating and mindful of my size. I know it was an accident.” She smiled at the massive teenage girl as Roni wiped her eyes, returning the smile with one of her own.

Taking a deep breath to center herself, Roni looked back down at the form and began signing where she needed to as to ensure all of Joey’s belongings would become hers when Joey changed. She was still in shock from just how much money Joey had on his own. He had mentioned an inheritance from his Grandfather, but $300,000 was ridiculous, not to mention the money he had saved up on his own from working for his parents. It was too much for her to really consider currently, the fact that it’d be her’s at some point made her feel guilty. 

Once finished, Mr. Hunter nodded in approval and pulled the folder away to review it. Once he confirmed everything was filled out correctly, he slid it to the side before letting out a sigh, his expression becoming more gloomy as he pulled out a final folder and set it on the table in front of Roni and Joey. He hated this part of these cases, but it was unavoidable.

Taking a steadying breath, his gaze calm but understanding, Mr. Hunter looked at Joey and Roni as he slid them a final few forms. “This is the last group of forms that will need to be reviewed and signed. Joey, they are your acknowledgement of Little Rights and consent to relinquishing yourself to a Guardian forms for when you go through the metamorphosis.”

Joey’s blood ran ice cold when the realization hit him, instinctively reaching over to Roni and grabbing her hand for reassurance. Roni, for her part, was just as nervous, albeit neither were surprised. This was the final goal after all. Still, actually seeing the forms there, in person, right in front of them, felt eerie, like signing a do not resuscitate right before brain surgery.

Determined to press on, Mr. Hunter continued, “I need to go over the legal implications of this verbally, Joey, but Roni will also receive a folder that covers things in a bit more detail. As a Little, you are legally regarded as having limited capacity for independent decision-making. This means that you cannot enter contracts, own property, or provide medical consent on your own; a guardian must make those choices. If a medical emergency occurs, care can proceed without consent only to save life or limb. Additionally, Littles are not permitted to operate hazardous machinery or initiate or defend lawsuits, which must be managed through a guardian. Unclaimed Littles become the responsibility of Generitech. So, for any legal, financial, or medical decisions, your guardian holds the authority.”

“Additionally, Littles have specific, universal rights designed to protect their well-being. These include the right to safety, meaning their guardian must provide a secure, supportive environment with access to food and shelter. Littles also have a right to love and be loved, though guardian-Little relationships are considered ethically inappropriate except in certain semi-domesticated situations. Littles cannot be harmed by their guardian, as causing a Little’s death is treated as murder under the law. Littles are also prohibited from intentionally framing their guardian in criminal activities.”

Mr. Hunter studied Joey and Roni as they absorbed the information. Neither one of them seemed to be taking it too well. Most never did. He could see that Roni had never taken the time to consider what it really meant to be a little, and what it would mean for Joey once he became one. His rights, his autonomy, his opinions, all relegated to whatever she determined to be important. He’d be relegated to the same status of those she and him read online, the ones they wanted so badly to help. If they weren’t already holding hands, she’d have grabbed his in a heartbeat looking for comfort and to be comforted. 

Joey looked at the folder in front of him, before looking up at Mr. Hunter. He could see there was compassion in his eyes, empathy for the young man that was about to essentially sign an acknowledgment of his soon invalidity. Mr. Hunter must have helped more than his fair share of future littles through this process, must have seen plenty of people his age go through it. Joey wondered how many were his age, or younger. He wondered about those that didn’t have the resources he had to make this all happen, or even those that would go to families that didn’t love them as much as the Hales loved him. Not everyone could get a happy ending, and Joey knew this. No system was perfect, and despite how much effort Generitech put into their own, they were no different. 

Sensing the discomfort, Mr. Hunter gently spoke to them in a calm and reassuring voice. “I know it’s tough. We can sit here as long as you need, both of you. Neither Tonya or I want to rush you to sign. Rember, though, at the end of all of this, you’ll have each other. That’s what this is all about, and that’s the most important part.”

Mr. Hale, sitting beside his daughter and adoptive son, nodded in agreement. “Take as much time as you need. I know it’s hard, that the reality of what’s happening hadn’t caught up to either of you until now, so we can stay here as long as you need to process everything.”

Before Roni could reply, Joey let go over her hand and picked up the pen but paused briefly, before letting out a sigh as he pulled the paper towards him. “I want this. I want to be a Hale, I want to be Roni’s little.” He looked at Tonya, who smiled at him reassuringly as he began to sign the paper. “There’s no one that I trust more than her, except maybe Johnny but…well…Roni is all I have now. I won’t just let that go, not when I have a chance at a good life…”

Roni’s breath hitched in her throat hearing this, a declaration she had never expected Joey to outright say. She knew Joey trusted her, but hearing him say it outloud, here and now, affirmed her decision; it told her that she was making the right choice and that she could be what Joey needed. “Oh Joey…I…I don’t know what to say…you’ve been my rock, the person I can always count on. I swear I won’t let you down….” with that, she took the pen and paper, and signed where she needed to and passed it to Mr. Hunter.

The two of them hugged each other while Mr. Hunter reviewed everything. Mr. Hale sat quietly and observed them, not wanting to interrupt their moment. He could see this was an emotional moment where the only solace either could receive would be in each other’s embrace.

Mr. Hunter nodded with reassurance before he readdressed the three. “Right, everything seems to be in order here,” declared Mr. Hunter as he neatly collected all the documents and inserted them into a folder before offering Tonya his hand as she stopped the recording, to which she quickly climbed onto to be lifted to her spot on his shoulder. He stood up from his seat and offered a handshake to the three Hales that stood in front of him, each reciprocating it. “It’s been a pleasure to meet you, and to serve you. I know it’s tough, and I know that it will be a long road, but I promise it will be one worth traveling.”

Mr. Hunter paused as Tonya spoke in his ear, before nodding and pulling out a business card. “Tonya says she is extremely proud and happy for the both of you. She asked that, if you need to call and talk to anyone about littles, guardians, or just life, not to hesitate to contact her. My number is on the card, too, if you need to get in touch, too.”

Roni grabbed it from Mr. Hunter and looked it over before nodding in appreciation. “Thank you…thank you so much…”

“Yeah, thank you, Mr. Hunter.” added Joey. “I wish there was more I could do to show my gratitude. To both you and Tonya…”

“Nonsense. Knowing you and Roni are going to be with each other is all that I need” said Mr. Hunter who winced as Tonya stamped on his shoulder with her heel. “Sorry, all that WE need”

“Well, I think we need to get going. I had my phone on silent but…” Mr. Hale pull his Generidroid from his pocket and sighs heavily, “Your mother and sisters have left me many messages…they must be eager for us to get back.”

“Of course, allow Tonya and I to escort you to the lobby, please.” Offered Mr. Hunter as he took the lead out of the conference room, the folder secured in his briefcase. The group began to leave the conference room, and headed to the elevators to make their way to the lobby, and to take Joey Hale to his new home. Once inside the elevator, as the doors slid shut, Joey looked over at Roni, a small, hopeful smile forming on his face as they headed back down to the lobby.

• Next Chapter: https://smallara.com/2024/11/19/roni-and-joey-chapter-26-home-at-last/

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