This came from a prompt about babysitters and disturbing pictures, and a sudden interest in TurkAme on my dashboard from a certain someone. I strayed from the prompt though, as the picture thing just didn't fit. I don't know how long this will go on, but it should only be a two- or three-shot.
I own only the plot. Yusuf is Northern Cyprus.

"Al?"

"Hmm...yeah lil' man?"

"Can I have some juice?"

Alfred looked away from the notes he was studying from. Both kids had their eyes trained almost unblinkingly at the television, which was playing a movie he'd brought over. But the oldest of the two boys, Heracles, looked over to meet his eye, while his younger brother Yusuf stayed glued to the tv. Alfred smiled at him.

"Sure man, which kind do you want? And do you want any Yusuf?"

Alfred knew the young boy wouldn't answer him the first time he asked, but luckily Heracles nudged his elbow at Yusuf, and the kid blinked before looking over at his brother. "Wha'?"

"Do you want some juice?"

"Yeah," he mumbled, and Heracles repeated his answer to Alfred. "Do you boys want orange juice? Or apple juice?" He got up and went to get down two small plastic cups.

"Apple," both boys answered at the same time, attention on the movie again. Alfred couldn't really blame them; Disney's movies were like a drug to kids. They sometimes wanted to watch the same movie immediately again, but Alfred didn't really mind. He may have been 19 years old, but he was a kid at heart, and he too loved that little trash compacting robot.

After pouring the juice he retrieved from the refrigerator, Alfred put it back and grabbed both cups. He walked over and sat them down in front of the two boys, on the glass coffee table. "There you go," he said, and returned to his laptop. Both boys mumbled out a thank you, and Alfred smiled again. Kids were so cute!

The boys father, Sadiq, had moved next door to Alfred's family a few years ago. Heracles had been 3 and Yusuf had been 1, their mother dumping the kids on their father. And Sadiq, who'd only been 22, was suddenly a single father with a job not good enough to support him plus two children. But he was lucky, because right next door was a 16 year old with a lot of time on his hands. Alfred wasn't involved with too much out of school other than study groups on occasion. He liked school well enough and often helped his friends study for tests. Alfred's mother, epitome of kindness and a very outgoing woman, had been talking to Sadiq one day across the fence separating their houses. Sadiq had just gotten home from work and she had just arrived home from picking Alfred up from school and grocery shopping. Sadiq had looked dead tired and haggard, mentioning going to the local college to hopefully get a better job. But with the kids...

Well, Alfred's mother had been moved by Sadiq's situation, and happily offered her and Alfred's services. She offered to pick them up from school since she was a stay at home mother and Alfred, who had been bringing in the groceries his mother had picked up, had shrugged and agreed, saying it would be no problem to watch them. Sadiq had been beyond relieved and couldn't think of any way to show his gratitude, and Alfred had joked ten bucks an hour would be a start. His mother had been quick to remind Alfred this would be for charity, but Sadiq had accepted.

"Though I might have to lower that number at the moment," was what he'd said with a grateful smile, and that was how Alfred became the babysitter to his neighbor's kids.

And he was happy he'd accepted. Little Heracles and Yusuf were such nice boys, and Alfred got to help them with their incredibly easy homework and play-wrestle with them and sit on the couch with them crawling all over him. He told them half-made up stories based on something that had really happened, mostly things at school and about his dorky friends. He read to them and brought them movies and sweets and played any games they wanted to and generally felt good when he got home, exhausted in the best kind of way.

He didn't know how long this would be going on, but he wanted to keep doing it. He was 19 but the boys were 6 and 4, so he knew they would still need someone to watch them for a while. The only problem was Alfred himself, and it had everything to do with the boys' father.

