Title: Babysitting
Fandom: Heroes
Pairing: Sylar/Mohinder, implied Peter/Claude
Rating: PG
Summary: How hard could watching one baby be?
Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes.
Warnings: Slash, AU, Mpreg, spoilers for season 3

Mohinder groaned in annoyance as his phone began to vibrate and chime loudly in his pocket. Pulling out the hand held device, he wasn't the least bit surprised when the small screen revealed that he had just received another text message from Peter Petrelli. It was the fourth one in the past half hour and Mohinder had to will himself not to crush the mobile phone in the palm of his hand. Instead he merely sent another text in response, telling the other man that he was on his way to meet with him.

The geneticist shook his head wearily as he pressed the send button on his phone. He'd been back in New York for only three weeks, although it felt like much longer since he had originally planned on leaving two weeks ago, and already he found himself in the middle of a miniature crisis.

"Peter again?" Claire asked knowingly as he slipped his phone back into his pocket.

Mohinder turned and smiled at her. He felt fortunate that he was able to reach the girl and have her babysit for him on such short notice. Usually, he would have just taken Manu with him, but from Peter's last few messages, it seemed that this situation would be a bit inappropriate for a baby.

"He seems to be getting more frantic by the second," he joked, shuffling through his leather messenger bag to make sure he had everything he'd need.

"Is there anything wrong?" she asked, causing Mohinder's eyes to meet her worried gaze. "It's nothing... serious. Right?"

A slight flush began to color the geneticist's cheeks. It was a personal situation, and he wasn't sure if Peter would want his niece to know about it just yet. "No," he said hesitantly. "No it's... are you sure you'll be alright with the baby?"

Claire rolled her eyes at the sudden change of subject. Mohinder felt a bit guilty for leaving her out of the loop, but until he got the okay from Peter, he didn't want to tell anyone anything that could be considered private.

"I'll be fine," she assured him. "I've babysat a dozen times before. I'm trained in infant CPR, I can change a diaper with my eyes closed, and I won't even be stepping out of the hotel room."

"Unless there's an emergency," he reminded her carefully.

"Unless there's an emergency," she repeated, weariness clear in her tone.

He flashed her an apologetic smile as he pulled his wallet out of his bag. He did feel a bit embarrassed for being so over protective, but he wasn't used to leaving Manu alone with anyone except his mother. Not to mention the fact that Sylar now knew about their child's existence. Even if Sylar was "reformed," he still wasn't comfortable having the former killer around his baby.

"I just gave him a bottle, so you won't have to worry about feeding him," he informed her as he flipped open his wallet. "He usually needs a diaper change soon after eating, so be prepared for that. His diaper bag is in the bathroom next to the sink. If he gets fussy, I have a few toys next to bed, and when you put him down for a nap, make sure to play classical music for him."

"Okay, okay! I get it!" Claire laughed, throwing her arms up wearily. "Just go! Take care of Peter. Manu and I will be just fine."

Mohinder grinned as he gave her his spare room key from his wallet. "I'll try not to be gone too long."

Walking over to Manu, who was currently suckling happily on his pacifier while he laid in his playpen, Mohinder couldn't help but feel a knot of worry form in the pit of his stomach. It just seemed wrong to leave the infant alone, especially when they were so far from home in a strange country, but he forced himself to push those feelings aside as he lifted the baby into his arms. He pressed several quick kisses onto his son's cheeks, causing the baby to giggle happily.

"I love you, Manu," he whispered to him. "Father will be back soon. Be a good boy for your babysitter." Mohinder gave the baby one more tender kiss to his nose before handing him over to Claire. The instant Mohinder laid the child in Claire's waiting arms, Manu began to tear up, kicking his legs frantically and reaching out towards him. The geneticist felt his heart tighten in his chest as he ran a tender hand over his baby's soft black curls. "I'll be back soon," he promised.

Claire flashed him a weak smile as she began rocking the child awkwardly in her arms. "We'll be fine," she assured him.

He nodded heading towards the door, unable to shake the feeling that something about the blond girl's behavior had been a bit off.

