catchacold | Babysitter's Club

"Hey." Hartley smiled at Teddy as he balanced him on his hip, carrying him out of the kitchen. It smelled like food and he couldn't off the top of his hand remember when he'd last eaten, so it was best not to be close to temptation. He didn't believe in any promises of food or money, since he wasn't an idiot, but at least he was closer to warm than he'd been in a very long time. He slowly sat down on the ground and let Teddy sit on his lap, looking around. "You have a lot of toys, huh? That's so great."

He picked up the one closest and held it up to Teddy, his other hand still in his pocket, although he finally released his flute. Maybe he would get some money here, maybe that could save him from having to sell the flute for another day. Without really thinking about it, he switched to Spanish, running a hand through Teddy's hair. "You have a nice dad. You like him, yes?"

Obviously Teddy didn't understand a word, but he clearly approved of the funny nonsense sounds Hartley made and kept encouraging him to speak more Spanish until he was just singing to him softly and it was enough to keep him giggling.

When Mick came back he was soaked, his hair was wet and he was shivering a little. It really was cold water in that damn apartment and it sprayed him twice but it was a job well done. He nodded approvingly that Hartley was still here and just appeared to be playing with the boy, much better than Axel, who had held the boy and watched TV the whole time, unsure what to do. Honestly, young people these days. No idea how to nurture a baby. He tossed a ten from his handful of bills and it fluttered towards Hartley. Payment as promised.

Mick pulled his wet shirt off, his torso slightly burnt in places, much like his arms, but otherwise he was pretty solid. Someone who it wasn't wise to pick a fight with. "I'll take my boy back when I'm dry. Thanks, kid." He disappeared into the bathroom, snagging a change of clothes as he walked by. Teddy giggled excitedly and started pointing at the bathroom, babbling something about 'da' to Hartley.

When Mick came back, he was dry, fresh and looking a lot less grumpy. "Ah, there's my boy. You getting along with -- wait, what was your name?" He forgot to ask.

That was ten dollars. That was a lot of money. Hartley took it as quickly as he could, rolling it up and, after some hesitation, hiding it in his shoe. He had no idea, but it seemed like a better idea than a pocket at any rate and it wasn't as if he had anywhere else to hide it. Wallet and everything else was long gone. He mostly minded losing his wallet and phone because of the pictures in them, but such was life. He supposed he could just look at his parents whenever they were in a magazine.

He averted his eyes when Mick pulled off his shirt, because this wasn't the type of thing he needed to look at. Instead he helped Teddy bounce and nodded. "Yes, that's your dad. He'll be back in a bit."

Then he could just make himself scarce before the man asked for his money back. He looked up at Mick and replied. "Hartley." Lucky for him, no one on the street used last names. "He is very sweet. Thank you for the money."

"Hartley. Fancy." Mick snorted in amusement and came closer, taking Teddy from him and enjoying the way Teddy almost screamed in delight and started patting his face, repeating 'da' constantly as Mick tried to talk to Hartley. It really undercut a lot of Mick's scariness. "I said I'd pay you if you helped me. I keep my word, I don't bullshit anyone. You gotta have honour, a lot of scum bags don't but I do. I want to show Teddy what a real man is like."

And a real man kept his word, defended people instead of attacked them and did the right thing. And knew how to lift a wallet without getting caught and how to properly light a fire. It was a unique mix but Mick balanced it well.

"Okay then." Mick started, it was almost like parting words and then he looked away and added. "Whack some toast in the toaster, would you? How many do you what? I got a whole loaf. There's some jelly in the fridge you can spread on it. I ain't had chance to shop yet but knock yourself out. Make me some too. Oh and grab one of the little jars from the fridge, Teddy will be hungry too."

"I'm..." He was starving, which he was aware of, given he had read up on the signs for starvation. Not the most useful reading material, as it turned out, since knowing that it was happening had yet to make him less hungry. The others stole or, well, they provided the kinds of services he didn't, they sold drugs of anything along those lines, but Hartley couldn't bring himself to do any of that, so instead he had practically no way to make any money, at least none he'd discovered yet. Genius. Right.

"I wouldn't want to overstay my welcome. I mean, I don't want to eat too much." So there. He headed to the kitchen and put toast in the toaster as instructed, then opened up the fridge to look for the jelly and Teddy's jars. They looked similar to some of the ones Jerry had, this man really did spend a lot of money on his son.

"I'll tell you when you've over stayed. You haven't." Mick informed the kid as he took a seat on the beat up old couch in the corner and bounced Teddy lazily on his knee. Teddy watched Hartley, hand in mouth, babbling happily around it as he watched his new favourite person in awe. "Teddy likes you. If he didn't like you, I'd have kicked you out."