Sadiq was hardworking, strong, nice. When he could have crumbled under the sudden responsibility thrust upon him, he instead stood tall and did everything he could to support his sons. He'd worked a full-time job and taken whatever night courses he could, often arriving home late. Sometimes the boys would run up to him and cling to his legs to hug him, and he'd have such a content smile Alfred found his breath stolen from him. After thinking about it extensively and arguing with himself on numerous occasions, he'd convinced his mother to teach him how to cook proper meals, something easy to whip up. He'd figured that since Sadiq was at class and Alfred was watching the boys, he could just make them dinner. He didn't know what Sadiq usually did for dinner, but it couldn't have been a complete meal. So Alfred started making dinner for Heracles and Yusuf, sometimes himself if he felt hungry. And then Sadiq would arrive and looked thankful that not only were his sons fed but a meal would be waiting for him as well.

Alfred twirled his pencil around his fingers as he remembered back to when he'd made the first meal and how nervous he'd been.

It was spring, and in a few months he'd turn 18. That itself, coupled with Alfred's problem, made Alfred's thoughts slink to the darker part of his mind, where normal teenage hormones reigned supreme. He'd be 18 which meant he'd be legal, and wasn't that an interesting thought? It brought a blush to his face, and sometimes a tightening of his shorts which just made him blush harder. He couldn't help it if his neighbor was a handsome guy, just like how he couldn't help it if he happened to be attracted to him. Honestly, there wasn't much about Sadiq that was unattractive, at least to Alfred.

He was dedicated. After college and when he'd gotten an associate's degree in business, he'd quit his old job and gotten a better one. It might have been a desk job but Sadiq was just happy to be getting more to support him and his kids.

He was strong and manly. It had been when Alfred was first starting to babysit for him. There were still boxes that needed clearing out, things that needed to be reassembled. He'd come home early but allowed Alfred to stay. He would be moving about and lifting heavy boxes and needed the kids preoccupied anyway. So Alfred had popped in a new movie and settled on the couch with Heracles leaning against his side and Yusuf laying across his lap. The boys were so comfortable around him already. But they were kids and he was just a really big kid, so it only made sense Alfred would be great with them. He connected with them on their level, which made it easier for them to open up to him.

But then, Sadiq had walked into the open kitchen-living room area wearing a tank top and workout shorts, and suddenly Alfred's attention wasn't on the movie anymore. Instead he watched muscles flex under bronzed skin and the disciplined build the man had achieved. And then he was feeling hot in so many different places, his cheeks, his chest, his stomach and even lower, that he had to quickly turn back to the movie and think of terrible things to will his on-coming erection away. How awkward would it have been to have that questioned by the kids?

Of course, by then Alfred had accepted that soft and squishy just didn't cut it for him anymore. He looked at girls and admired their curves and overall soft look, but felt nothing more then what a child might: an interest to maybe go over and start chatting like friends. And with the gradual disinterest in girls came the very strong interest in boys. First it had been all kinds of boys, even ones more feminine than others in that they had rounder edges but still looked like guys, but then at school the football team had been laughing and chatting with each other, shoving each other playfully, and seeing so many fit bodies had lit a fire in him; a fire that could only be extinguished, he knew now, by a certain type of guy. Not that he'd turn down a scrawny guy if he liked him well enough, but there was that subconscious attraction that drove him towards the bigger boys.

So naturally, despite the slight age difference, Alfred would notice Sadiq. The man normally wore suits with nice slacks and pale colored pressed dress shirts, so Alfred hadn't ever seen him in anything but that(and really there was no reason for him to do so). But that one day, that one glorious day had taken a hold of Alfred and shoved him head over heals crushing on his older single father of a neighbor.

Nervously, for a reason unknown to him, Alfred had made a simple dinner of chicken and peas. He'd let the boys eat in front of the television, glad they didn't complain about anything. Then he'd made up Sadiq's plate for when the man got home and tried not to think about doing this for the foreseeable future. But of course his stupid brain would think all night about it, about how Sadiq would come home and the boys would run up to him and he'd scoop them in his arms and smile that smile that melted Alfred's insides. He'd laugh and kiss them and set them down, turning his sights on Alfred, who would have just finished dinner and would smile back. Alfred would put the food on the plates and Sadiq would walk up behind him and distract him with little touches and soft kisses to the back of his neck. If the boys weren't sitting on the couch a few paces away Alfred would spin around and wrap his arms any way he could around the man and kiss him until he felt woozy because all his blood was pooling in his cheeks and groin. But the kids probably were there, so he'd settle with turning his head to meet the warm lips at his neck and—

And his face was on fire, holy hell he needed a cold shower for more reasons than one.