-+-+-+-

Claire Bennet had always been a bit careless when it came to her belongings. She lost things easily, either by placing them out of her sight or not taking care to put them somewhere safe. It was because of the girl's slightly forgetful nature that Sylar had easily been able to swipe her phone and intercept the call from Mohinder.

Playing the part of Claire wasn't difficult at all. He had spent a good deal of time around the former cheerleader when he was still Nathan Petrelli and knew her mannerism well enough that he could fool even her own family when he shifted into her form. Mohinder was easily tricked, but Manu would not be fooled. The moment the baby had been placed in his arms, he'd feared his cover had been blown. There must have been something about him--his smell maybe--that Manu just did not like. Fortune seemed to have been on his side, however, since Mohinder was distracted enough by Petrelli's constant messages to not bother to question his own son's tears.

Once Mohinder's foot steps were far enough away, Sylar had gently placed the still wailing infant onto the soft hotel bed and began to shift back into his own body.

Sylar groaned as the baby began to scream even louder once he picked him up again. The sound was already starting to give him a splitting headache.

"Come on Manu," he whispered, trying his best to make his tone as soothing as possible. "It's me, Papa. Don't you like Papa?"

The reformed killer suddenly wished he hadn't asked as the child began to kick at him wildly. Apparently giving him a hard time was encoded in Manu's DNA.

"Where are those damn toys?"

-+-+-+-

After pulling out every single plastic toy, stuffed animal, and shiny object he could find--as well as avoiding several worried phone calls from the hotel staff and being yelled at by angry hotel guests--Sylar finally managed to calm the child down enough so that his face wasn't bright red and twisted with tears.

Sylar breathed a sigh of relief as he cradled Manu to his chest. The child was currently fixated on the watch he had given him, trying his best to fit it into his mouth.

"So you like watches?" he asked, running his fingers through the infant's hair. His curls were so much softer and bouncier than Mohinder's, it almost seemed unreal. "I guess that's genetic too. Don't worry. I won't make you run a failing watch repair shop or wear sweater vests."

Manu gurgled in response, pulling the watch out of his mouth and handing it back to Sylar. The man smiled, trying his best to ignore the fact that his watch was now covered in spit. Yet he couldn't ignore the fact that Manu now felt very warm.

And wet.

And it seemed that he was going to have to learn how to change a diaper.

-+-+-+-

Four hours passed and Mohinder still hadn't come back. He'd called three times to check up on "Claire" and make sure that Manu was alright, but he never mentioned when he'd be coming back. Unfortunately, Manu seemed to pick each phone call as an excuse to show how unhappy he was with being stuck with Sylar instead of the pretty blond ex-cheerleader. The first time Mohinder called the infant had cried hysterically, the second time he spat up on him, and the third time he did both.

Sylar groaned as he continued to scrub furiously at the spot now staining the front of his shirt (courtesy of Manu's tantrum during Mohinder's third phone call). Four hours with the baby and he was already seconds away from pulling his hair out. He'd always known he hadn't been cut out for parenthood, but he'd wanted to try. That was the least he could do for his son, try. It was more than his two father figures had done for him. They hadn't tried. Both Martin and Samson Gray had abandoned him the first chance they could. He wouldn't do that to his child. Even if Mohinder didn't want him to be a part of Manu's world, he still owed it to his offspring to be a presence in his life.

But it was hard. Too damn hard. Harder than anyone had made it seem to be. His baby was only a few months old and the infant already hated him. He didn't know how to change a diaper or what to feed him (or how) or even what toys Manu played with. Even after Mohinder had spent a good twenty minutes telling him exactly what to do, he'd still managed screw up.

Hot tears began to well in his eyes as his throat tightened in anger. He clenched his teeth together as he slammed his tightly wound fist into his own face. He felt the skin swell up with blood and his flesh tear from the rough contact before healing itself automatically. Sylar repeated the motion several times until the tears went away. He would not cry.

"How do you do this?" his voice trembled and he wasn't sure if he were addressing the question to Mohinder or his mother. They both made it seem so easy!