He looked at his boy and smiled. Teddy was an accident, he never meant to have him, he never even knew about him until he turned up outside of his apartment one day. He had no idea how to be a dad, he didn't want to be a dad but after a week of trying to get someone to take him, he ended up falling in love with the stupid kid. Now he'd so anything for him. And since then, he found himself oddly caring a little more. Seeing a kid like Hartley, homeless, cold and alone? He kinda felt bad. "Eat with us then decide how you feel. You wanna go? You can go. You wanna crash on my couch? Whatever. I don't mind. Free babysitting is all I see."

"He seems like he likes most things." Not that he didn't approve of Teddy liking him, but it seemed like a rather low bar to set. Hartley looked for a spoon that looked right for Teddy and walked back to the table with the jar, spoon and jelly, only to walk back and retrieve the toast. He didn't trust this, he had been taught not to trust anything, but he still ate one piece of toast so quickly he didn't even have time to worry about the jelly, which was stupid. He needed sugar and now he just felt even hungrier, like his stomach had woken up. "...may I have more toast?"

"I got a whole loaf, knock yourself out. Like I said. I just hit pay day tonight and I'm gonna go do the shopping soon. That bread expires tomorrow. You could eat the whole thing, I wouldn't care. Just save me like five slices." Mick laughed at the kid, his manners were adorable. Street kid? Yeah, right. He put Teddy's bib around him and sat down on the floor with him, popping the lid off and starting the ongoing game of 'Will he eat before aeroplane noises or only for aeroplane noises?'. Mick offered a spoonful out and, thank God, Teddy just ate it. Hartley put him in a very good mood, apparently.

"So how long have you been homeless? Can't be long. Days, rights?" That much was obvious. "Have you eaten at all since you left wherever you were?"

"Almost two months." Hey, he wasn't completely new to this or he wouldn't have had the time to lose everything he had other than the clothes he was currently wearing and his flute. "It's just getting cold now." Which he really had no way of preparing for, much as he tried. He didn't have a lot of options for earning money. "I get food." Sometimes. He went to the soup kitchens and, yes, sometimes he shared with others, but still. He had tried busking and that worked moderately well, but now it was getting too cold for that, he couldn't move his fingers for long. "I was in a shelter for a while, but they had to close."

So he wasn't entirely homeless the whole time. Seemed like a long time ago now.

"That sucks. I was homeless on and off a lot in my life, it's never great. Got kicked out by my dad once or twice and then later in life when I was trying to get a freaking apartment, the wait lists around here are insane. Just as I got a place, I got a kid." Mick laughed to himself and fed his boy a few more mouthfuls of mushed peas and carrots. He seemed very into it today, it was a good feeling. "There's a lot of homeless kids around this area, I know a few of them. Some are safer than others. I can give you names, if you want."

He could show him who to avoid and who to trust. Teddy gurgled excitedly and made a noise like the aeroplane. After that, he was stubborn over the next mouthful. Mick took a bite of his toast as Teddy waited. Whatever. "Why are you on the streets anyway? What fucked up in your life?"

Hartley quickly ate one more slice of toast, because he had a suspicion that he might get kicked out shortly. He hesitated, but then put the other slice that was ready into his kangaroo pocket, glancing at the door. He could bolt in case Mick got angry, good. At least his stomach was filled a little bit, with warm food no less. That felt like a pretty great luxury right now, more than he expected out of the day.

So he finally said, very much full of confidence. "I'm gay." And he'd suffered for it, but that didn't change facts. "I can leave, if you'd like."

"Yeah. Me too." Mick said without even flinching or looking up, focusing instead on wiping his boys face. "Well, what's the one? Snart told me before. Where you fuck chicks but -- wait, Bisexual. That's the one." Mick confirmed with a nod as he looked at Teddy and signed, he was pulling a face and he didn't want to take another spoonful apparently. "You're just going to be a dick, aren't you? Fine."

Mick made aeroplane noises, moving the spoon around and like that, Teddy ate it. God damn him. He looked up at Hartley finally and grunted a little. "My old man hated fags too. Fortunately it's a dying generation. Fuck 'em." He did yet another aeroplane spoonful to Teddy. "You just gotta go out there and be as happy and gay as you can be to spite them."

What? Hartley blinked and made two more slices of toast, wondering how many he could eat before he'd get stomach cramps. He couldn't believe that Mick actually claimed to be gay. Bisexual? This stuff didn't happen. But at least the man seemed to be less than scandalised by his confession and so he relaxed for the moment, nodding his head. "I'll try to be happy and gay." One out of two, hey. Happiness had to come any day now, right?

Right?

"Look, I don't care if you're gay, you seem all right and you can handle a baby. You're welcome here." And maybe he could talk him into crashing here. It was only a matter of time before someone cruel got a good shot at this kid and then he'd just end up feeling guilty over it. And he didn't need that kind of shit. "I'm gay, my boyfriend is pretty gay and our rent boy babysitter is also gay."

He just thought he'd clarify so he knew he wasn't entirely alone. "There's pudding cups in the fridge. Snag one for me and Teddy. And for you, obviously."