Nothing of the sort had happened when Sadiq arrived home. Alfred was content, however, with the look of surprise and gratitude on Sadiq's face, how his eyes crinkled up adorably as he smiled at Alfred and thanked him. And Alfred smiled back and decided that, even if his fantasy never came true, it was still worth it.

Alfred focused back on his notes but knew already that he wouldn't be doing any more studying that afternoon. Usually he liked to do some homework while watching the boys, but today was Friday and he'd only just arrived at Sadiq's house so he was feeling light and happy and like he wanted to do something. So he closed his laptop, shut his notebook and stuffed his pencil back in his bag, then got up and sat back down between Heracles and Yusuf, who immediately leaned against him in some way.

They watched the movie in silence until it ended and Alfred had to get up. He always hated getting up when the kids were leaning on him. "Alfred?"

"Yes Yusuf?"

"Can we watch the skeleton guy?"

"Yeah, I want to watch Jack," Heracles added. Alfred nodded and moved Yusuf off of him. "You two sure like these movies, don't you?"

"Yeah!"

He put the previous movie in its case and put in the next movie, turning around to see Yusuf laying where he'd been sitting. "Hey now man, that's my spot."

"No it's not."

"Is so, I even wrote my name on it. Look." He pointed to the couch cushion to get both boys looking away from him, then surprised them with a tickle attack. He got Heracles in the side and Yusuf in the neck, the sound of high pitched laughing ringing through the house. Alfred found himself smiling, the contagious sound of children's laughter enough to make even the most terrible day brighter. He sat between them again and both of them jumped on him. He laughed out loud and started tickling them again. When Heracles managed to push his hand away long enough to speak, Alfred turned to him only to see his face light up even more. "Daddy!"

Sure enough, when Alfred turned his head, Sadiq was standing at the entrance to the room, staring at them with a slight smile. His heart did a fine job attempting to beat right out of him, but even so he managed to keep his blush to a minimum, or at least he hoped he wasn't too red in the face. Yusuf got up as well but only hugged his father's legs before returning to jump into Alfred's arms. He sat Yusuf on his lap sideways. "Hey. Didn't know you were going to be home early. I put in a movie—oh, looks like we're going to have to watch Jack on Monday."

They groaned and Sadiq chuckled, adjusting his grip on Heracles. "No, you can stay if you want. I still have some work to do and I would appreciate it if you could stay to entertain them. I'll pay you your regular time as well, but you don't have to worry about dinner. Did they eat at all?"

"Yeah, mom said she made them sandwiches and they had some juice not too long ago."

"Alright," Sadiq said, setting Heracles on the ground. "Now you two be good and stay with Alfred okay? I have work."

"Okay," Heracles said, wandering back over to Alfred and climbing onto his lap. Yusuf moved over himself to make room for his older brother. Sadiq smiled at them and Alfred could have died when they made eye contact and Sadiq smiled wider before going to his office. It was impossible to ignore how...domestic the scene was. Almost like a scene straight from his daydreams, where Alfred watched the kids not because he was their babysitter but because he was with their father and of course he'd stop accepting pay, what kind of boy—boyf...Jesus Christ, just the thought made him smile dumbly.

He was sad to go, like he always was, but since Sadiq was already home they actually had a chance to talk, something Alfred wanted to do so badly, but now that it was happening it was all he could do to not stutter and sound like an idiot.

"Listen Alfred," Sadiq said, watching as his sons played with legos on the coffee table. "I really can't thank you enough. You don't know how lucky I am to have you as a neighbor."