The ex-serial killer sighed, giving up on both his shirt and beating himself senseless. Instead, he turned his attention back to Manu. The child had worn himself out from his constant tears and had fallen into a peaceful sleep. A small smile crept onto Sylar's face as he watched his infant son breath peacefully, his long eyelashes fluttering in sleep over his round cheeks. He sighed, noticing that Manu had kicked off his blanket while he was sleeping and instinctively went to put it back on. His smile grew when the baby didn't flinch or whimper at his touch. He just laid there, sleeping calmly.

It was then that the former murder realized that he was going to keep trying with Manu, even if it killed him.

-+-+-+-

Mohinder came back half an hour later with Peter trailing behind him. The younger man didn't appear as frantic as his constant phone calls and text messages had made him seem. Instead he looked very calm and at peace.

Sylar had made sure to switch back to Claire before the two entered the room and stood there waiting for them, calm and smiling brightly.

"Sorry we took so long," Mohinder said once they walked through the door. He didn't look nearly as put together as Peter. The Indian man looked completely worn out, as if he hadn't slept in days. Sylar suddenly wondered if taking care of Peter was more draining than raising a baby. "How was he?"

"Just fine," he lied. "A perfect angel. But what about you? Crisis averted?"

Peter and Mohinder exchanged sidelong glances as they smiled secretively at each other. Neither one seemed to know what they should say but both were clearly happy about the situation. Sylar very much wanted to rip Peter's head open for being so chummy with Mohinder.

"Well," Peter began, his voice soft and slightly sheepish. "It... uh... wasn't really a crisis."

"Let's just say that I've started something of a trend," Mohinder laughed before heading straight to Manu's playpen.

Sylar flashed Peter a confused look, hoping the other man would say more.

Peter smiled, shrugging his shoulders and brushing his hair out of his face. "Well, I guess you'll be the first to know," he mumbled. "I'm pregnant."

Sylar felt his eyes widen at the younger man's comment. He hadn't expected that. "You're joking," he blurted out, although he already knew that it was the truth.

"No," Mohinder said from behind them, gazing down at Manu's still sleeping form. "He borrowed my power and... well. One thing lead to another..."

The words made Sylar's heartbeat quicken. He wondered if Mohinder was the father. The two always seemed to have a platonic relationship, but it had been some time since Sylar had seen the two interact and Peter knowing about Manu before him didn't exactly sit well with him either. The shape shifter willed his face to maintain Claire's normal tanned color. If something was going on between the two of them, she'd probably know about it already.

"Well, um, congratulations," he stuttered.

"Don't congratulate him just yet," Mohinder teased. "Angela might kill him before the baby can even be born."

Peter laughed nervously, running his hands through his hair to cover the blush that was slowly coloring his cheeks. "I don't think it's my mom that we should be worried about," he chuckled. "Claude will probably be the one to kill me. We haven't exactly had the baby talk. Not that it either of us ever thought it would be an issue."

Sylar let out a soft laugh, relieved that his fears had been put to rest.

"I guess we should be getting out of here," Peter suggested with an awkward shrug of his shoulders. "Do you need a ride home, Claire?"

"No, I'll be alright."

"Actually, Claire," Mohinder cut in. "Can I talk to you in private for a moment?"

"No problem," Sylar shrugged casually as Peter said his goodbyes and left the two alone. "Is there something you need to talk to me about?"

Mohinder smiled warmly, reaching into his messenger bag and fishing out his wallet. "I just wanted to thank you for watching Manu for me. How much do I owe you?"

Sylar tried his best to flash him a warm Claire-like smile as he waved off the Indian man's offer. "Don't worry about paying me, Mohinder," he beamed modestly. "It wasn't a problem at all. Manu's a real great little kid."

The geneticist's smile widened as he put his wallet away, handing Sylar a few twenties anyway. "I insist. You did a wonderful job. There's just one small problem."

Taking the offered money, Sylar raised a quizzical eyebrow. He had done everything. Changed him, put him to bed, cleaned up their mess... "What's that?"

The words had barely left his mouth as Mohinder's strong hand suddenly reached out and wrapped their long fingers around his neck. He wheezed painfully as Mohinder lifted him clean off the ground before slamming him roughly against the wall. "Claire never calls me 'Mohinder,' Sylar."

Oops.