How was this happening? Hartley tried to figure out the trap, he didn't want to get caught in one again. He got pudding cups without really thinking about them, setting them down in front of Mick and then starting to eat his own. His stomach was definitely hurting now, he shouldn't eat more. He wasn't used to so much food at once, but who knew when he'd have the chance again? "Thank you," he finally said, "I don't mean to be impolite, but mostly people just want to fuck me or fuck me over."

"Yeah, well, Teddy made me give a shit these days. I didn't use to but if my kid was alone and he needed help, I'd like to think someone would help him. So I gotta set that example, right?" Mick took a mouthful of his own pudding then fed Teddy some too. They slowly shared one pot, the other set aside. This way, they both got pudding with no whining. "Besides, I'm like twenty one here and I'm raising a kid, I didn't expect or prepare for this. I got no skills and I gotta support him. I'm trying to train in a job here but I don't have the time and I need the time. I figure having a few friends around to watch my kid is a blessing cause I can't afford child care."

Leonard was busy a lot so he couldn't do it and Axel kept strange hours because of his job, he could use more back up. "Look, help me out with the kid and I'll give you some money, not a lot, and you can crash on my couch for now until you find somewhere else. That's my offer, it's on the table. No obligations. You help me, I help you."

"I graduated high-school?" Was that a skill that was worth anything? It was supposed to, but given he was too young, it didn't tend to be. "I speak six languages." Maybe that meant he could stay and be worth something. He was lucky to be done with high-school already, but he couldn't afford his college classes, he had no chance of any of that until maybe he could get a scholarship. "...it's okay if you change your mind, but it'd be nice to sleep somewhere warm for a bit."

He wasn't expecting much.

"Okay, great? Good to know." What was that all about? Nice to know he had skills. "Mostly all you gotta do is make aeroplane noises when he won't eat, sing to him and have a lot of patience. He's on and off teething, some days are better than others. Today is a good day but some days he screams bloody murder. Otherwise, he's a happy kid." Happy, healthy and just in love with the world. Once the pudding was gone, Teddy rocked back and forth a few times then tumbled back lightly, legs in the air, cooing excitedly at Hartley from where he was and wriggling his fingers.

"Oh and you gotta know how to change a diaper. Think you can do that?"

"Yes. I have a baby sister." Obviously changing her didn't really fall under his jurisdiction, but since he had taken it on himself to spend more time than intended with her, he had learned how to do that. He smiled at Teddy and waved back at him, still wondering how long any of this could last. But Teddy was so cute, it was hard to be a pessimist in a moment like that. Which was probably why once he was back to playing with Teddy, it didn't take long until he passed out next to the baby on his teddy bear blanket right on the floor.

Mick left him sleeping because at least he was warm and happy, that beat being outside. Mick lifted Teddy up and sat him in his lap, not far away from where Hartley was sleeping as he fed the kid his night time bottle. If he was going to sleep, he was going to need a nice warm bottle. Teddy drank silently, his eyes getting heavy as Mick leaned against the wall and hummed gently to him.

Well, this went better than planned.

Leonard came home carrying two bags of groceries, because he knew Mick was busy and he had just passed by the store. He closed the door behind him quietly, knowing that Teddy was either asleep already or about to be asleep. So he just nodded at Mick and quietly tiptoed into the kitchen to put the groceries away, then walked into the living room.

And noticed a kid he didn't know. "...the hell?"

"New babysitter. Shh. Calming voices, he's almost asleep." Mick whispered gently as Teddy slowly sucked the last of his bottle and once it was empty, he set it aside and gently rocked his little boy, eyes on Leonard. Yep, he had a lot of explaining to do. Honestly, he was shocked Leonard didn't recognise him, he slept outside for two days. "He speaks six languages and he can change a diaper." That was all he needed from the kid. The last one more than the others. "He's not on speed like our other babysitter."

"Sure. He dresses like he's an upstanding citizen." Leonard rolled his eyes and let out a huff of breath. Of course, they had to have an argument and Mick had a sleeping baby in his arms. There was nothing more annoying. "I know Axel and he's always been clean around Teddy. You know that, I'd not let him near him otherwise. He's a good kid, just a rough life. We don't know this kid.2

"Why is it I have to trust the addict rent boy you like but I can't trust one I pick. he's a good kid, he got kicked out because he's gay. Remember how often my dad did that? It happens. He's sleeping rough, he's gonna look like shit." Mick whispered, he's gotten so good at talking all soft and gentle, he no longer slipped up like he used to. Teddy was a warm, sleeping lump in his arms now and he had to be put down. He slowly got up and held the baby close, gesturing his head at the nursery door so Leonard could open it. "I need more help than an unreliable whore."

"Axel is not unreliable with me. I don't work with anyone unreliable. Did you check this kid's arms?" It was a valid question. Leonard huffed again and opened the door to the nursery, letting Mick carry Teddy inside. Maybe then they could have a normal conversation although, yes, a lot of it boiled down to Leonard trusting his own judgement more than Mick's and he didn't know this kid yet.

Babysitter's Club

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