Alfred tried his best to look like he was talking to a friend and not someone he had serious sexual fantasies about. "Its no problem, really. I love watching over them, they really are such nice boys." Alfred too looked over at the brothers. They were very well mannered for kids their age, quiet and obedient.

"Are you doing anything tomorrow?"

"What?"

Alfred looked over, eyes wide. Surely this is what it felt like to be swallowed whole by something all encompassing, like the dark, or maybe the ocean. Yes, he was drowning right now, only able to hear the blood rushing through his head and the frantic beat of his heart. His thoughts collided with each other and the walls of his mind, all vying for his attention yet only succeeding in splitting it many different ways. He saw Sadiq's mouth moving and the worried look on his face and blinked a few times.

Guessing that Sadiq commented on his no doubt flustered appearance Alfred responded, "I'm fine, its just the heat getting to me, or something." They both knew the house was air-conditioned to a comfortable 75 degrees, though neither bothered pointing that out, Alfred because he'd been the one to say he was too hot and Sadiq because he had no need to.

"Uh, tomorrow—no, I'm not busy or anything. Tomorrow's Saturday right? No, I'm free."

"Well, you see, the boys have been begging to go to the park, you know, the new one across town?" Alfred nodded, apprehension coiling like a snake around his stomach. "I was wondering if you'd—" Here it comes, Alfred thought, wondering if you'd like to take the boys while I stay home to work, always with the work—

"—like to come with us."

Alfred resisted the urge to simultaneously burst out laughing and burst into tears. He'd said "with us," as in, the boys, Alfred, and Sadiq, who Alfred had never spoken with as much as in this moment and who Alfred also had a quickly escalating crush on. It would be like a date, where maybe they could all get ice cream and laugh and have fun with each other. It might have been a family outing type of date, but a date nonetheless, or in Alfred's book, a step in the right direction.

But like with most things in life, reality had a way of taking fantasies, crushing them thoroughly with a hammer, tearing them to pieces, and lighting them on fire. Sadiq was older by almost 6 years. Alfred had just turned 19 a month ago, and Sadiq would be turning 25 in October. (He knew that because the boys wanted Alfred's help making stuff for him on his birthday, so naturally they'd told him when it was.) He had two kids. From a woman. Which meant he was either straight(the probable answer), or (hopefully) bisexual. But Alfred had not spent enough time around him to study him so much that he could form a solid guess as to what Sadiq might be. All he knew was that he hoped the man liked guys to some degree. He didn't like the idea of falling into unrequited love. Plus being older and all he wouldn't want kids barely out of their teens. It hurt to think that there was the possibility Sadiq only saw him as "Alfred, the nice neighbor boy who babysits my kids."

"I'm relieved. You really are a great guy, Alfred. I don't think many 16 year old boys would have babysat for practically a stranger. I'm lucky to have you."

Guy, not kid. Oh, these words weren't doing anything good for him. This was too much, too much interaction, too much kindness, too much fuel for his fantasies. A tidal wave of emotion was dragging him under and it hurt so good. Not doing anything about the redness to his cheeks Alfred said, "Really, its no problem. I enjoy spending time with them. What time should I come over?" He slung his bag around his shoulder, making ready to go home.

"How about eleven? We can go to the park then have lunch around there, if you don't mind?"

Oh my god, oh my God—

"No, I don't mind. I'll see you tomorrow then." He waved and Sadiq waved back. Alfred walked out the side door to hop the low fence separating his and Sadiq's houses. He was getting home earlier than usual so his mom asked him questions and he answered very distractedly, and eventually she realized he wasn't going to answer her straight out so he went to his room and jump on his bed and smiled into his pillow because everything in life was bright and sugary and wonderful. Tomorrow was going to be a good day.

If you'd like, you can influence the direction of the next chapter by choosing either:

-Fluff/Good Feelings all around

-Drama/Maybe a bit of angst

-Some weird mashed up combination of both

Hope you enjoyed it!